I woke up about 6am this morning, turned on the light, and switched on the TV in my room to have a look at the bow camera. What is saw was that it was already dawn, and there were a few hundred people already on deck. I pulled on my clothes, didn't shower, didn't shave, didn't have anything o eat or drink, and came straight up to deck 13 (actually, deck 13 1/2). I stayed there for 2.5 hours watching the whole locking process - it really is amazing to see. Our ship (NCL Star) is considered a "Panamax" ship, and is the largest sized vessel that can transit the canal - until 2014 when the new canal opens - larger in every dimension (965'x110'x42' versus 1200'x160'x60') for larger ships. I heard someone on shore (on the PA) say that we would be the largest ship to transit today, and that it would cost $435,000 USD to do it. At a canal seminar today, I heard a "pre-2010 price" of $365,000.
I met up with mom and dad for breakfast, and then back to my room for a shower and a shave. The rest of the day was spent watching us go through two more sets of locks - Pedro Miguel and Miraflora, and then a sail by Panama City and under the Bridge of the Americas. Panama City looks spectacular - I wish we were sailing closer to it.
Tomorrow is an at-sea day, and on Saturday, I have a coffee plantation tour in Costa Rica.
