Cruise with Bill & Mary Ann on the Prinsendam's Grand So. America & Antarctica Voyage

[RuthC]

The Grand Voyage Prinsendam t-shirts were in the store today with all of the sizes available. We purchased one, but did not get the promised 15% discount for being 4-star Mariner members. The salesgirl was clueless. And so were the front desk staff. It just seems to us that they are not prepared for these simple questions regarding the new program and its benefits. We were promised that they would check into it, and send us a copy of the Mariner benefits today. Again, this sounded too easy. We shall see....

 

 

PS Remember we said it was too easy to get a replacement vase and the copy of the new Mariner program perks? Well, it's past midnight, and there is no vase or Mariner info. Are we surprised? Nooooo.......

Don't give up hope yet. It may still happen!

On my Rotterdam cruise I was charged full price for dinner in the Pinnacle, then had my discount given back when the finances were reconciled overnight. The same thing happened with the wine-tasting discount.

Check your account tomorrow, and you may find the discount applied as a credit.

[timothy998]

Report # 17 January 26, 2010 Tuesday Day at Sea

 

We woke up early this morning and watched the news on CNN. It was shocking to see the report concerning the flooding and mudslides that hit Cuzco and Machu Picchu in Peru. The train tracks had been washed out in several places, and the only way out for many tourists was by helicopter. Besides the passengers that were supposed to go from Lima to Cuzco to tour the ruins from the ship, and the pre-cruise passengers who were already there, we understand that there was a total of 50 guests on that list. Later today, Captain Albert announced that the trip was cancelled, because the government was forbidding any travel to that area. That is a serious amount of change that will have to be credited to the passenger's accounts!

 

We were happy that our friends John and Diane were able to complete their overland to Quito, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu from the Amsterdam's world cruise. Their timing was perfect by going almost two weeks ago.

 

We came very close to booking that excursion on our own. Our problem was the fact that we could not get a flight out of Manta until late in the evening last Sunday. Guess that things happen for a reason, because we would have been up there, perhaps stranded, and unable to get back to the ship. You just never know.

 

Today is the end of the first segment, as 69 people go off the ship tomorrow morning. We will be gaining 90 new passengers, who will more than likely end up in the second seating for dinner. We have plenty of room in our area of the dining room, since most folks opted for the early seating at 5:30pm.

 

The ship was hitting some pretty good swells this morning while we ate breakfast. Actually, we get a very good show while watching the workmen packing chairs, couches, and cabinets from the bow to the stairs that lead to deck eight. The dangerous extension cord and plug connection were really sitting underwater also. As the ship listed, water cascaded like Niagara Falls down the stairs, all over the new chairs! We finally realized it was coming from the aft pool on deck nine. The workers continued to sand the railings with power tools, even though the deck was flooded.

 

We could not help ourselves....we went to see Gary, the Guest Relations manager, to report this mess and possible dangerous situation. We were not alone, since another couple were also telling him the exact same thing. Gary is good about writing everything down on paper, but it never seems to have an impact at all. Hours later, nothing had been done to fix the cords. We gave up! Gary did call us and said he tried to talk to the contractor, but he also got nowhere.

 

The weather was quite pleasant this afternoon, so we relaxed on the aft deck for a few hours. It was not hot at all, though we still used a lot of sunscreen. One of those headsets that we see people using for music or listening to books would be a help while back here. It would help to mask the noise of hammering, sanding,and the drilling that is going on beneath us on deck 8. The smell of paint has been overwhelming as well. We still cannot imagine that this is happening on a GRAND VOYAGE.

 

An excellent movie was on TV at 3:30pm, Angels and Demons with Tom Hanks. It has been shown twice in the Wajang Theater, but we missed it. It was every bit as good as we heard it was, but we missed some of the ending, because we had an appointment with the future cruise girl once again. We showed up at exactly 5:30pm, and she was still working with the 4:30pm people.....for almost 20 minutes. We could have finished the movie!! Anyway, we accomplished our mission for a future booking, and we were received much better than yesterday, maybe because she kept us waiting for so long.

 

Today was Australia Day, so the Aussies were invited to the Crows Nest for cocktails with Captain Albert and the Hotel Manager. We expected a huge crowd, but only 11 showed up. Oh well, it was a nice gesture.

 

The entrees on the menu did not appeal to us. So we ordered the alternate steak. It was tasty, and done just right by asking for medium. Our waiter has been bringing two plates of assorted vegetables for our table every night. We are really eating healthy this trip! And for our reward.....we had sachertorte for dessert!

 

Margaret and Keith attend the shows at 10pm most nights, so they have become our critiques. They have reported that the shows are hit and miss. Most of the singers and musicians have been good, while comedians and magicians were so-so. In our opinion, Elliot Finkel is a hard act to follow.

 

We took a stroll on the promenade deck after dinner as usual. Guess what? The cords were GONE! Somebody must have listened to us after all.

 

Well, it's almost midnight again, so will close for now!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

I'm loving your trip and enjoy this second trip as much as your world cruise last year. However, I have been cringing regarding the contractors' behaviors onboard. As someone who works in Risk Management, it is critical for contractors to follow various safety rules & regulations, but given where the ship is flagged, that may make the rules/regs that apply different. In any case, essentially it is the Captain's responsibility that employees and/or contractors on the ship work in a safe & healthful manner, not only to protect themselves but also HAL's other employees AND guests.

 

Granted the contractors are probably under a tight deadline but that does not excuse this behavior, nor does it absolve HAL to allow it.

[WCB]

Report # 22 January 31, 2010 Sunday Arica, Chile

 

Today started out great, but it wasn't going to necessarily end that way. But we will start with the good stuff first.

 

By the time the Prinsendam sailed into the port of Arica, Chile, the sun was out, the sky was blue, and the temperature was going to be a promising 80 degrees. We had NO tour, and we were in NO rush to go ashore, since we have visited this port way back in 1989.

 

After having a leisurely breakfast in the dining room, we left the ship by 10am. But before we left, we noticed that the hallway carpet on our deck was being sprayed with what we later learned was a "virus-cide", not insect spray. In fact, we noticed that every conceivable surface that could be touched by human hands was being virus-cided on every deck. Hmmmm, something is up we feared.

 

There was a mandatory shuttle to take us to the port gate. They had two shuttles that ran every 15 minutes. Before we go on, a little history about Arica is needed. Arica is Chile's most northernmost settlement, just 11 miles south of the Peruvian border. Gold and silver mines abounded in the 1500's in this area. Legend has it that Sir Francis Drake, an infamous buccaneer, buried ten million dollars worth of the precious metals somewhere near the city. Wow, go find us a shovel!

 

This city became important to Bolivia, who has no port on the Pacific Ocean. Truck loads of nitrate is shipped from here that comes from neighboring Bolivia. It has not always been a peaceful agreement either, since there have been wars fought for the priviledge.

 

The Atacama Desert begins here. It is the driest place on earth, with the least amount of recorded rain. That was one reason why the mummies that have been found in this part of Chile remained intact for centuries. We had toured a tiny museum on our first visit and saw the oldest mummy in the world at that time. Once you get over the initial shock of seeing a mummy, you realize the importance of the science that can reveal what the past held here...especially now with the help of DNA testing and carbon dating.

 

Continuing on,we strolled among the several tented souvenier stands in the plaza across from the pier gates. A local band was playing for us visitors, with the fountain waters dancing in the backround.

 

At the end of the Christopher Columbus Plaza was San Marcos Cathedral, which was busy today with Sunday mass. Actually Gustav Eiffel designed this iron and copper cathedral in the late 1800's. The Customs Building was also his creation. Both structures were manufactured in pieces in Paris, then shipped by boat to be re-assembled here. Interesting that we toured some of his other buildings while in Maputo, Mozambique just last year. And back in 2006, we saw his Eiffel Tower in Paris, and of course, also his work, the Statue of Liberty in New York City. Golly, this fellow really got around!

 

We had not really started out with the idea of going up to El Morro de Arica, but there was the high cliff overlooking the ocean and city, and we just had to do it. What we we thinking?? The initial pathway was very, very steep, but a good way to work off our spare calories and more. The trail switch-backed with a combination of stairs and terraces. It really wasn't so bad as long as we took our time...what I am really saying is Bill had little trouble climbing, but I was dragging behind!

 

When we summited the plateau, we saw four busloads of HAL people. When asked what bus we were on, we said we walked up with a handful of other passengers. We could tell by the look on their faces that they thought we were crazy!

 

Our reward for the tough walk, was the beautiful 360 degree view, and the pleasant sea breeze to cool us down. Even though we had seen this view before, it could never cease to impress us. Several antique cannons were here, once used to repel invaders. Impressive monuments were scattered around the top, with a small museum to tour for a price. Been there, done that! We had more fun watching the local families with small kids enjoying their Sunday at this pleasant spot. One three year old little boy was stacking rocks by a cannon, trying to figure out how it could work for him. Kids are the same everywhere!!

