Queen Victoria Jan 28 2023: Transiting the Panama Canal

Let's just start by saying that the Panama Canal Transit, through the original system of five canal locks, is remarkable. Halfway through, I turned to Phil and said that I had been afraid that it would be anticlimactic; and that it was absolutely anything but.

The sky was beautiful as it was only around 6:30 AM when our day in the canal began (dawn was around 6). We looked out on all the tankers, bulk carriers and container ships waiting to start their passage through. 

We were very fortunate to have a narrated trip starting from just before 7 AM all the way to our sailing out into the Pacific around 5:30 PM. Richard Wainio, the former Canal Authority Administrator (who had lectured several times on board) engaged us with history, statistics, and anecdotes. 

Phil set up a video recorder (with time lapse) which is posted below. Frankly, we nerded out looking at all the equipment, mechanical procedures, ship watching, and experiencing the amazing journey. A silver lining to being confined to quarters was that it forced us to focus on the journey instead of running around the ship looking for "the best" photo ops and viewing angles. A big plus was that our cabin was optimally located for viewing the transit.

We had breakfast just before entering the Canal and lunch in the middle of our cruise through Gatun Lake. Our room service meals have been very good. We get a call every day from the Purser's Office to see how we are doing and if we need anything. Cunard has been very good to us.

The transit takes about 10 hours, in the hot, tropical sun. I'm glad we were well prepared with sunscreen and water. Our reward is a certificate, confirming that we've been through the canal.

Here is our 10-hour transit reduced to just over a minute, as viewed from our balcony: