Live from South America On Board the NCL Sun

[ComputerTravelGuy]

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:)

 

Greetings, Darnoc! We'd love for you to join us on the 2/28/2010 BA to Santiago Roll Call. We do have 22 pages of very good info but it can be a little daunting to read it all at once. I would recommend that you start with posts #245, #368, and #412. That'll give you a good overview and you can read the rest as you get time.

 

And Wiselindag, let me just say that you are an inspiration to us all. My DH told me that you described what he would consider to be the PERFECT day in the Falklands.

 

(Mrs.) ComputerTravelGuy

[bluesea777]

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

 

Yes, we did.

[NMLady]

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

 

I'm really disappointed to hear that since we're going to be on the Sun for 19 days in October: 12 day ta b2b with 7 day Caribbean. When we were on the Sun for our Panama Canal cruise several years ago we were in the cheapest oceanview category and we had a coffeemaker. We were only supposed to have instant coffee, using the coffeemaker as a hot pot, since only the higher priced cabins got real coffee. But when we asked our steward about it and told him how much we liked a cup of real coffee first thing in the morning, he always put a packet of real coffee rather than the instant for us. [Needless to say he got an extra nice tip from us at the end of the the 18 day cruise.] It was wonderful to have a cup of hot coffee first thing in the morning without having to wait for cabin service. Many times we were awake quite awhile before the time we'd ordered cabin service.

 

Thank you for sharing your awesome cruise experience.

[AFT_LOVER]

is in minis but BA & lower on Jewel has a hot water maker with instant coffee & tea bags. So I took it to the buffet in the morning to fill up with coffee & a glass of cream. I asked for a coffeemaker but none showed. But then we got a surprise when the waiter for room service saw me go up the stairs and come back with coffee & cream, so in the morning he knocked on our door to give us a carafe and creamer. He got a nice tip....

 

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

 

Really am enjoying your posts!

[wiselindag]

In the interests of time, thanks again to all of you who have posted and for your wonderful comments. As you know, my second installment disappeared, so here it is out of order and sorry again about that!:

 

Installment #2

 

The CC group made plans to meet at 7:30 at the Seven Seas so we could eat together. Eighteen of us showed up and were seated at adjoining tables for eight – a perfect arrangement. We shared a lovely dinner with new friends from Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Sydney, Australia. I liked the three starters – sashimi and tempura, tomato soup with mushrooms, and a mixed salad and also enjoyed the pork loin served with potato rosti (which tasted just like a potato pancake). Dessert was a chocolate souffle with vanilla sauce, but we were running late for the 9:30 show and opted to leave after only a couple of bites.

 

The production show, “Que Noche,” with the Jean Ann Ryan dancers and singers was quite good. We enjoyed the music and the energy of the performers, all of whom were quite good. After a stroll around the ship, we were ready for bed and our port day tomorrow in Puerto Madryn.

 

Wednesday, January 6, 2010 – Puerto Mardryn, Argentina

 

We had conflicting weather reports for today. The Freestyle Daily said we would have rain, but the group bulletin board indicated sunny and 71 degrees. When we awoke, the sun was shining and now, mid-morning after breakfast, it’s still quite sunny out. We have no plans for this port and since it’s sunny, we’re about to walk into town and see what is to be found here. We opted to skip the long bus ride to Punta Tombo to see penguins… a must for penguin lovers, but we’ll see penguins in the Falklands and at Otway Sound later in the trip.

 

Later: We took the shuttle from the ship to the end of the pier and then walked to the Tourist Office, as others have indicated about three blocks to the left along the street parallel to the water (Roca). I asked about the shuttle from the T.O. to the EcoCentre at the Tourist kiosk on the pier, but the woman there (no doubt paid by taxi companies and tour companies) assured me that we needed a taxi since there was no shuttle. When we got to the T.O., there was an EcoCentre shuttle outside, but we decided to just walk around town instead. I was surprised by the modernity of the town and the wide streets in every direction with nice looking shops. We walked around town and along the seafront and then headed back to the ship for a lazy afternoon. On the way back we decided to continue our walk along the pier and were glad we did. Shortly before we arrived back at the ship, we were motioned over to the edge by some nice people from Santiago, Chile who had spotted a colony of sea lions sleeping on the steps leading up to the pier from the water in a quiet sunny spot. We took some photographs and then returned to the Sun, feeling we had seen some local sea life without a tour.

 

After lunch in the Seven Seas (another excellent server named Ramel from the Philipines served me Calamari, Salad, and Udon with Shrimp and Pork – the Calamari was past its prime and tasted too fishy to be edible for me, but the rest of the lunch was good) we headed in separate directions. DH to take a nap and I went up to the pool to enjoy the warm air and sunshine. At 4 p.m. there was a folkloric presentation in the theater with folk dancers and a pair performing the tango, which we both enjoyed. Then up to the hot tub to finish off the afternoon. First we chatted with a pair of South Africans and then, after they left, we were joined in the hot tub by a pair of Chileans and another couple from Tokyo. I found it quite fascinating that we all ended up discussing penguins in Spanish! Such encounters are one of the reasons I love to cruise.

