Yes this was the day when the ship transited the Canal. I suppose it was the main reason we booked this cruise and likewise for many of our fellow passengers we have discovered. The day was beautiful, and we stood most of the day watching the whole thing from the upper decks.
The transit takes around 8 hours and is a very slick operation. Trains called 'mules' keep the ship in the centre of each pound (3 on the way up to Gatun Lake and 3 on the way down to Panama City and the Pacific Ocean) but the ships engines actually drive the ship through. A small yacht from Holland was in front of us on the way down. We towered above them of course but they were very friendly and didn't seem at all phased by the huge scale of things.Read more
North Pacific Ocean 7°14’58” N 79°33’49” W
North Pacific Ocean 7°14’58” N 79°33’49” W