Cruising Through the Panama Canal on the Coral Princess
Dear Polite Traveler,
Revised 4/2021
Today, I’d like to share
with you tales of our Princess Cruise through the Panama Canal—some were
amazing and some...not so. The “Not so,” I’ll save for another
post. Prepare to be amazed!
“The
event to be celebrated tomorrow will probably always be known as the 'Wedding
of the Oceans.'”
Direct
Wire in the Oct. 10, 1913, edition of The Times
Mere words cannot
describe the wonder
and intricacy of the canal dug through the middle of a mountainous country to
join two seas. Just imagine waking up to see beautiful Panama City
facing the mild Pacific and toasting the wilder Atlantic in late
afternoon. Granted there is plenty of rising and lowering of the
ship squeezing through locks and cruising placid waters in between.
History
on the Water
Nevertheless, this is
more a cruise of traveling through history. Every inch of this canal
cost thousands of lives and millions of dollars. In fact, supposedly more than
25,000 people died
and Americans, alone, spent about $375 million dollars during the entire
build.
Tip: My favorite book on
the subject is The Path Between the Seas, by David McCullough.
Old
vs New
Luckily for us, our ship
was small enough to traverse the smaller, old canal, which is significant due
to the construction of the walls and gates. Please don’t spend the
entire trip on top of the ship. The real show is down below when the
ship is raised and lowered. I still cannot believe I was thrilled to
see old rivets in the gates! But I was.
Seeing
is much more fun than reading.
Instead of going
on-and-on about my experience, check out the video/slideshow
I created. One is the entire trip through the canal.
Note: Follow CDC and Princess guidelines when visiting. Always wear your face mask when in public.
The new locks are directly next to the
old. Our video show both.
Fun on the Coral Princess.
Food on the Coral Princess.
Please share your experiences!
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