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With a Cruise Plus Hotel Package, a Princess representative meets you at the airport and pier, transporting you to and from your hotel. The package includes the cost of your hotel stay, transportation, luggage handling and the services of the representative. Let Princess pick you up from the airport and take you directly to your ship or hotel when you arrive, even if you didn't book your airfare through us.
Visit an Embera Village
Within the rest of Central America, put on your hiking boots and head for the rainforest or kick off your shoes and hit the beach. Port highlights include Costa Rica's Puntarenas and Limon, with excursions that cater to adrenaline junkies. The height of Panama Canal cruise season runs October to April, but the best month to travel will depend on how much you expect to be active and outdoors. The year-round tropical climate of Panama and bordering countries of Costa Rica and Colombia get unbearably hot and humid, with dry and rainy seasons. Many Panama Canal and Central America ports are relatively industrial, and some -- particularly Colon and Puerto Limon -- have a reputation for petty crime within the main city. You will likely be safer on a shore excursion, booked through the ship or independently, than if you decide to head on your own into town.
Panama Canal Cruise
I had the chance to experience this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity on my Panama Canal cruise back in December 2019, and to this date, it is my favorite cruise that I have been on. Panamanians love their public holidays, so if you arrive at the wrong time you might find that shops, restaurants and transportation services are closed. Even if a public holiday falls at a weekend, you can expect to find a ghost town on the Monday with everything still shut up. June to November is the hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean, so if your Panama Canal cruise also includes the Caribbean, you could expect some choppy seas with higher chances of changes to itineraries or cancellations. If you’re wondering when’s the best time to cruise the Panama Canal, then read on for the pros and cons of each month and season. Tortuguero National Park offers close encounters with the green tortoise, crocodiles, monkeys and exotic birds, all seen at water level on the canals.
Tour the Miraflores Visitor Center
No matter which cruise line and itinerary you ultimately decide on, you will likely visit a mix of these fantastic Panama, Caribbean, and Central American cruise ports. From 3-day weekend trips to 180-day world cruises, these Panama Canal cruises are worth every penny. There are plenty of Panama cruise deals available for eager cruisers booking through a travel agent or directly with the cruise line. No matter what type of Panama cruising experience you are looking for, I guarantee you will find it through one of these main and not-so-main-stream cruise lines.
Try These 6 Panamanian Foods on Your Panama Canal Cruise
A full crossing of the Panama Canal means that the ship travels the entire length of the canal, from one ocean to the other. This type of Panama Canal cruise is always one-way and itineraries are never shorter than 14 days. However, for those that are interested in getting up close to the historic locks, there are shore excursions available. Celebrity will take you seamlessly from one adventure to the next as you explore jewel-like Caribbean islands and historic Cartagena.
For a Panama Canal experience that begins and ends in Fort Lauderdale, Celebrity Cruises' 11-night Panama Canal & Southern Caribbean itinerary is a great option. There's plenty of time to plan ahead for the Dec. 2, 2024 cruise or the half-dozen almost identical sailings that follow through March 2025. Some ships sail a full transit of the canal, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, or vice versa. These one-way journeys between Miami or Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles or San Diego, visits ports in Central America, South America, Mexico and California.
Panama Canal Cruises
If you are looking to learn about the history of the Panama Canal before you embark on your transit, make sure to spend two to three hours at the Agua Clara Visitor Center. Here, you will learn about one of the world’s greatest engineering feats; the Panama Canal. For more history of Panama, check out Fort San Lorenzo; another must-do attraction in Colón. This fort is a registered UNESCO World Heritage Site and offers no official tours, but you can walk around the area with a handy map. The city of Colón is most frequently referred to as the gateway to the Caribbean for the country of Panama. Therefore, if you are cruising through the Panama Canal, there is a high chance this port will be on your cruise itinerary.
Best time for Panama Canal Cruises 2024 - Best Season - Rove.me
Best time for Panama Canal Cruises 2024 - Best Season.
Posted: Wed, 30 Aug 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Centuries before the Panama Canal was built, the region served as an important trade area. To protect the gold and silver extracted from their territories in Central America, the Spanish built forts in Panama. A favorite spot for day trips by kayak or motorboat is Monkey Island, home to scores of white-faced capuchin monkeys.
You could visit the locks along the canal and tour the visitor centers, stopping to watch ships pass through the narrow channels. The best time of year to book a cruise to the Panama Canal for optimal weather is during the dry season, which typically runs from mid-December to March. During this time, you can expect less rainfall, lower humidity, and more sunshine, providing a comfortable and pleasant experience as you traverse the canal.
When to cruise the Panama Canal will depend on what's most important to you. I hope you are able to plan and fulfill all of your fantastical travel dreams! Feel free to click around my site to discover more exciting destinations and itineraries. If you prefer to explore Puerto Vallarta’s vast natural beauty, check out Islas Marietas, one of the area’s protected state parks offering exotic marine wildlife and lush scenery. If you get the opportunity to stop part-way through the Panama Canal, you are more than likely going to stop at the Gamboa cruise port on your Panama Canal cruise.
On the day of the transit, prime viewing locations on the bow and near windows go quickly. Most cruise lines do their best to give everyone a decent seat -- sometimes opening up "crew only" areas -- but competition can still get fierce. So set your alarm; the sooner you can pull yourself out of bed, the better the spot you'll snag.
Another option is the Rainforest and Aerial Tram tour to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort in the 55,000-acre Soberania National Park. The tram climbs 280 feet through the dense jungle vegetation to reach the tree canopy above. During the ride to the top, keep an eye out for local wildlife, including white-faced capuchin and howler monkeys, sloths, butterflies, iguanas, toucans and frogs. 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. It's a short flight to the islands, or you can travel by ferry to see the whales that are still in the waters around the archipelago after coming to breed in August and September.
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. Panama is a tropical destination with a rainy season that runs from mid-April to Mid-December.
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