 

We moved on to dinner in the Seven Seas. Tonight we had an excellent waitress named Imre. For me, dinner was Meze with hummus and sausage (wrapped in a grape leaf), spicy Tortilla Soup and Spaghetti with Carbonara Sauce followed by flan. I enjoyed everything I ate. The show was a Cuban pianist and showman named Juan Pablo Subiriana who performed a program of Latin American and American music including Malaguena, a wonderful Gershwin melody, Joplin’s “The Entertainer,” and a medley which featured “Brazil.”

 

After the show we ran into some of our CC friends and spent some time chatting about our day before heading off to bed. Earlier this evening I was surprised to discover a new Assistant working with Rudofo named Preetam. We have been pleased with the cabin service – the room has been cleaned twice a day and fresh towels have been supplied as needed. Both Rudolfo and Preetam are quite friendly and anxious to please.

 

I promised to describe the cabin in this installment, so here goes: It’s small and took some getting used to. Unlike the configuration of our balcony cabin on the Sun the last time the three of us were on the ship, this cabin has a bunk for DS and is smaller than the balcony cabin we shared. Since it’s my side of the bed that has the bunk, I’m bumping my head several times a day. Storage is barely adequate. There are shelves in the closet and three good sized drawers in the desk. The rest of the shelf space in the room is open and not suitable for storing clothes. I miss a closed drawer next to the bed. The beds are comfortable and covered with duvets. The bathroom is tiny, but well designed. The shower has a curtain so I don’t have a problem with bumping my elbows and if you close the curtain and angle the showerhead toward the wall, the water does not overflow. There are six shallow shelves, which is enough space for our toiletries and we now have plenty of towels. All in all, we’re snug. When we’re all in the cabin getting ready to go somewhere, the ensuing chaos resembles a Marx Brothers movie, but otherwise we’re managing fine. On the plus side, we are conveniently located for the Seven Seas and the Stardust theater. For some reason I thought we would have a window and was a little surprised to find that we have a porthole (all deck 4 cabins have portholes), but it’s a decent sized window.

[wiselindag]

Installment #4 (#2 is above and out of order, 3 is earlier)

 

Saturday, January 9 – Sailing Around Cape Horn

 

It was a cloudy and overcast day when we awoke with lots of fog. We got up a little earlier than usual in order to finish breakfast before heading up the theater for the second lecture… this time on Magellan’s voyage. Breakfast was good and for me included strawberry yogurt, eggs sunnyside up with rye toast, hashed brown potatoes, and crisp bacon. We have orange juice every morning and it’s still good. Inexplicably, there has been no grape jelly. Although our waiter tried hard to find some and did return with some sugarless jelly, he was unable to supply regular grape jelly (not his fault… there isn’t any!) Today they also ran out of bananas. So, the list now includes grape jelly, yogurt, cottage cheese (reported to us by two different people) and bananas. I wonder what we will run out of tomorrow. If our informant was correct in the dining room, there should be food deliveries in Chacabuco, so perhaps all will reappear in another five days. Both Tabata and Elvin did a good job on service despite a very full and busy dining room.

 

The lecture was disappointing. Once again, it started on a positive note, with some information on Magellan sources and some information on his early life. Then after a couple of slides demonstrating the state of cartography and the incomplete knowledge of the world before his voyage, he jumped to the Strait of Magellan with no transition, then moved to our voyage (presented in a way that was confusing), then went back to Magellan and his “formation” years (instead of formative years), The list of English errors was long and it was hard for English speakers to understand everything he said. I was sitting with an Italian couple and they had a very hard time following the lecture, which didn’t surprise me at all.

 

We went to lunch with two very nice couples and sat at the “sharing” table. Later I chatted with Radim Zenkle and told him how much I enjoyed his concert a few nights ago. He encouraged me to come to his 3 o’clock show this afternoon, which I did. Today he continued his theme of music around the world, using his mandolin, a Czech Whistle and a travel version of a Didgerido. I enjoyed the tunes he played and the information given to us about the instruments and the music. Later I asked him how to spell “Didgerido” (so if it’s incorrect, it’s his fault), and when he looked at me with a questioning expression, I explained that I was writing a review. He asked if it was for The New York Times… good sense of humor!

 

Then it was time to go up on deck for the “baptism” of passengers going around the Horn for the first time, by the Captain. In the interests of truth, I must admit that I skipped getting a huge ladle of water dumped over my head in the chilly wind up on deck. It is noticeably colder outside today. Some people were wearing winter jackets, but I had three layers on (a cotton shirt, a fleece sweater, and a sweatshirt) and was okay without a heavy jacket. DH came up and we wandered into the Sports Bar where we enjoyed the scenery while munching on popcorn and chatting with a lovely couple from New Hampshire.

 

I went down to the cabin to get ready for dinner in advance of our arrival at Cape Horn, scheduled for 6:30. As we neared the Cape, land came into view on the Starboard side and lots of rocks jutted out of the water. At first we watched from the cabin, but with a few minutes to go, I went up two decks to the Promenade Deck. There I took photographs of the haunting and beautiful vista as we slowly moved along, The sea was incredibly calm, and we had a flawless and close-up view of the Cape. As we passed by, blue sky was visible, peeking out from the clouds and mist. A dolphin performed for us off the side of the ship, and I tried to take its picture. I think the results were a bunch of photographs of the water, but we’ll see.

