Live from South America On Board the NCL Sun

[GoldieJ]

Linda, I'm enjoying your report very much. We will be on the Jan. 31st cruise and I am breathlessly waiting for your next installment.

 

Your family sounds fun!

[STARFISH*4]

It returns to the US next fall and will be ported at Cape Canaveral.

 

hopin to SAIL her to the EASTERN/WESTERN CARIBBEAN in december:cool:!!

 

THANKS OP for your SHIP review:)

[NJ seniors]

Thank you Linda for taking the time to post this information. It gives us a better idea what to expect at the B/A port. I have the address of the port so think I will type it up in big letters to give to our taxi driver just in case. Please keep posting. Can't wait until 31st. Enjoy the rest of your cruise with your husband and son.

Regards

Anne

Please post the address of the port in B.A.

Thank you very much.

NJ seniors 1/31/South America Sun Cruise

[DMAB]

Please post the address of the port in B.A.

Thank you very much.

NJ seniors 1/31/South America Sun Cruise

 

Try this

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.trp.com.ar/la-empresa/servicios&ei=oFtFS9qZIoXCMuConNoI&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAwQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522terminal%2Bde%2Bpasajeros%2Bbenito%2Bquinuela%2Bmartin%2522%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rlz%3D1R1WZPB_en___US345%26hs%3DQ1j

 

If that doesn't work, the main info is

 

" The passenger terminal Benito Quinquela Martin "is located at the intersection of Av Ramon S.

Castillo y Av. De los Inmigrantes, en la ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, República Argentina.

Castle and Av of immigrants, in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires, Argentina."

 

Edit: on Google maps it is at http://maps.google.com/maps?q=%22terminal+de+pasajeros+benito+quinquela+martin%22&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&cd=1&vps=2&jsv=197c&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&hq=%22terminal+de+pasajeros+benito+quinquela+martin%22+loc:&radius=15000.000000&split=1

[DMAB]

The above Google link was incorrect, try this

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=-34.584065,-58.36882

 

If that doesn't work, cut and paste

-34.584065,-58.36882

directly into the Google search engine

[wiselindag]

Dear Friends,

 

This will be short because I have to run down to the cabin, eat lunch and then go to the Latitudes party at 1 and it's now 11:49.

 

Thanks for the positive comments -- they motivate me to put the effort into these posts.

I am almost ready to post Installment #2 and will have it to you later today.

 

I wrote up our flight problems on the way down, our time in Buenos Aires and information on the reciprocity fee in a separate document and will post it all on the South American port section for those who are interested (give me a day or so). Suffice it to say the line was separate from immigration to pay, we thought we might have dodged the bullet since many were reporting the date would be January 1, but it did turn out to be the 28th. It was a long line and we could pay in cash or with a credit card, but although they say $131, they charge it in pesos so you get hit with a transaction fee plus whatever your bank charges! Yes Canada and Australia have to pay different amounts.

 

Thanks to those who posted the detailed port address. If you have a radio cab, they van call the dispatcher and get the directions.

 

There is a first week laundry special (yesterday and today) fill a laundry bag for $24.95.

We're not ready to use it this week, but will do so next week for sure.

So far, so good. It's been fun and there's a great bunch of people on this ship from all over the world. I'm very much enjoying the chance to meet as many as possible.

 

DS has hooked up with a family of sisters and cousins from Brazil and is having fun, too.

 

I'll be back later withthe next installment.

 

Linda

[arlenez]

Hi Linda:

 

I'm starting to think about what to pack for this cruise beginning January 31st. Would you please let us know how the weather has been, so we have a better idea of what to pack. I realize it will be very hot in B.A. and then start to get cooler as we head south and then warmer again after we go around the horn and head back up north.

 

Thanks & regards,

Arlene

[DMAB]

Dear Friends,

 

This will be short because I have to run down to the cabin, eat lunch and then go to the Latitudes party at 1 and it's now 11:49.

