Stacey is up this morning at 5:20am and wakes me 5:30am. She gets dressed and slowly so do I. The ship picks up it's pilot before 6am and starts to move not long after that. It seems like we've moved during the night because I don't see the city lights like I did before I went to bed.

Stacey goes out to the verandah to take pictures and I want to go topside. Stacey refuses cause she doesn't want to go out without a shower in pj/scrub clothes. So, I go up to deck 10 on my own.

There's already a lot of activity on the ship. Lot's of people around. I wonder what time they all got up? The forward positions and sides have already been staked and claimed, and we haven't even gotten to the approach to the channel yet. On my way forward up the port (left) side of the ship, I hear my name being called. It's Mary, one of my dinner tablemates. In fact, it's all of them. They had all found one another and were grouped together along the rail on the forward third of the ship in a clump. We chitchat about what we see, where Stacey is, etc. before I go forward for a look to see what's ahead. Wow, the very front of the ship is packed, 3 deep. Can't get by there. There is the covered sports area right behind them, where crew has setup a coffee and pastry table. It's too crowded at the front and I can't see over that many people so I keep walking around.

On the starboard (right) side of the ship I start to make out Panama City coming through the low cloud and haze. Lots of large ships waiting in the harbour and lots of tall buildings in the distance. A guide is speaking from the bridge over the speaker system giving interesting factoids about what we are seeing and where. John Wayne used to own that island, Donald Trump owns this building here, many banks and foreign companies do business here, how big the cargo ships are....etc. Good stuff all around.

Looks like we follow a large container ship into the channel and pick up a couple of large tugboat escorts. Our ship is equipped with side thrusters so we really don't need them, but they are included in the fee paid to the canal and in case the ship loses power in some freak way, they are there as backup. The guide tells us that by time time the Canal has added it's service fees on top of the toll for the ship, the cost will likely be in excess of $400,000. Yowsa! The ship would have paid a premium for prime travel time as well.

We pass under the Bridge of the Americas, and into the channel. It's not long before we approach the first set up locks, which take us up to Lake Gatun. There is the container ship already in the second lock on the starboard (right, again) lane and we get manuevered into the left, slowly and carefully. Nice bit of driving since we are a Panamax vessel. The locks are 1000 feet long and 110 feet wide. The Disney Wonder is 964 feet long and 106 feet wide. That leaves two feet of clearance on the sides! The picture I posted was taken from deck 3 at some point in the first set of locks out a porthole. At deck 4, at times, if the rail wasn't there, you literally could step off the ship onto land, it's that close. I have a few shots from higher up looking down which might show this better, but those and all other pictures will have to wait until I have much more time and much free-r internet.

Quite an amazing setup. All gravity fed, all with fresh water. The canal loses 52 million gallons of water every time a ship completes a complete transit. Everything moves very efficiently. Small rail "tractors" are tied to the ship at front and back and move along a track to help guide the ship. They don't pull or push, they just try to keep it centered in the canal. The ship has to propel itself.

It's still a sight for the locals too apparently. Several times I see people pull off roads to get out and look and wave at the cruise ship. I see workers on tugboats and other ships out on deck with camera's taking pictures of us as well. Even crew on the ship are peeking over the edge, or taking selfies occasionally. Must be their first times too.

I'm impressed at how fast you move up and down once inside the locks. Much faster than I expected. Once through the first locks, we follow a narrow, winding course through the jungle, with red and green buoys marking our route. The traffic is two way, so ships stick to their side when passing each other. It starts to rain just as we are in the locks, and keeps on coming. This thins the crowd on the top decks greatly, but it's too wet to take your camera out there now anyway.

The jungle is thick and beautiful, but with the low cloud and rain, you can't see far into the distance. Must be spectacular on a clear day. But I hear from several experienced canal cruisers, that the rain is a blessing. Sunny days are unbearable with the heat and humidity...it's like riding thought butter. The rain cools things apparently, but it's still 30C and muggy with the rain. The rain may be coming down, but you can also see the mist rising from the jungle as the warm temperature and clouds suck the water back up again. Some people claim to see monkeys, and we're told that there are lots of aggressive crocs in these waters. Lots of really good fishing too.

You can see them working on the new channels and locks for the post panamax size ships. And near the end we see the doors for the new canal...absolutely huge!! Just waiting to be installed when they get that far.

On the Atlantic side, we catch up to the container ship which has been ahead of us all day. We slide into the right side lock has they are almost into the left, and by the end of the third lock, we are the first one out. Quite a sight, passing a panamax container ship at low speed through 3 locks. Got a couple of good pictures and some video as well.

We're told that we've made excellent time through the canal and pass the breakwater into the Atlantic, the Caribbean Sea around 3:30pm local time. The pilot jumps ship not long after the last lock, and after the breakwater is past, the ship speeds up and turns eastward towards our first port stop, Cartagena Columbia. The Captain of the ship, now Captain Fabien tells us we should be there an hour ahead of schedule.

We have a carriage ride in the city schedule tomorrow, but it also looks like thunderstorms in the forecast, so hopefully it's got a canopy. If not, we could be wet. We didn't bring much in the way of raingear. Got a small umbrella, though.

Overall, a very cool experience, in a very warm environment. I'd do it again, it's that good.

I'm probably forgetting a lot too, but I'm getting tired now. Watched a movie after the canal, The One Hundred Foot Journey. It's better than I expected. We have a bit of time before dinner so we go to Wavebands for a singalong with Jeffrey Allen, the Elton impersonator. No Elton tonight. Just oldies to sing along with. This guy's a great talent. Very fun. He ends just as it's time for dinner. Half of our table is missing since they had booked Palo dinner tonight, the extra charge high end restaurant on board. $25 per person plus tip and any alcohol you buy. Nice restaurant, but we aren't doing it on any of our cruises. At least no plans to yet. But we're ok with that. Tonight was lobster night!!

King crab legs for appy, salad starter and prime rib and lobster tails as mains, with various desserts. Wow, was that good! Stacey got crab and lobster without butter, so she could have it too. Very enjoyable. One couple from Palo finished early and came back to our dinner for company and one ordered a lobster tail as well so as not to miss out. haha.

It's 11:45pm now and Stacey's already in bed and it's time I joined. It's been a long day.

Tomorrow...Cartagena!

WYWH!! You would have loved this day.

Kim =) and Stacey :)