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Infinity 2/16/14 summery + Iguazu Falls


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May be too much information!

 

Review of Antarctic/South America/ Iguazu Falls Feb. 2014

We estimated the amount of AR$ pesos we would need at $4500.00. We mention the cost of items to help future cruisers decide the amount of AR$ you might need. It was an accurate estimate for our needs in Argentina.

 

Also, it rained several times when we were photographing the sights on this trip. We have a Cannon D20 waterproof camera that we brought along with a Sony with various lenses & filters. If we did not have the waterproof camera, there are many pictures we would not have been able to take. We’re very happy we had that camera. Be prepared for rain and have appropriate clothing.

 

Antarctica/South America Trip

 

There is no bad weather in the Antarctica, there is just inappropriate clothing!

 

Feb. 12, 2014 Wednesday Arrived in Buenos Aires

 

The temperature in BA is 85 degrees. Sunny & Beautiful! We used TAXIEZEIZA booth in the terminal to hire a taxi to take us to our hotel, very safe and efficient. Argentina dollar is losing value fast. It cost $300.00 AR$ for the taxi ride from EZE to Casa Calma hotel. We tipped him $50.00 AR$. The inflated AR$ is hard for us to get used to. For lunch today, we both had a plate of spaghetti & a coke. It cost $150.00 AR$! We walked around town. Our hotel is located close to many of the tourist attractions. We spent time at the Burgess Cultural Center. It’s more like a shopping mall, with a food court. They have Tango Dance shows in the evenings. We’ll go back to see one of the shows. Casa Calma hotel, is very nice. Scandinavian motif, very modern with a Jacuzzi tub, a multi headed shower, heated towel rack, bidet, a steam room en suite, next to the shower, and hard wood floors. We’re going out to look around a little more when we have dinner, but plan to retire early to prepare for Iguazu Falls.

 

Feb. 13, 2014 Thursday Iguazu Falls

 

We got up at 6:30 and checked out at 7:00 AM. We asked our hotel to call a taxi for us the night before, and the private car was waiting when we went down. We left our large suitcases at Casa Calma, and packed a carry on for Iguazu. We went to Newberry airport. It was $90.00 AR$ by private car. We were told we had to check in at the airport 2 hrs. prior to our flight. We had breakfast at the airport. We flew 655 miles. They gave us great snacks! We sat on the right side of the plane when you are facing forward. The seats were lettered C & D. We got our first look at Iguazu Falls from the air. It was stunning! Only our side of the plane could see the falls. We arrived at 11:30 AM.

 

It was close to 90 degrees, partly cloudy, & humid. Our travel agent was waiting for us. We paid $170.00 AR$ per person to get into Iguazu park. The pass is good for a week. We checked into the Sheraton. There is a full moon tonight & tomorrow night. We made arrangements to do a moon light tour of the Devils Throat and have dinner afterwards at an upscale restaurant through the travel agent. The moonlight tour, transportation, & dinner was $570.00 AR$ pp. The moon light tour offered through the Sheraton was fully booked. We took a 15 min. bus ride into Puerto Iguazu to pick up a couple of things, and rode the bus back. The bus was $35.00 AR$ pp. each way. It started raining. We put on our rain poncho, water shoes, and took our waterproof camera, and walked the upper trail of Iguazu falls. Even in the rain, Iguazu Falls took your breath away. Most everyone had left. There were only a handful of hearty souls viewing the falls. The lower trail was closed, and as we returned to the Sheraton, the trails we were on had also been closed. We had a message in our room that the moon light tour was cancelled this evening because it rained all night. We will try again tomorrow.

 

Argentina is very energy conscious. In the Casa Calma Hotel, the hall lights had a motion sensor. When the elevator doors opened, the hall was completely dark. Then, the lights came on. At the Sheraton & Casa Calma Hotel, there is no electricity to the room, unless you put your room key into a key pad located on the wall by the thermostat. Once the room key is in place, the AC and lights come on. If you remove your room key, they go off. We left one room key in the key pad, when we left, so the room would cool down. I know, this defeated the purpose of the technology. This meant there was only one key card to open the room door. Impressive technology!

 

We have read some discouraging reviews about the Sheraton at Iguazu Falls. Our room is lovely. The public areas look updated, clean, and very nice. When we checked in, there is a wall of glass and you can see part of the falls. We would compare the Sheraton to a 4 star hotel in the US. It is pricey, but so are other hotels in the US that are located in prime tourist areas. I wouldn’t hesitate to stay here again. We were a short ½ mile walk to the falls. Location, Location, Location!

 

We used 01 Argentina Travel Agency to book the Iguazu Falls portion of the trip. Pablo was wonderful. I highly recommend him.

 

Feb. 14, 2014 Friday Iguazu Falls

 

It is cloudy and mid 80’s. It did not rain today. Pablo arranged a free breakfast buffet at the Sheraton during our stay. It was very tasty with a nice variety of food. Pablo also arranged a private tour of the falls. Alex met us at 9:00 AM. It was just the two of us & Alex. He spoke very good English & was knowledgeable. We first went to Devil’s Throat. We rode the free train. There are 2 stops on the train. Make sure the train is going to Estacion Garganta for Devil’s Throat. It’s a bit over ½ km. walk each way from the train station at Estacion Garganta to Devil’s Throat. There is a lot of mist spray at Devil’s Throat, so a rain poncho would be very helpful. It is so beautifully powerful, it takes your breath away. Look in the water as you walk over it. We saw huge catfish, a lizard, and sea birds.

