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

[mancunian]

I am reading your blog with interest and getting evermore excited as you get nearer the Amazon. Why? Because we leave on our Amazon cruise on the Artemis (P&O) on March 6th and are in Manaus at the same time as you. If you notice someone gazing longingly at the Prinsendam give me a wave. Our cruise was booked a long, long time ago and since then we have fallen in love with Rotterdam and Prinsendam. Oh well. Japan next year on Volendam.

[wander]

WCB,

About having to ask for fruit now, ask your Environmental Officer about the trash savings due to this change. On our November cruise the EO said that by going to fruit only on request their fruit trash went from an average of 27 large containers to 2 per week. That was only on one ship.

 

At least in our case, we simply asked our cabin stewards to keep us a small supply of oranges and bananas in our cabin, and they did. After the first request we only had to ask 1 more time in 35 days.

 

LOVE reading you comments each say. Thanks for taking the time!

[Aussie Gal]

Mary Ann and Bill,

 

When we went to Antarctica we came down from the Falklands so did the trip in the reverse to how you have done it. We reached Elephant Island in the morning and it was covered in fog so we didn't really see much of it. Later that morning the fog lifted and from then we had perfect weather.

 

I don't think one can see everything when down in that region due to the changeable weather patterns.

 

We too thought we had a Captain who was a bit scared and actually he was replaced when we returned to Ushuaia.

 

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 41 February 18, 2010 Thursday Day at Sea

 

It was still foggy and cold today, but nowhere near as frigid as it was yesterday. The further north we travel towards the Falkland Islands, we are leaving that severe freezing wind behind us. That is fine with us!

 

The wind is still with us, as it was difficult walking the promenade deck this morning after breakfast. Getting across the bow of the ship, even though it is partly protected by a wall, is impossible. The wind can just about knock you off your feet! At least we end up getting double the exercise!

 

A bit of history we left out in the recent reports should be mentioned here. We wondered who owns Antarctica? Well, no one, exactly. In 1959, the Antarctic Treaty was signed by 12 nations prohibiting military operations, nuclear explosions, and dumping of radioactive wastes. These nations promised to exchange scientific research and data. In 1991, 24 nations signed another promise barring exploration of oil and minerals for 50 years. Thirty year-round research stations are operated by 18 nations, as well as many other stations manned in the summer only. McMurdo is one of the largest stations, run by the United States. It is large enough to be called a village.

 

The sun peaked out at 10am, but was gone by noon. The only sight-seeing we had today was of one lone iceberg and a few tuna, perhaps, jumping near the ship. At least we are not in a storm, like the Amsterdam was, making us pretty certain that we will reach the Falklands tomorrow as planned.

 

The internet service remained good during most of the day. We did not expect much in this part of the world, but things have improved down here. We have lost CNN for the last four days, but we don't miss it. This particular feed has pre-recorded documentaries that are repeated throughout the day.........day after day.....

 

Today is the final day of express breakfast and the aft dining room buffet for lunch. We have heard mixed reviews on that change in service. We had problems getting seated in the smaller mid dining room for lunch, and at the time we came to the dining room, it was full. Perhaps going early when they open at noon, your chances would be better. As for the Lido for lunch, seats were at a premium. So many passengers staked out their window seats for the entire day! That left few tables for others to eat lunch. Can't make everyone happy all of the time! Thank goodness for room service!

 

We promised to update you on the Penguin Plunge in the Lido pool a few days ago. Who in their right mind would want to do that???? Well, about 50 guests! A photo was posted in the hallway with so many people in the tiny Lido pool, that you could not see the bottom! Maybe there was just a little water in that pool? We need to ask! The contest was "swimming" in the Antarctic while the Prinsendam was at its southernmost point in the Lemaire Channel. And do you know what the reward was??? Five DAM DOLLARS!! Wow, big deal.......We congratulate those brave souls that accomplished that! And hope they spend those DOLLARS wisely!

 

This afternoon, we attended Ice Captain Pat Toomey's talk on the review of the Antarctic itinerary and why we did what we did or did not do. The showlounge was filled to overflowing! Here are some notes taken during his excellent talk.

 

1. Day one in Antarctica followed plan A. In other words, we did pretty much what was planned. The only missed spot was Petermann Island, which is never reached, according to Toomey. Great day of scenery.

 

2. For the four Palmer Station workers we took onboard to travel to Buenos Aires, HAL gets paid for their passage (US taxpayer dollars at work).

 

3. Much of the world looked just like the scenery we saw today during the Ice Age. The mountains are still buried under millions of years of snow here.

 

4. Because of the drift ice, Captain Toomey stayed up until 3am in the morning helping the Captain wiggle the ship through it. He could only sail at 3 knots to do this safely. The drift ice spooked them all!

 

5. Day two did not offer sightings of whales at 5am as promised. We were not up that early anyway! And it was still dark.

 

6. The people we saw on the cliffs above Brown Station were passengers from the Russian ship. There were no scientists there because the station has been closed for a long time. Can you believe that these people were preparing to ride down the cliff on flattened cardboard boxes? And we bet they paid BIG BUCKS to do it!

 

7. There was a shag rookery near that station, but we could not sail there, since it would have disturbed the kayaks and canoes in the water at Brown Station. That was generous of us!

 

8. Captain Toomey was quite impressed with the drift ice. He had never seen so much of it...... ever. He called it frightening, and also let it slip that Captain Albert was experiencing his FIRST sailing here in Antarctica. We kind of suspected that.

 

9. We were thrilled to have seen so many seabirds like albatross, various petrels, adelie and gentoo penguins, fur seals, and the mighty whales. How sweet it was!

 

10. Winds and currents created a problem getting to Deception Island later that day. Fog shrouded the entire horseshoe-shaped island. We could never sail into the center, since a large rock blocks the passage, as many smaller ships found out the hard way in the past.

 

11. The navigation crew had NO satellite information here in regards to weather or ice warnings. We just had to feel our way around, and see what the seas offered us. Now that is scary!

 

12. Day 3 was another story. Plans A, B, and C were scrapped early on. It was not possible to navigate the ship through the totally surrounding icebergs and ice fields. Winds were blowing at 35 to 40 knots, making it difficult to control the ship.

 

13. The Prinsendam was turned around several times to avoid dangerous situations. We did not want to become "beset" or stuck in the ice. This ship is not built for ice breaking. Hope Bay, Esperanza Station, and Paulete Island were cancelled. Actually, Paulete Island has seldom or never been reached, so why is it on the itinerary? Go figure.

