Another unique opportunity offered to visitors by the Panama Canal is to enjoy the experience of a field trip in one of the many mini cruisers that operate for this purpose. There are different options, from choosing crossing one or two sets of locks to the complete journey from one ocean to the other. During this field trip explanations and descriptions are offered in connection with the history and functioning of the Canal and in the meantime the visitors get close contact with the gigantic structures, admiring the ancient concrete walls and the monumental steel floodgates that are opened and closed to control the great volumes of water utilized to ascend or descend the ships