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LIVE from the Grand Princess - 49 days from FLL thru South America to SFO

Pia1913

By Pia1913,
in Princess Cruises

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Pia1913

Pia1913

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Happy Wednesday and welcome to another day at sea and extremely cold weather. I know temps are lower today than yesterday and I’m not venturing out to inspect. I felt better so decided to get back on treadmill this morning. Wobbly seas and still partially stuffed head/chest only allowed 12 minutes. It will improve.

　

I don’t think I’ve really mentioned the band Latin Connection and just want to say they are very good. They play in Explorer’s and while waiting for the game show last night we really had a chance to appreciate their music. As for the game show, they put names in a bucket and mine didn’t get drawn. I’ve never been much good with lotteries anyway. Even though I didn’t play, there were lots of laughs and I’ll try to enter on the next cruise.

　

Do you want to learn to waltz or line dance? You can do so today. How about relieving back pain and reverse the signs of facial aging? That’s today too. Horse racing? Texas Hold Em’? Bingo? Art Auction? So many choices.

　

Other than the above there’s the destination lecture on Punta Arenas, Chile and a lecture: Wreck of the Batavia - A story of murder, mayhem and mutiny. Another lecture later on is Space Travel and the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Life. Since I just mentioned Chile, for those who don’t know, there is no gambling allowed in Chilean waters so the casino will close down after we depart Ushuaia.

　

At approx. 3:45 we should be doing scenic cruising around Cape Horn for at least one hour. Hopefully we can view this from our balcony so as to run in and out if the weather is too cold.

　

Tonight’s entertainment is the fantabulous (hahaha) Motor City in Vista and a combo of the Elton John tribute guy (never did find out if he played the piano) and the comic (Richie Minervini) who I missed because I was sick as a dog that night. Will try again tonight. A late movie in the theater is Beasts of the Southern Wild and there’s nothing on tap for MUTS. I wonder why.

　

Sali: we had Ron as our CD a few months ago and so knew he would be on the new Royal. He was trying to get his deputy Ryan to go with him, but I guess it didn’t work out.

Re: Captain. I will ask him when I see him at the next luncheon whether or not he's getting off in SF. I would imagine if you received notice of another captain, then that's who it will be.

Time for breakfast.

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san diego sue

san diego sue

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Pia,

Must be getting sympathy cold weather here in San Diego, it is hailing

right now and freezing cold.

Stay warm my friend.I know how freezing cold it is going around the Cape. If you are lucky, no wind. We had freezing cold in Dec. but with no wind, beautiful to be on deck.Panoramic views from up top Sun deck.

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Sunviking

Sunviking

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Really enjoying your Live from, Pia, and very happy that you're feeling better. Hopefully your trip around the Horn will be smooth.

 

As for gambling in Chilean waters, I understand that Chile has passed legislation allowing it. Here's a link to an article about the Crystal Serenity being the first ship licensed to operate its casino while sailing there.

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/11/07/crystal-serenity-licensed-to-operate-a-casino-while-in-chilean-waters

 

I guess Princess hasn't done the necessary paperwork (or paid the fees) yet.

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ppgote3

ppgote3

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Thanks for the response. I hope you get the chance to ask the capitan. I remember my first and only cruise aboard the maden voyage of Carnival Facination in 1994 and how the capitan is the only one I remember because he played such an important role in our happiness! thanks paul.

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fairsky1984

fairsky1984

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That will be blocked as it from an agent. However on that site, all positions of ships are scheduled positions and are fed into the computer well before the cruise. It does not show actual position and can not cope with any cahnge to the scheduled itinerary.

 

 

Got it, David. Thanks. :o

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Julia’s Journey’s

Julia’s Journey’s

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Really enjoying your Live from, Pia, and very happy that you're feeling better. Hopefully your trip around the Horn will be smooth.

 

As for gambling in Chilean waters, I understand that Chile has passed legislation allowing it. Here's a link to an article about the Crystal Serenity being the first ship licensed to operate its casino while sailing there.

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/11/07/crystal-serenity-licensed-to-operate-a-casino-while-in-chilean-waters

 

I guess Princess hasn't done the necessary paperwork (or paid the fees) yet.