 

14. So we went in circles, giving the guests large tabular icebergs to see, along with a few animal sightings. Most of the penguins and birds were floating on the ice. Some of these icebergs were 1/2 mile long, 600 feet deep, 80 to 90 feet high, and weighed between 40 to 50 million tons! Wow! .

 

15. Plan D was to zig-zag the ship to open waters heading northwest. That meant skipping Elephant Island. That was a big disappointment, but that was the way it was. Period.

 

16. Captain Toomey rated our experience a 7 out of 10, in his humble opinion. He added that in his 21 trips with HAL ships here, he had never encountered such drift ice. He called this adventure a soul-changing trip. We totally agree. His only request was to ask us all to spread the word about protecting Antarctica for future generations to see, like the priviledge we just had.

 

At least we should be reaching the Falklands tomorrow, despite the rain that has just started coming down in buckets. We sure hope that we can tender into town in this weather. Only time will tell........

 

Drinks in the Crows Nest and dinner were enjoyable this evening. Buddy, the pianoman in the Crows Nest, loves playing songs we all know. It does not take much encouragement to have us all sing along with him.

 

And to make things better, dinner was over by 9:30pm, with plenty of time to make the show. Bettine Clemen, a talented flautist, was performing tonight. She has a first class show that we have attended on past cruises.

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Cruisin'Lady]

glad you guys made it out safely. When I read your post yesterday about being surrounded I knew that was a dangerous spot to be in. Living up here in Alaska we hear of crab boats/trawlers getting stuck in a sudden drift. Very dangerous...can rip a ship apart. But spectacular just the same! Kudos to the captin and crew for getting you out safely!:D

[jollykidz]

Bill and Mary Ann-

Your adventure sounds so thrilling! I stumbled on your reports when I was looking for information about a cruise my father is embarking on from Buenos Aires on the Prinsendam. I was so excited when I found your blog. Would it be too much to ask you to say hello to him onboard? He and my mother were great adventurers in their day -- and this is his first venture abroad since she passed away. If it's ok I will send you his cabin number as soon as he emails it to me. Happy sailing!

Jamie

[WCB]

Report # 42 February 19, 2010 Friday Stanley, Falklands

 

The Prinsendam arrived to the very cold, misty, and windy Stanley, in the Falkland Islands early this morning. We were in no hurry to go ashore, because we did not book a tour here. Previously, we took the Long Island tour where we were driven to a huge sheep ranch about an hour's drive from here. So today we plan to walk the city from end to end seeing what we can on our own.

 

When we came down the aft stairway to the dining room, we spotted the steps decorated with fake snow and little stuffed penguins on each step. They were so cute. In fact the outside and inside of the dining room were spruced up with more penguins sitting on iceberg. From the ceiling, hung big glittery snowflakes. The theme dinner for this evening was Winterwonderland. Now wouldn't you expect this night to be formal? We did, since the Amsterdam had the same theme night on their 2009 South Pacific/Australia cruise, and also the 2010 World cruise. They had a formal Winterland Ball, and the majority of us expected the same on the Prinsendam. But, go figure.......tomorrow night IS formal. We shall re-name tonight FLIP-FLOP evening!

 

Moving on, we took the tender boat around 10:30am, after the majority of the booked tours were gone. The ride took about 20 minutes to get to the nice pier. Right off of the gangplank, we found the tourist information center. Besides selling some souveniers and stamps, there was a wide supply of excellent maps and tour options. Their visitor guide booklet was the best we have seen yet.

 

The Falklands have a population of over 2000 residents, most of them living in Stanley. Their main industries are fishing, sheep raising and wool, and tourism. In the 19th century, these islands were seal and whaling stations. Later on, these islands were a supply stop for the ships sailing around The Cape. The French and the Spanish also had history here until in the 1830's, when Britain took control of the islands. This was challenged in 1982, when the Argentinians attacked and occupied the territory. Margaret Thatcher sent the Royal Navy and re-captured the islands in a few months. Even as we speak, a conflict has developed in regards to oil explorations here with Argentina. We heard that some ships were being blockaded from the ports in both islands. Luckily, we did not see any evidence of that today.

 

Our hike took us to many of Stanley's important sites including Christ Church Cathedral, the Whalebone Arch (made from 2 sets of blue whale jaw bones), Townhall, the postoffice, museum, a Catholic and Tabernacle Free Churches, and several souvenier stores. Everything here is expensive, and is mostly imported from England. The only items we bought were in the local market...snacks for our room! We bought "crisps", not potato chips as we call them at home. If you ask for chips here, you get French fries! Like we said, it is very British here in the Falklands.

 

We had hoped to walk to Gypsy Cove, but the tour book said it was a 4 hour round trip. There was not enough time to do it, since the last tenderboat was leaving at 2:30pm. Hundreds of Magellanic or ***** penguins have nests there. What also may be there are many unexploded land mines, compliments of the Argentinian conflict. The little noisy penguins are not heavy enough to trigger them, so no steps have been taken to find these explosives. We are sure that all those beach areas are off limits and well-marked.

 

We did see many birds that live here. Albatross, upland geese, four types of penguins, logger ducks, comorants, gulls, skuas, and petrels strive in these islands. In fact 227 species of birds have been identified here. Marine animals that we did not see are elephant seals, southern sea lions,, dolphins, and killer whales.

 

Walking up the side streets, we tried to locate the wool store, only to find that the smaller shops close everyday for lunch from noon until 1:30pm. The local pubs seemed to be the most popular places for the tourists today.

 

Since it was so cold and we had seen all of the town, we opted to go back to the ship. We spent the afternoon downloading pictures and ordering room service burgers, which are great, by the way. The ship was scheduled to leave at 3pm. That did not happen. We were waiting for a group of 25 guests to come back on the last tender. Once the boat was hauled up, we waited and waited to get underway. That did not happen until 4:30pm. We have no idea what took solong. We can only guess there was a problem with the anchor, the high winds, and the strong currents in the bay. There was never an announcement from the bridge, but we can gather the information on Captain Albert's blog in a few days. That is...if he is willing to tell us!

 

At 8pm, we walked down the same staircase to the dining room, and were surprised to see that all of the penguins were gone! Had they migrated south, or had they found new homes in guest's cabins?? We bet that the staff put them away before that could happen tonight. The Winterwonderland event was slated for 9:15 to 10pm in the Ocean Bar. For one thing, the second seating for dinner does not end until close to 10pm. And how in the world could 700 passengers fit in the Ocean Bar for this event? Something tells us the staff needs to go back to the drawing board with this one.......

 

Well, we are now headed north towards exciting Buenos Aires and some warmer weather we hope!! We have two lazy days at sea before we get there. So get ready Argentina.....here we come!!

