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Panama Canal Cruise & Panama: A Continent Divided, Oceans United

Panama: Panama City, Chitre, Chorrera, Gamboa, Taboga Island, Panama Canal, San Lorenzo National Park Small Ship Cruise Tour featuring our privately chartered 24-passenger ship exclusively for American travelers

12 days – Small Ship Cruise Tour only – from

3495

$

12 days – including international airfare from New York – from Additional departure cities are available

4295

$

OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS MAXIMIZE YOUR VALUE

Chiriqui Highlands, Panama: 3 nights from $845 Caribbean Sea

OPTIONAL EXTENSIONS

Caribbe Bocas del Toro PANAMA

ea an S Cartagena

San Lorenzo N.P. S

Gatún Locks Lake Gatún

Panama City

Pac if ic Oc e an

Arrival/ Departure Optional Extension Cruise Route Motor Route Air Route Total Cruising 50 miles Distance (80km)

Pedro Miguel Locks Miraflores Locks La Chorrera

COLOMBIA

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Your Itinerary

Colón

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Ch

ag r e

Gamboa

Panama City Panama Bay Taboga Island

Antón

Gulf of Panama Chitré

It’s Included International airfare, airport transfers, government taxes, fees, and airline fuel surcharges, unless you choose to make your own air arrangements Accommodations for 3 nights at the Tryp Panama Centro or similar, 3 nights at the Hotel Cubita or similar, 2 nights at the Radisson Summit Hotel & Golf Panama or similar, and 3 nights aboard the privately chartered M/S Discovery 27 meals: Daily breakfasts, 7 lunches, and 9 dinners—including 6 meals in local restaurants—plus all onboard house beer & wine, as well as soft drinks 10 included tours with personal headsets and 7 exclusive Discovery Series events— Pollera shop visit • Carnival artisan visit •

April 7, 2017

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Pottery workshop visit • Sugarcane farm visit • Embera Indian village • Kayaking tour • Panama Canal history discussion

Local Program Directors, a Grand Circle Cruise Line exclusive:

PRE-TRIP OPTION: 3 NIGHTS IN CHIRIQUI HIGHLANDS, PANAMA DAY

DESTINATION/HOTEL

ARRIVE

DEPART

Land Tour 1

Depart U.S. Tryp Panama Centro or similar

2

Panama City, Panama Tryp Panama Centro or similar

3-5

Azuero Peninsula Hotel Cubita or similar

6-7

Gamboa Hotel Cubita or similar

8-10 Panama Canal Hotel Cubita or similar Land Tour 11

Panama City Tryp Panama Centro or similar

12

Panama City • Return U.S.

These dedicated experts are with you (and no more than 24 travelers) every step of the way to provide insider’s knowledge and the perspective that will enrich your experience Gratuities for local guides and motorcoach drivers All port charges Baggage handling for 1 piece of luggage per person, including tips 5% Frequent Traveler Credit toward your next Grand Circle trip—an average of $237

Reservations & Information: Call Toll-Free:

Itinerary subject to change. Learn more about hotel ratings on the web at www.gct.com/hotelratings

Please mention this code when booking:

G7-27257

1-800-597-2452 • Press 2

Your Itinerary Day 1 Depart U.S. • Arrive Panama City, Panama You arrive in Panama City today and join fellow travelers who took our optional pre-trip extension, Chiriqui Highlands, Panama. Dinner is on your own. Tryp Panama Centro or similar

Day 2 Panama City Explore Panama City this morning on a walking tour of San Felipe de Neri market and the Old Quarter. Then you’ll have an included lunch in this colorful, historic area. Afterward, you’ll enjoy free time to relax or discover more of Panama. Tonight, enjoy a Welcome Dinner. B,L,D—Tryp Panama Centro or similar

Day 3 Chorrera • Chitre After breakfast, depart for the town of Chorrera. You’ll arrive at Feuillet Park, a vibrant urban oasis where you’ll meet local entrepreneurs and visit the town health center. Then enjoy an included lunch at a local restaurant. .Afterward, you’ll continue on to the city of Chitre, the gateway to the Azuero Peninsula. Check into your hotel and then enjoy an orientation walk with your Program Director. This evening, enjoy dinner at a local restaurant. B,L,D—Hotel Cubita or similar

