To The Panama Canal! | Traveling Well

Reality Tour 3: To The Panama Canal!

On Day 4, half of the group awoke early and joined a Gamboa guide for a 6:30 am nature walk of the resort grounds, spotting a variety of birds.

“After breakfast we traveled a short distance outside the grounds to board the Pacific Queen,” Lorrie said. “Everyone was looking forward to our partial transit of the Panama Canal.”

“The cruise was great,” Barbara said. “Two narrators added to the international flair of the canal. They repeated all commentary in English, Spanish and French.”

It was a picture-perfect day that included a buffet lunch on board. The blue sky and puffy clouds made for ideal cruising.

“It was amazing to stand at the front of the ship and watch the water level go down and have the gate open before your eyes,” Barbara said.

The passengers were throwing around terms like “once-in-a-lifetime” and “special experience.”

Many of them had been through the locks before, but on larger cruise ships.

They were truly in awe of being on a smaller vessel and watching everything happen in front of them.

One said, “Transiting the canal on a small vessel was completely different than a large cruise ship. Everything was close-up.”

“Before you knew it, you were back in the deep water – cruising along,” Lorrie said.

Dave from Collette said, “The time we spent was definitely enough to experience what it is like to do the entire canal.”

The group passed under the Centennial Bridge and the Bridge of the Americas and got to see some of the dredging operation that is going on to get ready for the new pump-driven locks that are scheduled to open for the canal’s 100th anniversary.

“Once on land, we visited a local handicraft market,” Lorrie said. “It was filled with individual family-run shops showcasing mola embroidery, wood carvings, baskets, dresses, hats and so much more.”