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

[catl331]

Captain Albert reports on his blog that there was a 25 ft. wave. Glad you are out of that!

[WCB]

Report # 33 February 11, 2010 Thursday Day at Sea Scenic Cruising

 

And scenic cruising we got! We woke up early around 7 am. Right outside our window was a massive wall of ice, the Amalia Glacier. Even though we have seen it before, it still is a big WOW! Frank B. was giving a commentary on the outside decks. We can also tune into his talk on our TV, which is better. Sometimes the outside speakers do not work well and the echo distorts the sound.

 

Most of the pictures we took showed different shades of grey, simply because it was overcast with dark clouds threatening to rain. If the sun had been out, the hillsides would have been green, the water would have been blue, and the ice field mixed with aqua blue glacier ice would have been blinding. We are not sure if that scenario ever happens down in this part of the world. It justs rains and rains more.

 

The ship's smallest boat was lowered with the photographer onboard to take pictures of the glacier close up and personal. The boat itself made a good vehicle to compare the size of it to the massive glacier. While we were watching the boat drift around the ice, we saw some calving, or ice breaking off of the glacier. In a few seconds, we could hear what sounded like thunder from that ice falling. Since we were at least two miles away from the ice wall, the calving looked like smoke coming from the water below. Bet the cameraman got some good shots of that, and of the ship with the glacier in the backround.

 

Captain Albert hung around here for a while to give everyone a chance to see this impressive site. For those who chose not to go outside in the freezing cold, he turned the ship completely around. What a neat site to view while eating breakfast.

 

Continuing onward, we sailed into the Sarmiento Channel around noon. At times the Prinsendam was sailing very closely to the cliffs on both sides of the ship. Good thing we have expert pilots onboard to help the Captain navigate.

 

Several lectures were held today. Frank B., spoke about things to do and see in Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. John Splettstoesser (that is a mouthful) lectured on ice revealing its secrets in Antartica. Bob Hofman shared his knowledge on whales and the history of whaling in the past.

 

By 3pm, we were navigating the Grey Canal. To tell the honest truth, once you see most of these channels, they all start looking alike. The mountain peaks have a scattering of ice on their tops, while the lower cliffs have tree growth. We did see some birds here and there and perhaps a few seals peaking out of the water. A couple of serious camera buffs had set up spotting scopes in hopes of seeing whales. As far as we know, none were seen today.

 

At least the waters in these protected series of channels and canals were fairly smooth. There are noticable currents, resembling river rapids, but did not seem to affect the ship's movement. In fact they more than likely helped move us along.

 

Our day involved a hearty breakfast, followed by a long brisk walk. We can always catch the talks in the showlounge on TV anytime during the day or night. There is something strange about listening to these talks inside........they tend to lull you to sleep, no matter how good the speakers are. Very embarrassing!

 

At 2pm, we were invited again to a wine tasting in the center dining room. We shared the table with two friends from several previous cruises. We are all members of the same travel agency as well. They confessed that they had big issues with conditions on this ship, such as molding carpeting in their suite 007, the James Bond Suite! After reporting the problem to the proper chain of staff members, nothing was done. Our friend was starting to suffer from severe allergies due to this mold, so it took a letter to the Captain to get some results. That should not have happened, not here, not on any HAL ship! One should not have to beg to remedy a serious problem. As a result of that and several other irritating things, they cancelled their already booked "Grand Voyage" on this ship to the Mediterranean next year. We fear that will happen with many more seasoned cruisers with HAL after this trip, if things do not get better.

 

Other than that, the wine tasting was educational from the one hour tutoring from Ben, the Cellar Master. He is obviously very proud of his position, and has learned his craft quite well. This was a nice treat for the 4 star mariner members.

 

A funny thing happened to me today while knitting with the dyed alpaca wool yarn we bought in Puerto Varas a few days ago. My fingers and hands were turning turquoise blue from the yarn! Noticing the stain on my hands on the way to the Explorers Lounge, I used the nearby Purell to wash it off. Well, it came off, only to permanently stain my clear-coated polished fingernails. It would not wash off with soap and water. That was weird. I went to the front desk and showed the girl, who offered to take the stain off with polish remover. She laughed and said she had never seen that happen ever before! Actually, I asked if I could get some plastic gloves to use to knit. She happily handed me two pairs. I am glad to report that the polish remover worked, and so did the gloves. See, you learn something new every day! The only problem is.....this dye on the scarf I am knitting will transfer to anything I wear.

I'm not sure how to correct this problem. Any suggestions out there???

 

Later in the afternoon, we entered the Straits of Magellan, on our way to Punta Arenas, our final stop in Chile. We will reach this remote city by early tomorrow morning. This will be a new port for us, so we are looking forward to our tour with Henk and Lucia and our travel group.

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

PS Oh yes, we had twin stuffed penguins waiting for us after dinner in our room. Yes, things are looking better!!

[Opinions]

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!

Mary Ann & Bill

 

Curious, where in the HAL dress code does it say no jeans in the dining room at night...The HAL dress code on their website does not say this...My understanding is they are allowed on any night except formal night...Are their different rules for certain cruises or ships...I have no interest in wearing jeans at night but I don't like to see the crew blamed for not enforcing the code if it doesn't mention jeans.

[agabbymama]

While HAL website does not specifically state "jeans", if you read the part about "smart casual" slacks are not jeans.

