67

LM

su16

(785) 749-2529  |  540 Fireside Ct., Suite B

Fireplaces | Stoves | Inserts | Barbecues | Firepits

The Fire Place

 

Your Hometown Fireplace Specialist

 www.thefire-place.com

EGGHEADS SINCE 2007

COME JOIN US!

If you want an on-board experience, you can book a 

full-transit (ocean-to-ocean) or partial transit of the canal 
by ship. Generally scheduled on weekends, these trips start 
at the marinas on Amador Causeway in Panama City and 
end at Gatun Lake for the half-transit (taking 4–5 hours), 
or at Colon for the full-transit (8–9 hours). The partial trip 
provides enough of an experience for most people. Prices 
vary from $115–$150 for the partial trip to $165–$200 for 
the full trip (with discounts for children).

For a different perspective of the canals, visitors can 

ride the Panama Canal Railway, which runs from Corozal 
(by Albrook in Panama City) to Colon on weekdays at 
7:15 a.m. You exit in an industrial zone outside Colon at 
8:15 a.m., where you can hop a quick shuttle to the cruise 
ship port, Colon 2000, and hire a taxi and driver for the 
day to hit the beach towns along the road to Portobello (a 
car and driver for full day usually run $80–$100). The train 
back to Corozal departs promptly at 5:15 p.m. For better 
views, grab a seat on the left side of train in morning and 
on the right side in afternoon.

In Panama City’s Casco Viejo (Old Town), I spent 

hours in the Museo del Canal Interoceanico, which 
features a $5 recorded tour (in English), photography, 
artifacts, videos, and traveling exhibits. The historic 
museum building was once a post office, but it was 
originally built in 1875 to house the French company 
that first tried to dig a canal.

THE FUTURE

My most recent trip to Panama was a month-long 

stay with ample opportunity to enjoy the nation’s 
beaches, culture, cuisine and nature. But the canal was, as 
always, a highlight. 

Even for the engineering-challenged, it is a rush see 

giant ships close enough to touch (well, almost touch). 
Visitors will now be able to see the new canal lanes, 
which can accommodate the “New-Panamax” generation 
of ships that can carry up to 14,000 freight containers 
(take a good look the next time you see one container 
and imagine 14,000 piled on top of one another). 
This new type of vessel triples the maximum capacity 
now possible to ship through the canal and requires 
infrastructure that most U.S. ports lack.    

So, while the new canal is ready, the United States is not. 
It’s going to be an interesting cruise.