CRUISING THE PANAMA CANAL AND RIDING CENTRAL AMERICAN RAILS By Jack Turner
CRUISING THE PANAMA CANAL AND RIDING CENTRAL AMERICAN RAILS By Jack M. Turner
The
Panama Canal has been known for a century as one of the world’s top
man-made engineering marvels. A cruise through the canal provided
us the opportunity to ride the transcontinental Panama Canal Railway
and take a short train ride in Costa Rica as well as an Amtrak trip
across the United States. It was a trip I highly recommend. We
boarded “Island Princess” on Tuesday, April 9, 2019 at Port Everglades,
between Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale. As we returned our rental
car to a nearby rental agency, a Brightline train could be seen making
its way north on the adjacent Florida East Coast Railway tracks.
My story “Riding Brightline Over The Florida East Coast” details a ride
on Brightline a few months earlier. As we stepped onto the ship
memories flooded back from our December 2006 round trip cruise from San
Pedro outside Los Angeles to Hawaii also aboard “Island
Princess”. That cruise was bracketed by Amtrak trips between
Florida and California as discussed in my story “Florida to Hawaii
Aboard Amtrak and Princess”. This was
our first cruise in a mini-suite and the added size and amenities of
that accommodation set the standard for future cruises, especially
lengthy cruises like this one. The first night was highlighted by
meeting our tablemates at dinner, couples from Arizona and
Massachusetts. As always, Princess Cruises delivered a fine
dining experience followed by an outstanding show in the Princess
Theater, a daily routine we enjoyed throughout the journey. The
next two days were coveted sea days that allowed us to enjoy the ship’s
many features while taking the day at our own pace. Passing the
mountainous coast of Cuba and viewing the moonlit sea from our balcony
were highlights of those days.
Our mini-suite featured two flat screen televisions, two beds, a sofa bed, bathtub, and a balcony
Our
first port of call was Cartagena, Colombia, a surprisingly cosmopolitan
looking city. As we sailed into the harbor the city skyline
resembled Miami with dozens of high-rise buildings nuzzled right up to
water’s edge. The port area was interesting as a bird aviary
featured flamingoes, colorful parrots, peacocks, and other exotic
birds. Adjacent shops provided a good place to browse area
merchandise within close proximity to the ship. Other passengers
ventured farther from the ship to explore Cartagena’s Old Town district
and other sights. This day held special meaning to us as it was
our first ever visit to South America.
Welcome to Cartagena, Colombia
Island Princess docked in Cartagena
Flamingoes at the aviary near the Cartagena pier
Colorful parrots at the Cartagena aviary
Sailing out of Cartagena whose skyline resembles the Miami skyline
The
following day started early for us as the ship made a full transit of
the 40 mile long Panama Canal and the passage consumed the entire
daylight portion of the day. We made sure to arrive at the
Horizon Court buffet before 6:30am to snag seats beside forward-facing
picture windows so we could observe the entrance to the Canal and the
first set of locks from that vantage point. Before long the
entire viewing area was full and we were happy that we got there
early. This location also had the advantage of being close to the
breakfast buffet lines as well as exits to outdoor viewing areas. A tall
bridge under construction for several years stood near the entrance to
the Panama Canal. It was soon obvious that the Panama Canal is a
busy place as countless oceangoing vessels were visible as we moved
forward. By 8:20am we reached the Gatun locks where our ship
entered a series of three chambers whose heavy steel gates would close
in front and behind “Island Princess” before the chamber was
flooded. The effect of this was that the ship was raised 27 to 30
feet in each chamber bringing it from the sea level elevation of the
Atlantic Ocean to the 89 foot elevation of massive Gatun Lake.
Concrete piers ran along each side of each chamber and small
locomotives, tied to the ship with steel cables, guided “Island
Princess” through the chamber. Two locomotives were alongside
each side of the bow (forward end of the ship) with two more alongside
the stern (rear of the ship). A bell on each locomotive made a
distinctive clanging sound much like an old trolley car. The
locomotives were vital to safe passage through the locks as “Island
Princess” had only a two foot clearance between the side of the ship
and the pier on each side. Many of today’s mega ships use the
nearby locks that opened in 2016 which are wider than the original
locks that we traversed. In fact, the only other Princess cruise
ship that fits through the original locks is “Coral Princess”, sister
ship to “Island”.
