What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Great full canal experience

  lana1227,,Jan 22, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  This is a fantastic tour, yes it is a long day. We left our hotel at 5:30 am and didn’t get back till 8pm. But the whole trip was very well organized, interesting, and an enjoyable day on a boat. It’s an excellent way to experience the whole length of the Panama Canal. The boat is ‘crowded’ and some passengers are better at having space sharing awareness than others but considering 180+ people on the boat for 8 hours. It was well organized and pretty easy to see things. If this is on your must do, this was a great way to do it. Food provided is nice. Guide on boat is very interesting and informative (we had Patrcio). Boat was nice and ride was smooth. The only thing I’d suggest be changed is where the tour ends if the busses dropped off near old town or city center, or even start of marina , rather than have the buses take everyone back to the end of marina and then likely most of us had to get taxis and sit in traffic to come back the way we just came.

• Great way to see the Panama Canal.

  Dianne B,,Jan 20, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Book early! Fills quickly and well worth the wait and reasonably priced. Great way to experience the canal and enjoy the locks.

• All You Need to Know about the Full Canal Crossing!

  Adam N,,Jan 19, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  4.00

  As another guest noted, “This is really for history geeks.” I would agree. While this can certainly be considered a once-in-a-lifetime journey for some, I can also understand how it can be relatively boring for others. This isn’t the tour operator’s fault — it’s just the nature of the beast. The journey takes about ten hours (you depart around 7am and dock at about 5pm, then board a nice bus for a nearly two-hour drive back to Panama City). We arrived back at the starting point at 6:45pm, but staff remarked that our Canal journey was pretty quick, so be advised you might get back later (traffic on the drive back is another factor). Going through the Canal’s first set of locks is pretty amazing and takes about 45 minutes. After that, however, you journey through another set of locks (another 45 minutes) and kind of lose interest. There aren’t any sites to see — just open water, huge freight ships and oil tankers, and uninhabited islands. The journey is slow since ships in the Canal must maintain a slow speed. The final set of locks (when you enter into the Atlantic and just want to get off the boat!) takes well over an hour. The ship is clean and has three decks — two interior decks that are air conditioned, and a top deck that unfortunately doesn’t have a ton of seating (about 75% of the seats are in the shade). While the food isn’t very good, at least it comes steadily. Breakfast is fruit, eggs and hot dogs, and yogurt. Lunch is salad, cold pasta chicken salad, and a cookie. A late afternoon snack consisted of a banana, a small ham and cheese sandwich, and a granola bar. Soda and water is always free, and beer, wine, and snacks are available for purchase. If you don’t like how this sounds, you can certainly bring your own food — they don’t seem to prohibit personal items on board, and most guests carried small backpacks. Checkin was stated to begin at 6:30am, but started around 6:20am. Guests began arriving between 6-6:15am and started lining up. I’d encourage you to do the same if you want a seat on the upper deck at the start of the trip. Since the trip is so long, people definitely move around, but we stood until about 10am once we were through the first two sets of locks. (Bring sunscreen, a hat, and a refillable water bottle!) Lots of guests fell asleep on the trip midway through, especially since the start time is so early. The biggest compliment I can give is to the staff — everyone we encountered was extremely friendly, and all were English speakers. The tour guide was incredible; he spoke for nearly all ten hours of the journey in both English and Spanish (without written notes!), providing ample interesting information about the Canal along the way. (I strongly recommend a visit to the Panama Canal Museum before you go on this journey, as it will add to your enjoyment.) Our journey was sold out at least a month or two in advance, with 190 people on a boat that fits 250. We heard from one person that she got a ticket about two days prior because she called the trip operator directly and convinced them to put her on a waitlist. They told her seats never open up, but that clearly wasn’t the case. The main reasons I gave this four stars (instead of five) are for the “meh” food and the fact that there really isn’t enough outdoor seating, especially since most everyone wants to be outside for the first few hours of the journey. But those aren’t reasons not to take this trip — it’s the only full Canal crossing available unless you’re on a major cruise line. But I’m also letting you know that unless you’re SUPER excited about doing a full Canal crossing (from Pacific to Atlantic), maybe you should look into this tour operator’s shorter Canal excursions.

• A Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

  raethecpa,,Jan 18, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  I learned that my husband has wanted to see the Panama Canal for over 50 years, so this was definitely a lifetime experience. The full transit is absolutely the way to go, to see everything, locks filling up on the Pacific side so ships rise effortlessly and locks emptying on the Caribbean side so the ships descend...without feeling anything! The engineering feat is incredible, and Patrizio's narration in both Spanish and English helped us to appreciate this modern-day wonder. Note to vegetarians: bring your own food, since the pasta salad for lunch has chicken mixed in it, not separately as we were told.

• Few outdoor seats!

  catrio7,,Jan 18, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  9 hours of slow cruise to the rhythm of the different locks. There is not enough space outside, so you have to arrive very early to be able to sit on the upper deck and enjoy the view. The worn tables and seats on the lower decks are on the inside rather ominous. Food and coffee ugly how one can expect it - a question about hygiene standards seen in the kitchen.  That being said, it is the only way to cross the canal and see the prowess, the courage of these men.

  

  

• Panama Canal-Excursion

  V1490CTallans,,Jan 14, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  2.00

  I recently took the full transit ferry excursion of the Panama Canal from an NCL Pearl excursion offering. While the overall experience was fantastic, several aspects could use significant improvement. The ferry itself, unfortunately, is quite old and has very limited space for passengers to move around comfortably. This was a bit disappointing, especially considering the length of the trip. Lunch provided during the excursion was a major letdown. The offerings were extremely poor, with only sodas and warm water included. If you wanted beer or snacks, those came at an additional charge, and the snack bag which I did not purchase was the smallest I have ever seen for $2. The half a ham and cheese sandwich did not meet my expectations in terms of what I consider an edible sandwich, either. The tour guides on the ferry were enthusiastic but repetitive, and their constant talking over the 4+ hours became a bit overwhelming. I found myself with a headache from the incessant information, much of which they repeated multiple times. One memorable fact they shared was the incredibly low toll fee of just $.36 for a swimmer crossing the canal, which was quite surprising! Lastly, the bus transport from the port to the canal and back was not designed for taller adults (6 feet and above). There was very little legroom, making for an uncomfortable ride. In summary, this excursion offers a great experience in terms of seeing the incredible Panama Canal, but improvements are needed in the areas of food quality, guide communication, and transportation comfort. If you're considering this trip, be prepared for its shortcomings, but the experience itself is worth it!

• One of the best tours I ever had

  Vitaliy D,,Dec 24, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  If you are thrilled with the history of the Pnanama Canal, then this tour will be a tour of your life

• Great tour. You'll board...

  Heather A,,Dec 24, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  Great tour. You'll board faster if you bring the QR code from the provider printed out rather than the Viator one on your phone.

• The Full Transit which we...

  Frank b,,Nov 15, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  1.00

  The Full Transit which we had tickets for today 11/15/2025 was Cancelled due to a boat mechanical failure. We came to Panama solely for this experience. To say we are disappointed and angry is an Understatement. We were told we would be transferred to a partial transit on Sunday with us receiving a partial refund. As of 7:40 pm today 11/15/2025, we Still Do Not have tickets for tomorrow, know where to meet or what time!!!!!

• Must do activity in Panama!

  Juanita H,,Oct 21, 2025

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  It was an all day event but well worth it. The weather was perfect for the full transit through the canal. You get a good breakfast, lunch and snack and they have alcoholic beverages for purchase. It was well organized and we were fortunate it was a great group for the trip. Don’t miss this opportunity to go through the entire canal.

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