The Panama Canal Cruise

Part of the Series: Exploring the World Series

This program takes viewers on one of the most memorable cruises a person can ever experience - a voyage through history and the Panama Canal. This 10-hour cruise from ocean to ocean is a sailing experience like none other. Here we learn how the U.S. purchased the canal from France and was able to overcome numerous dangers to create one of the greatest engineering marvels of the modern world; it officially opened in 1914. Aboard Holland America, one of the oldest shipping companies in the world, having begun operations in 1873, we discover that ships must pass by three locks, Gatun, on the Atlantic side; then Pedro Miguel and Miraflores on the Pacific side, in order to travel through the canal. This trip also makes stops in Georgetown, the capital city of the Cayman Islands; San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica; Guatemala, to visit the best preserved Mayan ruins in Tikal; and Acapulco, the largest resort city on the western coast of Mexico.