Panama Canal Cruise - Panama Canal Transit

Our number one reason for taking this cruise was experiencing the transit through the Panama Canal. After attending two presentations regarding the history and mechanics of the canal, we were ready for the special day. On day 10, we got up at 5 am and were out on the front deck by 5:45 with hundreds of fellow passengers. The sun was just starting to rise, and it was a beautiful morning. Our entry was from the Pacific Ocean, passing Panama City.

Entering Panama Canal under a full moon

Entering the canal at dawn with a pilot ship off to the side

Panama City at dawn

Here is a diagram of the transit through the canal. Starting from the Pacific, you go through two sets of locks called the Miraflores and Pedro Miguel Locks. The Pacific Ocean fluctuates with the tides up to 18 feet. The Atlantic Ocean side only changes about 3 feet. Therefore, the locks had to be built to raise the ships up into the canal to a point of 85 feet in the center at Gatun Lake. Then the ships go through the Gatun Locks to lower then to the Atlantic Ocean level.

The French tried to build the canal in the late 1800s using the same method they had successfully used building the Suez Canal. Their engineers were flawed in believing they could just dig straight through without any locks. Over 22,000 people died during that time from accidents, but mostly from malaria and yellow fever. 

In 1904 the Americans took over the project from the French. US engineers designed the lock system. Also, they had doctors familiar with tropical diseases, and were able to deal with that problem. The canal was finished in 1914, and basically still operates the same as originally built. There are two sets of the original locks. Amazingly, in over 100 years, the canal has never been blocked and only closed one day in 1989.

The US had a pact with Panama to own and operate the canal until the 1970s when President Carter signed a treaty turning it over to Panama by the year 2000. In 1999, Panama took complete control of the operation and maintenance of the canal.

When we entered the canal, a small ship came aside us and a crew of over two dozen Panamanian pilots and technicians boarded our ship to guide it through the canal. Our captain did some of the navigating, but mostly it was the Panamanians. 

There are three bridges across the canal. The first one we passed under at dawn before getting to the locks was the Bridge of the Americas.

Our ship is considered a Panamax, meaning it was the largest ship that could go through the original locks. The locks are 1,050 feet long and 110 feet wide. Our ship was 965 feet long and 106 feet wide. That's only 2 feet margin on each side. We were close!! Here we are entering the first lock. You can see in the second picture that we are below the lock doors. The chamber fills with water and the doors open. You can see the ship next to us just left the lock on that side.

Our ship had four mules (silver train type cars) attached on the corners with cables. These mules gently moved along with the ship to keep it centered within the canal. They used a system of bells ringing to communicate with each other.

Mule guiding us through lock

Here's the view from the back of the ship after we went through and the lock doors close behind us.

After going through the first two sets of locks, there is a narrow section of the canal that looks like a river. The ships have to navigate through here on their own. This area originally had some hills that had to be blasted away. This hill is the continental divide for the canal. Do you notice how they terraced it when they cut into it?

Continental Divide

Narrows with large cargo ship in front of us

We passed under the Centennial Bridge which is part of the Pan American Highway that starts in Alaska and ends in Argentina.

In 2016 a new set of locks were opened for the larger cargo ships. These locks are 180 feet wide. Tug boats steer the large ships through these locks. I guess they built them extra large for even bigger ships in the future. Here's one going through near us. It's amazing to me how they built it uphill from the current canal. 

Next we entered the man made Lake Gatun. This lake was created when the canal was built and the Chagres River was dammed. There were many ships sitting in the lake waiting for their turn to enter the Gatun Locks. Some of them had their anchors down. We sat in the lake for four hours. 

We later found out that earlier in the day there had been fog in the narrow section of the canal. This backed up traffic and caused the delay. Cruise ships have priority going through the canal. It normally takes 8 to 10 hours. It took us 12 hours. 

Here's our Captain Stig on the bridge. 

We finally were able to enter the Gatun Locks just before supper time. Here we are going through the locks that will lower our ship to the Atlantic Ocean level.

Entering Gatun Locks

In Gatun Locks

Gatun Locks gates opening

Atlantic Bridge visible from Gatun Locks

We went inside to have dinner. As we were sitting in the dining room, I glanced up and saw us down inside the lock through the dining room window.  Normally, when we looked out the dining room window, we saw the ocean. It was strange to see a concrete wall.

