5.0 Couples trip to PANAMA

Seema_M, May 2026

Tour was amazing. You learn a lot. Views from the boat is fantastic. Be well prepared for the weather, with sun screen if too hot etc. Food on boat was good and just enough. Overall a lovely tour.

4.0 Good excursion, enlightening

Colleen_T, May 2026

The starting time changed a couple of times, so don’t count on that, but overall the experience was great. The guide was exceptionally knowledgeable and friendly, the food was pretty good, and if you’re interested in the whole engineering thing, it’s pretty darn amazing and informative.

5.0 Southern Panama Canal Cruise

Castrobal_R, May 2026

Pick up was on time, guide did not talk too much - the information presented was relevant and accurate, lunch was also tasty!

4.0 Very good walk!

Taisjaya, May 2026

Super recommend the walk! It is suitable for families (children and the elderly). It is super interesting to make a pass of the 3 composts and the explanations of the guide José (in Spanish and English) very informative form. I would like to inform you that they do not have the possibility to adapt the menu to dietary restrictions but are free from carrying food. Thank you to the whole team! Thank you!

5.0 Running My Fingers Thru Panamá's Locks

timothy_g, April 2026

The tour was all I had hoped it would be! I remember reading about the Gaillard Cut (aka the Culebra Cut) back in elementary school. To cruise through this monument to human endurance and engineering ingenuity was a thrill. It was equally thrilling to enter the original hundred-year-old locks, sharing the chambers with a gigantic oil tanker as we descended in stages from Lake Gatun to the Pacific Ocean. The staff was friendly and the bus and boat were very comfortable. My only complaint is that the check-in process was hot and hectic. I got there quite early to myself time to find the check in spot (which turned out to be fairly easy. It's a small office-like kiosk outdoors, next to the big Panama letters.) But no one was there until 15 minutes before the check-in time and no check-ins were done until 5 minutes before the check-in time. In the meantime, travelers must wait in an area with little seating and less shade. However, once that was done, you can enter the air-conditioned bus. So, all was soon well.

4.0 Be patient, have...

Jefrey_J, April 2026

Be patient, have sunscreen, a fan, a cooling towel and a hat! The food is delicious and the tour guide is very knowledgeable!! Note to company: It would be great to have music playing during the times when travelers are waiting. Also an afternoon snack should be included.

5.0 Lunch on-board was good....

Kereese_H, April 2026

Lunch on-board was good. Communication of changes was timely. Relaxing and amazing. Canal engineering and operation is a must see especially with the ships.

5.0 Highlight

Sabrina_D, April 2026

Enjoyed this tour. The crew were very accommodating and took steps to ensure we got to take the tour in the first place due to road closures that impacted the ground transit. The Pacific Queen was roomy enough for everyone to be comfortable. Lunch was yummy!

5.0 Better than what expected

Kawanna_R, April 2026

Seeing and experiencing how the Panama Canal works is very cool. The bus had AC and food was better than expected. There was a lot people observing us at the stands as we passed by in the canal.

3.0 It's amazing to see the...

Joachim_K, April 2026

It's amazing to see the big ships so close and all the information you receive. Unfortunately on our trip they shortened the boat trip by half the distance, which we then had to spend sitting around on the boat and waiting for an hour, while our guide acted like it's not a big deal and not feeling responsible to answer any questions. Anyway the both locks we did and had a good ride, the food was good.

5.0 Panama Canal, a dream come true

Gwen_B, April 2026

This was my DREAM TRIP! It didn't disappoint and I hope to do it again in this lifetime! Even the food served on the way was good!

5.0 Worth it!

DIANE_L, April 2026

Very organized and on time. Best way to see the canal. Polite and friendly staff. Overall a great trip.

5.0 Impressive

Jacques_D, April 2026

Very nice visit on the canal but an hour late return which caused transport problems

5.0 How Long It Takes to Get Through the Locks

Joanne_G, April 2026

It can be longer than expected, it depends on vessel flow. Our time was increased due to a car carrier having to join our boat.

5.0 Excellent journey through 3 locks

jodi_F, March 2026

Excellently organized start to finish. Guide was informative, friendly, engaging, fabulous! Historical, interesting, engaging, good people!

5.0 Amazing

Ratnagiri1, March 2026

Informative. It aligns with a major vessel passing through and you can see the lock system in function. The picturesque shore line and its history are truly amazing. I highly recommend this tour.

5.0 A Must Do!

Natalie_B, March 2026

What a fabulous day learning about the Canal’s history and enjoying being out on the water. Going through the locks with a huge ship and coming out into the Pacific was incredible.

