We've just returned from a wonderful cruise on Princess Cruise Line....the Love Boat line that has two ships (Island Princess and Coral Princess), specifically built to transverse the Panama Canal. We were on the Island Princess, and this was our third time through; the other two times we were on the Coral Princess.
My contention has always been if you are wanting to see the Panama Canal, you should do the entire cruise from ocean to ocean. To do that though, you have to do the 14 day trip. The 10-day trips just take you into Gatun Lake and you go through one set of locks, then they turn around and return to your port in Miami or Ft. Lauderdale.
Our itinerary started in the port of San Francisco, we made a stop in Cabo San Lucas, a stop at a port in Nicaragua, a port in Costa Rica, then through the Canal, then a stop in Cartagena, Columbia, a stop in Aruba, then our departure port was Fort Lauderdale.
Nicaragua was a surprise. The last time we were there about 8 years ago, I was real depressed when we left because every place we visited was not real inviting. This time, despite the fact that Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, it is one of the safest in Latin America. They are famous for the volcano presence in that country...25 of them and eight are still considered active. We even visited one that was active and walked around the rim and there was steam and the sulpher smell in the air. The tour guide was very educated and experienced, had even spent some years in New Orleans, and he gave us some interesting history of the revolutions that he had lived through. He said though that tourism in that country has really grown in the last 4-5 years and that they were getting more and more cruise ships stopping and paying a visit than in years past.
Every time I have visited Costa Rica I have been impressed. ...this time too!!! They are famous for their coffee and banana plantations as well as their botanical gardens. We visited all of them, again!!
The last time we went through the canal, looking toward Panama City from the Bridge of America that connects Costa Rica and Panama, there were only about 3-5 small 8-10 floor skyscrapers on the horizon. This time...WOW!!!...it looked like New York City skyline with 15-20 10-20+ floor skyscrapers. My guess is that the money they have been able to generate since the United States turned the canal over to them has really energized their economy.
Looking at the engineering marvel that the canal is really blows my mind....and then they have opened another canal adjacent that is deeper and wider and can handle large container and tanker ships as well as the larger passenger ships. The passenger ships have not been invited to transverse the new one yet, but their time is coming. More on the Canal next week.
If you are interested in this experience, we can certainly guide your thinking, so drop in at The Travel Factory, 4150 Southwest Drive, Ste. 120 at the Plaza in Park Central, between Rosa's and Chick-Fil-A. Or for any other travel experience, our staff is the most experienced in the Big Country, so come on by or call at 698-1421 or 800-760-4040. We love to talk travel; we really love to SELL travel!!