Panama Canal and Gatun Lake

We passed the Atlantic Bridge around 6:30 on the morning of March 14.  The Atlantic Bridge is the third bridge over the Panama Canal.  I was so thankful the weather was perfect!

This boat rode alongside our cruise ship as we were about to enter the locks.  Now it is going away from us to who knows where!

Our ship approaches the lower chamber of the canal locks.  I downloaded an audio app to my iPhone and recorded the ringing of the bells while going through the canal. (You'll need to click the start button to hear the bells ringing.)

While we are entering the locks, another ship is exiting the locks on the other side.

This is a closeup of the ship across from our ship exiting the locks. 

Gatun Lake is very large and was hard to capture in one shot.

While exiting the locks, one of the machines attached to our ship broke down. You can see two individuals walking on top of the locks in this image.  I estimate it took them about 30 minutes to make the repairs.

While eating breakfast, I was able to view inside the locks chamber from the dining area.

They said everyone that went outside on deck to view the locks was served a Panama roll.  I was able to eat the same roll in the dining area! It was delicious!