 

Thanks for the positive comments -- they motivate me to put the effort into these posts. reciprocity fee in a separate document and will post it all on the South American port section for those who are interested (give me a day or so). Suffice it to say the line was separate from immigration to pay, we thought we might have dodged the bullet since many were reporting the date would be January 1, but it did turn out to be the 28th. It was a long line and we could pay in cash or with a credit card, but although they say $131, they charge it in pesos ......

 

There is a first week laundry special (yesterday and today) fill a laundry bag for $24.95.

 

Linda

 

Linda, can you pay the retribution fee in USD cash?

 

Can you do more than one bag of laundry per cabin when they have the $24.95 special.

[DMAB]

Hi Linda:

 

I'm starting to think about what to pack for this cruise beginning January 31st. Would you please let us know how the weather has been, so we have a better idea of what to pack. I realize it will be very hot in B.A. and then start to get cooler as we head south and then warmer again after we go around the horn and head back up north.

 

Thanks & regards,

Arlene

 

Arlene, this site

http://www.weatherbase.com/

has served me better than long term weather forecasts over the years. Looks like it has all of our stops except Puerto Chacabucu.

 

We take clothing to be comfortable a bit above the average high and below the average low and to be able to survive the extremes iwithout too much discomfort. keeping in mind that on a cruise you are usually in port during the day so don't experience the low extremes.

 

Several of our ports (the cold ones naturally :D) are also subject to wind and rain.

 

The temperatures for Puerto Madryn surprised me. The penguins must wear little penguin bikinis on hot days there.

[LBumb]

thanks for posting your comments and enjoy your cruise.

[Budget Queen]

I was unaware that next season will be the Sun's LAST one to South America.... will NCL be sailing another ship there? Are they just doing away with SA intineraries altogether?

 

This season is the last of South America for NCL. And they have also pulled the Sun out of Alaska, after posting a new one way schedule. :(

 

I'm on the trans Atlantic in Oct. so will have sailed the Sun 4 times.

[Budget Queen]

Thanks for the updates. Is the sailing scenic?? And what port plans do you have.

[roxh59]

Please post the address of the port in B.A.

Thank you very much.

NJ seniors 1/31/South America Sun Cruise

 

Try this

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.trp.com.ar/la-empresa/servicios&ei=oFtFS9qZIoXCMuConNoI&sa=X&oi=translate&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CAwQ7gEwAQ&prev=/search%3Fq%3D%2522terminal%2Bde%2Bpasajeros%2Bbenito%2Bquinuela%2Bmartin%2522%26hl%3Den%26safe%3Doff%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rlz%3D1R1WZPB_en___US345%26hs%3DQ1j

 

If that doesn't work, the main info is

 

" The passenger terminal Benito Quinquela Martin "is located at the intersection of Av Ramon S.

Castillo y Av. De los Inmigrantes, en la ciudad autónoma de Buenos Aires, República Argentina.

Castle and Av of immigrants, in the autonomous city of Buenos Aires, Argentina."

 

Edit: on Google maps it is at http://maps.google.com/maps?q=%22terminal+de+pasajeros+benito+quinquela+martin%22&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&ie=UTF8&hl=en&cd=1&vps=2&jsv=197c&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=23.875,57.630033&hq=%22terminal+de+pasajeros+benito+quinquela+martin%22+loc:&radius=15000.000000&split=1

 

Not to hijack the thread but, as an alternative, NCL has addresses and/or directions to ports on their website (albeit difficult to notice)

 

The first link is for Buenos Aires and the second link is for all of the ports they sail to/from:

 

http://www.ncl.com/csimages/556/918/buenosAires_port.pdf

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=DrivingDirections

[wiselindag]

In am rushing off to a concert in ten minutes, so will post Installment #3 without additional comments. The cruise continues to be wonderful and as we sail toward the Horn, the seas are calm. Here it is and I hope you enjoy it.