Following
a cargo ship into Gatun Locks in the Panama Canal. Note that
vehicles can cross in front of the steel chamber gates.
The cargo ship has been raised as the chamber is flooded
Helper locomotives used to guide ships through the locks along with a railroad crane and turntable
The helper engines climb a steep incline at the end of the chamber
A few
feet away on the opposite side of the pier off our port (left) side
were the chambers for ships headed from the Pacific to the
Atlantic. It was interesting to watch the process of lowering
another ship headed the opposite direction while we were in the
locks. Total time in Gatun Locks was just short of two
hours. After leaving the third chamber of Gatun locks we entered
Gatun Lake, the world’s largest man-made lake at the time it was
created. Today only Lake Mead, east of Las Vegas, is
larger. The Panama Canal opened in 1914, an unimaginable feat for
that era. Passage through Gatun Lake took over five hours and
allowed us to enjoy views of tropical rainforests, mountains, and the
village of Gamboa. At times the Panama Canal Railway could be
seen on the port side with the best view coming at the railway’s
crossing of the Chagres River on a cantilevered bridge. Though
our cruise was westbound, we sailed a southeasterly course from the
Atlantic to the Pacific.
Gatun Lake is the world’s second largest man-made lake
Panama Canal Railway crosses the Chagres River as seen from Island Princess
In
mid-afternoon “Island Princess” passed beneath the Centennial Bridge
then through the Pedro Miguel lock. This operation was viewed
from our balcony where we could watch the locomotives guide us through
the narrow chambers. Soon we entered the Miraflores lock where
the process of lowering the ship back to sea level was viewed from our
dining table at dinner. It was amazing to witness how far below
the top of the pier we reached and the effect was much like riding in a
slow-moving elevator. Almost 12 hours after entering the Panama
Canal, “Island Princess” exited into the Pacific Ocean after sailing
below the Bridge of the Americas.
Centennial Bridge is one of three highway bridges spanning the Panama Canal
Exiting Miraflores Locks en route to the Pacific Ocean
A tanker sailing toward the Atlantic
Passing beneath the Bridge of the Americas in late evening near Panama City, Panama
Day 6,
Sunday, April 14, found us anchored off Puerto Amador, Panama on the
outskirts of Panama City. After tendering to shore we stepped
onto a tour bus which took us to Corosol to board a Panama Canal
Railway train that paralleled the Canal to Colon. The railway
began service in 1855 to haul freight between the two oceans and has
continued this service even after the opening of the Canal over 100
years ago. A brief cessation of service occurred late last
century but the railway resumed operation in 2001 and today is busy
hauling passengers and freight. Our 44
mile transcontinental train trip departed at 11:27am with a former
Amtrak F40 engine on both ends of the train. The entire train was
painted in a catchy yellow, red, and black color scheme inspired by the
Kansas City Southern Railway. Coach # 104 “Rio Pequeni” was
comfortably outfitted with booth-style seating and large picture
windows. The train car was pleasantly cool, a welcome change from
the toasty outdoor temperatures brought on by being just 9 degrees
north of the Equator. Our tour guide for the day and a pleasant
female conductor made the trip enjoyable by pointing out passing sights
and serving boxed lunches and soft drinks.
F40 # 1861, a former Amtrak engine, brings up the rear of our excursion train
Our tour guide and conductor preparing to depart for Colon
Six minutes into the train ride we passed Miraflores locks followed by
Miraflores Lake. In between views of the canal, the railway
passed through lush forests dominated by palms, banana trees, and other
tropical vegetation. Shortly the Pedro Miguel locks appeared on
our left side and a few minutes later we crossed the Gamboa Bridge over
the 120 mile long Chagres River. Beyond the river the rails
passed through Gamboa, a small village that exists to service the
Panama Canal. Our tour guide Jorge provided information about the
rain forest through which the railroad passes including the fact that
this area is home to monkeys, anteaters, eagles, manatees, and other
exotic animals.
