A PASSAGE THROUGH CANAL REMAINS A MARVEL, AS JOURNEY ON CRUISE SHIP ARRESTS.

Byline: Craig Mailloux Staff Writer

COLON, Panama _ As school kids, we all learned about the travails of building the Panama Canal _ workers plagued by malaria, the French abandoning the project, the United States taking over and finally opening the canal to ships in 1914. We drew our little maps and made our papier- mache projects with lakes, mountains and locks.

Today, nearly 100 years after the project was completed, it's impossible not to be in awe of the canal when you finally behold it.

The fascination appears to be universal. On a Princess cruise this past spring, our ship was due to enter the canal at 7 a.m., so we were on deck at 6 in hopes of getting a good viewing spot. One problem, though: The rest of the ship's passengers had gotten up by 4 a.m., leaving their air-conditioned staterooms to patiently wait out the sultry, predawn hours so as not to miss this memorable event.

It illustrated just how popular a cruise through the canal was for the passengers aboard the Sun Princess on an 11-day cruise from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Acapulco, Mexico, in April.

This was the first cruise for my wife and me, and we were a bit apprehensive when friends first talked about putting together a group some nine months ahead of time. By the time our sailing date arrived, our group numbered 16, which enabled us to receive significant upgrade _ from outside staterooms to ones with private balconies. Our travel agent was also able to book us two adjacent tables, next to picture windows, for dinner.

As first-timers, we weren't sure there would be enough to keep us busy, but it became an effort just to work in time for relaxation. Shore excursions were available at every stop, which

meant opportunities to tour various islands, as well as for snorkeling, museums, golf, tennis and shopping.

The itinerary for the trip included port calls at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands; Martinique; Grenada; Caracas, Venezuela; and Curacao.

But the unqualified highlight of the journey was the eight-hour passage through the canal. Control of the canal passed from the U.S. to Panama at the start of this year, and the Panamanians continue to dredge and widen it.

Sailing through the canal provides a first-hand study of history; you can't help but reflect on the difficulties in building it or the political troubles that have plagued it over the years. Cruise ships get priority and make the passage in eight to 10 hours, while freighters can take up to two days to get through.

We glided slowly toward the first lock at Cristobal on the Atlantic Ocean side. Entering the Gatun Lock, our ship was hooked up to six 55-ton electric locomotives, called mules, to move it through the locks.

At 106 feet wide, the Sun Princess fits into the canal with just two feet of clearance on each side _ close enough at times for passengers to reach out and touch the lock's walls, and many folks did. The newest generation of cruise ships, including this line's Grand Princess, are too big to use the canal.

It was amazing to watch our 77,000-ton ship slowly rise the 85 feet while a huge Swedish freighter in the parallel lock rose with us.

After the third lock, we sailed into Gatun Lake, where numerous freighters were at anchor awaiting their turn. We sailed on slowly through the canal, at times just a couple of hundred feet from the tropical jungle that made construction so difficult.

One of the monumental construction feats was the Gaillard Cut, which was made through rock and shale and was plagued with devastating slides during the project. Nearly 100 years later, the cut is being widened, and dredging is ongoing.

As we approached the Pedro Miguel Locks, the weather turned foul, with lightning hitting close to the ship and visibility through a downpour reduced to a quarter-mile.

But even observing this passage in the rain was fun. As we entered Miraflores Locks, on the Pacific side, our trip through the canal was nearly complete.

The cruise isn't cheap. It cost the cruise line approximately $180,000 for our ship to make the passage, paid in advance, of course. It cost our group a little more than $10,000 per person. It proved well worth the expense, though.

In addition to the passage through the canal, there were many memorable stops during the course of the cruise.

Charlotte Amalie, on St. Thomas, is considered the shopping center of the Caribbean, and the description proved accurate. Jewelry is the big draw, and we found an excellent selection at slightly better than stateside prices. We didn't find any bargains, but there are duty benefits for purchases in St. Thomas and no sales tax.

Surprisingly, we didn't find any merchants willing to negotiate on prices. Haggling over the price is one of the fun aspects of shopping abroad, so we were disappointed.

In Fort de France in Martinique, one of the Windward Islands of the French West Indies, the shopping again proved to be outstanding, with good buys found on French perfume, leather, crystal and china. There were discounts if you paid by traveler's check or credit card.

In Grenada, a fleet of vans whisked us off on a four-hour tour of the island. Our driver and guide was a colorful character, and at one point he stopped at a little shack of a store and returned with some fresh bananas for us. It was the first time we'd ever had bananas that fresh, and they were infinitely more tasty than those than those yellow/green things we buy in the stores back home.

We stopped at Grand Etan National Park, which features lush, tropical foliage and Annandale Falls, where visitors can picnic and swim beside a 50-foot waterfall.