 

"Evening dress falls into two distinct categories: Formal or Smart Casual. Smart Casual can be defined as slacks and collared shirts for men and casual dresses, slacks and informal evening wear for women. T-shirts, swimsuits, tank tops and shorts are not allowed in the restaurants or public areas during the evening hours. On festive Formal evenings, ladies usually wear a suit, cocktail dress or gown and gentlemen wear a jacket and tie, dark suit or tuxedo. There are approximately two formal nights per week."

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

What a shame that the sun wasn't out for your trip through the beautiful glaciers. We did the cruise in the reverse order in 2006 and we had brillliant sunshine throughout our trip through the glaciers and also for our day in Puerto Montt. I have taken wonderful photos of the Fjords and the fantastic Volcano and Emerald Lake out of Puerto Montt.

 

We did an Alaskan cruise in 2008 and the entire 2 weeks was so dreary as the weather was wet, dull and cold. Therefore due to that experience we loved the Chilean Fjords and thought they were so much more dramatic than up in Alaska.

 

Weather can make such a difference to one's view of scenery.

 

Jennie

[BettyPC]

I think you need to wash your wool... Can't swear to that - but things you buy new - tell you to wash them prior to wearing.

 

i am enjoying your trip! Thanks for sharing with us.

[fb0075]

AMAZING

 

HAL has allowed themselves to get to this ---

 

What happened to loyalty?

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann,

 

With regards to your alpaca wool, I would wash it in luke warm water with plenty of salt as the salt apparently stops colours from running.

 

Otherwise, I found this on a web: To stop dark colours from "bleeding", fill the washer with cold water and white vinegar.

 

Jennie

[Nancyquilts]

If you were using cotton, there's something called Retayne that works well. I'd go with the vinegar or salt on wool.

[WCB]

Report # 34 February 12, 2010 Friday Punta Arenas, Chile

 

There was no need to set the alarm clock for 6am this morning. At 5am, two large tug boats were alongside of the ship on the starboard side, pushing us into the pier at Punta Arenas. The rumbling they created reminded us of a Californian earthquake! Oh well, we had a tour that started at 9am, so we had plenty of time to get ready.

 

Punta Arenas is the southernmost city of its size in the world. That is, except for the smaller-sized Ushuaia, which is in neighboring Argentina. Punta Arenas really gives one the feeling of being isolated from the rest of Chile and the rest of the world, we think.

 

Our travel group of 23 went off of the ship bundled up, looking like snow bunnies! From the information we had gotten, this place is known for their bone-chilling winds, gray skies, and rain. Well, we did have a little of all of those, but it really was not all that bad. Actually, it felt good to get into the fresh breeze after being inside the overly-warm ship.

 

Our first stop after driving through the almost modern town center was La Cruz Hill, where we could see the colorful tin roofs of the city's buildings and homes. In the distance, we could see the island of Tierro del Fuego and the Straits of Magellan. There was a pole here with signs for distances to some major cities in the world. But a most interesting thing, were the number of elderly people painting the railings along the cliff sides. These citizens earn money by doing fairly easy work around the city, instead of just being on welfare. And they were proud of the job they were doing. There was one accident, however. One lady stumbled just enough around the railing and the tables of souveniers, then caught the wet railing to avoid a fall. And you can guess the result......wet paint all over her black gloves! Her husband reached for her, and he got his hands full of green paint. What is it about WET PAINT - DO NOT TOUCH signs that seem to attract people?? Her gloves were ruined, but the paint came off his hands with VIROX sheets. Hmmm, what does that tell you?

 

There were some nice items on the tables for sale such as sweaters, gloves, socks, and scarves...all beautifully knit in bright colors. We knew there would be more shopping in town, so we held off.

 

Then we had a long ride around the bay for about 45 miles, most of it on a bumpy wet dirt road. The best part of the ride was the chance to see Magellenic dolphins jumping in the surf right off the shoreline. Numerous birds were either on the shore or in the grassy areas near the hardly traveled road. We saw upland geese, comorants, sea birds, and kelp geese. Even though this whole area was used for raising sheep in the past, we saw few today. We did sees cows, horses, llamas, and many dogs running loose.

 

Our destination was Fuerte Bulnes, built in 1843 by Chile to protect the Strait and Patagonia from invasion. On the wind-swept rocky bluff, we walked around the reconstructed buildings that included a church, jail, post office, and stables. Old cannons still point out to the bay down below, making us wonder what is was like to live here in those hard times. A few of the smaller structures were made from peat blocks and logs. Wonder how they held up to the extreme weather and winds?

 

We drove back to Punta Arena with our young guide giving us much more information than on the ride here. Some guides just wait for questions, instead of lecturing. Our fellow was more interested in talking to the driver! Henk, our host, corrected that, and everyone was happy. We are here to learn, not just nap and eat lunch!

 

Back at the Main Square, the driver parked the bus, and we walked to the nearby restaurant by the name of Jose Noguerira. This place was cool. It had marble floors, dark polished woodwork, brass light fixtures, and a bar named after Ernest Shackleton, one of the famous expeditionists of Antarctica. It was in this room that we sunk in luxurious leather chairs, drank pisco sours, and ate hors d'oeuvres of cheese and crab rounds.

 

Following cocktails was lunch in the solarium dining room, covered with grape vines. We enjoyed a plate of tomatoes with cheese and basil. Rolls and butter were served along with Chilean white and red wines. The entree was filet mignon with sauted veggies, artistically presented. Dessert was even better......apple and rhubarb pie with raspberry sorbet. Hmmmmm.....good!