Day 4 Chitre • Guarare After breakfast, you’ll depart for a walking tour of Chitre, and visit its central plaza—perhaps sampling a taste from one of its food or juice cart vendors. Then, visit the city of Las Tablas, the capital of Carnival, where you’ll enjoy an exclusive Discovery Series meeting with a designer of Carnival floats and gowns. This expert craftsman will bring the celebration

to life through personal anecdotes and show you some of his handiwork. .Your next stop will be the town of Guarare, for an exclusive Discovery Series visit to a pollera shop. The pollera is a lavish embroidered dress that is the national costume of Panama. During your visit, you’ll learn all about the painstaking craftsmanship that goes into creating these adored Carnival costumes. .Afterward, enjoy lunch at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel for an evening of leisure. Dinner will be on your own. B,L—Hotel Cubita or similar

Day 5 La Arena • Chitre • Optional The Route of Rum tour After breakfast this morning, depart for La Arena, a small village just north of Chitre. Your first stop will be one of La Arena’s many panaderias (bakeries). Most panaderias are family owned and operated, and offer bakery treats of all kinds—from pastries to fresh breads. Next, you’ll enjoy an exclusive Discovery Series visit to a traditional pottery workshop. Watch as a local sculptor transforms a humble ball of clay into a beautiful piece of art. After the day’s discoveries in La Arena, you may choose to take an optional tour to Varela Hermanos, one of Panama’s leaders in rum production. Your visit to the mill and distillery will include a tour and a tasting. .Or, you may return to Chitre in time for lunch on your own. The balance of the day is free for independent discoveries. .Meet your fellow travelers back at your hotel tonight for an included dinner. B,D—Hotel Cubita or similar

Reservations & Information: Call Toll-Free:

What to expect Pacing • 12 days, with 3 nights aboard the M/S Discovery, two 2-night hotel stays, one 3-night hotel stay, and a single-night stay Physical Requirements • Walk 2 miles unassisted and participate in 3 hours of physical activities each day, including several sets of stairs • Not accessible for travelers using wheelchairs or scooters • Travelers using walkers, crutches, or other mobility aids must travel with a companion who can assist them • Agility and balance are required for boarding dugout canoes and kayaks • Program Directors reserve the right to modify participation or send travelers home if their limitations impact the group’s experience Terrain & Transportation • Uneven walking surfaces, including rain forest, unpaved paths, hills, and stairs • Travel by 24-passenger catamaran, 45-seat coach, school bus, motorized dugout canoe, and kayak • The  Discovery does not have an elevator onboard Climate • Daytime temperatures range from 85-90°F, and high levels of humidity are common during cruising season • March and April are the warmest months

1-800-597-2452 • Press 2

Day 6 Chitre • Gamboa This morning, you depart Chitre for an exclusive Discovery Series farm visit. You’ll meet a local family who continues the traditional business of growing sugarcane, followed by a lunch in a local restaurant. .Continue to your next lodgings and check in before departing for an included visit to a butterfly garden. Afterward, enjoy an included dinner with your fellow travelers. B,L,D—Radisson Summit Hotel & Golf Panama or similar

Day 7 Gamboa • Embera Indian village visit • Home-Hosted Lunch After breakfast, you’ll depart your hotel for an exclusive Discovery Series visit to a village of the Embera people, an indigenous group that lives in the rain forest. While there, you will also visit the Embera’s school, which is supported by Grand Circle Foundation’s World Classroom initiative. .You’ll board motorized dugout canoes to reach the village, where you’ll learn about Embera crafts, such as animal effigies carved from tagua (ivory nut) and canastas (baskets woven so tightly that they can hold water). You’ll also see dances that embody the Emberas’ spiritual connection to nature and a demonstration of their tattoo-like body painting. You’ll then enjoy a Home-Hosted Lunch of local specialties before returning to your hotel in the afternoon. At the hotel, you’ll have free time before savoring an included dinner this evening. B,L,D—Radisson Summit Hotel & Golf Panama or similar

