Another Live from the Oosterdam? 1/29-2/20

[BetsyS.]

slewis7 - Bon Voyage! 🥂😊

[albingirl]

Bon Voyage!  Sounds fabulous!

[0106]

Left our hotel at noon.  We took an Uber to the port for $2.86. Yes under $3 for a 15 minute ride.  Driver knew to go to Costa Salguera not the terminal on the boarding pass.  Dropped luggage.  
Took bus to terminal. Checked in.  Went through immigration. Dropped off passports.  Another bus to ship.  In cabin at 1:30. (Our check in time was 2, no one paid any attention to it.). Off to the Seaview bar for a drink!

[0106]

[FLCruiser97]

5 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Yes. That's usually our first stop also. Closest bar.

[0106]

Met some nice passengers.  Comfortable venue, plentiful drinks.  No officers.

[Sea42]

3 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Met some nice passengers.  Comfortable venue, plentiful drinks.  No officers.

That's really too bad that no one was there to greet you! There should have at least been someone from the Mariner Society.

[kazu]

32 minutes ago, 0106 said:

Met some nice passengers.  Comfortable venue, plentiful drinks.  No officers.

 

It’s nice to see that the actual reception is back.  pre-covid, there were officers and mariner person there to greet.  Oh well - at least it is a step forward.

[Haljo1935]

Thrilled to see you arrived - and so easily and early! Excited to read your adventures. 

[0106]

No problems with the internet in the cabin or at the Seaview Bar. 
 

First seating in the  MDR is 5:30.  We arrived at 5:45 and told our waiter we would arrive at the same time every day.  He seemed grateful.  Ask for extra vegetables with entree and were accommodated.

 

Went to the Seaview pool after dinner.  Bunkering began at the same time.  For those of you that know what bunkering restricts you can understand how inconvenient the time was for relaxing after dinner.  If you don’t know what bunkering restricts, ignore this paragraph.

 

We have already met many wonderful international people and can’t wait to se what tomorrow brings.

 

Buenos noches.

[dfish]

Off to a great start!!  I hope all your days are as great.

[kazu]

19 minutes ago, 0106 said:

No problems with the internet in the cabin or at the Seaview Bar. 
 

First seating in the  MDR is 5:30.  We arrived at 5:45 and told our waiter we would arrive at the same time every day.  He seemed grateful.  Ask for extra vegetables with entree and were accommodated.

 

Went to the Seaview pool after dinner.  Bunkering began at the same time.  For those of you that know what bunkering restricts you can understand how inconvenient the time was for relaxing after dinner.  If you don’t know what bunkering restricts, ignore this paragraph.

 

We have already met many wonderful international people and can’t wait to se what tomorrow brings.

 

Buenos noches.

 

Buenos noches Tina and Jonathan.

 

sorry about the bunkering.  A let down after dinner for sure. 😔 

[0106]

I went up to the Lido this morning at 7:15 and counted 16 people in line at the omelet station.  Went out to the Seaview pool.  They are still bunkering.🙁

 

At 10:30, we are going to use a HIA excursion credit on a Culinary Walking Tour. With its exciting culinary scene, Buenos Aires is a city that is a delight for foodies and for anyone who simply loves a good meal. Argentina is known for its excellent meats, central to the diet here, making this outing a superb choice for carnivores.

This food-oriented tour with a small group of like-minded travelers (8 to 20 people) begins with a guided panoramic drive through Buenos Aires. Take in highlights such as Plaza de Mayo -- the city's most famous square -- and the wide Avenida 9 de Julio thoroughfare named in honor of Argentina's Independence Day. You'll also pass the beautiful parks of Palermo -- one of the city's most buzzing neighborhoods.

A culinary walking tour leads you through a traditional neighborhood packed with locally owned restaurants. Along the way, your guide will talk about the history of the places you visit, sharing stories of life, past and present, in this great city.

At three distinctive restaurants, you'll savor an authentic taste of Buenos Aires. Try empanadas, choripan (sausage with French baguette), barbecued meats, grilled provoleta cheese and chimichurri -- a dipping sauce of fresh herbs, garlic and peppers. A glass of Argentine red wine is included with lunch. For dessert, an heladeria offers homemade ice cream.

Edited January 30 by 0106

[kazu]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

barbecued meats,

 

If it’s the meat on the skewers, you will be impressed.  it’s delicious 🙂 

[AKJonesy]

We were there when that big storm hit in December.  We were on the top floor of a hotel and around midnight I heard what sounded like someone dropping and rolling bowling balls on the roof.  I got up, looked out the window and the trees were bent over sideways and the siding from the hotel was coming off and up in the air.  By the time we got dressed to leave the room, it was over.  The next day on the way to airport we saw trees completely uprooted and everything was in a straight line.  I'm not surprised the port building was damaged.