 

After taking every photo we could, it was time for the descent. Overhearing one elderly couple saying, "We better keep moving before we SEIZE UP", we had to laugh. Well said....we know where they are coming from the older we get!

 

On our careful walk almost straight downhill, a young local couple were just coming up the trail. The dad was pushing a fully loaded baby stroller full steam ahead, as if it was nothing! We said to him good job, and he answered back....it's no problem in broken English. Oh, why is youth wasted on the young??

 

It was much easier going down, although, the sun was zapping us. We were sure glad we brought a large bottle of water along with us. Ice cold beer really sounded better at this point, but every cafe and shop was closed because it was Sunday. Darn...

 

Back at the plaza, we contributed to the economy by purchasing a jewelry set with the sepentine stones (lime green and black). The price was really reasonable. The vendors had every type of semiprecious stones that are quarried in this country, as well as real silver jewelry and more expensive settings of lapis.

 

Close by was another set of tents that had local food and drinks. Also there were stalls full of sweaters, leather and wooden items, and more jewelry, being fashioned right in front of our eyes. One fellow was selling knock-off perfumes, so we bought a small bottle of Ja'dour.

 

The most interesting site were the dozens of black comorants nesting high up in the swaying palm trees. They made a peculiar sound, like sealions, but quieter. They were the loudest when they fought over a nesting place. We really had to watch our heads while walking under these palms, if you get the drift!!

 

It was heading towards 3pm, so we decided to get back to the ship before we cooked our brains. We brought our drink bottles full of Crystal lite lemonade (brought from home) to the aft pool. We relaxed for an hour until the area filled with many sunbathers. We bet that the Lido whirlpool is still broken, because there was a run on the two working spas back there.

 

Being that our room is on deck nine, we have a short walk to the aft pool deck. On our way back to the room, we saw seven buckets under major dripping water coming from deck ten! The carpet was already saturated from what appeared to be a broken water pipe upstairs. Oh well, we understand that the hallway carpets were scheduled to be shampooed. Now they will have to do it now, we hope.

 

We ordered some room service snacks, since we skipped lunch. That's about when we got the BAD NEWS. As we waited for the ship to leave at 5pm, Captain Albert came on the public PA system with a dreaded message. A gastrointestinal virus has hit the Prinsendam! We knew it...especially when the staff insisted on the Purell a few days ago while entering the dining room. DARN! We were doing so good, we thought. Chances are that while in Lima, Peru, the virus may have come onboard with the new passengers. It only takes 48 hours for that virus to spread. The staff is also affected,since we have noticed our room steward has been absent. Captain Albert urged us all to wash our hands, use Purell, and report any symtoms immediately to the medical staff. Medications were promised for free, as is the exam by Dr. Palma. Now what the captain did not mention, is the fact that once you have been diagnosed for the virus, you are grounded, condemned to your room for 48 to 72 hours! Room service food is brought to you, and that is that! On past cruises, we heard that the "condemned ones" were compensated for the lost days with some shipboard credit. Don't know if that is still true. This same virus hit the world cruisers on the Amsterdam shortly after the start of their trip in January. They ended up with a code red situation, with extreme measures taken by the staff to halt the spread of the bacteria. Bet we see that here tonight at dinner.

 

A good place to get ship information is the Crows Nest, but they were closed again tonight for a private party. We stayed in our room, and got treated to a sighting of whales. They are on their way to Antarctica to feed for the summer, which is now down south.

 

There were only six of us for dinner tonight. Paul, Maria, Mary Ellen, and Gary were missing. We're not sure what the ailments were, but we hope they will be fine soon. We also had a new waiter, since Nandang flew home to see his ill mother. We will miss him, because he had just gotten to know us and what we like to order. We all wished him God speed and a safe flight home. Our new waiter turned out to be the yum-yum man, or the nice fellow who doles out the mints and ginger after dinner every night. He did OK for our meal, but he did mix up a few entrees. As he gets more confidence, we are sure he will get better.

 

Before we went to dinner tonight, we attempted to call the front desk (or what we thought was the front desk) to ask a simple question regarding the closing of the Crows Nest. With three times trying, the phone rang and rang, then disconnected us. Gosh, sure hope we don't have an emergency in our room, because we felt no one was manning the front desk. On our way back to our room after dinner, we stopped at the front desk and asked why we were being disconnected around 7pm. They stared at us with a puzzled look, and offered to come to our room to check our phone. One fellow followed us up, and asked if we were using the "At your Service" button on the phone. Yes, we were, as we have on past cruises in our veranda room. We know we have a special concierge person, who takes care of the veranda room calls.It turned out that if she or he has too many calls at once, we are disconnected! Well that is a first. Our fellow said to call 90, and we would be connected to the front desk, where there are always three staff members present at all times. So what good is our concierge person who won't answer our calls? OK, enough whining for tonight!!

 

Back to good things.......tomorrow we have been invited for cocktails and dinner with Captain Albert, along with 8 other guests. He and the hotel manager take turns hosting this dinner every formal night, eventually entertaining all of the full 70 day passengers. This should be interesting........

 

And we had a neat lobster towel animal on our bed tonight. Next to him, was a little gift from our hosts Henk and Lucia. It was a bookmark, with a light, and a magnifying glass. It took 10 minutes to figure out how to turn the darned thing on, duh!! What can we say, it was a LONG DAY!! But we just love presents!

 

Tomorrow's port is Iquique, Chile, a hard name to pronounce and a new port for us.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Aussie Gal]

What bad luck to have norovirus on board. We were so lucky on our 24 day cruise on the Prinsendam, no-one seemed to have that dreaded ailment though a lot of passengers including us did get the terrible cough that seems to come from the air conditioning. It was with us for a good 3 weeks!

 

Hope that none of your group succumb to the virus.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 23 February 1, 2010 Monday Iquique, Chile

 

Iquique (pronounced EEE-KEY-KAY), Chile, was a new stop for us. And it was a pleasant surprise, because this city of about 180,000 citizens is rightly called the "Miami of Chile".

 

We booked an HAL 3 hour city tour that was short and sweet. Our first stop from the bus, was at Astoreca Palace, built for the nitrate millionaire, Humberstone. Unfortunately he died before the mansion was completed. This two story spacious abode has been used for housing the country's politicians over the years, although, now it is opened to the public for paid tours.

 

Then we walked down Baquedano Street, a carfree stone lane with wooden boardwalks. All of the colorful wooden houses were built by the nitrate barons with douglas fir imported from California. These buildings have been restored and are now used for shops, cafes, and businesses.

 

Next, we entered the Museo Regional, which exhibited a true to size native village and artifacts from ancient civilzations. The remains from mummies and skeletal animals were interesting, if not eerie.

 

The best section, we thought, contained everything related to the nitrate mining and operations. We learned that nitrate was a valuable commodity in the old days, since it was used as fertilizer and more importantly, gunpowder. When the petroleum based substitutes came into the market, the nitrate trade died a slow death. The mines were abandoned and are now a tourist site.

 

Continuing on, we visited the Municipal Theater, built in 1890. It was created in the Renaissance style, and must have been an impressive site for the local aristocrats. We had a brief look into the spacious stage and seating arena, which is still used for local plays now.

 

The theater was located off of Prat Plaza, which featured an old clock tower and fountains. From here, we strolled to Centro Espanol, a meeting place, now a restaurant, for the Spanish community. On the uper level, were several large paintings of Spanish history. But the best were the paintings and figurines of the famous Don Quixote. Back in the restaurant area, we all relaxed with a glass of pisco and mango sours, along with cheeses, olives, tuna on bread rounds, and tasty grilled chicken pinchers. We did enjoy the snack because we had missed breakfast once again.

 

Then we boarded the bus for a scenic ride along Iquique's beaches. At one point, we took a short walk along the busy beach promenade. Many kids and families were already sunning, swimming, surfing, and playing beach volleyball. It is funny to realize that it is summer here and vacation time for the locals.

 

We passed the nice Casino before we boarded the bus and headed back to the Prinsendam. Some people would have loved to visit that casino, but there was no time.

 

We could have taken the free shuttle back to Plat Plaza, but we felt that we had seen it all. We were glad that we had taken the tour, because if we came on the shuttle, we would not have known what we were looking at.

 

The nice thing about a shorter tour, is the fact that we got back to the ship in time to go to the dining room for a civilized lunch. As we have mentioned already, all of the commonly shared items in the dining room have been removed. No bread basket, butter, salt and pepper shakers, or sugars, are on the tables. EVERYTHING has to be served by the waiter....so much more work for them!

 

Iquique had one bad problem.....where the ship was docked was a fish processing plant. You can imagine the odor of rotting fish in the air. We know that we will NOT be spending much time on our veranda this afternoon.

 

We don't know how many more sunny and warm days we have left on this trip. Thanks to friends on the Amsterdam's world cruise, they are sending reports and pictures of what we have to look forward to. COLD, REALLY COLD. We can tell by the layers of clothing they have on.....they are bundled up with jackets, scarves, and hats, and still look cold!

