February 2, 2025

Over the span of a decade a little more than a century ago, tens of thousands of workers drilled dynamite holes, drove steam shovels and labored with
pickaxes, all the while fighting malaria. While the French builder of the Suez Canal ultimately gave up in Panama, American crews persevered and created
a route allowing ships to travel across a continent. The new route took 10 years to build and shortened a ships voyage by 7,800 miles.

Today, after passing the pre-dawn lights of Colón, we started into the first of three chambers of the Gatún Locks before 7 this morning, raising us about 85 feet from the Caribbean Sea into Gatún Lake.

We spent much of the day sailing through the lake and the Culebra Cut, an 8-mile gorge through the Continental Divide. Finally, we transited the Mira Flores locks and eventually sailed under the Bridge of the Americas and by the Mira Flores Visitor Center where you are always welcomed by waving Panamanians.

But that was not the case today.

As we approached the Miros Flores Visitor Center around 4:00 p.m. the ship was stopped, and I could see that the visitor center’s gallery was closed. I could also see a very unusual site-a military sniper positioned by the roof of the center.

The reason for all this security. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio was meeting with Panama President Jose Raul Mulino to negotiate with Mulino over ownership of the canal and was scheduled to make a speech at the visitor center at 4:00 p.m. Luckily for us, the Secretary was running late, the guards let the ship proceed, otherwise we may still have been stuck in the canal.

The reason for the Secretary of States visit.

Holland America (and most other cruise lines) has full-transit cruises between the U.S. west and east coasts, as well as Caribbean cruises that pass through the first locks before turning around in Gatún Lake and returning to the Caribbean. Holland America pays between $400,000 and $450,000 for each passage and schedules each one months in advance so we can transit during daytime. Approximately 14,000 ships pass through the Panama Canal each year. As they say: “follow the money”.

The Volendam will moor in Fuerte Amador near Panama City tonight. From there the Volendam will head south to Ecuador. On the way to Fuerte Amador, Chongae captured a beautiful picture of the Panama skyline and world-famous architect Frank Gehry’s Biomuseo, the Biodiversity Musuem.

Thanks for traveling with us.

Sorry, had some trouble with my first paragraph configuration and sent out without correcting.