Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World,
the Panama Canal is a man-made waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.
The 50-mile passage allows ships to avoid the long route around the southernmost tip
of South America and its completion was a significant milestone for maritime trade.
In this video, we’ll provide an overview and tips from our December 2021 partial transit
of the Panama Canal when our ship – the Emerald Princess – sailed through
the new Agua Clara locks, from the Caribbean Sea to Gatun Lake and back.
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Our day at the Panama Canal started at 5:30 in the morning,
when we headed to the observation deck at the front of our ship to secure a viewing spot.
We picked our fantastic viewing spot based on the recommendation of our room steward.
While we waited for our ship to be approved to enter the canal,
we sat in the dark in chairs that Princess provided for guests.
Princess also provided umbrellas, which were very helpful during the occasional rain shower
and for shielding us from the hot sun throughout the transit.
Our full journey – from entering the canal to Gatun Lake – took our ship about four hours.
During the transit, Princess’s Destination Lecturer
provided a live commentary from the bridge, which could be heard on the open decks,
in the buffet and some interior venues, as well as in guests’ staterooms.
The Lecturer’s insights and stories significantly added to the overall enjoyment of our visit.
Just a few minutes before sunrise, our ship passed through the breakwaters
to officially enter the Panama Canal about seven and a half miles from the Agua Clara locks.
Shortly after passing through the breakwaters, a pilot boat approached our ship
and a local pilot came aboard to navigate the ship through the canal.
As we continued at a very slow pace along the canal,
we passed the Panamanian cruise port of Cristobal.
Our ship returned to the port later the same day to collect passengers returning
from ship-sponsored excursions before heading back out to the Caribbean Sea.
We also passed a Panamax-sized ship, which was built to maximize the size of the ship
that could still fit through the older Gatun Locks.
About an hour after entering the canal – around 7:30 in the morning – our ship
came to the Atlantic Bridge, which is located about two miles before the locks.
The cable-stayed bridge was opened in 2019
to accommodate larger ships for the new Agua Clara locks
and to allow traffic to cross the Atlantic side of the canal regardless of the lock operations.
Roughly half a mile past the Atlantic Bridge, there was a fork in the waterway.
The older Gatun Locks – which first opened in 1914 – were located to the right
and the new Agua Clara Locks – which opened in 2016 – were located to the left,
which is the direction we continued.
At around 7:50 in the morning – as our ship approached the
locks – a tugboat came to help guide us through the locks to Gatun Lake.
The new Agua Clara locks use a system of large, rolling gates to open and close each lock
and tugboats are used to help vessels move and maintain their position.
Ships transiting the Agua Clara locks can be upwards of 1,200 feet long
and almost 170 feet wide, which allows for almost
three times as much cargo compared to ships that can transit the older Gatun locks.
Both the new locks and the older locks consist of three consecutive locks that
operate by gravity flow of water from Gatun Lake, which is situated 85 feet above sea level.
No pumps are involved in the operations.
Additionally, the new Agua Clara locks have water-saving basins – which were visible
off the side of our ship – to help reduce the amount of water needed to operate the locks.
For a more detailed explanation of how this whole system works,
we highly recommend watching Practical Engineering’s video
“The Surprising Efficiency of Canal Locks,” which we’ve linked in the description below.
It took almost two hours for our ship to pass through all three of the Agua
Clara locks and we entered Gatun Lake a little before 10:00 in the morning.
After our ship anchored in the lake, passengers who purchased shore excursions from the ship
were transferred to their excursions by water shuttle.
A bit before 3:00 in the afternoon, our ship turned around
and headed back through the same Agua Clara locks.
After leaving the locks, our ship stopped to pick up shore excursion guests at the service port
before heading back out to the Caribbean Sea.
Now, a few tips to help you enjoy your visit to the Panama Canal.
Our first tip is to visit the Panama Canal, even if you can’t book a balcony.
Many people say that you must have a balcony for a Panama Canal cruise.
However, during our cruise, there were plenty of opportunities
to see the sights from our ship’s public areas and open decks.
In fact, most balconies will have a fairly limited view off one side of the ship,
while the public areas and open decks will allow you to see much more – including
both sides of the ship – and help you fully appreciate the scale of the canal operations.
Our next tip is to expect possible delays during your Panama Canal transit day.
Don’t be surprised if there are delays for many aspects of the experience,
including entering the canal and locks, shore excursions, and more.
We spoke with fellow passengers who were very thankful they brought snacks, water,
and other items with them on a shore excursion
since they were delayed returning to the ship by a couple of hours.
Our third tip is to be prepared for hot, sunny weather with passing rain
if you’re planning to spend a few hours watching your ship transit the locks.
We were thankful to have sunscreen, hats,
water, umbrellas, and even towels to cover our legs as we sat in the intense Panamanian sun.
We were also thankful to have JellyBean,
who happily volunteered to bring us food and snacks from the buffet!
Our next tip is to do some investigating in the days before your actual canal transit
to find the best place to view the locks from your particular ship.
By talking with crew members, we learned about observation areas that were
not immediately obvious to us, including an adults-only private retreat area that could be
reserved for an additional fee and an observation area that was not listed on our daily schedule.
Our fifth tip is to give some consideration to what time you want to get to your viewing spot.
During our cruise, there were very few people at the observation deck before sunrise.
However, just half an hour later, the same location was noticeably more crowded.
And about 20 minutes after that – as the ship passed
under the Atlantic Bridge – the area was standing-room only.
Interestingly, after our ship passed through the first of the three locks,
the crowds decreased dramatically as passengers started getting ready for their shore excursions.
So, if you’re not planning to go on a shore excursion
and you really don’t care about seeing the first lock, you can avoid the crowds
by waiting until your ship gets to the second and third locks or by waiting until your ship
completes the return transit – if you’re doing a partial transit – later in the afternoon.
As a bonus, during our cruise, parts of the observation decks were
shaded during the ship’s return transit.
Our next tip is to be aware that each set of locks has its own webcam.
If you have access to the internet while on board,
try to catch a screenshot of your ship as it passes through the locks.
We’ve linked to the webcam site in the description below.
Our seventh tip is to head to the back of the ship
as soon as you’ve reached Gatun Lake to see all three locks from a different perspective.
After spending so much time looking “up” at the locks, it was interesting to look “down” at them.
Finally, our last tip is to ask the ship’s photographers
where they’ll be setting up to take passenger photos with the locks in the background.
In addition to getting your photo taken by the photographers, we also recommend taking
your own photos with the locks, just in case the professional photo isn’t to your liking.