9 nights, Miami to Amador (Panama City)
Explora's name for it: A Journey through Enchanting Nature & the Marvels of the Panama Canal
Nine nights from Miami down to the Pacific side of Panama, one direction, eight stops, ending with a full transit of the Panama Canal. The route reads as a steady curve through the southern Caribbean before it turns into something closer to an engineering expedition. The pace is generous on shore time, light on sea days. Willemstad and Oranjestad are walk-off towns, where the historic center sits a flat 5 to 15 minutes from the berth and the day is about your feet, not transfers. Santa Marta puts the oldest surviving Spanish city in Colombia, its cathedral and gold museum both free, a 10 to 15 minute walk from the ship. Cartagena's walled fortress city and street-art Getsemani anchor the Colombian coast. Then the canal: the ship lifts 85 feet over the Continental Divide through century-old locks, with Gatun Lake quiet on the far side.
This itinerary rewards travelers who want depth in the southern Caribbean and Colombia, plus the full canal transit, not a beach-resort circuit. Several ports are flat, hot, and walkable, so if you came chasing sand over old towns and locks, Oranjestad and Santa Marta will frustrate you. Miami eats most of an embarkation day, and the canal day is for watching the machine work, not going ashore. Pick a round-trip island loop if shore independence and beaches matter more.
Explora III is all-suite and all-oceanfront.
The itinerary, port by port
8 calls over 9 nights, Miami to Amador (Panama City). Open any port for my full day-ashore guide, what to see, when to go, and how the day actually runs.
Getting there: Flights to Miami (MIA) are already bookable for these dates. I watch the fare for booked clients so you book at the right moment. When to book your flights →
- Embark
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7 Crossing the Panama Canal
- Disembark
Fares on this departure, decoded
Reading the fare fine print is the job. Here's what this sailing currently carries:
- Invitation to Discover More
- Explora's discovery fare, available across most of the calendar. Onboard credit where the offer applies.
- Air-Inclusive Fare
- A fare that folds airfare into the voyage price on a smaller set of sailings.
The ship and your suite
This sailing is aboard EXPLORA III, all-suite, every suite with a private ocean-front terrace. Suites run from the entry Ocean Terrace to the Owner's Residence; the right tier depends on how you travel. Compare suites → · What's included →