While the snow was falling recently in Chicago, I was sailing through the Panama Canal on the Pacific Explorer with Cruise West.  What an experience.  Like most of you, I had a basic knowledge of the Canal, which consisted mainly of the fact that it was located in Panama, it was hot and there was lots of water!  Imagine my surprise, when I learned there was a 50 mile lake in the middle of the entire process of crossing the canal.

Travel advice: getting to Costa Rica (in winter) in time to connect with a cruise ship is not an easy task. We flew from Chicago to Dallas, and then connected to San Jose, CR.  It would have been smarter to fly thru Miami as there are more nonstops from Miami to San Jose.  If we had missed our connection in Dallas, we would have had to fly from Dallas to Miami or Houston to get to San Jose from Dallas. 

Arriving in Los Suenos to board the ship, after a three hour drive from San Jose, was a nice surprise. The Marriott Los Suenos occupies an appealing area that includes plenty of shops, a large marina and condos.  It is a beautiful setting and warrants further investigation.



Just a few words about Cruise West – it is an excellent way to explore destinations as part of a small group.  The ship (above) carries 100 passengers. There were never more than 12 guests with a guide, whether it was a hike, a village visit, or a snorkel experience.  The guides were very well trained and extremely accesible to the passengers.  No matter what was asked of them, they were informative, pleasant and made it very clear that they enjoyed their jobs tremendously.  Included in the cost of the cruise were daily excursions, some nature oriented, and some culturally oriented.  Just about everything offered was well worthwhile.

The size of some of the other ships, however,was really staggering.  The largest ship that can fit through the locks is the Panamax ships.  These carry automotive products, electronics, grain and other items shipped in bulk.  It is really a sight to see these huge ships lined up, waiting for their turn to pass through the locks.  Once in the locks, there are locomotives on tracks on either side of the locks which are attached to the ship at several strategic points in order to guide it through the locks safely. On a daily basis, more than 40 enormous ships measuring two to three times longer than a football field carrying massive tons of cargo pass thru the locks.  The entire process can take up to eight hours, particularly if you are on a small cruise vessel that has to let the larger ships pass through first.   The cost of traversing the locks is enormous – the bigger the ship, the higher the price tag, ranging from one-quarter to one-half million dollars per transit.

The history of the canal is definitely worth exploring, beginning with the French and ending with the American involvement.  My history class never touched on the different aspects of the project, so learning about the site selection, the inherent problems with the site, the death and devastation of the workers and the politics behind the scenes was really fascinating. There is a museum at the Miraflores locks that is definitely worth a visit.  There are four floors with displays, a short  movie explaining the history, and of course a gift shop. On top of the building, there is a large rooftop area from which you get your first glimpse of ships entering the locks. 

For those interested in the port aspects of the cruise, the ship stopped in Costa Rica at Manuel Antonio National Park, Caletas Beach, Golfo Dulce and Coiba National Park.  In each destination, we were offered different kinds of hikes and nature exploration excursions, as well as snorkeling in some destinations.  One stop was in the Darien Jungle to meet the Embera people – truly a fascinating afternoon of warmth and sharing of their culture. 

In Panama, we stopped in the small town of Portobelo and also the San Blas Islands to meet the Kuna Indian people.  The last stop is very common for cruise ships and it has become extremely commercial, though the colorful products they produce make wonderful gifts for enhancing home décor. It was the posing of the smallest children with parrots on their heads so you can photograph them, for $1 per photo, that gets old pretty quickly.  Adorable is only worth so much in that situation.

What a terrific experience, all around – history, georgraphy, commerce, culture – all rolled together. Does anyone else have a Panama Canal story?