Live from Prinsendam Grand SA

[candbgirl]

Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful trip. Have a safe trip home.

[arzz]

Only a quick post tonight -- we left the Prinsendam yesterday morning :( -- it was an uneventful farewell -- and flew to Iguazu -- our trip was individually arranged so we were able to salvage it -- unfortunately those who booked theirs with HAL were not able to come.

 

The falls are absolutely spectacular and I would not recommend a fly in/fly out same day trip -- we are here two nights and could stay a third easily. When I am home in a few days I will post about the falls and Buenos Aires -- I am using a hotel computer this evening so I must type as I go -- no cut and paste.

 

To OldCodger73: I am a little reluctant to share where my next jouney is as it is not HAL and it is not the Prinsendam and that is going to be a tough act to follow. All future cruises will now be judged by this standard -- and the bar here is set hight. In June we are going with friends from Honolulu to Papeete on the Tahitian Princess.

[Aussie Gal]

Arzz,

 

We are going the opposite way to you in June. We will be leaving Papeete on June 5th and arriving into Honolulu on June 17th. I think you must be on the return cruise.

 

We have cruised on both the Tahitian Princess and the Prinsendam before so know what both ships are like. They are both a good size and both have their good and bad points. I am sure you will enjoy the Tahitian Princess especially as you will be visiting Tahiti, which to me is "Paradise" on this earth.

 

Jennie

[Cruisin' Grandma]

I just found your trip report, absolutely amazing. I hope you will post some pics when you have the time. Thanks for the wonderful writing.

 

Lola in Hamilton

[arzz]

My story would not be complete without sharing with you some of our experience at Iguazu Falls. We left the Prinsendam at 7 am on February 13, took a cab from the port to the Sheraton Libertador Hotel. Since we had a reservation for the 15th of February following our Iguazu trip the concierge was happy to take our suitcases which were now a lot heavier than they were on January 11 when we left home. Most of the additional cartage consisted of the wonderful gifts that we received from HAL.

 

From the hotel we transferred to the airport and flew uneventfully to Iguazu, Argentina. We checked in to the Sheraton Iguazu where we were greeted with fresh orange juice, and we had treated ourselves to a “falls view” room. This hotel is located right in Argentina’s national park and all of Argentina’s walking trails as well as one of the stations for the jungle train are located a short walk from the hotel.

 

The first afternoon we hiked the superior or upper trail (a circuit of about .7 km). From the trail we could see that we were once again in the rain forest. This time however, we were in a tropical rain forest lush and beautiful with diverse vegetation, trees and flowers, but very different from the rain forests of southern Chile and Patagonia. The rivers and deltas that feed the falls were under our feet and next to us as we traversed the catwalks and trails of the upper circuit. The air was full of butterflies of all colors and designs. We were treated to the sounds of the jungle which include the calls of jungle birds, insects and mammals. Even on this, the shortest and easiest of the trails we were enjoying dramatic views that defy accurate description. We could tell you what we saw but it would never capture the real views and emotions of what we were experiencing. On our way back to the hotel we were treated to the company of a couple of coatis, a small, gray jungle mammal about the size of a raccoon that has a long tail with raccoon rings but longer and more narrow than that of a raccoon. Its face is dominated by a long snout that resembles that of an anteater.

 

While enjoying dinner at the hotel, drinks in the hotel bar/lounge, or just lounging in our room there were floor to ceiling glass walls that look out onto the jungle and the falls. A small note on the glass sliding doors to the balcony warns hotel residents not to leave the doors open as in time the room will “fill with bugs and eventually monkeys.” This hotel was really cut out of the jungle as is the Brazilian hotel that we could see on the other side of the falls. Due to limited time at Iguazu we did not get to enjoy the view from Brazil. The majority of the falls originate on the Argentina side so that in Argentina you are next to or on top of the falls (up close and personal) while the Brazil side has an overall view of the falls (from some distance?) -- so we are told.

 

The next morning we walked over to the jungle train station and boarded the train for the 20 minute ride to the Devil’s Throat (del Diablo). The trail here consists entirely of a little over a kilometer of catwalks and you must walk in and then out again. There are no stairs and we did see people being pushed in wheel chairs to the falls. The catwalks were suspended over the rivers and deltas at the head of the falls, and they wind their way across the rivers and through the jungle to the top of the semicircle of falls that push huge amounts of water similar to that found at Niagara Falls. At the end of the catwalk we were literally standing just above a huge semicircle of falls, standing over rushing waters and very near the edge where this massive amount of water takes its plunge to the bottom. Quickly the spray drenched our clothing and hair (a welcome feeling in the tropical sunlight). On our left we could see a jagged, verdant green cliff covered with vegetation and with narrow streams of water cascading down its face. To the right was the fierce white water of del Diablo. Wow!

