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the panama canal

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 ...

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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

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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.
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.
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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

Click Here to continue the trip to Antigua, Guatemala

NORTH PALM BEACH LIFE

Contact us: northpalmlife@gmail.com

Picture
© COPYRIGHT  2022  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
    • Weather >
      • Hurricane Readiness
  • Cruise News
    • Cruise Reviews and Stories
    • Cruise Compete
  • Gigi in the 561
    • Gigi in the 561 Interviews
    • Cora
    • My Father's Tales >
      • My Father's Tales - Photo Album
  • Blogs
    • Gerry Pronounced Gary
    • Rock and Roll Rewind
    • Susan Goldfein -- Blog >
      • Susan Goldfein
  • Video
  • Travel
    • Snaps >
      • Snaps - Page 2
    • Island Destinations
    • October Odyssey >
      • Cartagena, Columbia
      • Panama Canal
      • Antigua, Guatemala
      • Cabo San Lucas
      • Birds and Bees Speakeasy in Los Angeles
      • We Love LA
      • Coast Starlight
      • Napa Wine Tour
      • California Zephyr
      • California Zephyr Part Two
      • Chicago
      • Amtrak Capitol Limited
      • Washington DC
    • Pam - Traveling in Style
    • Road Trip! >
      • Road Trip! -- Tucumcari, New Mexico
      • Road Trip! -- The Painted Desert
      • Road Trip! - Sedona, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - Sedona Wineries
      • Road Trip! Tonto Natural Bridge State Park
      • Road Trip! - Mogollon Rim
      • Road Trip! - Verde Canyon Railroad
      • Road Trip! - Jerome, Arizona
      • Road Trip! - California
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Celebrity Tour
      • Road Trip! - Palm Springs Aerial Tramway
      • Road Trip! - Festival in Palm Springs
      • Road Trip! - Willcox, Arizona and Apple Annie's Orchard
      • Road Trip! Willcox Wineries
      • Road Trip! Chiricahua National Monument
      • Road Trip! Tombstone, Arizona
      • Tombstone, Part Two
      • Road Trip! - Epilogue
    • Traveling With Joe >
      • Beartooth Highway
      • North Cascades National Park
      • A Visit to the Philippines
      • Grand Canyon National Park
      • Glacier National Park
      • Yellowstone National Park
      • Hiking in Bear Country
      • Crater Lake National Park
      • Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta
      • The Kerrville Folk Festival
      • Building Hope in the Rio Grande Valley
    • Unknown Yellowstone >
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Heart Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Summit Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Shoshone Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Grizzly Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Riddle Lake
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Pelican Cone
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Mt. Washburn
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Specimen Ridge
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Avalanche Peak
      • Unknown Yellowstone - Divide Creek
  • Contact
    • Pamela Barker - Author
    • The Story of StarText
  • Search