 

Then it was on to dinner with a couple we met and wanted to get to know better. We enjoyed chatting about our experiences and plans. She is a vegan and had a special meal ready for her, planned in consultation with the Head of the Dining Room whom she refers to as Mr. Max. Our waiter, I Ketut, from Indonesia was excellent in handling her needs and our needs, too. Tonight I had the Ham and Walnut Stuffed Buckwheat Crepe, the Cream of Asparagus Soup with Crispy Onion Straw, a Tossed Salad, Sauteed Veal Piccata, and a Garlic Polenta Cake (shared with DH). For dessert, it was apple tart with ice cream and coffee… a tasty and enjoyable meal.

 

Tonight’s show was also excellent. The dancers, Andre and Francine performed their “Steps in Time,” show which included dances and film clips from the dancing couples of old-time movies to illustrate their theme.

 

Now we’re going to have an early night since Ushuaia is an early day with a 7 a.m. arrival time. It stayed light until almost 10:30 tonight since we are so far South, but now it is dark so I’m off to bed.

 

Sunday, January 10 – Ushuaia

 

It’s cloudy out with occasional patches of blue. We got up an hour earlier than usual so we could see something of this port before our 1:30 p.m. “all on board.” Breakfast was quick and uneventful with very few people in Seven Seas. Since many tours left around 7:15 or 7:30, the café must have been busy early. Instead of the usual 7:30 – 9:30 Seven Seas hours, today they were 7 to 9 to accommodate the port times.

I’ll let you know what we do in Ushuaia when we return. Right now it’s a toss-up between staying in town and going out to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. There are supposed to be some beautiful views out there, but the town itself is very scenic with snow capped mountains wreathed in clouds in every direction.

Maybe we’ll do both – I have some Argentine pesos to finish off before we leave this, our final Argentine port.

 

Later: We walked around town, had a cup of tea at Tante Sara, picked up a free gift at a jewelry store (a nice flourite bird), and enjoyed the views in the sunny weather. When we first exited the ship, there was a taxi driver who asked us if we’d like to go to the Park, but he asked for $30 per person. We told him that was too much and he didn’t counter with a lower price. Neither DH nor DS was interested in going, so we decided to pass on the taxi and spend our pesos on whatever caught our fancy. Earlier in the morning, there were more taxis and more competition and the prices were better, but we took our time getting out there.

 

We left Ushuaia early in order to enjoy the Beagle Channel in gorgeous sunshine. Looking a lot like the Canadian Rockies, the views on both sides of the ship were stunning. We had green islands, rocky outcrops, and snow-capped mountains in all directions. I enjoyed the three -hour cruise sitting up on the aft deck outside the buffet chatting with fellow cruisers. I had on a wool sweater and a cotton hoodie. As it got cooler, I added a windbreaker and a scarf. By the time we got to the glaciers, I was ready to add fleece gloves and was glad I brought them. For the Glacier viewing, I went up one more deck (deck 12) and watched from the starboard side aft where there was no glass to get in the way of my photographs. As promised, this was spectacular viewing. Five glaciers, all different came rapidly into view as we sailed past the Holanda, Italia, Francia, the Alemania and the Romanchi between 5 and 6 p.m. While watching I met a lovely young woman from Germany and we both enjoyed the fabulous views.

 

After the last glacier, I went down to get ready for dinner, which included Tomato Bisque Soup, Sesame Chicken Skewers, Prime Rib with mashed potatoes in a cup, and Flan. Our servers, Melody and Rachiele were excellent and I enjoyed everything I ate except for the Tabouleh Salad. The show tonight was the second production show, called Cirque Pan. It was filled with dancing and aerial acrobatics and was performed very well. Since we had an early morning tender to catch, we went to bed right after the show,\

 

Monday, January 11 – Punta Arenas

 

I had received a set of nine tender tickets for the first tender this morning from Group Services Manager, Yahaira Fernandez. In consultation with the helpful staff at the Reception Desk, we decided to meet our group of nine there at 8 a.m. As a result, we went to breakfast when the Seven Seas opened at 7 a.m. and had our usual breakfast – Melon, Yogurt and Oatmeal for me, Cereal, Banana and Bacon and Eggs for DH, and Eggs, English Muffins, and Pancakes for DS. Then we took the tender over to Punta Arenas. It was pouring and I made the mistake of sitting near the tender door. Fortunately my windbreaker is waterproof and I had so many layers on (wool sweater, lightweight fleece sweater, cotton hoody, and nylon windbreaker) that I didn’t get wet.

 

When we arrived at the port building, we met Scarlett Cordova with a sign for our group and we got into her van and drove to Seno Otway to see the penguinas. Part of the trip, which takes about an hour, was on paved road and the last part was on a dirt and gravel road that was fairly slick in spots due to rain puddles. When we arrived at the farm, we each paid US$10 admission and walked along the wooden boardwalk. We soon arrived at the first of many penguin viewing opportunities and the pairs put on quite a show. The walkway was separated from the penguins by a low wooden fence, but many of the burrows were quite close to the walkway and we were able to spend lots of time watching them and taking photographs. A number of penguins made all sorts of noises and parried with each other, rubbing beaks or doing some sort of penguin behavior with which we were not familiar. Scarlett walked with us as far as the first viewing platform, where we had a choice of heading back to the warmth of the van or completing the circuit. We chose to continue on the path.

 

It was cold and wet out at Otway and I used every layer of clothing I brought including my scarf and gloves. I brought my earmuffs, but used my double hood and didn’t need them. When we returned to the van, Scarlett had set out cookies, chocolates and coffee from a big thermos… very nice! Then we started to drive back, but stopped along the road when she spotted a Ria, which is a type of local bird. A short while later we came upon some guanacos and a llama, and stopped to take their photographs, too.

