Day 7: The Panama Canal
Day 7
Today started early. Very, very early. We woke up at 4:45am EST. By 5:25am, we were out on the bow of the ship as far forward as they would allow us to go. The bow is normally closed, but opens for this special transit. The way things work at the Panama Canal is basically at the whim of the Panamanian Government. When they decide you can go through, you get to go through. For $300,000, the Zuiderdam scheduled this day at 5:30 am as its transit time over a year ago. What this means is that we are likely to get through on our scheduled day somewhere around our scheduled time. As we pulled into Panama, we passed the many ships waiting in the Atlantic Ocean for their chance to go. Some have been there for a few hours, some a few days, some a few weeks. Due to their cargo or possible health quarantines, their transit status is in a holding pattern.
We were told there was going to be a 45 minute delay. However, we had prime spots in the pitch blackness of the night and we were not going to budge until we were in the first set of locks. We got to see the bell ceremony where the cruise director and travel guide threw mimosas on the bell. Finally, at about 8:30am, we started to pull into the first set of locks. It all happens very, very, very slowly. The ship only has two feet on either side to spare. They hook the ship up to mules (trains) who guide the ship through the lock. We only scraped the sides once getting into place. That first opening of the doors is a thrill of exhilaration as you slowly start to move forward into the first set of three lock chambers.
Once we were heading into the second chamber, we decided to go eat as we were starving by this point. We ran back to the cabin first, and I called information to confirm that our shore excursion which was to leave at 9:30 was delayed. The front desk said they had not received any information about that and that we should report to the Vista Lounge for our shore excursion. It was 9:20am and we still had not eaten. We grabbed a plate, three chocolate croissants, and a chocolate milk in the Lido Restaurant and then headed to the Vista Lounge wondering why on earth we had to be there at 9:30 when we hadn't even cleared the second set of locks. They certainly can't tender us off of the ship in the middle of the chambers.
The Vista Lounge was a source of confusion. No one knew what was going on. Finally, at about 9:40am, as we are completely missing the second set of locks, the Shore Excursion coordinator announces, "We are not quite ready yet. You should not be in the Vista Lounge; you should be out enjoying the locks. Stay in public areas and we will announce when you should report to the lounge for your shore excursion." Duh!!! I was furious at this point because there is simply no excuse for this sort of lack of communication. We headed back to the Lido deck to eat some eggs and get some protein in our bodies for the long day ahead. Shortly after we left the third chamber, we received word that we were to meet in the Vista Lounge.
By 11:00am, we were finally tendered off the ship and on the bus to drive to Gamboa. Here, we boarded a ferry that took us through the remaining two sets of locks lowering us back to the level of the Pacific Ocean. The ferry we were on got right up on the lock wall. So close that we were able to touch it. Our lead guide was Errol Dunn who was absolutely wonderful and gave us quite a colorful commentary. If we learned nothing else, we know that he is very thankful to the Floridians for housing Noriega and keeping Noriega out of Panama! He is very proud of the new Panamanian democracy.
Taking the trip through the locks is a very long process. They won't send a small ferry such as ours through the locks. Consequently, we had to wait for a larger cargo ship to get hooked up to the mules and pulled in behind us. There is a lot of waiting at the Panama Canal. Nonetheless, you know this going in, and the waiting can't overshadow the fact that you are sitting in the Panama Canal.
The bus ride back to the Zuiderdam was two hours. I don't remember much of it because despite the bumpy roads, the exhaustion kicked in, and I dozed most of the way. We arrived back at the ship just in time for final boarding. After a quick clean up and a buffet dinner in the Lido, we headed to the evening show of Mysteriaque. This was a combo illusion and acrobatic show. It was quite entertaining and much different than the typical musical shows we've seen up until now.
Tomorrow, we dock in Costa Rica. We have an independent tour there, so we are keeping our fingers crossed that we don't miss the ship at the end of the day.