 

Right before Captain Albert left the port at 5pm, he made some further announcements concerning the virus outbreak on the ship. Much to his dislike, many dumb passengers have been complaining about the forced use of Purell. We have started calling this procedure "slime time"!! We do not mind at all, especially if this is the only way to halt the spread of germs. We have been getting reports that many crew and passengers are quarantined. There is no more dance hosting, tai chi (instructor ill), puzzles, exchange books in the library, games, cards, and whirlpools. The Black and White Ball has been cancelled, because the officers cannot dance with the guests. We are in CODE RED. And it sure looks like it.

 

The dress code for this evening was formal. Why on a port day, we all asked? We really would prefer formal on sea days, but no one seems to be listening to the passengers.

 

We had been invited last night to cocktails and dinner with Captain Albert and his wife. We met for drinks at 7:30pm in the Explorer's Lounge, along with three other couples. The Captain and recently boarded, Mrs. Captain (Leslie), as introduced by Thom, the cruise director, arrived at 7:50pm. We found out that Leslie had been a hairdresser on the ships several years ago, working for Tom, our world cruise host and friend. She was also a host for our travel agency, but has assumed the role of Captain's wife now. She knew many of our Specialists friends that have sailed with HAL for many, many years. Anyway, by 8pm, we were led to the Captain's table for 10 in the aft dining room.

 

The fine china, glassware, and silverware were reportedly worth over $6,000. Needless to say, we were very careful with the long-stemmed glasses! The menu was set with a choice of appetizer, followed by soup, lobster, and filet mignon. The food was excellent accompanied with red and white wine. What would have made it nicer would have been having our entire table of friends with us. That was how Captain Gundersen did the dinner on the 2005 world cruise. Even nicer, he hosted cocktails and dinner in his private suite! Every captain does it different, or not at all, as what happened on the 2008 world cruise. Sometimes these dinners are VERY long, depending on the type of people you are stuck with. And, you have no power over where you sit with assigned name tags at each seat. I would have loved to visit with the nice lady I had drinks with, but she was too far away. One person was a "groupie", who almost sat in the captain's lap all evening! Oh well, it was entertaining, and we will have lots of amusing stories to share with our regular tablemates this evening. That is, if they are all there. We heard that only four of them attended dinner last night!

 

Tomorrow we have a most welcomed day at sea! Yeah!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[CruisinTexans]

Sorry about the Code Red. I remember on the 2007 a couple of our tablemates were quarantined and got a daily stipend as a reward for staying in their room. They had a special crew that cleaned the quarantined rooms. Please be careful and don't get sick.

 

Between your descriptions and Johnny B's on the Amsterdam, I am really wanting to do the South America thing. Wish I had decided earlier and we would be on the ship with you.

 

Please tell Dr. Pal, and her husband Fritz, we said hi! Reminder her that Handler is the one who got her up in the middle of the night to x-ray his ribs and pick gravel out of his arm. We had drinks with them several times in the Crow's Nest too. I bet she is really busy right now.

 

Just curious, what are chicken pinchers?

 

Keep the news coming.

 

Leslie

[WCB]

Report # 24 February 2, 2010 Tuesday Day at Sea

 

Boy, did the weather change today! When we woke up and stepped out on our balcony, we saw cloudy, grey skies, rolling seas, and much cooler temperatures. We were hoping to take advantage of the remaining days we have left of sun and warmth before we hit the Chilean fjords. But the sun was gone sooner than we expected. Oh well, this would be a good day to do other things onboard the ship.

 

The Susan G. Komen 5K (3 mile) walk was held at 9am this morning on the promenade deck. Participation was good, since it was reported that it netted $1000. for the foundation. We joined the walk a bit later after breakfast. We prefer to wait until the crowd thins out before tackling the hike. Many people did not finish the walk, but Gerry, our tablemate did. It sure was the best day to have this affair, since the weather was perfect for it. The Prinsendam was rocking and rolling a bit, but that what ships do!

 

This virus outbreak has changed the mood of the ship a lot. We noticed very few passengers out and about the ship today. Now we are really wondering how many staff and guests have been quarantined. On the plus side, Francois, the hotel manager, mentioned to us and our host Henk, that he has been saving on the food consumption for this past week! Nice to have a sense of humor about a stressful situation.

 

Now before we enter any of the shops onboard, we are required to Purell our hands. Do you know how many thousands of surfaces you can manage to touch every single day?? Never thought of that before, and hope we never have to think about it again! There was absolutely nobody in the fine jewelry store, so the cute young clerk gave us a thorough presentation of all of the watches on display. Were we considering buying a new watch? No, but it made her happy to look busy! There was going to be a drawing this evening at 9:45pm for a Venetian pendant, so she handed us tickets and invited us to attend. Too bad we never get out of the dining before 10pm!

 

We spotted at least a dozen crew members spraying VIROX, the real name of the virus-cide. You name it, they were spraying it. In fact, if we all stood still long enough, they would saturate all of us! Hey, if it eradicates the virus, we don't mind at all. We fear that it will be a while before the crew get a handle on this situation. We have decided to only use our own bathroom, and not use any public washroom until this mess is over. This may be TMI (too much information), but most of the restrooms have been closed....they can't clean them fast or often enough!

 

The afternoon dissolved away while we chatted with friends for hours and emailed, or attempted to. The internet has been touchy,as far as being able to stay connected. We would not be surprised to see many laptops being thrown overboard by frustrated emailers!!

 

We had a Specialist's cocktail party at 7pm in the Crows Nest. Members from both dinner seatings were invited, which is a good way to meet new people as well as our many friends. Even Captain Albert and his wife dropped in for a drink. We have decided that Captain Albert is a bit on the reserved side, a bit shy. His wife, on the other hand, is very outgoing. Proves the theory that opposites do in fact attract each other!

 

Dinner was fun tonight, even though only six of us were there. Paul and Maria are still under the weather, and have wisely laid low for the last four days. Mary Ellen and Bruce savored a delicious dinner in the Pinnacle Grill. So when Henk and Lucia arrived to sit alone at their table, we urged them to join us, and they did. All of us sure enjoyed their company!

 

Well, tomorrow's port is Coquimbo, Chile, with a very early tour, so time to say BYE!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

PS Towel animal.....a shark!

[Aussie Gal]

The ship does sound very quiet. We have always made sure that we only ever use our bathroom when on board a ship as we know how germs can travel especially if some people do not wash their hands!

 

Hopefully, in the next couple of days everyone will be feeling better and the Code Red can be lifted, then you will all be well enough to enjoy the wonderful Chilean Fjords and Antarctica.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 25 2-03-2010 Wednesday Coquimbo, Chile

 

In 2003, we visited this industrial port of Coquimbo, but toured the nearby town of La Serena while on a complimentary excursion with our then travel agency. So today, we planned to see more of the countryside. It was very cool today. A layer of fog hung over the cities and hillsides, with little promise that the sun would come out later.

 

We had a meeting time of 7:50am in the Ocean Bar with hosts Henk and Lucia. Our tour was "The Road of Grapes and Vineyards at Tabali Winery and Santa Cristina". The ship's clearance was delayed for awhile, due to the fact that all of the tour buses were being VIROXED before we boarded. And we don't mean just sprayed, they were saturated...floors and seats! What an awful feeling we had knowing that the locals were in danger of contracting this virus from our passengers. Despite this strange situation, we were still received well by our wonderful English guide, who reminded us of Julia Child with her accent and deep laugh! We lucked out today, having the best guide so far this trip. The soggy bus was nice too...it was a 2010 coach with lots of legroom. We really appreciate that!

 

A group of six dancers entertained the guests as they left on tours. We had to watch from the bus, since we were the first to leave.

 

To begin with, the climate in this part of Chile is much more suitable for growing crops such as fruit and citrus trees, huge and tasty vegetables, and most importantly.....grapes for wine and pisco. Leaving the port city and joining the Pan-American highway, we headed south. The terrain was hilly and arid, dotted with cacti and weeds. The only water they get is from the daily fog that hugs the coastline every morning and evening. Actual rainfall is negligable. The weather today sure reminded us of San Francisco, where we grew up, only it was not as cold.

 

There were beautiful beaches along the way, mostly empty of beach combers or swimmers. Since the Humboult Current from Antarctica sweeps up these waters, swimming is only for the brave...the water is just too cold. Looking at the other side of the highway, all you see is semi-arid desert with the Andes Mountains in the backround.

 

However, the valleys (Elqui and Limari) that stretch inland, are fertile and come to life with water that comes from rivers originating in the Andes. All of the fields of crops and newly planted olive orchards blanket the hillsides for miles and miles. The process of irrigation used here is the drip method.....no loss of water due to runoff or evaporation...very effective.

