What is the best time of year? Are the spring and fall more humid and rainy? Looking at the cruises that go partway (to the lake) and return to the Caribbean. Would a full crossing to Mexico be more enjoyable as far as the Canal is concerned?
Thanks!
Best time of year for weather?
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We sailed through the Panama Canal from San Diego to Fort Lauderdale and it was awesome. How much you enjoy it depends on how much of the canal you want to see. It takes about 9 hours to go through it. We went in September and the weather was just fine.
Hello - we took a trip to Costa Rica and the Panama Canal in the fall and it poured big time on the east coast of Costa Rica and the Canal area. Our guide told us it was only the third time in his life he had been so cold and that the best weather was in February.
We took a Princess cruise in January that went to the lake and back. It was good......
We took a Holland America cruise in late Feb-early March '09. It poured in Costa Rica, but we were told it was a light rain. We were anchored in Gatun Lake, but many of us took a "shore excursion" and took a smaller boat (about 200 people) through the Panama Canal to the Pacific. This was a great experience, because we got to experience the water flow, see the locks, and reach out and touch the locks.
We did a full transit ACA-FLA in Feb 2009. weather wise it ws fine really. We had little if any rain and temps weren't too bad at all. It fact it was quite comfortable. The full transit is the one I recommend as you can appreciate the canal fully. I mean there are two ways to go so you may as well go full tilt.
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Going West to East and doing full canal is the best. If you know for sure you cannot do it for some reason, than partial would work I guess.
Our cruise was in January, it was hot on the Pacific side, warm and nice on the Atlantic side.
Full crossing, east to west or west to east is preferrable to round trip Fort Lauderdale. You get the full experience. The question becomes how much time you have.
It doesn't matter when you go, it is going to be humid. It is going to be hot. It is going to rain.
Persoanl preference is east to west (Fort Lauderdale to LA or San Diego). The approach to the Canal is awesome in the sense that you are going east to west but you are really going east when you are entering the canal and see the sunrise in the opposite direction (but not really) in the morning. It sounds confusing but look at the map and you will understand.