 

Bill & Mary Ann

[Aussie Gal]

From reading your posts I have a feeling that Thom and his staff need to rethink all their formal nights etc for this cruise.

 

There seems to have been far to many formal nights on shore days and theme nights seem to be on informal nights plus they are not catering for the late seating guests.

 

We have had Thom twice as our C.D. and have found him wanting in many departments. We think he is one of the worst C.D. we have ever experienced on a cruise.

 

Jennie

[mancunian]

WCB Captain Albert seems unlucky with anchors. Not once but twice on our Prinsendam round Britain cruise in the summer he brought up what was thought by the pilot to be old world war 2 anchors. This caused delays on both occasions whilst they tried to free themselves. Perhaps he has done it again with an Argentinian one from the Falklands War.

[WCB]

Report # 43 February 20, 2010 Saturday Day at Sea

 

Hurray, a day at sea. We love them, even if the weather prevents relaxing pool visits. It is still cold outside, with cloudy skies, but a bit of blue shows promise of some sun later. The ship is so warm inside, that it is great to get out in the fresh air. We have noticed that quite a few guests have come down with colds, or even worse, bronchitis. At least the VIROX spraying has been continued in public areas, as we are in CODE YELLOW now. Since no more new cases of the "bug" have surfaced, we should be clear soon. At least the fruit basket has been returned to our rooms. Also a good sign.

 

We did have some sightings of whales in the far distance and jumping dolphins during our walk this morning. Several albatross and petrels have been following the ship, taking advantage of the churned waters to hunt for fish.

 

The second Cruise Critic meeting took place in the Crows Nest at 11am today. Roger, the beverage manager, had coffee, tea, and juice available for the group. And tempting treats of donuts and cookies were also on platters. Roger does his job so well....we were all impressed with his perfection with every detail concerning this gathering. Last night, he checked with us to make sure we approved the printed invitation for the meeting. Then, he had them delivered to each member that night. Do you realize how much time that saved us? It would have taken us hours to write and put these invites on everyone's doors on every passenger deck! Roger also provides this service for our lunches in the dining room. To complicate his job, Roger also had a special goodbye luncheon that was held in the dining room for the 103 passengers disembarking in Buenos Aires in two days. We are not certain as to the number of new guests embarking, but we heard that it is fewer than what are leaving. When we reach Rio De Janeiro, we will lose another 64 passengers, but will gain about the same for the last segment back to Ft. Lauderdale.

 

So, we started the meeting with the intention of having everyone take a turn talking about the ports we had visited. We were looking for amusing or not so amusing stories. But before we had a chance to start, Captain Albert walked in with Thom, the Cruise Director. His first question put to us was amusing. He said that many of the stuffed penguins had been "kidnapped" from the front desk and dining room Winterland decorations yesterday! And he was here at our meeting to tell us to GIVE THEM BACK!! Of course, he was kidding, but 17 passengers really did "lift" the cute little critters. We all had been gifted two, so how many more could people want?? Don't these guests know that there are cameras everywhere??? Duh.... This occurred after the first dinner seating, so all of the penguins went back into storage, we were told later.

 

Anyway, this time the Captain was a bit more at ease, and he answered the many questions we all had about Antarctica, and the changes that occurred while sailing there. He mentioned that the counterclockwise sailing around South America is the ideal way to go. The timing seems to work out better with more convenient daytime visits, especially in the Antarctic. The Prinsendam was about one of the last big ships to sail here for this season. The drift ice builds up by March, and makes navigation extremely dangerous. Captain Albert said that this ice is so sharp, it can rip the ship's hull open like a can opener! No wonder he was relieved when our three exploration days were over!

 

An interesting fact came up concerning the size of ships that may be allowed in Antarctica in the future. Restrictions may be imposed that only vessels with 500 to 800 passengers will be allowed there. Since the Prinsendam is HAL's smallest vessel with the full guest capacity of 830, that would take us off of the list. All that would be allowed then, would be the smaller ships that cost a fortune for a shorter cruise duration. Of course, these ships offer actual landings by zodiac boats on the ice and shorelines to walk among the penguins. We were just as thrilled to view them from the ship! And we did not have to worry about the poop! One other important thing we found out was that we were burning a low sulfur fuel while we were sailing in Antarctica. HAL does try hard to keep up with all of the special requirements while in this area.

 

Recently in the news on CNN (Thom called it Constant NO News), The Falklands and the Argentinian government have had a conflict over oil exploration in these islands, as we mentioned yesterday. The Captain said we may have encountered a problem had we been travelling from Argentina to the Falklands. Some of these ships were ordered to get clearance from Argentina to enter The Falklands, or else face a possible blockade. Glad we came from a different direction!

 

Since the Captain had the special goodbye luncheon to attend, he excused himself, as did Thom. Our group continued with sharing information on the upcoming port of Buenos Aires. One of our members has set the time of 1pm on every sea day for any of the interested members and any other passengers to meet in the Explorers Lounge, and discuss possible plans for independant tours. That is an added benefit for these meetings, since many people like to do their own thing, but in a smaller group. So far, they have had fairly good success, for the most part, with their guides and tours.

 

We passed around a sign-up sheet for the next lunch, and had many takers. We plan on having one more meeting and lunch in March. The way time is flying, that will come soon enough!

 

Other activities today included lectures from Bob Hofman on the Antarctic Treaty System, Frank Buckingham speaking about things to do and see in Buenos Aires and Montevideo, and finally John Splettstoesser lecturing on Geologic Exploration of Antarctica. We have been fortunate to have such dedicated speakers with unlimited information concerning Antarctica, especially Ice Captain Pat Toomey. Good job HAL!

 

This evening's dinner was formal, but rather uneventful......wished we had the nice decorations from last night! Well, not quite uneventful, as we did have the pleasure of Melanie from the shore excursion staff join us. She was able to answer our many questions about changes with the tours. In the last couple of years, we all have noticed that we no longer get the nice snack bags we had on a longer tour. They included juice, fruit, muffin, and candies. Melanie said that so many countries limit what we take ashore, that they discontinued the bags forever. We all see that as another small cutback to save money. She couldn't disagree.

 

The Chocolate Dessert Extravaganza was held in the Lido at 10:30pm. Did we attend? No, but if this had been held in the afternoon, as they do on a world cruise, we surely would not have missed it. More often than not, we take many photos of the incredible creations the bakers display, but seldom eat any of the rich chocolate. You actually get dizzy smelling the sweet dark and light chocolate treats! No need to indulge!

 

One more sea day, and we will arrive to the fabulous city of Buenos Aires!