5.0 Wonderful experience

Anne_S, March 2026

Delightful trip and well organized. Guide was very informed and pleasant. You will need to remember sunscreen. Lunch was really good!

5.0 worth doing it! very special experience

Sightseer44367027986, March 2026

great but little bit to long but has to do with the locks and the boats coming through

5.0 Excellent journey through the Panama Canal

amandabX6343PA, March 2026

Informative excellent journey through the canal and locks with a massive container ship. Great lunch great experience.

3.0 Front seating in adequate

brenda_o, March 2026

Dont leave your front seat empty. Prople will stand on the seats to see the locks and when its raining the seats are a mess

5.0 great way to experience the Panama Canal firsthand

aerach, March 2026

We thoroughly enjoyed our southbound partial transit ("Tránsito Parcial en Dirección Sur") of the Panama Canal. The tour was well organized, and for me personally, it was a much more interesting way to experience the Canal vs. the Miraflores Visitor Centre (which honestly looked underwhelming as we sailed past it). Don't be put off by the description of a 'partial' transit - it's a full day's activity (approx. 7 hours including transfers?), and I think the full transit would have been too much for my attention span. The upper deck is covered for shade, but you'll need sunscreen if you plan to hang out at the bow or the stern for any length of time. Lunch onboard exceeded my expectations (which admittedly were low) - it was tasty and pretty good quality. One small item to be mindful of: the email confirming our pickup location & time was sent by PMA but was never delivered to my mailbox. (We overheard that multiple people on the tour experienced this issue.) I reached out to PMA directly the evening before (pmatours@pmatravelgroup.com) and thankfully someone responded quickly with all the details, so all good in the end.

5.0 Great Tour of an Engineering Wonder

Paul_R, March 2026

I was skeptical about this but really enjoyed it! The experience in the locks - being close to a huge ship, seeing the mechanics of the doors, the tugs, railroad engines. Unless you’ve spent time around container ships you have no idea of the scale. Our guide was great but the audio system could use some maintenance. Lots of birds throughout the transit and several white tailed deer on the right after Miraflores locks. The Pacific Queen is a great old ship and the A/C kept the main level comfortable. The food was better than I thought it would be. Rice, veggies, salad and chicken was filling but a bland. Overall I think it’s a good value and if you’re a fan of ‘How it’s Made’ or engineering oriented its a great experience.

5.0 Bucket list trip, COMPLETED!!

KimberlyMiller, March 2026

This was EVERYTHING I expected. The guides were very knowledgeable about the canal, the cities along the canal and all of the effort that goes into daily operation. The food at lunch was awesome and all of Logistics for a smooth sailing process made the day so worthwile.

5.0 Great experience on the Panama Canal

Peter_A, March 2026

We absolutely loved this experience! What a unique experience and we are able to cross this off of our bucket list! It was interesting, educational and a once in a lifetime opportunity! Be prepared for a long day and bring sunscreen and a rain jacket. The narrator explained the trip as we went and we were able to move all around the boat to watch all areas. We were served a lunch which was simple but plentiful and good. There is a bar where you can purchase drinks and additional snacks if you need. Overall, we recommend this opportunity.

4.0 Great Experience A Bit Long

TJim60, March 2026

Spoiler Alert: This tour is not for those short of patience. It is however an excellent tour if you want a “master class” in the Panama Canal and experience the operation of the locks. The broadcast narration was extensive and informative accompanied by bits of humor. Various aspects/considerations re construction, operation of the locks, safety measures, description of the commercial vessels transiting the canal. Water usage on the old canal and improvements on the new canal to save water. Prior to visiting Panama we had no idea how dependent Panama is on rainfall to keep the canal in operation. Actually passing through the locks gives a much better idea of what’s involved than a verbal explanation. The buffet lunch was ample and filling. Reasonably good quality for a trip like this. So what is the caveat about patience? The Canal is a commercial not tourist/holiday waterway. Cargo vessels have priority. Water usage for the locks is significant –especially on the old Canal which CMA’s tours use. Passage through the entire Canal some 50 miles requires a total transit time of roughly 8 to 10 hours for the typical cargo vessel. Most of that distance is over man-made/augmented lakes not in a canal These pay a fee which is at least 60x and usually many more times than the US$3,500 CMA pays for its passage through two locks. What this means is that the Canal Authority tells PMA when its tours can depart. Tours don’t depart until a suitable cargo ship is transiting. CMA’s vessel has to fit in the lock with the cargo vessel. If the next vessel in the queue is too large, CMA has to wait for one that isn’t. Safety measures in the locks means that slow moving cargo vessels have to move even slower in the locks to avoid damaging them. So the time from departure to docking depends on how fast that vessel moves. Opening and closing the chambers in a lock is not a matter of a few minutes. Communication with PMA was excellent. Pick up and return fast ane efficient. I'd rate this 4.5 e - which is a very good rating given my lack of patience. But TA doesn't allow that option.

