Canal Expansion receives first neopanamax cruise of the season

The MS Caribbean Princess, from the Princess Cruise line, today became the first neopanamax cruise to navigate the locks of the enlarged Canal during the 2017-2018 season.

The boat, with 3,086 passengers on board (maximum capacity of 3,600), began its journey in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where it will also culminate the crossing, passing through the ports of Bahamas, Cartagena (Colombia), Cristóbal (Panama), Limón (Costa Rica) and the Cayman Islands.

Upon arrival at the Agua Clara lock, in the Atlantic, passengers of the Caribbean Princess will take the opportunity to travel to several tourist sites in the cities of Panama and Colon. For this season has planned the transit of 236 cruise ships.

In addition, 11 of these vessels will transit the Panama Canal for the first time. They belong to the Princess Cruise, Norwegian Cruise, Carnival Cruises, Viking Ocean Cruises, Silverse Cruises, Lindblad Special Expedition and CMA CGM lines. In addition, a total of 20 transits will be added to the new Neopanamax locks of the Caribbean Princess, Carnival Freedom, Carnival Splendor, Norwegian Bliss and Disney Wonder ships. 

During this season, Norwegian Bliss, the largest passenger vessel (4,200 passengers and 164,600 tonnes) will be able to pass through the enlarged Canal on a repositioning cruise to the west coast of the United States and then start its cruise season in Alaska.

And as in previous years, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruises, and Norwegian Cruise Line, among others, maintain their proposal to offer itineraries to complete transits and partial transits that include Panama, in particular the interoceanic route.

Other smaller cruises that will also cross the neopanamax locks are the Wind Star and the National Geographic Quest expeditions, which will carry out itineraries of seven and eight days, respectively, to the west coast of Central America. The MS Caribbean Princess cruiser was built in 2004, and has a capacity of 112,894 tons. It is a modified Grand Class cruiser, has 900 cabins with balcony and a terrace with mini-suites. It was the first modern cruise with an outdoor theater, which Princess announces as "Movies under the Stars".