Call us on 1300 769 228
All taxes and port charges included
Enquire Online Sail Free Guarantee
Visit our Blog 
Follow @Cruise_About
Join us on Facebook 
Add us on Google+
Panama Canal: Gateway to Central America
Mexico, Panama and Central America is legendary in the annals of exploration.
The Panama Canal is a man made marvel and cruise ships transit this during the day so you can enjoy the spectacle of the great locks and the Panama countryside.
Ninety years after its completion, this link between two great oceans is as amazing as ever.
Mexico
The Mexican Riviera stretches thousands of miles down Mexico’s Pacific coast from the Californian border all the way to Guatemala.
Originally comprising a series of small fishing villages, tourism boomed with the opening of new roads that made these ports accessible. As the region developed the cruise industry discovered it and now it is one of the most important cruise destinations in the world.
The region retains a truly Mexican flavour, despite development, with pristine beaches, stunning cliffs, jungle - and shopping.
Please note that Mexican ports located on the Gulf of Mexico are visited by Western Caribbean cruises.
On the Caribbean side cruises visit Central America as part of a Western or Southern Caribbean cruise.
Western Caribbean - Round-trip Tampa
- 2014-04-06.
Western Caribbean - Round-trip Tampa
- 2014-04-20.
Western Caribbean from New Orleans
- 2014-04-13.
Western Caribbean from New Orleans
- 2014-04-06.
New York to Los Angeles
- 2013-07-25.
Fort Lauderdale Florida to Los Angeles, California
- 2013-12-20.
Panama Canal - Los Angeles to Miami
- 2013-10-04.
Panama Canal from Los Angeles
- 2013-10-27.
Cruise types
A number of cruise lines run a series of cruises through the Panama Canal which vary from shorter 7 night cruises up to the more traditional 14 night cruises that sail from Florida to the West Coast. The longer cruises include visits to ports in the Caribbean and the Mexican Riviera in their itineraries.
Repositioning and World cruises also transit the Panama canal offering passengers a great opportunity to view the marvel that is the Canal as well as visit the region.
The destination is primarily serviced by the major cruise lines so the cruise types are really based on cruise length which vary from 3 night weekend/4night midweek cruises through to 14 night extended cruises.
Cruise seasons
Most cruises sail the Panama Canal to Central America in the Northern winter months from October to April. However, Mexico is a year round destination blessed by a balmy weather though August and September can be hotter and more humid. Some cruise lines have ships based here all year while others base ships here for the September to April period before moving them to Alaska or Europe.
Main Ports - Panama Canal
- East to west – Ft Lauderdale and Miami
- West to East – Los Angeles and San Diego
Main Ports - Mexico
- Los Angeles or San Diego (depatures)
- Key ports: Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, Cabo San Lucas, Acapulco and Manzanillo
Weather - Panama Canal & Central America
The region is tropical and days are hot, nights much cooler; temperatures range from 32°C (90°F) during the daytime to 21°C (70°F) in the evening practically year-round. Humidity is always high at about 80 percent. The rainy season takes place between October and November, and the best months to visit are mid-December and late March
Weather - Mexico
Temperatures remain balmy (mid 20s Celsius) most of the year. August and September are hotter, with temperatures in the 30s, coupled with humidity that can make shore excursions a bit unpleasant.
Ports of interest
- acapulco, mexico
- acapulco, mexico
- balboa, panama
- balboa, panama
- bridgetown, barbados
- bridgetown, barbados
- caldera, costa-rica
- caldera, costa-rica
- callao, peru
- callao, peru
- caracas, venezuela
- caracas, venezuela
- cayenne, french-guiana
- cayenne, french-guiana
- colon, panama
- colon, panama
- ensenada, mexico
- ensenada, mexico
- fort-lauderdale, usa
- fort-lauderdale, usa
- gloucester, usa
- gloucester, usa
- la-romana, dominican-republic
- la-romana, dominican-republic
- los-angeles, usa
- los-angeles, usa
- los-suenos, costa-rica
- los-suenos, costa-rica
- manta, equador
- manta, equador
- mexico,
- mexico,
- mexico,
- mexico-and-the-panama-canal,
- mexico-and-the-panama-canal,
- miami, usa
- miami, usa
- new-york, usa
- new-york, usa
- palm-beach, usa
- palm-beach, usa
- panama-and-central-america,
- panama-and-central-america,
- panama-and-central-america,
- panama-city, panama
- panama-city, panama
- philipsburg, st-marten
- philipsburg, st-marten
- port-canaveral, usa
- port-canaveral, usa
- puerto-caldera, costa-rica
- puerto-caldera, costa-rica
- san-diego, usa
- san-diego, usa
- san-diego, usa
- san-francisco, usa
- san-francisco, usa
- san-francisco, usa
- san-juan, puerto-rico
- san-juan, puerto-rico
- seattle, usa
- seattle, usa
- seattle, usa
- st-maarten, st-maarten
- st-maarten, st-maarten
- vancouver, canada
- vancouver, canada
- vancouver, canada
Cruiseabout offers great deals on Mexico and Panama Canal cruises, so why not enquire today? We guarantee the best cruise deals and will beat any Asia cruise quote, worldwide - or you'll sail for free.
