Planning your Panama Canal cruise? Here is everything you need to know – your ultimate guide: Panama Canal cruise all the info in one place!
Here is a round-up of which Panama Canal locks to sail through, which cruise lines cruise here, which cruise to do full or partial transit, what to pack, and what to see in the cruise ports.
Let’s start with the cruise length and Panama Canal locks, which will determine which cruise to go on.
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Which Panama Canal Cruise to do?
There are different cruise routes and two canals to choose from that do the full transit of the Panama Canal or a partial transit.
So, what is the difference?
Time, length of cruise, and size of cruise ship.
A full transit of the Panama Canal will be a longer cruise normally 16/18 days, from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles or vice versa.
Partial Panama Canal cruises can be 10/12 days, from Fort Lauderdale to Fort Lauderdale.
It all depends on the cruise line you sail with.
Which Panama Canal Cruise to sail through?
There are two Panama Canals to sail through the Panamax Canal which is the newly built canal and the historic original Panama Canal.
If you like big cruise ships you can only go through the new Panamax Canal, as this was built for larger ships.
This is the modern Panama Canal and here you will experience the new practicalities of this canal which is interesting.
The Panamax Canal is a lot quicker to get through than the original locks.
If you have been through the old Panama Canal you are probably interested to see how the new one differs.
If you are you are interested in the history of the Panama Canal and how the original canal was built and would like to go through the historic locks this is the cruise for you.
The cruise ship will be a smaller ship as larger cruise ships cannot pass through, hence why the bigger canal was built.
You can compare more by reading my in-depth guide on the two canals:
Which cruise lines go to the Panama Canal?
The Panama Canal cruise season runs from November to April.
The cruise lines that go to the Panama Canal are:
- Princess Cruises – Embarking in Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles
- Holland America – Embarking in Fort Lauderdale, San Diego or Seattle
- Celebrity Cruises – Embarking in Fort Lauderdale or Los Angeles
- Norwegian Cruise Line – Embarking in Miami, San Diego or Los Angeles
- Royal Caribbean – Embarking from Fort Lauderdale, Tampa or San Diego
- Carnival Embarking from Tampa, Galveston, Port Canaveral, or New Orleans
What to See in the Panama Canal Cruise Ports?
The Panama Canal cruise itinerary can include the following cruise ports depending on which cruise line you sail with and the number of days you are cruising:
- Cartagena, Colombia
- Oranjestad, Aruba
- Georgetown, Cayman Islands
- Ocho Rios, Jamaica
- Colon, Panama
- Fuerte Amador, Panama (for Panama City)
- Limon, Costa Rica
- Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala
- Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
- Huatulco, Mexico
- Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
- Acapulco, Mexico
- Los Angeles, California
- San Diego, California
- Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
- Miami, Florida
Cartagena Cruise Port
Here is what you should see in Cartagena, Colombia.
The old city is vibrant with colorful buildings and a wealth of history. The new city is full of skyscrapers and modern hotels.
The cruise terminal in Cartagena has shops, bars, pink flamingos, and parrots to see.
The best way to see the sights in Cartagena is to get a taxi or shuttle bus to the old town or to go on a tour.
Panama City Cruise Port
The tender port of Fuentes Amador can take you to Panama City.
In this port, the cruise terminal has a few restaurants/bars and a tax and duty-free shop.
There is a shuttle bus to a mall close by, but if you would like to see more go to Panama City and see the city and to the colonial old town of Casco Antiguo.
What to pack for a Panama Canal cruise?
I have written a whole packing list of what to pack for your Panama Canal cruise so you do not miss anything.
The weather is always hot, and humid and there can be a lot of rain, so this list will really help you out.
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Panama Canal Cruise Essentials
Here are some cruising products from Amazon you may find useful on your next cruise. To see more, have a look at my Amazon shop page and click here.
Cruise Life
My cruise life has been over the last 19 years. For half of those years, I worked on board, and the other half I traveled as a passenger.
I have lost count of how many times I have sailed through the Panama Canal as I worked many Panama Canal seasons and then also sailed through again when I sailed as a passenger.
I started the website in 2017 because I thought it would provide a great insight into the world cruise I was traveling on at the time, and it has continued since then.
The website has expanded from cruise ports to all aspects of travel from cruise travel to land vacations, packing guides to travel tips.
I hope these cruise tips help you plan and enjoy your Panama Canal cruise.
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Happy cruising!
