PANAMA CANAL

Zoom your map way out and Panama looks like a small sliver of land, so a trip through its famous canal is a quickie, right? But not so fast — traversing the Panama Canal actually takes at least 20 hours! Cruise it and enjoy a zoomed-in real-life look at perhaps last century’s greatest engineering achievement… along with its surrounding lush, verdant lands. This testament to human audacity joins the Pacific and Caribbean in the most direct way possible, and is worth making a leisurely part of your vacation.

The Panama Canal's construction was completed in 1914. It connects the Pacific Ocean with the Atlantic Ocean. No wonder it's the 2nd wonder of the world, that's made for cruising. The best part is you not only discover the canal, but also other ports of call before and after crossing. With exciting departing destinations and exotic ports of call, crossing the canal is definitely a remarkable experience you should have at least once in your lifetime.

There are some places on this planet that are easiest to experience from the deck of a ship – the Panama Canal is one of those sights. This “Engineering Marvel” was built to aid in the faster transport of goods between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, thus bypassing the long and hazardous journey around South America and Cape Horn.