 

Installment #3

 

Thursday, January 7 – At Sea

`

We woke up at 8:45 and managed to get to breakfast by 9:20 (The Seven Seas Dining Room closes at 9:30 a.m. and so far we have made it each morning – anything to avoid the dreaded buffet! This morning our server was Daniel and he did a good job of bringing our food even though the dining room was much more crowded than usual. I vowed to cut down on food consumption today and started the day with melon and oatmeal. DS ordered kippers and a bagel with cream cheese. He sent the cream cheese back because it tasted awful, only to discover that this is a South American cream cheese and all that will be available (according to Theresa, who is a supervisor) for another seven days when they are due to receive another shipment. On the plus side, the orange juice has been good, but we’ll just have to manage without cream cheese. Our dining companions were a nice family from Virginia with a little girl, who reported that she has been having fun in the Kids Program.

 

After breakfast I went to the internet area to do some work. While sitting there, I met a lovely family of five women from Cordoba, Argentina (I must get a map so I can see where all of these hometowns are!). Then it was a rush to eat lunch before the Latitudes party at 1. We met a Peruvian musician on a busman’s holiday (he starts work on an RCCL ship in two weeks) and his Canadian companion. She said they performed in Las Ramblas last night with the keyboardist but they don’t know when they will perform again since they aren’t on any schedule. I’ll just have to watch for them. I was happy to be served by Ahmad again and he provided extremely competent service with the extra friendliness that comes with seeing familiar faces again. Lunch was good. I enjoyed the Tortilla Soup (and half of DH’s Thai Beef on skewers), a Mixed Salad and Stuffed Cabbage. We didn’t have time for dessert, but later I went up to the ice cream place and had a delicious coconut sherbet cone.

 

The Latitudes party was held in the Stardust Theater. Waiters circulated with the usual drinks (fruit punch, yellow birds, beer, champagne and some non-alcoholic beverages) and there were little canapes, too. The Captain spoke well and provided us with a little history lesson on Magellan’s voyage – something I would like more of on this voyage. Some folks were lucky enough to win door prizes and then we were off to the next activity – the art auction, which interested my DH for reasons unrelated to buying art (anyone who knows him would be shocked to know that he turned up at an art auction in any venue let along a cruise ship, but it was all in the interests of one of his clients so I went along, too.

 

They had a presentation in the theater at 3 that was listed in the Freestyle Daily as “South America.” Not sure what it would be, we turned up with a large audience to find a slide lecture on the geographic and geologic features of the continent. While I was very pleased they were doing an enrichment lecture and enjoyed the first part of the presentation, the material was too technical and comprehensive to be presented in such a rushed manner. The slides had lots of interesting information, but they were zipped through, with too time or explanation to be properly absorbed. I would recommend breaking (or chunking as we now say in educational jargon) the topic into smaller units with more explication. Less can be more. It also didn’t help that the lecture was in English, which was not the first language of the presenter.

 

I am now out on deck where the temperature is cooler but pleasant (just a sweater or light sweatshirt is necessary). It has been a little cloudy today, but there has been plenty of sunshine and considering where we are, headed South in the Atlantic, it’s still mild.

 

Later: We just returned from dinner. Tonight our waitress was Luisa and Lorelle once again served as our bar server. She now knows that we like to drink soda and that we have soda cards. Luisa did an excellent job of waiting on us and after this many days of meals in Seven Seas, it is clear that this is a very good team of servers who are well trained and well supervised. For dinner I had the Pea Soup, Mixed Salad, Fried Trout (recommended by Luisa when I asked for a recommendation), and shared the vegetable enchilada with DH. Dessert was chocolate cake and ice cream (my one-day diet seems to have stopped earlier in the day). I enjoyed everything I ate. I ran into a few new friends this evening and they mentioned that the Dining Room staff has been wonderful in dealing with their vegan diet.

 

Now we are on our way to the theater where tonight’s entertainment is billed as “The Electrifying Elvy Rose”, with no idea what sort of performance we are about to see. I’ll let you know tomorrow, after we get back from our port day in the Falklands.

