Live From Nova South America Grand Voyage

[JSR]

We are now in Atlantic Ocean, our balcony gets morning sun instead of afternoon sun, a big change. However, it is overcast so no sun....

 

We cruised the Garibaldi Fjords and Glacier. Once again Silversea had extra chairs, coffee, sandwiches, champagne, etc. in the Observation Lounge. Good commentary from the port guide. We were able to get fairly close to the glacier however, it was not calving. We later passed several other glaciers during cooking class.

 

We have had several cold days. Glad I brought warm clothes even if I only wore then for a few days. 

Yesterday, we were in Ushuaia, our tour with Gaby from tours by locals was at 9 and we ended up having beautiful weather. Did a driving tour of the area and then onto Terra Del Fuego National park which was gorgeous and fun. We avoided the tourist train, though some people really enjoy it, and also saw the end of the world "post office" which is a private entity but you can mail post cards from here that are taken into town by the staff and mailed through the Argentine postal service. There is one wheelchair accessible boardwalk area. We loved the scenery. Gaby was very informative giving us an real insight into life in the southern most city of the Americas. 

 

We went to see the comedian last night at 10. He was funny. 

 

We see, to rotate restaurants between La Terraza, Grill, SALT, and room service. At least this segment reservations are not needed, just show up (perfect for us). We have been to Alantide twice but it has not resonated with us. I think we need to go with someone that knows what to order there. The garden salad at La Terraza is very good and not on the menu. 

 

We now have 3 sea days until we arrive in Buenos Aires. 

 

@seaver we are cabin 9041, would enjoy meeting you if your up for it. 

 

Jean (and Nick)

[JSR]

Garibaldi Fjords and Glacier. Cruising the Fjords on the way to Ushuaia. SALT cooking class with berries from Patagonia recipes. 

[JSR]

The plane is the first one to land In Ushuaia 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 1 by JSR

[fdnycruiser]

Great pictures of a great voyage !  Very much enjoying your pictures and details of your trip.

[Kalscruise]

4 hours ago, JSR said:

We are now in Atlantic Ocean, our balcony gets morning sun instead of afternoon sun, a big change. However, it is overcast so no sun....

 

We cruised the Garibaldi Fjords and Glacier. Once again Silversea had extra chairs, coffee, sandwiches, champagne, etc. in the Observation Lounge. Good commentary from the port guide. We were able to get fairly close to the glacier however, it was not calving. We later passed several other glaciers during cooking class.

 

We have had several cold days. Glad I brought warm clothes even if I only wore then for a few days. 

Yesterday, we were in Ushuaia, our tour with Gaby from tours by locals was at 9 and we ended up having beautiful weather. Did a driving tour of the area and then onto Terra Del Fuego National park which was gorgeous and fun. We avoided the tourist train, though some people really enjoy it, and also saw the end of the world "post office" which is a private entity but you can mail post cards from here that are taken into town by the staff and mailed through the Argentine postal service. There is one wheelchair accessible boardwalk area. We loved the scenery. Gaby was very informative giving us an real insight into life in the southern most city of the Americas. 

 

We went to see the comedian last night at 10. He was funny. 

 

We see, to rotate restaurants between La Terraza, Grill, SALT, and room service. At least this segment reservations are not needed, just show up (perfect for us). We have been to Alantide twice but it has not resonated with us. I think we need to go with someone that knows what to order there. The garden salad at La Terraza is very good and not on the menu. 

 

We now have 3 sea days until we arrive in Buenos Aires. 

 

@seaver we are cabin 9041, would enjoy meeting you if your up for it. 

 

Jean (and Nick)

"We have had several cold days. Glad I brought warm clothes even if I only wore then for a few days."  Could you fill us in on how things are when it's cold/glacier weather?  We will be on the Nova in Alaska...  How was the Grill on these cold evenings?  and of course the outdoor bars!!

[drron29]

We loved the tourist train in Ushuaia.

 

For Atlantide you can order anything on the Room Service menu. We often did that for desserts as they were limited on the actual menu.

[seaver]

20 hours ago, JSR said:

We are now in Atlantic Ocean, our balcony gets morning sun instead of afternoon sun, a big change. However, it is overcast so no sun....

 

We cruised the Garibaldi Fjords and Glacier. Once again Silversea had extra chairs, coffee, sandwiches, champagne, etc. in the Observation Lounge. Good commentary from the port guide. We were able to get fairly close to the glacier however, it was not calving. We later passed several other glaciers during cooking class.