 

A stop at the Braun-Menendez Museum was in order to help walk off the lunch. This impressive home belonged to a powerful family who made their fortune from the sheep industry. The first thing we had to do was put elastic socks over our shoes. Gosh, the last time we did that was at the Taj Mahal in India! The marble and wooden floors were nice, as we polished them with our booties! The plush European furnishings reflected the wealthy of this family. Especially in the billiard room. Lavish decorations and suggestive paintings made this palor off limits to the ladies guests in those days.

 

There was just enough time left to spend a half hour strolling the Main Square. Shopping was the main attraction with make-shift stands and wooden stalls set around the perimeter. We did not start out with the plan of buying anything, but the knitwear was just too nice to pass by. A llama patterned sweater jacket and a pink headband found its way in my bag. Also another ball of pink yarn. Hope this one doesn't transfer the dye!! Everyone went home with something!

 

Since a few small groups took flights from here, one to Antarctica, the ship was not scheduled to leave until 8pm. Just as we went to dinner, those two noisy tugs pulled alongside the ship again! They sat there, rumbling the dining room, until almost 9pm. There must have been a problem with the winds or tides that prevented our departure. We were sure glad when we got underway, since we had to yell to hear each other. Speaking of dinner, it has been very good. The entrees have seldom been repeated.

 

Tomorrow, we should arrive later in the day to Ushuaia, Argentina, after scenic cruising in more fjords. Should be a good day!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[WCB]

Report # 34 February 13, 2010 Saturday Scenic Cruising and Ushuaia, Argentina

 

Too bad we slept in a bit later this morning, because we missed the first glacier, which was scheduled to start around 8:30am. We got dressed quickly and went outside to see the next glacier, Alemania, just in time to get some good photos.

 

Breakfast was calling us to the dining room. Just as we were ready to get our delicious entree, the next two glaciers, Francia and Italia, flew by. Yes, we could call this "fly-by scenic cruising"!! Apparently when we sailed in this area seven years ago, the timing was different, since we had no stop at Punta Arenas. That allowed a slower sail by the glaciers on our way to Ushuaia. Today, we obviously did not have that gift of time. The Prinsendam was due to arrive at the port of Ushuaia by 1pm, not one minute later. We did snap some good shots of the glaciers in between orange juice and our omelettes.

 

We enjoyed the rest of the channel scenery as we walked quickly on the promenade deck for an hour. It was COLD outside! And drizzly with occassional showers. Cloudy, with not much of a chance of clearing. It was the same kind of weather in the month of November of 2003.

 

We usually stay out of our room until 11am or later, in order for our stewards to make our room nice again. When we got back by noon, we had a nice surprise........a bouquet of pretty flowers was waiting for us on our coffee table! There was no card, but we assumed it was from Gary, the guest relations manager in response to our inquiry about no flowers in our veranda room. By the time we went to his desk on deck 8, he was gone for lunch. Then, upon arriving back to our room, we found yet another bouquet of flowers! This time there was a card which said that housekeeping had sent the first flowers. And the next bouquet was from Gary....a gesture from him to give our accommodations more color on such a cloudy day! Well, how about that? Yes, that did brighten our day, and made us happy that someone took the time to listen to us about our concerns....namely Gary. Flowers work every time!!

 

The last time we were here in Argentina's southernmost city of the world, we took a tour to Tierra del Fuego National Park. So we saw little of the city itself. Today, we opted to stay onboard for all the tours to depart, and then walk the city. The ship was docked here until 8pm, so we had plenty of time to explore. Ushuaia (OO SHWAY A) is located on the southern coast of the island of Tierra del Fuego. This settlement was used as an Argentinian penal colony in the first half of the 20th century. Prison laborers built a railroad which was used to haul wood to the settlement. Now, the railroad is dubbed "The Train at the End of the World".....a huge tourist attraction. Two other facts that make Ushuaia famous is that the Andes Mountains end here, as well as the Pan-American highway. Fishing, hiking, and skiing are the major attractions for the locals as well as the tourists. And because of the proximity to Antarctica, many ice vessels leave from here to explore the Antarctic region.

 

It was clear to us that the virus that has plagued the passengers and crew is not over yet. Several masked crew members were the first off of the gangplank, armed with gallons of spray to disinfect the waiting buses and even the catamaran being used for a tour. HAL canvas bags were filled with VIROX hand wipes and bottles of Purell for the tour operators to use on all of the buses. Can you imagine what the guests on the other ships docked here must be thinking when they see such drastic measures taken by the Prinsendam??? No one will want to come very close to us today!!

 

OK, continuing on, we took a map, our heavy waterproof shoes and raincoats, gloves, hats, and cameras, and set off to walk the main streets of the town. We sure needed the heavy clothing because rain showers continued all afternoon. When the showers sweep down the snow-covered cliffs above the town, the chill cuts to the bone! Thanks, Cabelas and LL Bean, (both great catalogue clothing and supply outlets) for goose down, Gore-Tex, and thinsulate for keeping us dry and warm!

 

Many colors of lupine, deep blue delphiniums, and Oriental poppies the size of dinner plates grow like weeds on the hillsides and around the shops. Their excess growth and most impressive blooms must be due to the extended hours of daylight the plants get in the summer time in this part of the world.

 

With stores like the Shane Company, North Face, Timberland, and several other duty-free shops, we felt as if we were in Alaska! This place has grown a lot since we were here! The streets were crowded with not only the HAL folks, but also people from two other ships in port, the Delphin Voyager, and the Hanseatic. It was nice to see that many of our crew got time to roam the town as well. These kids usually head right for the internet cafes to contact home. Sometimes the internet is free or very inexpensive.