 

Friday, January 08 - The Falkland Islands

 

To catch up, Elvy Rose turned out to be a singer who reminded me of the past-their-prime strippers in Gypsy who each had a gimmick. Her gimmick was to do a lot of body shaking and rapid-fire jokes in both English and Spanish. I should note that every performer so far (and the Cruise Director) has spoken both English and Spanish on stage, which is good because it involves so many people in the performance. For her final number she did a flamenco song and dance, and that proved to be my favorite portion of the program. Perhaps she should do her performance straight. In addition to a decent singing voice and a background in flamenco, she also plays classical piano.

 

This morning we woke to cloudy skies. The forecast was supposed to be 59F and partly cloudy, but for the entire morning it was entirely cloudy. The good news was that it wasn’t raining and the seas were calm, so tendering got underway around 9 a.m. We were told to pick up tender tickets 20 minutes before we wanted to go ashore. We sent DS up to get them when we finished breakfast and discovered we had tickets for the 13th tender. It wasn’t 20 minutes; it was an hour and a half before we got on the tender so I’m sorry to report that you can’t trust what they tell you. I would suggest getting the tender tickets before breakfast unless you don't mind wasting the entire morning.

 

The tender ride was completely smooth, but the ship was docked a good distance from shore, so it took a while to get to Stanley Town. When we arrived, we looked around the parking lot, but didn’t see any taxis, so we decided to walk around town a bit first. DS decided he needed to price souvenirs, so we stopped at several shops, walked up the hill, took a look at the Cathedral, some pubs, and then back to the dock, where we spoke with a taxi driver and the shuttle company, which is actually a tour company called Penguin Travel. As reported, they charge US $20 to the Gypsy Cove and back. We rode over with a Chilean driver named Marcel, who indicated that he makes more money in the Falklands than he did in Chile and that he likes living and working there. He showed us the wreck of the Lady Elizabeth, the area where the oil drilling works are being built, the floating dock for the fishermen, and the boat salvage area. I was surprised at how white the sand was when we reached the beach area. He said they tried shipping some of the sand to one of the South American countries, but it was too expensive.

 

We were dropped off at the Gypsy Cove parking area and from there we set off up the path. Almost immediately we came upon a female (we think) penguin and her chick, which was partially covered by its burrow. The path got steeper and more rugged (big gravel pieces and stones), but the view was wonderful and well worth the trek. There were several observation decks with information on the local flora and fauna and terrific views of the gorse, tussock and cinnamon grass, and beautiful dwarf shrub heath with little diddle-dee berries and some small birds. Along the beach, a colony of penguins were lined up across the sand. Around to the other side of the hill, we came upon more penguins and another beautiful vista.

 

Returning to the parking area, we encountered some crew members from the Sun, enjoying their day off. We went in to an old bus fitted up as a café by an enterprising Filipina to buy a soda for DS and ran into our crew friends again. After a wait of almost half an hour, our van returned and brought us back to town. The driver on this leg was a local, who loaned me his Falklands newspaper when I asked about other ships coming to town. Like the Shipping News (set in Newfoundland) there was an article on which ships would be in port this week. We also spoke about a new oil rig which is being towed down to Stanley and is expected to arrive in a few weeks. There will be more workers and some offices also, which should impact the local economy. DS got some great penguin socks for his friends and best of all, a penguin hat complete with earflaps. I spent my Falklands coins (given as change in the café) on some postcards and we headed back to the dock, the tender, and then the ship.

 

Once back on the ship, we went up to the buffet and grabbed a late lunch (rotisserie chicken and fried rice plus flan). The gray day gave way to a sunny afternoon and the views from the ship were gorgeous. I took some photographs before settling down in the sunshine on deck for a little reading. Later it was the usual routine – shower, dinner, show. This evening we were once again with Imre in the SS (Seven Seas). As always, she was excellent and most of the dinner was very good (Tuna Tempura, French Onion Soup, Iceberg Salad with Blue Cheese and Fried Frogs Legs (a strange idea, but it tasted good.) The part that I would not recommend was the Leg of Lamb - very tough. For dessert I had a slice of delicious chocolate cheesecake.

 

The show was the Gaucho La Plata (lots of flying ropes and balls)… I’ve seen this before and it’s pretty limited as an entertainment form. To make up for that, after the show, we went up to Las Ramblas with some new friends and listened to the Nova Scotia singer, Kim Doolittle. Tonight she sang Canadian songs and was very good.