Grenada is known as the Isle of Spice, so we stopped at a spice farm and our guide showed us where cinnamon, cocoa beans, nutmeg and cloves are produced. Back at the dock, we picked up some of the various spices, including saffron, at bargain prices.

In Caracas, Venezuela, we stopped at the Colonial Museum, a restored manor, and the Murano Glass Factory, where the company store had a huge selection of glassware at prices far below those back home.

On Easter Sunday, we docked at Willemstad, Curacao, and enjoyed its famous brightly painted buildings and the floating bridge over St. Anna Bay. The town _ and the whole island, for that matter _ were spotlessly clean and freshly scrubbed. In the afternoon, several members of our group went snorkeling.

On ship, there were many other things offered to keep the 1,900 or so passengers entertained.

For those who wanted to just enjoy the sun or sit and read, there was every opportunity. Hundreds of deck chairs were available to just sit in or nap or watch the ocean sail by.

There was a library and reading room, as well as a card room, movies and games of all kinds. The casino was open whenever we were at sea.

For the athletically inclined, there was basketball, golf, a gymnasium, a one-third-mile walking and jogging track, swimming, aerobics and more.

And, of course, there was food.

It seemed that if we weren't eating every three hours, we felt deprived. Food and bars were everywhere. Snacks and room service were available 24 hours a day.

A highlight for our group was the drink of the day. Our favorite ended up being the BBC, which stood for Bailey's Banana Colada _ Bailey's, fresh banana, pineapple juice and coconut cream ($3).

At dinner, our large group would order several extra entrees at each meal so we could sample virtually everything on the menu. The food ranged from very good to outstanding, with a varied selection available. One evening, I found the rack of lamb so impressive I couldn't resist ordering seconds.

Vegetarian, ``healthy'' and special meals were always available. And once you requested something special, it was waiting for you at every dinner. For instance, one of our group prefers salsa for salad dressing; another likes a glass of tomato juice before a meal. They only asked once, and it was always there for them after that.

Desserts were to die for. In the dining rooms and at the buffet, the choices were varied and consistently outstanding. We celebrated birthdays and anniversaries on the trip, and special cakes were routinely provided.

There were shows every evening, from comedians and musicals, to magic and a talent night; they were all fun, and the show rooms were packed.

As first-time cruisers, we were very impressed with the cleanliness of the ship and the service aboard. Crew members were always on hand to help or answer questions, and they were friendly.

If we had to have a complaint, the only one was minor: the need for additional laundry facilities. A lot of folks wanted to do their own laundry on the days at sea, and there weren't enough machines.

But we were extremely pleased with our first cruise. Next? Maybe Alaska. Or maybe that trip from Turkey to Portugal.

And if there is a special feature along the way, we'll be sure to rise a lot earlier next time.

IF YOU GO:

Princess Cruises offers several sailings through the Panama Canal.

Crown Princess: Makes a series of 10-day journeys, beginning and ending in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., from now through mid-April. Brochure rates start at $2,233; outside cabins from $2,833.

Princess: Makes a series of 10-day trips, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Port Caldera, Costa Rica, between now and mid-April. Brochure rates start at $2,233; outside cabins from $3,133.

Other options: Several Princess ships make 12- and 15-day repositioning cruises through the Panama Canal, including the Dawn Princess, the Sea Princess and the Ocean Princess. The cruises, which run both west to east and east to west, are generally conducted in spring or fall. Two such sailings will be offered from Los Angeles next year. The Sun Princess will make a 15-day trip from Los Angeles to Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 25. The Sea Princess is scheduled for a 15-day sailing from L.A. to San Juan on Dec. 29, 2001.

INFORMATION: Consult a travel agent or contact Princess at [phone]; www.princess.com.

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Passengers crowd along the forward rails as the Sun Princess eases its way through Gaillard Cut in the Panama Canal, top. A banner on the Gatun Locks, above reads, ``A canal for the new millenium''- Panama assumed control from the United States at the start of the year.

(3 -- 4 -- color) Passengers peering over the rail marvel at the ability of the Sun Princess to pass through the Panama Canal with just two feet of clearance on either side. Right, the ships pool deck basks in the glow of evening festivities.

(5) Three cruise ships are anchored at the dock at Charlotte Amalie, U.S. Virgin Islands, where passengers are tendered ashore on a Panama Canal cruise. A fourth ship is anchored offshore.

(6) It's party time for the Panama Canal cruise as passengers dance aboard the Sun Princess.

(7) An open-air market welcomes cruise-ship passengers in St. George, Grenada, also known as the Isle of Spice. Nutmeg, mace, ginger, cloves and cinnamon are among the spices grown here.

Craig Mailloux/Staff WriterBox: If You Go (see text)