5.0 Great trip

Patrick_H, March 2026

Great staff...very knowledgeable and very nice. There was a lot of waiting for other ships but passing thru the locks was amazing. Really enjoyed the trip.

5.0 Great Experience!

Stephen_C, March 2026

All staff were friendly, polite and cordial. The tour guide explanation of the process through the Panama Canal locks system was clear. My husband and I learned a lot.

3.0 Not much crusing to be had, lots of waiting.

Lee_T, March 2026

It was fine but rather boring, lots of sitting around and waiting. I thought we would get to cruise down the Culebra Cut from Gamboa and just relax but we actually started out under the Centennial Bridge instead. It took ages and age to get throught each lock and it lost its charm pretty quickly. Just get a cab to the Miraflores locks instead, see a boat transit, and go back to your hotel. More fun and cheaper.

5.0 Great, as much as the tour company could control.

jmk808, March 2026

The tour company does a great job. Everything was incredibly well organized from check in and getting wrists bands and onto buses to avoiding chaos at lunch. Staff were very friendly. The lunch was surprisingly good. The narration from Edwin was fantastic. The challenge they have is the things out of their control, specifically the canal authorities dictating where and when the tour boat can actually do the tour. Tour boats are scheduled by authorities based on when a large ship is going in the right direction and can have the tour boat and that ship in a lock at the same time. For our trip, we did not start the tour where or when advertised (it was a shorter distance) and while we were ahead of and faster than the bulk carrier we were paired with, we always had to wait for that much slower ship to get in the lock behind us. Fascinating to watch, the first time. While passing through the first lock was interesting and very well-narrated, the subsequent two locks seemed to drag on forever. Even the enormous Panamax ships were moving through the parallel locks at a pace much faster than ours. From check-in to return to the marina was well over 7 hours. So we recommend this tour, but set expectations accordingly - and bring a book.

3.0 Too much effort for a lock experience

K2746HRmichaelh, March 2026

We were on time 9.30 at the starting point. Then longer trial until we were on the bus. Then wait in the bus, then about 1 h bus ride. Launch of the ship 11.30. Some bigger ships on the canal. First lock still halfway interesting, the next ones much more boring. Much information in Spanish and English through the ship's loudspeaker. Food acceptable, you get full. Arrival 16.20. If you have a lot of time and want to pay the price, then you can do it. For us it was not a highlight, there are certainly more interesting things. Stewing in the sun in the public gallery at the Miresflores lock is no alternative.

4.0 Don’t miss this tour

Derrick_C, March 2026

Very educational tour, the tour guide shared a lot of information regarding the Canal. The food was fantastic with endless , water and pop. Find your seats early because our boat full and we stood on the top deck all day . Try to go when there is no cruise ship in port. We did the southbound tour , and had dinner at the Marina after the boat docked. Highly recommend.

5.0 Seeing the big ships and...

Anna_C, March 2026

Seeing the big ships and watching the lock, especially the final lock on the southbound trip, opening was amazing. There are long periods of waiting though while the lock is prepared for passage.

5.0 Great experience

Douglas_T, March 2026

Outstanding experience! Everything ran smoothly and great commentary during the transit. Food and beverages were excellent. Highly recommend this tour!

5.0 Once in a lifetime experience

Leah_H, March 2026

A very comprehensive tour and experience! Our guide Vincent gave a great overview and explanation of how the canal formed and we witnessed how the locks worked, how the water levels changed to accommodate the size of the ships , from small to massive barges. Just an incredible feat of engineering. The lunch was also very good.

5.0 Great day on the canal....

Katherine_V, March 2026

Great day on the canal. Well organized and narrated, really good meal. We were in a lock with a catamaran and a large ship. Would definitely recommend!!

3.0 Only do it once to say you’ve been there

823glendap, March 2026

It is a lot of hurry up and wait. Glad to have done it but you need to be prepared . They have water but I would have liked to have had a water bottle. Also a sun hat . The website/ information for the trip is too limited.

