Monday, Day 128 - May 14 - Panama Canal Daylight Transit

The Panama Canal is a saga of human ingenuity and courage. It is an idea that dates back to the early 16th century when Spaniards arrived at the isthmus. Sea faring people soon realized what a boon a water route across the isthmus connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans with out having to go around the Horn would be.

The first attempt was made in 1880 by the French but financial problems and tropical diseases ruined that imitative. The US picked up the baton in 1904, first with a sea-level canal and finally one using the three sets of locks. The Panama Canal was completed in 1914 with an estimated 80,000 plus people involved in the construction and the cost of 30,000 lives over the two attempts. Construction to expand the canal so larger ships could use it began in 2007. Two sets of larger locks were completed in 2016 thus doubling the capacity of the Canal.

To travel from the Atlantic ships enter at Limon Bay on the Caribbean Sea and line up to enter the Gatun Locks at Cristobal. From the Pacific ships line up in the Bay of Panama to enter the Miraflores Locks. The Canal runs northwest (Atlantic) to southeast (Pacific) and raises and lowers ships 27 meters to Gatum Lake. It takes 8 to10 hours to transverse. 

We wake about 7AM to an overcast sky. That is good as it can be terribly hot in the Canal. We can see the almost complete new bridge over the locks and are in line for the first of a series of the three Gatun Locks. Dick heads up top for some pictures, but Carolyn is going to watch from the balcony and the bridge cam. 

The Amsterdam is just entering the first, right hand lock. There is a small container ship and two sail boats ahead of us for the left hand lock. By about 8AM the Amsterdam  is in the last of the right hand locks, the container ship is in the second left hand lock and the two sail boats are already tied up in the first left hand lock as we enter being held in the mid of the lock by the mules (silver engines) on each side of the ship. This series of three locks will raise the ship the 27 meters above sea level to Gatun Lake. It takes about 90 minutes for the ship to proceed through the set of three locks.  At each lock, the ship enters and enough water (6,000,000 gallons) flows in to raise the ship about nine meters to the level of the second lock. The ship then moves into the new lock and repeats the process for the third lock and then into Gatun Lake. The new, bigger locks are almost right beside the old set and we can see the NCL Bliss move through them. We are told it is costing some $800,000 for her to go through the new locks!

As we exit the last lock we just make it to breakfast before the dining room closes.  Over breakfast Dick tells Carolyn about the craziness up top earlier this morning. During the night and before all the people arrived to watch from the observation deck, a Booby, a large sea bird with web feet like a duck and a sharp, pointed bill for catching fish had landed on the observation deck. When Dick arrived, he was quietly preening his feathers and not bothering anyone. People were giving him room and he was posing for photos. As the crowd grew, one oblivious woman, a typical Oriental tourist, got way too close and he used that sharp bill to take a plug out of her calf! She limped away to find some First-Aid. Jamie, the CD, then took all the Putt-Putt Golf hole markers and laid them around the bird to sort of mark off a no-go space. Guess what? No sooner had he done his marking job than another, oblivious Oriental stepped over the markers into his space and she received the same greeting from the bird but this time no blood was drawn. 

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It takes until about 1PM to traverse Gatun Lake and the Culebra Cut to enter San Pedro lock. Carolyn goes up top for some pictures of this lock and the new channel that the NCL Bliss is using. She has a nice view as most everyone has gotten bored with the transit. We are still with one of the sailboats. The ship is now lowered about 9 meters to the Mirafores Lake and moves on to the last set of two locks, the Miraflores Locks, entering around 2 PM. These two locks lower the ship the rest of the way to sea level over the next 90 minutes and we head out to the Pacific, sailing under the Bridge of the Americas about 4PM and by Panama City. It has been a great day!

This is our sixth trip through the Panama Canal. The first time was in 1988. We have now done Atlantic to the Pacific three times and the Pacific to the Atlantic three times. It is a fascinating experience and we do not tire of it. Carolyn is now eager to try a Canal trip on the Bliss or other large ship to see the new locks up close and personal.

Our only negative about this transit is the Navigator is not a good ship to go through the Canal on...at least for the first time. A lot is missed due to the lack of forward viewing space both open deck and forward lounge area. This would be true for Alaska and the Norwegian Fjords cruises also. Actually, the Navigator is poorly designed to see anything going on outside of the ship.  We will not sail on her again. There is only a little open deck space, good for picture taking, on decks 6 (middle sides), 10 (aft behind La Veranda), 11 (aft behind Galileo and middle sides) and 12 forward squeezed around the putting green). Then they keep either one or both sides of deck 6 closed most of the time.

We meet friends in the Galileo Lounge at 6:30PM for cocktails and conversation. Finally, at some point after 8PM we decide to adjourn to Sette Mari for Italian food. Again, we linger over dinner until past show time. Our friends head to the show, but we aren’t interested in violin music so head to bed. It has been another great day. We have mixed emotions about this trip coming to an end.