Our check in point is at Flamenco Marina, located on the last island of the Amador Causeway. It is right next to the Panama sign and behind the Duty Free Shop. The exact tour time will be confirmed the day before. The time shown on the booking platform is approximate. Please check your email the day before the tour for the final details. The tour starts at Flamenco Marina. You will board the Pacific Queen and set sail towards the entrance of Panama Canal on the Pacific Ocean. Take a moment to admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City’s splendorous skyline before you pass under the Bridge of the Americas.
The Bridge of the Americas is a road bridge in Panama, which spans the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal. Designed by Sverdrup & Parcel, it was completed in 1962 at a cost of US$20 million, connecting the north and south American land masses.
The Panama Canal partial transit tour begins with the Pacific Queen entering the Miraflores. You will then enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Miraflores from Pedro Miguel Locks. Next, the Pacific Queen will enter Pedro Miguel Locks, which is the second set of locks on the Pacific side, and here the vessel is raised 9 meters in one step. After exiting the Pedro Miguel Locks, you will be able to view the new Centennial Bridge which crosses over the Canal. You will then enter the south end of the Gailard Cut where the Chagres River flows into the Canal. The Gailard Cut (also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake) is one of the main points of interest for visitors because it was carved through the Continental Divide and this section of the Canal is full of history and geological value.
Panama's Centennial Bridge is a major bridge crossing the Panama Canal. It was built to supplement the overcrowded Bridge of the Americas and to replace it as the carrier of the Pan-American Highway. Upon its opening in 2004, it became the second permanent crossing of the canal. You will disembark at the Gamboa Dredging Division where you will board motor coaches for a 45-minute ride back to the Flamenco Marina.
I've long wanted to see the Panama Canal and experience the locks. This 6-hour trip satisfied my interest. The host who narrated was excellent. Informative and interesting. She spoke great English as well as Spanish. It was fun going through with a ship and a tugboat and our comfortable Ferry
I booked this tour at the last minute and believe it was money well spent. I went during October which is outside of the busy season, which meant that there was ample space and seats to choose from (whether outside on the top deck or inside in the air-conditioned areas). The tour guide was knowledgeable about the canal and bilingual (English and Spanish). The quality of the boat was also good; I was suprised at how modern and nice the restrooms were. The boat left the ferry area after 7 am and the tour was finished by 2 pm. After the partial transit, you are actually taken back to the ferry terminal via bus. Food and drinks were also provided (breakfast and lunch). They were not Michelin star meals but decent enough to get me through the half day tour. I would recommend this tour because you get to travel through the Panama Canal and witness the incredible engineering and technology that drives this wonder - first hand; i.e. when the gates close, the water fills up, moving through each lock and seeing the mountain area they had to cut through. It is not the same as viewing it through the visitor center. Also beautiful views and picture worthy moments during the tour. Just bare in mind it is basically half a day; however I did not mind, I was taking it all in. Book the tour and spend the extra money if you are able to! It is a must do while in Panama.
We did the half-panama canal experience with breakfast and lunch. Personally I found it to be a little long but my husband loved it. Once we were through the locks I was good but my husband actually wants to do the full-day next time. We were able to understand the guide perfectly over the loud speaker in English. I did find it a bit crowded if you wanted to go on top, but that is to be expected on a tourist cruise and everyone wants to see the same things. We did see a different cruise and we definitely picked the right company! Of the two, this one was much better!!! So for that reason, I would highly recommend this tour!!
Our partial transit from Miraflores to Pedro Miguel was a spectacular; entering from the Pacific side, we watched the historic Miraflores Locks lift the massive ship in front of our boat into the canal system. Navigating the narrow channels with mere inches to spare was an absolute engineering marvel. Cruising through the canal offered beautiful views complemented by good onboard breakfast & lunch. The onboard narration about the operation of the lock system and the canal’s history was excellent while we watched the massive gates and the electric mules operate at the same time. It was the perfect blend of history & engineering. (Even though we only did the partial crossing, we hired a car to drive to Colón to the Agua Clara locks and Gatun locks, the drive through the National forest was beautiful and seeing the ships enter the Caribbean Sea on the other end made the trip worthwhile)
An excellent day with an early start. The boat was very comfortable and the tour guide very informative and helpful. This is the best way to experience the canal and worth every dollar. Breakfast and lunch included plus free non alcoholic drinks. Highly recommended.
Magnificent! An engineering feat. A must visit when you visit Panama. Vincent our guide was knowledgeable and shared generously. Love it.
