Panama to Colombia Aboard Ferry Xpress

So finally on the 5^th of January, 2015, two months after I limped into Panama City with no brakes, I boarded the ferry to Cartagena, Colombia, South America.

A new year, a new country, a new continent, a new journey of experiences.

Ferry Xpress is up and running. The trip took 23 hours, five hours more than scheduled due to high winds and choppy seas.

The booking was easy. Go to Ferryxpress.net and get info about the ferry. Their phone number is +507 380 0909 in Panama and +57 5368 0000 in Colombia. You can book and pay over the phone or in person at their Panama office, but not online. I booked by telephone.

 Ferry Xpress leaves Panama every Monday and Wednesday at 7pm and Cartagena every Tuesday and Thursday at 7pm. 

I was told to arrive in Colon at 8am due to aduana (customs) processes. It was not very clear exactly what paperwork I needed when I booked. I expected the usual import and insurance papers, registration, licence and passport. Have lots of copies of all of them. The one I missed was a police clearance issued by policia nacional who do an Interpol check on your vehicle before you leave Panama.

 I arrived at Jetty 2000 (9.213641N, 79.533474W) at 8am with a bunch of camper travellers

and Aduana officials arrived at 10am. At 10.15 it was clear I was missing a form so I was sent to the local Policia Nacional office (9.215203N, 79.541489W) where I waited in line for 1 hour to find they didn’t do motor vehicles at that window. I was taken next door and told that the motor vehicle person was on a day off, so they would send someone up from Panama City. It would take three hours. Two hours later he arrived and my bike was inspected and VIN number checked. I waited another hour and a half for the Interpol check. At 4.30pm I had the form in hand. In the meantime I had other paperwork completed by Aduana. You can get this form ahead of time, valid for 8 days, from Panama City…recommended. 

I was then allowed to ride to the ferry terminal. I was asked to unload my soft luggage for scanning (I don’t have hard cases) and then had to reload. I was sent halfway up the long building to check in which I did. By this time there were lots of passengers lining up. I was told to go to immigration next but I explained I had the bike to load so they let me go and I subsequently forgot about immigration so my passport was not stamped out. My passport was not checked again.

 I returned to the bike and was escorted around the side of the building to the berth where I waited for ten minutes. I rode the bike onto the ferry via the passenger ramp because the vehicle ramp at the back of the ferry was not functioning. Staff strapped my bike down and I was alone in the huge cavern.

 Unfortunately for the RVs, the wind had picked up and they were not allowed to board. I was told the reason no cars are going on the ferry is because they load at the rear of the ship. In Panama the ship can only berth along the side. If there is any wind above 10 knots the ship is unstable in the perpendicular position from the berth and is dangerous to load cars. So they cannot position in the perpendicular position now, hence cars and RVs are not being transported until Panama builds a suitable addition to the berth. There is no such problem in Cartagena.

 Costs

Insurance $30

Aduana Inspection $15

 The 18 hour trip to Cartagena took 23 hours, arriving at 6.30pm on Tuesday after getting away at 7.30pm Monday.

The sea was a bit rough and the wind very strong during the whole trip but the ferry was pleasant and not affected by the weather except for the time.

In Cartagena I loaded the bike and rode of the rear vehicle entrance and was told to park while I went through immigration. They stamped my passport in without a mention of the lack of exit stamp from Panama. Being the only vehicle, I had the undivided attention of aduana who were friendly, helpful, good humoured and they had the paperwork half filled out. They walked with me over to the bike where they checked the numbers then a separate check from the police and the paperwork was signed.
I was out of the port in just over an hour with one of the port officers phoning my contact in Cartagena to come and collect me. I was given 90 days for the bike and myself.

 Costs:

Aduana inspection: $25

The Ferry

 Ferry Xpress is huge and takes some 1500 passengers and 300 vehicles. I was the only vehicle on the whole ferry, so cost viability for the company has to be questioned. I booked a seat and everyone in that area lay on the floor to sleep. Plenty of room. You can also book various cabins but the seats are reclining and comfortable.

 The ferry has a disco, several bars, two restaurants, duty free and various other things. Unfortunately they try to make it a ‘luxury cruise’ and charge accordingly. I noticed a lack of good service and goodwill. You are not supposed to take food aboard but the shops have limited hours and expensive, small meals. Everything is charged. Wifi is $5 per hour, water can’t be refilled, it must be bought, drinks are smaller than standard size and there is not a great choice. Some blankets are provided but only the first 30 people get one. The savings of a cheap crossing can quickly increase due to the costs onboard.

 The ship itself is clean and bright and new. There is ample access to outdoors but a lack of comfortable seating available. There were about 30 deck chairs. There is a bar on the top deck which is a good place to hang out but there is little shade and with the white paint is glary and hot. The airconditioning in the disco and inside bar was set at arctic, and was too cold to stay more than a few minutes. The staff are approachable but if you ask something and they don’t know the answer or can’t help, they just say ‘no’ and put in no extra effort to help out. The vibe from them was a bit formal and unfriendly.

 Although I have complaints about certain things, it was a comfortable cruise. The Panama end was quite disorganised and a lot of running around from one end of the terminal to the other with no real connection between processes. In contrast, Cartagena was friendly, helpful and efficient. There was no hint of bribes or dodgy dealings and I never felt unsafe. Given I was the only vehicle, it’s hard to say how long the ferry can stay in business without the income from vehicles. If it takes a long time to get the Panama end sorted out then we may lose this cheaper way to cross.