 

In a few hours, we covered the city from one end to the other, just window-shopping and taking pictures. The best treat was seeing how the locals cook lamb. In several restaurants, butterflied lamb was encased in a metal rack, then tilted over a hot fire of mesquite charcoals. The wonderful aroma filled the streets, drawing many customers for lunch. Candy stores were the next big draw, since tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Nice to see that romance is a common language everywhere we go!

 

The souvenier stores carried the usual collection of t-shirts, heavy winterwear, knick-knacks, and their national stone of Argentina...the pink rhodochorsite. The stone is a marbled pink to salmon color gem which is set in jewelry and very nice figurines all all kinds. The bad thing is that all of it was EXPENSIVE!! We have been spoiled by the great bargains we have gotten on this cruise so far. We still have another stop in Buenos Aires, and we bet that the prices will be much better there. Absolutely everything in this remote city has to be imported. For example, a medium bag of potato chips was $8.00! Food in the restaurants was twice the price we would pay at home. Gasoline for the cars was around $4 to $5 a gallon. So therefore, all of the bus tours were equally as expensive. That's just the way it is.

 

Taking pictures was FREE, so we ended up taking about 300 of them! Back on the ship, we relaxed in our room, downloading photos into the laptop, until it was time to get ready for formal night and the Officer's Sweetheart Ball in the showlounge at 10pm. The lure to draw passengers to this ball is a chance to win prizes such as a Pinnacle Grill dinner for 2, a spa package ($120), an amber pendant ($200), a free photo, and more. We wondered why the ship would schedule a formal night on a port day again? The answer was printed in the daily newsletter. Even though tomorrow is the real Valentine's Day, sailing the Darwin Channel and beyond Cape Horn can be rough, so the better day was today. OK, we buy that excuse this time.

 

Since we had Frank Buckingham, the port lecturer, at our table for dinner tonight, we missed the ball. Frank enjoys conversation to the point that time means nothing to him. His stories get even better with the addition of red wine! The evening did go well, and no, we really did not miss the ball, since we usually don't attend anyway. We will surely hear about the dance tomorrow from our tablemates, and that's good enough for us!

 

Tomorrow, we shall sail around Cape Horn, famous for being the most dangerous of shipping passages in the world! With that in mind, Frank raised his glass to make a toast for a smooth and clear passage around the Cape. We'll keep our fingers crossed!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

PS To all Cruise Critic members......thanks for your comments and also thanks for some needed answers! The wool tips are great, but a dear friend ,June, had a better solution....go out on the promenade deck and throw it overboard!! Of course, not literally, but she may be right!

We did some more research on the "no jeans" policy in the dining room for dinner, and to our surprise, that specific suggestion was gone out of the Know Before You Go Booklet. So the staff was correct in NOT questioning that form of dress.

We do not post pictures on Cruise Critic for we find it takes way too long to post. Bill has taken a gazillion of photos so far! Thank goodness for digital cameras!

[WCB]

Report # 36 February 14, 2010 Sunday Day at Sea and More

 

Today turned out to be a special day for several reasons. It is a coincidence that Valentines Day and Chinese New Year fell on the same date of February 14th. And the best part of the morning, was sailing around infamous Cape Horn.

 

Fierce sailing conditions in this extreme southern latitude makes this passage the most formidable in the world! Hurricane wind speeds and rogue waves of up to 100 feet have been the cause of numerous ship wrecks over the centuries. The creation of the Panama Canal made this trip unnecesary for most cargo and passenger vessels. We are doing it because we can!

 

And did we get lucky! Before 6am, Captain Albert's voice came through loud and clear on our TV, which we had on in anticipation of the early arrival. This journey should have been around 6:30am, but Captain Albert has been consistently early in most of the ports or scenic cruising. The weather and seas were cooperating. There was a strong icy cold wind blowing, but it successfully kept the fog and most of the rain away.

 

Now the Cape is not attached to land, as you might think, but is really a small island in a group of islands called Hermites. They are protected under the Cape Horn National Park. Our room happened to be on the correct side, starboard, for this scenic event. We wrapped up in blankets and jackets and viewed the clear sailing from the comfort of our room and veranda. At least, until it got too darned cold! There was even snow flurries depositing flakes on the veranda railing. We must have gotten 200 photos and video of the Cape with the sun rising on the horizon. It was truly a beautiful site. Once past the Cape, two of our Chilean pilots were picked up by a small boat.

 

What we found amazing was the presence of the smaller Austral Austalis, the ship that was docked across from us in Ushuaia yesterday. They were stopped right in front of the island where the monument is and the caretakers house. Zodiac boats were dropped from the aft, and we assumed their passengers were getting into them to visit the Cape. They were also lucky that the seas were fairly calm, or else they would not have been able to do that.

 

After breakfast with lots of hot coffee, we walked the promenade deck for an hour. There were four of us doing it. Once we left the Cape behind, we headed south in Drake's Passage, known for rough seas and high winds. It did make the walk a challenge, especially getting around the bow of the ship. The wind darn near knocked us over!! An hour was way long enough!

