by Salty97
We had a balcony room but moved to the 3rd deck for a better view. Excellent narrator onboard. I learned so much about how the canal worked. Loved it,
Visited: Oct 27, 2019
by Paintinglady
BEST part of the entire cruise! Be prepared to be up at the crack of dawn if you want to see entry into the first lock. They bring a narrator on board who explains each step of the process. I recommend watching the two movies on the history of the Panama Canal in your room prior to arrival, and go to the onboard presentations as well. Just a warning, if you do not book a shore excursion, you CANNOT get off the ship when they tender excursion guest in Gatun Lake. You have to ride back onboard the ship through the first three locks to where they dock in Colon. There are a few shops in Colon within walking distance, but no shore excursions from Colon at all. The port itself is under a massive revamping, as is the entire area which has been neglected for years and over run by gangs and drug cartels. It is now in the process of a massive clean up, but it will take time and money, and patience. We did the Agua Clara Locks and kayaking in Gatun Lake excursion. The photos of the kayaks on board the ship are very misleading. They are NOT closed cockpit kayaks, but rather, sit on top style kayaks and you are sitting in water the majority of the time. Wear your bathing suit and bring dry clothes to change into. They did provide a boat to carry your backpacks that followed our group in case there were any problems. We saw some sloths, a howler monkey, and some birds. Our guide, Joe, was extremely informative and entertaining. He gave us a lot of information about the transition of a Panama, the canal, the city of Colon, etc.
Visited: Jan 04, 2020
by Bronson1
Go to the lecture on board - detailing the history of the Canal (the day prior to sailing). For the best view - get up early on the day of partial passage - and head to the front of the ship.
Visited: Dec 20, 2019
by khubs42
We rode through the old locks into Gatun Lake on the NCL Pearl, which took about 3 hours each way. The canal was fascinating to see, and we had a great vantage point from the top sun deck as well as on the bow area, which they opened up for the canal crossing. They had a speaker from the canal board the ship and give history lessons and talk about the canal, which was great but he often rambled off on tangents about seemingly unrelated stuff. The Canal is definitely something everyone who is into cruising should see at one point or another.
Visited: Nov 11, 2019
by randomfriend1
we went thru the east side of the canal to the lake turned around and came back out
Visited: Dec 01, 2019
by deangrandin50
While ship traffic was backed up getting into the canal, the experience ultimately proved fascinating and enjoyable, with great commentary from a guest lecturer on board explaining everything we were seeing and experiencing. Did the excursion to Panama City, seeing the ruins and a museum of the old city, walking and touring the colonial part of Panama City (with beautifully restored buildings) and driving through parts of modern-day Panama City. Not enough time for shopping, though, which was a shame.
Visited: Nov 20, 2019
by PirateLibrarian
Locks are amazing !
Visited: Feb 09, 2020
by superbob6225640
Great experience. Ship narrator was informative.
Visited: Nov 16, 2019
by brucem33
Very interesting and enjoyed the experience. The Captain explained everything that was going on while we cruised the locks.
Visited: Dec 19, 2021
by DougMary
Loved the locks. So interesting
Visited: Feb 02, 2020
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