 

We rode the train back, and walked the lower trail to the falls. This trail gives you a more panoramic view of the falls. It is 86 meters from the top of the trail to the lower Iguazu River. It is steep with many steps. Alex arranged the boat tour ahead of time, so we just walked right onto the boat. The boat ride was $180 AR$ pp for about a 20 min. ride. They gave us a dry bag to keep our belongings dry. The boat goes close to the falls for photo opportunities, and then goes into the spray of the falls. You will get SOAKED! There are many opportunities to take beautiful pictures of the falls from the lower trail. When we got back to the upper part of the falls, we gave Alex a $150.00 AR$ tip, and told him we wanted to go our own way. He would have continued with us as our guide, if we wanted him to.

 

We decided to go back to Devils Throat for another visit. It was just as stunning on the second visit. We came back to the Sheraton to get into dry clothes. We rested, and got a call that the moon light tour was cancelled, due to cloud cover. We ate the dinner buffet and had a coke each to drink. The total for dinner was $692.00 AR$. After dinner we walked outside, the clouds had temporarily parted, and we saw the full moon. Unfortunately, the moon was quickly covered by clouds again.

 

Feb. 15, 2014 Saturday Iguazu Falls & return to Buenos Aires

 

It is sunny in the upper 80’s. At 7:00 AM a child ran screaming down the hall outside our room, awaking us. We had the breakfast buffet, and checked out. The hotel is holding our luggage. We leave for the airport at 2:00 PM. Since it’s sunny, we walked the upper trail, and the lower trail. We feel fortunate we have pictures of the falls while cloudy and sunny. We feel we spent the perfect amount of time at Iguazu Falls. We were picked up on time at the Sheraton and had a short 10 min. ride to Iguazu airport. There was no problem whatsoever receiving the refund for the moon light tour that was cancelled 2 nights in a row from the travel agent.

 

The line was long for check-in, security, etc. But the plane actually left a couple of min. early. We arrived in Buenos Aires about 5:30, and found a radio taxi to take us back to Casa Calma hotel. It was about $60.00 AR$. Once we checked in, we walked around the neighborhood. It was Sat. evening, and most of the businesses were closed. A few convenience stores and cafes were open. We had a dinner at an Italian restaurant, and went to bed. We were surprised by the number of Italian restaurants there were in Buenos Aires. There is a strong Italian influence in Buenos Aires.

 

Interesting observation: 99% of the music we heard in Argentina was American music, sung in English.

 

Feb. 16, 2014 Sunday Boarding the Celebrity Infinity

 

High 83 low 69. We were told to either check in for the cruise early or later in the afternoon, to avoid long hot lines. We decided to check in early. We had a complimentary breakfast at Casa Calma, eating an excellent omelet. We asked Casa Calma to call a cab and have it waiting for us at 10:45 AM. It was on time. It’s about a 20 min. ride to the cruise terminal. The taxi was about $60.00 AR$. Check in was very quick, and we were able to board the ship right away. We met our Cruise Critic group after muster drill. It was fun to meet people you have spoken with for such a long time.

 

We changed our dining from late seating to select (Anytime Dining/As You Wish Dining). We had enjoyable dinner companions. One of whom was a lecturer about meteorites. We ate in the Trellis Restaurant. We were able to go whenever we wanted. There was never more than a minute or two wait for a table. We were always anxious to share a table with others.

 

Feb. 17, 2014. Monday At Sea

 

High low 80’s/ low mid 70’s. We had our CC gathering at 9:30 in the Constellation Lounge. We met more of our fellow cruisers and discussed excursions we planned to do together. We attended an interesting lecture on penguins. There are more lectures to attend, dance lessons, and get togethers planned for the day. We are resting on our aft balcony to catch a second wind. Love the view. The balcony is HUGE!

 

Feb. 18, 2014 Tuesday At Sea

 

Highs 62/lows 51. There was dense fog in the AM until about noon when it burned off. The fog horn was blown frequently. We started the day with a lecture on meteorites found in the Antarctic. Meteorites have been found in all the states in the US except Rhode Island. Rhode islanders need to look for meteorites. Many are found in the Antarctic, so every country of the world has a team searching for them. We had dinner with the fellow giving the lecture a couple of nights ago. Very Interesting.

 

Finally got an internet account set up. The internet is very slow and unreliable. There is a guitarist onboard who is beyond talented, Nestor Santurio. The show was “Around the World.” It was wonderful with excellent singer & dancers.

 

Our itinerary was changed, due to 70 mph winds and 35 foot waves which were expected to occur near Cape Horn and the Drake Passage in a few days. We will be visiting the Falkland Islands tomorrow (THU Feb 20), instead of on Tues. Feb. 25. We had a tour scheduled with Patrick Watts to go to Volunteer Point. However, another ship, Oceana Regatta, is in port, and he is booked tomorrow, so we are unable to take his tour. We’ll have to find something else to do once on shore. We will not cruise by Elephant Island. We are going to Punta Del Este, Uruguay instead. We will visit Ushuaia on Feb. 23 instead of Feb. 20. Bummer, but what can you do? I highly suggest you double book your tours. One private and one ship excursion to help ensure you get to do one of them. I sure wish we had done that in the Falklands

 

We have been on the ship for only 3 days of our 14 day cruise, and we got a disembarkation questionnaire! Feels like we’re getting the bums rush! There are no berries, grapes, or bananas on the ship. Just a couple of times I saw a small number of bananas at breakfast. If you blinked, they were gone.

