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LIVE from the STAR PRINCESS - SANTIAGO TO RIO - FEB. 23, 2011

Pia1913

By Pia1913,
in Princess Cruises

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Bowie MeMe

Bowie MeMe

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Thanks for the Live from. We will be on this route in January and finding it fun to do all the planning now. Your information will help bunches.

 

I think you posted once that our cabin to be E405 was pretty good. Would you check it out for us from deck 7 or the hallway etc. I thought I was clever finding a midships oceanview (and truth be told not much else left and it is 11 months out!) but now I am wavering. Thanks if you get a chance.

 

Enjoy your cruise and keep reporting. Your fans are loving it. :D

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ashhill

ashhill

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Hi Pia

 

We will be sailing on the Star in 6 weeks time. Your threads are excellent and have given us lots of information. Keep up the good work- we can't wait to sign on and see how you are doing each day. ps- do you know anything about the Sanctuary? I know there is a charge to be in there but do you know how much it is and what does it include? Any info would be appreciated. Regards. Alex and Shona from Scotland:):)

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IECalCruiser

IECalCruiser

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Welcome to Punta Arenas, Chile on this lovely Sunday morning. Temp is about 48; skies are sort of clear with sun thinking about coming out. This is our 3rd time here and since we’ve made no plans, we will take our time and tender off at leisure. Last night we were given printed sworn statements that we must take with us, declaring that we’re not bringing any fruit, vegetables, meat, sandwiches, dairy products or other consumable food items ashore. It also includes flowers, seeds and plants and probably some other items that is not in our possession.
Pia, Web cam looks like you have a pretty good day in Punta Arenas. We missed the port last year and wondered if they have the "food sniffing" dogs at Punta Arenas as they did in Valparaiso when we disembarked? We were told not even to bring "Burt's Bees" products ashore in Chile :eek:
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Sandpiper13

Sandpiper13

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Thanks, Pia. :) I'm assuming you used the Princess pre-cruise hotel package? That's what we plan to do a year from now.

 

FYI, in Valparaiso, the ship docks in a commercial port and is about a mile away from the check-in terminal. That's why you have to be bussed. A pain. And a good reason to keep your carry-on to a minimum.

 

Hi Pam:

 

We're doing the Santiago to SF next year as well - March 3/12. Do you recommend booking the Princess Pre-Cruise versus booking hotel and transfers separately? And if so, why? You are such a wealth of advice to everyone, I always look forward to your posts. Thanks. Gloria

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Pia1913

Pia1913

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Well, instead of getting warmer, it has gotten colder. The sun never did come out and when we got off the ship at 9:30 the air was crisp with no wind at all. 2 ½ hours later things started to change. We’ve been here before and done the requisite city tour and penguin visits, so all we did was walk around looking at everything being closed on Sunday. For you future travelers, there’s a supermarket only 2 blocks from the port. Go out the gate, turn right and you’ll eventually see a white U inside a red square. That’s it; on the left side of the street. Also, inside the terminal, there’s an internet café. $2.00 for 30 minutes and they only accept pesos or US dollars. Getting back on the ship and having the International Café right at hand is a blessing. I was inhaling my Americano within 60 seconds aboard. We also had some conversation with John Maxtone-Graham. He too was enjoying his coffee at the IC. Not only did he remember our name, but also our home town. Very impressive!

　

Following lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon in our cabin watching a movie we had meant to see, but always seemed to miss; The Blind Side. Loved it! Then it was wine time for us; again ensuite…………er………encabin, that is. The only time ensuite will ever happen is if the upgrade fairy really flutters her wings. Big time!

　

Tonight’s offering at Skywalker’s (Port) is not to our liking, so we’ll skip it and just go to dinner. We are not planning on either the juggler or Motor City, so a relaxing night in our cabin is on tap. Perhaps another TV movie, or just reading our books. I sure wish the Oscars were shown on TV and then it would be just like watching it at home. Unfortunately, not. BTW, heck of a time for it to happen, but the sun is now coming out.