 

Our destination was up the Limari Valley to a winery called Tabali Vineyard, about an hour and a half ride from the pier. Here we toured the modern facility, which was getting ready for their new crop to be processed in the next month or so. The winery was built just 8 years ago, and was pristine. The wine tasting was excellent too. We tried three varieties of wine.....2 whites and one red. Frankly, we are not big wine drinkers, but we did like the ones they offered today. The bottles were priced right..$10. each. So just about everyone bought some. It didn't hurt that the young woman that was pouring and selling the wine was dressed nicely, wearing spikey high heels! The fellows just drooled!!

 

Then we were led to see the cellars and an interesting mural that was painted by a very talented 18 year old local boy. This mural went on forever, depicted how life was during the early years. Also in this very cool cellar, we saw the private tasting rooms off of the main corridor. The lighting was muted and soft, giving the effect of elegance and intrigue.

 

By now, the sun was peeking out of the fog. It was most welcome, because we had worn our shorts with no sweatshirts. From here on out, we will have to remember to layer just in case!

 

Our next stop was at colonial Santa Cristina Country House, where we were received into the garden-surrounded patio and pool. Immediately, we were offered pisco sours and wine. In Chile, the pisco sour drinks are served without the egg white, which we liked much better. And safer too. We did not want to add salmonella to the list of maladies on the ship! Snacks of delicious hot breaded cubes of goat cheese were served, along with large crispy cheese empanadas. They melted in our mouths! Maybe that was because we skipped breakfast again as other passengers did too. With the generous wine tasting and the pisco sours, we were all feeling very happy!

 

The large dining room was ready for us by noon. While walking towards the gardens when we arrived, we could smell the unmistaken aroma of BBQ'd beef and chicken. And that was what they served, buffet style. Added to that were creamy garlic mashed potatoes, red, ripe tomato slices, green salad, a cold rice and vegetable mixture, fresh jullienned string beans, fresh corn, and an apple/pomegranite salad with mayonnaise. Waiting at each place setting were rolls, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and red or white wine. What a meal! We had just a smidgen of room left for the chilled cooked papaya for dessert and a small cup of rich coffee to finish the lunch.

 

Our group of 23 fellow Specialists passengers plus Henk and Lucia were having such a good time, we hated to leave the dining room! Keith and Margaret and Gerry had joined us on this tour today, making the afternoon even more special. In fact, every Specialists tour has been great so far, because many of us know each other from previous cruises. No "crabby pants" on our tours!

 

We still had a little time left to tour the adjacent colonial home, which is still occupied today. On the walk to the home, we had a peek through glass windows to see the obsolete goat cheese factory. The presses and molds were made from wood, which cannot be used anymore. Stainless steel has replaced this equipment long ago.

 

We zipped through the several rooms of the home, admiring the old but functional kitchen, living and dining rooms, and the bedrooms. On the small rose-covered gardens, sat a charming little chapel, surrounded with hibiscus bushes, in full bloom.

 

It was time to say goodbye, since we needed to be back to the Prinsendam by 4:30pm. There was hardly no traffic, so we got back in one hour. A band was assembled on the pier, playing "I Love Paris" as we got off of the bus.

 

The ship was late in leaving, because one bus had not returned on time. Lucky for them, the Captain waited. Once the ship left the sheltered bay, the chill in the air sent us inside for the rest of the day.

 

Paul, Maria, and Gary, who was a bit under the weather this morning, came back to dinner finally. The only missing people were Keith and Margaret. No not ill, but probably exhausted from such a long day, as we all were. Takes a lot more than that to keep us from dinner!

 

We have another long and busy day tomorrow, with a tour from Valparaiso to Santiago. We are really looking forward to it, but not the 7:20am meeting time!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 26 February 4, 2010 Thursay Valparaiso, Chile

 

The Prinsendam sailed into the busy and popular port of Valparaiso, Chile very early this morning. It was nice to get into this calm bay,after a night of rocking and rolling while sailing down the coast from Coquimbo.

 

Sometime after we left our room at 7am to join our HAL tour in the lounge, a note was delivered to our room asking us to clear all of our personal things off of the desks and shelves, etc. While we were gone, all of the staterooms were sanitized with VIROX. We are hoping that our computer still works tomorrow, but at the very least, we know it is germ-free! Also, the fruit basket, ice bucket, cocktail and wine glasses, and robes(if we had them) were gone to be sanitized.

 

Well, on with our tour. Since we have toured Valparaiso twice on past cruises, we decided to go on an all day tour to Santiago. Actually, four buses of passengers had the same idea! It was necessary to take shuttles for the long ride to the pier building. We did remember that it took 20 minutes just to get out into the city. As in every Chilean port, our bags had to go through xray, searching for fresh food that may have been snuck off. If you were stupid enough to bring fruit or sandwiches, there was a hefty fine.

 

By the time we all got into our buses, forty minutes of our tour was gone. We enjoyed the 1 hour 45 minute ride through the wooden mountain pass towards Santiago. We had one civilized pit stop about halfway there. Acre after acre of crops were planted in the valleys that were surrounded by the mountains. Pretty scenery.

 

Santiago is the country's capital. Over 5 million people live in this city founded in 1541 by Spain's Pedro de Valdivia. The city is a combination of 19th century European architecture, colonial buildings, and modern skyscrapers. We were treated to sites of all of it.

 

We did have a slight problem with our guide. Because we were sitting in the very back of the bus, we had a hard time hearing his talk. Then, at most stops, he disappeared to smoke cigarettes. So, our first stop after passing the horse track, was at an old colonial home, which may have been the Cousino Palace.There was no name of the home anywhere. We did get some nice pictures, though, we had to time it right to miss the rainbirds that were irrigating the gardens. Perfect timing!

 

Margaret and Keith happened to be on bus number 1. Later they told us they did not stop at this home, but went directly to the Plaza de Armas to see the changing of the guard. We think the stop at the home delayed us on purpose, so there was not such a big crowd of us at the plaza. Who knows?

 

When we did arrive to the Plaza de Armas, we saw City Hall, the National Museum, and the Cathedral. Fountains and blooming trees filled the plaza, along with many locals loafing and people-watching.

 

The name O'Higgins is everywhere. We noticed that when we first stopped in Arica. Many streets and parks are named after him.. So with a little research, we discovered that he was an Irish/Chilean national liberator, who led troops to vistory against the Spanish in the early 1800's. As a result, Chile became independant in 1818. Bet we hear and see more of this hero before we leave this country!

 

We drove a short distance to a pedestrian shopping mall with the Post Office and clocktower at one end. We had 15 minutes to explore this area. We hoped that no one got lost. A woman on bus 4 decided to go buy a camera to replace one she lost in Panama. Her busmates were very angry, because they waited a long time for her. Clueless and just rude? Yes.

 

It was getting close to noon, so we headed to San Cristobal Hill (2800 feet elevation) for a served lunch. All 130 of us were seated inside a banquet hall, surrounded with full-length windows for spectacular views.

 

The cooks were running late, so the food was slow in arriving. The servers compensated by pouring wines, some better than others. Eventually, hors d'oeuvres of toast rounds with pate were passed around, followed with the next course of a spicy pumpkin soup. The entree was grilled salmon with a cream sauce and rice. However, with a fish allergy (never know what else is on it), we asked for the alternate chicken. Good choice, since our tablemates said the salmon wasn't the best (had bones).

 

Dessert was a mystery, but good. It resembled baklava, just made differently with meringue on the top. It was tasty with the sweet cup of coffee they served.

 

Time was running short, so we hurried to the bus for a stop at a high-end lapis store in the Bellavista district of Santiago. Their items of jewelry, silver, copper, and lapis sculptures were nice, but very expensive. And very few bought.

 

We had a 20 minute final stop at the Los Dominicos handicraft market. It was built like an old village with tiny shops selling wool items, copper, ceramics, and lapis jewelry. Again, most guests were surprised by the high prices. We agreed that we had much better shopping at our first port of Arica. You just have to know prices by doing research at home before going.

 

The best part of the village was the pet section. Available for sale (not for us), were cockatoos, rabbits, chickens, love birds, and cages. We couldn't resist playing with the small puppies. They love chewing on fingers! They were so cute, that we used all of our remaining time with them, not buying any souveniers. Did we really need anything? No. Been here, done that.

 

We arrived back to Valparaiso by 5pm. We could see the smoke from a possible fire in the mountains. In spite of the fact we were late, the Prinsendam was still waiting for us. As we left the port, we could see the 2 Chilean pilots that joined the ship here. They will be helping navigate the Patagonia Channels.

 

Cocktails were fun with most of us all back now. Friends Laurie and Sue told us that they got their upgrade to one of the new cabins. They will be happier when the plumbing in the bathroom is working correctly!! That is always a factor to considered with new cabins.

 

We were all finally at dinner tonight...all 10 of us. We are looking forward to a day at sea on our way to Robinson Crusoe Island.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 27 February 5, 2010 Friday Day at Sea

 

Hey, we had NO towel animal last night! Have they contracted this dreaded virus too? We are sure they will return once we are off of code red. We also had a gift, well sort of. They were 2 small bottles of a Purell-type gel to pack with us everywhere we go. These will be the MOST useful gift yet!

