By
Elizabeth Robinson |
Caribbean Princess has become the first cruise ship to travel through the Agua Clara locks on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal.
Before the ‘New Panamax’ extension, that opened initially to cargo ships in June 2016, only vessels with a maximum width of 106 feet could enter the locks. Caribbean Princess, at 118 feet wide, sailed through the expanded locks for the first time on 26 October, one of 13 scheduled crossings during the ship’s 2017-2018 Panama Canal schedule.
“Marking our 50th anniversary taking guests to the Panama Canal in 2017 is a huge milestone, so it’s equally thrilling that we will also observe the occasion by being the first cruise line to sail a mega-ship through the newly expanded locks,” said Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia group president. “The widely anticipated expansion of the Panama Canal allows us to showcase this engineering spectacle to more guests than ever on our larger ships.”
Princess Cruises offers cruise guests three ways to experience the Panama Canal, a roundtrip from the East Coast on 10-day sailings, a roundtrip from the West Coast on 19-day sailings, or a full transit from ocean to ocean on 15-day sailings.