You MUST Watch This Before You Take a Panama Canal Cruise!

#Cruise #PanamaCanal #PanamaCanalCruise

I've experienced the Panana Canal multiple times, and I've realised that there are a number of things that I now wish I'd known before taking my first cruise through this engineering marvel.

The most alarming thing for me on my second Panama Canal cruise was that I felt many cruisers had much a BIG mistake choosing that ship and that itinerary - let me tell you more throughout this video!

In this video today, let me share with you what these things are, in the hope that it will help you to enjoy your Panama Canal experience to the full.

Video Chapters:
My Panama Canal cruises - 00:34
History of the Panama Canal - 02:30
What is the journey to transit the canal? 04:05
How long does a Panama Canal transit take? 04:50
Tip 1 - 05:20
Tip 2 - 07:20
Tip 3 - 09:10
Tip 4 - 10:15
Tip 5 - 11:11
Tip 6 - 12:27
Tip 7 - 13:54
Tip 8 - 15:27
Tip 9 - 16:01
Tip 10 - 18:37
Tip 11 - 19:51
Tip 12 - 20:26
Tip 13 - 22:13
Let me show you the canal… 23:41

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[FraserAtSea]

Thanks so much for watching this video! If you enjoyed, then please do hit both the THUMBS UP and SUBSCRIBE buttons to support my channel and help me grow to reach more people!

[joanneyoung]

Such valuable information and things I really wouldn’t have thought about. Your enthusiasm for the canal and your knowledge is invaluable for those planning

[NavyMMPHMA]

Thanks much for this- looking specifically at a Canal trip early in the new year. This helped a lot! Cheers!

[gilbydog]

The best video I have ever seen on transiting the Panama Canal, Fraser. Your enthusiasm is infectious. Sounds like the Queen Elizabeth is a great sized ship to go through the canal on, although one of the smaller Silversea or Seabourn ships could be great too. The less crowds the better :)

[christineguise]

Great vlog Fraser love all your model cruise ships behind you 😻

[leslieelizabeth]

Like you been I have been through it twice like you many years ago. Went into Panama City. I remember the Prison travelling through the canal. The prisoners ran to the fence and waved us on our way.
The canal still looks the same.Thank you for your wonderful vlog and for the memories. It’s all so very interesting .

[keithrutherford]

The Best Video I’ve Seen on the Panama Canal Cruise!
Awesome Job! 👍🏻👍🏻

[stephenwassell]

I thoroughly enjoyed this although I had already done a full transit Atlantic to Pacific in 2018. However, I am repeating this journey next year so it was good to have reminders about what a grreat experience it is. Thanks Fraser.

[lindafernandez]

this was so helpful with great information. It was almost like have a class on it!

[tammy_oh_nevermind]

Good info, thanks Fraser! I wish I had been able to do it. I had a lot of amazing cruises, but this one didn't happen. I love watching other cruisers experiences there! Amazing place, for sure!

[artgirllovespaint]

Very informative!! I always learn something new from your videos. Thanks Fraser. ♥

[billsnyder]

Great video. We have done partial trip and plan a full transit next year

[brettbeckinsale]

Thanks for this. Very interesting. Going on full transit in March this year.

[jpnbronx]

By watching this video I hope that puts a fire under me to definitely do this. I will have to do both versions or maybe three versions: old locks, new locks, and then mix and match full and partial.

[lindamelton]

We really enjoyed this video, it was very informative and detailed. We are doing a Rotterdam partial transit of the Panama Canal Dec 8 of this year. You gave us a lot of info to check out. Thank you!👍😊

[SherryAnnOfTheWest]

Great video. I've done the Panama Canal on the NCL Pearl a few yrs ago, but we're doing it in January on the Joy ... L.A. to Miami, then back-to-back from Miami to L.A. I find the canal cruises to be pretty relaxing and look forward to 32 days onboard. The Joy is large, so we'll be doing a partial transit in the new locks it appears.
We're doing Cabo, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco, Puerto Quetzal, Panama City (2 days), Cartagena, Georgetown, Miami, Cartagena again, Colon, Puntarenas (Costa Rica), and then some of the same ports as the first passage with Manzanillo, Mexico thrown in.

[patriciamorash]

Great advice. Leaving next weekend on a full transit through the old locks. Your videos have been very helpful. Thank you.

[alandistefano]

We just got back from a 16-day Panama Canal cruise on the Coral Princess going through the original locks. This was out fourth cruise on Princess and by far the best. This trip was enhanced since we took a full suite rather than a balcony cabin as we have dome previously. This cruise departed on 12/1/24 from Ft. Lauderdale. After 2 days at sea we arrived in Curacao. Many people just got off the ship and walked into the capitol town on Willemstead which we saw as a mistake. We took the full island tour which went to a national park at the far west end, stops at fabulous bays and beaches, salt ponds with flamingos and a walk through of a mid-1800's plantation house which has turned into an art museum. We then were at sea for a day before entering the Panama Canal at 6:30 am. Most people went to the front of the ship to see the passage through the canal but it was crowed and hard to see through the blue plastic wind screen. Our cabin steward suggested that we go to the viewing platform at the back of the ship (reached though the end of deck 9) and we got a much better view of the locomotives pulling us along as well as the filling and emptying of the locks and the other ships behind or next to us in the opposite direction. We exited the locks at 4:30 pm. We spoke with several passengers who had been on larger ships going through the new Panama canal and they said that going through the old locks was much better and more interesting and that they would not go though the new locks again. The ship also made stops in Panama City, Costa Rica, and three stops in Mexico (Puerto Chiapas, Huatulco an Puerta Vallarta( before stopping in Las Angeles. We can heartely recommend that this tour through the canal on the Coral Princess is probably the best choice you can make for a Panama canal cruise.

[joshuah]

I'll be on the Rotterdam doing the Gatun Lake on 12/8/2024 12 day cruise. I believe it is the same itinerary you booked through Holland America.. I did book the excursion that takes you through the old Pacific locks and Panama city, then get bused back to Colon on the Atlantic side. Giving me the full-transit experience in a way, and up close and personal. I'm so excited!

[stephenwassell]

Odds and ends: Stuck in Colon - what a nightmare that would be! The onboard commentary was excellent throughout the transit. Travellers might like to look out for birds and crocodiles while passing the rainforest areas at the Atlantic end and the Panama Canal railway system running parallel in parts towards the Pacific end.