 

Tomorrow is another sea day, but not just another sea day since we will round Cape Horn late in the day. I love this itinerary of ports and sea days scattered across the week… very relaxing. I also love the fact that the days are getting longer as we travel farther South.

[fin]

On your drive to see the penguins, did you notice warning signs along the way about land mines?

[Katesowner]

I understand there are coffeemakers in the cabins. Are filters and coffee packs provided?

 

Really am enjoying your posts!

[jtcruise]

Thank you for the great posts. Was there at Installment # 2 covering Wednesday? I did not spot it on the board.

[wiselindag]

First, there may be coffee makers in the high priced cabins, but there aren't any in ours.

Second, yes, there is an installment #2 with January 6 and the cabin description. I remember posting it, but it has disappeared... very sorry about that. I don't have my laptop with me at the moment and will have to post it tomorrow after our day in Punta Arenas and put it in out of order. We had a fabulous day today in Ushuaia and cruising along the Beagle Channel and the glaciers. I'll post that soon, too.

 

Linda

'

[NJ seniors]

THANK YOU SO MUCH LINDA!

Your posts are wonderful and full of helpful information.

We appreciate the time and effort that you have put into giving us all

a preview of our upcoming cruise.:)

[pmd98052]

I thought all NCL Sun rooms (and indeed all NCL Ships) had basic coffee makers even in the inside rooms?

 

From the NCL site:

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/fleet/shipInformation.html?shipCode=SUN

 

: 1 answer

Do we have tea/coffee making facilities in cabin

Answers

Top 250 Contributor

 

Answer:

Yes, all cabins have a coffee maker that can double as a hot water machine. They take #2 basket filters.

8 months ago

by

FreestyleCruizer

- Vancouver

[Darnoc]

This is great. We are taking the Feb 28th sailing and you can be your lifelines. We are a retired couple and would like to know what excursions to take and which to avoid. Past experience with NCL has been mixed so we are a little wary. Will be following your post with diligent and rapt attention.

[lambs2]

I thought all NCL Sun rooms (and indeed all NCL Ships) had basic coffee makers even in the inside rooms?

 

From the NCL site:

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/fleet/shipInformation.html?shipCode=SUN

 

: 1 answer

Do we have tea/coffee making facilities in cabin

Answers

Top 250 Contributor

 

Answer:

Yes, all cabins have a coffee maker that can double as a hot water machine. They take #2 basket filters.

8 months ago

by

FreestyleCruizer

- Vancouver

 

In some of the inside cabins you will need to ASK your stateroom attendant for one and they will get you a coffee or a tea maker IF there are still some available. We had to ask for one on the Jewel, and all they had available was a hot water (tea) maker. If you want a machine ask early! Coffee makers were already in our balcony cabins on the Pride of America and the Star, and also in our OV cabin on the Jade.

[bluesea777]

We were recently on the SUN, and no there were not any coffee makers in the cabins - I think they were taken away for health reasons. But I think you can request for one to be put in your cabin for you to use. Same goes with the ice buckets.

 

I did notice some packets of coffee on our room stewards' trolley.

 

We preferred to have post-dinner coffee in the dining room/restaurants.

[On2CDWrld]

This is great. We are taking the Feb 28th sailing and you can be your lifelines. We are a retired couple and would like to know what excursions to take and which to avoid. Past experience with NCL has been mixed so we are a little wary. Will be following your post with diligent and rapt attention.

 

Darnoc, You will have plenty of good company for your cruise. Click on the entry below:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=992616

 

They have 22 pages but its worth reading and may allay some of your wariness as well as help with excursions. Best wishes for a great cruise:)

[Barb Nahoumi]

DH & I have been to Montevideo as a land trip, because he has relatives there. We stayed at the Sheraton Montevideo, which is connected to a large 3 story mall.

 

When not visiting with the family, we took a bus trip to Ponta del Este. This is one of the best beach resorts in South America, and a highlight of our trip.

 

Barb