 

Mary Ann & Bill

[JACKWC]

[quote name='Aussie Gal']
We have had Thom twice as our C.D. and have found him wanting in many departments. We think he is one of the worst C.D. we have ever experienced on a cruise.

Jennie[/quote]
Our experience on this cruise last year was the best, although Thom is "full of himself" , we found him and his staff to be extremely competent. We enjoyed every aspect of his departments responsibilities, which are considerable. Of course he was sailing under a different captain and that may have been the difference.:)

[Aussie Gal]

Roger has certainly done your proud! For our first get together on the Prinsendam in November I brought printed invitations from home for everybody and the front desk delivered them for me. With our second get together, I rang everyone from our cabin to tell them of the day and date . Roger certainly didn't offer to make up invitations or to send any around when I visited him to set up the morning get together.

You were also lucky in having Captain Albert visit. We only scored Roger and Thom even though I had sent invitations to Captain Gundersen, the Hotel Manager and all the Officers.

We also had a huge group of over 50 so it wasn't like it was a small gathering. I am wondering if it was because a man organized it in your case instead of a woman in our case!

Jennie

[WCB]

Report # 44 February 21, 2010 Sunday Day at Sea

As the Prinsendam headed northwest (sometimes tacking to the northeast with following winds), the temperature improved drastically. It is almost time for "shorts" once again. We can tell we are getting closer to Argentina, and leaving the cold waters and winds of Antarctica behind us.

We had a light breakfast, because we were invited to a Pinnacle Grill luncheon with hosts, Lucia and Henk, and three other "Specialist" couples, four of whom we know well. We had plenty of time to take a long walk outside, then went to the Explorers Lounge to get some emailing done. The connection has been pretty good lately, and should stay that way from here on out.

Lunchtime came at 12:15pm, and we met our small group at the Pinnacle Grill's entrance. The menu offered appetizers of crab cakes, small salads, and soups. The tempting entrees were chicken, fish and beef sandwiches, and a bacon cheeseburger. Of course, knowing how outstanding they are, we ordered the cheeseburgers. We were not disappointed. My brother, Dick, would have been proud of us! We suspected that each burger must have been 1/2 of a pound! Wine and soft drinks were offered, or any cocktail we wished. Diet cokes were fine with us. That's almost funny....having "diet" coke with such a decadent meal!! We doubt that we will have much for dinner tonight, because we topped off our lunch with the bittersweet chocolate brownie. Even though it was small, it satisfied our sweet tooth.

During the course of our lunch, we had a very interesting conversation with friends that are in one of the new rooms on deck 8. They have dubbed their room the "ha-ha" room! Many things have gone wrong since they were "upgraded" there from a lower deck. The thermostat did not work correctly. Their first night in there was 64 degrees. Now, it has climbed to 80 degress! The technicians are working on it. Their veranda windows leaked when it rained, soaking the carpet. Weatherproofing was installed. Then their mirrored closet doors were not secured. So when the ship rocked, so did their doors. They had to call for help at 3am to get them fixed. Can you believe they used velcro on the floor to secure them? Temporary fix, until they have a better idea. Their safe in the closet is unusable, because the front desk personel do not have the master key to open them. If the battery failed, there would be no way to open them. So our friends have to use a safe deposit box in the front office to store their valuables. Last, but not least, the refrigerator does not work. Despite all of that, they are still happy with the upgrade, and realize that they are being used as the "shake-down" guests!

We should have taken a walk after lunch, but a very good lecture was being held in the showlounge. It was an Antarctica Forum with Captain Albert, John Splettstoesser, and Ice Captain Pat Toomey. When we entered the lounge, Captain Toomey was waiting by the doors for his two collegues to join him on the stage. We took that opportunity to ask him how he liked the game of "cork-forking" that he learned from our friends, while joining them for dinner on the Amsterdam's world cruise. He said, "Oh, YOU are the folks that your friends spoke about!" Oh, oh...we hoped that was good! He claimed that his first impression of the game was "culture shock"!! However, when he landed his second cork, using his fork, in the center round flower bowl, he was thrilled! Now we wished that we had invited him to our table, but we thought his wife was with him, and we have a full table of ten. We can squeeze in one guest, but two would be impossible. Yeah, we should have invited him, but we doubt that we could have matched the caliber of fun compared to the wild and crazy group on the Amsterdam!

A bit tired after that huge lunch, we ended up watching two movies in our room. TNT has some good movies, even if they are older. Many of these films we have not seen. By 7pm, we noticed that the seawater was turning from blue to a dirty green color. We knew that was an indication that we were getting closer to the Rio de la Plata Estuary formed by the Uruguay and Parana Rivers. This estuary is 30 miles wide at the Atlantic Ocean entrance. The exciting and famous city of Buenos Aires is located 50 miles up this waterway. By 9am, the Captain will embark the river pilot, and slowly make his way through the night to the port of Buenos Aires. About four days ago, we saw film clips on CNN of the recent rainstorm that hit this area. The roads looked flooded waist high in some places. They even showed a man swimming in the streets! But can we trust that CNN searched for an isolated area to take these clips? Sensationalism is the name of the game for most networks, so now we should be able to judge for ourselves.

Six of us booked the Tango Show and Dinner with our travel group tomorrow evening, while four are invited to the "special event" for the veranda suites. That is, only those who paid full price for their veranda rooms.....about 50 guests are invited. Those who got upgraded for a lower additional price, and those, like us, that got upgraded for free, are not included. Now the clincher here is........the special event does not include a tango dance performance. We could tell that many of them are a bit disappointed about that. They told us tonight at dinner that the affair is formal, so we are sure they will have a lovely time.

Most of our tablemates have never visited this part of South America, so they are really excited. So are we, and we are glad that the excitement is still there for us too!

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 45 February 22, 2010 Monday Buenos Aires, Argentina Day One

Well, here we are in the legendary Buenos Aires, the city's name meaning "good air". There is so much history here, we would not know where to start! So we will just take you along on the city tour we took with our travel group this morning.

To begin with, the weather was not looking too good today. Even though our daily newsletter promised cloudy skies with a chance of rain, it turned out wetter than we expected. Just last week, this area got hit with record rains in a few days, resulting in flooding. The older part of the city is the most likely place to flood, especially when the river rises quickly. In fact, we were told by our guide, that this month of February has already brought 149% of rain for the year! And it is only February...they have the rest of the year to accumulate even more.

Buenos Aires is more European than you would expect. Immigrants from Spain, Italy, Germany, Portugal, France, and Poland are among the people that have built the city and continue to live here. We were to discover that fact when we saw the architecture and citizens of this vibrant city.

