We Take Our Maiden Voyage From the Atlantic to the Pacific
By GERRY and PAMELA BARKER
North Palm Beach Life
Publish Date: February, 2020.
It's been Pam's dream since she first read about it in the Weekly Reader in elementary school -- going through the Panama Canal. And now she's done it.
Last October, we sailed on Carnival Miracle from Tampa to Long Beach, a 13-day journey that included a transit of the world's most famous canal. We had been here once before, on Cunard's Queen Victoria, but only halfway. Join us as we share some of the excitement, and the memories, of our voyage on Miracle ...
North Palm Beach Life
Publish Date: February, 2020.
It's been Pam's dream since she first read about it in the Weekly Reader in elementary school -- going through the Panama Canal. And now she's done it.
Last October, we sailed on Carnival Miracle from Tampa to Long Beach, a 13-day journey that included a transit of the world's most famous canal. We had been here once before, on Cunard's Queen Victoria, but only halfway. Join us as we share some of the excitement, and the memories, of our voyage on Miracle ...
Guests crowd on the deck of Carnival Miracle as we
approach the canal. In the distance is Centennial Bridge. 
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Centennial Bridge, opened in 2004, is the second bridge to go across the canal. It spans 3,451 feet and has a clearance of 262 feet. We held our breath while Miracle went under it.
Read the Story on All Things Cruise |
Tugs accompany us as we make our way into the canal's locks. The canal opened August 15, 1914, and it remains one of the world's foremost engineering feats. Started by the French and completed by the United States over a span of over 30 years, almost 25,000 workers died in its construction,
mostly from tropical diseases. |
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It takes close to 12 hours to transverse the three locks up and three locks down. Ships are raised 85 feet
in the process. |
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Gatun Lake plays an important role in the transit -- a ship going through the locks pulls almost 54 million gallons of fresh water from the lake into the sea. Multiply that times 14,000 or more vessels a year, and that's a lot of water!
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As the afternoon shadows fall, we approach the first lock that will start our descent -- the Pedro Miguel Lock. The Miraflores Locks will complete our journey into the Pacific Ocean.
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The fees for going through the canal can be as high as almost a half-million dollars, depending on the size of the ship
and its cargo. Typically, cruise ships are charged from $100,000 to $250,000 per transit.
and its cargo. Typically, cruise ships are charged from $100,000 to $250,000 per transit.
A new lock to accommodate larger ships was opened in 2016. Still, some of the "mega-size" cruise ships of today can't make the trip. As night falls, we are ready to enter the Pacific Ocean and bid goodbye to the canal.
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To celebrate the experience of transiting the canal, we broke out a bottle of champagne and raised a glass to the engineering marvel that works today much as it did 100 years ago. Here's to you, Panama Canal! Photos/Video by North Palm Beach Life |