After dinner, we went back outside. We saw the Panama Canal offices and an osprey. We were just sailing under the Atlantic Bridge.

Canal de Panama Offices

Osprey on top of one of the cranes

Jupiter is the star in the upper left corner

As I looked down, I saw the pilot boat along side with the Panamanian crew leaving us. 

And, so after a full day, we were now in the Atlantic Ocean. The canal is about 50 miles wide. Before it was built, ships had to sail an extra 8,000 nautical miles around the southern tip of South America. What an astonishing accomplishment this canal is. Some say it is one of the eight modern wonders of the world. It was an amazing experience!!

Royal Caribbean left these certificates in our cabin that evening. If you look closely it says our entire trip is 4835.1 nautical miles. That's 5,564 miles. Wow! No wonder we had so many days at sea. It sure is a luxurious way to travel. 

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Panama Canal Cruise - Puntarenas, Costa Rica

Continuing on our Panama Canal cruise, day 8 brought us to Puntarenas, Costa Rica. We spent a week in Costa Rica in March of 2018; but we had not been on the Pacific Ocean side, so we booked an excursion through the ship for a boat trip up a river where we were supposed to see crocodiles and lots of birds including macaws.

Remember those three hurricanes I mentioned we had been dodging on this trip. Well, one of them was again north of us, but the outer bands of it brought drenching rain to Puntarenas the entire day we were there. We did go on the excursion. They did their best under the weather conditions. Luckily, the boat had a cover, so we didn't get wet while on the river. 

Here was our greeting as we got off the ship. The only Scarlet Macaw we saw that day.

We did see some crocodiles, although most of them were just sticking their snout out of the water. We also saw some birds, but not the tropical birds I was hoping to see. Here are the group of boats out on the river. You can see how foggy it was. I'm sure its beautiful on a sunny day.

These two crocodiles were up on a sandbar.

Here are some of the birds I got a picture of. They gave us a color brochure with descriptions of birds we might see. I've done my best to identify them. These are all birds I've seen elsewhere, but it was all that was out there on this rainy day. My camera kept trying to focus on the rain, so it was hard to get clear pictures.

Great Egret

Green Heron

Roseate Spoonbill and Egret

Roseate Spoonbill

These cows were grazing close to the river full of crocodiles!

Wild banana plants were growing all along the banks. The purple and white shoot on the left is the flower. You can see a bunch of green bananas on the right.

We were pretty soaked by the time we got back to the bus. There was a little shopping area where the buses park, and we were given a banana, two pieces of watermelon and mango juice. Then we boarded the buses for a scenic drive to a small town where local school children were going to entertain us with native dances. Again, I'm sure the scenery is great on a nice day.

The dance program is normally performed at a local park. Because of the rain, they moved into a covered play area of the local school. The covering is metal, and it was impossible to understand anything the announcer was saying with the noise of the rain and the poor acoustics. Again, no ones fault, but a disappointment. The dancers did a nice job, and were cute.

This little girl was so into it and absolutely adorable!

Back at the pier was an area with shops and restaurants. I bought a cute tee shirt with sea turtles on it for only $10. Then we decided to try some adult beverages. Kevin had a local beer, and I had a pina colada. Total bill $8. Much better than ship prices. It was the best pina colada I've ever had with lots of real pineapple pieces blended into it. Delicious and filling!

Here's our ship from the end of the pier. There was a black sand beach there with a ton of driftwood on it. It was hard to tell whether the water in the bay is nice because of the weather.

Back on board it was time for a shower and some dry clothes. Day 9 was another sea day. We went to two educational talks regarding the Panama Canal, which will be our next stop. One of the head navigators of the ship gave an interesting power point presentation regarding the history of the canal and some of the navigation challenges. Maybe he'll need my help!

The other talk was another power point by a couple regarding the history and mechanics of the canal. This couple were both retired professors and gave talks on all the ports we stopped at. I really enjoyed their presentations, as it made our stops much more interesting. I wish every cruise did this.

We enter the canal at approximately 6 am tomorrow morning, so it will be an early day for us. It is estimated to take 8 to 10 hours to traverse the entire canal. 

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Panama Canal Cruise - Huatulco, Mexico

As our Panama Canal cruise continues, day 5 was an at sea day. Day 6 was a stop at Huatulco, Mexico. We had never heard of this place, but what a gem it turned out to be. When we got off the ship and looked around, we saw a beautiful beach, crystal clear water, and a quaint little town. We had booked a catamaran excursion to see five of the nine bays Huatulco is known for. 

