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When you come to Panama you have to see the Panama Canal. Many visitors go to the Miraflores Locks near Panama City to see ships come and go. Some just go on line and visit the Panama Canal Authority web site to look at the pictures from Miraflores on the Panama Canal Authority web cams. The best way to see the Panama Canal is to go through it on a boat. Here is a brief review of cruise opportunities for the Panama Canal.

A Review of Just What will you see on a Panama Canal Cruise.

The Panama Canal is the system of man made channels, locks, dams, and artificial lakes that connect the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama. Since its completion in 1914 the Panama Canal has allowed shipping to cross the fifty mile wide isthmus at the narrowest part of the Americas. The Panama Canal locks allow ships to enter the system from either ocean and to be raised to the level of artificial Lake Gatun, 26 meters above sea level, before being lowered to sea level on the other side. The passage takes about 9 hours.

 A Review of Where Panama Canal Cruises Start and Stop

Departure and arrival ports on the East coast include Miami and Fort Lauderdale as well as Port Canaveral and Tampa. West coast departure and arrival ports include San Diego and San Francisco as well as Vancouver and Seattle.

Stops along the way include much of the Caribbean and West Coast of Mexico.

A Quick Review of Prices and Variety in Panama Canal Cruises

There are many, many cruise lines. Three examples are listed below but a review of internet sites for Panama Canal Cruises would be your best choice.

Holland American lists a 15 day cruise in September from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale for $2599.

Carnival Cruise Lines lists a 15 day Los Angeles to Miami cruise in March of 2009 from $1499 to $2149.

Royal Caribbean International offers 10 night trips Miami to Miami with a Panama Canal cruise for from $1,199 to $5,099 for a luxury suite.

A Panama Canal trip for locals costs $155 April to December and $165 during the dry season. This trip goes from Panama City by boat and returns from Colon by bus.

Most cruise sites let you enter your preferred dates and destination to see price and ports of call.

A Review of When to Take a Panama Canal Cruise

The best time to take a Panama Canal cruise is from late October to April which is the Panama dry season. Summer (Verano) in Panama is the dry season and winter (Invierno) is the rainy season which is May to October. Panama Canal weather is either warm and dry or warm and wet.

A Review of What to take on a Panama Canal Cruise

If you take a side tour bring sun screen, insect repellant, and an umbrella. And bring water, lots of water.

A Brief Review of Different Variations on the Usual Panama Canal Cruise Theme

Cruise Part of the Panama Canal

There are cruises from the Pacific that enter the Panama Canal and stop at Gamboa for day trips to sights such as Canopy Towers for bird watching in paradise. These cruises then return to the Pacific without a full transit of the Panama Canal.

Cruises Limited to the Panama Canal (and Return by Train)

For residents or long term visitors to Panama a great canal cruise is to take a smaller boat from Gamboa near Panama City to Colon on the Caribbean and then return on one of the passenger cars of the Panama Canal Railway.