It was an adventure for sure. They promptly picked us up at the time they said. They even were able to accommodate and pick us up at our hotel and saved us some walking to one of the hotels on the list. I called the day before to see if they would not mind picking us up to save us some walking to a different hotel, and it was not a problem! I will say, be prepared for some wait time, and this is not due to the tour group, it is due to the canal schedule. We did have a couple of hours to spend waiting to board our boat, but once we were under way it was exciting for sure. The tour guide was very knowledgeable, we all learned so much about the canal. After the tour was over, they dropped us back off at our hotel. We were gone from 9am until about 9pm, but we did not mind we thoroughly enjoyed the trip.
Review by: Janice C, April 2018
The partial transit was very interesting. The guide provided lots of information about the Canal. On board there was plenty of food and drink available. As the boat was not full, we had plenty of room to move about. A great day.
Review by: Karen T, April 2018
Very good experience for Partial Transit of Panama Canal! The canal is of course quite amazing, and our guide was very informative about it's history and operation._br/_ Smaller boat allowed good viewing, friendly feel.
Review by: Winnie K, April 2018
The partial transit is all you need to appreciate the Canal. Pickup was early but on time. Driver was great, took us to the correct location, and returned us promptly. However, neither the driver nor the guide pointed out any of the sights for the Panama City sightseeing part of the tour. Food was unimpressive but not bad. Guide was knowledgeable and crew was very accommodating.
Review by: Vickie B, March 2018
We booked the partial transit because we couldn’t see how to do a complete transit and get back to our hotel in Panama City. The partial was great. We had a knowledgeable, entertaining guide, Gus, who told us far more than we could remember about the history, economics, and population of the region
Review by: Kathleen M, March 2018
After reading some reviews, we were concerned, but bus pick up was on time, short wait at the pier, breakfast and lunch served. JC was the tour guide and he was fantastic. Boat is old so don’t expect a luxury cruise, but for a 4 hour transit through the canal, it was great. Very Friendly staff.
Review by: John R, March 2018
I would give the experience a five star rating, but we got stuck in the ocean to ocean bicycle race on the way back for 2-3 hours. The pickup was fine, the boat is funky, the food acceptable, the crew helpful, the guide disheveled and a bit too talkative, but o.k. Going through the locks and under the international bridge are worth the trip. Would have liked to see one of the big crocodiles.
Review by: Charles B, March 2018
This is all you need to appreciate the Canal. Pickup was early, driver great, took us to the correct location, and returned us promptly. Along the way, he pointed out spots in Panama City, an absolutely stunning city, to see. The tour took a little longer, due to the Canal bureaucracy, saw the Canal operation as well as the operation of the container terminals. Food was unimpressive, though not bad. The guide/host was informative, occasionally funny, and constantly moving around the boat to answer questions. Crew was very accommodating.
Review by: Renee S, March 2018
Excellent tour. Highly informative. A great way to experience an engineering marvel, rather than just watching from the viewing gallery at the Locks.
Review by: c.wilson, March 2018
Overall the tour was well done. The guide was very informative and quick witted. The only thing that was a little annoying was one of the tour guides that worked with Carnival nothing to do with Viator. She tried to keep myself and my wife from going down a flight of stairs while all the participants were lining up for lunch. The irony, we already had our lunch and were simply returning to our table from upstairs. This is inappropriate behavior. Especially as she is not a member of the crew. I simply ignored her and we make our way past her. Funny enough, she no longer made eye contact or acknowledged our presence afterwards. Otherwise, great tour with one bad apple!
Review by: spud, March 2018
Great way to see the canal
Review by: David W B, February 2018
First, the good. The tour itself is very interesting. Experiencing going through a lock is fascinating, especially seeing the big ships being positioned by the Canal personnel. You get a much better perspective of how the canal operates during the tour than you do going to the visitor's center at the Mira Flora Locks. Our tour included two locks, which became a bit redundant. Unless you are a canal aficionado, I recommend the one-lock tour._br/_ Making arrangements for the tour: not so much. The time of departure for the tour from your hotel is set by the direction that the tour boat is assigned by the Canal the day before the tour, not before. So departure can vary as much as five hours, making it very difficult to plan your day. The arrangement to find out the departure time is to call a number the day before that either just rings and rings, or if you're lucky, someone answers in Spanish only. Don't try this unless you have assistance from a Spanish speaker. We had a Spanish speaker, and after 7 or 8 calls, someone finally answered. _br/_ The transport to/from the canal is by air-conditioned bus, which is very comfortable. Upon arrival at the canal, it may require as much as an hour before embarkation and there are no restrooms. Plan accordingly.