 

These falls are different from Niagara Falls primarily because there are so many falls both small and large that cover a very large area -- and they are also different because of their jungle location. Also available on the Argentinean side are jungle hikes and a boat trip that goes under the falls (do expect to get completely soaked if you do this one). All of these things are easily accessible from the hotel and with the exception of the boat ride and the jungle hike, they are free of charge to those who have paid their park admission. We do not feel that an organized tour is necessary here. We only wish we had more time to do more and to see the Brazilian Falls. Two nights was really not enough.

 

From Iguazu we flew back to Buenos Aires for a quick night before our flights home.

 

About our flights home -- Getting out of Argentina was an interesting trek. At the airport we went through what seemed like 20 security checkpoints and immigration checks. Each time that we thought that we were finally done, and we had put the passports away, we turned a corner to find another check point -- the last one located at the gate where they opened and personally pawed each one of our carryon bags. And, the less said about the Miami Airport experience the better. We almost missed our connection. I had so suppressed my last international Miami experience that at first I was actually surprised by the chaos and lack of clear thinking in the design of this airport. Once again Miami will go on my “to be avoided if at all possible” list. (This is from the perspective of someone who easily tolerates the Chicago O’Hare experience)

 

Our travel adventure is now over, but its memory will always be with us. I am awed to remember the places that we have been and what we have seen -- Machu Pichu, the Atacama Desert, the southern hemisphere sky, various towns in Chile, Patagonia, Antarctica, the Falklands and Iguazu Falls.

 

And the Prinsendam experience has raised the bar for cruise ship expectations. It is a beautiful ship, much to our pleasure it is more like a large private yacht than a glitzy cruise ship. Prinsendam does not win by having the most to do or the best spa, casino or entertainment -- Prinsendam wins by having the best crew and staff, and by also having the best passengers with whom to share our experience. We adored spending time in her intimate Crow’s Nest (especially listening to Buddy Mitchell’s piano) and sipping coffees munching on cookies at the Java Bar. I remember meeting the gentleman who described how to see the best bits of Australia - you need to spend 60 to 90 days camping and traveling by camel, and dozens of other well seasoned world travelers. I had a great time in Antarctica sharing my binoculars with crew members who would steal time away from their duties to enjoy the same sights that we passengers were enjoying. There were so many with us who were there for the trip and the adventure and not just the spa, casino and the ship. We really liked that.

 

Now that I am home, I am happy to entertain any questions that you may have. Thank you all for taking the time to share my travels. I will try to post a few pictures soon.

[Mary Ellen]

THANK YOU so much for your reports!! We are booked on the Rotterdam, Rio-Valparaiso via Antarctica, next January. We were excited before - and now you've upped the anticipation. We have 3 nights reserved in a ‘Falls view’ room at the Sheraton before we board in Rio.

 

The current ‘All-Stars’ Amazing Race will be going to some of the towns/ports on he SA itinerary if you want to see the towns from a different perspective.

 

Thank you -

[scaaty]

Arzz,

 

I just wanted to add my thanks to you for sharing your wonderful adventure. For me it's just a dream, but maybe someday :rolleyes:

 

So it was especially nice to be able to at least "see" it all through someone elses eyes and wonderful descriptions.

 

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Aussie Gal]

Arzz,

 

Just a big thank you for bringing the whole South America experience back for me. We did it last January and we too went to the wonderful Iguazu Falls, Antarticta, Chile and Machu Picchu plus we added on the Galapagos Islands. It was for us the biggest and best adventure that we had undertaken and thanks to you, I have relived it all again.

 

Jennie

[Love Cruises]

Thank you for your report of Iguazu Falls and well as the great reporting of your exciting time on the Prisendam.

 

We stayed at the same Sheraton Iguaza in Argentina and enjoyed the fact you just had to step out on the grounds to see the beautiful birds (parrots) in the trees and butterflies. The coatis were abundant on the hotel grounds and were not afraid of people. I was a bit apprehensive around them but they didn't go after anyone. One day we did however go on the Brazilian side and there were some breathtaking vistas. The whole experience is one my husband and I truly treasure.

[candbgirl]

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. I have enjoyed reading your posts.:)

[halcruiser]

Thanks Arzz for your wonderful travelog. DH & I are booked on the 2008 sailing of this cruise. Your descriptions were very helpful for planning purposes. The Prinsendam is also one of our favorites. We sailed on her for the 2005 World Cruise and enjoyed every minute of it.

[cruisinjudy]

What a great report Arzz!, I caught the beginning as we started our trip, but then just now got to read the rest! How exciting and scary!

