CRUISING COAST TO COAST THROUGH THE PANAMA CANAL 2022-23: A GUIDE ON WHAT TO EXPECT

Book Synopsis: One of the most popular cruise itineraries is the transit of the Panama Canal on a journey between Los Angeles or San Francisco, California and either Miami or Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For many a transit through the Panama Canal fulfills a lifetime dream, as there is no other canal on earth as famous or that symbolizes as much as does this manmade wonder, opened in 1914. Other cruise itineraries include a transit through the canal, especially on the route between the west coast of South America and Florida or as part of an around the world cruise. Some cruise lines also offer an end of season repositioning cruise between Vancouver, Canada and Florida at the start of the fall season to prepare for the Caribbean itineraries or in mid spring to be ready for the Alaska cruise experience.

Today the standard cruise between Florida and California takes around two weeks to 16 days depending upon the specific itinerary. And for the majority of passengers the highlight or crown jewel of the voyage is the actual transit of the Panama Canal. It takes anywhere from seven to nine hours to cross between the two oceans, and for cruise ships it is always a daylight passage so that passengers can enjoy the experience. However, if you are on one of the mega cruise ships, your transit will be through the new, modern set of large locks, which do not have the same majesty as the older and more historic canal locks that the majority of ships still use. As the old expression states, newer and bigger is not always better.

When you look at a map of the Americas, the North American continent narrows to only 100 kilometers or 60 miles at the Isthmus of Panama, yet building the canal was a monumental undertaking in the late 19th or early 20th centuries. Tropical conditions, rough topography and the threat of disease made such an effort almost Herculean at the time, yet we humans prevailed and in 1914 the Panama Canal opened to traffic.

This newest addition presents everything you need to enjoy a Panama Canal cruise. It is loaded with maps and photos to set you up for a once in a lifetime experience - cruising through the Panama Canal.