Ships plying the Panama Canal can be seen from the train
Our boxed lunches were contained in a map covered box showing our route
Crossing the Gamboa Bridge over the Chagres River which we saw the prior day from our ship
The rear of the train crosses the Gamboa Bridge
Inside our assigned car “Rio Peguini”
Maintaining a steady 45 mph speed, the train passed below the
under-construction highway bridge near the Atlantic end of the Canal
just 75 minutes into its journey and pulled into Colon at
12:50pm. The sea to sea train ride had been much faster than the
prior day’s passage aboard the ship! The tour bus picked us up at
the end of the ride and drove us to Gatun locks where we visited the
visitor center overlooking the new, larger Gatun locks. There we
watched huge oceangoing freighters being raised or lowered as “Island
Princess” had been the prior day. This visit plus the previous
day’s passage allowed us to observe the locks from multiple vantage
points, something that will remain in my memory a long time. Our
excursion ended back at Puerto Amador where we again boarded the ship
to continue our journey toward Los Angeles.
F40 # 1858 “Ciudad de Gatun” at Colon
“Rio Pequeni” after arrival in Colon
This full dome
car was operated by Southern Pacific (SP 3603) and served Amtrak (AMT
9372) briefly then was converted to an ice cream parlor in St.
Petersburg, FL.
A Panama Canal Railway stack train seen from our motor coach during the return to the ship
A ship passes through the wider Gatun Locks as seen from the visitors center
Monday
was another relaxing day at sea and we had a chance to enjoy many of
the ship’s amenities. One of the upper decks housed a challenging
putt-putt golf course that produced some excellent matches between
Christine and myself. We also enjoyed one of the swimming pools
and the adjacent hot tubs. “Island Princess” contained some
interesting shops that invited browsing as well as numerous venues
where a variety of live music was played throughout the day. The
Internet cafe provided ample opportunity to keep in touch with family
back home as well as track the progress of our favorite college
baseball team. The only down side to the day’s activities was the
need to wash laundry but even that was relatively simple thanks to the
existence of a laundromat on each deck including one right down the
hall from our mini-suite.
The challenging putt-putt course is one of many fun activities aboard Island Princess
The Lotus Pool and adjacent hot tubs offered great places to relax
The atrium is a great place to hang out or visit a variety of shops
The
eighth day of the cruise took us into Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
Known as a favorite destination of many travelers to Central America,
Costa Rica did not disappoint. A variety of small villages
dotting the landscape were seen from our tour bus as we made our way to
a stretch of narrow gauge railroad near Caldera. During the bus
ride we spotted numerous disconnected sets of rails running down the
grassy median of a city street. The bus stopped at a small
pavilion where local students performed several native dances.
Following the performance, about 125 passengers boarded an old train
consisting of a small industrial locomotive, two open window coaches,
and a caboose. We
departed Caldera at 8:45am and rolled along very slowly through a
village then skirted mangrove swamps before coming upon another small
village. School was out on this particular week so numerous young
children waved from trackside behind their small houses.
Apparently, they knew the routine as tourists aboard the train had been
handed a bottle of soda and a bag of plantains at the beginning of the
journey. Many tossed their unopened plantain bags to the kids as
the train slowly loped along. Mountains soon appeared in the
distance and a large hill stood in the foreground on the left side of
the train. About a half hour into the ride the train backed down
a wye track and stopped beside the tour busses that would transport us
to a river cruise about an hour away.
Sunrise along the coast of Costa Rica as viewed from our Island Princess balcony
Inside our coach on the Costa Rica Railway
A common sight during the Costa Rica train ride was kids waving as we passed
Children wait for passengers to toss bags of plantains
Curving through a village during the short train ride
The short train at the end of the line
Two coaches accommodated tour passengers
A caboose brought up the rear of our train
During
the motor coach ride we passed banana plantations, oak trees populated
by wild monkeys, and a black sand beach. The tour boats that
plied the river were similar to those that used to travel the waters at
Florida’s Silver Springs (minus the glass bottom). Many forms of
wildlife were spotted in the groves along the river and in the water
itself. Most notably we viewed parrots, eagles, crocodiles, bats,
and other wildlife. After about an hour on the river we loaded
back onto the motor coaches for the hour-long drive back to Puntarenas
to board the ship again. The train ride had been short and far
from luxurious yet it had provided an excellent glimpse into life in
this country while the bus and boat rides had given us a look at some
scenic remote areas.
