News

After a nine-year absence, mega-cruise line Royal Caribbean says it is returning to Panama.

The cruise line announced three new itineraries that will depart from Colon, Panama City, and Cartagena, Colombia starting in Dec. 2023. The company says it will offer seven-night itineraries, including trips through the Panama Canal.

Royal Caribbean will also use the new cruise port on the Amador Causeway, which is proving to be an important draw for bringing ships to Panama City. Norwegian Cruise Lines is among the companies that have announced plans to use the facility as a homeport, which will expose Panama to a new generation of travelers.

Royal Caribbean says it will offer itineraries from Colón and Panama City, which will sail through the Panama Canal in eight sailings, calling at Cartagena, Colombia, Puntarenas, Costa Rica, and the new port for the Quepos company, in Costa Rica.

“I am very excited to announce that starting in 2023, Panama is your newest jumping-off point for the captivating shores of the Southern Caribbean onboard Rhapsody of the Seas,” Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley said.

Royal Caribbean’s operations are expected to bring the country more than 40,000 visitors annually and an economic benefit of around $28 million a year, according to Tourism Authority of Panama estimates. A cruise passenger typically spends an average of two days in the destinations where they embark or disembark, analysts note.

“We are very motivated by the announcement of the new operations of Royal Caribbean with a base port in Panama, taking advantage of the conditions of being the only country with cruise ports on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts and the Panama Canal that connects both,” said Tourism official Iván Eskildsen in La Estrella.

“The resumption of this type of activity will significantly contribute to speeding up the economic reactivation in the city of Colón and Panama, by attracting foreign exchange and international events.”