 

We plan to enjoy the evening show, a magician. There is a 7 PM show and a 9 PM show. The 7 PM show is not as crowded, so it is easier to get a seat. The 9PM show is very popular. We learned to go 20 -30 min. before ShowTime to get a seat.

 

Feb. 19, 2014 Wednesday – Falkland Island

 

High 56/low 45 Very windy. Mostly sunny, with a few clouds. Sunrise 5:48 Sunset 8:22. We dropped anchor about 1 ½ mi. from Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Tendering started at 9:00. We got ashore about 9:45. It’s a 30 min. tender ride to shore. The sea was rough as we tendered. The waves covered the windows and roof of the tender. We were unable to see out of the windows, due to the water. Even the pilot of the tender was having difficulty with the visibility. Some water was getting inside the tender. We’re still here to tell the tale!

 

Stanley is a very small town. Between the Infinity and the Oceania cruise ships, there were 3,100 visitors to this small town. The Falkland Islands have a population of just under 3,000 people. The locals were very gracious and willing to help in any way they could. The Falklands are British, and there is still much talk of the 1982 Falkland/Argentine war. Argentina stubbornly refuses to recognize the Falkland Islands as British. Argentines believe the Falkland Islands are illegally occupied, and that the Falkland Islands actually belong to Argentina. Argentina calls the Falkland Islands Islas Malvinas.

 

It is so windy on the islands, no trees grow. People who live in Stanley have planted and cared for a few trees in their yards. But it is hard to get them grow. They grow about 15 ft. and the top of the tree is flat as a board, due to the wind. Not the rounded canopies we are used to seeing.

 

Since our itinerary was changed, we had to take the only options available which were a guided walking tour of the small town, or a shuttle bus for $20.00 US$ pp round trip to Gypsie Cove to see penguins. We choose Penguins. All locals own vehicles that can be driven off road. What roads they do have are very rough. You feel as if you are not riding on a road, even though you are. Gypsie Cove has signs to stay on the marked path. There are warnings of potential land mines, if you stray off the path. It is hard to believe that all land mines haven’t been properly removed in the last 32 years. However, everyone stayed on the designated path. We saw a group of about 100 Magellanic Penguins. They were clustered tightly together. We were too far away to hear them, because of the strong wind. We also saw some sea birds. There were lovely rock formations in the area, some artillery gun emplacements, and several wrecked ships; some are over 100 yrs. old, along the coastline.

 

We took a free shuttle bus to a local museum, and walked back to the tender pier, while enjoying the local treasures. We visited some local shops and bought a few souvenirs. It was getting cloudier, as we tendered back to the ship. The tender ride back was much calmer than the ride in the morning.

 

While anchored off the coast of the Falkland Islands, a local barge was off loading a special fuel needed by our ship for the Antarctic. During that process, a lift needed to get the tender/lifeboat back onboard and secured was damaged by the barge. We were supposed to leave at 5:00 PM. They said they would attempt to repair the damaged davit, but if it is not repairable, they’d leave the tender/lifeboat at the Falklands. At 9:30 PM they made an announcement that they are still trying to repair the davit. We did not leave the Falklands until just before dawn.

 

The show tonight was a classical violinist. Great performance

The stars were out and a beautiful gibbous moon, shining across the water off our balcony. We got a gorgeous picture of it.

 

We were not aware of it at the time, but many people on the ship were e-mailing the president of Celebrity cruises and complaining to customer service about the itinerary change that decreased our time in Antarctica. There were enough complaints that reached the right ears, causing a second change to our itinerary.

 

Feb. 20, 2014 Thursday At Sea

 

High 56/Low 45. It was sunny, but very windy. It began to rain in the early evening.

 

While we were playing trivia, an announcement was made that our itinerary has changed a second time. The change was caused by the delayed departure from the Falkland Islands. The first change due to weather in the Drake Passage caused us to lose our penguin tour to Volunteer Point on the Falkland Islands.

 

Our second itinerary change includes missing Puerto Madryn where we also had a penguin tour scheduled. Very sad to miss it. After all of the drama, the tender was left at the Falkland Islands. The davit was not repaired, and as a result of these failures, we have to skip Puerto Madryn. We must dock at Montevideo, because that is where the ship is resupplied.

 

When we were going to miss Elephant Island (in the first itinerary change), we were told “no worries, there’s nothing to see there, anyway.” Now, Elephant Island is back on the itinerary, and now it’s “how wonderful we get to see this scenic island!” Yes sireee! Sell it and say it like you mean it! Also, we are having an overnight stop in Ushuaia.

 

We heard from our tour guide in Ushuaia that we can do our penguin tour on Sat., the day we are now scheduled to be there! At least one of our three tours will work out.

 

To understate our feelings, we are very disappointed we are not going to Puerto Madryn.

 

We enjoyed the rest of our day on board. It was still warm enough (warmer than at home) to have lunch on our balcony.

 

The show this evening was a tribute to Michael Jackson by ICE. We were really looking forward to it. It was a huge disappointment. The guy was an OK dancer, but his singing left much to be desired. The musicality was so poor; we could barely recognize MJ’s most iconic songs, such as Billy Jean, Beat It, Thriller, etc.