 

We have had several cold days. Glad I brought warm clothes even if I only wore then for a few days. 

Yesterday, we were in Ushuaia, our tour with Gaby from tours by locals was at 9 and we ended up having beautiful weather. Did a driving tour of the area and then onto Terra Del Fuego National park which was gorgeous and fun. We avoided the tourist train, though some people really enjoy it, and also saw the end of the world "post office" which is a private entity but you can mail post cards from here that are taken into town by the staff and mailed through the Argentine postal service. There is one wheelchair accessible boardwalk area. We loved the scenery. Gaby was very informative giving us an real insight into life in the southern most city of the Americas. 

 

We went to see the comedian last night at 10. He was funny. 

 

We see, to rotate restaurants between La Terraza, Grill, SALT, and room service. At least this segment reservations are not needed, just show up (perfect for us). We have been to Alantide twice but it has not resonated with us. I think we need to go with someone that knows what to order there. The garden salad at La Terraza is very good and not on the menu. 

 

We now have 3 sea days until we arrive in Buenos Aires. 

 

@seaver we are cabin 9041, would enjoy meeting you if your up for it. 

 

Jean (and Nick) 

Jean...Sounds like a plan!

We are currently visiting Iguazu falls, it is spectacular. 

 

[JSR]

@Kalscruise Having been to Alaska 3 times (land and sea), I recommend layers. Weather can change multiple times throughout the day. 

 

The Marquee is comfortable if you dress appropriately as they have intense heaters and blankets available. There is also a wind barrier on one side. We have eaten there on several cold nights and afternoons. As for the bars, this is personal choice. I chose not however, I Scottish friends have not missed a single mid day champagne at the pool bar. Today while I had a warm sweater there was a gent having coffee at the pool bar in shorts and t shirt. The aft bar on deck 10,  I believe called the dusk bar, has a cover and I have seen people there everyday. Again, with the option for indoor bars on cold days I would find sitting still outside hard. 

As for viewing glaciers, etc. what we did was wonder outside then when were cold we went inside, a lot of back and forth, again clothes and personal tolerance make a difference. My husband is always warm so he is outside with a lot less clothes than I. 

[Kalscruise]

41 minutes ago, JSR said:

@Kalscruise Having been to Alaska 3 times (land and sea), I recommend layers. Weather can change multiple times throughout the day. 

 

The Marquee is comfortable if you dress appropriately as they have intense heaters and blankets available. There is also a wind barrier on one side. We have eaten there on several cold nights and afternoons. As for the bars, this is personal choice. I chose not however, I Scottish friends have not missed a single mid day champagne at the pool bar. Today while I had a warm sweater there was a gent having coffee at the pool bar in shorts and t shirt. The aft bar on deck 10,  I believe called the dusk bar, has a cover and I have seen people there everyday. Again, with the option for indoor bars on cold days I would find sitting still outside hard. 

As for viewing glaciers, etc. what we did was wonder outside then when were cold we went inside, a lot of back and forth, again clothes and personal tolerance make a difference. My husband is always warm so he is outside with a lot less clothes than I. 

Thanks for the info and your review ... sounds great.

 

[seaver]

Jean, By any chance do you know how many passengers are leaving vs arriving tomorrow?

Buenos aires cruise terminal is  supposedly a mess with roof damage. Just wondering if we could get on earlier to avoid the  rush with 3 other ships in port.

[JSR]

1 hour ago, seaver said:

Jean, By any chance do you know how many passengers are leaving vs arriving tomorrow?

Buenos aires cruise terminal is  supposedly a mess with roof damage. Just wondering if we could get on earlier to avoid the  rush with 3 other ships in port.

I’d anticipate a mess. From what I understand (and I could be wrong) most of the ship minus the 150 GV passengers is turning over. My butler has 9/12 leaving and 9/12 arriving. The other 3 are GV. The CD said all but 150-200 are leaving. The next leg is almost sold out from what I’ve been told. Our tours are super early even though 400 of us will be out late at Tango shows. 

Edited February 4 by JSR

[seaver]

Yeah I was afraid of that.

Thanks for quick response.

Just leaving Iguazu falls, simply amazing!

[JSR]

@seaver looking forward to meeting you and seeing some photos. Safe travels. Sending good vibes for a smooth transition. 

