Panama Canal Ultimate: 6-Hr Southbound Lock Passage Tour

Great tour. Really the best way to see the canal. As other reviews have noted, the directions to the meeting point could be better but Flamenco Marina is not huge and "the Panama Sign" is on Google maps. Once there easy to find and otherwise great. The operation was professional. Bus to the launch point was clean, modern and air conditioned. The boat is nice with a variety of indoor and outdoor seating options. Lunch was what you'd expect (chicken, rice, veg, cookies) but everyone mentioned that it was fairly tasty (I went back for extra plantains). Most of all...WHAT A GREAT WAY to experience the Canal! Going through the locks takes time (the boat always goes along with a "real" ship so we have to wait) but the experience is so cool. The guides are very good (though they might talk pretty much the whole time). Be ready for weather. For us it was hot and windy but you could always go inside to get out of the sun and enjoy air conditioning. This was the high point of my visit to Panama.

This was a wonderful and interesting tour. Loved learning about the lock system of the canal and being able to be a part of it. I would highly recommend. Just keep in mind it is a full day but we’ll worth it.

Outstanding trip. The guides were wonderful and informative. The boat was well appointed and the lunch was very good.

Fantastic way to see the Panama Canal. Pro tip: you can skip the whole morning bus ride and uber directly to the boat boarding at 10:00 AM at the “STRI Dock” past Gamboa at address 479P+F5G, Gamboa, Colón Province, Panama which can save like 1.5 hectic hours of getting out to the island and on the bus. You can also check in the same at the STRI dock before boarding. The lunch food was very good. My main complaint is that the boat was oversold, and there weren’t enough seats for eveyone. Their seating formula is dependent on constantly moving around the boat to see sights and they assume that not everyone is sitting. But during lunch it became a problem and they had to tell us like children on the loudspeaker to make space for others, and it was always hard to find a seat.

Very educational experience to see the canal from a ship! Not fast paced at all. The timing is based on the big ships you go through the locks with. Guide was excellent and friendly. Lunch was actually very good. Be weather-ready because the storms have no impact on when you go through the locks

Wonderfull, This tour is spectacular, world-class. The entire team, without exception, is pleasant, helpful, and friendly. It's the best tour I've ever taken. Thank you all so much. God bless you.

Loved our transit of the canal southbound. Smooth sailing all the way from pickup at the marina on the parkway right through to the end. Friendly service with just the right amount and volume of overhead annnouncing to learn on the trip but still make conversation and make new connections with others. Food was surprisingly good! Note that if you are heat sensitive, the early morning Northbound transit may be a better option.

This was a once in a lifetime experience and I was glad to have done it. However, the boat was fully packed - seats were hard to find, children running everywhere. Lots of downtime and wait on the canal captain and the canal - but that is to be expected and in no control of the tour operator. The food was questionable - 200 people in a huge line with no real sanitary precautions. I was wary but others said the flavor was good. My advice - pack a bag of snacks and games/toys/books - lots of sunscreen and water and as much patience as you can muster. If you are at all claustrophobic this could be challenging. I would have paid 5x the price for a tour with a smaller number of persons!

Well organized, friendly staff. We considered (but the dates were not available) the full day trip through the canal, but this was more than enough. Bus ride (about an hour) to the boarding ship was smooth and comfortable. we were on board and passed through 3 canal locks on the way south back to the departing location. Great tour.

Great tour! Ian is wonderful- kind and informative. The whole crew was nice, professional, and efficient. A one of kind experience.