 

Feb. 21, 2014 Friday Patagonia Cruising Beagle Channel Glaciers

 

The power of Glaciers is still creating the earth’s surface.

 

High 48/Low 37: partly cloudy with scattered showers. Sunrise 6:10 AM/Sunset 9:25 PM.

 

We started cruising through Beagle Channel at noon. We saw several glaciers, & waterfalls. Beagle channel is a strait in the archipelago island chain of Tierra del Fuego on the extreme southern tip of South America partly in Chile and partly in Argentina. The Channel’s eastern area forms part of the border between Chile and Argentina and the western area is entirely within Chile. Beagle Channel was formed by glaciers, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

 

The Beagle Channel, the Straits of Magellan to the north, and the open ocean Drake Passage to the south are the three navigable passages around South America between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. The Beagle Channel and the Straights of Magellan are both very narrow passages which limit the size and types of ships that can safely use them; hence, most commercial shipping is done through the Drake Passage.

 

The Beagle Channel is 150 mi. long and about 3 mi. wide at its narrowest point. The biggest settlement on the channel is Ushuaia in Argentina followed by Puerto Williams in Chile, two of the most southernmost settlements in the world.

 

The cabin Steward came in and gave us our tote bag, then when he left, he locked the balcony door from the inside while we were outside. Luckily, John noticed, and got him to unlock it before leaving the cabin. A very cold disaster averted!

 

It has been chilly, windy, with periods of rain, and sunshine.

 

We had a great dinner this evening with a couple from Australia, a couple from England, and a couple from Whales. Very interesting conversation and great fun. This is the most international group of passengers we have ever cruised with. It’s so much fun talking to them!

 

We enjoyed the evening’s show. It is a variety of upcoming shows. We have much to look forward to.

 

Feb. 22, 2014 Saturday Ushuaia

 

High 54/Low 37 Partly cloudy. No rain until the evening. Sunrise 6:44 AM Sunset 8:49 PM.

 

We are a mere 750 mi. from Antarctica!

 

We docked in Ushuaia last night at 10:00 PM. We got off the ship early today and walked around town. The town is set against a backdrop of snow-capped peaks. It is a cosmopolitan haven at the end of the world. It is the southernmost city in the world. Ushuaia has a lot of rain each year, and is very windy all year round. Today, there was NO wind, very unusual. It was a very pleasant day. It was cloudy, with some periods of sun.

 

We did Pira Tour (pronounced Pier-a – all short vowel sounds). I would highly recommend them. We boarded a modern bus at 11:00 AM and drove about 1.5 hrs. The road was scenic, a bit bumpy, but not bad at all. If you have trouble with car sickness, you might want to take some medication with you. Also take your own water and food. You will not have an opportunity to eat until you return to Ushuaia. You can safely leave a backpack on the bus. We drove to a small whale museum, where half of the group was dropped off, while the other half went to see the penguins. In an hour, the groups were switched.

 

At the dock we boarded a Zodiac which was covered, and took a 15 min. boat ride across the Beagle Channel. We brought an old pair of athletic shoes to wear, as you walk in penguin dung, mud, and could get wet if it were raining. We plan on throwing these shoes away on the ship. We were required to stay together, and to follow the tour guide on a set path. Penguins dig holes in the earth for their nests. Beware of where you step. You could step into one of these holes. I stepped in one, slid on the muddy surface and fell. I was not injured. Some of the holes are deep and small, real ankle breakers.

 

There were 17,000 penguins on the island. We saw King, Magellanic, and Gentoo penguins. Penguins were feeding in the water, trumpeting, waddling, flapping their fins, etc. There were some juveniles who still had their baby feathers. It was so exciting and fun. Our leader advised that if a penguin is interacting with you, but turns its back on you, you should move to the side. Penguins can spray, like cats, if they are upset. After the zodiac ride back, we boarded the bus to drive back to Ushuaia. They stopped once at a scenic place, so we could get off the bus and take pictures. The trees are affected by the high winds in this area, similar to the Falkland Islands. We arrived back in Ushuaia at 5:30 PM. We shopped for World’s End t-shirts, Antarctica hats, and penguin figurines made Argentine national stone, Rhodochrosite.

 

The show tonight was a concert pianist from Great Britain, David Scofield. He was excellent.

 

Feb. 23, 2014 Sunday Cape Horn At Sea

 

High 41/Low 46 Sunrise 6:39 Sunset 8:48 Partly sunny. 6-9 ft. waves

 

At 5:55 AM we sailed by the southern tip of Cape Horn. John was taking pictures from our balcony. The Dutch were the first to successfully sail around Cape Horn in 1616. Ironically, it took another 200 years for the continent of Antarctica to be discovered, even though it lay just 400 miles to the south.

 

Tonight’s show is “Boogie Wonderland” It’s a Disco 1970’s show. It was OK.

 

Feb. 24, 2014 Monday Cruising Schollaert Channel, Gerlache Strait, & Paradise Bay Antarctica

 

High 41/Low 26 wind 10 knots (Very light wind today.) Winds can exceed 180 knots. Sunrise 6:10 Sunset 8:43. Overcast No rain.

 

We entered Schollaert Channel about 10:00 AM. We turned into the Gerlache Strait about 11:15. There are over 130 tide water glaciers in Gerlache Strait. We have seen several killer & Minka whales, but they are not breaching. The ocean has abundant food, so they do not need to dive deep. We saw a few sea lions, and one colony of penguins.