 

By the way, Valparaiso was the end of segment one of this 70 day voyage. About 60 new passengers boarded, 4 left, and the 46 workers went home. They must have utilized these fellows day and night to finish by the deadline. And apparently, they did. Yes, no more construction noise. We do hope all goes well in those new cabins.

 

Boy, did we have a rough night of sailing south. The open seas come with huge swells in this part of the Pacific Ocean. Luckily, we do not get seasick, said with fingers crossed! Not so for everyone.

 

The waters were a deeper blue under mostly clear and sunny skies this morning. The temperature was in the low 70's, and we sure hope it lasts for awhile.

 

Captain Albert mentioned in his 1pm talk today, that anchoring at Robinson Crusoe island may be cancelled. Oh we hope not...this would be a new stop for us. Then the Captain "mistakenly" reported that the Amsterdam missed her stop at this island on January 23rd. However, we know for a fact that they did indeed anchor and tender passengers ashore. We have the photos and reports from friends that are currently on the world cruise to prove it. Perhaps he mixed up the missed port, which was the Falklands, with the Robinson Crusoe Island stop. The Amsterdam ran into heavy seas and hurricane force winds there, so turned back and sailed slowly for Buenos Aires. But we will not be the ones tell the Captain...we'll let somebody else do it!

 

The daily happenings today included three talks. Frank B. lectured on Robinson Crusoe, in hopes we WILL go there. Exploration speakers, David Smith continued his talk on photography, while Harry Murphy wove tales about Robinson Crusoe, two Nobel Prize winners, and a naked? Antonio Banderas. What's with that?? We'll have to catch these talks on TV later to find out!

 

The tai chi classes have been cancelled for now. The teachers had to leave the ship unexpectedly in Valparaiso. Some of the public games have been re-instated, and the dance hosts have been ordered back to the dance floors again. That will make the single ladies very happy for sure.

 

We did almost nothing today, except eat a good breakfast and walk. Being cooped up in buses for two days was too much. We should have remembered that. Now we have to make up about 12 miles to break even! One plus to the walks was sighting a few fin whales diving very close to the ship. They behave differently from the humpbacks. The ones we saw skimmed the surface, just enough to see the length of their massive bodies, then disappeared. They never dive deeply like the humpies, according to Captain Albert.

 

Since we were un-invited to the Crows Nest, due to a cocktail party for the newbies, we just stayed home and enjoyed a drink in our room. Yes, we know we had our turn closing the bar. But we all agreed that we did not have the traditional welcome onboard cocktail party in the Queens Lounge. Usually there is a reception line to meet the Captain and some officers, have your photos taken, then sit down and enjoy the welcome ceremony. Not that it really matters (a Jerry Seinfeld line), but we thought that was nice. Replacing the Mariner cocktail party with a late night glass of champagne does NOT cut it with us. We hate to see old traditions die a slow death!!

 

We attempted to order a room service snack to go with our drinks in the late afternoon. This service has been spotty. Some days, the order arrives in 20 minutes. But today it took almost an hour for cheese slices and crackers. We think the staff is short-handed due to the NORO virus. Many more are confined to their cabins than they are admitting to. There was more evidence to back that up at dinner tonight......the waiters were running a marathon trying to keep up. They needed help from every head waiter and supervisor. Even the wine stewards were pitching in. It is hard to describe how much more work is involved for the waiters, room stewards, and the clean-up staff. The clean-up staff deserve medals for all the repulsive deep cleaning they have to do!

 

Speaking of dinner, Frank B., our port lecturer, joined us on this 3rd formal evening. Frank likes to talk....a lot. If we were sitting closer to him, we may have been able to join in the conversation. One big complication was the fact that Captain Albert provided everyone with complimentary wine tonight....from California no less! The noise level was cranked up to double the normal! And we found that being a British passenger, or having a British accent, gained the attention of Sir Frank, who is.......British! Duh? A table for ten (eleven with a guest) eventually ends up with two separate conversations. Sometimes that is a good thing! Sometimes, not. The evening ended for half of us at 10:20pm, while the others felt obligated to politely stay to keep Frank company. Wonder if they will still be there at breakfast tomorrow? Just kidding......

 

Still no towel animals....they are quarantined, poor things!

 

Tomorrow, Robinson Crusoe Island....we hope!!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[Aussie Gal]

Bill and Mary Ann,

 

I think HAL is doing away with the cocktail party in the lounge and instead one now has the drink and toast after dinner. That is what happened when we were on the Prinsendam in November and we had a different Captain - the wonderful Captain Gundersen. Obviously, it has come from head office that there is to be no more cocktail parties with handshaking and photos being taken.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 28 February 6, 2010 Saturday Isla Robinson Crusoe, Chile

 

The Prinsendam sailed into the Cumberland Bay of Robinson Crusoe Island, Chile, early this morning under gray and drizzly skies. If we had blinked, as the saying goes, we would have missed this tiny island, one of three called the Juan Fernandez Archipelago. In 1966, the name of the largest island was renamed Robinson Crusoe after a sailor, whose name was really Alexander Selkirk, was voluntarily marooned here in 1704. He would remain on this island, totally alone, for four years and four months, waiting for a ship to rescue him. Writer, Daniel Dafoe, wrote the classic novel, "Robinson Crusoe" in 1719, loosely based on Selkirk's time of surviving here. No, there was no "Man Friday" as the novel suggested, but it did make for good reading. We bet that the movie "Castaway" with Tom Hanks was also based on this story. Only, he had Wilson, a volleyball turned into a "person" to talk to!

 

There were no tours here today. You really didn't need one, as we found out once we tendered over by 10:30am. Actually, we were lucky to be able to anchor here today, since a few days ago, Captain Albert thought we would not. The weather was cooperating with temperatures in the low 70's, occassional showers, slightly rolling seas, but warm, not cold. We brought our '09 world cruise umbrellas along, so we were prepared for whatever!

 

The town of San Juan Bautista was our landing site. It has about 600 friendly residents. And we doubled that amount with us tourists today! This island reminded us a bit of Nuka Hiva in the South Pacific, with jutting volcanic mountains, green hillsides, and pretty seaside houses. Only this setting included huge Norfolk Island pines, eucalyptus, and flowers of all types.

 

Our first stop was in some souvenier shops near the pier landing. Most of the t-shirts had been sold already, so we were lucky to find one in the right size. Many folks were buying postcards to send home with the special stamps sold here. We did the same, except we had to buy the stamp on the ship, since the islanders had run out of them early in the morning. Now it will be interesting to see if we beat the card home in March!

 

Several little shops and kiosks lined the one main street along the shoreline. Restaurants were the main attraction for most people. They were serving the special spiny lobsters that are harvested off of these islands. We got mixed reviews on how they tasted. Some claimed they were great, but lacked the usual garlic and butter condiments. Actually, we had gotten a heads up from friends that came here on the Amsterdam 2 weeks ago. They simply did not care for them. What was the best deal on this island were the beers at $1.25 each! No one we talked to complained about that!

 

We walked to the rocky beach, passing the "bottle house". Yes, the entire house was constructed with empty wine bottles, cemented together to create walls. The owners welcomed everyone that passed by to go inside for a tour. We did not, because we were headed to see two colonies of the endangered Juan Fernandez fur seals right off of the rocky beach. They appeared to be standing on their heads as they ate crabs and other crustaceans. It was a comical sight!

 

Nearby, was the cemetery, which held graves of the original settlers and their descendants. Also buried here were sailors that drowned after a German warship, the Dresden, was sunk in 1915 during World War One. Remnants of cannons from that period were scattered around the island as well.

 

A National Park was created on most of this island in 1935, and all three islands were designated as a UNESCO World Bioshere Reserve in 1977. Therefore, many hiking trails exist for people to explore the interesting sights on their own. You had to be in pretty good shape to accomplish these hikes though. The most challenging would be the climb to the highest peak called El Yunque at 3000 feet in elevation. No, we would not do that one today! But we did manage to take the steep trail up to the Patriot Caves located above the town. Also on this hillside was Santa Barbara Fort, built to defend the island from pirate attacks in the 18th century. Seven original cannons still stand here.

 

We made our way along the seaside, checking out the many restaurants and private homes. We saw about ten small trucks around and about the town, and despite their few numbers, the drivers flew around the hairpin turns with little regard to the walking tourists! We wondered how these natives supported themselves on such a tiny island. Perhaps they are subsidized by the Chilean government, since there was no apparent industries to speak of here except fishing. We'll have to research that once we are home.

 

It sure felt like it could rain, so we decided to head back to the pier. Yes, it did rain....good and hard, but brief. Just enough to make the roads slippery and muddy. We knew those umbrellas would come in handy.

