Coast to Coast Play

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

As soon as we left the bay at Cartagena yesterday, the water became very rough. It was windy, and being in an aft cabin magnifies the movement we felt. It was hard to move about in the cabin. The wind outside was howling. 

While we didn’t get seasick, it was too rough to stay in our cabin. With seasickness, you have to be very proactive. Once you start feeling seasick, you will be entering an unstoppable downward spiral. We took Bonine, which works very well, without causing drowsiness, and I also put on my wristbands. If you wait until you start feeling queasy to put them on, they will not work.

But I have buried the lede. Today is a Big Day. We woke up around the time the ship reached the pilot station. The water had calmed significantly. Behind us we could see at least a dozen large ships.

As part of our breakfast we ate “Panama Rolls.” These are fruit-filled rolls that HAL serves only when a ship is making a transit of the Panama Canal. They must have to bake at least three or four thousand of them. They serve them on the outdoor decks and in the restaurants until they run out. Here is theRecipe. Here is a blurry photo of one.

After breakfast we rushed back to our room so we wouldn’t miss the first set of locks. Someone named Stephanie narrated the passage through the canal. I think she works as a “travel guide” on the ship. She did a very good job and made the experience so much better.

Most of these photos were taken facing aft. I’m going to skip over most of the history and just let the photos tell the story of how the locks work and what you see when you transit the canal. Here are a few facts about the Panama Canal:

• It took us around 9 hours to go through.
• The distance is 80 km (about 50 miles).
• Ships are raised to 26 meters (about 85 feet) above sea level in the course of the transit.
• The locks in the original canal are 110 feet wide. A ship that can fit in these locks is called a Panamax ship.
• The canal was finished in 1914.
• An expansion was completed in 2016, with wider lanes and locks. The original lanes and locks were not affected by the expansion and are still in use for Panamax ships like the Zuiderdam.

Jungle near the Atlantic entrance to the channel

This crocodile is such a pre-historic looking creature

With the Atlantic Bridge in the background, we have entered the first lock chamber at Gatun Locks. The water in our lock has started rising as a bulk carrier leaves the adjacent lock.

A locomotive known as a “mule” can be seen at the crest of the incline in the lock adjacent to ours. 

Our lock, on the right, is almost full. The white water indicates filling or emptying. The lock on the left is about half full, while a mule waits. The water level beyond the lock gates is noticeably lower.

We are now in the second chamber of the right-hand set of locks. The red ship is going in the opposite direction.

The Gatun Control House, built in 1914

The mules are very powerful little locomotives that pull ships through the locks and stabilize ships while the water level of a lock is raised or lowered. Here’s a 13-second video of one of the mules pulling our ship through a lock while climbing up a steep grade:

Professional photographers from our ship got off the ship to take photos of passengers as they pass through the locks. Passengers are not permitted to disembark here. Here they are escorted across a lock on top of one of the gates.

Look at the different water levels

Rowboats are still used to bring the mules’ lines to the ships. Newer technology has been tried, but the rowboats still work best. The green and orange arrow lights up to let a ship know which side of the channel to enter

This dam helps control the level of Gatun Lake and supplies the Canal with electricity

Gatun Lake is enormous

We were surprised to find that the canal traffic included about 20 sailboats or yachts (and one catamaran). They all had banners that said “World Arc.” We googled it and found out they are part of a annual around-the-world rally that takes 15-months and covers 26,000 miles. Apparently they stop for sightseeing along the way. You can track the individual boats on their website,

Apparently this group started in St. Lucia in January. What an adventure! World Arc website

This area is called Culebra Cut. The terraces were made during canal construction to control erosion.

The black and white signs are navigational markers. Centennial Bridge in the background.

Tugboat and pilot boat operated by the Panama Canal Authority

One of the monstrous container ships that can only use the 2016 canal extension

Sometimes it is faster to offload containers at one end of the Canal, place them on this train, and load them onto another ship at the other side.

The control house at Pedro Miguel Locks

Three mules standing by

Here’s a 42-second video of the doors of a lock closing.

In the background you can see the channel for the 2016 canal extension. It is at a slightly higher elevation than the original canal at this location.

Here we see the canal extension with a tanker passing through it

Passing through our final set of locks, Miraflores Locks

Spectators come here every day to watch ships go through the locks

Water pours ot from the sides as the chamber behind the doors is emptied

The Bridge of the Americas is part of the Pan-American Highway

Near Panama City we passed the stunning Bio-Museum designed by the late Frank Gehry

Panama City

Today’s fabric is the mola. Molas are vibrant hand-sewn textile panels created by the indigenous Guna women of Panama. The technique, known as reverse appliqué, uses several layers of colorful cloth. The top layers are cut away to reveal the colors underneath.The loose edges are folded and tacked down with tiny hand-stitching and the molas are often embellished with embroidery stitches on the top.