Wild monkeys seen from the motor coach
One of two tour boats pushes back from its dock for the river tour
Mangroves lined parts of the river in the heart of Costa Rica
A black sand beach along the coast of Costa Rica
On
Wednesday we docked at San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua and enjoyed an
all-day tour that took us to the Masaya Volcano, located a few miles
south of Managua, the capital city. An overlook allowed us to
look down into the crater which constantly emits sulfur dioxide
gas. The tour also took us to an interesting large outdoor market
where Nicaraguan crafts and clothing were sold. Along the
way we viewed a large lake, sugar cane fields, and many other unique
features of life in Nicaragua. A stop at a museum housed in a
former church rounded out the interesting tour.
Sunrise off the coast of Nicaragua
Approaching San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua
Masaya Volcano
Another
sea day allowed us to relax and enjoy more of the amenities found
aboard “Island Princess”. Throughout the cruise we enjoyed
breakfasts and lunches in either the Horizon Court buffet or in one of
the formal dining rooms. Dinner was always in the elegant
Provence Dining Room where the food and service were outstanding.
On this night, however, we had a change of pace and dined in
Sabatini’s, a specialty restaurant on board “Island Princess”.
The Princess Theater provided nightly entertainment in the form of
singers, dancers, and comedians. Later I enjoyed watching the
movie “Apollo 11” poolside as part of the “Movie Under the Stars”
presentations. It was interesting to lie on a chaise lounge under
the stars on a balmy tropical night and look overhead at the moon while
watching a movie about mankind’s first moon landing.
A nightly highlight was viewing Pacific sunsets from the Promenade Deck
A variety of pastries were offered at breakfast along with our entrees
Enjoying dinner on a formal night in the Provence Dining Room
Delicious entrees made dinner in the Provence Dining Room special
There
was no shortage of food on this cruise as in addition to the dining
rooms, specialty restaurants, and the buffet, multiple other options
existed. Adjacent to the swimming pools one could visit take-out
places offering pizza, hotdogs. hamburgers, and ice cream.
Additionally, 24 hour room service was available by simply calling a
dedicated phone line. Port
calls in Huatulco and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico were sandwiched between
more sea days during which we enjoyed viewing the mountainous Mexican
coast as we sailed northward. Each evening we enjoyed watching
the sun set into the Pacific from the railing of the Promenade Deck and
later gazed at the moon casting its silvery beams across the Pacific
waters from our balcony. The sea days again provided a
chance to relax and enjoy the ship at our own pace. On the 16th
day of the cruise we docked in San Pedro, CA and rented a minivan so we
could sightsee all day then catch Amtrak’s Sunset Limited that night.
Arriving in Huatulco, Mexico
Welcome to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Emerald Princess (left) and Island Princess at Puerto Vallarta
Sunrise as seen from our balcony as we travel northward
Princess helped me celebrate my birthday by decorating the door to our mini-suite
Sunset on the final full day of the cruise
Cruising is a great way to
see the world while being pampered. In addition to a wide variety
of excellent dining options, there are countless activities to suit any
taste as well as many places to simply relax. Several Princess
cruises offer tours that involve riding tourist trains. Alaska
and St. Kitts come to mind in addition to Costa Rica and the Panama
Canal. The Panama Canal Railway ride was a great offering during
this cruise and the train ride in Costa Rica was interesting though
short. Our departure port for this cruise (Port Everglades) can
be reached by taking Amtrak’s Silver Star or Silver Meteor to Fort
Lauderdale and now is also accessed by Brightline (recently
rechristened Virgin Trains USA) which presently links West Palm Beach
and Miami. In the future service will extend to the Orlando
airport. The San Pedro cruise terminal is directly linked to Los
Angeles Union Station via an Amtrak Thruway bus and Amtrak trains
connect to many points across the United States.
To complete this Panama Adventure, we took the Sunset Limited from Los Angeles to New Orleans:
