The ship makes a journey of 15 days from the port of Fort Lauderdale,in Florida to Los Angeles, on the west coast of the United States.

With a 21% drop in passenger numbers last season, for this new cycle, projections are more optimistic.

Ernesto Orillac, Deputy administrator of the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) said that for this new season, it is expected the same or a greater number of ships arriving at the ports.

Last year 150 cruises arrived. It is estimated that 85% of travellers are retired.

According to the records of the ATP, between January and August, 215 thousand 718 passengers from cruises entered the country, 60 thousand 342 fewer than what was

reported in 2011. Holland, America and Carnival are other lines that included Panama in its route.

With regard to the activity in the home port in the province of Colón, the first ship will leave on November 11th.

This is the Grandeur of the Seas, from Royal Caribbean line, which seats 2 thousand 446 passengers. The ship will carry out 24 outputs from the port of Colón 2000.

The novelty of this season is that the Spanish line Pullmantur will keep for the whole year, a ship leaving from Colón starting on April 2013. For this operation, it will use the

Monarch cruise,which can navigate with 2 thousand and 752 passengers.

The company will start the 2012-2013 season on November 30th with the Horizon with 1 thousand 828 passengers, and from April 27th will change to Monarch.

Colombians, Argentines, Ecuadorians, Venezuelans and Chileans are the tourists, who use the home port in Colón.