 

Then it was on to the Cemetario. This is a very interesting spot in Punta Arenas. There are large and beautiful mausoleums of wealthy families, marble sarcophagi, and small boxes for poor citizens. Throughout the cemetery there were all sorts of flowers, some real and some made of silk. I especially liked the tomb built for the family of Sarah Brown’s husband in the shape of a Russian church complete with a gold onion dome.

 

We drove through the downtown area of Punta Arenas, where several of us stopped at a bank ATM to get some Chilean Pesos, and then went on to the Magellan National Forest. This is a wooded area used for picnicking and hiking, located about five kilometres from downtown, Scarlett showed us many of the local trees including the lengua tree and a tree with yellow fungus that we ate. It was almost tasteless and had a strange texture similar to that of a mushroom. We walked out to the viewpoint, where we had a panoramic view of the sea, our ship, and Punta Arenas. From here we returned to the Main Square where some people in our group chose to remain to shop and eat, and others opted to return to the ship for a late lunch. Scarlett gave each of us a little gift as a memento of our day with her. She is a very special person and I would highly recommend using her to tour in Punta Arenas.

 

On the tender back we met yet another interesting couple traveling with us on the Sun. We all went up to the buffet and patched together a less than ideal lunch of small sandwiches, salad, a slice of pizza, and in my case, French Fries and in that of DH, a hot dog. They close the buffet line at 2:30 and then open the Great Outdoors. When the buffet closes, the options for lunch are, in my opinion, too limited especially when neither hot dogs or rather unappetizing burgers are the main attraction. I would have enjoyed some soup and don’t see why they can’t serve soup in the Great Outdoors. Also, there is no Blue Lagoon on this ship, but it would be nice if the type of food found there could be served at the Great Outdoors (ie. Soup, Fried Rice, Potato Skins, Wings, and Fish and Chips) That’s the sort of food I would like at 2 o’clock or 3 o’clock, but on the Sun it’s either not available, or not available until supper time (when I need to save my appetite for the dining room.)

 

Since we got up very early for the tender this morning, we ended up taking a nap after lunch and then, before we knew it, it was time for dinner. Tonight we ate at the Seven Seas and had one of my favorite servers, I Ketut, who is always very attentive to our needs and quite a nice guy. I had two types of Spring Rolls (both tasty), the Bouillabaisse Soup, Salad, and the Vegetarian Lasagna. It was all good and I also tasted DH’s Pork Schnitzel, which was fine. For dessert we all tried the Berry Cobbler with Macadamia Ice Cream. The latter was good, but the berries were too tart.

 

Tonight’s show was a reprise of the first-night comedian and magician, Jean Pierre Parent. Although I don’t like his insipid sex (and often sexist) jokes (you can tell he’s a Canadian guy by the sophomoric rather immature style of humor), his magic tricks and many of his other jokes were much better tonight than on the first night.

 

Later we sampled the Dance Music of the Stingrays in Dazzles and the International Festival in the Centrum before heading off to bed.

 

We have two days of sailing before we get to another port, so there’s no need to get up early tomorrow… a real luxury and two back-to-back sea days will be a treat.

[newmexicoNita]

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

 

Apparently as of Jan 1st this isn't the case.

 

Nita

[NJ seniors]

I would like to contact Scarlett Cordova for the excusion in Puerto Arenas.

Please let me know how to contact her.

Your trip sounds wonderful so far.

Many thanks.

Susan

[gubby]

Thanks. Linda, I am enjoying your postings, and have almost a page of notes which I have to collate for our cruise which is the end of February. Continue to enjoy where you are and have a good time at the other ports. I look forward to reading more.

 

Nikki

[wiselindag]

Dear Friends,

 

It's a bumpier ride today since we have exited the Fjords and are now in the Pacific. Friends of ours in a balcony cabin do not have a coffee or tea maker.

 

Here is Scarlett's email address:

 

scarlettcp1@hotmail.com

 

We did the laundry promo yesterday - $24.95 for the paper bag -- got quite a lot in there.

 

It's been cold, windy and intermittently rainy. If you are coming down here, bring warm layers and your rain gear.

 

I'll post the next two Chilean ports on our last Sea Day and then a final installment when we get to Vina del Mar (where we are spending three nights) before heading back to the cold and the snow in NY.

 

Linda

[On2CDWrld]

:)Linda, Thank you ever so much for posting while aboard. We are on the March 28 sailing and already realize somethings to look forward to and look out for. Sorry about the hanging prepositions. If you read this before reaching Puerto Chacabuco, please look for the Gringa lady guide (Anne), and give her our best wishes. Please continue with your review.

 

les

[Salish Sailor]

Hi Linda,

 

First of all, many thanks for your running travelogue! I am scheduled to be on the February 28th sailing of the Sun, repeating your itinerary. I have a couple of quick questions...

 

First...did you dock in Ushuaia? Not tendered, correct?

 

Also, are you using your own laptop? If so, are you able to write a post, such as your long travelogue posts, in Word or similar, and *then* get online and cut and paste, to minimize your online minutes? Would love 'hints' to minimize expensive online minutes!

 

Thanks again...and smooth sailing! Speaking of which, what sort of 'seas' have you encountered...especially around the Horn?

