LuLu, I loved it! We had an aft balcony and it was fascinating watching the locks close right at the back of the ship. There also was an expert onboard who gave us a running commentary about the canal. It was fascinating. Sailing along the canal was beautiful with lush rain forests. I had my binoculars and enjoyed "birdwatching." It takes all day to go through the canal.
We loved it, too! We had an aft balcony and I believe that is what makes it so special. It is extremely hot (no matter what month you go) and being able to step inside and still see the locks was a big plus. NOT having to jocky for position up on deck...priceless!
I got the most amazing view of Panama City when we exited on the Pacific side! It looked like a white city enshrouded in mist--very mythical looking! And seeing the Bridge of the Americas was awesome too. Got a lump in my throat.
My wife and I enjoyed our 2006 Cruise on the Coral Princess so much that we have already made our reservations for the 2008 Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale trip, also on the Coral Princess. It was a great leaning experience too.
Some form of a canal cruise is on our wish list ... don't know if we will ever actually do it or not, but I sure love hearing about the Panama Canal cruises that others havae taken.
We did a HAL 10 day cruise that went 1/2 way through the Canal (up to Gatun Lake and back). This is definitely a place to have a balcony as the process is truly amazing but as others have said the heat and humidity are oppressive (and we were there in December! )
I'd love to go all they way through the Canal next time!
We took out canal trip in 1984, before ships had balconies.
We cruise from Seattle to Tampa. We very much enjoyed the cruise and will probably do it again someday, in the opposite direction.
To get back to the orininal question. The canal itself is nice to see but a lock is a lock. The locks are large and the stories about the construction are interesting. I even came back with about 8 hours of video. (my first cruise with my then new BETA camera) I have not looked at the tapes in many years.
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Panama Canal
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Did you actually ENJOY the Panama Canal?
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Did you actually ENJOY the Panama Canal?
Panama, Yes!!!!
My wife and I enjoyed our 2006 Cruise on the Coral Princess so much that we have already made our reservations for the 2008 Vancouver to Ft. Lauderdale trip, also on the Coral Princess. It was a great leaning experience too.
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