Transit through the Suez Canal - March 29th

I don’t know how I did it, but I missed the Captain’s announcement that we would begin our transit through the Suez Canal approximately 4 a.m.

That being said, the night before, Monday the 28^th, we were out dancing and then went for tea with some new friends until after 11 p.m.  On our way back to our stateroom, we met a gentleman on the open deck who said he was there to watch the beginning of the transit at 1 a.m.  Well, I figured, that’s not too long from now and decided to stay up until 1 a.m.  (Remember, I and, apparently, he, too, missed the Captain’s announcement.) 

Well, we had been anchored since earlier in the day and waiting for permission to enter the Canal.   From our balcony that night, we could see city lights in the distance and many ships – large and small - anchored all around us waiting for the go ahead. 

With Michael sound asleep, 1 a.m. came and went and no movement.  Two a.m. came and still nothing.  At that point, I decided I’d had enough and dozed on and off until around 4 a.m. when I heard the anchor being lifted.  It was around 5 a.m., when we started moving and I looked out the balcony and yes, indeed, we had begun the transit.  It also turns out that the Pacific Princess was the first ship in the convoy. 

We had made quite a bit of progress during the early morning hours and it wasn’t until around 9 a.m. when we got up and went on our balcony to experience our sail through the Suez Canal. 

According to the Princess Patter, the Suez Canal is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea.  Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction, it allows ships to travel between Europe and Asia without circumnavigating Africa.  The northern terminus is Port Said; the southern terminus is Port Tewfik at the city of Suez.  The Canal is owned and maintained by the Suez Canal Authority of Egypt.  Under international treaty, it may be used “in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag.” 

Sailing through the Suez Canal reminded Michael of exotic locales he read about in Ali Baba and the Seven Thieves and the Arabian Nights.  There was lots of construction on either side of the ship and tons and tons of sand, all being used to create a second lane.  Being first in line, we could see many ships behind us. 

One of my favorite things to do is to wave to people in buses and on docks.  I would say ninety-nine percent of the time, people will wave back.  Well, there were four guys in a boat alongside our ship and, so, I started waving to them.  Well, it took a moment until I realized that three of the four guys were sitting with their backs to our ship and the fourth guy was taking their photo with the cruise ship as their backdrop.  No wonder they didn’t see me waving!  Not to worry, there were many more opportunities to wave to construction workers along the way. 

Knowing we still had a few more hours before we exited the Canal and entered the Mediterranean Sea, we showered, dressed and went up to the Panorama veranda and enjoyed all the views on the right and left of us.   We saw some huge sculptures erected in the desert, a magnificent Mosque, a bridge, ferries that took people back and forth across the Canal, cities and lots of sand.  When we reached Port Said, a beautiful looking city with lots of green and palm trees, we had a military/police escort driving alongside our ship at the very same speed.  Michael even saw a military helicopter overhead.  It was not until we approached the end of the Canal did the vehicles turn around as we continued on our way.

Because we were heading to Rhodes, the ship was offering baklava, a Mediterranean dessert.  Around 12:30 or so I went to the buffet to get Michael a piece (baklava is one of the few desserts Michael will eat) and there was none left.  I mentioned this to our head waiter who told us that the kitchen had prepared 1,000 pieces – 500 plain and 500 chocolate – to last during the lunch service which ended at 2 p.m.  He said he watched as several people took plate loads of baklava and walked out of the buffet so that, by 12:30 (lunch begins at 11:30) there was nothing left for the rest of the passengers.  Unbelievable but we’ve watched this type of behavior from some greedy, gluttonous people throughout the cruise. 

By the way, our new friend, Rosemarie (and husband, Norm) took this lovely photo of our backs looking from the veranda at the back of the ship.

Michael’s Observations:  All through this cruise, I had worries about transiting through the Suez Canal as everyone is aware that the Middle East is currently in a great upheaval.  It has become a very dangerous place so that many cruise lines no longer will take passengers to the Pyramids or the Holy Land.  With this mind, I was keenly aware of any military presence and realized quickly that we were safely being escorted through the Canal.  I saw a military helicopter loaded with missiles on either side, a military convoy as well as a police escort.  While on the rear deck, I ran into two passengers who were actually Egyptian and they were a wealth of information about their current government as well as the state of their economy.  I was surprised to learn that Egypt is not wealthy because of oil but rather their income came from tourism (much like Jordan).  Their people are suffering because of this Middle East strife so it was imperative for the Egyptian government to insure our safety.  We survived the Somali pirates and Middle East turmoil and heading towards Greece and Italy.