Panama Canal: Choosing Your View (Balcony vs. Deck)

Specifically for the Panama Canal transit itself, we booked an Oceanview Stateroom with Verandah to enjoy the view. As the Disney Magic approached Panama and started going through the locks at about 7:15 AM, we had a great viewing experience from our balcony. I highly recommend ordering room service for a nice breakfast in the room on mornings like this. It was beautiful to see the ship enter the locks and see how the bumpers kept it from hitting against the canal walls in a crosswind. It was these bumpers moving upwards, which was our frame of reference, that we were being raised when going from lock to lock.

PANAMA CANAL · SERIES DIRECTORY

Part 1: Engineering | Part 2: Viewing Strategy | Part 3: Repositioning

I was pretty worn down after finding time to "swim the canal" before we left Gatun Lake. The lake was massive, and I was shocked that it didn't feel like a lake. As I said, who would thing that you could be sailing on a lake in an ocean liner? My perspective of lakes is quite a bit smaller, but it shouldn't have surprised me, as I've been to the shore of Lake Michigan and you cannot see the other side. We did have to spend some time on the lake, "parked" to allow other ships to pass safely, but we were near an island, so it was a beautiful view.

As we were on the upper decks, we decided to head to Deck 10 for the viewpoint at the front of the ship as we passed under the Centennial Bridge before getting to the final set of locks for the Cocoli Lock transit at around 2:30 PM. The view from the front of the ship was nice, but it was very crowded now that it was sunny, and we didn't stay long. They also streamed the view from the bridge on the Funnel Vision screen, allowing those enjoying the pool deck to still catch the front-of-ship perspective. But I did enjoy seeing that perspective first-hand, and that would have been a really impressive view for entering each of the locks. Up on the deck there were also photo opportunities to capture the experience.

Pros:

• Front of ship perspective.

• Best spot for viewing bridges as we pass underneath.

• Panoramic perspective.

• From higher up, you can see farther out.

• Unique photo opportunities, weather permitting.

Cons:

• Crowded

• Potential downpours with minimal shelter and coverage.

• You are farther above the water, so it is harder to see the change in water level in the locks.

Walking Track Deck 4

When you cruise the Panama Canal, you have a variety of viewing options to choose from. You need not choose only one perspective; you can experience several throughout your journey, as it is an all-day event. The public viewing points are primarily on the pool decks on 9 & 10 and the walking track around deck 4. Your stateroom selection also plays a part in your viewing options of the canal.

Private Balconies

Pros:

• Privacy (quieter, no crowds)

• Breakfast in bed

• Easy to get undercover if it starts to rain.

Cons:

• Limited side-view perspective, based on where your balcony is and the direction it faces.

• Depending on the balcony type, the view can be partially obstructed.

• Less information, as you need to have the balcony door open to hear announcements available on the TV.

• You are farther above the water, so it is harder to see changes in the water level in the locks.

From our verandah, we saw some Lesser Capybaras, the small animals my balcony neighbor had identified and pointed out to us, hanging out on the shore. We also got a close-up look at the tugboats that were guiding the ship. As we were near the back, we were able to get a good view of the lock doors closing behind the ship each time, before the water began flowing into the lock from beneath the waterline, causing little bubbles and whirlpools. If you stood at the balcony edge, you could see along the side of the ship and see your neighbors doing so as well, so if you don't want to be seen, just stay back from the edge, and you are hidden by the privacy walls separating each balcony.

We were getting to the second of the first three locks when it started to pour, and we were so glad that we were enjoying the morning from our verandah as we didn't get wet. This isn't the case for every balcony, as my parents, who had a verandah on the other side of the ship, were rained off their balcony. Some people got up, watched the ship's progress through the locks from the front, and got rained on. We were headed to meet up with our group at breakfast to enjoy the rest of the view from Cabanas when we noticed that the outdoor walking path viewing area on Deck 4 was also really wet from the deluge, as we couldn't see much through the downpour.

Open Air Deck 10

Cons:

• Limited side-view perspective, but you can cross to the other side fairly easily.

• Can be crowded at times.

• Potential downpours; you may get wet.

Pros:

• Closer to the water, the ship's movement within the walls of the lock is easily tracked.

• Unique photo opportunities, weather permitting

Rather than heading back to our balcony for the final set of locks, my sister convinced me that I had to experience them from the walking track on Deck 4. This was also important because we wanted to see Panama City as we exited the canal, but our balcony was on the other side of the ship, facing away from the city. Deck 4 is where the ship's descent as we were lowered back to sea level was most apparent. From my balcony, I had some impression of movement, but it was nothing compared to seeing the walls come up around you as you sank into the depths of the lock before moving on to the next. Each of the three primary perspectives gave its own personality and twist to the adventure of sailing the Panama Canal. I really enjoyed the slow morning and privacy of my balcony, the feeling of sinking into the canal from Deck4, and the beautiful view directly ahead from Deck 10.

Now that you have your viewing spot picked out, you are ready to enjoy the transit—but there is more to this cruise than just the canal. Let’s look at the bigger picture of a repositioning cruise in Part 3.