 

Ali

[mlbrockies]

:)Linda, Thank you ever so much for posting while aboard. We are on the March 28 sailing and already realize somethings to look forward to and look out for. Sorry about the hanging prepositions. If you read this before reaching Puerto Chacabuco, please look for the Gringa lady guide (Anne), and give her our best wishes. Please continue with your review.

 

les

 

I wrote to Anne to try and book her (I'm on the 2/14 sailing) and never heard back from her.:(

[arlenez]

I wrote to Anne to try and book her (I'm on the 2/14 sailing) and never heard back from her.:(

 

Hi:

 

Anne's email address is enpatagonia@gmail.com and she also has a U.S. skype phone number. It is 307-222-4728. If you call her and don't reach her, leave your name and phone number and she will call you back. We are on the NCL Sun on the cruise just before yours and we are booked with Anne.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[On2CDWrld]

I wrote to Anne to try and book her (I'm on the 2/14 sailing) and never heard back from her.:(

 

:)Thanks for the help Arlene. i just sent an email to Anne with cc to mlbrockies. We are successful with maintaining communications with Anne. So keep trying.

 

Arlene, we hope you all will post updates like wiselindag and others have recently done. They are pricelesss sources of timely info.

 

Best wishes to all, les:)

[kluang]

Hi Linda,

 

Thank you very much for taking so much of your time from your cruise to provide such useful information. Now that your cruise has ended, did anyone fall sick with the novo virus?

Have a enjoyable stay in Valparaiso and a pleasant & safe flight home.

 

Bob & Joan

[mlbrockies]

Hi:

 

Anne's email address is enpatagonia@gmail.com and she also has a U.S. skype phone number. It is 307-222-4728. If you call her and don't reach her, leave your name and phone number and she will call you back. We are on the NCL Sun on the cruise just before yours and we are booked with Anne.

 

Regards,

Arlene

Thanks, Arlene and Les! I sent another email. How much is her excursion, Arlene? I'd love to book with her, I hope I hear back from her shortly.

[arlenez]

Thanks, Arlene and Les! I sent another email. How much is her excursion, Arlene? I'd love to book with her, I hope I hear back from her shortly.

 

She charges different amounts according to how many people because she does not own her own bus and she has to pay for a bus and driver. She is charging us $70 per person, but we have a group of more than 20 people from our roll call. Lunch is included in the $70, so we thought it was a great price.

 

Regards,

Arlene

[mlbrockies]

She charges different amounts according to how many people because she does not own her own bus and she has to pay for a bus and driver. She is charging us $70 per person, but we have a group of more than 20 people from our roll call. Lunch is included in the $70, so we thought it was a great price.

 

Regards,

Arlene

That is a great price! I'm sure we could get that many people together, I hope I hear back from her.

[dtgt]

Hi Linda,

Thank you for all the information. A few questions: Are you staying over in Valparaiso or flying out immediately? Are you using NCL transfers or hiring a guide? After you get home, we would like to know how much time was spent in the airport, were there long lines, how long before our flight should we plan to be there?

 

Thanks for your help, Diane (we are on the 3-28 cruise)

[wiselindag]

Answers to Questions:

 

1) Yes, docked in Ushuaia.

2) Yes, I am using my little HP Mini and writing this offline.

3) Anne's email is as indicated enpatagonia@gmail.com. The phone number on her card, however, is different - 307 222-4693 for Skype. That is her US #.

4) We're staying in Vina del Mar for three nights and spending one day with Michael Arnold (the German Pirate) for a tour of Valparaiso. I'm posting my Buenos Aires report on the Ports section and will do the same for our Chilean stay.

 

Thanks to you all. Here is the next installment:

 

Installment #5

 

Tuesday, January, 12 – Strait of Magellan and the Chilean Fjords

 

It was very cloudy and raining when we got up this morning (close to 9 am, but in time to get to the Seven Seas Restaurant before their 9:30 closing time.) There was a long line to get seated and Mr. Max, the man in charge told us the place had been empty until about 8:45 when everyone showed up for breakfast. I pointed out that they should open from 8 until 10 on sea days, since most people sleep in when they have the chance to do that. Breakfast was served by Libardo, who achieved a first – hot English muffins served when requested. Each day DS has gotten his muffins last and they have been cold, so this was a step forward. We all had eggs and the guys had pancakes, too… all good. We met another couple from yet another state and enjoyed their company. After breakfast I went back to the cabin and filled a paper bag with laundry for the $24.95 laundry promotion. I opened the door with the bag to look for a cabin steward, and there in my doorway was the guy bringing my New York Times. I really like that NCL copies the Times and supplies it for guests for $3.95 a day. They have other publications, too, but I like being able to read my daily paper while on a cruise. Anyway, he picked up the laundry for me.

 

This was a very lazy day. The scenery is gorgeous, but the weather has ranged from gray to very gray, the air outside is cold and the wind is blowing so it’s not a day you’d want to spend outside taking photographs. I have gone out a few times to take something especially nice, but for the most part I’ve been inside watching the passing scene. There aren’t enough nice places to sit inside the ship. There are three decks of Centrum (all crowded due to the weather) and the buffet and restaurants on Deck 11. The best place is the Observation Lounge, but that’s so far removed from where we are, that we rarely get up there.

