murrrrrrmaid

SailorJack....have you ck'd out the Feb 17 thread lately?

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=37419313&posted=1#post37419313

it seems that their time/weather in the Antarctic was even better than ours! I keep saying, somewhere our there, someone is getting the nasty weather we were supposed to have....the universe just seems to balance things out that way

Susan

Find somebody with a recovery program. That happened to me on my very first Celebrity cruise. Fortunately I discovered it while I was on the cruise. Went to the computer center--they said, not to worry, we have a recovery program. Recovered all my whale photos and everything else. With a smile. Made me a serious Celebrity fan!

I AGREE!! I have yet to be on a Celeb cruise that didn't have a great I-Lounge and staff....unfortunately, this cruise didn't have many days with internet availability (I heard several reasons: "hey, we are at the end of the world"....or, there were too many users for the bandwidth, whatever that means)....it was actually kinda nice to be cyber-free for a few days!

Agreed that Volunteer Point with Patrick Watts was INCREDIBLE. An experience that I will never forget. Our 4x4 lost a bumper too and then the truck behind us got stuck. Guess we made too big of a rutt.

yep, that was us, stuck in the muck! (our driver was NOT happy....she had to buy beer for all the other drivers for being the first for getting "bogged")

and we have a video of your lost bumper being loaded onto the other vehicle's roof, if you would like it!

it was a hoot of a day!

That was hysterical! We were on your cruise and had some of the same feelings (i.e. people taking pictures of chairs, people taking people or people taking pictures and of course............trying to say Ushuaia). Thanks for the laugh!

happy to say that we were fellow cruise buds with Jack&Jill on this sailing.....if you think he is funny in postings, then I wish for you to have the pleasure of both his and Jill's company in person!

we had a festive pre-cruise dinner with them in BA (which didn't make his review) but sad to say, we later lost them in the fog....we are trying not to take it personally, but really, Infinity is not that big a ship. Maybe we just didn't frequent the same libation outlets? (we really missed you!)

The only glaring omission from his review (other than Puerto Madryn, which was the dusty penguin version of the soggy Falklands) was the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make the 4X4 caravan trek to Volunteer Point in the outback of the Falklands, to see the thousands of Magellanic and Gentoo penguies, but mostly to gaze upon the majestic Kings....even in person, these magnificent birds look like they are photoshopped into your view.

During the 90 minute (each way) bone-rattling, teeth-jarring, butt-bouncing ride across muddy peaty ruts so deep you could (and we did) lose a bumper or mire a wheel in them, and have to rely on your fellow (jeering) drivers to pull you out, we had serious doubts about the sanity of enduring this ride just to see little black and white critters whose main activities are the eating and pooping of fish and krill (and if you didn't know this fact before, you certainly did once you got downwind of the hoards). I spent most of the trip fighting the seatbelt that was threatening to choke me, and trying not to do anything that would constitute sexual harassment of the fellow trekker seated next to me.....and wondering how many chiropractic appointments it would take to get my spine back into alignment. The ship's masseuses must make a killing the day after Falklands!

But yes, it was worth it. I still don't know why, in any way that I could explain to anyone who hasn't experienced it, or to anyone who is considering experiencing it.....it was one of the most magical moments of the cruise, second only to the intense quiet and incredible visuals of doing a 360 degree turn in Paradise Bay among the whales and the bitty bergs, viewing a frozen land that showed little evidence of human influence.

Since Jack didn't have this perspective of the Falklands, I thought I would just put in my 50 Argentinian pesos' worth (once you do the conversion, you will know exactly what that is)......the best tour offered out to Volunteer Point is the Patrick Watts tour, and it books up fast, so don't wait, if you want your own Mr Toad's Wild Ride. We were so fortunate that the weather out on the Point was mild and breezy......it was astonishing to arrive back into Port Stanley to 32F degree weather, wind howling, raining sideways, with only enough time to get in line to board the tenders back to the ship (we heard rumors later that if the conditions in the AM had been that of the afternoon, we most likely would not have been tendered ashore.....the disappointment would have been acute!). That meant no Falklands pub experience, no Jack&Jill sighting opp, and no bragging rights for all of the UXB mines we dodged.

Maybe our cruising future holds yet another encounter with them....I would at least like to see how his tango moves have stood the test of time. My money is on Jill...her role as adult supervision deserves its own thread!

March 28 embarkation. Category 1 cabin. I just can't wait.

we just got back from the most amazing week on the Endeavor in the GI!!!

also Cat 1...would be happy to share info if you want to email me at srmsmu73 at a 0 l, etc.....

susan

We are on the March 6th embarcation. Susan if you check back, we will be interested in your comments from Feb trip

Looking forward to this great trip!

Tyler, we are halfway through this amazing adventure (no one could ever mistake it for a CRUISE!) internet availability is rare and expensive, so if you will e-mail me your questions, i will do my best to give you our impressions.

susan murray

srmsmu73 at a o l etc

anyone else out there in CC-land going to Galapagos with us?

we can't wait.....even tho i am a pathetic swimmer and hardly a waterbaby :(, i trust that won't make a huge difference in the experience...

sure hope i don't forget the rules and reach out to pat a baby seal! :eek:

(we have three days post-Galapagos in Quito...guess i better go ck that thread)

any suggestions/advice/stories will be appreciated!

susan