The icebergs are on the small size and plentiful. We saw an ice field, next to the wake of the ship. There were many sea caves, glaciers, blue ice, and ice shelves. There was an Argentine & Chilean Research station.

 

We were at the southernmost position of our cruise at 2:40 PM. The coordinates are

64⁰ 51.3125 South’, 62⁰ 56.4510’ West. From now on, we will be heading north.

 

The same cabin attendant that locked us out on the balcony while viewing the Beagle Channel, did it again. He asked if he could clean the room. We said yes. He came on the balcony and wiped the outside of the balcony door, and the hand railing, then locked the door from the inside. He didn’t even clean the cabin. No worries. Everybody was out on their balconies. We passed our key to our fun neighbors from New York, and they came over to unlock the balcony door. We won’t give him a third chance!

 

After leaving Paradise Bay, once we got into the open sea, we got about an inch of snow and it is very foggy. People from Australia and other areas that have never seen snow were very excited. They built a snow penguin, had snowball fights, and some were in the hot tub, with the snow falling on them. For us, the novelty was having snow fall on a cruise ship. Other than that, we left a boatload of snow behind, and weren’t particularly enthusiastic about it.

 

The show this evening is a singer, Laura Broad, from the UK. She was a semifinalist on their version of American Idol. She should have won, in my opinion. She was amazing.

 

We had a great evening at a 50’s sock hop with a couple from New Zealand and a fun gal from Switzerland.

 

Feb. 25, 2014 Tuesday Elephant Island Antarctica

 

High 35/Low 26 Overcast with periods of sun 35 knot winds with 12 ft. waves. Sunrise 6:10 AM Sunset 8:43 PM

 

On our way from Paradise Bay to Elephant Island, the ship entered the Gerlache Strait followed by the Brasfield Strait and passed several islands beginning with Isla Amberes, followed by Isla Brandante, Low Island, Deception Island, Robert Island, Nelson Island, and King George Island.

As we approached Elephant Island, there was a massive iceberg attached to the Island. We could also see Endurance Glacier, which was huge. We stopped dead in the water for an hour. We made a 360 turn, and exited the area. As the ship was leaving, we had a great view of Elephant Island, the iceberg and Endurance Glacier from our balcony. The sun was shining on all of them! Elephant Island got its name due to the abundance of elephant seals living on the island.

 

As we left the shelter of island, the wind increased so there was sea spray creating rainbows. The water was as blue as it is in the Caribbean. The Captain cut our viewing time short by an hour because there was a storm approaching. He used the maximum safe speed to leave the area and get ahead of the storm.

 

There was a pod of whales that approached the bow of the ship. There were elephant seals and penguins in the water and lying on the iceberg. We saw several species of sea birds.

 

We headed North through the Drake Passage. The wind and waves increased significantly throughout the day. They closed access to the outside decks. Before the decks were closed, John & I walked out on deck 11. The wind was so strong, it pushed John into me. By late afternoon the waves were about 18 ft. By about 9 PM they were 20ft. The boat is really rocking!

 

The show tonight was supposed to be ‘The Man from Mars a Cirque Journey performer. Portions of the show are acrobatic. But the ship had too much movement due to the waves. Instead they sandbagged a grand piano on the stage, so it wouldn’t slide around. David Scofield, the concert pianist from the UK, performed a wonderful concert. The curtains on the stage were a distraction, because they were swaying with the motion of the ship. There was a wonderful evening of music by a band playing ‘British Invasion’ music. A few hearty souls tried to dance, but soon gave up. The ship was too rocky to keep your balance. We did enjoy the music.

 

Feb. 26, 2014 Wednesday At Sea

 

Quote of the day…Technology provides information but has no wisdom.

 

High 50/Low 34 Wind 25 knots Waves 10ft. Sunrise 5:54 AM Sunset 7:43 PM

 

It is 1,650 mi. from Elephant Island to our next port of Montevideo Uruguay.

The sun was shining clear and bright all morning. About 1:00 it turned foggy, but burned off in a couple of hours. We enjoyed our balcony and had a lazy day.

 

The show was a Tango dance show. It was OK. There was a 60’s dance Party last night. “Grove” It was very popular and a lot of fun.

 

We moved our clocks forward an hour in anticipation of our next port of call Montevideo Uruguay. Therefore the next couple of days the sunset time will be affected by the time change.

 

Feb. 27, 2014 Thursday At Sea

 

High 61/Low 48 Wind 35 knots 12 ft. waves Sunrise 7:10 AM Sunset 8:30 PM

 

Beautiful sunny day. We’re enjoying the warm sun & blue sky from our balcony. We had dinner with a lively group. One couple was from South Carolina, an Aussie, and a New Zealander.

 

We saw our first sunset in several days. We sat on our balcony and watched the stars last night. We saw the Southern Cross.

 

The show tonight was “Broadway” with the Celebrity Singers & dancers. It was good.

 

February 28, 2014 Friday At Sea

 

High mid 60’s/ lows mid 50’s. Sunny Winds 8 knots. Sunrise 7:12 Sunset 8:20

 

There’s nor virus on board. Sure hope we don’t get it. Flying on an airplane while being that ill would be absolutely miserable. We’ve heard 2 % of the ships passengers were ill.

