This was my second visit to Panama and my second time experiencing the canal, but this time we took a partial transit, traveling from the Atlantic Ocean into Gatun Lake before returning to the Atlantic. The journey began with the ship entering the Gatun Locks, where chamber by chamber we were lifted nearly 85 feet above sea level. Watching the water rise and the electric locomotives—known as “mules”—guide the ship with quiet precision was mesmerizing.
Emerging into Gatun Lake, surrounded by calm waters and lush tropical forest, felt like entering the heart of the canal itself.
While the ship was paused in the lake, we went ashore by tender boat to Colón and joined a bus excursion to the Agua Clara Locks Visitor Center. From there, we watched massive modern ships glide through the new Panama Canal locks, marveling at the wide chambers, tugboats guiding the vessels, and the water-saving basins that recycle millions of gallons of freshwater with every transit.
On the way to Fort San Lorenzo, our guide made a special stop at a viewing platform overlooking the Gatun Locks, giving us the rare opportunity to see our own ship moving through the historic locks from land—a perspective that made the canal’s scale and precision even more striking.
At Fort San Lorenzo, perched at the mouth of the Chagres River, we explored the centuries-old ruins, taking in sweeping views of the Caribbean and jungle below before returning to the ship.
The ship is entering Gunta Locks (there is another ship move the opposite direction)
Locomotives ("mules") on the side guide the chip to keep it centered
Up close and personal with the new locks' in actions
Watching our own ship transiting
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