We list here only one-way ship repositioning Panama Canal cruises 2018, 2019 and 2020 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 2018-2019-2020 schedule
| Cruise lines / ships | Spring 2019-2020 Summer | Fall 2018-2019 Winter |
|---|---|---|
| Carnival Cruise Lines | ||
| Carnival Legend | – | 2019 Oct 12 – 15day (Los Angeles to Tampa FL) |
| Carnival Miracle | 2020 Feb 1 – 13day (San Diego to Miami) | 2019 Sept 29 – 13day Panama Canal (Tampa to Los Angeles) |
| Cunard Line | ||
| Queen Elizabeth | 2019 Jul 3 – 18day (San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale) | – |
| Queen Victoria | 2019 Jan 21 – 16day from Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco
2020 Feb 29 – 17day (San Antonio to Fort Lauderdale) |
– |
| Disney Cruise Lines | ||
| Disney Wonder | 2019 Feb 24 – 14day (Port Canaveral to San Diego) | 2018 Oct 19 – 14day (San Diego to Galveston)
2019 Nov 8 – 14day (San Diego to Galveston) |
| Holland America Line | ||
| MS Amsterdam | 2019 May 16 – 17day (Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver)
2020 May 12 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to San Diego) |
2019 Dec 18 – 17day (San Diego to Fort Lauderdale) |
| Eurodam | 2020 Feb 16 – 14day (Fort Lauderdale to San Diego) | 2019 Nov 16 – 15day (San Diego to Fort Lauderdale) |
| Nieuw Amsterdam | 2019 Mar 3 – 14day (Fort Lauderdale to San Diego)
2019 Sept 28 – 21day (Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale) 2019 Oct 3 – 16day (San Diego to Fort Lauderdale) |
– |
| Oosterdam | 2019 Apr 13 – 17day (Fort Lauderdale to San Diego) | – |
| Volendam | 2019 Apr 18 – 17day (Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco)
2020 Apr 5 – 18day (Fort Lauderdale to San Diego) |
2019 Sept 25 – 23day (Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale)
2019 Oct 1 – 17day (San Diego to Fort Lauderdale) |
| Zaandam | 2020 Mar 21 – 20day (San Antonio to Fort Lauderdale) | 2019 Oct 16 – 17day (Fort Lauderdale to San Antonio) |
| NCL Norwegian Cruise Lines | ||
| Norwegian Bliss | 2019 Mar 30 – 15day (Miami to Los Angeles) | 2018 Nov 3 – 14day (Los Angeles to Miami)
2019 Nov 3 – 21day (Los Angeles to New York) |
| Norwegian Dawn | – | 2019 Nov 9 – 15day (New York to Tampa) |
| Norwegian Pearl | 2018 Oct 21 – 14day (San Diego to Tampa) | 2018 Oct 20 – 15day (Los Angeles to Tampa) |
| Norwegian Star | – | 2018 Nov 30 – 14day (Miami to Los Angeles) |
| P&O Cruises (UK, Australia) | ||
| Arcadia | 2020 Jan 3 – 25day Transatlantic, Panama Canal (Southampton to San Francisco) | – |
| Princess Cruises | ||
| Coral Princess | 2020 Apr 6 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles) | 2018 Dec 7 – 15day (Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale)
2018 Dec 22 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles) 2019 Oct 18 – 15day (Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale) |
| Emerald Princess | 2019 Apr 18 – 15day (Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale) | 2019 Nov 18 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles) |
| Island Princess | 2019 Apr 9 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to LA)
2020 Mar 27 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles) 2020 May 9 – 15day (Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale) |
2019 Sept 22 – 15day (Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale) |
| Pacific Princess | 2019 Jan 5 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles)
2020 Jan 5 – 15day (Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles) |
– |
| Sea Princess | 2019 Jul 21 – 38day (New York to Sydney) | – |
| Royal Caribbean International | ||
| Vision Of The Seas | – | 2018 Nov 13 – 16day (Miami to Los Angeles)
2018 Nov 29 – 16day (Los Angeles to New Orleans) 2019 Oct 14 – 16day (Miami to Los Angeles) 2019 Dec 1 – 15day (Los Angeles to San Juan) |
Small and Luxury cruise lines ship relocation |
||
| (Cruise And Maritime Voyages / CMV) Magellan | 2019 Jan 10 – 11day (Cozumel to Puerto Caldera)
2019 Mar 31 – 10day (Acapulco to Cozumel) |
– |
| (Phoenix Reisen) Amadea | 2019 Apr 6 – 22day (Acapulco to Miami)
2020 Mar 2 – 26day (San Francisco to Miami) |
–
|
| (Phoenix Reisen) Albatros | – | 2018 Dec 19 – 27day Transatlantic and Panama Canal (Hamburg to Callao-Lima Peru) |
| Azamara Journey | – | 2019 Dec 19 – 17day (Miami to Los Angeles) |
| Azamara Pursuit | 2020 Mar 23 – 13day (Callao/Lima) to Miami) | 2018 Nov 20 – 11day (Miami to Callao/Lima) |
| Oceania Insignia | 2020 Jan 8 – 18day (Miami to San Francisco)
2020 Jul 5 – 20day (San Francisco to New York City) |
– |
| Oceania Marina | 2020 Jan 4 – 18day (San Antonio to Miami) | – |
| Oceania Regatta | 2019 Apr 1 – 16day (Los Angeles to Miami)
2019 May 1 – 18day (Miami to San Francisco) |
2018 Oct 26 – 16day (Miami to Los Angeles)
2019 Sept 24 – 20day (Seattle to Miami) 2019 Oct 14 – 18day (Miami to San Francisco) |
| Seabourn Quest | – | 2018 Nov 4 – 15day (Miami to Callao)
2019 Nov 6 – 22day (Miami to San Antonio) |
| Seabourn Sojourn | – | 2019 Oct 16 – 19-day (Los Angeles to Miami) |
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!