Situated in the country of Panama in Central America is the Panama Canal - a manmade waterway connecting the great oceans of the Pacific and the Atlantic together. It is 80 kilometers in length and is wide enough to accommodate a whole host of ocean-going vessels, including Panama cruise ships. The Panama canal marks the only point at which the landmass of the North American continent and South American continent are physically separated from each other - a fact that distinguishes the canal as a true wonder of the 20th century engineering world.
The Panama Canal was initially designed to cut travel time for vessels that needed to cross between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. It first opened its commercial doors on 15 August, 1914 and is now used by more than thirteen thousand vessels each year. Along the canal's length are three sets of locks. The locks act as water elevators, enabling vessels to traverse upslope/downslope across the canal terrain.
A Panama cruise takes in the full length of this magnificent canal, revealing some awe-inspiring views of an incredible feat of engineering, as well as offering a tantalizing selection of tour options along the canal. These include sailing or kayaking on Gatun Lake, through which the canal passes. Visitors can also book a tour of the Panama Canal railroad, which takes in dramatic views of the canal itself and the Central American rainforests.
Vibrant Panama City with its eclectic mix of architecture, people and culture is an essential excursion to take while on a Panama cruise. The historical district of Casco Viejo is well worth a visit, if only to see the remnants of the 17th century Spanish fortifications there. For sports-minded cruisers there is a world-class golf course located just 20-minutes away from Panama City.
Panama cruises depart from many of the coastal seaports around the U.S. The most popular cruise routes are one-way cruises departing from one port on the Atlantic or Pacific side and ending at a U.S. port on the opposite coast. Round-trip cruises are available too. These provide passengers with more 'at sea' time, and use the Panama Canal as the furthest destination point on the cruise.
Whether one-way or round-trip, Panama cruises incorporate other stops en-route to the Panama Canal and are often of between 10-20 nights in duration. A typical 12-night round-trip Panama cruise itinerary departing from Florida includes calls at Mexico, Jamaica, Costa Rica and Columbia as well as taking in the entire length of the Panama Canal. With so much variety on offer, its no wonder a Panama Cruise is top of the vacation wish list of many an American!
John Metcalfe is the webmaster for A to Z Cruises which is the No1 resource for Panama Cruise related Information on the Internet. Be sure to visit his site here:http://www.azcruises.com/panamacanalcruise/
Copyright John Metcalfe - http://www.azcruises.com
|
|
 |
florida Home
florida Directory
Orlando Florida FIshing -Redfish Capital of the World
When visitors think of Orlando and Central Florida, they imagine the exciting attractions, breath-taking roller coasters, and swimming with the dolphins. What many people don't know is that fishing in the Orlando, Florida area is just as exciting....
...Read More
Florida Alligator Stalking Vacations
Alligators were the furthest thing from our minds as my wife Ana and I traveled along the coast of northern Florida. We had paid $23 to camp in our conversion van at a beautiful state park on the beach the night before. In the morning we saw a...
...Read More
Costa Rica Visitors Guide
Costa Rica is a wonderful place to visit with your family or even alone. Many couples honeymoon in Costa Rica combining romance, adventure and mystical visits to volcanoes, rainforest's, waterfalls, and secluded beaches. Our goal here is to provide...
...Read More
|