 

The show tonight was Man From Mars…Cirque Journey. It was good.

 

There was a sunset tonight, too. We sat on the balcony with a drink, gazing at the Milky Way. Doesn’t get any better than this! It looks so vast and bright when you see it from the middle of the ocean. It was a memorable evening.

 

March 1, 2014 Saturday Montevideo

 

High 75/Low 63 Sunny. Sunrise 7:32 Sunset 8:22

 

Finally stepped foot on land again! We got off the ship about 10:00 AM. We did a self-guided walking tour. We walked along the Rambla (a nice walk along the oceanfront) then turned into the city. We enjoyed several plazas and shopping bazars. We stopped in a Burger King to use the facilities. We noticed a Whopper meal cost $240 UR$ pesos. Montevideo has some great architecture. The people are very friendly and we felt safe.

 

This is our last night. We have to pack! We plan on getting the packing done early, so we can enjoy the evening.

 

We had the classic drink package. We got 2 bottles of water and 2 sodas to take with us tomorrow on our Buenos Aires Tour. It was a good thing we got them ahead of time, because we could not have gotten them the morning we docked. We left some internet time unused, because the internet was down much of the time, and was extremely slow if it was up.

 

The show tonight “A Voyage to Remember” The Man from Mars a Cirque Journey Performer, vocalist Paul Rich and the amazing vocalist Laura Broad from the UK will be performing. It was a fun show.

 

March 2, 2014 Sunday Buenos Aires

 

We booked a ship excursion the first day onboard, ‘the best of Buenos Aires,’ trip to an Estancia with lunch and drop off at the airport for $129.00 US$ pp. We were concerned about luggage security. When we first asked about luggage security the guy told us our luggage would be taken to the airport, and left on a sidewalk outside the airport, unsupervised. We were very concerned about this. We had dinner with one of the lecturers, and he said that was not true. He did this excursion before, and encouraged us to go back and speak with them again. We did go back to the shore excursions desk. This time we were told they would give us specific luggage tags to place on our bags. Our luggage would be transported by bus to the airport. It would be placed on a sidewalk outside the airport, but a Celebrity employee(s) would be watching it the entire day. We booked the tour with fingers crossed.

 

We placed our luggage outside our room the last night. We did not pack any valuables or electronics in our luggage. We packed all of that in our backpack and carried it with us. We could safely leave the backpack on the bus. We boarded the bus at 8:00 AM. We went to several locations in Buenos Aires, including the Pink Palace, Little Rome, and a Cathedral but not the grave yard.

 

We stopped at a leather store. Cattle and leather are a big part of the Argentine economy.

 

The Estancia was about an hour from Buenos Aires. We saw a Walmart, McDonalds, and many other American businesses. An Estancia is like a big cattle ranch. Gauchos are like cowboys. When we arrived, we started off with a snack and drink. There was some dancing. Then you could ride in a horse drawn wagon, or ride a horse. I rode in the wagon. John rode a horse for as far as the horse decided to go. I guess the horse was tired. The horse didn’t go far! A Gaucho had to get the horse and bring John back.

 

There was a huge BBQ pit where they were cooking steaks, chicken, and ribs. There was a large dining room with tables set with white tablecloths. The food was plentiful and absolutely delicious. If you ever have the opportunity to eat an Argentine steak, DO. It is so tender and flavorful. It just melted in your mouth. They served all you can eat/drink wine, beer, soda, bread, salad, potato salad, steak, chicken, ribs, and ice cream with blue berries. They should sell a cookbook with their recipes. The ribs didn’t have BBQ sauce on them, but spices. They were absolutely perfect. I wish I had skipped the snack, bread, etc. and saved more room for the delicious meat.

 

The Gauchos played some amazing guitar. I do mean amazing! They also did some local dancing. They had a goal post type of thing and the Gauchos road their horse at it full speed, trying to spear a gold ring hanging from the top. If they speared the ring, they presented it to a lady in the crowd. The lady had to kiss the Gaucho. But if she is married, her husband had to kiss the Gauchos horse. It was a very fun afternoon. We’re glad we did the tour.

 

We returned by bus and were dropped at EZE airport about 5 PM. Our luggage was on a sidewalk outside of the airport. It was on an island. Some airports have islands, like one for hotels shuttles, another for long term parking shuttles, another for taxis etc. There were so many Celebrity passengers searching for their luggage at once, I couldn’t tell if there was a Celebrity employee watching it or not. Our luggage was there, and was not tampered with. So, it all worked out.

 

When we went through security, I was given a body search, and John was not.

Our flight did not start boarding until 9:40 and was scheduled to leave at 10:30 PM. We found a scale and weighed our luggage. We had to rearrange things to get both suitcases under the weight limit. I carried on the Penguin figurines with no problem.

 

We flew United BA to Houston. They set up a table with about 6 inspectors at the gate where we boarded the plane, and opened every bag, and inspected everything, before boarding the plane. I was given yet another full body search and my shoes were inspected. John breezed right through and had to wait for me. It was an uneventful flight home.

 

Drum Roll Please!