 

We got back to the ship before 3pm, and headed to the grill for really tasty philly steak sandwiches. And because there was no self-service drinks, condiments, and even napkins and silverware in the Lido, we brought our plates back to our room to eat lunch. We are noticing a definite decrease in the wait staff. It has to be due to the NORO virus...it has hit the staff far worse than is being admitted. Friends reported that at breakfast in the Lido this morning, dancers, singers, and even the Captain's wife were serving from behind the counters! Any able bodied ship person has been asked to volunteer their time to help out the staff. Wow, this is a first time experience for us. We feel that the ship was already under-staffed, and this virus has not helped one bit. Sure hope it is eradicated very soon! The Purell is being doled out by the gallons now.

 

The Prinsendam left the quiet bay around 5:30pm, while waves of showers swept over the mountain peaks and valleys. We really enjoyed our first time visit here today and glad we were able to anchor here.

 

Dinner time came quickly after relaxing on our veranda, me doing some knitting, and Bill downloading pictures into the computer. Tonight's menu included muligatawny soup and a delicious soy and ginger marinated sirloin steak. We were happy to try something different for a change, and have it turn out to be very good. Our area of the dining room seemed to be more populated with new passengers. The only problem was that without more waiters and assistants, the service was very slow. We finally got desserts by 10:15pm, and once consumed, many of our tablemates ran off to the showlounge to see the ventriloquist. Much later, and they would have missed the show! None of us dared complain, because we know they are trying their best to keep things appearing normal. We trust things will improve as more staff gets well.

 

Tomorrow, we have a welcomed day at sea!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[OldCodger73]

Mary Ann and Bill, I'm really enjoying your thread. Thanks for taking the time.

 

After reading Paul's blog, I now fully understand your reference to dinner conversation in your report #27 from 5 February.

[Hflors]

Mary Ann & Bill - I still love your reports. They have brought me so much joy these past years. Thank you both for taking the time to share your adventures!

 

I wish you could put a sticky on them so I don't have to keep searching for them :) hehe!

 

Helen

[JACKWC]

I wish you could put a sticky on them so I don't have to keep searching for them :) hehe!

 

Helen

 

Hfflors,

Everytime you post to a thread you are automatically subscribed to that thread. A real quick way to go directly to that thread is: After loging on, click on the "User CP at the upper left hand side of the page. That will take you directly to a page that lists all the threads you have replied to (subscribed to). Click on the title of the thread or the little arrow next to the latest post and WOW there you are!:cool:

 

Additionally, you can have any new posts to your subscribed threads emailed to you once a day or how ever often you wish. This you haved to set up.

 

I hope this helps,

[Hflors]

Hfflors,

Everytime you post to a thread you are automatically subscribed to that thread. A real quick way to go directly to that thread is: After loging on, click on the "User CP at the upper left hand side of the page. That will take you directly to a page that lists all the threads you have replied to (subscribed to). Click on the title of the thread or the little arrow next to the latest post and WOW there you are!:cool:

 

Additionally, you can have any new posts to your subscribed threads emailed to you once a day or how ever often you wish. This you haved to set up.

 

I hope this helps,

 

Jackwc - thanks you for the info. (I didn't know it before) Now no more searching.

[WCB]

Report # 29 February 7, 2010 Sunday Day at Sea and Super Bowl Sunday

 

Because we slept in a little later, we had breakfast in the dining room around 9:15am. We always have a table for two, which we did get today. However, there were two more tables for two just inches away from us. It's usually not a problem if the people are friendly. But not so this morning. A grumpy elderly couple sat next to us....the man... coughing throughout breakfast, and his wife... practicing to be a pillar of salt! Talk about awkward. All we exchanged was a quick good morning, then retreated to our own little corner near the window. Guess some folks just aren't morning people!

 

We found it strange that the head waiters were serving us. What happened to the regular waiters? We were afraid to ask. The ship must still be in CODE RED because every little thing has to be served by the waiters. Arde, our assitant waiter, said that regular service should have come back by today, but it did not. Sanitizing spraying carries on everywhere we go on the ship. Captain Albert has not mentioned the virus the last two days, but we know it still lurks in every nook and cranny of the Prinsendam!! We keep our hands "surgeon" clean! It's our only defense.

 

Our one hour walk on the promenade deck was refreshing. The weather was cloudy and very cool, so few p[eople were outside. The seas have been giving us some problems with rolling and pitching. Like all night long. Until we reach land, it will remain this way, according to Captain Albert.

 

It was a good time to catch up on emails, so we went to the Explorers Lounge like we always do. There were just a few seats left. The lounge was full of people reading, but mostly sleeping, pretending to be reading! The only sounds came from our hosts who have a chat time for any of the Specialists guests every sea day. Their corner was full too.

 

The big excitement of the day was Super Bowl XLIV featuring the New Orlean Saints and the Indianapolis Colts. The much advertised pre-game party was held in the "Showlounge at Sea" as the Queens Lounge is now called. Another tradition bites the dust! It began at 7:30pm with $1.00 tickets being sold for a chance to win special seats and all the beer you can drink in one quarter of the game. All the proceeds from this contest will go towards charity. The game began at 8pm, and was shown in the lounge and the Java Bar and Cafe. The game was also shown on our room TVs.

 

It was obvious at dinner tonight, that lots of passengers went to this activity, eating dinner early in the Lido. Our waiters said that the first seating was almost empty as well. At least the waiters got a break tonight, and were able to serve us with ease. First time we were out of the dining room before 9:30pm.

 

It was funny that the sun had just gone down at 9:15pm. The further south we sail, the lighter the days will get. It is hard to get used to it, especially when the sun will start rising at 3am!

 

We had an unusual letter on our door tonight. Because we are 4 star Mariners, we had the privilege of priority tendering. That means we should be able to jump on a tenderboat ahead of passengers that had to get a tender ticket in the lounge. Apparently, this has become a problem on the ship. The excuse was there are over 100 4 star Mariners onboard, and it is not feasible to accommodate that many of us.. Therefore, we will have to retrieve a special colored ticket in the lounge first. Then we will be called by that group to go down together. Of course, if you have an HAL tour, these people get off first. We wonder how this is being handled on the world cruise, where probably over half of the 1400 passengers are 4 star people? We knew there would be some kinks in this new program! At least the complimentary laundry service for the 4 star Mariners has been more than efficient!

 

Our towel animal was a small snake tonight. And we had two maps with excellent details of the fjords and Cape Horn on our bed for "sort of" gifts. We like maps, and will enjoy charting our progress through the fjords and thousands of islands around the Cape. It's a good thing we have expert pilots onboard for this navigation, because with all of those hundreds of islands, fjords, glaciers, and inlets, it would sure be easy to get lost!!

 

Tomorrow, we will be in Puerto Montt, and have an early tour once again. This is almost like going to work!!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

PS Quote of the day....."Speak when you are angry, and you will make the best speech you will ever regret!" Ambrose Blerce

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

When on the Prinsendam in November, we had breakfast every morning in the dining room and we were also served by the Head Waiters and Maitre'D. I think they were sending most of the waiters upstairs to the Lido where the majority of passengers have breakfast.

 

We loved our table for two each morning. We usually were given a table by the window and we didn't mind if the table next to us didn't speak very much as we too are not morning people and prefer to keep to ourselves until we wake up! Everyone is different in this world and that is what makes the world so wonderful.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 30 February 8, 2010 Monday Puerto Montt, Chile

 

The Prinsendam arrived to the port of Puerto Montt, Chile, very early today. Gloomy and foggy would be the best way to describe the weather. But, not much had changed from what we remembered from our first visit here 7 years ago.

 

It was necessary to tender into shore, and the seas were cooperating with no swells at all. Now that we have entered into a gulf named Golfo de Ancud which is surrounded by many islands, the ship should not be rocking and rolling for awhile.

 

We booked an HAL tour that took us into the Chilean countryside, on a lake cruise, and to a hike at Petrohue Falls for 8 hours. Three buses of passengers did the same tour today. Leaving Puerto Montt behind, we headed up and over the steep hillsides until we were passing by the bedroom community of the city. Eventually, the countryside opened up with fields of pastures and farm houses.

 

The road ended at Puerto Varas and the second largest lake of Chile, Llanquihue Lake. It is pronounced YAN-KEY-WAY. It took a bit to memorize that, and we are sure to remember the pronunciation for at least a week! This lake looked like an ocean, it was so large. And it is stocked with many varieties of trout and salmon. We skirted the south end of the lake until the roadsides became covered with a forest of native trees. Many of the homes we saw were really beautiful, but resembled German architecture instead of Chilean. There is a good reason for that.........many years ago, the Germans settled this area, and farmed and raised cattle and goats, just like they did in their homeland. The traditions have remained today. We passed charming bed and breakfast inns and restaurants, mostly German, that were built on the lakefront property.

