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I wanted to see what it was like looking out my deck 3 cabin window as we descended.  They were both pretty wet from the humidity but I managed to get some pictures working around the water droplets on the outside.




Not bad for concrete work that is over a hundred years old in the Panama humidity.

Pictures don't do it justice.  I've taken a series of video clips that I plan to stitch together that will hopefully capture the day. 
Until I get that video put together here is a clip that should give you a better idea of what it's like to move between the lock chambers, how close the ship is to the walls of the lock and an up close look at the locomotives.
 

A tanker ship is now opposite us locking in the Southbound direction.

Another benefit of being down on deck 5 is the ability to move around and experience different areas of the process. Having cleared the lock chamber the gates behind us close and we get ready to repeat the process again.

Approaching the Gatun locks.

The men in a row boat get ready once again.

Bill Benny our commentator talks about the signal on the lock that was used in the days before radios.  It's still maintained and is in operation today. 
If the arrow is pointed straight up the lock is not ready, do not approach.  If the arrow is pointing towards the 2 o'clock position it means the locks are being prepared and should be ready in approximately 10 minutes.  If the arrow is horizontal and pointing to the right it means enter the right lock. In the position displayed here it means approach and tie up with the locomotives.  

Massive rubber wheels protect the corners of the locks.

To our right that orange tanker is progressing into the new locks.

We begin to move towards and line up with the lock wall.


Tugs push us towards the lock was so that locomotives on the port side can be connected.


With the locomotives connected on the port side and tugs pushing us on the starboard side we move forward.  The locomotives on the starboard side return from their last ship and get ready to send their cables to the ship.

On our left the Gatun Dam makes all of this possible.

The earthen dam is very wide.  It took a tremendous amount of earth removed from Culebra cut to build enough land over 90 feet tall to create the lake.  It is said that there is enough earth in the dam to build a wall 5 feet tall and 1 foot wide around the circumference of the planet at the equator.  

The concrete structure in the middle is simply the spillway that can be used to release excess water when required due to heavy rains.  

This is what keeps the lake at 85 feet above sea level.

To our right that orange ship we saw in the new locks on the Pacific side has reached the new locks here on the Atlantic side.

We will use the original Gatun locks. 


A Southbound tanker clears the locks and begins to make her way across Gatun Lake.

Reaching Gatun Lake there was an opportunity for some ship activities.   
Bill Benny our guest commentator hosted a brief presentation followed by a question and answer session that lasted over 50 minutes.  This was invaluable and I learned so much during this event.  It's really quite something that Royal was able to find a resource like Bill to take the cruise with us.  One question was "How much does it cost for Vision of the Seas to use the Panama Canal?".  I'll get into that later in another post.

Anyone who has sailed across the international date line or the equator will know there are ceremonies that mark the occasion.  Our cruise director staff put together a spoof on this concept for our Panama Canal crossing.  

Basically 'court' was held and various crew members who were charged with various 'crimes' were handed down their sentence.  


On the far left is Enzo our Activities Manager.  Steve our Cruise Director took delight by ordering an extra pie for Enzo.

This progressed with the Staff Captain eventually being called before 'the court'.

Once through the Culebra cut we enter an arm of Gatun Lake where it begins to widen.  




A railway runs along the canal that in places is visible.

At this point we are roughly halfway across Panama.  Screen capture from the MarineTraffic.com app:

While creating the man made Gatun Lake solved the largest span between the oceans it didn't quite reach all the way to the Pacific.  The 8.75 mile gap required another solution - digging.  Enter the Culebra Cut, also known as Gaillard Cut.  The volume of earth removed from this section of the canal is staggering.  

At one of the narrowest spots you can see the terracing of Gold Hill and Contractor's Hill from the original days of canal construction.

This area was known for its landslides dumping massive amounts of earth back into channel of the canal as it was being excavated.

While the effort to construct the entire canal is impressive the amount of effort to create the Culebra Cut is mind blowing.  Spoils removed from the cut were hauled away in train cars used in other areas of the canal or dumped in the jungles.  The earthen Gatun dam that creates Gatun Lake was created from this excavation.   

Tugs are always at the ready in case a ship suffers a breakdown or mechanical issue that could be devastating to canal operations.  If a ship lost propulsion or ran aground and closed the canal that would cost a fortune in lost revenue.  Consequently tugs always escort ships through the Culebra Cut and they are ready to spring into action should a ship start to get into trouble.