Day 8 Gamboa • Embark ship • Taboga Island After breakfast and a morning at leisure, you’ll depart Gamboa in the late morning for Panama City. You’ll arrive in time to have lunch on your own, after which you’ll board the M/S Discovery at the marina. This 24-passenger catamaran will be your home throughout your three-night Panama Canal cruise. After a short onboard orientation, cruise to Taboga Island off Panama’s Pacific coast and enjoy a Welcome Drink. You’ll have time for an exclusive Discovery Series kayak tour of the bay; or, ride a Zodiac raft to a beach on the “Island of Flowers,” once home to artist Paul Gauguin. .Your overnight stay aboard the ship allows us to be in prime position to begin our transit of this vital link between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. B,D—M/S Discovery

Day 9 Panama Canal • Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks You’ll wake up this morning to find yourself at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, where you’ll begin your northbound canal passage. You’ll witness a new chapter in the canal’s 103-year-old history: a new set of locks that enable the world’s largest cargo ships to traverse the iconic waterway. .You’ll pass through the Miraflores Locks and Pedro Miguel Locks, experiencing for yourself the thrill of this engineering marvel. As you navigate the Gaillard Cut, the narrowest section of the Panama Canal where it bisects the Continental Divide, you’ll see up close the dramatic landscape canal laborers toiled to cut. .As you cruise today, the Discovery is raised 85 feet above sea level to Gatun Lake, a man-made lake created during the construction of the canal by damming the Chagres River, which you can explore by kayak. Exotic birds, monkeys, sloths, iguanas, and crocodiles inhabit the tropical forests on the lakeshore. .After dinner, join your fellow travelers in the lounge for an exclusive Discovery Series discussion about the expansion of the canal and history of the Chagres River—information that will help prepare you for the rest of your cruise. You’ll spend the night in Gatun Lake, listening to the lullaby of the rain forest as you drift off to sleep. B,L,D—M/S Discovery

Day 10 San Lorenzo National Park • Gatun Lake and Dam This morning you’ll see Gatun Dam and its hydroelectric generation station, which is responsible for generating the electricity needed to light

Reservations & Information: Call Toll-Free:

the local area and operate the locks. .Later this morning, you will take a nature walk at San Lorenzo National Park to view its diverse flora and fauna, picturesque coastline, and enjoy opportunities to spot several hundred bird species. After lunch, you’ll continue your transit of the canal through the Gatun Locks, the largest of the canal’s locks. Your ship will begin its descent back to sea level here; the whole process takes about two hours. Tonight, you’ll enjoy a Farewell Dinner onboard. B,L,D—M/S Discovery

Day 11 Colon • Disembark ship • Panama City You’ll disembark the Discovery this morning in Colon and return to Panama City. There, you’ll visit the Expansion Project Visitor Center to learn about modern-day expansion of the canal. Then your discoveries continue with a visit to the Panama Canal Administration Building. .After lunch on your own, your afternoon is free. Later this evening, you’ll enjoy dinner at your hotel. B,D—Tryp Panama Centro or similar

Day 12 Panama City • Return to U.S. After breakfast this morning, say adios to Panama and transfer to the airport to board your flight home to the U.S. Travelers taking the post-trip extension, Colonial Cartagena, Colombia: Emerald of the Caribbean, will fly to Cartagena this morning. B Please note: We reserve the right for our Program Directors to modify participation, or in some circumstances send travelers home if their limitations are impacting the group’s experience.

1-800-597-2452 • Press 2

M/S Discovery Sail aboard our privately chartered 24-passenger M/S Discovery

O

nce the exclusive province of large ocean liners, a Panama Canal transit is a travel milestone. Grand Circle Cruise Line allows you to experience this historic engineering marvel aboard the comfortable and intimate M/S Discovery—our privately chartered catamaran designed to carry just one group of no more than 24 travelers, with its own expert, resident Program Director (a native or resident of Panama). With all outside cabins with private baths and convivial common areas, your time onboard will be carefree and relaxing. While your group cruises from one captivating destination to the next, our friendly, English-speaking crew will attend to your needs with dedication and care.

Length: 108 ft. Captain’s Cabin and Crew Mess

Sun and Observation Deck

Beam: 32 ft.