 

Your writing is great!

[hpjeannie]

OK, I definitely have this down as Next Cruise. We've done Alaska twice, once on Celebrity Mercury and once on Regal Princess, and those are our only cruises (SO FAR). The Caribbean and Mexico sound nice but too hot for our tastes...this sounds sooooo wonderful. Thank you so much for the incredible descriptions of your trip!

 

Hello to all from a Brand New CC member!

[Love Cruises]

OK, I definitely have this down as Next Cruise. We've done Alaska twice, once on Celebrity Mercury and once on Regal Princess, and those are our only cruises (SO FAR). The Caribbean and Mexico sound nice but too hot for our tastes...this sounds sooooo wonderful. Thank you so much for the incredible descriptions of your trip!

 

Hello to all from a Brand New CC member!

Welcome to Cruise Critic. I can't wait each night until I check in and read all the threads. This is my favorite website by far. You made a great choice in joining and I look forward any and all of your comments.

[DFD1]

Welcome aboard, hpjeannie! There's a lot to learn around here. Great fun.

[twinkletoes4445]

Wow, that was an amazing trip report! :)

[Ine]

It seems Infinity Of Celebrity also had a real big wave this week with passengers hurt, glasses broken etc. Check this report:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=500601

[Arizona Art]

Hi Arrz

Great reading your account. We were on the Celebrity Infinity on Feb 1st when we were hit by two waves at about 6:30 pm. We shared similar experiences about folks and stuff being thrown about. We did have sopme injuries. A woman at the table next to us was thrown from her chair and hit her head on a pole. There were also some broken arms in the galley. What was totally different was that we had no communication from the Captain or the crew for 36 hours after the incident. Sure sounds like the folks at HAL know how to meet the needs and concerns of its customers. check our thread on Celebrity.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=9191855#post9191855

Art

[Arizona Art]

Hi Arrz

Great reading your account. We were on the Celebrity Infinity on Feb 1st when we were hit by two waves at about 6:30 pm. We shared similar experiences as to folks and stuff being thrown about. We did have some injuries. A woman at the table next to us was thrown from her chair and hit her head on a pole. There were also some broken arms in the galley. What was totally different was that we had no communication from the Captain or the crew for 36 hours after the incident. Sure sounds like the folks at HAL know how to meet the needs and concerns of its customers, Celebrity should take note. Check our thread on Celebrity.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=9191855#post9191855

Art

[Arizona Art]

Hi Arzz

We were in those same waters on the Celebrity Infinity when we were hit by massive waves at about 6:30pm. We were in the dining room (tables were set up with full sets of dishes and glasses). When the two waves hit, people were thrown from their chairs and covered with most of what was on the table. We were just shaken up and nervous, but a woman at the next table was thrown into a pole and hurt her neck. Waiter said that several people in the galley suffered broken arms. What was totally different about our experience is that we literally had no communication from the Captain, nor anyone else for 36 hours after the incident. It was kind of like "let's make believe it didn't happen and maybe no one will notice). When he did get on the loudspeaker, he said that he would be available to answer questions on the buffet deck during lunch time. Some people saw him, but I did not. Upon my return, I emailed Celebrity and they have still not responded. lHopefully, Celebrity will take some communication and public relations lessons from HAL and learn what to do in a situation such as this.

Check out my thread

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=9191855#post9191855

Art

[happyhalcruiser]

Great cruise recount Arzz. I happen to have a picture from the storm earlier this month. (Sorry for the small picture, the image I have is much larger but was reduced by the photosharing website).

 

[Wildcatfish]

Thanks for sharing your journey! It was quite an adventure as we read along.

[ldog]

Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us. It is a compelling story. We were on a land vacation for a week so I'm just catching up now.

 

This trip is on my list.

[arzz]

Well, we finally have some pictures to post -- it has taken us a while to sift through over 2000 snapshots and many short videos to put this incredible voyage into a thumbnail to share.

 

We have posted 71 of our best shots on the web at:

 

http://arzzprinsendam.edpettus.mailnew.com/photos

 

And we have also uploaded a few of our favorite short videos (one minute or less) go to:

 

http://www.youtube.com

 

and type the keyword “physwizep” into the search window.

 

We are trying to get the 14 trip videos to come up under the keyword “arzzprinsendam” but at the present time youtube is not cooperating and only five of the videos come up with this keyword.

 

If you have difficulties please post and we will see if we can help.

 

Thank you all for your interest.

[mushroom]

Like your writing, your photos are very professional...excellent...totally enjoyable. Thanks for taking the time to include all of us in your adventure. You have a real talent as a travel writer. I hope you take advantage of it! I know all of us have really appreciated your skills!