Panama Canal Cruise: Partial or Full Transit
I’ve taken three Panama Canal cruises - one partial transit and two full transits. I recently helped a client decide between a full transit and a partial transit cruise to celebrate their anniversary. I thought you may be interested in some of the questions that came up.
Full transit means you’ll start your cruise in one ocean and end up in the other. You generally sail between Florida and California. You’ll go through a full set of locks.
Partial transit cruises are usually round trip cruises from Florida. On these cruises, you go through one lock, turn around, and then go back through the same lock.
The good news is that you get a good sense of the Panama Canal with both options.
Panama Canal has the historic locks and then a new set of locks that opened in June 2016. New Locks:
On both types of cruises, you can take an excursion that visits the historic locks. You can observe the locks from a visitor’s center.
On a partial transit cruise, I recommend taking an excursion that allows you to cross through the historic locks. Here’s a photo of me touching the side of a historic lock on that excursion:
Which option is best to learn more about Panama?
You can find full transit options with a day in Panama prior to or after crossing the canal. This gives you more time to explore Panama.
Which option is shorter?
The partial transit cruises tend to be 8 - 10 nights. The full transit cruises tend to be 15 - 20 nights with several Sea Days.
What about the other ports?
The full transit cruises usually stop at one port on the west coast of Mexico, a Pacific Costa Rica port, Colombia, and potentially one Caribbean port.
The partial transit cruises may also stop in Colombia, the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica, and other Caribbean ports depending on the length of the cruise.
For Costa Rica, it’s easier to get to the Arenal volcano area from the Pacific side.
Is it better to go from California to Florida or Florida to California?
Both of my full transits have been California to Florida. I think if I would pick Florida to California due to the time change. When you sail from California to Florida, you keep setting your clock ahead. I’d rather keep rolling back the clock throughout the cruise.
Which is less expensive?
The 10 night cruises tend to price less because it’s less days and not a full transit.
Bottom Line:
If you love Sea Days and want to enjoy more time in Panama, a full transit is a great choice.
If you are just looking to cross the Panama Canal off your bucket list, a partial transit is a great choice.
If you’d like my expert help choosing a cruise line, itinerary, and excursions, please email Angie@TripswithAngie.com to begin the process of booking your next cruise with Trips with Angie.