We joined our small group of 23, and boarded the shuttle bus from the pier that took us to the pier gate. The activity on this busy pier prohibits passenegers from walking to the gate. There were several other ships in port today namely Oceana, Costa Magica, and later Splendour of the Seas, and a Brazilian ship.....all much bigger than us! The city will be busy today and tonight for sure.

Our drive took us to the Palermo District, through parks, pass many historical buildings, and finally to the Recoleta area. The rain has started, but slowly. By the time we were getting out of the bus for a walk through the Recoleta Cemetery, the rain stopped. Here we saw opulent monuments and crypts of many of the wealthy and famous residents of Buenos Aires. The most important attraction here was the gravesite of Eva Peron, the wife of President Juan Peron in 1945, who became the "Spiritual Leader of the Nation". She became gravely ill, and died in 1952. Other famous people are buried here as well. But what we found interesting, was the fact that on our drive away from here, we discovered that the cemetery was surrounded by very nice restaurants and cafes.

From here, we made our way to the widest avenue in the world.....Avda 9 de Julio. This street has several stop lights just to cross it. We passed the roundabout with the white pyramid 230 foot tall Obelisk and the Teatro Colon, built in 1908. It was completely covered with scaffolding, being restored for a special event.

Next, we headed to the Plaza de Mayo where the Casa Rosada, or the Presidential Palace sits. It was here that President Peron and Eva gave their famous speeches from their balcony. City Hall and the Metropolitan Cathedral are also there. We toured the Cathedral, seeing the famous side altar that contained the coffin of General San Martin, a great liberator in Argentina. This was also a pit stop, but at least four other buses stopped here for the same reason. Many people were forced to wait in line and miss touring the important sites here. That's one good reason NOT to drink a lot of coffee in the morning!

From here, we drove to the La Boca district, the heart of the Tango dance. We stopped on a street full of small shops, and were given 30 minutes to explore. A bit seedy, this area is known for their colorful houses, that have been constructed from bits and pieces found at the nearby shipyards years ago. Several streetside cafes had young tango dancers performing in front of their businesses, trying to draw customers inside. Some of the shops had amusing wooden figures up on their balconies....very cartoon-like. Some passengers brought souveniers, but the prices were fairly high. They specialize in leather goods, knitwear, jewelry, and wines. We ended up buying nothing, because we were having more fun taking photos and video of the dancing partners.

We drove back to the pier by 2pm. it should have been earlier, but the traffic was heavy everywhere we went. Later this evening, we will be going to an exciting tango show back in this district. Something tells us that it will look much better in the dark!

We thought about going back to town, via the Shane Company van, but the rain began falling hard by 3pm. Thunder and lightening followed for about 2 hours, so we just had a small lunch and relaxed until the time for our next tour. Should be fun!

It's now 7:30pm and we are ready to join our travel group (20 of us) to the Tango Show and Dinner. There were several HAL tours going out as well, only their buses picked them up pierside. We had to take the shuttle again to the port gate. Maybe that is why our tour is better priced than HAL'S. The same guide, but different driver, drove us through town, much the same way we had gone this morning. Just as we were driving there, the rain started, but lightly. Few people had thought to bring jackets or umbrellas. We had all dressed up a bit nicer than casual, but definitely not formal like the veranda special affair dictated.

At Senor Tango's, we were seated, 10 at a table, to be served dinner. This tango house was huge, probably the largest in Buenos Aires. Besides the tiered bottom level, there were two balcony decks around the perimeter. The entrees offered were steak, chicken, or fish. A salad of sliced tomatoes with mozzarella cheese started our meal. Wines were freely poured. We ordered the steak entree, and were surprised when we got half a cow!! Meat consumption in Argentina is the highest in the world. We gave it our best effort to finish them, but failed to do so. Had to leave a smidgeon of room for dessert. Vanilla ice cream and tiramisu drizzled with a strawberry glaze really topped off the delicious meal.

Now we were more than ready for the tango show, but things did not get rolling until 11pm! It was all our tablemates could do to stay awake, especially after enjoying so much wine! We were not prepared for the impressive beginning of this show, even though we had gotten a heads up from friends on the Amsterdam. Two Argentinian horses came down the aisles with gaucho riders and right up the center stage! The flashing stage lights and the introduction of fake smoke did not phase these beautiful beasts as they reared up like "Lone Ranger" did many years ago. Unfortunately, we were warned not to use professional cameras, only video or pocket cameras were allowed. Without using a flash, we did get a few good shots. The problem was the smoke coming from the ceiling and the stage floor. It made the cameras refuse to focus. Perhaps that was the real reason for that effect. Personally, we do not like it nor breathing it!

Anyway, the show was fabulous as eight sets of tango dancers flew around the stage, kicking their legs, and doing acrobatics we could not fathom! The costumes were over-the-top, but almost Vegas-style. In the past, we had the opportunity to go to a private, but smaller tango house, and see the more traditional dance. This was sure different, created we think to satisfy the cuiseship folks. We could have done with less singing from the owner, but hey, it's his show. Two gals also sang, piercing the airwaves at times. Even the orchestra was loud. Our seats were rumbling beneath us, and many had to hold their hands over their ears to avoid further hearing loss! The finale was a well orchestrated version of "Don't Cry for me Argentina" from Evita. They got a standing ovation. All in all, the hour and a half performance left us all dazzled. A few guests bought the $10. photo taken of them during dinner, and some bought the DVD for the same price.

The bad part was getting back to the ship by 1am, way past our bedtime. Luckily, our morning tour did not start until 9am in the morning!

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 46 February 23, 2010 Tuesday Buenos Aires, Argentina Day Two

Lucky for us, the day turned out to be warm with blue skies. No sign of rain and hope it stays that way!

Today we thought we would take a trip out of town and into the pampas, much like the tour we took seven years ago. Even though the tour description with HAL sounded very similar to the first one we did, it really was not.

Well, the long ride for one hour and 45 minutes was the same. Once out of the bustling city and surrounding suburbs, the countryside opened up with rolling fields of crops and pampas grass. Most all of the fields were under water from the recent rains. Crops of corn and soy beans were planted everywhere.

This area of Argentina is known for its cattle ranch or estancias. It is also known for their gauchos, the Argentinian version of the American cowboy, more or less. In the past these gauchos rode horses and made a living killing and skinning the bulls for the leather. Our guide mentioned that the only part of the bull they would eat was their tongue. The rest was left for the vultures, because the meat was considered too lean and tough. They were also known for their illegal horse and cattle trading on the Brazilian border. These men would catch their animals with a bola, a leather woven cord and weighted balls. When thrown, these bolas wrapped around the hind legs of the animals, bringing them down instantly.

When the Europeans came to Argentina in the late 19th century, they brought modern techniques to cattle raising and farming, eliminating the need for the gauchos.

