Panama Canal Voyage: Panama Canal
In this fifth post of a multi-part series, Bethany explores the Panama Canal on her Panama Canal Voyage on Azamara.
Welcome to the star of my amazing Panama Canal Voyage on Azamara: the Panama Canal! This was an amazing day at sea as we sailed through the Panama Canal from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Follow along as I explore this engineering marvel and the gorgeous sights along the way.
Panama Canal Voyage Full Itinerary
Below is the full itinerary for the trip. This post includes details about the Panama Canal. Looking for info on other stops? Check out the ‘Links’ section at the end of this post!
- December 3: Miami, Florida
- December 4-5: At Sea
- December 6: Oranjestad, Aruba
- December 7: Kralendijk, Bonaire
- December 8: Willemstad, Curaçao
- December 9: At Sea
- December 10: Cartagena, Colombia
- December 11: At Sea
- December 12: Cruising the Panama Canal
- December 13-15: Panama City, Panama
Entering the Panama Canal
Today is an exciting day on the cruise…a full day making our way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal! Below is a map that show the full route. The Panama Canal is 51 miles (82 km) long and has a series of three sets of locks that raise ships up to its highest point, Gatun Lake, and then back down to sea level. Gatun Lake is an artificial, freshwater lake that is 85 feet (26 meters) above sea level. The original canal was opened in 1914. In 2016, an expansion to accommodate larger ships was completed.
Gatun Locks
I got up early this morning (5:30am!) to see us approach and enter the first set of locks, the Gatun Locks. The rising sun made for some gorgeous views of the area. I stocked up on some coffee and made my way up to the top deck to soak in all of the sights.
The first set of locks we went through was the Gatun Locks. This is a series of three locks that start the journey up to Gatun Lake. The set of three Gatun Locks raises the ship a total of 85 feet (26 meters). Each of the lock chambers is 110 ft (33.53 m) wide by 1,050 ft (320 m) long.
Going through each lock is pretty interesting. The ship first enters the lock, under the careful watch of tug boats. The rear gates close once the ship is in the lock. Then, the lock chamber fills with water – each chamber requires 26.7 million gallons (101,000 cubic meters) of water to fill! Gravity moves the water. It took about 10 to 20 minutes to fill the chamber.
After passing through the first lock, I ducked inside for some breakfast. I got a nice window seat in Windows Cafe, so I could still see the activity outside. After breakfast, I headed back out to the top deck to continue watching our progress through the Gatun Locks.
The below series of pictures shows the chamber filling. Note the water level around the front lock gates as you click through the slideshow below:
Gatun Lake
They had several different snacks and drinks out on the pool deck during our sailing today. After making our way through the set of Gatun Locks, we arrived at Gatun Lake. We had lots of company here as we made our way through the lake…there were many large cargo ships sitting in the lake, awaiting their time to continue through the locks.
I took a break from “canal watch” to snap a quick flag selfie (this is not my first visit to Panama, so this is not a new country flag for me!). I also headed into the Cabaret Lounge to try my hand at bingo.
Gatun Lake is a very pretty area. Lush, tropical greenery covers the shores of the lake. There are also several small towns and villages that dot the shores.
Centennial Bridge
As we made our way through Gatun Lake, we sailed under the Centennial Bridge. This 6-lane bridge is part of the Pan-American Highway. It was opened in 2004 and has a total length of 3,451 feet (1,052 meters).
Pedro Miguel Lock
After crossing Gatun Lake, we arrived at our next lock, the Pedro Miguel lock. We are heading back down now, working our way to the Pacific. So now, once we enter a lock, it is drained to lower us.
The culverts (the side and center walls of the locks) are used to bring the water in or out of each chamber to raise or lower the ships. They range in diameter from 18 feet (5.49 meters) to 22 feet (6.71 meters). Cross culverts branch off from the main culverts and run under the lock chambers. There are 14 cross culverts in each chamber: seven from the sidewall main culverts alternate with seven from the center culvert.
The single-step Pedro Miguel locks lowered us 31 feet (9.4 meters).
Miraflores Locks
Our final series of locks was the Miraflores Locks. This is a set of two locks, and these lowered us 54 feet (16 meters) back down to sea level on the Pacific side. These are also the locks that are closest to Panama City, and there are two big grandstands set up here. People packed the stands to watch us (and the other ships) go through the lock.
These photos were taken by someone sitting in the grandstands. They show my ship, Azamara Journey, making her way through the last Miraflores Lock.
Arriving in Panama City
Once through the final lock, we sailed on to our final port of Fuerte Amador (across the bay from Panama City). The city’s beautiful skyline started peeking out from the horizon as we made our way closer.
Once we arrived at the port of Fuerte Amador, the sun started to set on a wonderful day of sailing through the Panama Canal.
One Final Evening on the Ship
I enjoyed one final evening here on the ship, eating dinner at the buffet in Windows Cafe. After dinner I headed back to The Den to see my favorite bartender Budi for my last speciality cocktail of the cruise: Mumbai Hug (in-house chili infused Grey Goose vodka, fresh lime juice, in-house ginger syrup, lime syrup, cilantro). Cheers!
Conclusion
It is truly an amazing experience to sail through the Panama Canal on a cruise ship! I honestly had some fairly low expectations – I have sailed through many, many locks on various cruises in Europe, and wasn’t sure this would be any different. But today was very interesting, and I was enthralled by all of it. From watching the workings of each lock, to enjoying the beauty of Gatun Lake, to feeling like a rock star with the hundreds of people cheering and waving to us from the grandstands at Miraflores Locks…it all made for a rather magical day.
Links
Check the main page for this cruise to read more about my adventures:
Click the button below for more information about Azamara:
