Panama Canal excursion ?s
 

Now that RCCL no longer does a partial transit of the canal, what is a good excursion for 3 generations? We booked this cruise a year ago with the expectation of going through the locks. We leave on 4-5-10. The excursion descriptions are quite vague as to the whether or not the client is on a boat that goes through the locks, or are in a boat that could possibly view another ship going through the locks. Ideally, we would like to go through one set of locks, see some wildlife, and not spend 3 hours on a bus in Central America. Please help.

d4sunshine
We sailed RCCL April of 09 and absolutly loved our shore excusion that took us thru one set of locks and anchored in Gaton Lake. You then take a tender to shore where you board boats and are taken to a floating restaurant for a really good meal. But, before landing at the restuarant, they run the boat up on shore and monkeys invade the top of the boats and eat grapes out of your hand. You have time for the adventerous can swim. (not me, I saw some huge turtles in that water!) See: http://www.royalcaribbean.com/shoreE...tionCode=T.PAN

It depends if you go east to west or west to east.
If you go east to west, what cd described is correct. You go through a set of locks, it anchored, shore excursion passengers get off, rejoin the ship before go through the locks on the Pacific side.

The ship typically go through the locks very early in the morning. I was up at 5 am to see the approach.

There is 2 school of thoughts on the excusions while the ship is in transit through the canal. One is to get off, enjoy the sights and sound of the surround land. The other one is to stay on the ship, listen to the naturalist on board and watch the scenary as the ship makes the transit (sort of like the inside passage on an Alaskan Cruise, but not quite)

We were off the ship and watch ships going through the locks on the Mirafores Locks observation deck. You can't get away without any bus rides if you take an shore excursions. Also, the food that the tour company provided for the shore excursions is terrible. Be prepared to spend money and buy your own.

Eschew, on our shore excusion (above), we did not go thru to the Pacific. Once anchored in Gatun Lake we took our excusion, which had really good food BTW :-), and rejoined the ship at Cristobal still on the Carribean side. The ship had let us off where we got to experience Panama and then she turned around and went thru the same locks to go back to the Carribean. And yes, we had to get up very early to see the ship go thru the locks.

CD, your cruise was a round trip and not a full transit, Therefore, you finish your excursion and ended up at the dock at Cristobal, back at the Caribbean, outside of teh Canal.

When we took the excursion to the Pacific side, everyone we talked to complaint about the food provided by the tour operator (not the ship). The same remarks were echoed by quite a few on the cruise critics as well. Maybe your excursion has a different operator. Lucky you!

On the rpund trip, you get to experience one set of locks and teh Gutum Lake. On the full transit, the passage on the canal is interesting. Although locks are locks, but the locks on the Pacific side is quite different. Maybe becasue we are allowed in and went to the top open observation area at Mirafores lock. And the Panama City itself, what a contrast between the new and the old.