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Panama Canal: Cruise or Snooze?

Fef 2012/05/31 09:46:06
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I cruised through the Panama Canal a few decades ago on January 1st -- New Year's Day. We partied late the night before (New Year's Eve) so we almost slept in and missed the canal portion of the cruise. The technology of the canal (or simplicity compared to today's technology) amazed me. They use trains as opposed to the original mules, but little else has changed since they originally built the Panama Canal nearly 100 years ago.

Would you like to cruise through the Panama Canal?Owen and I rolled out of bed at 6 AM to see us enter the first lock. Serenity has a perfect place to see it all on the upper deck forward. As we watched the water raise our ship in the Miraflores locks, it was impossible to conceive that it will take 52,000,000 gallons of…

watched water raise ship miraflores locks impossible conceive 52000000 gallons
+7

Read More: http://travelergeoff.com/2012/05/29/sibling-sereni...

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  • Andrew 2012/06/03 01:50:48
    Snooze
    Andrew
    snooze?
    reply
  • Flamingolady 2012/06/02 23:51:05
    Cruise
    Flamingolady
    Would SO love to do t his! We went on a tour of Costa Rica last November, and it was the trip of our life! Met wonderful people, saw indescribable sights, and would love to go back.
    reply
  • stevmackey 2012/06/01 18:59:15
    Cruise
    stevmackey
    I must be a leveling experience.
    reply
  • Michael 2012/06/01 15:53:33
    Cruise
    Michael
    I have cruised through the Panama Canal several times, and each time it is a thrill. A must read when you go is "Path Between the Seas".
    reply
  • oros 2012/06/01 04:04:55
    Cruise
    oros
    Must have been great am envious.
    reply
  • Boo 2012/05/31 19:04:07
    Cruise
    Boo
    Something I want to do!
    reply
  • Stan Kapusta 2012/05/31 18:34:07
    Cruise
    Stan Kapusta
    Go for one experience, come back with a thousand.
    reply
  • Adakin Valorem 2012/05/31 18:00:51
    Cruise
    Adakin Valorem
    +1
    Yes, I think it would be interesting... and with the opening of the new "PanaMax" canal in 2014, much larger ships will be able to pass through the narrow passage between the two great oceans making global shipping costs far less expensive and expanding the market for our U.S. mfg goods.
    reply
  • Bill Adakin ... 2012/06/01 01:28:45
    Bill
    That will be chinese goods They won't have to unload on our west coast and transship on trains or trucks The chinese ships with the chinese crews will go directly to our Southern and East coast ports. This is going to eliminate a lot of American jobs. President Carter gave the canal away instead of showing some balls and telling them NO
    reply
  • Adakin ... Bill 2012/06/04 00:05:09
    Adakin Valorem
    Maybe you should advocate elimination of containerized shipping. That way, ships would have to be off loaded by cargo nets, booms, and lots and lots of dock workers! Just think of the jobs that would create when it takes weeks to offload a ship instead of just hours. Just think of the costs that would be increased! Wow, that Southeast Asian TV would cost only three times what it does now! Great Idea Bill!

    Maybe we should also advocate elimination of computers and word processors... just think of all the secretarial jobs that would create, and "CARBON PAPER"... it would create a whole new industry just making carbon paper! (I know, the young kids are saying "carbon paper...what's that?") raising costs so high that no one could afford to use anyone that needs to process substantial amounts of documentation...

    Maybe we should stick to Obama's plan of stopping the Keystone pipeline, Yeah, just think of all the trucking jobs would be created if trucks had to haul that oil from Canada to Houston... Wow, why didn't all those achidemic economists think of those job creating ideas!

    And with all those trucks hauling all that Canadian oil to Houston, I'll bet it wouldn't take any time at all for those Canadians to build their own pipeline straight to Vancouver... and where would al...
    Maybe you should advocate elimination of containerized shipping. That way, ships would have to be off loaded by cargo nets, booms, and lots and lots of dock workers! Just think of the jobs that would create when it takes weeks to offload a ship instead of just hours. Just think of the costs that would be increased! Wow, that Southeast Asian TV would cost only three times what it does now! Great Idea Bill!

    Maybe we should also advocate elimination of computers and word processors... just think of all the secretarial jobs that would create, and "CARBON PAPER"... it would create a whole new industry just making carbon paper! (I know, the young kids are saying "carbon paper...what's that?") raising costs so high that no one could afford to use anyone that needs to process substantial amounts of documentation...

