Ocean to Ocean
While our Adventures on the Seas brought us to several ports during our 15 day journey from Ft Lauderdale, Florida to Los Angeles, California the highlight for both of us was our transit through the Panama Canal!
Panama Canal
Here are some fun facts we learned about the canal on our transit, which began just after sunrise!
The Canal opened in 1914 and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It has been closed just very briefly on a couple of occasions.
Transit is one way, in twelve hour shifts (Atlantic to Pacific in the daytime, Pacific to Atlantic at night). This is because at the narrowest point of the Canal Zone there is not room for ships to pass along side of each other.
3 locks raised our cruise ship 85 feet from the Atlantic Ocean to the height of Lake Gatun. Every time a lock opens, 26 million gallons of water rush out of Lake Gatun!
Lake Gatun is a freshwater lake that is refreshed only by rainwater; however, since Panama gets as much as 16 feet of rain in a given year, keeping the lake full has never been a concern. However due to recent drought conditions the number of ships using the canal each day is being reduced.
Using the new locks a voyage takes an average of 8-9 hours. The new locks not only provide a quicker transit, but are also more efficient in the amount of water used compared to the old locks.
Lake Gatun was the largest man made lake when it was created by the damning of the Chartres River. It is 23 miles long. It remains the second largest man made lake today and its creation was the engineering key to building a water route from ocean to ocean across what was once a land isthmus, spanning 50 miles.
After passing through Lake Gatun, following the course of the now submerged Chartres Riverbed, we finally reached the 3 locks that would lower us down to the level of the Pacific Ocean. We passed under three highway bridges along the way.
It’s expensive to bring a vessel through the canal. Tolls are based on the vessels weight, length and cargo. However the alternative route around the tip of South America is much longer and subject to very bad storms and can be even more costly.
To navigate the locks safely, Tug boats must be hired; up to three are required per vessel, depending on size of ship. A series of three Canal Pilots board the ship as it travels through the Canal Zone and they take over the intricate control of the vessel's transit all the way from Ocean to Ocean. These Pilots are in full command of the vessel throughout the voyage, communicating with the tugboats and the shore crews who tie the ship off in each lock.
Our Ocean to Ocean voyage took about 8 hours and the cost for our cruise ship was almost 1/2 million dollars. Steve calculated that based on the number of cruise passengers, we paid about $150 each to transit the canal!
While Yatchs up to 65 feet may pay up to $2000, large container ships can pay around a million dollars and more!
Since ships are being built to larger and larger specifications the Canal needed to be expanded in a seven year construction project, resulting in an additional lane of longer and deeper locks which began operations in June of 2016. These New Locks were the route our ship took, as even our medium sized cruise ship was too large for the original canal locks!
The Panama Canal is considered to be one of the most amazing engineering marvels in the world. It has changed the shipping industry by providing a safer and shorter route from Ocean to Ocean. This journey from Atlantic to Pacific increased our understanding and appreciation of this important place.
The cruise line filmed a time lapse video of the entire passage through the canal. Click on the arrow in the screen below to start my YouTube link. You will be able to enjoy our 8 hour journey in just two minutes!
Ports of Call
Our cruise provided a sampling of cities from South America, Central America and Mexico. Each city was a mixture of old and new with lots of narrow streets, shopping, and street vendors everywhere. We saw Town squares featuring churches and cathedrals, forts and walled cities. It was very hot and humid!
On a boat tour down a river in Costa Rica we saw so many different kinds of birds…and a couple of Crocodiles. 
We had a cooking lesson at a villa in Puerto Vallarta and enjoyed making our own salsa and guacamole to enjoy with our tostada and enchilada. Yum! 
We walked the narrow streets of Cartagena and Huatulco crowded with tourists and street vendors selling handmade items, fruit or Panama Hats!
Emerald Princess
Our ship, and her fabulous crew, a clean and safe way to Adventure across the Seas. We had great food, fabulous entertainment and calm seas! We took countless walks around the Promenade Deck to enjoy the ocean sunsets, viewing lots of dolphins one day. Another day we were delighted by sea birds gliding alongside our ship. And most importantly the walks provided some exercise to counteract all the calories we consumed at the buffet and three course dinners!
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