We approached the Gatun Locks early in the morning at first light.   The Volendam was ahead of us, and we would follow her throughout the day.

One benefit of a canal transit as part of a World Cruise is that the prime viewing spots are never very crowded.   Most people on world cruises have been through the canal before, and they are less likely to camp out for the whole day during the transit.

Holland America is well known for Panama Canal Rolls.   These tasty pastries are featured during every scenic transit and are renamed to fit the occasion.   Today they are Panama Canal Rolls.   Soon enough, they will be Sydney Opera House Rolls or Cape Town Rolls etc.   You can find the recipe HERE 

The Cruise and Travel Director, Ian, provided commentary throughout the day.

While we followed the Volendam thru the Gatun Locks, we were side by side as we transited the final two sets of locks, the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks.   We knew a few people on the Volendam, and many crew members had friends on each ship, so there was a lot of waving as we were quite close most of the time while in these locks.

The bow was open and accessible on Deck 4, and you could get to the Deck 9 viewing platform by walking thru the Spa area.   The Crow’s Nest was also popular but not very crowded.   You could find an empty seat whenever I stopped by during the day.

Panama City, or Fuerte Amador, used to be a tender port but now has a long pier that handles two cruise ships simultaneously.   We moored around 7 pm and were berthed alongside the Volendam.   We would part company tomorrow, and she would head south on her Grand South America cruise while we continue west on our Grand World Voyage.

While tenders are no longer required, you must take a shuttle bus to leave the port area due to the massive construction underway as work on the future cruise terminal and road network continues.  The last time we were here was in 2018, and there have been massive changes, with many more shops and restaurants available near the ship.

There were two options for leaving the ship- the shuttle bus to the nearby shops or a different shuttle bus to a nearby Multiplaza Shopping Mall.

Our plan for the evening was to head out to Old Town Panama with about 16 others for dinner and some drinks and nearby rooftop bars.   @Richwmn, from our Cruise Critic Roll Call, used to live in Panama and had some contacts who could organize our evening tour.

We had a nice dinner at Nomada Eatery.   We enjoyed Steak Arrechera (Adobe Marinated Beef Steak) after some Pumpkin soup.   During our dinner, a man at a nearby table, with a large group, arranged to have flowers delivered during their dinner, and then he produced an engagement ring and proposed.  From her reaction, we were fairly certain she said yes.

After a short walk, we headed into CasaCasco, “a perfect blend of antique and avant-garde divided into five floors, where you can enjoy three fabulous restaurants and a Terrace (Rooftop) with a panoramic view of the city”  We headed to the rooftop bar where we enjoyed our choice from a nice selection of specialty cocktails.

Our final stop was the Selina Rooftop bar.  We arrived around midnight and the bar, located on the 6th floor, was full of young local people dancing and enjoying recorded pop music.  The views were spectacular and we could see a nice full moon, along with a view of the Volendam in the distance.

We returned to the ship around 12:30 am after a wonderful evening.