A Tale of Two Panamanian Ports
(richarddetrich.wordpress.com) Well, actually three, but the title looked better saying two!
Cruise ships calling on the Caribbean side of Panama use two different ports: Cristobal and Colon.
Usually the ships that use these ports are the 10-day “turn-around” cruises that sail round-trip from Fort Lauderdale, enter the Canal through Gatun Locks, disembark passengers at Gatun Lake for shore excursions, then stop for a few hours in either Cristobal or Colon to pick up shore excursion passengers and be on their way. Some ships that are either too big for the Canal or are just making a port of call stop in Panama, also use Cristobal or Colon. And there are some ships doing a west to east Canal transit who will occasionally stop at Cristobal or Colon, usually to pick up shore excursion passengers, and occasionally for a full day to allow passengers opportunity to see some of Panama.
Amador is on the other side of the Canal, the Pacific or Panama City side, and sits at the end of the Amador Causeway. The Causeway was formed by dirt dug out to create the Canal and links together a number of small islands. Amador is used much the same way on the Pacific side as Colon and Cristobal are used on the Caribbean side.
OK, the ports themselves.
Amador- A work in progress. Amador was once a US fort before the Canal turnover and it is only gradually being developed . . . but being developed it is! The new Museum of Biodiversity designed by Frank Gehry is under construction, as are lots of condominium developments. Since the turnover the causeway has been a popular spot for jogging, bike riding, walking and just sitting and enjoying incredible views of the Panama City skyline in one direction, and ships passing through the Canal in the other direction. Ships calling at Amador anchor out and need to use a tender to take guests ashore which is always somewhat of a pain. Eventually there will be docking facilities for large cruise ships. There are restaurants, clubs, bars, and marinas on Amador. And you can get cabs to take you the short ride into Panama City.
I predict that Amador will expand as cruise interest in Panama increases and more ships decide to use Panama as a home port for their vessels avoiding all the hassle of US immigration and “Homeland Security”. [Changing the name of our country to the "Homeland" still bothers me with its Fascist overtones.]
Of the three Panama ports Amador would be my first choice. It’s close to Panama City, you can walk safely in the area around the port, cabs are readily available, and, because of freeways it is a much more pleasant drive to some of the other attractions, like the Embera Village tour and ecological tours to say nothing of tours of Panama City.
Colon - Well it was a good idea, and it is a nice facility, it’s just that this being Panama (where folks are notorious for going into business without well-developed business plans) there are lots of empty spaces for shops and eateries. It is in the center of Colon, but Colon is kind of the “armpit” of Panama - sorry Colon, but you know it’s true! It is the major business center and the Colon Free Port is the center for distribution of goods around the world, and is growing at a remarkable rate. It’s just not a touristy place. “Free Port” should not be confused with “Duty Free Shopping” - the Free Port is where buyers come from around the world to buy wholesale goods. Frankly, I would not advise walking outside of the Colon Port area. First, there is nothing to see. Second, even Panamanians are very cautious in Colon. There is . . . drum roll please . . . a Super 99 right in the port complex. What is Super 99? One of our major grocery chains. So you can walk from your ship and stock up on Coke (50 cents a can vs $2.25 on the ship!), Doritos, Chilean and South African wines cheap and local beer (if your ship is one of those that allows you to bring wine and beer on board) and even Panamanian rum. At Super 99 a liter will run your about $5.95 but you can buy the same bottle at the “Duty Free” shop before you get on the ship for $8.95 - go figure! ["Duty Free" sometimes translates "Tourists Don't Think". ] Of course your ship will probably confiscate the rum until you disembark which of course is “for your safety” and has nothing whatsoever to do with forcing you to buy overpriced drinks on board. But $5.95 for a liter of Abuelo aged rum . . . it’s worth taking back to Fargo!
Yes, you will find some tourist-type shopping including “Made In Equador” so-called Panama hats.
And despite how an Elton-John-impersonator “shopping guide” gushed, there really isn’t much to buy.
Cristobal - I prefer Cristobal to Colon. They are really close to one another, both in the Colon area. This is an old dock wharf nicely converted into a little tourist shopping area. It feels Kokomo-cruisy. There are places to enjoy local beer (Atlas, Balboa and Soberana), get hammered on local rum with only a few feet to the gangway, places to sample Panamanian food (chicken, rice, beans, bananas or for variety rice, beans, chicken bananas), and tourist-style shopping. The big plus here is that there are lots of Indian vendors! Kuna Indians selling beautiful molas. Wounan and Embera selling baskets, tagua nut carvings and cocobolo wood carvings. There is usually an Embera group who do traditional dances to entertain in a little “food court” type area. Again, stay in the port facility. There’s nothing to see outside and Colon isn’t a place for ship tourists to wander around.
“My” ship, the ZUIDERDAM, is using Pier 6 at Cristobal,
And, don’t judge all of Panama by the areas you will see around the ports! Just like you wouldn’t judge Southern California by what you see around the Port of Los Angeles, or Fort Lauderdale by the area around Port Everglades. But you knew that.