 

I'm sure the fees are pretty high :)

 

Glad you are feeling better Pia and that you missed Stanley!!

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SeaTheWorldBySea

SeaTheWorldBySea

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As for gambling in Chilean waters, I understand that Chile has passed legislation allowing it. Here's a link to an article about the Crystal Serenity being the first ship licensed to operate its casino while sailing there.

http://en.mercopress.com/2012/11/07/crystal-serenity-licensed-to-operate-a-casino-while-in-chilean-waters

 

I guess Princess hasn't done the necessary paperwork (or paid the fees) yet.

 

Not sure how this all plays out but TracieABD posted on her last sea day - heading in to Valparaiso:

My mom went to make a donation to the Princess Fund for Needy Casinos....
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Pia1913

Pia1913

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Around the Horn; rocks, rocks and more rocks, most of which are obscured by haze. Actually I’m surprised it didn’t rain, since we had black skies on and off since early morning. On the starboard side we had views and then raced around to the port side to see more. Nothing different over there except windier, so back to the comforts of our cabin and its views. We are disappointed. Expected to see snow capped mountains. Not. There’s commentary, but the only decent one is by Sammi since Julio is just as hard to understand as when he does his in person lectures. Sammi said she saw an albatross, but we didn’t. Just like Mike saw birds swooping in to catch fish and I missed that too. She also informed us that we should be going thru Glacier Alley about 4 hours after departure tomorrow. It’s not on the regular schedule, but the captain wants to give us an extra treat so will go into the channel. And yes, we will still have daylight.

　

　

Horizon Ct. remains impossibly cold since doors keep opening and closing. Hard to eat when you’re frozen. We ran from there lunchtime and went to DaVinci instead. Best lunch for me so far; chicken wings appetizer, ribs and fries as entrée. Yum.

There was unbelievable action in the Piazza; spa personnel doing makeovers, massages, hair, etc. Good marketing with a raffle too. They got lots of people signing up for services.

I must mention the supposed 2 PM cold weather sale that was to take place midship on Lido. There must have been over 200 people waiting, but no merchandise. They eventually showed up, but I had left at 2:20. Mike went back to investigate (heaven forbid he should miss a sale) and of course there was very little available and what was, was the same stuff as on racks outside the shops. Someone asked for gloves and was told they were sold out. Baloney! They never had any to sell. One passenger was looking for a jacket, since he didn’t take one with him. He thought it would be summer. :rolleyes:

　

Wine time is starting earlier today. Need to warm our bones. :D

Over and out until tomorrow.

P.S. No clue of art director's name. Never paid attention if/when I heard it and it's not in the Patter.

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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Around the Horn; rocks, rocks and more rocks, most of which are obscured by haze. Actually I’m surprised it didn’t rain, since we had black skies on and off since early morning. On the starboard side we had views and then raced around to the port side to see more. Nothing different over there except windier, so back to the comforts of our cabin and its views. We are disappointed. Expected to see snow capped mountains. Not. There’s commentary, but the only decent one is by Sammi since Julio is just as hard to understand as when he does his in person lectures. Sammi said she saw an albatross, but we didn’t. Just like Mike saw birds swooping in to catch fish and I missed that too. She also informed us that we should be going thru Glacier Alley about 4 hours after departure tomorrow. It’s not on the regular schedule, but the captain wants to give us an extra treat so will go into the channel. And yes, we will still have daylight.

 

 

　

　

Horizon Ct. remains impossibly cold since doors keep opening and closing. Hard to eat when you’re frozen. We ran from there lunchtime and went to DaVinci instead. Best lunch for me so far; chicken wings appetizer, ribs and fries as entrée. Yum.

 

 

There was unbelievable action in the Piazza; spa personnel doing makeovers, massages, hair, etc. Good marketing with a raffle too. They got lots of people signing up for services.

