Panama Canal Pictures

[roger001]

Way too many Panama Canal pictures are on Photobucket at the following. I did not delete any..being lazy. Ain't digital wonderful! This was the Pearl's Miami to L.A. crossing last month. We approached the first locks to lock up into Gatun Lake early morning and didn't exit the last locks by Panama City and into the Pacific until almost evening. Fasinating! The Pearl until recently held the record for most expensive Canal crossing fees at $375,000. A container ship recently beat that.

 

http://s241.photobucket.com/albums/ff281/roganderson60/Panama%20Canal/?start=all

[OceanDreams]

Great photo's ......... Thanks so much for sharing them

 

OceanDreams

[STARFISH*4]

did the Panama Canal on the Star Dec '09 our BEST cruise yet--HOPE to do it again one day!!

[bonezzz]

roger we are thinking of booking the pannama cruise for next year on the pearl frist time on ncl I loved your pic's.How was embarkment in miami heard it can be long.How was the Pearl did she seem crowded? Any info about your trip would be great. Thanks

[roger001]

roger we are thinking of booking the pannama cruise for next year on the pearl frist time on ncl I loved your pic's.How was embarkment in miami heard it can be long.How was the Pearl did she seem crowded? Any info about your trip would be great. Thanks

 

It was wonderful, wonderful, and wonderful. We spent the night before in Ft. Lauderdale and took a shuttle to the port the next day. Got there about noon, porters quickly took baggage to check, then got in long line out the terminal door. Moved very quickly into building, through security, facilitator directed us to next available check in line. Moved to a counter quickly, processed, and pointed towards boarding door. On ship by 12:30. If you were later arriving, it would probably take a bit longer. But I thought it was a good process though. No complaints. The Pearl was lovely as before when we were on her. Some events, areas, dining, etc could be a bit crowded, as are the other ships, if you hit peak time for whatever. But otherwise plenty of uncrowded areas and lots of opportunity to eat without wait if you plan just a bit. The cruise was wonderful. The ship staff, all of them, stewards, bartenders, waiters...I love them all. You give them a genuine smile and you'll bring out the smiles in them. I have nothing but good to say about the whole trip. Wish I was doing it again right now. Let me know if you have specific questions.

[dinoman]

Roger, thanks for sharing. We have booked on the same ship, same route, going from LA to Miami next year, and are getting very excited already!

[RichNY]

Thanks for posting your pictures. We will be on the Jewel's NY to LA cruise next April, can't wait..:D:D:D

[roger001]

For you planning the trip, let me highly, highly recommend you read the book Path Between the Seas before you go. It will make the event so much more interesting. It is extremely well written, keeps your interest through every page, although it is fairly long. It follows the Canal's progress from the first attempts by the French in the 1870's until its completion in 1914. All the politics, considerations given to location, design, the extreme hardships in finally building it, money, money, money, all well detailed and interestingly done. You will then realize that what you will see is indeed one of mankinds' greatest building accomplishments. One hundred years old almost and original parts still working just fine.