My First Time Through the Panama Canal: A Norwegian Bliss Adventure

I'll be honest—I was nervous. Not about the cruise itself, but about the Panama Canal transit. When I booked our seven-day Norwegian Cruise Line sailing on the Norwegian Bliss, the canal crossing was the main reason I chose this itinerary. I'd read articles, watched videos, and looked at countless photos, but nothing really prepares you for actually being there, feeling the ship move through those locks for the first time. The night before we were scheduled to transit, I couldn't sleep. I kept thinking about the engineering marvel I'd read about in history class, how the canal had been built over a century ago and was still one of the most impressive feats of human accomplishment. My husband, Mark, found me on our balcony at 2 AM with a cup of coffee, staring out at the dark ocean. "You're really worked up about this, huh?" he laughed. I admitted that I was—this felt like a bucket-list moment, and I wanted to experience every second of it. We woke up early on canal day without needing an alarm. The energy on the Norwegian Bliss felt different that morning, like everyone on board sensed something special was about to happen. We grabbed breakfast at the Atrium buffet—one of the thin…