Canal Crossing – Cartagena & Cabo

About this cruise

Somewhere around day five the ship stops being transport and starts being home. This 16-night sailing from Mobile on April 12, 2026 visits Cartagena, Panama Canal, Puntarenas, Cabo San Lucas and Seattle. You get off in Seattle, which is a good excuse to tack on a few days on land. The first couple of days are at sea, which gives you time to settle in and get to know the ship before the ports begin. The route threads through 5 countries along the Caribbean coast: Colombia, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico and United States. Most ports give you about 8 hours, so you can do more than just tick off the main sights. As for the ship itself, Carnival Spirit has 9 restaurants on board, which means you could eat somewhere different nearly every night. By night three you start recognising faces; by night ten you're swapping numbers. That's the magic of a longer sailing. A spring departure helps too: decent weather and a calmer feel at each port. 16 nights of not thinking about anything except where to eat next. That's the pitch.