EnCompass®
The AAA Companion

Feature Article

Lifting up Giants
Article and photos by Jeff Miller

The Panama canal is an incredible sight
to behold.

The Panama Canal has always been on my list of “must-sees”—it's a fascinating piece of history and one of the engineering wonders of the world. Many say the best way to experience the Canal is by boat, which is made easy today as numerous cruise ships sail through the Panama Canal on “repositioning” trips, shuttling between summer's Alaska cruise market and winter's Caribbean ports. My wife and I chose Celebrity's Summit because it was a newer ship that also fit our time schedule.

We were in for some surprises—not only from the ship, but from the Canal as well.

Our first surprise came when we boarded. We immediately noticed how the newer, larger vessels have been carefully crafted with intimate spaces—small cafes, lounge areas and public spaces—to specifically give the impression that the ship is carrying less than the 2,000+ passengers it actually holds. What adds to this small ship effect is the Summit 's AquaSpa pool area, which successfully conveys the feeling of a conservatory, with lots of greenery, a waterfall, soothing background music and wooden deck chairs to match old-styled wood floors.

Ship design aside, most people were here to see the Canal.

“It's the way to really see the Panama Canal up close and in action,” said Jim, from Redondo Beach , Calif.

On this trip, the ship started in the Pacific Ocean and took nearly an entire day to transit the 51-mile Canal. Around 6 a.m. the ship cruised under the Bridge of the Americas , with the early morning light sparkling off the distant large glass skyscrapers of Panama City to the south. Shortly afterwards, the Summit entered the first of three locks that would lift the giant vessel 85 feet to the level of the Canal.

In a fascinating display of proportions, our 13-story vessel was met by a tiny-looking rowboat with two men aboard. They took a small bowline from us and brought it to shore, where it was replaced by steel cables that attached our ship to “mules”—squat trains on set tracks that would pull us into and out of each lock.

When we were safely in the lock—with only a few feet of clearance on each side—the lifting process began. Using no pumps and only fresh water (ocean water would corrode lock mechanisms), the locks translated the concepts of gravity and buoyancy into an incredible feat, lifting our 91,000-ton vessel without any apparent effort. The expression “awe inspiring” fits the experience perfectly.

Once through the three locks there was a nine-mile stretch through the narrow Culebra Cut before entering Gatun Lake. One of the world's largest man-made lakes, it covers more than 160 miles, crosses the Continental Divide and forms nearly half of the Panama Canal.

This was the section that surprised nearly everyone. Deep blue, fresh-water-fed channels led off in various directions, while slight, rolling hills and picturesque islands covered in lush green jungle served as backdrop. The scene was accented by a sprinkling of startling white lighthouses.

“I thought it would just be a cut through the land,” said Peter, speaking for himself and his wife Doreen. Both originally from Wales , they had moved to America 32 years before and now lived in Lincoln City, Oregon . “This, though, is really beautiful. We hadn't imagined islands and inlets and such greenery without development.”

After a leisurely cruise through Gatun Lake , the ship entered three more locks to lower us 85 feet back to the Atlantic Ocean 's level.

Throughout the transit, a Panamanian gave a good commentary over the ship's PA system. A few fascinating bits of knowledge gleaned from various sources include:

• The French started digging the canal, but after 20 years, 20,000 deaths and millions of dollars, they had completed only a third.

• When the Americans took over, they ensured success by solving two problems—they dammed a wild river to create Gatun Lake , and they got the upper hand on diseases like yellow fever that had devastated construction crews.

• When it finally opened in 1914, the Canal was the biggest construction job in U.S. history.

My wife and I had expected to learn more about the Panama Canal as a fascinating piece of history and an engineering marvel. What surprised us was the beauty of the journey. This was one “must-see” that didn't disappoint.

Jeff Miller is editor of EnCompass.