Panama Canal Cruises

We list here only one-way ship repositioning Panama Canal cruises 2017, 2018 and 2019 schedule of transition itineraries offered in Spring and Fall. You can compare here all Panama Canal cruise ships as destinations, departure ports and sailing dates. Learn how to discern the regular one-way Panama Canal transition cruises from the authentic, cheap repositioning cruises through Panama Canal operated seasonally with discount cheap deals.

Panama Canal Repositioning Cruises

When talking about repositioning cruises through Panama Canal, the predicament here is that most Panama Canal transition cruises are full transits (crossings with one-way itineraries). Panama Canal cruise ships are usually leaving either from Florida or California ports. Transition sailings usually last for about 2-weeks.

Panama Canal cruise ships relocation

These are two special “Panama Canal ship relocation” hints for you (serving almost like shortcuts): the always funny one is “follow the money”, and the not so funny one is “mind the season”.

• Destination. Panama Canal cruise relocation is very often in the category of long Coast to Coast voyages (Florida-California and California-Florida, and New York to California and California to New York). And some itineraries start in South America to end in Florida, Boston or NYC, New York (and the reverse).
• Season. It all happens in Spring (April and May) and Fall (September) when all Panama Canal repositioning ships relocate (to and from) Alaska according to their summer Alaskan season schedule. Repositioning cruises on ships passing through Panama Canal with itineraries to/from South America usually start in some of the Winter months.

As to the money part, you’ll know the Panama Canal reposition cruises by their tickets prices. Deals will vary greatly (depending on line, ship and cabin category), but always with pleasantly low rates which could be easily defined as “top-luxury inexpensive to really really cheap”.

Panama Canal cruise transition – facts and statistics

• Total length of the Panama Canal is 77,1 km (48 ml).
• Locks size. Panama Canal’s lock chambers determine the max size of a ship to be able to pass through. Most cruise ships are built to the max lock size allowed (Panamax ships). Larger size ships belong to the group of Post-Panamax ships. The length of each lock is 320 m (1,050 ft), their walls thickness range from bottom (15 m / 49 ft) to top (3 m / 9,8 ft).
• The longest ship transiting the Panama Canal was a bulk-carrier – length 296,6 m (973 ft), width 32,3 m (106 ft).
• Draft restrictions (max 12,6 m / 41,2 ft). Since draft is determined by the ship’s weight, Panamax ships (able to pass through the canal) have cargo weight restrictions to ~52,500 t.
• Panama Canal cruise ship transition tolls are based on the ship’s size (vessel type and cargo type for freighter ships). Cruise ships through Panama Canal pay rates based on their passenger capacity (number of berths/beds). The current Panama Canal cruise ship fee (for bigger ships) is US$92 for unoccupied and US$115 for occupied bed. Panama Canal cruise ships of less than 30,000 t or less than 33 t per passenger are charged as the same per-ton fees as cargo ships. These tolls are (in USD) $3,90 per ton (first 10000 t), US$3,19 pt (second 10000 t), US$3,82 pt (third 10000 t) and US$3,76 pt thereafter.
• The most expensive Panama Canal cruise ship transition toll was charged to the NCL Pearl cruise ship on its westbound repositioning cruise in Spring 2010 (passing on April 14th). NCL Pearl paid US$375,600 (for comparison, the average fee is ~US$55,000).
• There are also priority passing fees – the highest was paid in 2006 (US$220,300) by a tanker ship bypassing 90 other ships waiting to move through the canal. The cargo ship avoided a 7-days delay by paying the regular toll 16 times (the normal fee was only US$13,400).

These are two Panama Canal related links. For all things Panama-related – the Republic of Panama official website VisitPanama.com. For all history-technology-facts stuff – see this Wikipedia link. For details on itinerary and to compare prices (indicative rates) follow the line-links from the table below.