The canal is quite deep to accommodate the draft of the biggest ships that can use the canal so you can imagine how landslides were an issue over a hundred years ago and even to this day in places.

Looking at the vegetation and how thick the jungle is you can imagine what it would have been like when workers first arrived to begin working on the cut.

Efforts continue to ensure run off from the rainy season is managed in a controlled fashion.

With that we were now up to the level of Gatun Lake.  Moving around the ship I wanted to see how it looked from different areas around the ship.


Looking back from where we came it was clear how the original locks were augmented with the Pacific access channel for the new locks to the right.  In the case of the new locks there are still three steps but they are all done in one lock complex so they bypass Miraflores Lake.

The Solarium roof was once again open.


Next we pass under the Centennial Bridge.  

Speaking of our announcer we are lucky to have Bill Benny on board.  He worked for the Panama Canal Company for 30 years.  Along our transit he provided a wealth of information that really made the experience a lot better. 

Add me to the list of people spending money after a Twangster live blog. The canal is now at the top of my future-cruise-scheduling list! Watching the locks looks so fun and interesting. Thank you! 

Indeed.  Back in the day mules were used extensively along canals.

The fact that those little engines are called mules doesn't surprise me in the least ..... considering canal boats from the 1800's were pulled by mules.  Cumberland, MD, where I am, is the western terminus of the C & O Canal National Historic Park

A little bit about the Panama Canal.
In order to make it from one ocean to the other the ship needs to reach the man made Gatun Lake that lies in middle of Panama.  That involves three canal locks that are used to lift the ship a total of 85 feet (~26m) to reach the level of Gatun Lake.  Once across Gatun Lake another series of three steps in canal locks lower the ship back to sea level.
From West to East we will go through the Miraflores locks, across the small Miraflores Lake and then into the Pedro Miguel locks.  Once through those locks we will be at the level of Gatun Lake.  On the Atlantic side of Gatun Lake the Gatun Locks will lower us in three steps to the Caribbean Sea and Atlantic Ocean. 
Miraflores Locks
There are two steps in these locks.


These tugs are an important part of the canal operation. Ships our size are assigned two tugs.

Two people in a row boat...

They bring "messenger" lines over to the ship that will be used to haul the steel cables from the locomotives over to the ship.  Ship lines are not used in the transit.

The crowds at the front of the ship do become somewhat thick.  An opportunity to meet new friends. 


The Miraflores locks will lift us two of the three steps required to reach the level of Gatun Lake.

The locomotives on each side will help guide the ship into the lock channel and keep the ship centered. These have been upgraded over the years but their function remains the same as it was in 1914 when the Panama Canal first opened.

The locomotives are nicknamed "mules" and operating under guidance from the control room,  the onboard seamen and the pilot they keep the ship moving centered in the lock chamber.  The ship uses it's own propulsion to move forward.

As the ship moves forward we approach the lock door that hold back massive volumes of water.  Behind us a set of lock doors will close creating a chamber for us to ride in.

Once the doors behind the ship close the lock is flooded with water.  The spray seen here is normal leakage, the chamber is actually filled from below. 

As the chamber fills we can sense we are gently rising.

It's a subtle rise that can be hard to notice.  The water line against the lock doors can be used to see how far the water has risen.  


With our first lift complete the lock doors in front of us open and we advance into the next lock chamber.

The ship before us is already moving into Miraflores Lake.

The orange ship in the new locks has already reach the level of Gatun Lake and is starting to move forward to continue the transit.  The Borinquen Dams separate the new Pacific access channel where this ship is from Miraflores Lake.


These Miraflores locks were originally completed in 1913. 

A visitors center allows people to view the locks (and us) in operation.

One more lift to go to reach the level of Miraflores Lake.

I noted our seamen in the bow looked different.  That's because the ship crew who normally handle the lines got the day off.   When transiting the Panama Canal local seamen come on board to handle the lines.

In the last photo of my above post you can sort of see there is a split or fork in the channel.  
As we moved forward it became clearer the path to the left are the new locks for neo-Panamax larger vessels.  The fork to the right leads to the original locks for vessels meeting the original Panamax standard.
Here is a neo-Panamax ship being helped into position to enter the new locks.


An old locomotive possibly from the Panama railroad that used to run between the coasts.

