Panama Canal Cruise

Today, we went on a cruise on the Panama Canal going throough the Miraflores Locks, the last locks before the Pacific Ocean. We took the boat on the right. Our announcer said that it cost $5,000 for going through the locks. We had a buffet lunch on the boat.

Panama Canal

We passed a number of ships in the canal.

Panama Canal Railway

Panama Canal Railway passed our ship. It has both cargo trains and passenger trains and runs parallel to the canal on a 47.6–mile (76.6–km) route across the Isthmus of Panama from Colon (Atlantic Ocean) to Panama City (Pacific Ocean). It opened in 1855 and was very important in constructing the Panama Canal 50 years later.

Centennial Bridge

We would go under the Centennial Bridge that crosses the canal on our way to the Miraflores Locks. It was built to move traffic from the overcrowded Bridge of the Americas which is closer to the Pacific. It is the main route of the Pan American Highway.

Dutch Sailing Ship

This Dutch sailing ship was also transiting the canal.

Miraflores Locks

We are now in the first chamber of the double–chamber Miraflores Locks, the locks before the Pacific Ocean. We would share the chambers with other small vessels.

Miraflores Locks

Two catamarans and the Dutch sailing ship joined us. A tugboat joined us later.

Miraflores Locks

Our boat and the other boats in our chamber have to be lowered 54 feet (16.5 m) and this is done in two stages before entering the Pacific Ocean. We are in stage 1. You can see in the photo that the water level is going down.

Miraflores Locks’ Gates

When the water level was low enough, the gates opened and we headed to the second chamber.

Miraflores Locks

We are now in the second chamber of the Miraflores Locks.

Observation Decks

Our boat can be seen from the Miraflores Visitor Center’s observation decks, where we observed the canal traffic two days ago. You get a better view of the canal and the transit of ships through the locks from the observation decks than you do from being on a ship––my opinion but agreed to by one of my tour mates who had been on the Panama Canal twice on cruise ships.

Miraflores Locks

The locks have opened in the second chamber and we would be in the Pacific Ocean. The total time to get through the canal was about three hours.

Bridge of the Americas

The Bridge of the Americans spans the Panama Canal. It is a road bridge and was the main route of the Pan American Highway before the Centennial Bridge was built. It was built in 1962. We would be passing under it.

Museum of Biodiversity

The multicolored building on the shore is the Biomuseo––the Museum of Biodiversity. It was designed by Frank Gehry and opened in 2014. It was his first designed building in Latin America. Gehry is married to a Panamanian. We would visit the museum in two days time.

Gamboa Rainforest Resort

After our cruise, we returned to the Gamboa Rainforest Resort where we would spend the night.

I have put my photos of our Panama Canal Cruise on a slideshow. Go to

http://www.peggysphotos.com/panama–canal–cruise/

(Slide Shows, Central America, Panama, “Panama Canal: Cruise”).