 

We had two Valentine Day cards in our mail hook outside our door. One came from our travel agent and the other from the HAL staff, Captain Albert, and Francois, the hotel manager. Nice touch! We caught up with emails and reports, then attended a talk from our ice captain, Patrick Toomey, who joined us a few days ago. The show lounge was filled to capacity as he shared his Plan A itinerary for the next three days of Antarctic sailing. Contingent plans would possibly come into play if Plan A failed. He said there were plans to the letter M. He explained that he has done three sailings so far this year.....two on the Veendam, and one on the Amsterdam. Not all of the sites were possible to see, due to ice flows and weather problems. We are all hoping for the best possible conditions for this special sailing.

 

We had a stern letter from Captain Albert concerning regulations while sailing in these waters. For example, we were warned not to feed the birds, throw anything overboard, fish or crab from the ship..... say what?, play loud music, litter, or smoke. Except for smoking, do people really do these things on ships? No, we are NOT noodle-brains!!

 

The Captain also told us that from here on down to Antarctica, he can no longer give the weather prediction. It can change on a dime, so we get what we get, according to him.

 

Paul and Maria had invited us and our tablemates to their room for cocktails at 7:15pm. That was nice, because we really wanted to see thier deck 10 room. It was well laid out with plenty of living space, a real closet, and a large veranda. It sure got noisy in there with the eight or ten of us emjoying our drinks. Yep, we are a good group.

 

The dining room was festivally decorated with everything Chinese! It is the Year of the Tiger, a good one we hope. To add to this celebration, red-foil covered candy cups were in each lady's place....full of chocolate candies. For some reason, our dinner ran really late tonight. Could the reason be that our two waiters have 26 people to serve now? We are usually pretty patient, but by five minutes before 10pm, we still had not ordered our dessert yet. By then, we lost two of our ladies, who wanted to see the comedian in the showlounge. Right before they left, two waiters came to our table and handed each of the gals a single red rose. That was a lovely gesture, but too bad it was clouded with the trouble with the service. We did finally leave the dining room by 10:30pm, but not without speaking to our head waiter. He promised to help out our waiters tomorrow and apologized for the delay.

 

We got more gifts tonight......2 sets of 6 wine glass charms. Now that is something we definitely do not have at home. Each wired ornament had a design of each of the Grand Voyages of 2010 and the bears and penguins found at the Lido pools, so we assume that these gifts will be given to all guests who sail the special voyages.

 

And, of course, we had a towel animal.....possibly an eel.

 

Tomorrow we shall get our first glimpse of Antarctica when we reach Anvers Island, where the Palmer Station is located. At least we do NOT have to get up at 5am, since we expect to be there around 10am. Can't wait.........

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[pspercy]

Just looked at my atlas, going south from Puerto Montt area looks like it could be a southern version of the Alaskan "inside passage". Would love to see some pictures.

 

Maybe a new opportunity for an enterprising line ?

[DeepWaterMariner]

I feel that I'm following your trip to the ends of the earth.

[CruisinTexans]

Really enjoying the Antarctica posts. Keep them coming. If yo get a chance ask Frank B. if he is going to stay on the ship for the Med/Black Sea cruise. I have a big crush on him and haven't sailed with him since the 2005 world. We did see him when the Amsterdam met up with the Prinsendam in 2007.

 

Leslie

[WCB]

Report # 37 February 15, 2010 Monday Antarctic Adventure: Palmer Station Day One

 

It definitely got rougher and colder the further south we traveled through the night. We passed over the Antarctic Convergence, an area where the Antartic meets the warmer waters of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. From here, we could begin to look for seabirds and whales.

 

But first, a warm and hearty breakfast was in order. Knowing that we will be scenic cruising all day, lunch might be out. A funny thing happened at breakfast this morning. Our waiter could not find catsup for us. Nowhere, not even in the Lido. One never realizes how hooked you can get on a certain item, and catsup is our item! Our head waiter promised that he would go "shopping" tomorrow so we would not run out again. What a guy!

 

OK, on with the good stuff. Today's cruising was AWESOME!! No words can describe the total experience of what we saw today. Talk about sensory overload! The first thing that you notice is the frigid wind chill that would cut to the bone had we not been dressed properly. All that can be exposed is your eyes and nose! The weather started out a bit cloudy, with a good chance that the sun might come out later. We were just happy that it was not raining or snowing, or that ice fields could block our way.

 

Our first sighting of Antarctica was Anvers Island. As the clouds and fog lifted, we could make out tall jutting peaks covered in deep, solid ice. The brighter the day got, the more brilliant the mountain peaks got. Sunglasses were a must to cut the glare. Every able-bodied passenger was outside on the front decks and the promenade deck. That was the best place to see the few skuas flying around the ship and the adelie penguins diving like torpedos everywhere we looked. We surely have at least 500 pictures of them so far!

 

By noon, the Prinsendam made its way to the Palmer Station, where a scientific outpost is situated. In the far distance, we spotted the two zodiac boats bringing some of the scientists, technicians, and cooks (seven in all) onboard to give a joint presentation for us lucky passengers. Since the scenic cruising continued all afternoon, we decided to watch the special lecture on TV this evening. Who knows if we will ever have a chance to see this again in our lifetime?

 

We continued onward towards Lemaire Channel, where the dramatic ice fields and cliffs come together in a tight alleyway, so to speak. The floating icebergs had gotten huge....some with seals and penguins taking a ride on them. Occassionally, we saw some whales, probably fin whales, that skimmed the top of the water's surface, barely exposing their dorsel fins. The humpbacks and blue whales are also in this area, but we did not see them. This part of our Antarctic Adventure would be the southernmost point of our voyage.