The new locks on this side of the canal. 

Those pools of water in the foreground are part of the water conservation approach used by the new locks.


As we continue on towards the right and the original locks we can begin to see the Miraflores locks around the bend.

Day 11 - Panama Canal
This is going to take a few posts, bear with me.  

In the early morning light you could see a virtual fleet of ships at anchor waiting their turn.


Panama City was becoming visible through the morning fog.


I was surprised by the number of high rise buildings.

We continued to glide through the flotilla of ships until we approached the Bridge of the Americas.


This bridge is the lowest of three bridges that now span the canal.  This is the original and lowest of the three.  The NCL Bliss as the largest cruise ship to ever transit the Panama Canal squeaked under but only at low tide.

Vision was built within Panamax standards so there is no question we'll slide under quite nicely.

Once past the Bridge of the Americas our adventure really begins.

Have you forgotten? On a cruise ship, desserts have no calories! ??

Sail away was timed perfectly with the Costa Rica sunset.




Lots of small boats out tonight.


The flight of the Pelicans.

Back to the tour base...


"No swimming" - no problem, I'll gladly comply.

Our two motorcoaches from the train were gathered to take in a few cultural dances of Costa Rica.


Fresh local fruit was available as well as some free Costa Rica coffee to sample.   


Shopping is also available.  Of course I bought some Costa Rica coffee from a small farm to take home.

Back on the motorcoach we begin the drive back to the port and cross the river again to see... more crocodiles.  

Today's excursion in Costa Rica is "Pacific Train, Boat and Bus Adventure" booked through Royal.
We start by boarding an ultra modern motorcoach for a 25 minute ride to a train.  This Sandy Point area back in the days contained a cargo terminal to handle the growing coffee trade that Costa Rica was becoming known for.  Completed in 1914 trains carried the coffee to the port.  Today much of track is no longer used or serviceable but we ride the train along section of the old tracks that once was used to transport coffee to awaiting ships.

Along the way we spot a monkey in the tree. 

The motorcoach pulls up very close to the stairs of the train so it's a quick transfer from bus to train.

Soon we start down the old tracks.



Along the tracks are shanties put together with whatever materials people can find.

As we pass through some mangroves a termite mound is spotted.

The people are very friendly waving as we pass by.



An opportunity to try a local beer, Imperial.  La Cerveza de Costa Rica. $3.



More friendly people waving to us.


The train cars were refinished in original materials when they started using the railroad for passengers.



Forty five minutes later we've gone roughly 5 miles and it's time to re-board the bus for the next adventure.

They pull the bus right up so we never touch the ground.  Maybe because it's still rainy season they do this to avoid tracking dirt and mud into their coach, I'm not really sure but it makes for an easy transfer. 

As we drive off to our next stop we pass the train reversing back towards it's starting point.



While not fast moving the train is a nice way to see some of the countryside we otherwise would have never seen.

Love the early morning pictures. One of my favorite times on board. Walking around with a cup of coffee, enjoying the quiet beauty of the morning. The best!

Day 9 - Puntarenas, Costa Rica 
This area has a tidal approach that required we enter at high tide so at 3:30am the bow thrusters woke me up.  




Finally the sun broke the horizon and day began.

This area was dark when I first went top side so I started to see why this area is called Puntarenas or point of sand.

The pier is halfway down the point and in the early dawn light I could tell this area looked spectacular.

Lots of these guys checking us out.  They have a pretty large wing span and that beak looks like it means business.

Day 8 - Sea Day
Ugh.  The cruise is half over!
Our progress as we sail off the coast of Nicaragua... 
 
Pretty great weather so far as we do some bird watching on this sea day.

It's pretty amazing to see them fishing.  They dive completely underwater to pursue a fish. 

When one of them catches one it's like a 2 for $20 t-shirt sale on the promenade.  

I forgot to mention the phone call the other day.   My cabin phone rang and a woman from guest services introduced herself.  
They had noticed I was booked on Empress out of Miami when this cruise ends.  They would be offering transportation from Vision in Ft. Lauderdale to Empress in Miami.  Details would be forthcoming as we get closer to Ft. Lauderdale.
This was unsolicited.  I didn't mention my plans to anyone. 
I was planning on using a rideshare figuring I could take my time debarking and making my way to Miami.  This is even better.  
#royalwow

Nice tour.  Thanks for sharing