CRUISING THE CANAL
‘Big Ditch’ is an engineering marvel, but has become a tourist attraction
The Panama Canal, carved through dense jungle across the Isthmus of Panama, has created more controversy and intrigue than any other waterway on earth. It took a revolution, endless landslides and the deaths of thousands of workers to construct this man- made wonder linking the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific. Once of huge importance to the United States for its strategic and economic value, the canal’s usefulness faded following the Second World War when Harry Truman became the first U. S. president to propose “ditching the Big Ditch.”
Today, the Panama Canal is thriving. Not only is it undergoing expansion with construction of additional locks large enough to accommodate massive cargo ships and mega- cruise liners, the canal has become a tourist destination — especially among cruise passengers who line the ship’s rail to watch firsthand the incredible sight of their ship being raised 26 metres above sea level in the canal’s colossal locks.
Cruise ships have been transiting the canal for decades and still do. These two- to three- week itineraries run between Florida and the West Coast, and are an ideal way to experience the canal. However, if you have limited vacation time, an attractive alternative is to make a partial transit of the canal on a round- trip cruise from Fort Lauderdale. Princess Cruises and Holland America Line both offer 10- or 11- day canal itineraries that include stops at several Caribbean islands as well as Costa Rica and Cartagena, Colombia.
A full day of the cruise is spent entering, exploring and exiting the Panama Canal, followed by a few hours docked at the port of Colon where nearby attractions include the ruins of colonial forts that were built by the Spanish and attacked by treasure- seeking pirates such as Henry Morgan. But the highlight is the canal, still considered one of the world’s greatest feats of modern engineering, and this cruise provides the experience of being lifted from the Caribbean Sea and set down on a beautiful man- made lake in the middle of a tropical rainforest.
Passengers on shore excursions disembark by ship’s tender in Gatun Lake. Popular tours include riding the famous Panama Railroad from one side of the isthmus to the other. Nature tours include aerial tram rides, tropical rainforest hikes and kayaking on island-dotted Gatun Lake. Passengers who opt to stay on board the ship can enjoy a leisurely cruise of Gatun Lake followed by the experience of their ship being lowered in the locks as it exits the canal and returns to the Caribbean Sea.
The United States, which built the canal after taking over a failed French attempt in 1904, relinquished administrative control of the Canal Zone to Panama in 1999 while retaining the right to defend it in the interest of national security. Since then the canal has been run as a profitable enterprise, with the people of Panama benefiting economically under the terms of the treaty their government signed with the United States. The canal’s new sets of locks are slated to open in 2014, the centenary of the canal’s completion.
Princess Cruises offers a variety of canal cruises, including 18- day full transits between Vancouver and Fort Lauderdale. Round- trip partial transits from Fort Lauderdale are offered on Coral Princess and her sister ship Island Princess, each carrying 1,970 lower- berth passengers and 810 crew members. Entering service in 2003, these ships were custom- designed for canal cruises with a beam narrow enough for the canal’s locks but with all the features of a larger ship. Dining venues include an Italian trattoria, a New Orleans- style restaurant serving Cajun dishes, a 24- hour bistro and an elegant two- level main dining room offering flexible dining on one level and traditional dinner sittings on the other.
My husband Bill and I have always taken our two boys with us on cruises – kids and cruises really work as a family vacation, especially with the varied dining options. As on any ship, the staff set the tone and the first time we sailed with Princess the Maitre d’ assured us our children were welcome in the dining room, insisting in his warm Italian accent that small children bring life to a ship. But we found it more relaxing to take our two preschoolers to the buffet- style lido restaurant for their evening meal, then drop them off at the playroom while we went for dinner. Upon finishing our main course, Bill would fetch the boys and bring them to our table for dessert. Our youngest had a birthday the day before our ship transited the Panama Canal, and got a big kick when the dining room staff gathered around to sing Happy Birthday while he blew out the two little candles on his cake.
In addition to extensive youth facilities and supervised activities, the Coral Princess features numerous attractions for adults, such as a gym, Lotus Spa, Broadway- style theatre, show lounges and a teak wraparound promenade deck. The ship’s spacious layout, with three major stair towers and a dozen elevators, makes it easy to get around, and the majority of cabins have a private balcony — a great feature for canal cruises.
Holland America is another premium line offering partial- transit canal cruises on round- trip itineraries from Fort Lauderdale. Servicing this itinerary is Zuiderdam, a Vista- class ship carrying 1,848 passengers. Easily recognized by their flag- blue hulls, HAL ships feature a teak wraparound promenade deck lined with steamer chairs and appointed with brass finishes. Inside the ships the elegant public areas are decorated with Dutch paintings and nautical antiques. HAL’s Indonesian stewards provide a high level of attentive service and they dote on their younger passengers. Our boys have learned many a magic trick from the dining room staff on HAL ships.