When in Panama City this is an amazing trip to do. The history, velocity and sheer greatness of the Panama Canal is unbelievable. To enjoy breakfast on the Pacific Ocean and Dinner in the Atlantic Ocean all in the same voyage is remarkable.

This is such a feat of engineering, and so full of cargo traffic. We were blessed with good weather. Lake Gatun is very lovely, and serene even with so many big ships slowly cruising through. The Canal system runs very smoothly to handle an amazing number of ships. Filling and emptying locks was fast, and intriguing to watch how these huge ships are carefully kept in position inches from the walls. Didn't care much for the bustle and endless towering skyscrapers of Panama City- and I'm sure the new cruise terminal will be great when finished; it took about 30 minutes on the mandatory shuttle just to get to the port exit...

We had a wonderful five night visit to Panama, focusing mostly on the Panama Canal. Panama City is a bustling first-world attraction, with an attractive colonial period area undergoing gradual rehabilitation. The Canal is an amazing wonder, especially when seen not from the tall decks of a cruise ship, but from the paved areas directly adjacent to the Canal and from a small 250 passenger vessel that shares lock space with behemoth freighters. And there's a rain forest to visit and sleep in. We did all this with Road Scholar which ran a superb tour with superb guides at an excellent price. English is widely spoken and the U.S. dollar is the actually currency. An A++++ trip!

Absolutely loved the Panama Canal. So fascinating to watch and learn about the ships’s passage. The history behind the construction is fascinating!! We were on a bus tour from Rio Hato area…if I were to do it again, we’d book a cab and tour the canal! Most importantly, we would go through the passage on a boat tour that was offered!

So amazing. The guide spoke the whole time and was so informative, on the topic at hand plus any other Panama questions I asked him. Great job with the translation, with giving equal time to English and Spanish. The trip was longer and more comprehensive than we had hoped. They fed us a quick breakfast and a nice lunch plus water and hot beverages. I can't say enough about how informative the guide was.

You cant miss this. There is only a few ships come across the Canal each day so timing is important. I got there at 10am sharp, being the first group visiting. I saw the entire process of a huge ship crossing the Canal. This entire process takes like almost an hour. If you come earlier you can have a nice spot.

Panama Canal is always mentioned and we did no want to miss it. We did a private tour of Panama Canal and Miraflora locks. The last ship to enter was at about 8;30 so our guide picked us up at 7:30. Make sure o see the sip going through -it is about an hour to an hour and a half. These locks have 3 chambers and 1 is opened at a time. Water powers everything as chambers open and close . It is like going up/down steps. And is a slow process. Very interesting to see and tight to maneuver. This canal was completed in 1914 vs new one for larger ships done in2016 We then went to imax movie where we learned about the history. Absolutely fascinating. The canal really changed the route for shipping and cut the time down a lot. Well worth it to visit.

We had a chance to travel through the Panama Canal during a recent cruise vacation. It is an amazing adventure and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But travelling though the canal is not really the best way to experience the technical aspects of the canal's operation. On a boat, you are too close to the action, and you really don't get a sense of what is happening as you pass through the locks. Most cruises through the canal will spend extra time in Panama. We recommend you use that time by taking an exursion, like the one we took of the Miraflores Visitor Center. There you can watch individual ships enter a lock, be lifted or lowered, and then be sent on their way. Either way, an incredible marvel and worth visiting.

A remarkable construction masterpiece well worth a visit. Spend at least 2-3 hours so you can see when some of the worlds largest ships pass through the docks entering or leaving the canal for/from the Pacific Ocean. Do not miss the very interesting film capturing the amazing history and sacrifices that made the canal possible. You can’t miss this if you visit Panama!

Miraflores visitor center is a must for the observation deck and IMAX movie. Exhibits were close when we were there. (Please note: once you leave the observation area, you can not get back in! We were disappointed because we left the area to go to the IMAX movie and wanted to return to watch another ship transit the locks. However, we could not Re-enter without purchasing new tickets! We wish we would have known that as that cut down on the experience of watching the ships. :(