Visiting Panama and the Panama Canal – Ten Day Cruise through the Panama Canal

If you’re wondering why you should visit the Panama Canal and Panama City, this recap of our trip through the locks and cruise excursions will make you want to book a trip today!

The third stop on our ten day cruise through the Caribbean (and arguably the pinnacle!) was the Panama Canal and Panama City.  (First stop was Aruba, and second stop was Colombia).  Unlike many of the Panama Canal cruises, ours was not a one way ride.  We took the Coral Princess (which was built specifically to travel through the Panama Canal!) through the first set of locks and into Lake Gatun.

We then disembarked, while the ship turned around, so we could finish our tour of the Caribbean and return eventually to Fort Lauderdale.  While the cruise ship did not go all the way through the Panama Canal to the Pacific Ocean there were tours available for those who wanted the full experience.

I am not a morning person. I repeat.  I am NOT a morning person.  So when I learned that we really should be up and about by 6AM to see the ship go through the Panama Canal locks system, it may have flitted through my brain to skip it and sleep a little longer.

You guys.  I’m so glad I didn’t do that.

First of all, it was a stunningly gorgeous morning.  Panama is so lush and green, it’s almost surreal looking.  But second of all, OH EM GEE!  We went through the Panama Canal! And it was SO FREAKING COOL!

If you travel through the locks on the Coral Princess (which by the way, THANK YOU Princess Cruises for hosting us and giving us this incredible experience!), there’s a secret way to enjoy the journey.  Go to level 11 and go all the way forward.  You’ll come to an unlabeled wooden door.

Go through it.  (Trust me on this).  It will take you out to a secret deck where you can enjoy an incredibly up close and personal view of the lock system with the handful of others who are in the know.

After we made it most of the way through the first set of locks, we realized we were starving and headed up to grab some breakfast.  We were able to snag a window seat and continue the view of our journey through the canal.  We also spied the gentleman who was narrating our trip!

While there were tour options to go through the full lock system and into the Pacific Ocean, Wesley and I chose to do a tour of Panama City instead.  We hustled back to our cabin and got dressed – all the while peeking from the balcony to see as much as we could see!

It was truly incredible how exactly the ship fit through the canal.  There was no room for error!

When we coasted into Gatun Lake, I was awe struck.  Lake Gatun is a massive man made lake  to the south of Colón, Panama.  It was the biggest man made lake at the time it was created. It forms a major part of the Panama Canal, carrying ships for 33 km of their transit across the Isthmus of Panama. (Wikipedia)

Gatun Lake is so much more expansive and beautiful than I ever could have imagined.  Wesley had to call me off the balcony several times to remind me that we needed to get ready for our excursion!

Old Panama City, called locally Panama Viejo, was beautiful and had a very mature vibe to it.  Like, people weren’t coming their for spring break, they were coming to enjoy the culture and ambiance.  Panamá Viejo is the remaining part of the old Panama City and former capital of the country. It is located in the suburbs of the modern city. Together with the historical district of Panamá, it has been a World Heritage Site since 1997. (Wikipedia)

Wesley spied a hawk hanging out on one of the ruins.  So of course I had to grab my zoom lens out and get a picture.  I would have sworn he was looking right at me.  Such a beautiful creature!

I couldn’t decide what pictures to include, so I’m pretty much showing you all. the. things.  You’re welcome.  To me the feeling of the town was an inspired mix of Miami meets Spain.  According to the Princess Cruise website, Casco Antiguo displays a mix of architectural styles, which in turn reflect the cultural diversity of the country. Caribbean, Republican, Art Deco, French and Colonial architecture mix in this historic area. Most of Panama City´s main monuments are located in Casco Antiguo. During your walking tour you will see the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Theater among other buildings.

Church is a huge part of the culture in Panama, and the ones we visited were truly splendid.  I couldn’t keep my eyes off this incredible wood door at the entrance to one of them.  It was massive and had beautiful carving and iron work detail.

Wesley, who is decidedly not a shopper, was super patient with my hemming and hawing over all the pretty things for sale, and even helped pick out the jewelry.  We found the vendors in Panama to be very nice and willing to bargain, but not pushy like some of the other places we’ve visited.