You can currently book a 16-night Panama Canal cruise, sailing from ocean to ocean aboard the Caribbean Princess, for only €991 (~US$1,154) per person. The cruise starts in Long Beach (~40km from Los Angeles) on September 30 and ends in Fort Lauderdale on October 16. You would be sleeping in an outside cabin.
The price includes 4- or 5-course menus in the à la carte restaurants, or casual dining in the buffet restaurant, at the Burger & Hotdog Grill, or at the Pizzeria/International Café. Drinks are only included in the buffet restaurant (limited to iced tea, water, coffee, and tea).
The Route
This route starts in Long Beach and ends in Fort Lauderdale. Along the way, there are stops in several Mexican ports, including Puerto Vallarta, Huatulco, and Puerto Chiapas. After a day in Costa Rica’s Puntarenas, the ship continues to Panama, spending a day in Balboa before crossing the Panama Canal. The itinerary also includes a visit to Oranjestad in Aruba, with many sea days in between for crossing from the Pacific to the Atlantic.
Here’s the detailed itinerary:
- September 30: Long Beach (departs at 15:00)
- October 1 – 2: 2 days at sea
- October 3: Puerto Vallarta (9 hours)
- October 4: At sea
- October 5: Huatulco (9 hours)
- October 6: Puerto Chiapas (9 hours)
- October 7: At sea
- October 8: Puntarenas (12 hours)
- October 9: At sea
- October 10: Balboa (14 hours)
- October 11: Panama Canal (12 hours)
- October 12: At sea
- October 13: Oranjestad, Aruba (9 hours)
- October 14 – 15: 2 days at sea
- October 16: Fort Lauderdale (arrives at 7:00)
The Ship
While Caribbean Princess isn’t the most modern ship, it’s definitely among the nicer ones. It entered into service in 2004, but it was refurbished in 2019. It has everything you need: restaurants, pools, bars, cafés, a theatre, shops, a sports park and so on. This is what the staterooms look like:
Of course, there is a sanctuary onboard which provides relaxation only to adults, while children take part in planned onboard activities, depending on their age (supervised by professionals).
Flights
The flights to California and back from Fort Lauderdale to Europe are not included. Currently, the cheapest option to get to Long Beach is flying from Barcelona to Los Angeles with Level for €275, including luggage. From Los Angeles, you’d usually pay roughly US$60 (~€52) for an Uber to the cruise terminal in Long Beach.
To fly back to Europe, you have a few options, such as:
- Miami – Barcelona for €226 with Level
- Fort Lauderdale – Milan for US$294 (~€252) with American Airlines
Both options include checked luggage.
Feel free to use our search form to see how much you’d pay for flights from/to your home town:
Cover Picture: Caribbean Princess | © Princess Cruises