Cruises Through the Panama Canal

I knew this man who wanted only to visit Panama to take one of the cruises through the Panama Canal. He wasn’t interested in anything else except seeing the Panama Canal. Mind you, after his Panama Canal cruise, he came back again to Panama because he had fallen in love with the country. There are many cruises to Panama available nowadays at reasonable prices offering you an amazing experience of cruises through Panama Canal.

First, a little history about one of the greatest engineering wonders of this world: the Panama Canal. The Panama Railroad was built and completed in 1855. Before this time, the explorers of Panama had to trek through the jungles and over the mountains by canoe, by foot and/or pack animal. To make it somewhat easier, a herd of camels were imported into Panama to help the explorers travel through Panama. The Panama Canal was dreamed up as a short cut for ships to pass from the Atlantic to the Pacific, a journey which necessitated sailing around Cape Horn to get to the ocean on the other side, a 3,000 mile journey.

The Panama Canal had been a dream of men and explorers for over 400 years. The French were the first to attempt to build a Canal, spending about $300 million on this venture and building only 10 miles of the Canal. In May of 1904, they gave the keys of the Panama Canal to the Americans. On August 14, 1914, only ten years later, the first ship, the S.S. Ancon passed through the Panama Canal. There was an extremely high human cost to the building of the Canal. Many workers died from diseases caught in the swampland as the Canal was dug and constructed. The Panama Canal has officially existed and remained operational since that time. Today, the Panama Canal is undergoing an expansion project which began in 2007 and is hoped to be completed around 2014.

On a daily basis, approximately 40 ships a day have sailed through the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal consists of massive locks which take about eight to nine hours to pass through to get from the Atlantic to the Pacific ocean. As far as measurements go, for those interested, the Panama Canal’s locks are 110 feet wide, 1,000 feet long, and 83 feet deep. The weight of each lock gates weights between 390 and 730 tons. No pumps are used for the locks. Instead, the water is drawn by gravity from Gatun Lake.

Since the opening of the Panama Canal, a million ships have passed through the Canal. The Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific is 50 miles long. The entire journey takes eight to nine hours. The ship is lifted 85 feet by the Gatun locks into Gatun Lake and then sails through the narrow Gaillard Cut to the Pedro Miguel lock and then the and Miraflores locks. At the Miraflores locks, the cruise ship is lowered down to the level of the Pacific Ocean.

When you take one of the available cruises through the Panama Canal, you will cross through the Canal in a cruise ship built for it. A cruise to the Panama Canal is one of the most sought after destinations. There are many cruise lines to choose from to traverse the Panama Canal, including the Carnival Cruise line, the Princess Cruise line and the Royal Caribbean Cruise line.

Offering many different deals for a cruise to Panama, the Carnival Cruise Line has a 14 day Panama Canal Cruise from $1,179. It departs from Los Angeles and cruises to the following places Manzanillo, Mexico, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, makes the Panama Canal transit, then on to Cartagena, Colombia, Ocho Rios, Jamaica ; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands and finishes in Miami, Florida.

The Princess Cruise line’s cruises through the Panama Canal include round trip sailing from Los Angeles or between Fort Lauderdale and Los Angeles.

The Royal Caribbean is another cruise line which offers cruises to Panama.

A Panama Canal cruise can be taken in either direction from west to east or east to west. From east to west is the favourite because you will experience crossing under the magnificent Bridge of the Americas to the Pacific Ocean.

There are cruise ports to stop at on your Panama Canal cruise, including Colon, Balboa and Cristobal. While at these ports, have some of the wonderful coffee which is grown in the shade of trees in the mountains of Panama. At Colon, you can actually go for a walk through a rainforest. Do a little shopping too, where you can buy duty-free jewellery and native handicrafts, a look around and try watching a ship from the land as it passes through the locks. You will be able to find some travel tours which offer excursions of the locks of the Panama Canal. If you have the time and opportunity, a side trip to Panama City would be well worth it to visit the old quarter of Casco Viejo and Casco Antiguo.

