Caribbean Princess becomes the first mega cruise ship to sail through the newly expanded Panama Canel locks and making history for the cruise line.
Caribbean Princess has made history once again fifty years after becoming the first cruise line to take guests through the original Panama Canel lock in 1967. The cruise ship with over 3,000 passengers onboard made its way through the newly opened Agua Clara locks on the Atlantic side of the canal. The canal that opened in June 2016 is part of the 10-year, $5.4 billion “Neo-Panamax” expansion.
Jan Swartz, Princess Cruises and Carnival Australia group president, said:
“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 observed the occasion by being the first cruise line to sail a mega-ship through the newly expanded locks”
“The widely anticipated expansion of the Panama Canal allows us to showcase this engineering spectacle to more guests than ever on our larger ships.”
The Panama Canal crossing was the first of 13 scheduled sailings through the locks on October 26. Caribbean Princess is also the first mega cruise ship to do so. Before only smaller vessels could sail through the locks up to a maximum width of 106 feet, Caribbean Princess is 118 feet.
Also Read: Princess Cruises Is Sailing Through The New Panama Canal Locks
Princess Cruises is leading the way offering a full season of Panama Canal cruises. There are three ways to experience the Panama Canal including roundtrip from the East Coast on 10-day sailings, roundtrip from the West Coast on 19-day sailings, or a full transit from ocean to ocean on 15-day sailings. The sailings will be available through Spring.