Here is a view of our Royal Caribbean ship, Serenade of the Seas, from the pier.

This marvelous sculpture was near the beach.

I found the brooms the workers were using quite unusual. They probably work quite well.

Along the beach road is this small chapel called Capilla de Santa Cruz, the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The story goes that the cross of Huatulco became famous in the year of 1587 when the English pirate Thomas Cavendish arrived at the port of Huatulco. After planning to steal the city, he tried to demolish the Holy Cross with axes and saws. Seeing that this was not possible, he ordered that cables be tied to the boat to move the cross off. As he tried to head towards the sea, the boat did not move. And when he ordered the cross to be burned, it remained unscathed.

This great event has given rise to extraordinary dedication and respect, expressed in pilgrimages and visits at all times and from different parts of Mexico and the distant shores of South America. The pilgrims reported that those who were in contact with the relic were cured of their diseases. The cross that is currently in the chapel is believed to have a piece of that original cross imbedded. The chapel is very popular for weddings. I'm sure the view is quite beautiful when there isn't a cruise ship parked at the pier.

We boarded our boat, The Tequila, for our tour. Adult beverages were included, so it was a fitting name for the boat. I do think they forgot the tequila, though. I had three margaritas, and didn't even feel a slight buzz. For those of you who know me well, you know I'm quite a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. So, something was amiss. They were, however, quite tasty.

Here's the view of the bay with the cruise ship.

We motored around the bays and saw some gorgeous scenery. Much of the area surrounding Huatulco is a National Park. The residents have fought hard to keep the developers at bay. Only about 35 cruise ships stop here per year. There are some hotels and condos, but many developers have been turned away. It really does look like paradise.

We anchored at a pristine beach in one of the bays. The description of the tour had said that you could go swimming at this stop, but water shoes were required. We didn't have any, so we didn't wear our swimsuits. Lots of people went in without the shoes. Kevin doesn't like salt water, but I would have gone in if I'd known it would be allowed. Oh well.

If anyone were looking for a vacation paradise to get away and relax, I really think Huatulco might be the perfect spot. Not very crowded, great beaches and scenery, restaurants and bars, hotels and shops.

That night we experienced some rough seas due to another hurricane that was passing north of us. We actually dodged 3 hurricanes on this trip. Winds were 35 mph and waves were 10 to 15 feet. It made for some interesting walking. They locked the doors to go out on the deck. The ocean swells don't look that bad, but trust me when I saw we were rocking.

These sickness bags suddenly appeared on all the stairways. Too funny. Luckily, we don't have a problem with being seasick.

Day 7 was another sea day. As you're figuring out by now, much of this trip was at sea. Out of the 13 days, 6 were supposed to be sea days. With Cabo San Lucas being cancelled, that ended up being 7 days. That night was a formal night. We're not much into getting dressed up, but this is one of our best efforts. 

During the sea days, the main activities offered were dance lessons, lots of different trivia games, the pools, and the sports deck which included pickleball, mini golf, rock climbing wall, and basketball court. I actually tried the rock climbing wall on another cruise about ten years ago, but I've given up being able to do that.

Rock climbing wall

We participated in some of the trivia events and played some mini golf. We also watched three movies while on board. Elvis was great. I highly recommend it. We also saw Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris and The Lost City. Both were fun. Much of the time we spent walking the decks, enjoying the ocean views and reading or playing cribbage. I was on a massive losing streak, losing seven games in a row. After that, I gave up for a while!!

We've been on four Carnival cruises, one Holland America, and this was our third Royal Caribbean. Each cruise line is a little different. We found this trip they focused a great deal on their art auctions and the spa. They were constantly trying to sell passengers spa treatments or entice you to art auctions with offers of free champagne. The lowest price for a massage or facial was around $200. Not worth it to us.

Luckily, the weather was fantastic for the most part. It was quite warm and humid the entire trip; but with some nice sea breezes, it was pleasant. Sometimes, we needed to get back into the air conditioning because of the humidity. Lots of days, the ocean looked as smooth as glass.

So, that's it for Huatulco. Next stop, Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!

