Cruises - Cruise through the Panama Canal

I am beginning to plan a cruise through the Canal...I have researched Tauck, but looking for more options....Small ship ius preferred....

Thx as always..

Could you be more specific? Are the other ports besides the Canal of importance to you? I went on a BIG ship through the canal (over 2000 passengers) and never once felt crowded,seemed I could always find my own spot

any particular time period?.....you could look at seabourn and rssc.....rssc did mia-sfo via the canal....we are on the voyager now, boarded in sfo....i don't know if other trips are planned....

why not talk to a ta?....good luck...

Personally, I went thru the Panama Canal on a Panamax ship: it's an experience to behold to see the entire ship fit with roughly an inch or two on all sides!

Since I cannot attach photos here, here is the Photo album link:
http://photo2.walgreens.com/walgreens/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3015250002/a=7602249_7602249/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=walgreens/


Note that it is very expensive (to the cruise line) to go through the Canal at a preset time, so the small ships may not be willing to pay that fee (the large ones spread out the $several-hundred-K over all the 2000+ pax and make the better experience worth while); the small ships might therefore only do a nighttime transit or similar.

I think everyone should transit the Panama Canal once in their lifetime... it's just cool!

Silver Cloud (Silversea) has four transits this year. Odyssey (Seabourn) has at least two, including late December. Check out their websites. If size matters, Cloud is much smaller.

I went on Holland America for a Holiday cruise in 2009 from Long Beach to Fort Lauderdale and it was a great experience on the m/s Amsterdam, I would definitely recommended it to anyone, who was looking to transit the Canal.

We just did the Holland America Statendam through the canal from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale - 1200 passenger ship. Great shore excursion stops along the way, particularly Puerto Chiapas Argovia coffee plantation and Puerto Quetzel excursion to Antigua Guatamala. Very nicely paced trip.

Try Windstar - the Windstar is sailing through the canal in December and January. Love the small ship - only 150 passengers.

This is slightly OT. but just recently there was a wonderful program on PBS on the Panama Canal and it's available for viewing online. CHeck it out. Many will advise to read the McCullough book, but I found that way too long and a bit boring. Also, there will be an expert on board who will have a running commentary on the passage.

This is slightly OT. but just recently there was a wonderful program on PBS on the Panama Canal and it's available for viewing online. CHeck it out. Many will advise to read the McCullough book, but I found that way too long and a bit boring. Also, there will be an expert on board who will have a running commentary on the passage.

How much would Windstar cost me for 2 people?

How much would Windstar cost me for 2 people?

$399

Windstar is a great idea for canal transit.

My husband and I are going to cruise for 15 days on the Queen Victoria to the Panama Canal in March. We managed to get a great balcony stateroom for $2,300 each for the cruise from Vacations to go. It icludes a days transit of the Panama canal on the way from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale.
Many online travel agents have these bargains available.

The coffee plantation was one of the best excursions I have ever been on...

Just got back (last week) from a 10 day Princess cruise from FLL to the Canal (itnerary was FLL, Aurba, Columbia, Canal, Costa Rica, Jamacia, FLL). The shipwent 1/2 way into the canal and then we took a excursion on a smaller craft (ferry type) through to the Pacific.

I was facinating to see how it works and how busy it is!

I doubt it's what you're looking for, but Canrival is repositioning Carnival Paradise and Carnival Inspiration through the canal in December and January. Paradise will be traveling from Long Beach to Tampa, and Inspiration will be traveling the other way.

Fantasy-class are older vessels, but well-maintained. No balconies except in suites. Suites are not real suites, but just larger cabins with balconies. The ships are 77,000 GRT and carry ~2000 pax. Paradise is a couple of years newer than Inspiration.

The coffee plantation was one of the best excursions I have ever been on...

Was that the same one in Puerto Chiapas - Argovia Plantation? That was also one of the best shore excursions we have ever taken too if that is the one you are also referring to.

Was that the same one in Puerto Chiapas - Argovia Plantation? That was also one of the best shore excursions we have ever taken too if that is the one you are also referring to.

Yeah it was and then there was one in Antigua, Guatemala.

I am beginning to plan a cruise through the Canal...I have researched Tauck, but looking for more options....Small ship ius preferred....

If you want a small ship, just visit Panama and do a partial transit. Highly recommended as it'll feel more "intimate" and you'll get a full 360 of the canal from the deck - but for a cruise, take a huge ship.

$399

Windstar is a great idea for canal transit.

How do you find $399? i see none under $2K.

$399 is just a one day transit - starting and ending here Panama. What you're looking at are full-blown cruises at 2K and above. (Half-transit cruise, again the only recommendation I would give, are $140 per person, lunch and transportation included.)

We did Acapulco to FLL through the canal on Princess. It was a ten day cruise, which for us is ideal.....We find 7 days a bit short. We had a blast. They had a couple of hour documentry on the tv showing the history of the canal. We watched it before, we got there, and it really made the trip more meaningful.

yes........windstar is a good option........go for it !!!! :)