The Panama Canal is truly one of the modern man-made wonders of the world. Joining the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean, bisecting Central America, in some places it is barely a foot wider than some of the ships that use it.
Taking just a few hours from one end to the other, it‘s normally a part of a longer cruise from west to east or vice versa, but it is nonetheless a journey that’s well worth taking. Originally begun in 1881, the first company to attempt its construction went bankrupt, but it was subsequently revived by the US, and finally opened to traffic in August 1914.
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Since then, it's been used by almost 1,000,000 vessels, including hundreds of cruise ships down the years.
Even today, it‘s still one of the most interesting parts of a Central American cruise - for instance, you can start in San Francisco, sail down the west coast of Mexico, through the canal then north through the Caribbean to the US East Coast. Taking in the glorious Californian coast, you’ll enjoy the beauties of Nicaragua as well as breathtaking Costa Rica. Then, after marvelling at the astonishing skill of your captain as he somehow squeezes your ship into a lock that appears to be far too small, you'll visit Colombia, the Caribbean islands, Florida and the eastern seaboard on the way north to New York.
Transiting the Panama Canal may just be one day in an itinerary lasting as long as three weeks, but it will have an impact that will live long in your memory.
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Several luxury cruise lines undertake Panama Canal itineraries. If you wish to do a westbound transit then you will most likely board in Florida, the Caribbean or for a longer cruise, New York. For an eastbound transit you will most likely board in Los Angeles or San Francisco or for a longer cruise you may board in Seattle or Vancouver. Some cruise lines do shorter Panama Canal cruises which involve a partial transit and then leaving the canal the same way that it was entered - these provide more time to explore Mexico, Columbia, Costa Rica or the Caribbean.
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The most popular places to commence or to end a Panama Canal cruise are Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco. If you wish to undertake a longer Panama Canal cruise to include ports on the western or eastern costs of the United States other embarkation and disembarkation ports are available including Vancouver, Seattle, Boston and New York. The most popular ports to visit on a Panama Canal luxury cruise itinerary include Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Huatulco, Mexico, San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, San Blas Islands, Panama, Fuerte Amador, Panama, Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, Manzanillo, Mexico and one of our favourites, Cartagena, Colombia.
Our expert team look forward to assisting you in planning your luxury cruise to this fascinating and exotic part of our world at the guaranteed best fares.
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