Distance traveled by AIR

Indianapolis to Houston 845

Houston to Buenos Aires 5075

Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls 655

Iguazu Falls to Buenos Aires 655

Buenos Aires to Houston 5075

Houston to Indianapolis 845

AIR Total 13,150

 

Distances Traveled by cruise ship

Buenos Aires Argentine to Port Stanly, Falkland Islands 1366

Beagle Channel 173

Ushuaia Argentina 652

Cape Horn Chili 115

Schollaert Strait

And Paradise Bay 650

Elephant Island, Antarctica 376

Montevideo, Uruguay 1858

Buenos Aires, Argentina 160

Cruise Total 5350

GRAND TOTAL!!!! 18,500

Measured in miles

1 nautical mile = 1.15 land miles

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One point I'd like to make. We had cabin 7192 - aft - in the middle. It was a great place to view the scenery and take pictures. However, the corner balconies that jut out on the back of the ship on every deck were in many of our pictures. I use Picasa and was able to crop them out, in some cases. My suggestion....get the balcony on the corner, or the one right next to it. I assume you'd be able to shoot your photos over the extended balcony if you were in the cabin right next to it.

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  • 1 month later...
One point I'd like to make. We had cabin 7192 - aft - in the middle. It was a great place to view the scenery and take pictures. However, the corner balconies that jut out on the back of the ship on every deck were in many of our pictures. I use Picasa and was able to crop them out, in some cases. My suggestion....get the balcony on the corner, or the one right next to it. I assume you'd be able to shoot your photos over the extended balcony if you were in the cabin right next to it.

 

My suggestion would be to take an expedition cruise and find yourself in the middle of penguins rather than the middle (or corner) of the ship.

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Yes it sounds as if you made the very best of it. We were on an expedition ship in January and saw your vessel - it was stopped in the water and loads of people were out taking pictures. We cruised on by then went through the pack ice to an Argentine base - and we were the first ship that had got through for over a year. Gosh those guys were so pleased to see us and we had a great stop there , despite the usual fur seals being a bit aggressive and chasing us!

So my advice, as above, save up the pennies and get yourself down there on something small but get ashore everywhere on the zodiacs. We saved solid for 2 years but it was worth it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Thank you for this wonderful review. I am taking this trip 2/15/15, so all your information was relevant for me. I really appreciated the weather reports; it gives me a better idea of how to pack. Did they have the usual formal nights on this trip?

 

Carolyn

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  • 1 month later...

Was so excited to see your post. My wife, my sister, and I are taking that cruise in Feb 2015 and really did not know what to expect. Your most excellent post has been very informative.

 

Do have questions about what kind of clothing to pack. Loved the suggestion about the throw-away tennis shoes. Did not realize how cold and rainy and snowy it would get. Suggestions about clothing and shoes?

 

Again, many thanks for your post.

 

Jack

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We took layers. A waterproof jacket with a lining & hood. It would keep you warm if the temp was 40 degrees. Then under that fleece or sweatshirt, long johns - depending on how cold/windy it was. We also took warm socks, gloves, hat, etc. We used regular athletic shoes outside and the old pair we took for penguin doo, then threw away. We took 4 sets of warm weather clothing & 4 sets of cold weather clothing each. We sent out our laundry a couple of times. We packed one outfit each for formal night. It worked well for us. We each had one carry on and one suitcase. Hope this helps.

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  • 4 weeks later...

JJ, thanks for a very good repost. I didn't think Puerto Madryn was that much. The only thing I remember is Ernest Borgnine being with us and being exceptionally nice. This was way back in 2004. We did not get across the Drake at that time.

My wife would not go on the trip I did to Antarctica so I had to go alone.

 

Maybe we can get the Infinity and she might go.

========================================

ANTARCTICA

ANTARCTICA EXPEDITION I had wanted to go to Antarctica before and almost got it scheduled when one of the ships sank when it hit an iceberg and my wife talked me out of it. A few years went by and time helps cure things and she said I could go so I got it scheduled.

 

This was a wonderful experience. I left Monroe, La on Nov. 22, 2009 and arrived in Punta Arenas on Nov. 23 some 29 hours later. I returned from Punta Arenas on Dec. 3 arriving in Monroe on Dec 4 some 30 hours later. I list it as an Expedition rather than a cruise since it was hard and I could not make it all the way to the top of some of the climbs to penguin rookeries because I just gave out. There were plenty of penguins all around that I did not have to go to the top.

 

The ship was the Professor Multanovskiy built in 1982 for Russian oceanographic and polar studies. It was converted to a tourism ship and it is not a luxury cruiser but is comfortable. It is 249 ft long, 42 ft wide and draft of 15ft. It has two side by side engines with over 3076 total hp and a single screw, a bow thruster and can run on one or two engines. Its cruising speed is 10 knots. It has passive stabilizers only. It is not classified as an Ice Breaker, but has an Ice re-enforced hull.

 

The night before departure in Punta Arenas we were fitted for boots and given instructions on how to get in and out of the Zodiacs. We were suppose to have breakfast at 8 AM, but got a wake up call at 6:30 AM and told to hustle since we had a weather window to take off from Punta Arenas to land at King George Island before weather moved in.

 

The ships passenger capacity was 49 and had 32 crew, but we only had 25 passengers on this trip so the BAE 146 plane from Punta Arenas to King George Island had plenty of room and the ship was not crowded. We used only one of the two dining rooms for meals.

 

Of the 25 passengers there were only three of us from the US and we wished each other Happy Thanksgiving. Other countries represented were Holland, England, Australia, Israel, Spain, Russia, Germany, Italy, Chile and Argentina.

