A taxi with meals included- Cruise 1

When I was planning my solo trip to South America I looked for a creative way to return to the States. I'd seen other travelers booking cruises to move between continents on relocation itineraries, so why not use a cruise as a way to return to the United States? 

I found a cruise that worked within my window and it left from the Pacific side of Panama City, Panama (my 20th country) and took the most zig-zag path through the Western Caribbean. Best of all the cruise started by traversing the Panama Canal (ding..... bucket list check mark).   

Everything you've read and heard about crossing through the canal is true. The engineering needed to lift the cruise ship up, up, up one side of the canal, then down, down, down. Was impressive. It took the entire day from entering the canal at 6:00 a.m. to exiting at 8:00 p.m. The surprise for us was crossing Gatun Lake.