Eurodam - Panama Canal Repositioning: Seattle to Fort Lauderdale

Where this cruise calls, day by day

13 ports and 9 sea days over 21 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Seattle, WA

   United StatesDepart
   Seattle, WA port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore
2. Day 2

   Vancouver, BC

   CanadaPort
   Vancouver, BC port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

3. Day 3 · At sea

4. Day 4 · At sea

5. Day 5

   Santa Barbara, CA

   United StatesPort

   Santa Barbara has no cruise berth, so ships anchor in the open roadstead and tender passengers to the harbour or Stearns Wharf. The town is a rare California case where the walk from the landing is genuinely the point: red-tiled Spanish Revival architecture enforced by city code, a palm-lined beachfront, and State Street running straight inland from the water.

   • Old Mission Santa Barbara, the 1786 'Queen of the Missions' above town
   • The Santa Barbara County Courthouse and its free clock tower viewpoint
   • The Funk Zone tasting rooms, a few blocks from the tender landing
   • Stearns Wharf and the waterfront path toward the harbour

   Getting ashore

   Tender only into the harbour or Stearns Wharf; downtown and the Funk Zone are walkable, the Mission is uphill and better by taxi.

   Best months

   May-Oct (Sep-Oct warmest and clearest; winter swell causes tender cancellations)

6. Day 6

   San Diego, CA

   United StatesPort

   San Diego is one of the easiest cruise arrivals in the country: the B Street and Broadway piers sit directly on the downtown Embarcadero, with the aircraft carrier USS Midway permanently moored a few hundred yards along the same waterfront. The Gaslamp Quarter is a flat ten-minute walk. It works as both a turnaround port for Mexico runs and a pleasant one-day call.

   • USS Midway Museum, with the flight deck and hangar open to walk
   • Balboa Park's museums and the San Diego Zoo
   • Old Town San Diego State Historic Park, the original Mexican-era settlement
   • The ferry across the bay to Coronado and the Hotel del Coronado

   Getting ashore

   Docks downtown at the B Street or Broadway Pier; the Gaslamp Quarter, Midway and Little Italy are all walkable.

   Best months

   Year-round (Sep-Oct warmest and clearest; May-Jun often grey until afternoon)

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8

   Cabo San Lucas

   MexicoPort
   Cabo San Lucas port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10

    Acapulco

    MexicoPort

    Acapulco has had a brutal decade. Cartel violence emptied out its international tourism, then Hurricane Otis came ashore as a Category 5 in October 2023 and flattened much of the hotel strip. Cruise calls are far fewer than they once were and the rebuild is uneven. Ships berth beside the old town near the zócalo, but Guerrero state carries the US State Department's strongest warning, so most passengers go ashore only on ship tours.

    • The La Quebrada cliff divers
    • Fort San Diego and its museum
    • Playa Caleta and Caletilla in the old town
    • A boat tour around Acapulco Bay

    Getting ashore

    Ships dock next to the old town and the zócalo is a short walk, but the state's security advisory means most people stay with an organised group.

    Best months

    Nov-Apr is dry and warm; Jun-Oct is the rainy season with real hurricane exposure on this coast

11. Day 11

    Huatulco

    MexicoPort

    Huatulco is a planned resort development on the Oaxacan coast, but a restrained one - nine bays, most of them undeveloped national park, and a low-rise village at Santa Cruz where the ships tie up. You can walk off the pier onto Playa Santa Cruz, which is rare on this coast, and the snorkelling in the sheltered bays is better than the Mexican Pacific's reputation suggests.

    • A panga tour of the nine bays
    • La Entrega beach for snorkelling
    • La Crucecita's plaza and its painted church ceiling
    • Hiking in Huatulco National Park

    Getting ashore

    Ships dock at Santa Cruz Huatulco; the beach and village are at the gangway, and La Crucecita is five minutes by taxi.

    Best months

    Nov-Apr is dry and sunny; Jun-Oct is the rainy season

12. Day 12

    Puerto Chiapas

    MexicoPort

    Puerto Chiapas is a purpose-built terminal near the Guatemalan border, in a corner of Mexico almost no tourists reach, and calls are rare. The port has a small complex with a pool and shops. Beyond it are coffee and cacao fincas on the slopes of the Tacaná volcano, the Izapa ruins, and mangrove estuaries. The beaches are dark volcanic sand with heavy surf and are not for swimming.

    • The Izapa archaeological site
    • A coffee finca tour in the Soconusco highlands
    • Cacao plantations and chocolate-making
    • Boat trips through La Encrucijada Biosphere Reserve

    Getting ashore

    Ships dock at the cruise terminal; Tapachula is about 40 minutes inland and there is no town at the port gate.

    Best months

    Dec-Apr is the dry season; May-Oct is very wet - this is one of the rainiest parts of Mexico

13. Day 13

    Puerto Quetzal

    GuatemalaPort
    Puerto Quetzal port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

14. Day 14 · At sea

15. Day 15

    Puerto Caldera

    Costa RicaPort

    Caldera is the cargo alternative to Puntarenas, ten miles down the coast - a container and bulk terminal with no town, no beach and nothing at the gate but a line of waiting coaches. The excursion menu is the standard Pacific-slope set: crocodiles on the Tárcoles, monkeys at Manuel Antonio, coffee, and the cloud forest. Judge the day by the tour you booked, not by the port.

    • Tárcoles River crocodile boats and Carara National Park
    • Manuel Antonio National Park
    • A central valley coffee plantation tour
    • Jacó beach and the surf coast

    Getting ashore

    Ships dock at the commercial port; Puntarenas is about 20 minutes by road and nothing is within walking distance.

    Best months

    Dec-Apr is the Pacific dry season; Sep-Oct is the wettest stretch

16. Day 16 · At sea

17. Day 17

    Panama Canal (Transit)

    PanamaPort
    Panama Canal (Transit) port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

18. Day 18 · At sea

19. Day 19

    Oranjestad

    ArubaPort
    Oranjestad port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore

20. Day 20 · At sea

21. Day 21 · At sea

22. Day 22

    Fort Lauderdale, FL

    United StatesArrive
    Fort Lauderdale, FL port guide: where ships dock and what to do ashore