 

We did two landings daily, weather permitting and we had beautiful weather except for the gale across the Bransfield Strait and fog at Deception Island which would have been beautiful if the weather would have been nice. We had one day when at Neko Island the chop was too bad to launch Zodiacs so we just moved to another bay.

 

Saw thousands of penguins, skuas, giant petrols, many minke whales and orca whales. One orca got just under the bow and I have a picture of it under the water swimming. Saw several Weddell seals and a Leopard Seal. The little Snow Petrols were very curious and would actually come up and bite on your gloves. Penguins kept their distance and we kept distance. If we saw any seals on land with us we definitely kept our distance, since seals can be aggressive.

 

We visited King George Island, Ardley Island, Mikkelson Harbour, Herrera Channel to Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel to Peterman Island (the southern most extension of our trip), Paradise Bay, Danko Island, Brown Landing (Antarctica Peninsula proper), Deception Bay back to King George Island.

On the way back we got into a full gale across the Bransfield Strait that gave a rough ride. The crew used the term “the ship will move tonight”. The roll threw one man out of a chair when the ship rolled to 30 deg crossing the Bransfield Strait. My bunk was cross ways or I would have probably been thrown out. I just slid from head to foot as she rolled. Scopace tablets worked to prevent seasickness.

 

We got back to Maxwell Bay at the Fildes Peninsula of King George Island on time (Dec. 1, 2009) but we could not get out because the runway was covered with 15cm of ice. We spent an extra night on the ship and got out the next day. Antarctica XXI was superb in changing all flight connections. BTW the satellite phone worked very well from the ship, but cost was about $5/min.

 

To fill the morning while we waited on the plane the Antarctica XXI people arranged a visit to the King Sejong Korean scientific station and they seemed very happy to have us visit. I have video from the ship of their snow plow cleaning a place for us to walk from the dock to a building.

 

On two occasions we did a Zodiac cruise only where the three Zodiacs went out and by radio communication one would report wild life sightings and we would creep up on them. The scenery was magnificent. I have never seen so many beautiful icebergs. One day at breakfast while we were anchored we heard and felt a thump. Either we had drifted into an iceberg while at anchor or the iceberg drifted into us. No big deal, we just use the single screw and bow thruster to work away from it.

 

As I said it was a hard trip taking 29 hours to get to Punta Arenas, Chile the departure point and 30 hours to get back from Punta Arenas. The flight across the Drake Passage of 600 miles was better than crossing it by ship.

 

I found that having automatic dimming prescription glasses was not an asset. They got so dark I couldn’t see where I was going and I would suggest one use regular prescription glasses with snow goggles over them for light protection. The brighter it got, the darker my glasses got until I was almost blind.

 

I was never really cold because I followed directions and dressed properly. I had a waterproof bag for my cameras and it saved me once when we hit a wave in the Zodiac and everyone got sprayed, but it happened only once. Skin protection for the face is a must because it can take only a few hours and your face is burned. I found my best dress was two pairs of socks, silk longs, blue jeans and rain suit pants which gave excellent wind protection and maintained dryness on the wet pontoons that we sat on in the Zodiacs. The last layer of waterproof goes outside the boots. Insulated hunting type pants (waterproof) also worked well over the silks or thermals. A down jacket with hood and baseball cap took care of the top with under garments and warm shirt. The baseball cap kept the hood from falling over my eyes and helped keep sprinkles off of the glasses. Glove liners were best and I used outside gloves attached to the coat with the little clippie things. One had to take off the outer gloves to manipulate the cameras with the glove liners and the clip things kept you from loosing the outer glove. On a recommendation from another article I used inserts in the boots and I think it helped a great deal. The baseball cap should have a safety tie to catch it if the wind blows it off. There is a lot of wind in Antarctica.

 

The ship was maintained at 70 deg F and we could open the porthole if we got too hot. The temperature was only about 0 C but when the wind blew it would drop to chill factor of -15C. Water temperature was around 0.5 Deg. C. so we tried very hard not to fall in and no one did. I was the oldest passenger on this trip and probably the slowest when we went ashore, but was just too happy to let the youngsters pass me up. I had a wonderful time.

Added: December 22nd 2009

Reviewer: scapel

Score:

Related Link: PICTURES

http://cid-f6fe23a6e5a9ec3f.photos.live.com/browse.aspx/ANTARCTICA%20NOV.%2022-DEC.4%5EJ%202009

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  • 3 weeks later...
I just wanted to post my thanks for your excellent review of the trip. My DH and I are booked on the trip for Feb 2016 and I now have a better idea of what to take and what to expect.

 

Barb

 

Thanks for posting that you enjoyed it. You are in for a wonderful trip how ever you go. Good luck.

https://onedrive.live.com/?cid=F6FE23A6E5A9EC3F&id=F6FE23A6E5A9EC3F%21302

This was our Infinity trip in 2004 around cape horn

Edited by scapel
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  • 1 year later...

You have written one of the best reviews I have read about this cruise. You were so informative and have a great skill in writing. My husband and I leave February 14, 2016 on this same cruise. Thanks for all of the great information and encouragement!!

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  • 8 months later...
  • 2 months later...
Thanks for your review. When you went to the falls did you have to worry about the moisture in regards to your camera? I'd hate to lose my camera to moisture on the first days of my trip.

 

Yes, I did put a plastic bag over the camera. There was a lot of mist. If you had a big coat on you could probably stuff it in side and just take it out to do a quick shot.

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  • 10 months later...

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