 

 

Responses:

 

1. Sanctuary - sorry, don't know a thing about it.

 

2. Treadmill - found out how to change it. Hooray for me!

 

3. No sniffing dogs or any dogs seen in Punta Arenas

 

4. Pre-hotel info. We booked Princess hotel because we got it on points. We just bought transfers from hotel to ship and were happy to do it that way.

See you in the morning.

 

See you tomorrow.

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Bowie MeMe

Bowie MeMe

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On the Coral Princess last March the Sanctuary did not seem to have very many people at all. For some reason we went by there alot in traipsing around the ship and we visited it on our first day tour of the ship. It is very nice. It has a "tent-like" (sort of like those picnic tents you see at weddings but smaller) covering over 2 plush lounge chairs. Sweet little girl at her post near the entrance always had a big smile. She looked bored to death. On the Crown looked similar but it was way too cold and windy and rainy on the Canada cruise in Oct. to be at all tempted. DH and I would sometimes go out there about 10:30 at night and just stand at the rail being nosey as to what people were paying extra for. It did not interest me in the least but it did look nice if you like a quieter and more exclusive place to rest. Me I could and did pass. :)

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Linnie V.

Linnie V.

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Pia,

Thank you for your daily account. It brings back good memories of our trip there. Yes, it will get colder the more south you go, but then it will warm up again as you come around the horn and go north.

The sanctuary may be located near the spa like it is on the Sapphire. It is inside where there are curved stone lounging chairs that are heated and a joy to lay on. In fact, a great place to get warm and nap. Nearby, there may be three different sauna/steam rooms. It is a very tranquil place to visit unless someone is snoring!:)

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Pia1913

Pia1913

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Monday morning, temp is 50, sun trying to wake up, and welcome to Ushuaia. Sort of. We actually don’t get into port until noon and we will try to go ashore asap. A We’ve been here previously, and remember it as a nice town with a great shopping area. For those who need a bit more info, Ushuaia was a former whaling station and Argentine prison colony and is now the jump-off point for those heading for Antarctica. Ushuaia is referred to as the end of the world; el fin del mundo; the southernmost city on earth. Other than sedentary drives, the only thing I wanted to do here was a 4x4 safari off road and 40 minute hike. Mike didn’t, so we’ll just walk through town.

　

 

We are currently going through some scenic cruising with ongoing commentary by Joe May. Just saw a glacier become a waterfall. I’m not paying attention because my priorities lie first with the gym, then Cruise Critic and finally breakfast; exactly in that order. :D

 

 

Lots of movies on the program today, starting with a Charlie Chaplin silent movie (“Gold Rush”) at 9:00 AM on MUTS. There must have been complaints about too much outside noise around the pool area, though only diehard outdoorsmen could be sitting out there in this weather. Also on MUTS will be 3 showings of The Social Network, and at 3:00 PM in the theater; Letters to Juliet.

Tonight’s offerings include a repeat of the juggler in the theater, and a magician in Vista. Where are the comedians? For us it will most likely be movie time again “at home.”

 

,

No wildlife seen and if there's anyone out there freezing at MUTS, I'm not out there seeing them. :eek: Later.

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ashhill

ashhill

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On the Coral Princess last March the Sanctuary did not seem to have very many people at all. For some reason we went by there alot in traipsing around the ship and we visited it on our first day tour of the ship. It is very nice. It has a "tent-like" (sort of like those picnic tents you see at weddings but smaller) covering over 2 plush lounge chairs. Sweet little girl at her post near the entrance always had a big smile. She looked bored to death. On the Crown looked similar but it was way too cold and windy and rainy on the Canada cruise in Oct. to be at all tempted. DH and I would sometimes go out there about 10:30 at night and just stand at the rail being nosey as to what people were paying extra for. It did not interest me in the least but it did look nice if you like a quieter and more exclusive place to rest. Me I could and did pass. :)

Thanks for the info

Ashhill:):)

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Runbarb55

Runbarb55

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Pia,

Love your "live". We are taking our 2nd cruise ever on Star in May. Can you tell me if there are aft decks with loungers on 10, 11 ,& 12 ,like there were on the Coral? Would be nice since we will be aft with no balcony.