Repositioning Panama Canal cruises 2017-2018-2019 schedule

Cruise Ships cruise lines (links)	Spring 2019 Summer	Fall 2017 Winter	Spring 2018 Summer	Fall 2018 Winter
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Miracle	–	–	Jan 13 – 14day from Los Angeles to Tampa	–
Carnival Splendor	–	–	Jan 14 – 13day from Miami to Los Angeles	–
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Infinity	–	Oct 9 – 15day from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale	May 2 – 15day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego	Sept 9 – 15day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale
Cunard
Queen Elizabeth	–	–	Jan 17 – 19day from New York City to San Francisco CA	–
Queen Victoria	2019 Jan 21 – 16day from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco	–	–	–
Disney Cruise Lines
Disney Wonder	–	Oct 27 – 14day from San Diego to Galveston Texas	Apr 8 – 14day from Port Canaveral to San Diego	Oct 19 – 14day from San Diego to Galveston Texas
Holland America
Amsterdam	–	Dec 20 – 15day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale	Jan 4 – 28day from Fort Lauderdale to Auckland May 10 – 17day from Fort Lauderdale to Seattle	–
Eurodam	–	Oct 17 – 19day from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale	Apr 18 – 17day from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco (19day to Vancouver BC, 20day to Seattle WA)	–
Maasdam	–	Sept 13 – 14day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego	Apr 22 – 20day from San Diego to Boston	–
Nieuw Amsterdam	–	Sept 30 – 21day from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale Oct 5 – 16day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale	Apr 14 – 17day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego (21day to Vancouver Canada)	–
Oosterdam	–	Oct 21 – 14day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale Nov 17 – 15day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego	Mar 4 – 15day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale	–
Westerdam	–	Nov 8 – 16day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego Dec 8 – 14day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale	Jan 5 – 15day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego Jan 20 – 15day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale Feb 4 – 15day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego Mar 9 – 15day from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale Mar 24 – 15day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego	–
Zaandam	–	–	Mar 17 – 16day from Valparaiso-Santiago to Fort Lauderdale Apr 14 – 17day from Fort Lauderdale to San Diego	–
NCL Norwegian Cruise Lines
Norwegian Bliss	–	–	May 10 – 15day from Miami to Los Angeles	Nov 3 – 14day from Los Angeles to Miami
Norwegian Pearl	–	Oct 7 – 14day from Los Angeles to New Orleans	Apr 8 – 21day from New Orleans to Seattle WA	Oct 20 – 15day from Los Angeles to Tampa
Norwegian Star	–	Dec 1 – 14day from Miami to Los Angeles	Apr 8 – 14day from Los Angeles to Miami	Nov 30 – 14day from Miami to Los Angeles
Norwegian Sun	–	Oct 5 – 15day from San Francisco to Miami	Mar 16 – 15day from Miami to Los Angeles	Oct 4 – 15day from San Francisco to Miami
P&O Cruises (UK, Australia)
Aurora	–	–	–	–
Princess Cruises
Coral Princess	–	Sept 27 – 15day from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale	Apr 20 – 15day from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles	Dec 7 – 15day Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale Dec 22 – 15day Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles
Island Princess	–	–	–	–
Pacific Princess	–	–	Jan 5 – 17day from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles	–
Royal Caribbean
Vision Of The Seas	–	–	–	Nov 13 – 16day Miami to Los Angeles Nov 29 – 16day Los Angeles to New Orleans
CMV Cruise And Maritime Voyages
Astor	–	Oct 15 – 42day Transatlantic& Panama Canal (from London to Auckland New Zealand (54day to Fremantle Australia)	–	–
Phoenix Reisen
Amadea	2019 Apr 6 – 22day Acapulco to Miami	–	–	–
Viking Cruises
Viking Sun	–	Dec 15 – 22day Miami to Los Angeles	–	–

Know that with time prices on Panama Canal repositioning cruise deals usually go down with time. Still, the economic law of “Supply And Demand” will always rule – cruise lines will price their deals and cabin categories accordingly. So good luck with those, and happy Panama Canal “reposition” vacations!