Hello everyone!
We did it! We transited through the Panama Canal!
Report from Dave: Part of the romance of cruising is the connection with its glamorous past. Along with an extended sea voyage, dressing for dinner, and a transatlantic crossing, there's little that compares with "transiting" the Panama Canal. For many cruisers, crossing the Panama Canal was the single biggest reason to book this itinerary. Roy Disney boarded the Magic in Acapulco in part because he and his wife are the "godparents" of the Disney Magic, but mostly because they had never sailed through the canal. Disney Cruise Line's president Tom McAlpin, a 20-year veteran of the cruise industry, also had never been through the canal until this year.
After all the reading and research I had done in order to write the Panama Canal section for the third edition PassPorter Disney Cruise Line guidebook, I was really primed for this part of the journey. To compound the anticipation (and feed my growing passion for the canal and its history) I also brought along a copy of the definitive Panama Canal history, "The Path Between the Seas" by David McCullough. I managed to finish my journey through the book in the wee hours of Saturday night, just before our actual journey through the canal began. It's a great telling of a monumental, true story.
With passage through the Miraflores locks set for around 8:20 am, we arranged for a 6:30 am wake-up call, which came just in time to enjoy a colorful sunrise on the "View from the Bridge" on our stateroom TV. In honor of the occasion, Topsider's had started serving a full breakfast at 5:30 am, and judging by all the people camped out on deck 10 forward, we were late risers! Even the crew was excited. The crew member handing out trays and cutlery in Topsider's had a small camera in her shirt pocket. A small crowd of off-duty crew could be seen from the "View From the Bridge" channel when we awoke, congregating on the crew's recreation deck and peering over the side.
Back up on deck 10, chaise lounges were arrayed side by side along the ship's rail, from stem to stern, all facing outward, all filled with waiting passengers. The narrow viewing area at the front of deck 10 between the railing and the huge glass windshield that protects the Wide World of Sports deck was packed. The camera-wielding throng could put professional paparazzi to shame as they (we) jockeyed for a clean shot of all that would transpire. My height brings certain advantages -- I could usually manage to find a gap between heads and shoulders. When Jennifer tried to shot video of me from that location, she had to hold the camera overhead on tippy-toes with the digital viewfinder rotated so she could see what she was doing.
Passing Under the Bridge of Americas
Approaching the Miraflores Lock
Entering the Miraflores Lock
Report from Jennifer: I certainly couldn't see much of our passage through the first set of locks -- I had Alexander and it was very hard to maneuver through the crowds with him. I let Dave stand at the bow and crane his head for photos while I moved back to the port side for a slightly better view. Within a few minutes, raindrops began to fall from the cloud-heavy skies. Alexander had no blanket or raincover, so I tried to get Dave's attention to indicate I was leaving for a few minutes but the crowds were much too heavy and he was behind a wall of glass. So I dashed back to the stateroom only to spend 10 minutes searching for Alexander's raincover, and another 15 getting him some milk and comforting him (it was getting to be naptime). By the time I got back up to deck 10, I'd missed a bunch of the lock passage and Dave was nowhere to be found. I spent the next three hours looking for him, roving around decks 10, 9, and 4. I was able to spy some of our passage along the way, of course, and I spoke with many PassPorter readers who noticed my search. When Dave and I finally found one another, I discovered he's been searching for me, too. It was just a very crowded, confusing morning.
Passing Through the Miraflores Lock
Interesting aside: At one point the Captain had to make an announcement for the folks on the starboard side of the ship to stop throwing things overboard as we were in risk of being fined $150,000 by the lock authorities. Apparently some guests (I hope mostly kids who didn't know better) were throwing their turndown chocolates, stuffed Mickeys, and "gifts" overboard to the canal workers.
After being reunited, we went up to deck 9 to enjoy the barbecue lunch and watch Gatun Lake go by. The sun had come out by this time and the views of the placid waters and lush greenery were beautiful. Once we were all rested and fed, we roamed the decks, taking lots of photos and videos. We moved down to deck 4 and had a fine view of Gatun Lake, passing ships, and our entry into the Gatun Locks. Mickey, Captain Hook, and Mr. Smee also came along to shake hands and pose for photos. Once we were in the Gatun Lock, we went down to deck 3 to watch the walls of the lock rise above the windows.
Jennifer and Alexander pass through Gatun Lake
All in all, we were fortunate enough to be able to view the transit from five decks, including some time in our friends Bruce and Marta's deck 6 stateroom with a navigator's verandah. We had a marvelous time (aside from our morning mix-ups) and feel very fortunate to have had this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
You can download videos that show our crossing through the canal, in two parts:
http://www.passporter.com/panamacana...namacanal1.mov - 4.8 MB
http://www.passporter.com/panamacana...namacanal2.mov - 9.4 MB
That evening we attempted to watch a movie premiere of "Valiant," but Alexander wasn't in the mood so we took turns hanging out with him in the hall. During my shift, Alexander made a decision -- he was ready to walk on his own. So while waiting for a photo op with Beauty and the Beast, Alexander stood and walked about six steps before falling. Then he did it again, and again, with more and more successful steps. I think at one point he was up to 20-25 steps before falling! I had no idea he'd just take off like that! I was practically in tears and people were applauding Alexander and videotaping him. A crew member came over and shared my joy, helping Alexander take even more steps. By the time the movie ended and Dave came out, I was just bursting with pride and joy, eager to show him Alexander's new skill. And, sure enough, Alexander did it again and again. We even managed to get it on video! It was AMAZING! You can see the video at
http://www.passporter.com/panamacanalcruise/hewalks.mov
We have more photos, of course, but only so much time. So they'll have to wait.
More later!