Considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Industrial World, the Panama Canal provided passengers on the Zaandam a unique opportunity to cruise between the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean. The ship traveled the full length of the canal using all three sets of locks. The highlights are Lake Gatun, the Gaillard Cut along the Continental Divide and three locks: Gatun on the Atlantic, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores on the Pacific. Along the way is Gatun Lake, once the largest manmade lake in the world. There are three bridges in the canal passage. The first is the Atlantic Bridge, the second the Centennial Bridge, and the third Bridge of the Americas. It was amazing to watch how the Pedro Miguel locks lowered us 30.5 feet whereas the Mira Flores 54 feet. Special Panama Canal pilots boarded the ship and assumed full control of it. The transit took 8+ hours. The engineering that went into the construction and operation of the canal locks is incredible. What a sea day!