[POA1]

I'm a little late to the party, but have a wonderful trip!

[TravelBluebird]

21 hours ago, 0106 said:

 

Bon Voyage!

 

We are on the last leg of our trip home. Enjoy your wonderful cruise!

[BetsyS.]

TravelBluebird - Safe travels home! 😊

[0106]

Today was a perfect example of why I am not a fan of HAL tours.  This was advertised as a small group (8-20 people) moderate difficulty, walking tour.  There were two large buses, each containing a group of 26.  We left 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. We drove through the city for 1.5 hours.  The intercom on the bus did

not work for the first 30 minutes so I could not hear the guide.  Finally, we got to the first restaurant.  

Things began to improve after I had a glass of wine.The empanadas were delicious.We walked 2 blocks to the next restaurant. (That was the extent of our walking.)Refreshing cocktail with vermouth and soda water.Grilled sausage

 

Many people said the steak grilled over an open fire was the best they ever tasted. (Sorry I started eating before I remember to take a picture.)Served with Malbec

All of these people were part of the “small group” tour.
Returned to the bus to ride to the “ice cream” store.  Was delicious as gelato.

 

overall the food was delicious but it was not the tour I was expecting.

 

BTW, 20 hours later, we are still bunkering.  My DH is in the pool.  Sail away party is at 4:30 but we are not scheduled to leave until 7:30.  I hope we have enough fuel.🤭

Edited January 30 by 0106

[NorbertsNiece]

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

Today was a perfect example of why I am not a fan of HAL tours.  This was advertised as a small group (8-20 people) moderate difficulty, walking tour.  There were two large buses, each containing a group of 26.  We left 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. We drove through the city for 1.5 hours.  The intercom on the bus did

not work for the first 30 minutes so I could not hear the guide.  Finally, we got to the first restaurant.  

Things began to improve after I had a glass of wine.The empanadas were delicious.We walked 2 blocks to the next restaurant. (That was the extent of our walking.)Refreshing cocktail with vermouth and soda water.Grilled sausage

 

Many people said the steak grilled over an open fire was the best they ever tasted. (Sorry I started eating before I remember to take a picture.)Served with Malbec

All of these people were part of the “small group” tour.
Returned to the bus to ride to the “ice cream” store.  Was delicious as gelato.

 

overall the food was delicious but it was not the tour I was expecting.

 

BTW, 20 hours later, we are still bunkering.  My DH is in the pool.  Sail away party is at 4:30 but we are not scheduled to leave until 7:30.  I hope we have enough fuel.🤭

I noticed you hadn't left on time. Pouring with rain here..... would trade with you any day! 😃

[scubacruiserx2]

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

Today was a perfect example of why I am not a fan of HAL tours.  This was advertised as a small group (8-20 people) moderate difficulty, walking tour.  There were two large buses, each containing a group of 26.  We left 15 minutes after the scheduled start time. We drove through the city for 1.5 hours.  The intercom on the bus did

not work for the first 30 minutes so I could not hear the guide.  Finally, we got to the first restaurant.  

Things began to improve after I had a glass of wine.The empanadas were delicious.We walked 2 blocks to the next restaurant. (That was the extent of our walking.)Refreshing cocktail with vermouth and soda water.Grilled sausage

 

Many people said the steak grilled over an open fire was the best they ever tasted. (Sorry I started eating before I remember to take a picture.)Served with Malbec

All of these people were part of the “small group” tour.
Returned to the bus to ride to the “ice cream” store.  Was delicious as gelato.

 

overall the food was delicious but it was not the tour I was expecting.

 

BTW, 20 hours later, we are still bunkering.  My DH is in the pool.  Sail away party is at 4:30 but we are not scheduled to leave until 7:30.  I hope we have enough fuel.🤭

 

  We just returned home last night from Patagonia and Antarctica on the NCL Star with a case of Covid . We don't believe it was cruise ship based but in our week in El Calafate and El Chalten . There was a strike last Wednesday protesting the new President and the airlines were hampered and/or stopped . In El Chalten a 3 hour drive from El Calafate we stopped at the only gas station in town and had a 1 hour wait to top off our car with 10 gallons . BTW we have began our review here .

 

 

[0106]

Good bye Buenos Aires.

[StLouisCruisers]

Just now, 0106 said:

Good bye Buenos Aires.

 

Great photo, Tina!  Have a wonderful cruise!

[cruisin'teach]

Looking forward to your postings! We have been to Antarctica 4 times since 2010. Such an amazing place. Hope you are able to get into the Falklands and see the king penguins. Have a wonderful cruise - excited to follow along and relive our memories!  

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

Good bye Buenos Aires.

Nice picture.