BEST Princess Cruises to the Panama Canal & Central America with Prices 2024 & 2025 on Cruise Critic
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Late March and April also offer lower fares as it's the beginning of the rainy season, but you can expect crowds during the Holy Week festivities in the country. If you want the best pricing and fewer crowds, October and November are the rainy season, so the pricing will be lower — and you'll avoid the holiday crowds and high fares in December. If you have an extended stay in Panama City, consider a trip to the Archipelago de las Perlas (Pearl Islands) in southeastern Panama to view the humpback whales.
Hotels
Princess Cruises Releases 2024/25 Panama Canal Season - Travel Agent Central
Princess Cruises Releases 2024/25 Panama Canal Season.
Posted: Mon, 22 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
With drier weather and high temperatures hovering around 88 degrees, it's less humid in the region in December. However, it's the holiday season, so cruise fares and other costs, like hotels for pre- and post-cruise stays, will be more expensive if you travel this month. December is one of the peak tourism months in Panama, with Panamanians traveling for the holidays and visitors from North America and Europe escaping the cold weather at home. The partial Panama Canal experience isn't much shorter than a full crossing, but you'll experience the Caribbean-side locks twice and miss out on the Pacific side. On the flip side, the ship will often sail round-trip from Florida, allowing passengers to enjoy various Caribbean ports before and after the transit. Passengers can purchase round-trip airfare or even drive to their departure port, which can be cheaper and logically easier than ending up on the opposite coast than you set out from.
Unique Adventures
However, with the opening of a new set of locks in 2016, larger New-Panamax-sized ships can transit, as well. That means you take a Panama Canal cruise on a small-masted Windstar ship or luxury Silversea cruise or can sail on a megaship as large as the 1,094-foot-long and 136-foot-wide Norwegian Bliss. The Panama Canal cruise season peaks between October and April, outside of the rainy season that can start as early as mid-March and extend into the fall. With a tropical climate, this region is home to rainforests, incredible biodiversity, lush landscapes, abundant wildlife and beautiful beaches, but the weather can be wet at certain times of the year. Sailing through the artificial lake formed by the dam lasts around four hours.
Best Time for Panama Canal Cruises
Those on "partial crossings" or simply docked at Colon might consider completing the crossing in a smaller boat. This popular shore excursion begins at Gamboa, one of the towns along the Canal. It takes passengers through the remaining two Canal locks, all the way to the Pacific Ocean. A motorcoach ride delivers passengers back to their waiting ships at Colon.
And Princess provides live narration from the bridge while transiting the locks, just one reason we were voted "Best Cruise Line for Enrichment" by Cruise International. And Princess provides live narration from the bridge while transiting the locks, just one reason we were voted "Best Cruise Line for Enrichment" by Cruise International. March is also the last month for surfing enthusiasts to hit the big waves on the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. A full transit of the Panama Canal involves passing through six sets of locks, crossing an entire lake and contending with other marine traffic waiting to go through the lock system one at a time. It can take a cruise ship 10 hours or so to cover the 48 miles from the Caribbean to the Pacific.
Some ships will do their best to make passengers comfortable, offering chilled towels and water, juice and Panama rolls (Danish-like pastries with sweet fruit filling in the center) for a small breakfast alfresco. Read about immersing yourself in Central American culture, booking your cruise and the top ways to experience every port. Uncover colonial history through Cartagena excursions from Princess Cruises. Marvel at the awesome history of the Panama Canal and be transported back in time on a Panama Canal cruise with Princess. We have the answers so your first time will be nothing but smooth sailing.
The average year-round temperature in Panama is about 86 degrees, so it doesn't vary much during the year, but it's more humid in October with the wet weather. It's also possible to have hurricanes this time of year if you're cruising in the Caribbean. You'll first see the skyscrapers of Balboa on the port side, then eventually the Bridge of the Americas will come into view. Take some photos and video as you go underneath it; if it's too crowded with passengers jockeying for position, head aft on the ship and snap some after you pass under it. Don't miss your ship's information session the evening before the crossing so that you can learn more about the process and find out when your ship is scheduled to begin its transit.
Destinations & Ports
Spy legendary landmarks during San Francisco excursions on Princess Cruises. San Francisco shore excursions tour Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge and more. On a cruise from San Francisco you can experience all that the ‘City by the Bay’ has to offer, from its artistic, forward-looking culture to the beautiful coastline. Tranquil aquamarine waters, a rich history and breathtaking landscapes make the captivating Caribbean a treasured paradise.
It's one of the biggest celebrations in Central America — even bigger than the Christmas holidays for most families, so you can expect crowds during that time. You can celebrate Panama's Separation Day on Nov. 3 or Flag Day on Nov. 4. These holidays, along with a few others in November, feature parades, parties and other displays of national pride, so you can expect it to be busy in towns across the country.
With the warmer temperatures, March is an ideal month to head to the beaches on one of the San Blas Islands, an archipelago of about 365 islands and cays off the Caribbean coast of Eastern Panama. Some cruise lines that visit the archipelago are Windstar, Star Clippers, Hapag-Lloyd and Ponant. You can also spot spectators sitting in the grandstands at Gatun Locks on the Atlantic side and on the balcony at the Miraflores Visitor Center on the Pacific side. The latter will wave and cheer you on since the more infrequent sight of a passenger ship with lots of people onboard is infinitely more exciting than the many cargo ships that sail through each day. After that, you'll traverse the Chagres River, then sail 8 miles through the Culebra Cut.
Most cruises shorter than two weeks are one-way sailings, often beginning or ending in Panama. The shortest sailings are predominantly offered by small ships, and they begin and end in Central America. The shortest round-trip Fort Lauderdale partial transits are 11 nights; full transits that start on the U.S. East Coast and end on the West Coast (or vice versa) will be at least 14 days long. Holland America offers a variety of Panama Canal cruises, but the most popular itineraries span 14 to 16 days. They offer a full transit between Fort Lauderdale and San Diego, or vice versa, and are offered on multiple ships, including Zaandam, Eurodam, Nieuw Amsterdam and Volendam.
Admire the architecture of Cartagena’s Old City, born at the height of the Spanish empire and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Calls on Golfito and Puntarenas in Costa Rica offer access to eco-adventure. Experiencing this marvel of early 20th-century engineering appeals to those with a wide array of interests, from history and politics to colonial architecture and wildlife spotting. Built by the U.S. government between 1903 and 1914, this 50-mile waterway linking the Atlantic and Pacific oceans revolutionized shipping by creating an expedited route for the transit of cargo and, ultimately, cruise ship passengers.
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