 

It took over an hour to arrive to our destination of Lake Todos los Santos, or Esmeralda Lake, called that because of the green color of the water. Here we boarded a catamaran that took us on a 45 minute loop around the lake. It was a double-decker closed-in boat, where we could go outside on the back deck if we wished. This lake is surrounded with volcanoes, the highest one being Osorno Volcano at 3000 feet in elevation. The only problem was that fog and rain showers covered the snow-capped peaks. We did see a glimpse of the white peak right before we got here. Luckily, Bill snapped a picture just at the right moment. We never did see the summit from the lake, but we did enjoy the ride. Several summer homes dotted the shoreline of this remote lake. Sure must be beautiful when the sun is shining. We were amazed at how much this area looked like the Misty Fjords in Alaska. The vegetation may be a bit different, but the scenery was the same.

 

All too soon, our ride ended back at the small boat landing, and we joined the bus again for the very bumpy 4 mile ride to Petrohue Falls (pronounced PETRO-WAY). The rapids of this river are glacially fed, and have the color of aqua-blue waters. We were given about 40 minutes to hike the well-maintained pathways and trails. What a view we had of the rapids, waterfalls, mountains, and soaring cliffs of volcanic rock. And would you believe, right in the middle of the trail, were souvenier and food shops? The shops had mostly woolen sweaters, gloves, scarves, and ponchos. Too bad we only had enough time to take pictures! However, the more professional shoppers made their moves very quickly, because we did see a lot of bags coming onto the bus. The food itmes sure looked good. yep, we missed breakfast again this morning.

 

The best stop was for lunch at a country inn by the name of Hotel Ensenada. No, we are not in Mexico! The inn itself is a museum of antiques relating to skiers and mountain climbers. Every square inch of the floors and walls were covered with the neatest items from the past, we suspected, from Germany. Lunch was waiting for us in the large dining room, with several tables for four. We got lucky, when a very nice couple from Texas joined us. It's funny when you meet some people...like you've known them forever. They shared travel stories about previous cruises, and we shared some of our stories. We all agreed that the served meal of cheese empanadas, squash soup, dinner rolls, salmon (we had chicken), creamed spinach, and boiled potatoes was terrific. Even better....they served all the white and red wine we could drink. Dessert was a German treat of a double nut-covered cookie with a dollap of vanilla custard on the side. Tiny cups of coffee finished the meal. Needless to say, we were all happy campers!!

 

Our driver back-tracked, rather quickly, to Puerto Varas on Lake Llanquihue. On the way, he stopped for a photo op of the lake and a corral of llamas. It was obvious that several other buses had stopped here, because the llamas would not even look up at us. They were too busy eating and snoozing! A cute little farm dog came down to greet us. He sure liked having his head scratched by us. Yep, dogs are the same everywhere.

 

Our final stop was at Puerto Varas, a small community on the shore of the large lake. We were let loose to explore the handicraft market and the local stores. The rain had started to fall by now, so the umbrellas came out to keep us dry. The only mistake made was the fact that all three buses of passengers were dropped off at the same spot in town. That meant about 90 of us were crammed into a small handicraft market made for about 20 people! The only purchase we made were 2 balls of alpaca yarn, which I can create my own handicraft while sailing on the ship. Up the street was a supermarket that did take US dollars, like the craft market. We purchased a few bags of potato chips and a little bag of candy to use up our Chilean coins.

 

We drove back to the pierlanding at Puerto Montt, passing some of the city's landmarks and main square. The centerpiece of the square was a neoclassical church with three towers. We also noticed a fairly modern large department store called "Ripleys". This is the store recommended by the shore excursion staff to buy warm clothing for Antarctica, especially if you planned on doing the flight to Antarctica for a real landing on the ice. Wonder how many people will do that 12 hour trip for $2999 each? Surely, not us.

 

We have to mention that today, we were "Purelled" at least a dozen times during the course of our tour. The ship's staff is now supplying the tour operators with half gallons of the slimy stuff to use often on the buses. That's not a bad thing, but spraying the buses before we board them has gone a bit overboard in our opinion. Our coach had been sprayed from top to bottom, including the windows! Ever try taking scenic pictures from spotty, drippy windows? And to make matters worse, all of the windows immediately steamed up from the excess moisture. Our driver had to turn the air vents on cold to dry it up. When that didn't work, our nice guide had to wipe off every window at every seat. We always carry a washcloth just for that purpose. Then, with every stop we made, our guide went seat by seat, dispensing the Purell to everyone. He said he was a teacher, most guides are, and he has been using the disinfectant with his students for a year. Their fear at that time was the swine flu. Gosh, now they have to worry about us tourists!!

 

Our group was the last the to get back to the ship. We never did have time to explore the pier area around Puerto Montt. Doubt we would have done that anyway, since it was raining pretty good.

 

Dinner time came quickly, and all of us were present, despite the fact we were ALL exhausted. It was fun hearing about everybody's adventures of their visit here. We sure are lucky to have such a nice group of fellow travelers.

 

A strange thing happened in the dining room during the first seating, we heard. A big leak developed right over the ceiling in the aft dining room, dripping on the guest's heads while they ate their meal. Can you imagine the looks on their faces? They relocated the group to our table for the rest of their meal. These things happen when a ship is as old as this one.

 

Well, tomorrow's port is Puerto Chacabuco, so it is off the bed for us!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

PS The two amaryllis bulbs in our room have grown miraculously. The smallest one (Hank's) has overtaken our larger bulb!

[WCB]

Report # 31 February 9, 2010 Tuesday Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

 

The Prinsendam navigated around numerous small islands throughout the night to arrive to Aysen Fjord and Puerto Chacabuco, situated at the end of the fjord. Sometime around 3am last night, hurricane force winds hit the ship, waking us up from a sound sleep. That was something we did not expect, and we don't think the Captain or pilots did either. The weather can turn on a dime in this area of the world, as we were to find out today.

 

Puerto Chacabuco was a new port for us. Truthfully, there was not much here for tourists to see. This port is mainly a fishing village, with a fish packing plant being the major employer. But it is the drop-off point for some spectacular parks, and the back door to Northern Patagonia.

 

The scenery was beautiful, even though we did not have a clear, sunny day. Just the opposite. We had rain, fog, gusty winds, showers and beautiful rainbows. The clouds cleared long enough to get some nice photos of the ice-capped mountain peaks in the distance. Needless to say, it was COLD outside. We layered on the clothes for our tour to the countryside this morning.

 

Our HAL tour group met at 10am in the showlounge, only to be held there because they were having problems with the tenderboats. Part of the hold-up was due to spraying and sanitizing of the boats with each delivery of passengers. According to Captain Albert, more cases of the virus have surfaced, so we will be in this CODE RED mode for a few more days (or weeks?).

 

As a result of the delays, we boarded our bus by 11am. The drive through the port area to the nearby city of Puerto Aysen, revealed a town with modest houses laid out in a grid. A few small stores and a gas station were about all we saw. Good thing we took a tour here. Our destination was the city of Coyhaique (KOI-HI-KEY), a town built in 1929 that now has about 50,000 residents.

 

The 50 mile drive to this city was through the Simpson River Reserve, which covers 98,844 acres of pastureland, wooded forests, and rivers with boiling rapids. Our super guide, oddly enough from Idaho, said that a drenching rainstorm hit this area for the last two days, making the falls and rivers run even better than normal. But before we arrived to the wild nature park, we passed lush green fields full of fat cattle and roaming sheep. Beautiful homes sat on the steep hillsides, surrounded by jutting mountains over 6000 feet.

 

We had our first stop at a park turnout with trails that led to the rapids. We had a nice walk through the various types of trees, including the curious-looking monkey puzzle trees. Wild pink and purple fushias, blue lupines and white daisy plants lined the riverbanks. There are a number of birds that live in this reserve, but we only heard a few, and never saw one. Condors and vultures frequently patrol the steep canyons also. Our guide mentioned that you would most likely find these large birds of prey near the garbage dump, of all places. The fish factories often dump unusable fish parts there, and the birds thrive on it. Odd prey, but easy pickings for the birds! Other wildlife here included pumas, deer, llamas, guanacos, foxes, skunks, mink, and hairy armadillos. With all of this fresh water, ducks, geese, egrets, and even flamingos and emus can be seen here.

 

We were told that a tree had gone down, cutting the power to this area. The storm must have been very strong that passed through here. Gosh, are we lucky or what, that it is only drizzling today?

 

Continuing on, we climbed higher and higher through the mountain pass, crossing over deep gullys and canyons. At one turn in the 2 lane road, we saw the famous waterfall, Cascada de la Virgen. This roadside waterfall was really thundering down the steep mountain today. We could only take pictures from the bus, but that was better than going out in the rain and the heavy mist created from the falls itself.

 

Our comfortable coach drove through a long tunnel and over a bridge. It was at that point that the weather changed. The heavy rain clouds were breaking up, presenting a spectacular view of the valley below. The sun peeked out and the sky turned mostly blue. The only price to pay for this break in the bad weather was the wind. It was fiercely blowing up here. On the hillsides, we spotted huge wind generators or windmills as we call them in California. Strangely, they were not working today. Our guide explained that due to such strong winds, they are locked down to prevent damage.

