The splendor of Central America and journey through the Panama Canal
While the region itself is filled with beautiful scenery, fascinating ports and plenty of culture, no cruise to Central America is complete without journey to (and through) the Panama Canal.
No matter the size of the vessel, traversing the entire canal is an extraordinary experience. You'll probably want to stay on deck most of the time to observe the Panamanian countryside as well as to hear the bilingual canal guide describe the passage and recount the canal's fascinating history.
The most common way to enter the canal on a cruise ship is from the Caribbean, near the port of Cristobal. Ships coming from the Pacific enter the canal near the port of Balboa. Whichever side you enter, your ship will likely spend some time waiting in locks. At any one time, there may be as many as 50 ships waiting to transit, and several ships may be in transit in each direction at the same time; normally all transiting ships travel in one direction in the morning, while in the afternoon, ships bound in the other direction transit. Each ship is steered through the canal by a pilot from the Panama Canal Authority (the canal has been operated by Panamanians since 1999 ). It's also interesting to watch the canal workers.
