Royal Caribbean has posted new cruises in 2023-2024 from Panama.

The newly released sailings offer 6- and 7-night Southern Caribbean cruises that begin in either Colon, Panama or Cartagena, Columbia. Sailing from these ports is a first for Royal Caribbean in almost a decade.

Rhapsody of the Seas will sail between December 2023 and April 2024.

Royal Caribbean believes these new itineraries combine the international cuisine, entertainment and nightlife on a single cruise that does not require a travel visa.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared the exciting news on Facebook, "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."

The new cruises are available to book immediately.

Short Panama Canal Cruises

Not only are there cruises that visit many exotic destinations in the region, but this also offers 7-night Panama Canal crossings.

The 7-night Costa Rica & Panama Canal cruises starts off with a visit to Cartagena before traversing the Panama Canal and spending time in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Sailings from Cartagena

Something else novel about this new deployment are cruises from Cartagena.

Located in Colombia, Cartagena is known for its romantic colonial architecture and Caribbean coast line.

More deployments to come

There are still more cruises to be announced for the 2023-2024 cruise season.

Royal Caribbean's deployment schedule is as follows:

• Week of April 4: Los Angeles and 9/5-night Miami
• Week of May 16: 7-night Caribbean
• Week of June 6: Singapore

Keep in mind that the deployment schedule is subject to change.

Planning on booking a 2023 cruise? These stories will help:

• All about Vision Class cruise ships
• 5 things to look for before you book a cruise
• What is the cheapest month to go on a cruise?
• Should I take a short or a long cruise?
• Why you shouldn't book the cheapest cruise you can find

Royal Caribbean is returning to Latin America with cruises from Panama in the 2023-2024 season.

At a press conference on Wednesday, the cruise line announced three new itineraries will depart from the cities of Colon, Panama City, and Cartagena, Columbia.

This will mark Royal Caribbean's return to the region for he first time in nine years.

The first season of Rhapsody of the Seas will begin in December 2023 from these three cities and offer seven-night itineraries through the Caribbean and Latin America, including the famous Panama Canal.

The entire season will be divided into two phases; a first that will be roundtrip from Colón, Panama with select departures from Cartagena, Colombia, which visit the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao.

A second phase will begin in February 2024, with an itinerary between Colón and the new base port in Fuerte Amador, 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.

Royal Caribbean believes these new itineraries combine the international cuisine, entertainment and nightlife on a single cruise that does not require a travel visa.

These new adventures can be purchased at the end of March this year 

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley shared the exciting news on Facebook, "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."

About Rhapsody of the Seas

Rhapsody of the Seas is a Vision Class cruise ship that has a total capacity of 2,416 passengers.

It's features include the Viking Crown Lounge, Casino Royale, Vitality Spa & Fitness Center, a sports deck with a rock-climbing wall, a video game room, as well as a great sushi in Izumi and a Schooner Bar. 

Rhapsody is no stranger to exotic itineraries. In November 2022, she will sailing from Bridgetown, Barbados.

Royal Caribbean could be returning to Panama after a two year absence.

A Panamanian delegation, led by Panama President Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez met with Royal Caribbean officials in Miami to discuss future plans for the cruise company in the region.

Royal Caribbean International CEO Michael Bayley, Panama President Juan Carlos Varela Rodriguez & Royal Caribbean Ltd CEO Richard Fain (Photo by Royal Caribbean)

The Tourism Authority of Panama (ATP) wants Royal Caribbean, and other cruise lines, to offer departures from the Central American country.

Royal Caribbean had offered cruises from Colon, Panama for about six years prior to the company halting further cruises from the area.

Subsequent meetings between Royal Caribbean and the ATP will be held to plan some of the new cruise routes.

Royal Caribbean along with Carnival, Holland America and Princess cruises have informed the government of Panama that they want to invest $30 million to build a new cruise terminal on the Amador Causeway.

The proposal would be awarded for a period of 20 years, with the option to renew for another 20 years and would be built near the Balboa Yacht Club and storage tanks

Panama would use a plan similar to that used in 1997 when they leased the port of Colon in 2000.  

Representatives from the cruise companies visited the site in order to make technical recommendations for the specifications of the tender being prepared by the Panama Maritime Authority.

Have you ever thought it would be fun and/or cool to travel through the Panama Canal?  Wendy Keiffer thought the same thing and shared her experience travelling through the canal on Royal Caribbean's Radiance of the Seas back in May.

Keifer describes the experience of crossing the Panama canal via a cruise ship "a once-in-a-lifetime experience".  While on Radiance, the cruise took an entire day to traverse the 50-mile canal.

And the Radiance is huge. Built with specifications to allow passage of the canal, the Radiance of the Seas is 105.6 feet wide. The locks are 110 feet wide, and canal officials don’t allow ships larger than 105.97 feet. With such a tight squeeze, we actually could reach over the balcony and touch land.

Keifer's experience was quite positive and she seems to recommend it to anyone who has the opportunity.  Keifer does report that the 100-year-old canal is in the process of a massive expansion that will add new cuts and bigger locks.

Panama is preparing its port facilities and tourism services for the cruise season that begins in October, with aspirations to outperform the previous period, according to Panamanian sources.

Data from the Tourism Authority show that in the activity of this modality for the 2009-2010 period there were 246 trips from various destinations in the Caribbean and the U.S..