5.0 A tour that must not be missed if you are going to visit Panama.

Patricio_L, March 2026

It is simply a wonderful experience. It is impossible to describe with words, being able to participate in all the logistics that involves the Panama Canal is surreal. The organization since we boarded the buses was wonderful, aboard the boat, you don't just have to stay outside, if you want to stay in the comfort of the air conditioning, you enjoy the same way. The boat staff is very attentive and helpful, the guide will explain and tell both the history and the operation of the canal. A tour that must not be missed if you are going to visit Panama.

4.0 OK Tour but.

Andrew_S, March 2026

The price for the tour is high but this may be due to the high cost of transiting the canal which the tour operator has to pay. The Pacific Queen was not all that comfortable. Take a cushion. The tour guide is overwhelming with the Mike. However the tour does provide an excellent chance to transit the canal. That aspect was very good.

3.0 Crowded Boat Oversold

constancea515, March 2026

This ship is oversold. Unless you push and shove others you will not get an outdoor seat with a good view of the locks and you could end up standing for four hours.

3.0 Excellent vision of the...

Cecilia_G, February 2026

Excellent vision of the channel I would have liked to hear more explanation from the guide who prioritized English and often did not translate. So much so that he's late for lunch because he didn't say it in Spanish.

5.0 Panama Canal Partial Transit (Southbound) – A Must-Do Experience

Omar_C, February 2026

This tour was a superb experience and truly one of the highlights of our time in Panama. It offered great value for the price paid, and everything was very well organized from start to finish. We were taken to the Gatún area, where we boarded the vessel. The boat itself is well-equipped with three decks—two air-conditioned levels for comfort, and a top open-air deck that gives you incredible panoramic views of the canal. The bottom deck serves as the bar and lunch area, making it easy to grab a drink or enjoy the meal without missing much of the action. Lunch was handled in a very organized way using a color-coded wristband system, which made distribution smooth and efficient. The food was awesome, with good variety and quality—definitely better than expected for a tour like this. The bar offered local beers, wine, sodas, and snacks, which added to the overall experience. The transit itself was as fascinating as it gets. Sailing alongside massive cargo ships really puts things into perspective—you truly feel small next to these giants. Watching the locks in operation is incredible; it’s an engineering marvel to see how ships are raised and lowered with such precision. Honestly, this is the kind of experience that should be mandatory for engineering students—it brings theory to life. A special mention goes to the narrator, who was outstanding. They explained every detail clearly and were always ready to answer questions, making the entire journey even more engaging and educational. Overall, this was an excellent experience in Panama—well organized, informative, and memorable. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone visiting the country.

5.0 A Day on the Canal

Anne_W, February 2026

We were lucky to have a beautiful sunny day to experience the Panama Canal, an engineering marvel. The tour provided water, drinks, shade, and plenty of lunch to keep us happy. Our amazing tour guide, Patricio, didn’t overwhelm us with long dissertations. He spoke in short monologues and, especially for me (hard of hearing), he spoke slowly. He entertained any question a person had and seemed to always know the answer. I highly recommend this tour and ask for Patricio!

5.0 Nice experience

INEZ_S, February 2026

There were 2 lines for check in. We stayed on the bus for a long time before boarding the boat. Lunch was good. The sites along the canal were nice. Commentary was good, English was perfect.

5.0 The experience was great....

Aditi_B, February 2026

The experience was great. The 6 hour tour is perfect. You can see how the locks operate, the lunch on the tour is also very good. The boat is very clean and the commentary was very informative. Overall a great experience for the family.

5.0 Well worth the 6 hour commitment

Donna_S, February 2026

Commentary during the trip was informative and made the trip more interesting. Ship is in good condition and buffet lunch was tasty.

5.0 Great way to spend the day

Karen_T, February 2026

Great way to see and learn about the Panama Canal. Would highly recommend to anyone visiting Panama. The lunch was good too!

4.0 Good tour to see the Panama Canal

Butch_C, February 2026

The tour was well organized given the number of people on the boat. Lunch was good and the gentleman doing the commentary was excellent (in both Spanish and English)! It was great to see this marvel of engineering first hand.

5.0 Worth every penny!

alejandrobF5201YO, February 2026

The experience was excellent, and the narrator was a complete pro. Learned way more than I expected and seeing the locks in action made this tour more than worth it.

4.0 Its a fun trip. Give it a whirl.

Canoe2Freedom, February 2026

They do a good job getting a decent sized group of people through the experience. They've done it hundreds of times before so they have it down to a science. A bit competitive at times getting a good view of the lock transits but most people were kind and took turns. Their lunch was very good given the number of guests they have to move through the dining facilities and the size of same. I did read one review that complained about the bus driver not being fully attentive to the road. Wasn't my experience. The driver did his job without distraction.