 

A few more miles down the road, the city of Coyhaique presented itself down in the valley. The residents here enjoy their austral winter and the nearby rugged ski slopes. The city also attracts hordes of skiers, mountain climbers, and fly fishermen, keeping the towns people busy in the summer months.

 

We were dropped off in the town center to make a short visit to the Museo Regional de la Patagonia. But don't let that name fool you.... this was the neatest museum we have seen in a while. As well as archaelogical and historic information, the museum had colonial antiques that we could find in our own garage at home! We're talking about old typewriters, TVs, radios, pianos, and even appliances our moms and grandmoms used. There was a neat display of a typical full size gaucho's lodge from decades past. I particularly liked the old hand-cranked sewing machines. I had a mini version of that when I was a kid. It made a simple chain stitch that peaked my interest in sewing, which I enjoy to this day.

 

At the main plaza, we strolled through the artisan's craft market and a local bakery/restaurant. Many of our fellow passengers were treating themselves to some of the tasty treats in there. At least, it was a good place to get out of the sprinkles and blustery, chilly wind. We did find a t-shirt and a pair of unusual woven earrings with lapis stones set in them at the crowded market. We wonder why 4 buses again, were dropped off all together at this small market? Our best bet was to take a stroll through the town's square, and come back right before our requested time to board the bus.

 

We were sure glad that we had come to this remote town. How can you go wrong with a city surrounded by steep peaks, glaciers, cascading waterfalls and rivers, and grassy steppes? Even though we had a short time here, it was well worth the ride.

 

But our tour wasn't over yet. We had one last stop for snacks at a nice lodge-style restaurant near the Simpson River and nearby waterfall. The welcomed food stop (it was 3pm by now) was barely mentioned in the tour description, so we did not expect much. But we were very pleased to see a long table set with red and white Chilean wines, plates of bite-size cheese, frittata, quail eggs, salmon hors d'oeuvres, and chicken and beef sate skewers. Even better were the hot empanadas with melted cheese or spicy meat. They melted in our mouths......several of them! Dessert trays were full of small fruit-filled cookies, caramel and nut pieces, and chocolate frosted fudge. Oddly enough, there were no small plates to take our delicious snacks, but we figured out later, that the first guests at the table would have taken it all! In fact, when we saw three buses already parked at the restaurant, we were afraid we were going to get their crumbs!! Not so. There were two separate dining halls, which accomodated our four bus loads of people. With a small wood stove fire going, the room was nice and cozy as we enjoyed our small meal with friends Margaret and Keith. We had candles lighting the tables, because the power outage extended to this lodge too. Everyone said it was quite romantic! Or that was the wine speaking?

 

The ride back went quickly, since most everyone slept all the way, thanks again to the generous pourings of wine! We were about the last of the buses to take the waiting tenderboats back to the ship. The driving winds had picked up considerably since we had left this morning. It took an hour for the crew to load the tenderboats back on the ship. Before we left, Captain Albert announced that he expected extremely high winds and big waves at around 9pm once we reached the open seas again. He was right, even though the worse began around 11pm. We had secured everything in our room that could fall and break, especially our treasured amaryllis bulbs and delicate vases.

 

Also mentioned after the Captain's talk was an announcement from Thom, the cruise director, that the virus is still being reported by even more passengers. He nicknamed the bug "rumbly-tumbly", if you get the drift! No, it's not a funny thing, it's just getting to be old news. We think we shall rename the ship the VIRUSDAM!

 

Dinnertime went quickly with the addition of hosts, Lucia and Henk. Mary Ellen and Bruce were a no-show, probably due to their long hike and BBQ lunch tour. All of us were very tired after a long day in port. Those who did not take a tour here, took a local bus to town, to find there was not much there. Somehow, we knew that after passing through town this morning.

 

By the way, the casino onboard will be closed until February 14th, due to Chilean regulations of being too close to shore. How do they know if the casino is open or not? Strange rules, the gamblers grumbled!

 

Typing this report was almost impossible. The movement on the ship was decidedly extreme here on deck 9. The drawers in the desk kept opening and closing with every swell of the waves, and the creaking of the room made one of us very nervous. So I quit writing, and went to bed to stay safe in one place. I don't know how Bill can sleep so soundly with all of the movement, but could I go to sleep? No. Not until I used my earplugs to block the sounds of the hurricane winds and ship creaking!

 

Hope the sailing improves tomorrow!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[DFD1]

Fascinating report. What a time you are having! Thank you again for sharing your adventure.

[Nancyquilts]

I've really been enjoying your report - glad we didn't have Code Red two years ago when we took the cruise. By any chance, do you have any pictures posted?

[DeepWaterMariner]

Wow! The adventure continues and Cape Horn is still ahead. I'm enjoying every report.

[WCB]

Report # 32 February 10, 2010 Wednesday Day at Sea Scenic Cruising?

 

Despite the fact that the Captain sailed slowly last night, we still had a rough one! We knew it would get better once the ship went into the Darwin Channel early in the morning. Waking up around 6am, we realized that we were still at sea, rolling with the big swells. Apparently it was necessary to bypass the channel, and stay out in the Pacific Ocean to make up time we lost by sailing so slowly through the night. The Prinsendam was able to maintain a speed of 14.8 knots outside the channels in order to get us to more channels later in the day.

 

A new policy was announced in the newsletter stating that breakfast in the dining room had been extended from 7:30 to 10am in the dining room. Also, in the smaller dining room midship, an express menu with 4 variations was available during those same hours. Well, you know the saying "Invite them, and they will come"? It worked! When we came down around 9am, there was a waiting line for the dining room......first time ever! We figured that the Lido was overwhelmed with too many guests. Our tablemates, Gerry and Gary, have reported that getting breakfast items in the Lido was impossible. With the new restrictions with no shared food items, you have to get in line for every blessed little thing. If you had ordered an omelette and brought it to your table, it would be cold by the time you came back with toast and coffee! You do know that the convenient Lido trays have been eliminated on every ship? We cannot see anything good about that! Long story short........our friends will be going to the dining room for breakfast from now on.

 

The weather was dreary. The sky was gray with temps in the low 50's along with showers...lots of them. The wind gusts were unbelievable. It sure made our morning walk interesting. It was no wonder that we were outside almost all alone.Alone, because of the new guest speakers. Three of them came onboard in Puerto Montt, and they all gave lectures today. Exploration speaker Warren Salinger spoke about Chilean history and its people, while John Splettstoesser lectured on Antarctica. Later in the afternoon, another speaker, Bob Hofman talked about the Antarctica marine ecosystem. We should be able to watch these on TV later.

 

Finally.....some scenic cruising. By 1pm, the Captain and the pilots took the ship into the channels as promised. At one point, we passed the NCL's Sun on her way north. They tooted their horn several times, while conservative Captain Al tooted once. We stayed in these channels passing numerous islands until 6pm, when we went back out to the rough ocean. We wish we could report the wave heights, but the equipment failed sometime ago, with no hopes of being fixed.

 

We ordered some room service sandwiches, which took about 40 minutes to arrive. Not that we're complaining, but we have not received our order correctly once yet. We ask for no mayo, but the sandwiches come swimming with it. Catsup and mustard must be very valuable, because we rarely get them. The funny part of this story is that the fellow who takes the orders, repeats them back perfectly! Something gets lost in the middle. Oh well, we are not starving, that is for SURE!!

 

At 7:15pm, we were invited to a party hosted by the Captain and Hotel Manager. We estimated there were about 100 people present, despite the fact that the Crows Nest was like a Merry-go-round! The Captain must have been driving the ship, because he was a no-show. His wife, however, was there, as well as several members of the staff. We met a very lovely gal from Argentina, who is a supervisor at the front desk. We were in like flint when we told her how much we liked visiting Buenos Aires and Iguassu Falls. During our conversation, we noticed that she had a tiny diamond implanted in her front tooth. Now that's a first for us. Perhaps in Argentina, that replaces the nose diamond we frequently see on girls at home. But what do we know??

 

At dinner tonight, Paul and Maria were not there, but close by, eating with our hosts, Henk and Lucia. We missed Paul's remarks about the fellow who insists on wearing blue jeans to dinner every night. Now we are all on the lookout for that infraction! No use complaining to anyone of the dining staff. They will NOT enforce the dress code of no jeans or t-shirts in the dining room at night. We may have to challenge this by ALL showing up dressed in jeans one evening, just to make a statement! Bet we would raise a few eyebrows with that stunt! Personally, we really don't mind. Some designer jeans can be quite expensive and smart-looking. Just don't wear them on formal nights, please.

 

The sun set this evening at 9:25pm, and it was still light outside by 10pm. That is really strange how that can disorient you. We know we are tired, but your mind says.....stay up longer! Did we stay up longer? Noooooo!

 

Tomorrow carries the promise of some better scenic cruising into several more channels on our way to Amalia Glacier. That should be fabulous if the weather allows it!

 

Mary Ann & Bill