I have read books, watched documentaries and been to the Panama Canal visitors center countless times. When I passed through the locks, the magnitude of the science was astounding. I also have a great deal of admiration and respect for the Panama Cana Authority and how it requires sovereignty. Wow! Our tour guide was fantastic. He was extremely well informed, very personable and was everyone’s new best friend before the tour ended. Shout out to all of the staff. They were warm, and also very personable. Breakfast and lunch were more than substantial. One of my friends is a vegetarian and was able to enjoy lunch, as well. All around thumbs up!
A very nice experience and good food and lots of details from the commentator.
Fascinating tour using three locks in a half day with history and engineering facts perfectly delivered in both English and Spanish. Yesenia is the perfect leader for this experience. She was helpful with logistics, but also was a fabulous narrator, telling us all we needed to know and answering questions from the passengers. Highly recommend.
This was a very interesting "behind the scenes" tour of the canal. It does not stop at the visitor center, which should be visited separately. The communication about this trip was very good with a confirmation of the exact starting time the day before. The tour provided everything it promised -- breakfast, a trip through five locks, lunch, narration in English and Spanish and a bus ride back to the start, which in itself was a vibrant tourist area. Nothing to complain about. I would recommend this trip to others.
What a thrill to travel through the Panama Canal on the Pacific Queen. The whole tour was excellent. Good communication on logistics, great boarding process, nice tour boat, generous meals offered. The best part of the tour was Iann our guide. He was professional, friendly and exceedingly knowledgeable about the canal operations, the ships that use it and the complex history of building and maintaining the canal. This is a must-do tour. Don’t just see the canal from land, sail through the locks!
The tour guide Edwin was the best tour guide I ever experienced. He provided both English and Spanish throughout the entire experience, he was always positive, upbeat. Every detail was exciting to hear about in the way he articulated details. An absolute pleasure the entire tour. Best ever tour guide!!!
A great trip. Very hospitable and informative information about the life and history of the canal. Good food too. The crew was kind and respectful.
My late Grandfather migrated from Barbados to help build the canal. He would always tell me that one day I should take a tour. I finally got a chance to and learning how this amazing canal was built, how it runs now and how it’s maintained is like no other. Everyone should have this on their bucket list!
Operators were prompt, very pleasant. Knowledgeable and accommodating. Ian was excellent! Food was very good. Latianna kept in touch from beginning of booking to end of tour. Pacific Queen crew were all professional and made sure the boat was returned to dried seats and the water was pushed off of the decks after the sudden thunderstorm passed. Going through the canal was truly amazing to actually feel and see the waters rise to allow the ships through. Each landmark, the history of the canal and the current projects were explained by Iaan completely. It was worth the money. Go for it!
We had a great time on the tour! We were able to get an unopposed view of the canal locks as there were no large ships and we were the first in. The operator said this is extremely rare so we felt very blessed to have the Pacific Queen on this particular day. There was an issue with our group tickets being found so even though we were though first to arrive, we were the last on the vessel which sucked because we didn’t have the best seats as we planned. I wish they had taken more time to actually find our reservation real time versus having a step aside. Breakfast was great, Lunch was average for me only because I don’t like pasta salad, which was the main course. We met an absolutely wonderful tour guide as well who sat with us a bit during lunch to personally share Canal and Panama history with us. He is a Gem 💎 Would recommend 10 out of 10.
This is an easy, comfortable way to experiece the canal for family members of all ages. We spent all of our time on the upper deck where viewing was best, but the airconditioned areas on the lower decks also offered good viewing. Breakfast and lunch were basic but both were quite good and made with fresh ingredients. Our tour guide was very knowledable about all aspects of the canals history and current operations. On the whole, an excellent experience.
We came to Panama City specifically to learn about and experience the canal and its locks. Our previous 3 days were spent in the visitors centers at the various lock sites. This tour added another dimension by giving us the experience of going through the locks, watching the gates to the locks close behind us and open in front of us, and experience the rise and fall as the locks adjusted the elevation of this ship we were on. We found that, beyond learning about the locks, experiencing the locks added an additional and enjoyable dementia to our Panama canal experience. We would highly recommend anyone who is really fascinated by the locks to have this experience.
Fantastic! Exceeded our expectations at every level. Getting there was easy. Communication with the vendor was clear and concise. The loading and unloading ofthe boat was a breeze. The food was fine. The tour guide was phenomenal. Articulate in both Spanish and English. Easy to understand. Fullof helpful information and lots of detail. Available to answer questions and very friendly. The staff was super helpful. Highly recommend this tour.
We had such a wondrrful time with Yesenia, our tour guide. The canal of Panama is a bery intresting history. Thank you for a wonderful time.
This was a very educational trip that was appropriate for any age group. The staff for the tour and also the crew of our boat were outstanding! Our narrator was also outstanding. He explained things as we were passing them and gave us tons of information! This trip is a must for anyone who comes to Panama!