 

On one cliffside, we noticed brown streaking from the water's edge all the way up to bare rocks. Looking through binoculars, we could see tiny dots of black in a row. Guess what? They were the adele penguins marching up to their nests in the rocks. The streaking was from the penguins doing what all animals do in the forests and woods, etc. These small penguins looked like fleas on a white cat!

 

At 2pm, we missed the Penguin Plunge. No, not real penguins, but crazy guests that "swam" the Antarctic in the Lido pool. Sure hope the ship's cameraman got that on video! If it did indeed happen, we will let you know.

 

We took a snack break in our room, and also "defrosted" for a while. Before we knew it, the ice pilot announced that we would be sailing into the Neumayer Channel around 5:30pm. While we were in our room, four more Palmer Station crew were brought onboard to sail with us to Buenos Aires. Then the original group boarded their zodiacs, loaded down with fresh vegetables, fruit, and some bottles of Scotch, we were told! Oh, will they have a party tonight! About 20 ships visit this area of Antarctica every season. We are sure that the scientists are happy to see every one of them.

 

The crowd had thinned out by Neumayer Channel, since it was time for early dinner. We continued to film the spectacular scenery until 8pm, and had to run to the dining room a bit late. It was a surprise to see that we had an additional waiter (our breakfast waiter) to help serve us tonight. Be careful what you ask are for........we were served so promptly, that we were done by 9:30pm. Too bad Paul and Maria were not with us this evening. They would have been happy campers compared to last night! And our new waiter promised that he had secured two bottles of catsup in his station for tomorrow's breakfast!

 

Our quick dinner turned out to be a blessing, because we caught the sunset casting its yellow, orange, and red hues on the ice covered mountains. Wow, what a sight! By the way, the sun set at 9:27pm, and it is still light outside as I wrap this up at 11pm!!

 

Hope the next two days turn out like today!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[tjcox9]

I'm following along with you, the other blog and Captain Albert and am so envious, although I've been to the Antarctic area on two cruises. Your weather sounds wonderful.

 

I'm just curious if HAL still provides the jackets (parkas) on this Grand Voyage that they used to. I've not seen any mention of them and think you would have had them by now. Just a curiosity as we're considering this for next year.

 

Hope your weather continues to hold!!

[WCB]

Report # 38 February 15, 2010 Monday More Scenic Cruising

 

We continued with more scenic cruising through Neumayer Channel around 7pm yesterday. However, we did not have the time to download the second series of photos until this morning.

 

In regards to the number of Palmer Island residents that boarded yesterday, there were more than eight. It was more like fourteen. One group gave the first presentation in the showlounge, while the second group more than likely chowed down in the Lido. They do get food and supplies from the US on a regular basis, but probably not the quality of cuisine we have here on the ship.

 

An interesting story was related while sailing through this channel yesterday. John Splettstoesser said that a few inexperienced fellows from a station here decided to snowboard down one of these steep snow-covered slopes a while back. They disappeared in a crevasse, a deep fissure in the ice, never to be found. No one has ever tried that again.

 

Another factor that is peculiar to sailing in Antarctic is the fact that the ship must sail out at least 12 miles off of the coast every night to discharge treated "gray" water. Then, we hope, several miles after the discharge, the ship takes on fresh sea water to convert to potable water for the ship. We have been asked to conserve our water usage in order to keep the holding tanks from overfilling.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[JORAY]

I'm just curious if HAL still provides the jackets (parkas) on this Grand Voyage that they used to. Hope your weather continues to hold!!

 

From another person on this cruise, they say no jackets were supplied for the first time that they know of and many people are not happy because of this as they had planned on them.

 

Ray

[WCB]

Report # 39 February 16, 2010 Tuesday Antarctic Adventure Day 2

 

Do we dare ask for another fabulous day like we had yesterday? We were not so sure of that when we woke up this morning to see fog. The early morning sailing was supposed to be through Dalmann Bay and into Schollaert Channel. If that occurred around 5am, it was news to us! We did know that we would be in Gerlache Straight until around 9am.

 

We remembered that we had been asked to restrict our water usage, but we sure did not expect to be without HOT water this morning. Not even lukewarm water, but ice cold. What's up with that? We called the front desk staff and we were told that a big pipe had burst, and the hot water was shut off for the entire ship. To make matters worse, more than half of the ship had no heat in their rooms all night. Bet we see a lot of cranky people with BAD HAIR DAY syndrome that had trouble sleeping! One of us did not have that problem, since the shower was accomplished the night before. And our end of the ship was fine with the heat. Go figure?

 

Time for a good hot breakfast, and yes, we had catsup, a bit watered down, but there for us as promised. They are really running low on their supply. The waiters try to make it up with extra danish, which we love, but certainly don't need.

 

By the time we got outside for the scenic cruising, the Prinsendam had arrived to Paradise Bay. The fog had lifted little by little until it was mostly clear. How lucky was that? In the bay, there was a Russian ice breaker with a small number of passengers onboard, like under 200. The passengers were already in floating zodiacs and kayaks, paddling their way around the shoreline. Dozens of gentoo penguins were standing at attention as they went by just a few yards away from them. The Brown Station of Argentina was located on this same shoreline. At least 18 of the scientists climbed the cliff overlooking the bay as we sailed by.

 

Around 1pm, we sailed to Cuverville Island with their large gentoo penguin colony, actually the largest in the area. Every reddish-brown spot of rocks and ice was occupied by hundreds of the cute little flightless birds. Our narrator said we were quite lucky to be out of the "odor" range. In the waters all around the ship, dozens of gentoos were "porpoising" as the experts call their leaping like corn popping in a covered pot. You had to have a very good camera to capture them jumping and diving. A video camera doesn't always cut it. You turn the camera on, then wait, the penguins jump, and you miss the shot!

