| Are you thinking about taking a small ship cruise and | | | | Pedro Miguel and Miraflores. The locks lift the ships |
| looking for a truly memorable vacation experience? A | | | | from sea level up to 85 feet and then slowly lowers |
| Panama Canal cruise on a small cruise ship combines | | | | the ship using a series of water chambers and gravity. |
| a touch of the exotic along with the opportunity to see | | | | By using the three locks, the ship is lifted a total of 170 |
| one of the world's engineering marvels. In this article, | | | | feet when traveling from one ocean to the other. |
| you will learn about the history of the Panama Canal, | | | | Next, this cruise will take you through the very heart of |
| what you can expect to see on your cruise and what | | | | Central American, filled with tropical rain forest and |
| makes experiencing this cruise aboard a small ship the | | | | exotic jungle wildlife. There are several cruise itineraries |
| perfect vacation | | | | readily available, but for the traveler trying to find an |
| Originally built to reduce the time for large sea going | | | | additional touch of adventure or just an off-the |
| vessels to cross from the Pacific to the Atlantic | | | | beaten-path cruise experience, cruising the Panama |
| oceans, the Panama Canal is today a major shipping | | | | Canal aboard a small expedition ship is the way to go. |
| channel used by over 13,000 ships per year. Prior to | | | | What makes small ship, expedition cruises different? |
| the Panama Canal being built, the only option for ships | | | | Small ships can go to out of the way places the larger |
| navigating from San Francisco to New York was to | | | | ships cannot. This allows for exploration of tiny ports |
| sail around the tip of South America via Cape Horn a | | | | and remote locations. Small ships often use Zodiacs, |
| 14,000 mile journey. | | | | inflatable motorized rafts, to carry guests to secluded |
| Today, over one million vacationers cruise the Panama | | | | beaches and other undiscovered spots. |
| Canal year after year and continues to be probably | | | | Expedition cruises feature lectures concerning the local |
| the most well-known cruise selections for Central | | | | wildlife, background and culture. A small ship also |
| America. So what makes this cruise stand out? There | | | | means a far more intimate atmosphere, more personal |
| are numerous things. First is the canal itself. The | | | | service and also less formality. T-shirts and shorts are |
| Panama Canal is often referred to as the 8th Wonder | | | | the norm here, which means you can leave your |
| of the World and is truly an engineering marvel. Boats | | | | cocktail dresses and tuxedos at home. |
| transit the canal through a set of locks - the Gatun, | | | | |