This was our first transit of the Panama Canal. We left the Caribbean at the start of the day and at the end of the day we were on the Pacific Ocean.
Our cruise through the Panama Canal started in Fort Lauderdale and would take us to Aruba, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico and finally San Francisco and then onto Monterey.
Schedule for the transit
These were the timings through the Panama Canal given to us in the Princess Patter. They were only estimates to help us to plan our day.
Early morning start
I had set my alarm for 6.15 am but I was already awake at 6. Looking out of our balcony I could see over 20 ships at anchor as we passed slowly by.
As I stood on the balcony a boat came to the starboard side below. Then another. Then another. Each one drew briefly alongside dropped off passengers and drew away.
We were now passing a breakwater sand there were even more ships at anchor.
On the shore a mist hung over the trees.
Ahead of us we could see the tall tower of a new suspension bridge under construction. On Channel 41 the commentary for the transit was in full flow explaining about the new bridge.
We were now in the Panama Canal proper.
New bridge
At the side of the bridge tower there was a small ferry and a small dock.
From our balcony we watched the banks of the canal pass us by. There was a tug following us and we were now going so slow that we could hear the engines of the motorcycles and trucks as they drove past after crossing on the ferry now behind us.
There was a small canal to our side and all along the bank we could see lights that allowed for night passages through the canal.
7.50 am coffee dash
We went to the International Cafe and picked up coffee, tea, pastries , muesli and yogurts. This was to be our breakfast on our balcony. As we sat and ate our breakfast we watched the tug at the side of the ship as we neared the Gatum Locks.
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8.10 am The Gatum Locks
Our balcony did not have a view straight down the side of the ship as the decks below obstructed our view. This meant that as we approached this lock of the set we could no longer see the quayside.
It was time to move and we elected to go down to the Promenade Deck. This set of locks were there to lift us up to Gatum Lake. The electric mules manoeuvred the ship and after the lock gates closed we slowly began to rise up until we were looking down on the locks.
Here’s one of the mules on the other side of the locks.
The ship then moved to the next lock and the process was repeated.
Coming the other way way was a ship descending from the lake.
As we passed everyone working on the Canal had time to wave to us.
We were pulled to the next lock and passed the next ship going the other way.
The PhotoVideo Manager of the ship suggested that we go to either Deck 10 or 11 to look back down the Gatum Locks. This was news to us that we could have bow or stern views from these decks.
We went to the stern so that we could have a view of the locks behind us now.
As Coral Princess left the locks behind, we watched another ship entering the locks leaving the Gatum Lake to head for the Caribbean.
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9.30 am Gatum Lake and then the San Miguel Reach
After the set of locks the ship sailed slowly into Gatum Lake. This was at one time the largest man-made in the world. There were other ships at anchor around all us and Coral Princess came almost to a stop and begin to simply drift.
This was our signal to go back to the International Cafe for another round of coffee and tea. Back on our balcony we watched as the ship’s thrusters came every mow and then as we drifted amongst the other ships.
We watched other ships passing both ways on the lake. We were then updated that the ship would be on hold for a while. The Horizon Buffet was not too busy and we had more cereal and fruit for our second breakfast.
Back on our balcony we watched as the ship drifted and even more ships passed by. At 11.05 am the ship started to slowly spin near a red coloured LPG ship and to slowly make its way out of the lake.
This was when we moved to the front of the ship on Deck 11 just below the ship’s bridge. As Coral princess made her way slowly across the lake we passed other ships coming from the Pacific.
We were going to be going through the San Miguel Reach at about 12.25. This is where the lake narrowed and we could see the high points left when the jungle was flooded. There were still ships and the occasional tug coming the other way.
We passed the place where there had been a bridge over the river. This had been part of the original trail across the isthmus. Unfortunately the bridge’s remains are now completely below the water.
Here’s our historian on the bridge above us telling us about what we could see and the history that lies behind the Canal.
As we neared the Cut the canal narrowed and we could see on our left the railway that went coast to coast across the isthmus and on our right the start of the banks where the Canal had been cut into the hills.
The work never stops keeping the Canal open as landslides often filled in parts of the Canal, so dredging continues all the time.
At 1.00 pm we passed the mouth of the River Chagres where all the water for the lake had originally come from and then we entered the Calebra Cut.