Panama Canal "Boring" ???

We just returned from a wonderful Emerald Princess cruise. (More about that on other threads).

One of our future cruise goals was the Panama Canal.

Imagine our surprise when one of our new tablemates declared traversing the canal was "like watching paint dry". I was kind of shocked. Isn't this one of mankind's greatest feats, a technological marvel that took years and that cost many thousands of lives?

Okay, we thought, just one person's opinion.

Later in the week we sat with a new couple at lunch who described their trip through the canal as "very boring".

We still have that cruise on our list. BUT, what do you people think?

Thumbs up or down?:confused:

We're leaving on the Coral in 23 days and can't wait. I'm halfway through the book, "The Path Between The Seas" Hope I can finish it before we leave.

I've talked to a few fellow cruisers who thought that the Canal transit was a tad boring, but they have been in the minority. Granted, going through the Canal is not a non stop action packed thrill ride, it does happen at what sometimes appears to be a leisurely pace. Having some sort of knowledge as to what went on a 100 years ago helps you appreciate what was accomplished. Reading A Path Between the Seas is an excellent choice, even if it is long. Not only it will give you a great deal of insight of the construction of the Canal, but it shows how Panama was destined to become a crossroads. From the Spanish discovery and their 300 years of dominance, to original Panama Railroad, the French effort and ultimately the consturction of the present Canal. You will also be able to see the next chapter being written, the start of construction of the additional locks. If you can't get that done in time, be sure to see the video hosted by David McCullough, (Path Btween the Seas) A Man, A Plan, A Canal, Panama. They have always shown the video on the ship's TV, however, the last time I looked it was still available from Amazon.

One explanation of a Canal transit failing to wow someone is that most people are impressed with it and possibly raise expectations of potential Canal travellers too high. As you pass through the locks, it is really so simple, they fill the chamber with water and you float to a higher level. When you are high enough you can sail over the Isthmus of Panama. Simple process yes, making it all come together, not so simple. Just having a small appreciation for things that were here long before us helps, whether it's the Egyptian Pyramids, the Eifel Tower, Empire State Building, the Panama Canal or anything in between should make it something you would enjoy.

Another thing that makes a good Canal transit is the narrator that is placed aboard the ship during the transit, some are very good and some just OK. Your ship will hopefully have an enrichment lecturer on board as well. Here too, I have found that their quality can very widely. Not having the best of either of these won't "ruin" your transit in any event but having a good ones will certainly help put the transit over the top!

What's the worst that can happen, you can still have a great cruise even it the Canal isn't your favorite part:D. You can get bragging rights, tee shirts and more stuff you don't need!! I'll still give it a Siskel and Ebert of two thumbs up!

We know someone who has done the Panama Canal 5 times. He obviously does not find it to be boring.

DON

We sailed the partial transit 10 day from Ft. Lauderdale two years ago for our 10th anniversary and loved it so much that we are doing the 14 day full transit for my husband's birthday in April (he had a choice of any cruise for his birthday). Is it full-tilt, action packed? Absolutely not. But is it interesting while being very relaxing. Definately. We loved the entire experience even getting a good laugh at the fellow passengers asking us where our baby sitters were since we were probably the youngest couple on the ship. Give it a shot, if you aren't thrilled by the canal itself, that's only one day and you are still on a wonderful cruise. What could be better?:p

Whoever thought the Panama Canal transit was boring must have no appreciation of history or technological achievement. Seeing the trim white control buildings with red tile roofs all dated "1913" makes you realize how much took place nearly a century ago.

We had the best situation during our Panama Canal transit last month on the Constellation - an aft balcony cabin. We had the stateroom TV tuned to the bow camera, so we could see oncoming points of interest and be ready to film or photograph them as we glided past. The woman onboard who narrated our passage was very good also.

I also did something no one else has mentioned - during the eastbound transit through the Gatun locks (when we were descending toward the Caribbean Sea) I took my video camera down to a Deck 3 porthole and got a closeup view of the canal wall as we dropped below the surface and began to be towed along by the electric mules. Great footage! The lock gates look exactly like the hull of the Titanic - black steel with lots of rivets. That's logical when you think both the Titanic and the Canal are of the same technological vintage. Good thing the gates were built in Pittsburgh out of good old American steel and not that brittle Harland and Wolff stuff!

Boring indeed! Whoever said that would probably think a flight on an SST would be boring.

Cheers,

mgcarnut

As you can probably tell, I'm a little interested in this subject, here is a picture of the Miraflores Locks with one of chambers emptied for maintenance.

Great picture!! Thanks

We just got back from a full transit on Oceania. I found it fascinating and I am not a history buff. I did read both books mentioned above and that served as a great background for the passage. The ship also had a great lecturer on board so if you didn't do the reading you would know all the history and personalities involved with the building of the canal. I didn't think the transit was boring at all and I hardly found time to eat since I didn't want to miss anything. I took lots of pictures and can't believe how tight some vessels are in the lock.

Our prior two cruises were to Europe and there is definitely a difference in the ports and nature of the trip. I definitely prefer Europe but I am glad I did the canal and it was not boring. Canal cruises also seem to have more sea days than other locations.

As a previous poster said, we just did a partial transit, and enjoyed it so much we hope to do a full transit sometime in the future.

I am on the Coral Princess right now and we came through the canal 2 days ago and have now left Aruba heading for Ft. Lauderdale. Boring? Certainly not. It was very interesting to me. I'd do it again. It is a marvel truely.

We just got back from a partial transit of the canal on the Island Princess. It is difficult to appreciate maybe from such a large ship, but we did get up early and watch the start. We then got off at Gatun Lake, and took the ferry for the full transit to the Pacific ..... wow...talk about up close, you could touch the side of the canal if you wanted. It was so exciting to go through, and in our lock was a hugh tanker, and a sailboat, the sailboat tied to our side. It was really fantastic! If I knew how, I would attach a short video for you..:confused:

We also would like to do the full transit sometime, and it will be interesting when the new locks open for the larger ships! Did you know, you also get to go through the Continental Divide???

I wonder what they did on days at sea? At least on the transit you have scenary as well as engineering marvels. I suppose you could check out the cinema. Now that would be booring.

Some people are only excited if they are on a rock climbing wall or surf pool. Other people are excited by watching grass grow. I am somewhere in between and have done the crossing twice and would happily go again.

My husband and I went to the canal during our honeymoon on Legend. It was cool to see once but after 10 minutes we were bored and ready to go. I guess for kids in school it is a great teaching spot but for us we won't return to it. We are going there again in June and will have to find something else to do.

I guess I could say that my husband and I love the Canal.....we are booked for our 4th trip for a partial transit. You can always go to the Pacific side via a smaller boat or by rail. We enjoy the stop at Costa RIca, Cartagena, and, of course, Panama......The sea days are also very special.....where else can you sit on your balcony with your special drink and a book.....and move through the sea...hearing the ship's waves....and maybe see some Sargasso seaweed. flying fish, or diving birds? or at the other islands, enjoy all the beach and water activities.

If we want a Vegas experience or a Paris stroll, we know they are still there.

I have heard both reactions. It is just a lock system. I have done the NY lock system on our own 32 foot boat and touched the side of the walls and put out the fenders...and even that was not exciting...it just was a lock system..interesting YES!

As far as your cruise, enjoy it for a brief time and then go about at sea fun on the ship. I would not imagine anyone sitting there all day.

Also, when doing a transit you are not allowed to take any private excursions.

We will be there in Nov and I plan a private excursion to see the canal and then over to the Embera Indians.

Looking is enough for me, and no more than a short time period.

The Path Between the sSas is a great book & a must read for the Canal...

There is also alot of nice historical info & photos in the Holland America brochures although w travelled on Royal C for a partial transit & are looking for a full transit on Celebrity.

(I could not reply to the specific post about the book above--just getting a little red X at the end of all the posts!)

It's funny how people see things differently - some people need 'high octane action 24 / 7 to feel fulfilled others are happier at a slower pace. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder as they say.

The Panama Canal Transit can hardly be described as boring though. How often do you get the chance to transit a continent in one day. How often do you get the chance to sail in 2 different oceans in a day. The whole story behind the canal and how it was built if very fascinating too. During the transit the scenery and vistas constantly change and it is a day to be savoured.

As for Boredom........... Boredom comes from a boring mind.

I'm glad I came upon this thread before we went on our March 8 cruise or I wouldn't have known about "The Path Between the Seas". I went right to the library and got that book for my husband to read on the plane and on the ship at night. We took the ferry excursion through the locks and it was that much more special for him because he already knew a lot of the background behind it.

Thanks to those of you who recommended the book.

Wonderful cruise, and best appreciated if you do your research beforehand. Only then can you fully appreciate the effort and history behind this amazing feat.

My research took me to iTunes and I bought and downloaded 3 TV shows about the Panama Canal, seen on A&E and History:

Modern Marvels: Panama Canal

Build It Bigger: Panama Canal

Extreme Engineering: Widening the Panama Canal

For a mere 2.99 each, you can get a great history and info about the current widening of the canal.

I saw this thread before we sailed, but felt compelled to post after a conversation with DH today. We sailed through locks on our previous cruise (North sea Canal to Amsterdam and the Kiel Canal in Germany) so the operation of the locks was not new to us. Still, this was a trip we had talked about since we first started cruising.

We were comparing the two cruises today and said they were both completely different and could not say one one better than the other.

The idea that we used the Panama Canal to cross the continental divide between two oceans was so different from our other"canal" experiences. We were up before dawn (in the pouring rain) checking out our own balcony, the aft viewing area on our deck, the bow viewing area on 3 different levels, the promenade deck, the coffee bar just above water level. Should have had a pedometer on for all the distance we covered that day while still on board ship! Once we got through the canal, what did we do? Went on a shore excursion to the Miraflores Visitors Centre to see more of the canal and locks from the land side!

I read half of the Path Between the Seas before we left (need to get it back from the library to finish) as well as any video, DVD or TV documentary I could find and checking out the Canal Webcams every few days.

DH was fascinated with the mechanics of everything, I enjoyed the scenery and we both enjoyed the sense of history.

We both said we would do this transit again, but the only difference would be to take a longer trip that ended up closer to home instead of ending in Acapulco with a full day's journey home.

Every had different ideas I guess. We have a friend who described their Alaska cruise as just another boat ride. . . .

I think the Canal is amazing, and not at all boring. I just went through again in February and if your going through, or thinking of going through, look at this time lapse video of our transit. You can make one of your own transit probably better than mine turned out if you plan it right. It's done using the Panama Canal HD web cameras from their site.

 

http://www.crewoffice.blogspot.com

Your video was great! Thanks for sharing. We are going on our first Panama Canal cruise next March on Celebrity Infinity. I can't wait.

Doris

Been on a full transit twice and would go again...

Sitting on a balcony without the crowd is a must. I don't think I would have enjoyed as much standing on crowded deck trying to get a picture.

Nothing like breakfast with Champaign on a balcony going through the canal..

Canal only as boring as the whole cruise. So if whole cruise boring, canal is boring, I have never been on a boring cruise.