All three of our buses arrived to the estancia after 10am. We were greeted by a gaucho offering white or red wines, and a waitress who was serving tasty empanadas. We had plenty of time to wander through the museum house, the gift shop, and to the horse stalls for riding or a carriage ride. Also we got to watch the gaucho tending the fire for the BBQ meats. It sure smelled good.

Lunch seemed to take a long time to come around.....12:45pm. Many folks who did not want to wander back for the horse activities just sat in the shade and waited patiently. The one bad thing was that there were mosquitos and no-see-ums, since there was so much sitting water on the property. Of course, we thought to use our bug spray after getting bitten. We had noticed back in the city, that there were warnings about dengue fever, also a mosquito-borne disease. Sure hope we don't get that!

Sometime during the course of the morning, another group of two busloads of guests joined our crowd for lunch. We were told they were on a land tour, and also were booked for this lunch today. That turned out to be a problem later on.

Anyway, lunch was served for all of us, starting with a salad of tomatoes, lettuce, shredded carrots, potato salad, and beets.Plenty of fresh rolls were on the long tables for all, along with beer, sodas, bottled water and all the wine you could drink. That was followed with a generous serving of Argentinian beef, chorizo sausages, and chicken pieces. They had also cooked blood sausages, which we had never seen before. We did take one to split between the two of us, but just could not bring ourselves to try it. Guess you have to develop a taste for something like that, which we don't think we will in this lifetime!! Not ever!! A small dessert of a quince jelly in a sticky pastry wrapping finished the meal. A very sweet coffee was served last.

Now is when the strangest thing happened to all of us. While we were eating lunch, an elderly gaucho took off his hat, stuck it everyone's faces, and proceeded down each row of tables asking for tips! We found that very intimidating, because that never happened at our first estancia visit. It was almost insulting! We do intend to take this complaint to the shore excursion people tomorrow. And we won't be alone in complaining!

The show after lunch included two tango dancers, and a woman singing songs. A gaucho and his lady performed traditional dances of the pampas. It was probably more authentic than the show we saw last night.

To make matters worse, we had been promised a horse show, displaying the gaucho's game of ring spearing. It was obvious that it was not happening, but why? We all asked our guide about that, and her reply was that the playing field was too muddy. We almost bought that excuse, until we saw the other crowd of guests proceeding to the seated area to watch the show! Funny how things happen. Bus number two had something break with the motor, so our driver stayed back to help him fix it. That was when we all saw the show beginning. How did that field dry in a matter of hours for the other group, we asked? Obviously, we were supposed to be gone before that show started. And that will be another thing to tell the shore excursion staff! No one likes being lied to.

The drive back was quiet since most folks slept all the way. The bus got back to the pier by 5pm, where we had to take the shuttle buses back to the ship. We could not figure that out, because the buses picked us up at the ship early this morning. Go figure.

Since most passengers had gone on long tours, the dining room was almost empty. Also, a BBQ had been held at the Lido pool, so several people went to that early. As a result, there were just the two of us at dinner. We got to visit with our new waiter, Pidi, who told us he was from Sumatra, Indonesia. He had a wife and a young baby girl he left behind to go on this long trip. He added that this was a great job for him, because he would be able to save a lot of money for his family's future. We are so glad he took over our table service.

Tomorrow's port is Montevideo, Uruguay, so it was off to bed for us!

Mary Ann & Bill

PS The clocks went forward one hour this evening. Boy, are we glad we do not have a tour tomorrow!

[WCB]

Report # 47 February 24, 2010 Wednesday Montevideo, Uruguay

The Prinsendam had floated downriver all evening to reach the port of Montevideo, Uruguay, this morning. As it turned out, we were an hour late arriving. Two other ships had docked right before us.... the Splendour of the Seas(RCI), and the Costa Magica. It will be busy in town today.

Uruguay is the second smallest country of South America, with Suriname the smallest. The city of Montevideo has nearly half of the population of the country's 1,000,000 people. The feeling of the country is different from Argentina with their population of Spanish, Italian, and African influence. The architechture in the old city is still definitely European. They are famous for their leather products, their beef, artists colonies, and arts and crafts galleries all over the city.

Again, we had a beautiful day weatherwise. There was a strong wind blowing down the hillsides, but once in and among the narrow streets, it was actually very warm. Since we had visited here in 2003, we decided to walk the nearby city. Our last time here, we drove past the famous monuments and buildings, then continued to the countryside for wine tasting......which was excellent, by the way.

So we started our journey with the complimentary shuttle that took us to a leather shop (Mario's). We really were not in the market for leather jackets. We already have several at home. This small store had other items such as knitwear, belts, and lovely purses. After our obligatory perusing, we left to walk to the city's center.

We did have a small map that Mario's distributed at the pier, but somehow mysteriously lost it in the wind! Our best bet was to follow the crowd. We zig-zagged up the side streets, not in the best condition, to the Plaza Independencia. Uruguay's most revered monument was here...a 30 ton statue of liberator Jose Gervasio Artigas on his mighty steed. Beneath the monument is his black marble mausoleum. Unfortunately, the entire structure was scaffolded for spectator viewing for an upcoming event. On one side of the square was the National Government Headquarters. In another corner was the Teatro Solis, an ornate theater built in the mid-19th century. Many famous performers have performed here and still do. Also in this plaza, was an art gallery, but even better, benches around the green square. It was nice to sit and relax in the warm sun, watching the locals coming and going.

We continued on down a street we had driven 7 years ago, thinking more squares were down that way. We could see the river at the bottom of the street. Today the color of the water was pure brown, muddy with the massive rain storms that also hit this area. We do know that there are beautiful sandy beaches on this river, but without the blue river water, we doubt many people would be there today.

So we went back, and made our way to Plaza Constitution, a few blocks away from Independence Square. The Iglesia Matriz Church, built in 1799, and two more art museums. In the center of this square is a sculpture for a tribute to the establishment of the city's water system.

We accidently found the pedestrian streets that had antiques and souvenier items, handicraft gifts, and a flea market with knIck-knacks galore. The prices were reasonable there, if one was looking for such items . We were not today. An impromtu band of young students were playing in the intersection. They were very good, playing classical music. Of course, the bottom line was to leave tips, which many happy tourists did if they stayed for the whole concert. On this street, were several small cafes, all filed to capacity with passengers from all three ships. We even saw a McDonalds and a Burger King....equally as filled with customers. That was one thing we remembered about the fast food outlets we know so well......they have bathrooms that are available to everyone, usually no matter where they are located. Also a good way to boost their business.

