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Panama Cruise – Expert Guide

Situated in the country of Panama in Central America
is the Panama Canal – a manmade waterway connecting
the great oceans of the Pacific and the Atlantic
together. It is 80 kilometers in length and is wide
enough to accommodate a whole host of ocean-going
vessels, including Panama cruise ships. The Panama
canal marks the only point at which the landmass
of the North American continent and South American
continent are physically separated from each other
– a fact that distinguishes the canal as a true
wonder of the 20th century engineering world.

The Panama Canal was initially designed to cut
travel time for vessels that needed to cross
between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans.
It first opened its commercial doors on 15 August,
1914 and is now used by more than thirteen
thousand vessels each year. Along the canal’s
length are three sets of locks. The locks act as
water elevators, enabling vessels to traverse
upslope/downslope across the canal terrain.

A Panama cruise takes in the full length of this
magnificent canal, revealing some awe-inspiring
views of an incredible feat of engineering, as
well as offering a tantalizing selection of
tour options along the canal. These include
sailing or kayaking on Gatun Lake, through which
the canal passes. Visitors can also book a tour
of the Panama Canal railroad, which takes in
dramatic views of the canal itself and the Central
American rainforests.

Vibrant Panama City with its eclectic mix of
architecture, people and culture is an essential
excursion to take while on a Panama cruise. The
historical district of Casco Viejo is well worth a
visit, if only to see the remnants of the 17th
century Spanish fortifications there. For
sports-minded cruisers there is a world-class
golf course located just 20-minutes away from
Panama City.

Panama cruises depart from many of the coastal
seaports around the U.S. The most popular cruise
routes are one-way cruises departing from one
port on the Atlantic or Pacific side and ending
at a U.S. port on the opposite coast. Round-trip
cruises are available too. These provide passengers
with more ‘at sea’ time, and use the Panama Canal
as the furthest destination point on the cruise.

Whether one-way or round-trip, Panama cruises
incorporate other stops en-route to the Panama Canal
and are often of between 10-20 nights in duration.
A typical 12-night round-trip Panama cruise itinerary
departing from Florida includes calls at Mexico,
Jamaica, Costa Rica and Columbia as well as taking
in the entire length of the Panama Canal. With so
much variety on offer, its no wonder a Panama Cruise
is top of the vacation wish list of many an American!

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Panama Canal Cruises – Taking A Panama Cruise Tour

Panama is one of the most exotic countries with constant cruise destinations and ports because of its many different attractions and of course the gorgeous Panama Canal. When you choose Panama as your cruise destination, there are several different ports you can leave from and different destinations within your cruise you can stop at. It can take some time choosing the destinations you are interested in visiting, and each cruise line offers different routes and ports for your cruise package.

First and foremost is the Panama Canal cruise package. This is by far the most popular Panama cruise tour package because you literally have the opportunity to travel from coast to coast and right through the famous Panama Canal. You can choose to depart from several different ports for this cruise package including Fort Lauderdale, Miami, New York, Seattle, Los Angeles and New Orleans to name the most popular department ports. This makes it incredibly accessible and easy for anyone in the USA to take advantage of this once in a lifetime Panama Canal cruise package.

Not only will you be able to see the Panama Canal at an exceptional view point but you will also be able to view and visit some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Each beach is only a few minutes drive from Panama City, which makes enjoying the beach life and city life of Panama during your cruise activities and days extremely easy. El Palmar is one of the most popular beaches for those of you looking to do water excursions during your free time in Panama, as it offers the most ideal water conditions.

The Panama Canal cruise six immense locks literally raise the cruise ship from sea level up 85feet then gently lower it, sometimes with only inches to spare on each side. This is an experience everyone should enjoy once in their lifetime as it is unique and almost incomparable! As Panama is so far from the USA, you will find the shortest and average length of a Panama Cruise is generally 10-15 days. When you are traveling from coast to coast like this it takes time, this is one of the longest cruise ship tours created today.

What is great about the Panama Canal cruise is your ability to choose whether you are looking for a round-trip cruise or you can simply choose to take the cruise to Panama and then stay there for your vacation and fly home. This type of cruise offers so many different customizable features and destinations that you can literally create the cruise vacation of your dreams through your preferred cruise line.

Take your time planning your Panama Canal cruise and consider the aid of a travel professional to help make sure you have covered every detail and have created the trip of your dreams so when you leave, there is nothing to worry about. Panama is a beautiful country and the ability to see it from all its glory from the ocean and the famous Panama Canal is quite frankly a once in a lifetime opportunity!

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