Review by: Michael Winstone, February 2018
Fab experience however the ship left at 8.45 and we were told by the services to be at port by 7Am so had a long wait on ship before we left and got up early for nothing,also the engines were running on this ship and other ships around and a large volume of carbon monoxide fumes entering where we were sitting enough to set the alarms off which were disconnected by the crew,_br/_ But very good breakfast and dinner and the captain and crew very helpful and would go on it again
Review by: Marcus M, February 2018
This was an amazing partial tour down part of the Panama Canal. Everyone I talked to told me to take the partial tour and this lived up to the hype. Unfortunately my partial tour took almost all day. However, this was not the fault of the tour. There was a lot of waiting to start the tour because of the scheduling of going through the canal. Also, we were going through the locks with another huge boat that was ridiculously slow. At one point we sat and waited an hour for this other boat to catch up to us before we could move forward. The tour guide was amazing and spoke great English. The staff was very friendly and everything went smoothly. Another downside was that we were sharing the tour bout with people from another tour company and these people had special stickers. They had a dedicated server, whereas the rest of us did not and had to serve ourselves. They also had a different beverage selection soda only from what I could tell. This made me feel like a little bit of a second class tourist, but I'm not really sure where the option was to buy the experience including a designated server. Overall, once the day was over I was highly satisfied with my experience of the canal.
Review by: Raymond G, February 2018
Worthwhile to see how the canal and locks work, but was a long, hot day with a great deal of waiting time. But that is the nature of the trip. I don't think anything can be changed. Crew and guide were great, and there were 106 tourists on board making it a little crowded. Glad we went. Enjoyed the experience, but don't want to do it again.
Review by: jbarrowsrn, February 2018
One of the main reasons we went to Panama was for the Canal which I believe is true for most people. We were picked up at our hotel on time and a nice enjoyable ride to the area where we get our wristbands and then board the ship. So confusing as there were not any instructions given. Anyway, we were getting our wristband for a partial transit and I heard them talking about a full transit. Well, Hot Darn, that is what we wanted in the first place. They wanted 60 more dollars to make the full transit. No problem and then we were among the first group on our ferry. We copped a seat on the top in the shade. Free non-alcoholic drinks available all day. We were fed a breakfast that was not too great and a lunch that was ok. I went for the Locks and making the journey and not the food. After the 2nd set of Locks, the partial transit people departed and left about 15-20 of the original people. A long ride from there to the Atlantic Ocean and another set of locks. A very comfortable ride home from there.
Review by: Roy W, February 2018
I really enjoyed this tour. The tour company called me at my hotel the afternoon before my scheduled tour day. Next morning, about twenty minutes late, a large bus stopped in front of the hotel. Here we go! The bus continued making many stops at various hotels until finally we were on our way to the waterfront._br/_ Once near the water we turned in our tickets in exchange for wrist bands. Shortly thereafter, we boarded the boat. There were many different groups aboard the boat, including a large French contingent with their own guide._br/_ Aboard the boat, there were cold drinks, coffee, water and a continuous buffet of breakfast and lunch. The food was fine._br/_ Our guide was a charismatic Panamean well versed in the history, legends and lores of the Canal and Panama in general._br/_ In all, we went through three locks and ended our boat ride in Lake Gatun, about 17 miles into the 50 mile canal. I didn't time it, however, I think we were on the water 41/2 to 5 hours._br/_ We once again boarded the bus and returned to Panama City. I arrived back in my room at about 3pm. Total time was about eight hours._br/_ Very enjoyable experience and I'd do it again with the same company.
Review by: Ethel J, February 2018
Well organized, good commentary. Food ok. More fruit would be nice.
Review by: e bruce m, January 2018
It was great! We were picked up at the hotel and driven up to get our ship. Nice slow trip up the canal and through the locks. JP was the tour guide and he gave us information the whole way. We had a very good lunch on board. The bus met us at the end and as luck would have it two of the people on the tour were in the French Quarters so we even had a ride through there on our way to our hotel. A very full afternoon and very enjoyable.
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