 

Not so for the whales. Today we did see some humpbacks, but their behavior in this frigid water is much different than in warmer seas. The huge whales are so sluggish, they just drift along while feeding. Every now and then, you see the dorsel fin, then down they sink. We found the best place for animal watching was on the front of deck nine. Thanks to our buddy, Rod, who did this same trip in 2007, he picked the right spot. It was darned cold out there, but we hung in there almost most of the day. How many pictures did we take? Try 1100!!

 

Two ships, the Clipper Adventurer and another Russian ship, run by Quark Expeditions, passed us on the port side. They must have been on their way to Paradise Bay as well Even with all of this traffic in the channel, the penguins and the whales continued their normal routines. With good binoculars, we could see the gentoo penguins climbing up and down the slopes. On the shoreline were several fur seals, oblivious to everything. They were soaking up the sun that had finally peaked out of the clouds.

 

We decided to go back to our room to download this massive file, since the ship was on its way back through the same channel. Just as we got in the room, we heard the narrator say "whale" on the starboard side. We looked out from our veranda, and the humpback was right below our room! He kept surfacing, perhaps checking us out. Then he raised his massive tail and dove deep. Wow, what a shot we got of him! That made our day for sure.

 

For the rest of the afternoon, we were sailing in the Gerlache Straight on our way to Deception Island. Shipboard life carried on, with the exception of the games and activities. Only inside activities were allowed.....nothing outside to disturb the scenic viewing. Who would play anything outside anyway? It felt like 10 below zero out there!! That never stopped us for walking later in the afternoon. The promenade deck was virtually empty. It felt like a ghost ship! We could have gone to the Wajang Theater to see a show, but that is one place that tends to put you to sleep. Also, there have been no live shows in the showlounge at night. Only movies were shown, giving the staff a rest until after the Antarctic Adventure ends.

 

Close to 4:30pm, the Captain announced that due to the inconvenience of no hot water all day, cocktails were on him in all of the bars and lounges. Boy, did that wake everyone up! We could hear the lively 4:30 to 5:30pm crowd in the Ocean Bar as we went up the stairs after our walk. Nothing like free drinks to sooth everyone's ruffled feathers after the no or cold showers! Funny, when we were inconvenienced with the construction mess, we got a big ZERO!! Strange how quickly that was all forgotten........

 

Our time slot was 7 to 8pm in the Crows Nest. It sure filled up fast with people we have never seen up there. We were early enough to get our usual seats, even though we have not been up there for awhile. Four of our tablemates joined us, and we sure had a good time. There was a bit of narration on the PA system about Deception Island, but we could not see it anyway. So therefore, the boisterous crowd did not listen. Many passsengers said they were "deceived" with Deception Island!! Ha-ha!

 

At dinner, many folks had their cameras ready for Deception Island in the South Shetland Islands. We were not surprised that the fog had just about completely enveloped the island altogether. This horseshoe-shaped island has such a narrow opening, that our ship would never have fit through it anyway. The most we would have seen is perhaps the active volcano, and the many colonies of chinstrap penguins. But there were a few impressive icebergs floating by us. Some even had seals laying on them. The Captain held the ship at the shrouded entrance for several minutes before heading north towards tomorrows scenic cruising of Hope Bay, Paulet Island, and Elephant Island. Sure hope the weather gods are with us again!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

 

PS There was one special show this evening.......the Indonesian Crew Show. We shall watch it tomorrow on TV.

[arzz]

Mary Ann and Bill

 

I have been lurking on line and reading your daily posts and sailing with you vicariously. Thank you so much for sharing. Our 2007 Antarctica cruise on the Prinsendam was our cruise of a lifetime (still at the top of our memories list -- 2008 Grand Asia/Pacific a close second).

 

Keep up the good work and do continue to enjoy the wonderland of Antarctica!

[gardenstategal]

We’re on the Prinsendam also – Deck 10. I just found your reviews and am catching up on them.

Everyone has different experiences, even on the same itinerary.

It’s too bad your tablemates had such a hard time obtaining breakfast in the Lido dining room. We eat breakfast and lunch there every day, and although sometimes it’s crowded, we’ve never experienced any problems getting plenty of food nor finding a place to sit. We think the ship is doing a great job in servicing all the passengers.

I noticed you had a couple people comment about photos and see that you said you're not uploading them. We have lots of photos posted at: http://www.worldatlas.com/twitter/satwitterpage.htm

[airlink diva]

Once again thank you for sharing the Antarctica Grand Voyage on the Prinsendam!!!

How I wish that someday that I can enjoy the Antarctica!!

Please keep the reports coming!!!

----------------

Now playing: Kirk Whalum - Any Love

via FoxyTunes

[JACKWC]

http://www.worldatlas.com/twitter/satwitterpage.htm

 

 

 

 

Wow, I am so impressed with your journal and your fabulous photos. I blogged about our trip last February on the Prinsendam at: http://cummingsfamilyadventures.wordpress.com/

 

Thanks for sharing.:cool:

[WCB]

Report # 40 February 17, 2010 Wednesday (Ash Wednesday) Antarctic Adventure Day 3

 

We had sailed through the fog all night, and woke up to see sheets of sea ice floating outside our window early this morning. Sea ice differs from ice bergs and bergie bits, because it is frozen sea water. Our narrator, John S., mentioned that this "drift" ice was not here two weeks ago when he escorted the Amsterdam in this area. That is how things can turn on a dime. It was obvious that the Prinsendam was not going to proceed through this ice field....it was way too dangerous.

