Panama Canal - Transit

13 November, 2023

 

Puente Atlántico

I woke early, at about 6:30, because I didn't want to miss the approach and entry to the canal. Due to the vagaries of scheduling and sequencing for canal traffic the Captain was only able to provide a general window for when we might expect to start our transit. I dressed quickly, checked the ship position on CruiseMapper, and rushed up to the Solarium to make a first-hand evaluation of the situation. At 6:50 I was met with a solid layer of low overcast with steady rain.

Not exactly the weather I wished for during our transit through the jungle.

Over the next hour the weather steadily improved, and by the time we were approaching the gates of the first lock just a few minutes after 8:00 the skies had gone from solid overcast to scattered with an occasional light shower.  By the time the doors closed behind us we were experiencing jungle heat and humidity under bright sunshine. The outside decks were packed, no one wanted to miss a single moment of our entry into the Panama Canal.

Entering the first lock

The ships are guided and towed by a group of small locomotives who use braided metal lines instead of ropes to connect with the ship. Each ship uses a new set of wires for each transit, which I assume is in order to reduce potential liability due to a worn or damaged cable breaking during the process and the ship or locks incurring damage. According to my research at the time of our transit a set of locomotive wires cost $6,000, relative pocket change in the context of the total expense for our cruise ship, which was approximately $400,000. Vessels pass through three locks in sequence when entering on the Atlantic side, raising them up to the level of Gatun Lake. The locks function in tandem with an adjacent lock handling traffic going in the opposite direction. As the outgoing vessel is lowered the water from the lock it occupies is transferred to the adjacent lock, raising the incoming vessel. The same process takes place on the Pacific side, but the locks are split into a single pair and another set of two sequential locks. (Note: these references are for the original locks and not the expansion project which entered operation in 2016) 

Panamanian jungle

The entire transit takes 8-10 hours, on average. We approached the first lock on the Atlantic side just after 08:00 and exited the final lock on the Pacific side just a few minutes before 18:00 and there were no delays that I'm aware of. 

There are a few things a bit surreal about passing through the canal. The first thing that hit me was the faint lapping of water against the hull as we moved along at a sedate 10 knots or so across the flat lake, a stark contrast to the crash of the sea while running over twenty knots in the ocean. The second surreal aspect is the deep, lush green of the jungle. In some areas it's a literal wall of green that comes to the water's edge. In other places grasses begin at the water and transform into full-blown jungle a hundred yards inland. But the intensity of the green is constant, regardless of the shade. 

Panama Canal

While making our way across the lake we passed several small boats filled with eco-tourists going on jungle adventures, a few private yachts, and others offering sightseeing trips. We passed an assortment of larger vessels, from cargo ships to military ships going in both directions. Passengers on the smaller boats waved enthusiastically as they passed, seemingly amused at the appearance of a cruise ship among the myriad cargo vessels. Crossing the width of the lake consumed most of mid-day, with the visiting enrichment lecturer offering bursts of information off and on as we made our way from one ocean to another. Lunch in the Windjammer afforded the opportunity eat while still taking in the incredible views that surrounded us. 

Deepest section of Culebra Cut

The Culebra Cut, the largest section of the canal dig, was the most costly to construct in both time, money, and lives lost. In the initial phase the combination of malaria and mudslides imposed a regular toll. Between 1907 and 1914 it is estimated that over 100 mudslides occurred in the Cut. The death toll from malaria during the initial phase of canal construction under the French is placed at 22,000 souls. After the connection between malaria and mosquitoes was determined the casualty rate took a precipitous drop. 

Culebra Cut

Today, the Culebra Cut is the bottleneck with respect to ship traffic, as it is too narrow for two large ships to pass each other. A widening project completed in 2001 allows two Panamax-class ships to pass simultaneously, but in practice the Cut is still operated on a one-way basis, splitting traffic between northbound (Pacific to Atlantic) in the morning and southbound (Atlantic to Pacific) in the afternoon. Less maneuverable ships over 90 feet often require the assistance of tugboats to navigate the Cut. Modern cruise ships, equipped with azipods and bow thrusters, are among the most maneuverable vessels afloat and don't require assistance to navigate the canal. Heck, they rarely need tug assistance under any circumstances. However, in an abundance of caution, they are trailed through the Cut by a tugboat as a precaution. The Canal is marked by approximately 290 permanent buoys (as the channel is dredged and altered the number fluctuates, usually trending upward) and there are 40 lighthouses along the way. The oldest lighthouses date from the French construction era, 1881-1898. You may also see remnants of former United States military installations that have been abandoned and are being reclaimed by the jungle.

Exiting the last lock

This evening we had seats reserved for the Chef's Table. We missed the line on the invitation/reservation confirmation that asked us to meet at the Vintages Bar and instead went directly to the private dining room, where the hostess and the rest of our dinner companions eventually discovered us.

The multi-course menu was well-executed and everything was quite good, even the items that were not well-suited to our palettes. The wine pairings were thoughtful and complemented the courses well. Our dinner companions included a retired US Navy F-14 RIO and a couple from Australia, so the conversation was lively and entertaining. This is the third time we've dined at the Chef's Table with Royal Caribbean. While it's not something we would do every cruise, it is a nice change of pace every four or five cruises.