Bridge

Draft: 6 ft. Average cabin size: 110 sq. ft. with fixed beds (queen or twin)

Upper Deck

Passenger Capacity: 24 passengers, 9 crew Grand Circle group: 24 travelers with a Program Director (exclusive Grand Circle private charter)

Gourmet Gallery

Restaurant

Lounge Library

Stairs, no elevator

Coffee Wine Bar

Mid Deck

Store

Purser’s Office Excursion Tender 1

Store

Excursion Tender 2

Store

Kayaks

ForeDeck

Main Deck

Reservations & Information: Call Toll-Free:

1-800-597-2452 • Press 2

Panama Canal Cruise & Panama:

Here’s how you’ll save with our exclusive Good Buy Plan:

A Continent Divided, Oceans United Prices are per person for 12 days Small Ship Cruise Tour only (12 days with airfare), based on double occupancy, and included meals and tours as specified in the It’s Included section.

A

10% off

11 months prior to final payment due

9% off

APRIL 7, 2017

10 months prior to final payment due

8% off

$3495

9 months prior to final payment due

7% off

8 months prior to final payment due

6% off

7 months prior to final payment due

5% off

6 months prior to final payment due

4% off

5 months prior to final payment due

3% off

Make your final payment by check before final payment is due*

$50 off

Main Deck

➤PMA2017

Air Add-On New York

$800

Additional departure cities are available. Call for details.

Watch Videos Online

*Final payment is due at 90 days prior to departure

Here are just two of more than 900 videos available on our website: Trip Experience

YOUR SAVINGS off your total trip price**

12 months or more prior to final payment due

Small Ship Cruise Tour Only Deck:

PAY IN FULL PRIOR TO YOUR FINAL PAYMENT DUE DATE (90 days prior to your departure date)

Program Director

Paid in full by check 12 months prior to your final payment due date, you save $500 (10% of your trip price) Paid in full by check 8 months prior to your final payment due date, you save $200 (4% of your trip price) Paid in full by check 6 months prior to your final payment due date, you save $100 (2% of your trip price) EXAMPLE: Based on a $5000 trip price **You will save a minimum of $50 when you pay in full by check.

No other travel company guarantees your trip price and offers savings of up to 10% when you pay early. Watch travelers board motorized dugout canoes to visit a village of indigenous Embera people and enjoy a Home-Hosted Lunch.

Meet Panamanian Program Director Juan Carlos, who describes what it was like growing up in the countryside with his tightknit family.

Deposit: $500 per person. Single Supplement: $545. Single accommodations are limited. To avoid the single supplement, ask about our Roommate Matching Service. Guaranteed Travel Protection Plan: Please visit www.gct.com/tpp for details on this optional program. Standard Terms & Conditions apply when purchasing this program. Visit our website at www.gct.com/tc for details. Every effort has been made to produce this information accurately. We reserve the right to correct errors. After you reserve your trip, toll-free Customer Service and our Air Department are available Monday–Friday 9 am to 8 pm ET, Saturday & Sunday 9 am to 7 pm ET at 1-800-321-2835.

Please note: To receive your eligible savings, you have until the applicable Good Buy Plan deadline to pay in full by check or electronic funds transfer. Eligible savings are calculated on your entire trip price after any non-cash payments have been deducted (credit cards, vouchers, credits, certificates) based on how many months prior to departure you have paid in full. Grand Circle’s Good Buy Plan is not applicable on reservations where credit card payments exceed the initial deposit plus Travel Protection Plan amounts, or inside of 90 days of departure. GOVERNMENT TAXES AND FEES The following government taxes and fees are now included in your airfare price. Government and other authority taxes and fees: September 11th Security Fee of up to $2.50 USD applies per passenger, per flight segment (maximum charge per trip—$5.00 USD one-way, $10.00 USD round trip). A flight segment is defined as one takeoff and one landing. Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) of up to $18 per passenger. Federal Domestic Flight Segment Fee of up to $3.70 USD applies per passenger, per flight segment (defined as a takeoff and a landing). U.S. or International Departure and Arrival Charges of up to $200 USD may apply depending on itinerary. On select itineraries that include the purchase of a pre- and/ or post-trip extension, U.S. or international departure and arrival charges of up to $300 USD may apply. Call for details. Standard Terms & Conditions can be found on the web at www.gct.com/tc.

Reservations & Information: Call Toll-Free: 1-800-597-2452 • Press 2 Please be ready to give the reservations agent the following information

CST 2041626-40

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Trip name/code: Panama Canal Cruise & Panama: A Continent Divided, Oceans United/PMA Departure date: April 7, 2017 Please mention this code when booking:

G7-27257