scubacruiserx2

We just submitted our review of our cruise on the CC reviews . This is the unedited narrative followed by the ratings . We didn't use the Family or Fitness so we didn't review them thus a 1 star. We have cruised NCL 5 times before but not recently . We prefer HAL Neptune aft corner suites with a budget of 1 K per day per suite . Like the Star , we are older 67 and 73 . We choose it for the price and destinations . 1st choice was May with a visit to Iceland , Norway and the UK and a weeks stay in Iceland post cruise . It was expensive and the local guides unwilling to work with us . We had chosen a nice suite and booked it . In the meantime we looked at other destinations on the Star and liked the one that we chose in January . The guides and post cruise stay were half the price and the same cabin was available for the same price and air fare was less . Thus we canceled Iceland and choose Antarctica . We have been to South America 3 times so we knew the drill . It's not easy with a storm destroying part of embarkation station . You must surrender your passports for the cruise and be bussed from the station to the ship . It was semi controlled chaos with no apparent line for suites . There appeared to be nobody from the ship there . We finally found the line and waited for a Spanish speaking line to empty before they spoke to us . We were sat in a large common area and told that we would be called for Blue # 1 bus . It wasn't long but hey called for Blue # 1 and White #1 . Too many people rushed the bus and there were more people than seats leaving people standing - an unsafe practice for the 10 minute ride in traffic to the ship . There were left over people and another bus behind us . I carried a carry on bag with valuables between my legs like I always do while some loud mouth lady lectured me telling me NO Bags . I told her to tell the driver and other people with bags . At the ship , the majority of the people were non suite (White ) and went to the 1st ramp including the lady next to us . The few suite people went forward to a less steep ramp . This problem could have been solved by boarding all of the priority people ( Blue first ) and then filled the remaining seats with White and no standing . I was a Firefighter/Paramedic for 28 years in Miami responding to the Port of Miami cruise ships and safety and ordering scenes that were chaotic was an everyday part of the job . Entering the ship was like Dorothy entering Munchkin Land after being in a tornado . They were organized and it showed . The room was great and they showed us to a suites lunch in a private room with people being well behaved . We ate most of our lunches there at Cagney's and met the Concierge , Monica . Breakfasts were next door , again private for suites and elites at Moderno . The cabin was the best that we ever had and the Butler Vonn , Concierge Monica and cabin attendant Arlene were excellent . The Itinerary was excellent except they should have spent more than 1 or 2 days in Antarctica which was the real Star of the ship . The ship was in pretty good shape for an older lady . Now for the constructive critic . The food could be better quality , embark and disembark streamed lined like in our home port of Ft. Lauderdale . We missed Punta Arenas for the 1st time in 4 trips mainly because we didn't dock , we tendered and it's always windy there and not the place to tender . If they must tender , it wasn't so bad that they could have done it by using the leeward side to tender first , and turning the ship 180 degrees leaving the other tenders now in the leeward side . If we had to use them as lifeboats this is what they should have done , as a real life practice in the event of an emergency like an iceberg strike . Thus we missed a port and they missed a good drill . We didn't care for the shows and the policy that says no photos , something that we have always done on land and sea . There was no Bible in the night stand and we tried 3 times before and during the cruise to meet for an interdenominational , self led bible study and or service for 3 days . They did give us a place but refused to allow us to put up a sign in public . They also prohibited us from allowing it to be announced in the Freestyle Daily . They did allow Friends of Bill W a public place to meet ( the Library ) and the LGBTQIA+ group a busy public place with a band at the intersection of 2 restaurants in Gatsby's . They were both daily and advertised in the Freestyle Daily . Additionally , the Jewish group met at the same place as us on the Sabbath , but they were given their books for their service and advertised in the Freestyle Daily . We hold no ill feelings against these or any groups but would only like equal treatment for our group . HAL does it and has a Mass daily for Catholics , so why not NCL ? This is our 1st CC review as we usually do photo travelogues as our reviews . Overall 4 Cabin 5 Dining 3 Embarkation 1 Entertainment 3 Family none so we gave it a 1 Fitness didn't use so we gave it a 1 Pubic Rooms 3 Service 5 40+ Cruises Partly handicapped 3 bad knees sometimes needing a walking stick for balance

Tomorrow we will attempt to write a review using a Cruise Critic style format slightly modified .

