Gatun Locks Panama Canal

Cruising the Panama Canal is an incredible experience. You get to enjoy some fabulous ports of call and then witness a true engineering masterpiece. This video was taken on approach to the Gatun Locks in 2013. The Panama Canal is a 77.1-kilometre shipping canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 26 metres above sea level. The current locks are 33.5 metres wide. A third, wider lane of locks is currently under construction and is due to open in 2015 - The largest ships that can transit the canal are known as 'Panamax' . Many cruise lines offer either partial transits or full transits, the hardest part is deciding on the overall itinerary and of course, the ship. Cruise lines offering Panama voyages include: Celebrity Cruises, Cunard Line, Holland America Line, Silversea, Regent Seven Seas, P&O Cruises and more.