Saturday – January 24, 2026 – Panama Canal
Today’s featured photo is a selfie as we entered the first of the New Panamax locks of the Panama Canal. Rather than explain the canal in detail, I’ll just make a few comments about our transit and you can click here for a complete explanation (including a map of the canal’s sections).
We transited the canal from Pacific Ocean to Atlantic Ocean on Thanksgiving Day in 1999. In the intervening years new locks have been added to allow larger ships access, and a new bridge was built on the Atlantic side to reduce driving time for those on the North side of the canal. The canal connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. You might expect it to be an East-West route but, in fact, it is North-South. The canal is possible due to a man-made lake (Lake Gatan) which has an elevation 85 feet above sea level. Hence, you need to be raised 85 feet at one end and lowered 85 feet at the other.
Our transit of the Panama Canal began as we arrived in the area around 6:00 am. There were many ships in the area, but few were lining up to enter the canal. The ship entering just before us was a NCL cruise ship that looked somewhat smaller than MSC Magnifica – the Norwegian Jewel. The Jewel headed toward the Panamax locks, and we headed for the New Panamax locks (larger ships).
The other day we were talking with the Magnifica’s hotel manager and asked about transiting the canal. He told us that the ship is charged based on tonnage. They must submit a tonnage several days prior to entry and revise that figure daily until they reach the canal. He didn’t give the amount charged but it sounded like it was substantial. After all, you can cross the 48 miles in a day rather than traveling completely around South America (which could take several weeks).
We began to enter the first of the 3 “up” locks at 8:00 am. To be raised in each lock is a very methodical process – slow entry, docking ropes for stability, close the rear (or front) gate, pump water in (or out), remove the docking ropes, open the gate and move to next lock (or the ocean). The process at each lock takes around 30-45 minutes but can be longer if you need to wait for a ship in the next lock to clear. We reached Gatan Lake at 10:00 am and didn’t need to wait for any ships ahead of us to clear locks.
During our climb a drone made many passes to video the Magnifica. I believe MSC hired someone to take the footage so they can use it in their promotional videos and possibly include clips in the 2-hour video that will be made of this voyage for passengers to purchase. I was able to get a shot of the drone during one of the passes and included that photo in today’s group.
We hadn’t eaten breakfast so waited for the restaurant to open for lunch at noon. I had wanted to take photos as we passed the Continental Divide but that happened as we were sitting in the restaurant.
At 2:00 pm we reached the entrance for the 3 “down” locks on the Pacific side. This time there was a tanker in front of us. It seemed like it took longer to pass through these locks, but it did not – we entered the Pacific Ocean at 4:00 pm. Once in the Pacific we saw the skyline of Panama City on our port side and the Bridge of the Americas above us.
As we sailed away heading for Puntarenas, Costa Rica, there was a nice sunset. And Jan found a chocolate cake she liked for dessert (she asked me to take a photo, so I included it today).
You can view photos from our day at the Panama Canal here.