"LIVE" with Sungirl in South America. HAL Zaandam Nov 8-22, 2015

[KCSungirl]

18 November - Cruising the Chilean fjords

 

Dear God or any higher spiritual power,

 

I want to give thanks for a few things this week.

1. Good Heat

2. the Buffette

3. a veranda

4. My version of the "Plastics" scene in The Graduate.

KCSungirl: I want to say just two words to you. Just two words.

Benjamin: Yes, ma'am

KCSungirl: Are you listening?

Benjamin: Yes, I am

KCSungirl: Grab Bars

 

OMG I never thought I would get to an age where grab bars seem like such a good idea. They are so helpful in the cabin bathrooms getting in and out of the tub/shower. I am grateful for a veranda. It's an expensive price point on HAL in this class of ship, but I wouldn't want to cruise without one. If PC acts up I can send him outside for timeout.

 

I woke up last night around 11:30pm chilling badly. Crap. That means fever. I immediately went to my pharmacy and found some Tylenol cold and sinus with expectorant. Slept like a baby. Did the same thing this am, but changed to Advil cold and sinus. I like to mix things up a bit! A nice hot shower and I am in business.

 

Scenic cruising started at 8am thru the Paso Shoal, Paso Summer, the Sarmiento Canal and later this evening the Canal Pitt and Canal Trinidad. We are making our way up the Chilean coast via fjords to the Lake district. We have crossed over the Southern Patagonian region to the Northern Patagonian region.

 

The lunch grill has hamburger and hot dogs. Decent. French fries are good. I enjoyed my fourth hot dog on a poppy seed bun today. Pretty hard to screw up a hot dog. The food is getting repetitive and boring, but nonetheless hot and tasty.

 

We collected our passports today. The ship held them until we were done entering Argentina. We also collected tender tickets for our next port. I had not done this previously because I have been booked on ships tours. I booked a private tour at the next port.

 

We made a detour today to visit a spectacular glacier - El Brujo. I am not sure if this is on the schedule for every cruise or if weather conditions permitted us to cruise there today. This glacier is massive. Runs 45 miles inland. Beautiful blue ice. I would say the ship got fairly close and made a super tight turn inside the fjord. Thrilling. Hottie Brett narrated the passage to the glacier. On the starboard side we got to face the glacier as me made the turn. No words to describe this experience. A once in a lifetime affair. We have been in and out of rain and snow all day. Earlier this am there were white out conditions. It's now evening and the temps will start to rise going North. The sun is trying to make an appearance also. Sunset is not until 9:33pm so days are getting longer.

 

Lots of shipboard activities today including BINGO. However, Bingo interfered with the glacier viewing. Some of today's shipboard activities included line dancing, martini tasting, scotch tasting, Napkin folding (another one that gets me giggling), and a flower tour. On top of all of the activities I listed yesterday.

 

Listing of the musicians in each lounge

 

Yolanda and the Hal Cats. Crow's Nest/Pool

Yolanda is great. Sings R&B, Jazz

Solo Guitarist Brian - the Mixx

Adagio - classical music duo. Where the sophisticated go.

The Neptunes - Ballroom Dance music

Don the Piano Man - I think he might be a werewolf. I noticed a heavy amount of hair growing all the way around and down his ear. He needs a wax.

 

I have to comment on the Fine Art at sea. This gives me the giggles too. I am not sure how many years some of these art pieces have been on the ship. Who buys this stuff? Don't want to offend anyone, but Thomas Kincaid is painted by Smurfs in a factory and Peter Max is so 70's. I did buy a painting one time on Windstar in the 90's by French painter Marcel Moully. I have treasured it. The Park West salesman on board is kind of used car salesman like. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

 

After a day full of beautiful and scenic cruising we made our way back to the buffette. The longer days are throwing off my circadian rhythms. I am getting tired, but since it is light outside, I don't think I should go to sleep. I had this problem in Alaska when it stayed light outside til midnight.

 

The production show this evening featured German multi instrumentalist Andy Buenger. His photo in the daily guide shows him holding a pan flute. This conjures up memories of Zamfir on those late night infomercials. What happened to Zamfir? I wasn't going to last long at the show if it was all pan flute. He played many instruments and was very talented. Another great evening in the Mondrian theater.

 

The fjords are breathtakingly gorgeous with the sun setting. The jury is still out on which is the better side of the ship. There are things I like about both sides. I will let you know the verdict at the end of the cruise

 

Rumor has it someone died on the ship. I have no reason to doubt this because when we were leaving for our airplane flight at 6:30am in Punta Arenas, there was an ambulance waiting for someone. On that note, I am going to knock myself out with the hard stuff - NyQuil and pray I wake up tomorrow . Too-da-loo as the cruise director says.