It's funny the way that some things work out . Like Susana I began University to study to be an Architect . But my lack of understanding higher math stopped me and another incident changed my direction . My brother had a serious accident with an almost miracle recovery and I became a Carpenter for a couple of years before joining the Navy to become a Naval Corpsman ( Medic ) . After that I joined the Fire Department as a Firefighter/Paramedic to help save lives the way that people helped my brother . Our unit was the unit to go to the Port of Miami to help and transport people from cruise ships or industrial accidents . The same year in 1976 that I was in Fire College I had met my future wife in Michigan on vacation ( the best souvenir that I ever picked up ) and I lived in Florida - over 1200 miles away! She moved to Florida that year and brought the only snow ever in Miami when I was in Fire College . This photo of her was 10 years after our 3rd child and 10 years of marriage Later I later worked on the Fire Air - Rescue before I retired at 55 .

We also had heavy seas going around the Cape on the HAL cruise to Antarctica and going to Antarctica . The Captain made this announcement . The result ? An extra half a day of some of the best weather of the trip . A little later we heard this announcement by the Captain about an Iceberg . Why is it so windy in Patagonia ? This article from Wikipedia shows . They are part of Roaring Forties and Furious Fifties of Latitude .

We have done that cruise on the Zaandam in 2012 but in the opposite direction and without the Falkland Islands . That one required Antarctica in 2018/2019 . We did get close to the memorial and could see the funicular .

Thank you for sharing these personal photos of Peru , part of South America that we have only seen from photos from our son and DIL . They have been to several of these places and our son still says that the best Pizza that he has eaten was at Lake Titicaca ! Is that a photo of you and your husband in the boat ? If it is then you resemble the maker of our favorite Malbec , Crios . It's a great story of the first female winemaker .

One thing that we didn't show on our thread was photos of Perito Moreno Glacier calving . Here's some stills and videos that we took from a previous trip . A block of ice the size of a semi truck A HUGE iceberg of blue ice that floated up from beneath the Glacier A little later a boat went out to see it

We did shoot a quick videoclip of the glacier calving from underwater .

3 Stills of calving . This chunk of ice was the size of a semi truck This piece of dark Blue ice floated up from beneath the glacier

On Wednesday January 24th we rented a car in Downtown El Calafate since Monday and Tuesday's trips included pick up at the hotel . After renting the car we drove to the Perito Merino Glacier to see the face since the Glacier cruise on Monday only showed us it's backside . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno_Glacier The glacier confuses people since it is advancing . You can drive up to it and walk down a series of walkways and see the glacier face to face . It is 3 miles wide , 200' tall and 19 miles long . A pano shot . So the question was should we walk down the stairs that is quicker and brings you lower and closer , or walk the ramp that is easier on 3 bad knees ? We opted for the ramp with hiking poles . The problem is the holes in the grate were larger than the tips on our poles . If you go use your ski tips instead of the hard surface tips . We have been 3 times and the handicapped lift has never worked . The crowd where the ice almost meets the land and you can see where the water from the lake runs into the river ( Where the dark blue ice is ) . It's also where most of the calving was . An ice hole We didn't capture any calving this trip so we will show some from previous trips .

Thank you for writing in and your encouraging words . My wife and I both own Sony pocket cameras , but not the same model as hers has more reach with a 200mm lens built in . She was able to capture some videos on our last trip to Antarctica that I couldn't get . You have a good eye for timing and photos of people as those were the 3 that I liked best . The football team working together for a common goal . The synchronized diving and the lighting . I had to enlarge it to confirm my thing that it is a man and a woman . And the train where the light is on the engineer so that he is the focal point of the photo . Well done . Here's Pat's videos one is penguins jumping on an iceberg and the other is 3 Orcas chasing a penguin - why you shouldn't swim alone .

Tuesday January 23rd Torres del Paine . Crossing from Argentina to Chile and back . 4 passport stamps in 12 hours . The name means Towers of Granite . As we got closer the wind went up to 62 mph The towers And the horns in black At the border crossing the sign had blown down since the morning and was now weighted down

If you liked this thread you might like 2 others that we did in the past on a different cruise line , The first is a very similar cruise cruise just before Covid in 2019 with 4 days in Antarctica on the HAL Zaandam . The next was a 6 week cruise on our favorite HAL ship from Alaska to our home port in Ft. Lauderdale , Florida . We had 2 years during Covid to save and the trip was paid before we left . It went thru the Panama Canal and Central America and the Caribbean where we saw volcanos , thus the fire tittle .