Walking further downhill, we ended up at a smaller square named Plaza Zabala. Bruno de Zabala was the person who founded Montevideo in the early 18th century. His monument, unfortunately, was grafittied, since this park was more remote and harder for most to find. We did stop again and took advantage of the park bench to relax. All throughout our walk, we had noticed many policemen walking the streets. It could be due to the fact we are visiting here during the high season. As in all big cities, we had been warned of pickpockets and the like, but with the presence of policemen with guard dogs, there was no problem.

While we were sitting there, we kept hearing the sound of parrots. Looking up, we noticed several pine needle nests in the large tree with green and yellow parrots coming in and out of them. They were also eating the seeds from nearby palm trees. Sometimes, it is just nice to stop and smell the roses, as the saying goes. And a group of our Cruise critic members strolled by. They happened to have an extra map of the city's sites, and nicely gave it to us. Now at least we knew what we had seen and where we were going! As it turned out, we were very close to the pier, and did not need to take the shuttle back from Mario's Leather Shop.

Well, it was time to go, so we walked down the side streets to another pedestrian mall near the pier. This area was totally "tourist trap" with souvenier stalls and many restaurants. Even though it was 3pm, they were jammed with folks from the three ships. There were waiting lines out into the streets! A roving African group was playing music with makeshift drums, also attracting crowds of people. Now this would be the place for pickpockets! So we headed for the pier gate, and walked back to the ship.

The rest of the afternoon was spent on our veranda, which was protected from the wind and facing the sun. What we did not expect, was the company of very large mosquitos! Bill is just a mosquito magnet! The bug spray helped, and when we left, we thought we left the pests behind. No, they had invited themselves into our room somehow, and plagued one of us all night long!

Henk and Lucia joined our table for dinner tonight. They are always a pleasure to have for guests. The veal and short rib entrees were particulary good this evening. We have really enjoyed the food on this trip so far, however, two of our tablemates have requested the salt-free entrees.

Sailing out of the river tonight was rough going. The current caused the ship to roll and the winds were fierce. Once we reached the Atlantic Ocean, things calmed down, but that wasn't until the wee hours of the night.

We now have two days at sea before we reach Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, thank goodness! By the way, 104 guests went home the second day in Buenos Aires, and about 60 new guests boarded.

Bill & Mary Ann

[WCB]

Report # 48 February 25, 2010 Thursday Day at Sea

Today was a very welcome day at sea, as the Prinsendam sailed north towards our first port of Rio in Brazil. After three days of night and day touring, we needed the break. As a matter of fact, we hardly noticed much passenger traffic on the ship all day!

Since the clocks had gone forward a few days ago, we tended to sleep a bit later than usual. We barely made it to the dining room for breakfast before 9:30, when it usually is closed to late arrivals. However, we were not alone. Many new faces arrived the same time we did, so we figured they were some of the guests that joined us in Buenos Aires. There is a positive aspect to arriving later.... there is no wait for anything! Our juice, fruit plate, and entrees were there almost instantly.

The weather was warmer with a tad more humidity. But it was perfect for walking the promenade deck. This morning was the first time in 44 days that we saw several deck hands scraping and painting the railings and poles. They were even at the aft deck painting...so much so, that all we smelled down the hallway was paint fumes. This is also the first trip that we have seen the workers wearing face masks. That is a good thing, but maybe the passengers need them too!

During our walk, the cruise director came on the PA system to remind us to come to BINGO. Believe it or not, we CAN all read. So that suggests to us that the BINGO crowd has been rather lean on this trip. Of course, with the new passengers boarding, there may be some new players to boost that jackpot!

There is a new exploration speaker, Dennis Wille. He gave a lecture on seabirds. We surely will listen to his talk on TV later. We also have a guest chef, Meg Galus. The passengers seem to like this venue, because the Wajang Theater was filled with interested people at her first presentation. She is an accomplished pastry chef, and we hope her culinary show will also be televised. That type of cooking is right up our alley!

An H. Stern rep joined the ship perhaps yesterday. Oh, what a surprise? Actually, these reps have done this for as long as we have been sailing. Usually their talks are extremely informative about precious gemstones. So even if you don't purchase them, you will learn a lot anyway. Many people do buy loose stones, because we believe they are duty-free. As long as they are not set in a piece of jewelry, you can buy all you want! And yes, some people do! Tonight we had a packet of brochures, maps, and advertisements from H. Stern. They included a small notebook that will be most useful to take on tours. And when we are docked in Rio for two days, Stern should provide free transportation to their store near Ipanema and Cococabana beaches.

Tonight's dinner was formal. Two couples were not present at our table, but we did have the pleasure of the company of Dr. Pal and her husband, Fritz. Margaret, who requested staff to join us, will be disappointed she missed them. She and Keith had been invited to the Captain's table this evening. Since the Captain's wife went home in Buenos Aires, they may have a better chance with a real conversation with the Captain. We will surely hear all about it tomorrow.

There was another peculiar event this evening in the Ocean Bar at 9:15 to 10pm. It was called Tango Prom Night, where couples could dance the tango, or whatever, with a rose in their teeth. Really? The trouble with that for us second dinner seaters....we miss it. Our dinner ends at 10pm! Oh well, we sure did not miss much the last Winterland Event held in the same place. Did we tell you all that the highlite of the 45 minute affair was wrapping two staff members in toilet paper? Oh boy, that was a classy affair, or not!!

We had two presents on our bed this evening.....two earthenware mugs (we think) without handles. Perhaps they could be used for the mate tea we saw people drinking in Argentina. These cups were created by Royal Goedewaagen, decorated with flags, one with the HAL logo on it, and one of the other flags printed with the letters NASM.. We have no clue what that means. And there was no description in the box, other than the guarantee. Maybe someone in the Cruise Critic readers would know. It's not the first time we got mystery presents. On the 2007 world cruise, we got 2 sets of 12 round pliable discs. We guessed they may be coasters, since they were the right size, only way thinner. So the next day, everyone received a note from the hotel manager explaining that they were wine pourers to prevent spills. Ah, very clever and useful for company at home. Nice to know we were not the only clueless ones!!

Another gift was the notice to set our clocks BACK one hour this evening. Yes...that works for us!

Mary Ann & Bill

[RuthC]

[quote name='WCB'] and one of the other flags printed with the letters NASM.. We have no clue what that means.