    Maybe we should stick to Obama's plan of stopping the Keystone pipeline, Yeah, just think of all the trucking jobs would be created if trucks had to haul that oil from Canada to Houston... Wow, why didn't all those achidemic economists think of those job creating ideas!

    And with all those trucks hauling all that Canadian oil to Houston, I'll bet it wouldn't take any time at all for those Canadians to build their own pipeline straight to Vancouver... and where would all those trucking jobs go? Yeah, Bill those Chinese ships and crews will more efficently haul our raw materials to China and then they wil bring back finished goods to our shores where we buy then like there was no tomorrow.
    (more)
    reply
  • Bill Adakin ... 2012/06/04 00:49:07
  • Adakin ... Bill 2012/06/04 01:01:16
    Adakin Valorem
    And your solution is... what? Teriffs? Trade embargoes? what?
    reply
  • Ed 2012/05/31 17:27:45
    Cruise
    Ed
    I lived less than a mile from the Gatun Locks for 3 years, so yeah I would go back on a cruise.
    reply
  • Claybern 2012/05/31 16:09:31
    Cruise
    Claybern
    +1
    Looks like a nice cruise to me.
    reply
  • Philo-WHEREAREYOU,USA? 2012/05/31 15:41:34
    Snooze
    Philo-WHEREAREYOU,USA?
    Meh.
    reply
  • Lester 2012/05/31 15:41:29
    Cruise
    Lester
    +1
    I have sailed though the canal. Not only is the engineering amazing, but the landscape is gorgeous.
    reply
  • BOOGIE-WOOGIE-MUSIC-MAN-ROC... 2012/05/31 14:38:48
    Cruise
    BOOGIE-WOOGIE-MUSIC-MAN-ROCK-N-R
    O'kay
    reply
  • cddjmikey 2012/05/31 14:15:56
    Cruise
    cddjmikey
    +1
    My parents took the cruise a couple of years ago, they said going through the Locks was very exciting watching the ship rise inside. Of course they are in their 70's but I do think it could be interesting.
    reply
  • SiliconSorcerer 2012/05/31 14:03:58
    Cruise
    SiliconSorcerer
    I went through last year, I enjoyed it.
    On the front of the ship there were these big a... something or another boxes maybe some kind of air conditioning units or something, me and another guy boosted each other up/pulled and climbed them and took unblocked panoramic shots. I thought someone would come scream at us but they didn't.
    They are still working on the new wider passage.
    However if I could find a good job in Columbia, I'd be gone, love that place. Unlike Aruba, Costa Rica, Bahama's, etc McDonalds and BurgerKing haven't invaded and made all the woman fat! (yes oink oink, I admit it, I love beautiful skinny touched by the sun woman)
    reply
  • Leo 2012/05/31 13:36:39
    Cruise
    Leo
    +2
    Sounds like fun. Did you wear a Panama hat?
    reply
  • Elaine Magliacane 2012/05/31 12:20:07
    Cruise
    Elaine Magliacane
    +1
    I'd LOVE to see it
    reply
  • rknothead 2012/05/31 12:15:13
    Cruise
    rknothead
    I've taken a boat from New Jersey to Michigan and had the opportunity to go though the Erie and Welland Canals. What a great trip. One of best of my lifetime. When you're on a 54 ft boat, you feel like an ant in the Welland. And handling the lines they drop to you and the speed of the canal filling is simply amazing!
    reply
  • Andy 2012/05/31 12:06:35
    Cruise
    Andy
    I would love to visit... have taken other cruises...this would be great!!
    reply
  • MichaelDillon 2012/05/31 11:58:38
    Cruise
    MichaelDillon
    +2
    1967 in USS Okinawa LPH 3 on the way to NAM. uss okinawa
    reply
  • Farnsworth 2012/05/31 10:31:36
    Cruise
    Farnsworth
    My sis did that cruise, she liked it.....but she's old.
    reply
  • Jackie G - Poker Playing Pa... 2012/05/31 09:49:58
    Cruise
    Jackie G - Poker Playing Patriot
    Sounds fun - not a cruise person in actuality but the lock system would be interesting
    reply
  • sglmom 2012/05/31 09:47:56
    Cruise
    sglmom
    +2
    That would be a treat indeed ..
    SIGH ..
    just never had the funds to do so .. (nor the time)
    reply

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