 

Soon it was lunchtime – such a hard day! This time we found ourselves with a lovely couple from Florida and exchanged stories as we ate. For lunch, I had the Mexican Crab Dip with Tortilla Chips, Granny Smith Apple Bisque, Tossed Salad, and BB Pork served over Fusilli. Dessert was excellent – Mississippi Pecan Pie (dots of chocolate sauce) with Caramel Ice Cream on top. The gold star went to Lorelle, who spotted us in her drinks serving area and brought us diet Pepsi without even being asked.

 

I went back to the Internet area to get my bonus points for purchasing yet another time plan and chatted with Simon. He is the best Internet guy I have met on any ship – always helpful and pleasant and endlessly patient with the elderly folks who ask for his help with their email.

 

Now we have to go and pick up our passports in the Four Seasons Restaurant. I stopped by there earlier, but the line was too long and unlike other cruise lines, they require that every family member retrieve his own passport. That is one of the annoying aspects of NCL. At the pool you have to fill out a purchase slip to borrow a towel (they tear it up when you return it). The Celebrity library was wide open last month. You could borrow books and then just return them when you finished. Here you have to wait for a staff member to open the cases and they are only on duty a few hours a day. You can’t pick up your husband’s passport… he has to be there.., and so on, little things that say “we don’t trust you.”

 

The rest of the afternoon passed quietly with a long visit with friends in the Observation Lounge, where I first went to examine the big map of our journey so I could see where we are today. The scenery has been beautiful all day, but the clouds and late fog made viewing less than stellar and the cold and wind have kept most people indoors. I saw a few hardy souls taking some turns on the deck, but I only went out for brief moments to take photographs and transit the pool deck.

 

Tonight was a dress up or not night and many of those in the dining room chose to dress. Although it was a dress up night, the menu was not very special. I had the Turkey, and although that was the Chef’s recommendation, it wasn’t very special… I guess the recommendation was to get rid of it. I started with a Chinese Duck Salad (tasty noodles, but I didn’t care for the duck part) and ended with the best part of the meal – the Dark Chocolate Orange Bavarian Cream – delicious! Also amazing tonight, Edwin, the bar server brought over our drinks without any request. This is the second time today we have sat down in the dining room and received our preferred Pepsi drinks immediately. Even more impressive, DS and DH like their drinks without ice and that’s how they got them, and DS drinks regular while DH and I prefer Diet. For both lunch and dinner we all got what we prefer without ordering. Excellent service was provided by Ramil and Carlos, two staff members we had not met previously. Returning to our Cabin before the show, we were greeted by a special towel animal on the bed – a very good rendition of a penguina… kudos to Rudolfo and Preetam.

 

The show tonight features “Hilby, The Skinny German Juggle Boy.” I have never been to show with a worse title, so it will be interesting to see what we make of this. Then we will go to the Chocaholic Buffet. DS suggested we skip dessert at dinnertime, but we ended up eating them because we wanted to try several items on the menu and were glad we did.

 

Later: Hilby turned out to be one of the funniest guys I have ever seen on a ship. He juggled a little and joked a lot and the result was a very entertaining show. I wish the Chocaholic buffet had been as good as Hilby… it was a limited display (done four times so the line could be broken up) but nowhere near as fancy as chocaholic buffets used to be. I ended up eating a couple of chocolate covered strawberries and a cookie. I assure you that I would have eaten a lot more if anything else had appealed to me. Oh well, on the positive side, I didn’t gain as many pounds today as I could have so that’s a good thing.

 

Wednesday, January 13 – Cruising the Chilean Fjords (Again)

 

Today dawned foggy. The glimpses we saw of islands and mountains indicated that we were in a very scenic area, but with the mist and fog, we couldn’t see much of anything, Unfortunately the fog and quite a bit of rain stayed with us all day, so although it was a very restful day, the scenery was wasted. We had the most motion we’ve experienced on the cruise today. This is because we are out on the Pacific, transiting from one set of fjords to another, Several people reported that there was a lot of motion about 2 a.m. which woke them up and caused some people to feel sick. We slept through it, snug in our little cabin on Deck 4. As usual, we went up to the Seven Seas and had a nice breakfast, I tried the waffles and enjoyed them.

 

After breakfast we went back to the cabin to regroup and the temptation to take a nap was too much to resist. We ended up sleeping until it was almost lunch time. We have been watching the Haitian earthquake stories on CNN and are struck by the contrast between watching people who have nothing and cruising along the Chilean Fjords. I know many Haitian people in our hometown and have had many students from Haiti in our high school, so I am worried about them and their families in Haiti. I won’t be able to find out anything about the people I know there until we return home, which won’t be for another week. We are very cut off here. Rudolfo told me there are some crew members from Haiti. I can’t imagine how awful it must be for them to be here and unable to find out how their loved ones are at home.

 

We enjoyed our lunch while chatting with a couple from Florida. Luisa and Caterina did a good job of serving us and I enjoyed Fish Fritters, Vegetable Soup, Salad, Sweet and Sour Pork with Fried Rice, and Chocolate Roulade. Imagine if I ate a lunch like that every day at home… I’d be fifty pounds heavier! Fortunately the cruise comes to an end and I return to the real world, where I eat half a sandwich and lose the weight I put on while cruising. At least, that is always the plan.

