Princess Cruises’ guests sailing to the engineering marvel of Panama Canal now have a variety of itineraries and cruise ships to choose from with the announcement of the cruise line’s fall 2020 to spring 2021 cruise season.
Princess Cruises was the first cruise line to take passengers through the Panama Canal locks in 1967 and Caribbean Princess was the first large cruise ship to sail through the new Agua Clara locks in fall 2017.
Princess Cruises takes more guests through the Panama Canal each year than any other cruise line and is also the only line to offer a full season of voyages from fall through spring, which is the best time to experience the tropical climate at the Canal.
For the upcoming 2020-2021 season, five ships will sail the waters of the Panama Canal, with 30 departures and nine unique itineraries, offering three ways to experience this epic destination – roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale, roundtrip from Los Angeles or sailing between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Voyages range from 10 to 21 days, visiting a total of 23 destinations in 11 countries. New for this season, two 15-day ocean-to-ocean voyages are offered sailing between Ft. Lauderdale and the new homeport of San Diego and Crown Princess sails on 10-day cruises roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale.
Additional highlights of the September 2020 – April 2021 Panama Canal season include:
• Five ships: Coral Princess, Crown Princess (MedallionClass), Emerald Princess, Island Princess and Pacific Princess
• Four homeports: Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco
• Sailing to the Panama Canal through the new Agua Clara Locks, Crown Princess and Emerald Princess offer partial Canal transits from the Atlantic Ocean roundtrip from Ft. Lauderdale with Costa Rice and Caribbean voyages.
• Coral Princess and Emerald Princess will sail full transit 15-day cruises between Ft. Lauderdale and Los Angeles. Emerald Princess will also offer departures between Ft. Lauderdale and San Francisco or San Diego.
• Island Princess will offer two 14-day Panama Canal sailings as part of her 2021 World Cruise.
• Pacific Princess is scheduled to sail on a 15-day Panama Canal Connoisseur sailing from Ft. Lauderdale to Los Angeles for a small ship transit via the Panama Canal traditional locks.
• Coral Princess will offer a 19-day Panama Canal Pacific Adventure cruise, roundtrip from Los Angeles.
Itineraries are crafted to enrich guests’ experiences and provide the most exposure to this bucket-list destination such as live narration from the bridge while transiting the locks. Princess’ Carnaval de Panama Festival of the World celebration focuses on indigenous music and dance, locally-inspired cuisine, plus expert guest speakers and enrichment programs that put the spotlight on the unique history of the Canal.