 

Today was Ash Wednesday, or the start of Lent for Christian faiths. Yesterday was Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras Day. However, for some strange reason, we will not celebrate this day until February 28.

 

Ever since the extremely slow service two nights ago, we have had a new waiter helping out. Actually, our new waiter, PD, has taken over our service completely. We no longer are served last in this back section of the dining room. A few strong complaints from some of our tablemates were made to the head waiter a couple of days ago, and he solved our problem. We're all grateful for his help. We have had PD as our breakfast waiter several mornings, and his service is excellent.

 

Well, the morning did offer some sightings of humpback whales, Weddell seals (we think), penguins, and seabirds. Penguins and birds were also floating on the icebergs, watching us as we sailed by. We are not sure exactly where the Prinsendam is on our Antarctica maps, because an announcement was made that the original sailing plan may have to be scraped due to fog and ice.

 

At one point, we were blocked by the drift ice, with no choice but to turn around and backtrack. Captain Albert said that was Mother Nature doing her thing with the weather and ice. He also admitted that there was another ship in front of us, trying to navigate the ice. They were in communication with them all morning, and we were following their path to find a passage through the ice. Nice to know we are not alone out here in the middle of nowhere!

 

So it was announced for sure at noon, that we would head for Elephant Island for an earlier than expected arrival time. The newsletter promised Elephant Island between 7 and 9pm this evening. Right during our dinnertime, darn! Earlier would be better. Captain Albert also mentioned that the outside temperature was 38 degrees F., and the water temps were 31 degrees F. He added, just jokingly, to please not fall overboard, or we would come up like a popsicle! Dutch humor!!

 

Lunchtime service has changed for the last three days. Due to the cold weather, the outside eating areas of the Lido Restaurant have been closed. In order to accommodate the guests, a buffet was set up in the aft dining room for lunch. Only drinks were served by the waiters there. The smaller mid dining room was opened for regular lunch service. Of course, by 12:30pm, that room was filed to capacity, as was the aft dining room. We had no other choice but to order room service. We have to admit our lunch came quickly, in about 15 minutes. The pea soup we ordered was sooooo good!

 

We are still not out of the woods with the virus. The VIROX spraying continues, as does the forced Purell before entering the dining rooms or Lido. There still is no fruit basket in our rooms, so if we want fruit, we have to call room service for it. Once the ship has been declared bug-free, all the precautions should be lifted.

 

The sun did start appearing by noontime, but we had trouble getting our bearings. First we were heading west, then north, east, then south. OK, are we lost? Sure wish we had a GPS toy with us! We were seeing some animal life such as dolphins, penguins, and birds, particularly the Wilson's storm petrels, a smaller sea bird in this area. And we also saw some of the biggest icebergs we have ever see! Some of them could qualify as an island. Did you know that the lighter blue ice inside an iceberg is about one year old? The deeper green color means the iceberg is older.

 

We felt the need to check the excellent charted maps that had been set up on deck 7. Yep, we were right. We have been going in a circle all afternoon! This morning, we were told that the estimated time to arrive near Elephant Island, the last Antarctic visit, was around 7 to 9pm. Now we are wondering if that will happen. Ice Captain Pat Toomey happened to be updating the map when Bill was there. He asked what time we would be getting to Elephant Island. Captain Toomey laughed and said we would be lucky to get to the Falklands on time tomorrow!

 

We found the answer to that question at 5pm. Nope....it's a NO-GO!! Because we had used so much time going in circles?, there was no time to sail to Elephant Island. The most interesting fact concerning Elephant Island is the amazing story of the Shackleton expedition in the early 1900's. That is where Shackleton and his group were trapped in their ship in pack ice for months. Their last hope was to set off in a rowboat where they miraculously landed on Elephant Island. Knowing that they would probably never be found, Shackleton and five of his men, set off on a 22 foot longboat for an 800 mile trip to South Georgia Island. They made it, and eventually, they were rescued, after spending a total of 497 days stranded. It was quite a harrowing story. Sadly, we will not see the island on this cruise. Boy, they sure kept this a secret all day!

 

Around 5:30pm, we found the Prinsendam was passing King George Island, far west of where we should have been. Sure would have been nice to be updating us on the speakers as we were progressing, instead of waiting until the end of the day to tell us where we were or were not going. The Captain tends to emphasize the positive, but skims over the negative, we think. The word "NO" or "NOT" is not in his vocabulary!

 

So, we are on our way to the Falkland Islands, we hope. The Amsterdam was not able to go there due to a bad storm and high seas. Hope we have better luck. We wondered if Captain Gundersen would have been more adventurous had he been the captain on this trip. That is something we will never know!

 

Showtime was back on the itinerary today, with the singers and dancers doing "Romance on Broadway". Most of us were too tired to attend.

 

We will have a normal day at sea tomorrow, as we say goodbye to Antarctica. It really was an unforgettable three days!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

 

PS In response to the question of jackets being gifted on this Grand Voyage....the answer is NO!! In fact, the jackets were NOT given on the Grand World Voyage either. The reason behind this has to do with ordering the correct sizes. It NEVER works out correctly with every passenger, so therefore, many people end up with XXXS or XXXL.....the wrong size!! We are still hoping to get the duffel bag though.