Panama Canal cruises can be somewhat expensive, but if you are on a budget, you can take a partial Panama Canal cruise which will take you from the Caribbean side to Lake Gatun.

Check out the websites of the individual cruise lines already mentioned in this article to obtain exact information on Princess Cruise Lines, Royal Caribbean or the Carnival Cruise line for cruises through the Panama Canal. Experiencing one of the many cruises to Panama will be a once in a life time experience when you traverse this Canal between two oceans.

Melia Panama Canal Hotel in Colon

Most tourists who come to Panama include a trip to Colon Panama to see one of the marvels of that country, the Panama Canal. Many hotels in Panama offer a Panama Canal tour and it is not a sight you should miss. The Panama Canal is one of the engineering marvels of this world. Many cruise lines offer Panama Canal cruises, such as the Princess Cruise line.

Shopping in Panama is another highlight of this Free Trade Zone especially because of the low tariff rates, lowest prices in the Americas, due to its location. Many people take a tour to the Panama Canal while staying at various other Panama accommodations. However, there are hotels in Colon which you might want to consider if you wish to stay a night or more in Colon.


There are some Colon Panama hotels available for you to consider for your vacation in Panama. One such resort in Colon Panama you may wish to consider is the Melia Panama Canal. Situated on Gatun Lake, 80 minutes from the Panama International Airport, 10 minutes from the city of Colon, the Melia Panama Canal is another great eco-tourist destination besides the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, surrounded by tropical vegetation, unspoilt nature trails where you can explore the flora and fauna of Panama. For tropical birdwatching, it’s an excellent location for bird watchers. Hike along the banks of the Panama Canal, take a plane across the trees over Gatun Lake. Small boats and canoes are available for guests to take on Lake Gatun. The view of Lake Gatun is wonderful and the only sounds you will hear are the songs of the birds.

The Melia Panama Canal Resort was originally a hospital for the wounded of the Second World War. Later it became a military school, ‘Las escuela de las Americas '. In the 1990s, it was converted into the Melia Panama Canal resort. There are 285 rooms, two great swimming pools, and a pool for children, a tennis court, a business center, a games room and babysitting available for the kids. The resort itself is surrounded by lush gardens, a magnificent swimming pool (two actually) and a gorgeous view of Lake Gatun. It is an older hotel, so you cannot compare it to North American standards. The accommodation would be 3 star, the location, 5 star, the swimming pools, 5 star if you do. This is a hotel in Panama which should be chosen for its location, a great getaway for those seeking ecotourism in Panama and to see the Panama Canal.

The Melia Panama Canal offers great prices and all inclusive resort package deals. You can also just stay here for a night or two if you wish. Companies such as Nolitours offer all inclusive packages to the Melia Panama. What I would recommend for people seeking hotels in Panama, is to know what kind of vacation you want. This is an ecotourism resort, close to the Panama Canal and the free trade zone shopping which is 10 minutes away by car. You can visit a part of Spanish history in the nearby towns of Portobelo and San Lorenzo to see the colonial fortresses. Just ask at reception for details about the organized tours.

The all inclusive package deals from Nolitours range in price from $1,115 to $1,655. for one week. Included in the price are three meals daily, drinks (beer and cocktails – some international brands), a kids club, daily activities, entertainment at night, a casino, 1 buffet and one a la carte restaurant, two bars, a snackbar, and a disco. Your rooms are spacious, clean and equipped with all the modern amenities guests require and expect. Non motorized sports are available free of charge. For additional charges, fishing, deep sea fishing, horseback riding and bicycle rentals are available. Nightly entertainment includes Panamanian cuisine, Panamanian folkloric music and dance whereby you can experience some of the indigenous culture. Also available at the hotel are shuttle service to the Free Trade Zone. Bird watching and hiking are splendid in this ecotourism resort for the nature lovers among us. The staff is friendly and helpful.

The Melia Panama Canal is not far from the Gamboa Rainforest Resort but the prices are a bit lower than the Gamboa. If you are looking for a relaxing, laid back vacation in Panama, close to the Panama Canal, close to nature for a reasonable price, try the Melia Panama Canal.