 

 

 

I must mention the supposed 2 PM cold weather sale that was to take place midship on Lido. There must have been over 200 people waiting, but no merchandise. They eventually showed up, but I had left at 2:20. Mike went back to investigate (heaven forbid he should miss a sale) and of course there was very little available and what was, was the same stuff as on racks outside the shops. Someone asked for gloves and was told they were sold out. Baloney! They never had any to sell. One passenger was looking for a jacket, since he didn’t take one with him. He thought it would be summer. :rolleyes:

 

 

　

Wine time is starting earlier today. Need to warm our bones. :D

 

 

Over and out until tomorrow.

 

P.S. No clue of art director's name. Never paid attention if/when I heard it and it's not in the Patter.

 

Sound like a delish lunch. :D

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t60

t60

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Around the Horn; snip... Sammi said she saw an albatross, but we didn’t. ...snip.

 

I wonder if Sammi meant she say a live albatross or the albatross monument? This is from my diary when we rounded the Horn last year.. <The cape lies within Chilean territorial waters, and the Chilean Navy maintains a station on Hoorn Island, consisting of a residence, utility building, chapel, and lighthouse. A short distance from the main station is a memorial, including a large sculpture featuring the silhouette of an albatross, in honour of the sailors who died while attempting to "round the Horn". However, the Chilean Navy station, including the lighthouse and the memorial, are not located on Cape Horn itself (which is very difficult to access either by land or sea), but on another land point about one mile east-northeast. On the real Cape Horn there is a 13 foot fibre glass light tower with a range of about 13 miles.

 

Sandy in Spain

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Pia1913

Pia1913

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Do you recall my mentioning yesterday I had heard nothing pro or con about the Elton John tribute guy? Now I know why. This was a travesty; the very worst performer I have ever seen. In no way does he measure up to Elton John one iota. The only thing he has in common is the fact that he’s a Brit. Absolutely awful. I wonder who hired him. And why. The audience at times gave him perfunctory applause, and only a tiny bit of that. The comic? Not so comical. Maybe he only had one good show in him and it certainly wasn’t last night. Tina saw his first show and she said he had some funny stuff. He must have run out of it. We should have gone to Motor City. :)

　

Good Morning from Ushuaia; fin del Mundo - The end of the World. Sorry for the rant. Had to get rid of it first. The outside temp this morning is not as cold as yesterday, but don’t get me wrong. It’s still cold for us. Expected high will be about 52. We will be here until 4:00 so will wait a while before getting off. Then again, maybe a long while. The captain was not able to dock the ship and we will now have to tender. Pilot would not give permission due to tides. Elite will not get priority either and we have to get tender tix same as everyone else. Maybe the sun will come out and it will warm up a bit. Meanwhile, looking outside my window now are snowcapped mountains; what I expected to see yesterday. This is our 4th visit to this port and we’ve more or less done whatever sightseeing we were interesting in doing. We’ve been to Tierra del Fuego National Park, have seen Ensenada Bay (which overlooks the Beagle Channel), and also Lapetia Bay which is the last stop on the Pan American Hwy.

　

Not much happening on board during the day unless you count the afternoon movie Pitch Perfect. The scenic cruising through Glacier Alley should begin at 8:00 PM for approx. two hours. Sunset is supposed to be at 10 PM, so we expect to see many glaciers “up close and personal.” Sammi had announced yesterday that starboard was the best side and hooray!, we are starboard. Hope she’s right.

　

Entertainment tonight are two repeat acts; female singer Elvy Rose and pianist Chris Contillo. We will opt for glaciers. Again, MUTS will be silent.

　

BTW, I am falling apart; piece by piece. Can a chest cold give you a sprained foot? Just kidding. About three days ago I started having pain on the dorsum of my left foot. I didn’t knowingly twist anything, so just ignored it, as I usually do other things. This is probably coming from my spinal stenosis (yes, I have that which usually doesn’t bother me) and Mike used part of his “hospital” and strapped my foot and ankle last night. Also got strict instruction not to use treadmill. Yes Boss! Too early to ascertain whether I can walk far since I only made it to HC. Food first. I do need to walk into town to replenish a few things and hopefully this will not be a hindrance. Tune into the next installment.

Re Celsius: We were taught to double it and add 26 or 27. Cold is still cold.

No hurry here, so might as well go to breakfast.

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