More than 2,500 tourists arrived this Monday at the new cruise port in Panama City aboard the Viking Star and Norwegian Encore ships, in the first operation of the 2022-2023 cruise season with two boats arriving simultaneously, the maritime governing body highlighted.
It is the first operation of the 2022-2023 season at the Panama Cruise Terminal with two boats simultaneously,” Jonathan Guerini, port director in charge of the Panama Maritime Authority (AMP), told reporters.
Guerini pointed out that “work at the Cruise Terminal is in 91% progress,” with the “100% maritime area” built.
He explained that the Panama Cruise Terminal will be ready with all its facilities and buildings on land between the second half of 2023 and the beginning of 2024, “since what are maritime facilities, pier, access channel, maneuvering docks are 100%.”
The terminal, also known as the Amador Cruise Port, will have the capacity to receive more than 5,000 passengers, allowing, as happened on Monday, the docking of two cruise ships simultaneously. The estimated cost of this port work amounts to 200 million dollars, according to official information.
The Viking Star arrived with a Base Port reservation (Home Port) and the Norwegian Encore with a transit operation (Port Of Call).
Base Port reservations are those in which there is a rotation/change of passengers, boarding and disembarkation, while in transit, passengers disembark for tours, excursions and/or purchases and return to the cruise.
With the Norwegian Encore, operated by Norwegian Cruise Line, there are 2,500 passengers in transit, while the Viking Star, of the Swiss signature Viking Ocean Cruises,
Viking Star passengers made tours and excursions in the city of Colón (Caribbean) on November 5.
The AMP has to date 256 cruise ships that will be carrying out operations at the different port terminals of the country.
Guerini indicated that at the Panama Cruise Terminal, at the entrance of the Pacific side of the interoceanic canal, “we are specifically waiting for 52 cruises, 30 of
start of the 2022-2023 cruise season at the Panama Cruise Terminal that takes place between the months of October and May of each year.
THE EMOTION OF A TOURIST
the former Puerto Rican soldier Antonio Ramos, the most exciting and satisfying thing about his visit to Panama has been his contact with the gastronomy of the country and the friendly and helpful treatment of its people, as well as the new profile of
Ramos, 75 years old, was prominent 25 years ago with the US Army in Panama, until 1997, as he told EFE.
Impressive to see the change” of the country, Ramos said, and confessed that what he liked the most “as always is the people of Panama, they are very friendly, helpful, that has not changed,” and their food “magnificent, the corvina ceviche with patacones.”
I am very happy, Panama is still a friendly country, that people come to visit it,” Ramos
Keep filling the causeway with food trucks and thousands of vendors, balloons and garbage and I’m certain the tourist would prefer to stay on the ship instead of enjoying Panama.