New locks Panama Canal

[hunt182644]

Which if any of the Holland ships go thru the new locks. Been thru canal twice wife wants to sail thru the new locks.

[CruiserBruce]

Only Koningsdam (if allowed...special issue), Ryndam and N. Statendam would be required to use the new locks. Any of the other ships fit in the old locks, would won't likely use the new locks.

[DFD1]

IMO, HAL should never have any ships too large to fit through the old locks !!

[Mary Ellen]

We’ve sailed through both the old and new locks. The actual locks are definitely more interesting going through the old locks. Like your wife I wanted to see the difference. Once through the new locks was enough for me.

[Himself]

4 hours ago, CruiserBruce said:

Only Koningsdam (if allowed...special issue), Ryndam and N. Statendam would be required to use the new locks. Any of the other ships fit in the old locks, would won't likely use the new locks.

The powers that Be allowed the Koningsdam once and and that will be it!  The location of the lifeboats an the N>S and Koningsdam give an obstructed view of the ship and the pilots require a clear unobstructed view.  My understanding is they are working on something different with the RYNDAM.  The RYNDAM would have to use the large  locks.  It is a lot more expensive to send a ship through he new large locks.

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, Mary Ellen said:

We’ve sailed through both the old and new locks. The actual locks are definitely more interesting going through the old locks. Like your wife I wanted to see the difference. Once through the new locks was enough for me.

I a feel the same way.  I haven't actually been through the new locks but have watched several ships from the visitor center and that's my impression.  I would like to go through ONCE for a view looking down on the Miguel lock.  My preference would be to do it on the Ryndam but I expect a full Ryndam transit is a long way off.

 

Roy

[Btimmer]

The Rotterdam and Zaandam both sailed through the new locks before the Koningsdam.  And they did it at fast speeds.  

 

[rafinmd]

2 minutes ago, Btimmer said:

The Rotterdam and Zaandam both sailed through the new locks before the Koningsdam.  And they did it at fast speeds.  

 

Completely forgot that.  Thanks.  Unfortunately, I don't  think anybody was permitted to be on deck or even look out the window.

 

Roy

[rkacruiser]

56 minutes ago, Btimmer said:

The Rotterdam and Zaandam both sailed through the new locks before the Koningsdam.  And they did it at fast speeds.  

 

 

I did not realize this.  Although, I was surprised at how quickly the ships made the transit.

 

During my January partial Panama Canal cruise on the Eurodam, I was pleased to be able to at least see the waterway of the new Canal from the Crow's Nest.  A huge container ship was transiting the new locks in the same direction as the Eurodam was from Gatun Lake.  Even if one's cruise ship does not sail the new Canal, I think a guest ought to be able to appreciate the differences between the two from what they can see.  

[Btimmer]

On our last transit of the canal on the Maasdam in 2018 on our way to Easter Island, we could see the new locks and appreciate the increase in size.  When I watched the transit of the Rotterdam and Zaandam and then the Koningsdam, I was further impressed.  Transiting the canal is clearly for me one of the top travel things I have ever done, and we've been able to do the full transit 3 times. 

[bcnvcanada]

Having done both set of locks, it is so much more exciting  doing the 

old ones.   The only good things about the new locks, is that they use

much less water and most of the water used can be recycle again.

Also much larger ships can go through   

[CruiserBruce]

3 hours ago, Btimmer said:

The Rotterdam and Zaandam both sailed through the new locks before the Koningsdam.  And they did it at fast speeds.  

 

I am guessing their speed through the locks was the same as any other ship, and the water needs to be lowered or raised, and that is a pre-determined timeline.

 

Their speed through the Canal, on the other hand, might have been faster.

[Btimmer]

6 minutes ago, CruiserBruce said:

I am guessing their speed through the locks was the same as any other ship, and the water needs to be lowered or raised, and that is a pre-determined timeline.

 

Their speed through the Canal, on the other hand, might have been faster.

Correct.  I was referring to the entire transit.  As I recall the Zaandam and Rotterdam hit 17+knots in Gatun Lake.  Inside each lock, it's not a speeding area.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Currently none of the HAL ships scheduled to do Panama Canal cruises through Spring of 2022 would use the new locks - they all would use the historic locks.  Ships scheduled include Zaandam, Volendam, Rotterdam, Zuiderdam, Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam all of which were built to fit the historic locks

 

Other lines do offer ships that will transit the new locks - The Grand Class Princess ships like Caribbean, Crown and Emerald will do the new locks as well as the Celebrity Edge and the larger NCL ships - Bliss, Joy and Encore.  RCCL has no ships scheduled to the canal at any time through early 2022.  Not sure on any other lines.

 

As others have said - if a ship can fit into the historic locks then that is what will be scheduled/used.  Of course operational issues could change that on the day of transit, but that would be exceedingly rare to have that happen.

[packercruising]

The title of this thread did not specify HAL, although we are booked on Koningsdam for Hawaii in November. Is there a list that shows all of the ship that use the new locks? We haven't done a Panama Canal cruise since 2011

[Georgie562]

I've crossed the new locks on NCL Bliss and I feel like I didn't get enough.

I want to cruise on a smaller ship and go through the old locks just so I can say I experienced both.

 

I am also really interested in seeing the "mules" at work in the old locks which the new locks don't have.

Edited July 7, 2020 by Georgie562

[Himself]

On 5/15/2020 at 6:53 AM, CruiserBruce said:

Only Koningsdam (if allowed...special issue), Ryndam and N. Statendam would be required to use the new locks. Any of the other ships fit in the old locks, would won't likely use the new locks.

THe Koningsdam was a one time special deal and it cost HAL big, big bucks I am told. The problem is the PC pilots have to have a clear  view of the ship and the Koningsdam and Nieuw Statendam  give obstructed view because the life boats are out too far.I did hear they were going to reconfigure the Life boats on the RYNDAM so it can go through the large locks.