Panama Canal Cruise - Los Angeles, Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta

We began our much awaited 13 day Panama Canal cruise by arriving in Los Angeles a day early and staying at the Vagabond Inn where we left our car parked for the days we were gone. The room was very clean and comfortable, but the rest of the place was definitely showing its age.

We did a little exploring, and found Angel's Gate Park with this pagoda and the Korean Friendship Bell. The bell was presented as a gift to the US by the people of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) to celebrate our bicentennial. It weighs about 37,450 pounds. The location was beautiful overlooking the bay. 

The next day around noon we were delivered to the pier by a shuttle from the motel. Check-in went very well, and before we knew it, we were on the ship looking for a snack. We heard the cruise was a sell out at about 2,500 passengers and over 800 crew, but we never really felt like it was overcrowded. There were a few times on sea days where we had trouble finding a place to sit and relax in the shade, but overall it was great.

We passed the 8.5 mile long San Pedro Bay breakwater and lighthouse on the way out. These were built in the early 1900s. It always amazes me what earlier generations accomplished!

Day 2 was a sea day. We spent the day getting familiar with the ship. Even though there are elevators, you still do a lot of walking getting from the front to the back of the ship. We were on the 8th deck, with the dining room on deck 5, and the buffet and pool on deck 11, so that worked out really well. We walked between 10,000 and 20,000 steps every day. Despite eating more than normal, neither one of us gained weight. We went to some trivia challenges, played some mini golf and just lazed around. 

The show that night was called A Night With Adele. Neither one of us know much about her. Amy Jo Slater sang this tribute show, and she had a great voice. I think I maybe recognized one song. Adele is definitely not our thing. After looking online, I think Amy kind of looks like Adele.

Day 3 was scheduled to be a port day at Cabo San Lucas. This port is a tender stop for cruise ships, which means smaller boats come to the big ship and take you to the pier. Many cruise ships actually use their own lifeboats as tenders. There were also Disney and Princess ships anchored in the bay. We had been there in 2015, so had planned not to get off the ship. 

Unfortunately, for the many passengers who wanted to get off, they were out of luck. There was a hurricane quite a ways south of us, The ocean didn't look very rough, but swells under the water coming from the south were causing the tender boats to bounce around quite a bit. They kept making announcements hoping conditions would improve, but around noon it was announced that no tenders would be allowed to go ashore for the safety of all.

Here are some views of Cabo from the ship. It is a beautiful location. The arch in the rock is what they are famous for. Many of the excursions are boat trips to get you a closer view of that arch. The water was so pretty and clear.

Disney ship in front of us

Day 4 was a stop at Puerto Vallarta where we were able to dock right at the pier. Kevin and I had also been here in 2015, so we planned to just get off and look around a little. There were not nearly as many excursions offered as the last time we were here. None of them interested us. I wonder if Covid put some of those companies out of business. There was a flea market across the street, so we checked it out. I bought a necklace, and we shared a large margarita before getting back on the ship. 

The large margarita was $8. Drinks on the ship have really gotten expensive. Cocktails are $13 and a Miller Lite is $7.49 or a craft beer is $7.99. That doesn't include the 18% tip they include on all drinks. If we bought the drink package, it was $65 per day for the first person and half that for the second person in the cabin. Both people had to purchase it to participate. There was plenty of water, lemonade, iced tea, coffee and tea available for free.

While we were enjoying our drink, we watched this guy washing windows on our ship. Not an easy job!

This is the view of Puerto Vallarta from deck 12. There is a Walmart and Sam's Club across the street. The water in the bay was very muddy, and the city didn't seem very clean. It has grown a lot, and I don't think it's the paradise it used to be. I saw a statistic that said 300 ships come here each year.

Our entertainment was Mark Preston, a former member of The Lettermen. I had no idea that group had been around so long, from 1959 to present day. There  have been many different members during that time, but they are still performing. Mark was with them in the 1980s and again in the early 2000s. We recognized many songs, and enjoyed his great voice and show.

We saw some beautiful sunsets during these days. 

The color of the water from the wake of the ship is a gorgeous blue. I loved looking at it!

These frigate birds were often seen flying near the front of the ship, even when no land was in sight. I read that they look for fish that are riled up by the ship. They have a very distinctive scissor tail.

So, that takes care of the first four days which probably doesn't seem all that exciting. But, things are going to get better. I'm doing separate posts for the next three stops and the Panama Canal, because there are lots of pictures. Get ready!!

Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!