 

We met two lovely women at lunch and one of them joined us for the 2 p.m. lecture on magic by the resident magician, J.P. Parent. He did a great job of demonstrating several card tricks in the public domain and answering the questions, both personal and professional, posed by the audience. This was in Dazzles and I suggested to him afterwards that it would be better if we could see his hands. Either a raised platform, a different venue, or a camera would have helped. He said there is only one camera on the ship and sometimes it isn’t available, so if you’re listening, NCL, please make sure that a presentation like this is shown on a screen or televised for playing in the cabins later. I was struck by how nice J.P. is in person and how annoying his humor can be on stage. I hope he gets the message and drops the sex and the sexist material from his act. He'd be funnier and better received by the audience.

 

After the lecture, I went online to post the last installment of this review and to check email. Then I chatted with a woman who was selling oil paintings she had made of the various ports we had visited. I took her card and enjoyed looking at her work. She suggested I look at her website, but at $.40 a minute, I’ll wait until I get home to take a look at her other paintings.

 

On the way back to the cabin, I walked through Dazzles and discovered that the 5 p.m. movie was actually a two-part documentary on ocean liners called “The Only Way to Cross.” It was filmed on the Norway, and I enjoyed looking at the many venues we enjoyed on an 11 day cruise on that ship ten years ago. I also found the story of the White Star, Cunard, and German liners of the early 20th Century as fascinating as I did the first time I watched this documentary.

 

We had dinner in the Seven Seas and were once again served most capably by Imre. By this time she knows us well and wasn’t surprised when DS left before dinner was over. “I know,” she said, “he’s gone.” We also shared a laugh when we got to dessert. DH asked about ice cream flavors and she mentioned there was a special flavor, posted on the kitchen door, but she couldn’t remember what it was. DH ordered the “mystery flavor,” and when it arrived, it turned out to be Dulce de Leche. Earlier, I ordered the Buffalo Chicken Wings, the Seafood Gumbo, and the “Every Day Chicken with Mashed Potatoes.” Everything was good. For my dessert I couldn’t decide between two chocolate desserts, so I had both of them and thought they were both good. One was a Double Chocolate Pie and the other was a Bittersweet Chocolate and Passion Fruit Dessert.

 

The show tonight was a return engagement of Andre and Francine, who performed several dances, and Elvy. Elvy has a good voice and when she sang “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” and “Le Vie En Rose,” she was good. What I don’t like about her act is that she wears unbecoming costumes and puts on this crazy act. Here’s my opinion - It might be her “schtick,” but it’s annoying and detracts from her musicality.

 

Thursday, January 14, 2010 – Puerto Chacabuco

 

We had an early morning again since we are only in port from 7 until 2 today. After breakfast in the dining room, we met our two traveling partners for the day (from CC) and took the tender over to the pier to try to find the guy who said he would meet us – Patricio. Unfortunately, several other people on our Roll Call contacted him and he put them all in taxis and drove away before we got there. We asked everyone in the area when we arrived at 8:15 about Patricio, but three people told me he had gone up to Coiyohue and was no longer around. As a result, the four of us decided to go with Anne Hedderman, an American woman who came to Aysen as an English tutor and has been living there for three years. (Yes, we went with Anne, the gringa guide and that was a good decision.) She had a van and driver (both good) and offered to take us to the surrounding countryside for $35 a person. We enjoyed her tour, which included lots of information about the towns surrounding Puerto Chacabuco, a nice tour of the Simpson River Valley, a turn around Aysen, stops at two waterfalls, and a Nature Reserve stop where we walked down to the river and took advantage of the clean facilities. We were lucky to have excellent visibility and even a few moments of sunshine. Best of all, we had no rain and it was noticeably warmer than our last port day. Two cotton layers were enough today and we definitely needed good walking shoes for the muddy paths we trod to the river and to the waterfalls. Later we checked with the folks who had gone in Patricio’s cab convoy. They were cramped in the cabs and the drivers didn’t speak English or provide much information.

 

Back on board by 12:45, we went to lunch and, as usual, ate too much. Today it was Seafood Salad, Red Bean Soup, Mixed Salad, and DH and I shared Crab Cakes and Vegetable Crepes with Broccoli, Cauliflower and Hollandaise Sauce. Dessert was Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. Wilfredo and Aicie did a fine job of serving us. Then I went up on deck and watched the passing scenery until it grew too cold. We retreated to the indoor viewing area at the Centrum, enjoyed the view of thickly forested islands, snow-capped mountains, and Chilean fjords. Now it’s “get ready for dinner time” to be followed by dinner and the show. Tonight we have a reprise of Juan Pablo Subirana’s piano artistry.

 

Later: Our server, I Ketut, knows us quite well by now. He was very ably assisted by Keith, a lovely young Filipina. I ordered the Spring Roll, which arrived hot (food is carried from the kitchen to the dining room and rarely arrives as hot as the Spring Roll did tonight), the Tuscan Bean Soup (why have Tuscan Bean Soup in the evening when you had Red Bean Soup for lunch? Seems as though they could vary the menu a bit more,) Mixed Salad, and a Vegetarian Burrito. I ordered the Chocolate Crème Brulee, but it was the single worst dessert I have eaten on this ship. As usual, Lorelle provided excellent bar service.

 

Juan Pablo Subirana did his usual act with different music. The piano playing is excellent… as usual my recommendation is that he stop doing the “over the top dancing and silly stuff (like jokes about his girlfriend, Conchita, a plastic (or perhaps rubber) puppet that he told the audience is having an affair with the Captain – who likes this stuff?)