[jpalbny]

4 hours ago, seaver said:

Just leaving Iguazu falls, simply amazing!

 

Sure was! Glad you enjoyed, and have a nice cruise!

[JSR]

We are about 3 hours from Buenos Aires where 400 of us will load up on buses and head to dinner and a tango show. Will be amusing herding all of us. 😂🤪😂

 

Living the life this morning on the balcony. 

Edited February 4 by JSR
Unbelievably poor typing

[stonepebble]

On 2/2/2024 at 4:37 AM, seaver said:

Jean...Sounds like a plan!

We are currently visiting Iguazu falls, it is spectacular. 

 

Hello, We are on a different sailing but trying to find an answer.

We are doing a pre-cruise tour to Iguazu Falls. 

There is a boat ride in our itinerary. Did you do one?

Some of the comments I've read say that you will get soaking wet.

If you did the boat ride is that accurate? Trying to decide if we need flip flops along with wearing our hiking shoes!

Thanks, 

Chris

[seaver]

Stonepebble we did not do the boat ride,everyone we spoke to got soaked! I believe they have lockers you can use.

[stonepebble]

Ok...Not that we're afraid of getting wet...we just really want to see the Falls not turn it into an amusement park ride!

Thank you!

[Ice Bear]

1 hour ago, stonepebble said:

Hello, We are on a different sailing but trying to find an answer.

We are doing a pre-cruise tour to Iguazu Falls. 

There is a boat ride in our itinerary. Did you do one?

Some of the comments I've read say that you will get soaking wet.

If you did the boat ride is that accurate? Trying to decide if we need flip flops along with wearing our hiking shoes!

Thanks, 

Chris

 

I did the boat ride in December 2007 during a Holland America pre-cruise. I wore a RAIN SUIT: Jacket with hood and pants. If you sit at the FRONT of the boat, you will become very wet. I also took the small plane ride Over Iguazu Falls. The group visited Iguazu Falls by bus from both the Brazilian side and the Argentinian side. Fantastic memories. . . .

[stonepebble]

Can't wait!

I've read that now they offer you the "wet" boat ride or the "dry" boat ride....

Either doing the "dry" or not at all!

Really just want to see the best of the Falls!

Thank you!

 

Edited February 5 by stonepebble

[kej1]

I was there at a business meeting a number of years ago. It was hosted by our Brazilian colleagues ( on the Brazil side).  One of the “team building” events was a boat ride around the falls.  We were not forewarned we would get wet and we were soaked.  And in those days most of us were wearing business attire!  It is a fun experience if you are dressed properly.  ( I wasn’t). If  you want to stay dry either pass or wear rain gear! 

[JSR]

Strange day. The ship passengers have almost all changed over except for the 150 or so Grand Voyagers. We are now at basically 100% capacity. Will the vibe be different? Will restaurants be more crowded? Service be slower? No idea the answers for these questions but I’m sure we will Know with time. 

[Carolfay]

I'm among those who disembarked this morning, and I'm now snug in a B.A. hotel for two nights. Be glad you didn't have to fight through the horde of humanity passing through the terminal. Princess and Norwegian were also disembarking at the same time. Near pandemonium.

 

I want to weigh in and say how much I enjoyed the Nova and the delightful company I kept, both among passengers and staff. The ship never felt crowded, and there were always activities to tempt me.  Even the several sea days were full of fun. I think I'm a Nova convert.

 

Your blog has been a good source of information, and your photos are far superior to any I took. Best wishes to you and Nick as your voyage continues.

[A Tucson Guy]

1 hour ago, JSR said:

Strange day. The ship passengers have almost all changed over except for the 150 or so Grand Voyagers. We are now at basically 100% capacity. Will the vibe be different? Will restaurants be more crowded? Service be slower? No idea the answers for these questions but I’m sure we will Know with time. 

Having done two cruises last year on the Nova (both cruises were full capacity) we felt service in the restaurants was fine and the ship never felt crowded to us.

[JSR]

@Carolfay glad your snug in your hotel. We saw some of the pandemonium when we left for our tour. I am a total Nova gal. Nick doesn’t even want to hear about cruises on anything but Nova and Ray. The accessibility makes considering any less accessible ship seems hard.
 

@TucsonGuy thanks. The service has been outstanding so far. It was weird though to hear a different voice over the speaker today as our CD changed over too. Change is good!! We shall embrace it.