April 9, 2006
Cruising the Panama Canal
I just read an interesting article in Newsday about cruising through the Panama Canal. The author seems fairly happy with Holland America although he does mention that he didn't enjoy life on the ship. As a result, he recommends bringing a few books since much of the cruise is spent on ship.
Although the author enjoyed his guided tours, he spends more time suggesting that the guides aren't necessary:
That said, Holland America did a terrific job of prepping us before we hit ports, with knowledgeable staff to answer questions and a printed handout on each port with information on major sights, history, food and shopping, and maps. So, with taxis available at every port, it's not a real challenge to do it yourself, in the process saving some money (cab-sharing with shipboard friends, for example) and freeing yourself from the tyranny of the group tour. I didn't find any passengers who did this who had any regrets.The author does say that finding wildlife in Costa Rica would be difficult without a guide. Posted by James Trotta at April 9, 2006 4:15 AM
Another cool way to see the Panama Canal is to book a one-day cruise from Panama City on a tour boat. In 2001, we flew to Panama City, had a one-day tour of the city and the one-day canal cruise, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. The tour boat is much smaller and than a cruise ship, and I believe that you get a much more interesting view of the canal. The web site for booking this is www.panamacanal.com. I just checked and there two tours per month scheduled for the rest of 2006 and in 2007.
Posted by: Herb at April 9, 2006 6:17 AMI cruised through the Panama Canal on the Disney Magic last August and it was amazing! I am someone who just loves to lay back and relax on the cruise ship so this 14 night itinerary with only a few stops was perfect for me.
Posted by: Coleen at April 9, 2006 12:35 PMwe just finished the Caribbean and Panama Canal cruise on Holl Amer and we loved it. We especially like being out to sea more than in port. We go on cruises to relax, and that's why cruises appeal to us. The longer at sea the better. Touring poverty stricken countries we no longer need to do.
Posted by: Paul & Pam at April 12, 2006 12:53 AM