If you’re only going to be in Panama City once, this is worth doing. You get to experience the engineering of the locks first-hand. For me it was the bucket list item I didn’t know I needed. I took an amazing time lapse of the water coming up and of our boat leaving the canal. Take the tour.YOLO.
Nice to see how the canal works . The weather was great. There was plenty of food. The guide was open for questions.
Tried old ship. But food is good and service is great. Interesting trip
Departed on time at 6:30 . food was served buffet style Everyone was assigned a color wrist band ..so it was quite organized. We passed through 3 different levels of locks .Return bus trip from Gambia was about 1 hr.
Exceptional opportunity to really see how the Panama Canal actually works.
Great experience and I was able to take the Panama Canal off my bucket list. They gave a lot of information in Spanish, English and also partially in German. Decent food and non alcoholic drinks included. Beers at $3 - very reasonable. Highly recommend this tour.
Tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. Great experience, highly recommend. And here's at lest 17 more characters to satisfy the revire requirements.
We really did enjoy this tour! It was a really unique experience! The downside is just that they try to squeeze as many people on the boat as possible, so it was a little overwhelming trying to get around the boat and see things. The tour was awesome though, and the guide on the boat was very informative!
Wonderful and informative experience with full knowledge of the Panama Canal. We had a great breakfast and nice ride down the canal. We also watched other vessels come through. Great experience.
Really cool experience. Boat wasn't at full capacity which was nice. The narrator, Patricio, was great and easy to understand in both Spanish and English. The crew was great and the weather was perfect.
An excellent trip. The Panama Canal was on our bucket list and this trip exceeded expectations. Plenty of space on board and the in person commentary was engaging and informative which made the trip so interesting. Not to be missed.
Great boat ride. Informative, interesting, safe, good food, facilities were clean, upper deck is wonderful views but waterline views with conditioning was neat too
Loved this tour. It was the highlight of our trip to Panama City. The boat was good. They fed us both breakfast and lunch. There were people from all over. The tour information was excellent and done in both Spanish and English. Would recommend to anyone who wishes to experience the canal and locks.
excellent. once-in-a-lifetime experience. very professional and well-run excursion. surprised to have two very good meals included as well. guide was knowledgable and boat was only 1/3 full so lots of room to roam. really great adventure.
Great experience with friendly and knowledgeable guide. Really well organised and well worth the money.
Great experience from the boat side. Highly recommend it.If you are thinking about it . Book it.. you won’t regret
Well organized, good communication. Unfortunately had to wait for late people! Very informative. So glad we did it.
Nice easy tour, informative and comfortable. Breakfast was basic and lunch was tasty. The narrator was very good.
Fantastic, loved every minute of it and the guide spoke very good English.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ It was an amazing experience—totally worth it. Our tour guide, Vincent, was very friendly, kind, and knowledgeable. Everything was well organized from start to finish. The breakfast and lunch were great, and the entire staff was very attentive and welcoming. Crossing the Panama Canal was absolutely speechless. Seeing this engineering marvel in person is something truly unforgettable. If you are planning a trip to Panama, I highly recommend this tour.
This was an ideal trip for those that only have half a day. The boat was comfortable, plenty of space. And the guide José was extremely informative and entertaining……in English and Spanish!!
Amazing experience and well organized. The lunch is nothing special but we did not go for that. I am glad we reserved the partial instead of the full canal trip. That would be way too long.
From start to finish this tour was well organized, had a knowledgeable guide who was well spoken, and offered delicious food —-a wonderful experience!
Wonderful way to experience the canal. A bit confusing to find the check-in location but otherwise the boat was fine and the food was great. No complaints!
The narrator was extremely good. The rest of the crew were also good,but he made rhe difference. 1/2 transit was just right for us and the busride back was smooth.
Great experience! The narrator was one of the best speakers I have ever heard. He was interesting; answered questions; truly showed knowledge and passion for sharing the story of the Canal. The information about what to expect could have been more clear ... We did not realize there would be breakfast AND lunch on the boat.
Interesting and informative leaving you with a new perspective on how products make it to us fir consumption.
It was a great experience, with magnificent views. It was worthy waking up so early, as you get to enjoy the sunrise at the sea. The explanations on the Canal well documented and interesting. Our guide kept our attention all the time without being exhaustive. Astonishing to share the levels with huge boats! You get to enjoy a complete breakfast and lunch on board. Also everything clean and well maintained including the toilets. Would definitely recommend it! Also ver relaxing
Even the insanely early start became worth it when we watched the sun come up on New Years Day just as we were about to enter the Canal. Our guide did such a good job explaining what we were doing and seeing. The ship was clean and comfortable, and breakfast and lunch were good enough for our somewhat picky grandchildren to enjoy.
Monday through Friday 9 am to 7 pm EST
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