It does take most of a day to transit the canal, but there are really three stages - so while you can come and go from activily watching the ship's progress it's not always the same. I found the "cut" the most interesting, and of course the locks. You can watch the other channel raise and lower to really see what the process is. With a good narrator you learn many amazing details.

We've been through the canal 4 times and each time I find it fascinating. It really is a marvel. And if you have a chance, read The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 by David Mccullough

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