A Panama Canal cruise is on most travelers’ wish list. This engineering marvel is fascinating, and its construction has been particularly amazing since it was completed in 1914. The amount of rock and earth that was moved to build this great trench has fascinated travelers for more than 100 years.
Those considering a Canal transit should understand the three different types of Panama Canal cruises. They should also read the best book on the history and construction of the Panama Canal, “The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Channel, 1870-1914,” by David McCullough.
Complete transits
Cruise travelers have many options for navigating the Panama Canal. Passenger ships of 20 guests up to 2,800 guests currently pass through the Canal. Vessels generally must not exceed the Panamax standards established by the Panama Canal Authority: 965 feet long, 106 feet wide, a draft of 39.5 feet, and an air draft of 190 feet (waterline to highest point ). Examples of cruises that are 965 by 106 and are considered Panamax ships are: Norwegian Pearl, Island Princess, Queen Elizabeth, and Disney Wonder. As discussed in the last section of this article, this size of Panamax has changed with the Canal expansion project completed in 2016.
Much wider (post-Panamax) ships can now transit the Panama Canal.
Although full transits between the Caribbean and the Pacific through the Canal are available most of the year on ships of all sizes (except mega-ships), many people choose to take a repositioning cruise on one of the ships that you are en route to Alaska in the late spring or returning from Alaska in the fall. These cruises generally travel between Florida and California, stopping in the Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico along the way. These same cruise itineraries are popular from October through April, and I sailed a relaxing late-fall 17-night trip from Ft. Lauderdale to San Diego on the Holland America Veendam.
Full transits are also available as part of longer voyages such as world cruises, circumnavigations of South America, or other long duration voyages. For example, I took a cruise from Lima, Peru to Ft. Lauderdale on the Regent Seven Seas Navigator, and we transited the Channel from the Pacific to the Caribbean.
Partial transits
Most full-transit cruises through the Panama Canal take at least 11 days or more. Since many cruise travelers don’t have time to take such a long vacation, some cruises offer partial transits of the Panama Canal, usually as part of a western or southern Caribbean cruise. The ships pass through the Gatun Locks, enter Gatun Lake, and then exit the same way.
Although these cruises are not as satisfying as traveling through the entire Panama Canal, they do provide an idea of what the Canal looks like, and passengers can get to know how the Canal works first hand.
Panama Canal Small Ship Cruise Rides
Those who enjoy small boats can also experience a full Panama Canal transit as part of a Panama land / cruise tour with companies like Grand Circle Travel. These combined tours include several days touring Panama by bus, plus a full transit through the Panama Canal in a small boat. Since the big ships don’t call Panama City, this is a good way to see some of the rest of this fascinating country.
New locks will attract more cruise travelers
Even those travelers who have passed through the Panama Canal in the past may want to book another cruise that includes a Canal transit. The first major expansion project in the history of the Panama Canal was completed in June 2016. This project cost more than $ 5 billion and includes a third set of locks, as well as other improvements.
These new massive locks can accommodate much larger boats. For example, the maximum size of cargo ships in the old locks was 5,000 containers. Ships carrying 13,000 / 14,000 containers can pass through the new locks.
For cruise ship travelers, the third set of locks will allow much larger cruise ships to use the Panama Canal. The old locks could accommodate cruise ships up to 106 feet wide; The new locks accommodate ships up to 160 feet wide! That is a big difference.
Since cruise lines plan to deploy their vessels about two years in advance, most cruise ships currently scheduled to pass through the Canal will fit into the old locks. The first post-Panamax cruise ship scheduled for the massive new locks is the Caribbean Princess, which transits the Panama Canal on October 21, 2017.
