Panama Canal Cruises

We list here only one-way ship repositioning Panama Canal cruises 2023-2024-2025 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”.Panama Canal Reposition Cruises COM

  • 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 ticket prices. Deals will vary greatly (depending on the 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

  • Repositioning Cruises Panama CanalThe 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 the 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 the 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 beds. 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).

Repositioning Cruises Panama Canal cruise ships transition infographics

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 2023-2024-2025 schedule

Cruise lines / ships Spring 2023-2024-2025 Summer Fall 2023-2024 Winter
Carnival Cruise Lines
Carnival Freedom 2023 Apr 16 – 16day Miami FL to Seattle WA 2023 Sept 19 – 16day Seattle WA to Miami FL
Carnival Miracle 2024 Oct 1 – 15day San Francisco to Galveston
Carnival Radiance
Carnival Spirit 2024 Apr 7 – 16day Tampa to Seattle
  • 2023 Sept 19 – 16day Seattle WA to New Orleans
  • 2024 Oct 9 – 16day Seattle to New Orleans
Celebrity Cruises
Celebrity Millennium 2023 Apr 21 – 15day Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles
Celebrity Summit 2024 Apr 20 – 14day Miami to Los Angeles
Cunard Line
Queen Elizabeth 2023 Aug 17 – 19day Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale
Queen Victoria 2024 Jan 22 – 15day Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco
Disney Cruise Lines
Disney Magic 2023 Dec 3 – 14day San Diego to Galveston
Holland America Line
Eurodam
  • 2023 Apr 9 – 15day Fort Lauderdale to San Diego
  • 2024 Apr 13 – 14day Fort Lauderdale to San Diego
  • 2025 Apr 12 – 14day Fort Lauderdale to San Diego
Nieuw Amsterdam
  • 2023 Apr 9 – 17day Fort Lauderdale to San Diego; 21-day to Vancouver
  • 2024 Apr 6 – 17day Fort Lauderdale to San Diego
  • 2025 Apr 13 – 17day Fort Lauderdale to San Diego
2024 Oct 4 – 16day San Diego to Fort Lauderdale
Noordam
Oosterdam
  • 2024 Mar 19 – 17day San Antonio to Fort Lauderdale
  • 2025 Mar 19 – 17day San Antonio to Fort Lauderdale
  • 2023 Nov 15 – 17day Fort Lauderdale to San Antonio
  • 2024 Nov 14 – 17day Fort Lauderdale to San Antonio
Volendam
  • 2023 Apr 15 – 17day Fort Lauderdale to San Diego
  • 2024 Apr 6 – 15day San Diego to Fort Lauderdale
Westerdam
Zuiderdam
NCL Norwegian Cruise Lines
Norwegian Bliss 2025 Feb 22 – 15day Miami to Los Angeles 2024 Dec 6 – 15day Los Angeles to Miami
Norwegian Encore
  • 2023 Apr 16 – 15day Miami FL to Los Angeles CA
  • 2024 Apr 7 – 21day Miami to Seattle
  • 2025 Mar 30 – 21day Miami to Seattle
  • 2023 Oct 29 – 21day Seattle to Miami
  • 2024 Oct 13 – 21day Seattle to Miami
Norwegian Jewel 2024 Nov 7 – 17day Los Angeles to Tampa
Norwegian Joy
Norwegian Sky
Norwegian Sun
  • 2023 Apr 21 – 20day Miami to Seattle
  • 2024 Mar 8 – 18day Miami to Seattle
2023 Oct 30 – 20day Seattle to Port Canaveral
P&O Cruises (UK, Australia)
Princess Cruises
Emerald Princess 2023 Aug 21 – 19day Los Angeles to New York City 2023 Dec 23 – 15day Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles
Ruby Princess
  • 2023 Apr 14 – 16day Galveston to San Francisco
  • 2024 Mar 23 – 15day Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles
2023 Oct 22 – 15day San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale
Royal Caribbean International
Brilliance Of The Seas 2023 Apr 3 – 14day Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles

Small and Luxury cruise lines ship relocation

(Fred Olsen) Borealis
Oceania Marina 2023 Dec 3 – 15day Miami to Callao (Lima)
Oceania Vista (new ship 2023)
  • 2023 Oct 16 – 16day Miami to Los Angeles
  • 2023 Nov 3 – 16day Los Angeles to Miami
Seabourn Odyssey
Seabourn Ovation
Seabourn Quest
Seabourn Sojourn 2023 Dec 1 – 21day Miami to Los Angeles
Silver Moon
Viking Orion
Viking Sky 2023 Dec 20 – 17day Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles
Viking Star
Viking Neptune
(Phoenix Reisen) Artania 2024 Jan 15 – 18day Colon to San Francisco

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!

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