Disney Cruise Line has become the first cruise ship operator to utilise the newly expanded Panama Canal.
Its 83,000-gt Disney Wonder (built 1999) passed through the locks on Sunday in a southbound direction from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean.
The milestone signals the further diversification of traffic through the expanded Canal and with it, introduces new repositioning opportunities for the cruise industry.
“The original Panama Canal has been a cruise destination for many years,” said Panama Canal deputy administrator Manuel Benitez.
“This historic transit marks the beginning of cruise lines being able to include the new locks as part of their itineraries, opening up additional transit options and allowing cruise passengers to witness first-hand this feat of modern engineering.”
The Disney Wonder Panama Canal crossing is part of a 14-night voyage from Port Canaveral, to San Diego, where the ship will sail cruises to Baja, Mexico, before a summer season from Vancouver to Alaska.
The Disney Wonder is one of several cruise ships to have transited the canal during the 2016-2017 cruise season that ends in May.
However, Sunday’s transit marked the first time a passenger vessel utilized the new locks of the expanded canal.
Other lines such as Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Royal Caribbean Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line all sent passenger vessels through the original locks.
In addition, smaller vessels, such as the Safari Voyager and National Geographic’s Sea Lion, which call on ports in the Caribbean and along the east and west coasts of Central America, contributed to the segment’s traffic as well.
To-date some 18 reservations have already been made for passenger vessels to transit the expanded canal for the 2017-2018 season after the Panama Canal began accepting booking requests on 1 April 2017.
