Look Who's in the Panama Canal today...

[Essiesmom]

Nov. 10.  Zuiderdam doing partial transit and Seabourn Quest westbound.

They did not sign up for the sunshine package.

 

 

Building on the maps of yesterday, here you can see Zuiderdam and her tenders milling around.  In the second view you can see one docked at the yacht club:

 

 

 

Going back out

 

 

Seabourn Quest, finally got some sun on the west side. Miraflores.  Too bad it's coming on dusk...

 

 

 

[BillB48]

11 hours ago, Essiesmom said:

Nov. 10.  Zuiderdam doing partial transit and Seabourn Quest westbound.

They did not sign up for the sunshine package.

 

 

 

Building on the maps of yesterday, here you can see Zuiderdam and her tenders milling around.  In the second view you can see one docked at the yacht club:

 

 

 

 

 

Going back out

 

 

 

Seabourn Quest, finally got some sun on the west side. Miraflores.  Too bad it's coming on dusk...

 

 

 

 

 

Of course this is just anecdotal evidence, but it seems to me the average standard time for a transit of 8 to 10 hours has edged up a bit to 10 to 12 hours since the expansion.  Where the Cut was the one area where there was a lot of one way traffic, the Canal has had to increase the areas where two ships are permitted to meet head to head.  Then you throw in a LNG carrier or two and that will slow things down in regards to other vessels even more.  Pre expansion from Gamboa to Gatun was wide open territory, now they are scheduling meeting spots for head to head meetings.

 

On another note... is the time stamp on the Miraflores camera an hour behind?  That very dusk look doesn't look like 1621 to me?

[Essiesmom]

Yes, the time stamp on Miraflores is an hour behind Gatun.  Maybe Panama City voted to join Central Time Zone...EM

[Bevv]

The Carnival Freedom just got back from the Panama Canal... with a few dings

[Essiesmom]

She shouldn't have been close enough to the walls of the new locks to get those scars...EM

[puppycanducruise]

I think she needs a paint job!

[BillB48]

May have been from tugs working on the ship??

[CruiserBruce]

6 minutes ago, BillB48 said:

May have been from tugs working on the ship??

 Agree...looks like black marks from the tires on the front of a lot of tugs.

[Bevv]

Just now, CruiserBruce said:

 Agree...looks like black marks from the tires on the front of a lot of tugs.

 

Sorry for the incorrect info. That is what I get for believing what I was told on🤐 facebook 🤐

[Essiesmom]

Today's scheduled entry is NCL Pearl, doing a partial transit of the Gatun Locks.  She got them up early, and it appears it was a bit damp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And time to go back out

 

 

 

 

 

And then glancing at the Miraflores cam, I caught USNS Comfort:

 

 

http://www.southcom.mil/MEDIA/NEWS-ARTICLES/Article/1664509/usns-comfort-departs-for-medical-assistance-mission-in-south-and-central-america/

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USNS_Comfort_(T-AH-20)

 

[Essiesmom]

On Tuesday we had two ships in the canal, NCL Bliss transiting through the new locks, and HAL Volendam in the original locks.  Both traveling eastbound.  This is kind of a mash-up of their transits.  First to enter a lock was Bliss, at the Cocoli Locks.  She has a very nice bridgecam, and notice how early those folks were to see this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Now, if anyone asks 'Can we see the old locks from the new ones?', it depends.  You probably can't see the locks themselves, but it you are up as high as the bidgecam on Bliss, you can see the ships in the Miraflores Locks.  In the next picture, about 2/3 of the way up the right side, you can see the Volendam in the Miraflores Locks:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is Volendam in the Miraflores Locks.  She paused nearly all the way up in the second lock to either take on some people, or take some off.  There did not appear to be an ambulance involved.  Then she removed the gangway, rose the rest of the way up, and carried on:

 

 

 

Again from Bliss you can see her continuing on toward the Pedro Migual Locks

 

 

 

 

 

 

And later in the Gatun Locks

 

 

Meanwhile, Bliss continues to the Agua Clara Locks on the Gatun Lake:

 

 

 

 

 

 

However, here their weather package 'cloudy but dry' apparently timed out...

 

 

 

And the last picture (finally, you say) has Bliss capturing Volendam in the upper left, having left the Gatun Locks:

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Oops!  I forgot to insert the pics of Bliss after she left Cocoli Locks:

 

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Nov. 15, Island Princess on partial transit of Gatun Locks.  Apparently she opted for the included (free) weather plan of 'I'll take my chances'.

 

 

 

 

Then her bridgecam decided it didn't want to go any further.

 

 

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for the pictures.

[ski ww]

Great pictures of the new locks.

[Essiesmom]

Nov. 18 Vision of the Seas westbound.

 

Gatun:

 

Miraflores

[Essiesmom]

Nov. 21, Zuiderdam on partial transit.  She drew a damp day, too.

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Volendam and Royal Clipper both westbound.  They bought the sunshine package.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love those tall ships

[portofrome]

Amazing!

[puppycanducruise]

Great pictures.

Love the tall ships.

[need2cruisesoon]

that was us on the Bliss!!

[need2cruisesoon]

more

[Essiesmom]

Nov. 24 Island Princess full transit.  She paid up for sunshine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Essiesmom]

Nov. 25  Royal Clipper eastbound and Azamara Pursuit westbound:

 

Royal Clipper at Miraflores:

 

 

 

 

Pursuit at Gatun, then at Miraflores where her sunshine had expired:

 

 

 

[portofrome]

Thanks for posting!