Thank you

Barbara

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IECalCruiser

IECalCruiser

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Pia,

Love your "live". We are taking our 2nd cruise ever on Star in May. Can you tell me if there are aft decks with loungers on 10, 11 ,& 12 ,like there were on the Coral? Would be nice since we will be aft with no balcony.

Thank you

Barbara

Pia, Sorry to answer the question but here goes. The Star does not have the aft decks like the Coral because the Star has aft cabins. However there are plenty of loungers and deck space aft around the Terrace Pool on Aloha and Lido decks and additional space on Sun and Sports decks with great views of the wake. Skywalkers provides some shade but you can find sun also. With the temps Pia is having I doubt anyone is there on this cruise. The Terrace Pool is supposed to be "Adults Only" so it is usually quite peaceful there. We have spent our deck time on the Star and the Golden there :) Just keep this a CC secret as we don't want everyone there :eek:
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Pia1913

Pia1913

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Ushuaia. How many places can you go to where you look out your window and see snow capped mountains? Absolutely breathtaking. We arrived shortly before noon and those passengers who were not on Princess tours and wanted to get off immediately, had to go to Coral dining room to get a ticket. Elites included. We waited 45 minutes and then no tix needed. Sun was shining and temp was at 63 with a slight wind. We were last here in 2007 (Golden Princess) and remembered the town well. Including the fact that practically everything closes between 1:00 and 4:00 PM. I will never understand why these merchants don’t alter their schedules to accommodate an influx of more than 2000 potential shoppers. BTW, the weather does change rapidly, because by 3:30 the sun had disappeared, there was more wind and it felt like the barometer was dropping. Oh yes, there are sniffing doggies out on the dock. We probably didn’t look like food secreters, since none of them came near us. :p

 

 

We leave port tonight at 8:00 PM enroute to the Falklands (Wednesday), but first around Cape Horn. Since neither the magician or the juggler are on our agenda, guess where we’ll be spending our post dinner time. I’m hoping that somewhere along the way we will make it to the theater.

 

IE - thanks for answering. Saves me minutes

 

JIM - you will be happy to know we are doing our share for the wine industry. ;)

 

Over and out for tonight.

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wineforhealth

wineforhealth

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Ushuaia. How many places can you go to where you look out your window and see snow capped mountains? Absolutely breathtaking. We arrived shortly before noon and those passengers who were not on Princess tours and wanted to get off immediately, had to go to Coral dining room to get a ticket. Elites included. We waited 45 minutes and then no tix needed. Sun was shining and temp was at 63 with a slight wind. We were last here in 2007 (Golden Princess) and remembered the town well. Including the fact that practically everything closes between 1:00 and 4:00 PM. I will never understand why these merchants don’t alter their schedules to accommodate an influx of more than 2000 potential shoppers. BTW, the weather does change rapidly, because by 3:30 the sun had disappeared, there was more wind and it felt like the barometer was dropping. Oh yes, there are sniffing doggies out on the dock. We probably didn’t look like food secreters, since none of them came near us. :p

 

 

We leave port tonight at 8:00 PM enroute to the Falklands (Wednesday), but first around Cape Horn. Since neither the magician or the juggler are on our agenda, guess where we’ll be spending our post dinner time. I’m hoping that somewhere along the way we will make it to the theater.

 

IE - thanks for answering. Saves me minutes

 

JIM - you will be happy to know we are doing our share for the wine industry. ;)

 

Over and out for tonight.

 

Pia

 

Sounds like you had a great day with wonderful views. I checked the port out with my I-Pad maps and it looks like Mike would of enjoyed the 4X4 tour given the shops being closed.

 

Is the gym crowded or do you have the pick of the treadmills?

 

and Thx for your support, as always.

 

CHEERS

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