Maybe someone in the Cruise Critic readers would know. [/quote]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=royalblue]I don't know what it means, but maybe I can jump-start someone's brain: [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=#4169e1]NASM stands for the words (in Dutch, I believe) that the HAL line was once known as. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[DeepWaterMariner]

The Netherlands American Steam Navigation...from the earlier Dutch name Netherlandsch-Amerikaansche Stoomvaart Maatschappij

[Sundried]

Hello Mary Ann & Bill,
Just love reading your daily log. We did the exact cruise this past Dec09/Jan2010 with the
Veendam ship. Went down to Palmer Station and dropped off 7 scientists and picked up 2.
They gave excellent lectures. We also had Captain Toomey as our Ice Pilot and John S
who also gave wonderful lectures. We could just relive our whole cruise from your report.
The ship was just 13 miles from Paulet Island and could go no further due to iceburgs. Was`t the scenery just breathtaking. Captain Toomey said we saw over 4000 iceburgs.
The ship also had the gastro outbreak which we were very lucky to avoid. Wondering, did the pool and self serve laundry close down during that period.
We also went to the Gaucho lunch in Buenos Aires and did see the horse show with pictures taken to sell later. The HAT tipper also did his best to get tips and we felt the same way you did. We missed Montevideo , seas to rough that day.
Look forward to more of your log and thankyou for taking the time to do those.
Sundried (Kris)

[WCB]

Report # 49 February 26, 2010 Friday Day at Sea

Just when we thought we could expect an uneventful day, things started out just the opposite! This is a bit of a touchy subject, but it must be told so we remember it. Occassionally we have run into the problem of the "no flush" toilet....that is, no matter how many times you push that wall button, NOTHING happens! Well, that started around 2am last night for the first time on this whole trip. Thinking it was an isolated problem, we did not worry about it. However, when we woke up at 6am, there was no water and no working toilet. Something was definitely wrong, so we called the girls at the front desk. We were told that the entire ship, including crew quarters, was shut down. Then we asked when the service would be restored, and the answer was roughly between 8 to 9am! Oh great! It did not do any good running to the public bathrooms, because they were not working either. Guess our neighbors, who kept running out and down the hallway every half hour, found that out. Now we thought something really big had broken, or this was a scheduled shutdown. So we just hunkered down, got comfortable, and watched an old movie on TNT until we heard the water running in the bathroom around 9am. When it began to flow, the color was rusty brown! Good grief! Luckily we had bottled water to brush our teeth. This trip has turned into the " Most Bizzare Cruise"!!

Since we missed the dining room breakfast, we decided to walk the deck for a while. The weather had warmed up quite a lot this morning, indicating we had traveled further north during the evening. The sun was out strong, but there was a nice comfortable breeze. We even spotted some small flying fish with seagulls flying after them.

While sending emails in the Explorers Lounge, a Cruise Critic friend, Lin, stopped by to chat. She asked us how we liked the planned "shutdown" that was explained in the daily newsletter! Now, we usually do not get this newsletter until late at night, after dinner. And we never read it until the next morning. Now, shouldn't that notice have been in yesterday's newsletter, so we would have known? Actually, the replacement of defective piping should have taken place between 1am to 5am. As usual, things went wrong, and the water was not back on until 9am. Wonder if we get an explanantion or an apology from the Captain???

Since we had missed breakfast, we went to lunch in the dining room. Actually, it was quite enjoyable. It sure beats going to the Lido and waiting in line to be served. Even the fellows at the Pool Grill make everyone wait a long time for their burgers and hot dogs. The waiters take pretty good care of the diners in La Fontaine. We ordered swiss cheese bacon burgers with mushrooms and sauted onions. And something we never do, is order dessert for lunch. But today they were serving bumbleberry pie with ice cream, so we just HAD to try it!

Frank Buckingham gave a talk all about Rio De Janeiro today. During his informative lecture, he minced no words stressing the importance of being careful while visiting this huge city. He pointed out the many areas that are dangerous with pickpockets and the like. Most of that area is around the pier. And sadly enough, muggings happen on the stunning beaches of Cococabana and Ipanema beaches. Going on a tour with a group is usually not a problem. It's when you go off on your own that things can get dicey. We hope everyone listens to Frank, since he has had a career of stops in Rio, and he really knows his stuff!

Another new exploration lecturer, Jawad Barghothi spoke about Brazil, the next super power in the western hemisphere. This afternoon, Dennis Wille lectured on South America's flora with more than 20,000 plants. Wow. Bet we see a lot of that in the Amazon Basin.

At dinnertime, we were all trying to figure out what the handle-less cup was that we all got for gifts last night. It was suggested that the flags may match the mystery letters of 4 Holland ships. Could be. Our entrees have been a chicken dinner cooked different ways for the last two nights, since we were "beefed out" in Argentina! Funny thing, all of our tablemates said the same thing.

The entertainment tonight was On Track, a high energy musical about New York's subway train. It was performed by the ship's dancers and singers. We have heard mixed reviews on the shows at night, depending on who we talk to. Many of the performers are repeated on the HAL cruises every year. But then, many of the passengers are repeat guests, especially on the grand voyages. These well-traveled guests have their favorites, and will only stay up late to see them! Since we have seen this show just last year, we bowed out, because we have an early morning tour with our travel agency's hosts.

So.........Rio, here we come!

Bill & Mary Ann

PS We never did get an explanation or an apology about the inconvenience of the water shutdown. We found that strange, as did our tablemates.

PSS We have just arrived safely to Rio, and are very shocked to hear about the terrible quake in Chile. We wish them well!

[R&CCruisers]

Sorry to hear about the water shutdown without a warning to passengers. We were recently on the Rotterdam for 15 days and one afternoon had no hot water for 3 hours because of routine maintenance. But we received a written notice the day before this would be taking place so it came as no surprise.

[Aussie Gal]

Obviously Paul and Maria read their daily papers at night because they knew about the shut down the night before and told us all about it yesterday in their blog.

We used to read our daily paper when we returned to the cabin after dinner or the show each night just in case there was something important written there. We were always on late dining.

We are awaiting the big waves to arrive on our Eastern shores this morning, due to the earthquake in Chile which from all accounts was a huge one of 8.5. We were all warned last night to be on the alert.

Jennie

[candbgirl]

I like the fact that Mary Ann and Bill tell us the downside of Grand Voyage Cruising. And with what they are paying things should be in better form. I really wonder why this work wasn't done during drydock. Thanks for sharing your vayage with us. I like to hear about everything, good and bad.

[whogo]

I am following your travels with interest and enjoy hearing the ups and downs. I did not find your comments ungracious. HAL marketing, HAL cheerleaders, and some pollyannas would prefer that you gloss over any negatives. You ignored the problem at 2:00 and called about it at 6:00, an hour after it was supposed to have been fixed! What good would reading about the planned shut off have done if it took four hours longer than planned? An apology from HAL is in order.

Funny about the water shut off - they give more notice of a time zone change.