 

Friday, January 15 – Puerto Montt

 

After breakfast, we headed out for our last port day. The weather forecast for today was 71F and Sunny, and what a day we had! We started off with some cloud cover, but by the time we got to Lake Llanquihue, the sun was shining and the gorgeous vista across the lake to the Osorno Volcano was visible. Our CC group of nine had been met at the pier by Jaime Liebrecht and his driver, Ercilia with a new and comfortable van. En route to Osorno, we made a stop at a little farm, where we walked among some emus and llamas and took lots of pictures as they posed for us. We drove first to the Volcano, bypassing the large tour buses headed for the Petrohue Falls. Once we reached the ski lift, the seven people in our group who were going to Zip Line down the Volcano Face headed up on the lift, while the two of us who chose to stay below, relaxed on the terrace and enjoyed the fabulous views in every direction. In addition to Osorno, there are two other volcanoes visible in the area and the lake, and the snow-capped volcanoes and the lush landscape of the valley below make for a truly gorgeous sight.

 

We went up to the last platform to film the zip liners as they cruised in. They all had a great time, including Jaime. Next we drove to the Petrohue Falls, which is another fabulous site. You walk out to where the waters from the Volcano surge over some rocks and then continue on with rapids in several directions. On a sunny day like ours, the blue water against the forested sides of the bottom of the volcano is beautiful and we took many photographs.

 

Then it was on to Puerto Varas for lunch. Since we were all very hungry by this time, this was much anticipated and we were all pleased with Jaime’s pick, a little restaurant called El Patio de mi Casa. We ordered off the menu with Jaime providing translations and ate Salmon a la Plancha (served with a sauce and little dumplings), Tortellini Stuffed with Chicken for DS (very good pasta drenched in a delicious cheese sauce), and a Crab Au Gratin dish (with a Chilean name which I’ll find and provide later if anyone is interested), which was very delicious. For the three of us, with one Crab dish, one Salmon dish, the Tortellini, a beer, Mineral Water, two glasses of White Wine (also terrific), and a Pisco Sour (for DS, of course!) the total was US $43.

 

We took a few minutes to shop in Puerto Varas before heading back to the ship, where the line for tenders was extremely long and slow. Hot and tired, we were happy to get back on board, but too exhausted and too late to fix up for dinner. We just “went as we were” and still full from lunch, had a smaller than usual dinner. We ordered appetizers, soup, and dessert and skipped the entrees. I ate Curried Apple Soup, Salad Nicoise, and marvelous Flourless Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream. They had a Mixed Grill on the Menu which looked good and an assortment of Seafood including a Lobster Tail with Fettucine, but there was no room for us to eat all that food.

 

This was the night for the last Production Show, and their program, called “Encore,” was excellent. A selection of Broadway Show songs along with dancing and a final thank you to the crew rounded off the evening. I really like the Jean Ann Ryan performers on this ship – they are all good on stage and the ones I’ve met off the stage seem very friendly and nice.

 

There was a White Hot Party after the show, but we were happy to have an early night and headed for our cabin. Tomorrow is packing day. I always have mixed feelings at the end of a cruise – I love to cruise, but after two weeks on board, I’m happy to stop overeating and move on to the next phase of our vacation.

 

Saturday, January 16 – At Sea

 

The sun was shining when we got up this morning. Feeling energetic, I started packing before breakfast and then headed to the Seven Seas, where we had a sharing table with two other lovely couples, one from Salt Lake City and the other from New Jersey. I had my usual when not going to Port breakfast of Melon, two Eggs Over Easy with Hash Brown Potatoes, Crisp Bacon and Rye Toast with Tea and Orange Juice. Several others ordered the Eggs Benedict, but one per cruise is usually enough for me. Maybe I’ll get them tomorrow morning before heading off the ship. Note, when the line is long at breakfast or lunch, it’s always a good idea to let the person in charge know you’d like to share.

 

Now we’re doing some more packing before going up to the deck for some lovely sunshine at sea, and, of course, some more time on the computer. I'll post the final installment of this review after we get to Vina del Mar tomorrow. With any luck, perhaps we'll have Wifi. If not, we'll find an internet cafe in town. We're going to be there for three days.

[Salish Sailor]

Thanks for the latest update and the answers to my questions, Linda. I'm hoping you will put your photos up online somewhere once you get back! We would love to see them!

[gubby]

Ditto on the thanks for the latest post. It was especially interesting to me as we have booked the tour with Anne in Chacabuco and with Jaime in Puerto Montt. All the reviews I had read earlier were good about both, but I feel that I now know you and your impressions seem to be the ones that interest me the most. So thanks for that.

 

I think I will have to go through all the posts again and copy the impressions of each of your meals. Your impressions of them are very good to read and it does make ordering when one is unsure about a choice, much easier.

 

Enjoy your time in Valparaiso. We too, have booked with Michael Arnold and I am looking forward to hearing about that tour.

 

Nikki

[Limejock]

Hi Arlene

 

We are booked with Anne on the Puerto Chacabuco trip. Has it been decided where and when we will all meet on the day of the excursion?

 

Thank you

Anne

[WE LIKE TO CRUISE]

Hi Linda Thank for the information on S.A. We are on 29 days Sun cruise

from Buenos Aires to Miami, Florida. on March 28. Please keep posting on S.A. Take care and Keep on cruising:D