The Panama Canal - a family cruise of a lifetime! 9/25/2008 1:29:31 PM Link | | Add comment
Panama Canal - A Dream Cruise Vacation Like No Other!
Beautiful ports and your chance to experience, first-hand, one of the modern marvels of engineering
One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken; it had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. The canal can accommodate vessels from small private yachts up to large commercial vessels. The maximum size of vessel that can use the canal is known as Panamax; an increasing number of modern ships exceed this limit, and are known as post-Panamax vessels. A typical passage through the canal by a cargo ship takes around nine hours.
The Panama Canal cruise season runs from October to April - best time to go is after the rainy season ends in November
Most of the major lines and some smaller ones offer at least a few Panama Canal sailings each season. Princess leads the pack as far as number of departures, with 40 scheduled this season.
Current cruise lengths can be anywhere from 7-9 days (Regent Seven Seas, NCL) to 10-11 days (Princess, Costa, Holland America, Crystal, Royal Olympia), or 14-16 days (Princess, Carnival, Celebrity, Silversea). Several lines, such as Princess, Holland America and Cunard, also offer a few cruises per season in the 18-21 day ranges.
The most popular Panama Canal itinerary is still some version of the standard Florida-West Coast route. Miami and Ft. Lauderdale are the main departure cities in Florida. Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco are the Key West Coast Cities. But, there are several permutations of the standard itinerary, such as Silversea cruises from Port Canaveral to Vancouver and from Tampa to Seattle.
a few.
Not To Be Missed Panama Canal Shore Excursions!
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
There are so many fabulous encounters with nature available from this port, you'll have a hard time deciding on a shore excursion. A visit to the Tabacon Resort Hot Springs takes you to the slopes of the active Arenal volcano. The Poas volcano features the amazing sight of a huge crater filled with iridescent blue water. Walk through a cloud forest at Villa Blanca, where you're surrounded by mist, and water droplets clinging to the vegetation. See one of Costa Rica's renowned rain forests at Pura Vida Gardens, or climb a set of wooden steps up to the La Paz Waterfall Gardens.
Limon, Costa Rica
Tortuguero National Park offers close encounters with the green tortoise, crocodiles, monkeys and exotic birds, all seen from your canoe. Braulio Carillo National Park has the first aerial tramway in Central America; you'll be above the trees, at times 100 feet high, and close enough touch tiny orchids, spectacularly colored birds, butterflies, and -- if you're lucky -- a toucan or monkey. Heartier souls can try white water rafting on the Revantazon River.
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