Hats off to Panama Canal
Ah, memories — how they seem to flow without any sense of order as time passes.
Panama Canal history — was that junior or senior high? I’m not sure, and it doesn’t matter. About 27,000 lives were lost cutting an 80-kilometre canal through the steamy jungle.
Today, freighters and cruse ships slowly traverse this water highway, from the Pacific to the Caribbean Sea or the reverse, through locks each capable of handling two ships at a time.
In 2014, new locks are scheduled to be completed, and larger cruise ships will be able to travel the canal.
The prime season for Panama Canal travel is from October to April, and consumers have a wide choice of voyages, with departures from Southern California and Southern Florida. During the 10- to 14-hour journey (depending on canal traffic), experienced tour guides will point out the history and the highlights.
The Panama Canal cruises offer a chance to see a truly magnificent engineering feat and places you are less likely to see on shorter cruises from Southern Florida and Southern California. As an example, East to West ports such as Cartagena (Colombia), and Curaçao and Aruba, part of the Dutch ABC Islands. After transiting the Canal westward, you will find ports in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Southern Mexico and the Mexican Riviera before arriving in Southern California.
On March 13, Carnival takes it one step further, with a cruise that takes you from New York to Los Angeles over 15 days as the ship positions for a Mexican Riviera itinerary before sailing halfway across the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii and finishing in Vancouver.
Princess and Holland America, the two lines at the forefront of Alaska cruising, have the most ships that reposition through the Canal before and after the Alaska season, in addition to operating Panama Canal cruises during the 2012-13 winter season.
One cruise package that is almost all-inclusive is Holland America’s Zuiderdam voyage from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver. It’s a 23-day trip departing from your gateway city April 18. The package includes air, hotel, taxes, fees for both air and cruise, transfers and a few other on-board goodies. Starting price for a balcony is $3,499 out of Vancouver, $3,699 from Calgary and Toronto, and $3,749 from Edmonton, with prices available for other Canadian cities. Cruise Plus is the company packaging the trip (Cruiseplus. ca or travelandcruisedeals.com, or call 1-800-854-9664). Some of the ports on that cruise include; Curaçao, Aruba, Cartagena, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, ports along the Mexican Coast, then San Diego, Victoria and finally arriving in Vancouver.