Monday January 22nd Glacier cruise in Argentine Patagonia

Next week I hope to field test my new full size camera by shooting birds . There's a place half way between where we live and Port Everglades that is great and free . If you are in Ft. Lauderdale and rent a car it's 45 minutes away on the highway . In 1999 the US decided to release 5 Quarter dollar coins a year in the order that they entered the Union . The front is the same but on the rear each state was different . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/50_State_quarters The photos are of the 2014 Florida Quarter and the 2 birds that it honored . The photos are from the bird place and why you need a telephoto lens to reach them from a distance and not disturb them from mating and nesting . The bird drying it's wings swims underwater to catch it's food like a penguin and when it's wings dry it can fly . It's an Anhinga also called a Water Turkey or a Snake bird when it swims because only the head and long neck sticks up like a snake . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anhinga The other bird is the Roseate Spoonbill , the only spoonbill in the US but not commonly found here . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roseate_spoonbill

Thanks , it was the NCL Star . We had originally book it to Iceland and Norway in May but we couldn't wait . When we saw the same room 9006 at half the price we jumped on it . The best room that we ever had ! A video of it with 2 balconies , one forward facing and one Starboard . The Travelogue of Antarctica and a 6 day stay in Patagonia

I love my pocket camera and it's the one that I used for videos food and Panorama photos . This time last year we celebrated our anniversary by going to San Francisco for 2 days , Kauai for a week and San Francisco for 2 more days ( Yosemite ) . All of these photos were from my pocket camera . Doors off helicopter flight in Kauai The NCL Pride of America sailing from Kauai This tree is over 100 meters tall ( panorama shot to get it all in ) We hiked a couple of miles at elevation in feet of snow in Yosemite National Park Bathroom break Half Dome and El Capitan Where we spent the night - in the woods This waterfall 's spray turned to snow before it hit the ground ! The park is currently closed this weekend expecting feet of snow https://abc30.com/yosemite-national-park-full-closure-blizzard-warning-sierra-nevada-weather-conditions/14480336/

We love these photos . They prove that good things come in small packages , and the best camera is the one that you have ! Especially for candid shots like the chulengos !

Antarctica and the Falkland Islands

So what's new on the home front ? We keep getting bombarded with mail from the expedition cruises . They want twice as much to do what we did . Here's the cheap one . So Nat Geo has finally discovered Glacier Alley , Torres del Paine or the Falkland Islands . All for 25 K - 45 K p.p. base priced . My older camera ( 12 yo is having a few issues so it's been retired ) , so in with the new . It looks similar from the outside but it should up our game .

You're welcome and thanks for going along for the ride . Here's a few photos from Torres del Paine from our last trip there when it wasn't so windy . This was the Large waterfall this time with a video and the last time when it wasn't so windy that we could hike to the water fall for a better view of the Masstif . Zapatito de la Virgens near the waterfall Upland geese and chick Gunaco playa

It's pretty well gone but we're gonna swab any way . There's also pollen in the air and maybe an early Spring since we have 5 pineappletles so far .

After our gathering of the bags at MIA we had some problems with our Global 1 machines . They told us to see the Customs and Immigration officer and he breezed us through . A rogue cabby found us and we were off to the Brightline station in Miami where I recognized the streets , but not all of the new buildings sprouting up like mushrooms . 🍄 We had enough time to grab a bite to eat in the Brightline lounge before our pre booked train . Fortunately for us it was a semi express train to Orlando with the only stop in Palm Beach . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlPdE9-C0Zo We had picked up a dry cough on our flight and we were coming into a cold front moving through in Florida . Since we retained our sense of smell , and didn't have chills , we thought it was just a cold from the flights and the weather change . But our oldest Grandson who picked us up and took us home also tested positive for Covid as we did . He only had it 3 days but had the chills and a fever and ours was more just a prolonged cough for almost 2 weeks .

By a strange twist of fate , 2 leaplings were in Stanley , the Falkland Islands yesterday . 🐸 🐸 The NCL Star was in from 0600 - 1600 and the HAL Oosterdam from 0800 - 1800 . There must have been some lineup for tenders in the afternoon ! Blame it on the Leap Year . 😉

Most of the time we have been quite happy with our private tours , and they like our cruises have met or exceeded our expectations . We mentioned one or two gone astray and ultimately we just want what we have booked and paid for like you and most people . Today is the last day that we have given Aerolineas Argentina to refund the money that we paid for Business Class from El Calafate to BA , which we have not received in terms of their promise kept by performance as promised or a refund as they promised . It's been more than a month and our TA who is a native Spanish speaker has spoken with AA more than once is trying again today . It appears that the charge will have to be disputed with the credit card and we can no longer rank AA at the upper level and recommend them as we have done in the past .