[Groningen]

Thank you for another great episode!

Could you please tell me how you attached your maps etc. to the walls?

Is the ship kept warm enough to wear short sleeved tops, even when it's freezing outside?

 

Thanks a lot!

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am just catching up on your thread.

Wonderful!!

[TiogaCruiser]

Thank you for another great episode!

Could you please tell me how you attached your maps etc. to the walls?

Is the ship kept warm enough to wear short sleeved tops, even when it's freezing outside?

 

Thanks a lot!

 

Not OP, but Poster Putty works really well. I usually hang a chart or map and my schedule.

[Groningen]

Thanks, TiogaCruiser!

[Lizzie68]

Your review is one of the best ever. No skimming, or I might miss another one of your pearls, LOL.:D Reading every word, and the photos - wow! I love the way you tell it like it is, no airbrushing.

[coach3]

Thank you for all of the updates. I will be going in a month and am enjoying hearing about each stop.

 

If you have a chance could you find out what the price of the thermal suite is for the entire cruise?

 

thanks again

[chloes nana]

Thank you for all of the updates. I will be going in a month and am enjoying hearing about each stop.

 

If you have a chance could you find out what the price of the thermal suite is for the entire cruise?

 

thanks again

not OP but we are doing this cruise in March and the thermal suite will cost us $767 for a couple, for the entire cruise.

[KCSungirl]

19 November - Cruising Fjords of Northern Patagonia

 

We cruised the open seas all night rocking and rolling. Good sleeping weather. We awoke to low visibility and rocky seas. At least the Captain doesn't have to blow the whistle every two minutes. We rolled out of bed at 10am to get to breakfast. PC has been bringing me beverage service every morning. He goes to the Explorations Cafe to get lattes and expresso. He is very sweet to always take care of my beverage needs - coffee, diet Coke, wine, and an occasional margarita.

 

We completely own the mansion (six person booth) in the back of the buffette. If anyone else sits there, we join them. We have met lots of international cruisers. It's interesting. We realized, however, the best people watching is in the main pool area to watch the fools in bathing suits. It's cold in that area. Not sure why people sit there. I also can't figure out people lying around in bathing suits at the pool on cold days. IMHO the only reason to don a swimsuit is to get a nice tan to cover up cellulite. People seem to enjoy the jacuzzis. I will keep my clothes on. Temperature is relative. Some people walk around in coats and some in t-shirts. It just depends on your own thermostat. Personally, I think it is cold in the public areas. PC and I wear a t-shirt with Northface fleece pullovers/zip ups. PC wears shorts, but that is a bit of a stretch. I have only seen a handful of people in shorts. Our cabin is nice and warm.

 

After breakfast, the machine crashed. Since we were cruising the open seas til 4:30pm, I was going to nap. I am trying hard to keep this chest congestion to a minimum. I had to skip Name that Tune trivia, but getting well was more important. PC enjoyed the afternoon reading in the cabin.

 

Princess has no status on HAL and it's not right. What am I missing? I did get invited to a Mariner brunch. I miss the perks of my status on Celebrity and Princess. It seems like a huge mountain to climb to obtain status on HAL. I will keep at it though.

 

The spa offers a special everyday. Usually a "pick three" kind of deal. The thermal suite is $40/day or $298/cruise. The thermal pool is a tiny jacuzzi. A disappointment if you are used to the bigger pools. The heated chaises are nice. I used them before my spa treatment.

 

I hesitated booking this cruise due to the number of sea days. Eight sea days in total. One of the gurus on the Princess forum - Keith, encouraged me. Keith, if you are reading this, thank you for pushing me. The sea days have been great and much needed.

 

Some of you that have traveled with me before on CC or Facebook, know how I love to decorate my cabins and hotel rooms. It usually consists of holiday decor and twinkle lights. The only room decor I have on this voyage are navigation maps which we enjoyed. I highly recommend going to Amazon and buying maps for this itinerary. I learned about the names of latitude - Roaring 40"s and Screaming 50's. So interesting. The seas are so rough in this part of the world Can't imagine in the wintertime.

 

After napping most of the afternoon (I even missed a meal!), I awoke to scenic cruising. The scenic cruising today was a disappointment. It was foggy and rainy. I am a little confused as to why we didn't have more scenic cruising with three sea days in a row. It doesn't make sense that we had to be on the open seas when there were many scenic passages. I know, I have a map! Another letter to the Captain.

 

Tonight is the third and final Gala night. I went all out and wore my gold sparkle Swatch watch. We went to the buffette early because they changed the show times tonight to 7pm and 9pm due to the 10pm Captains Masquerade party. The production show tonight was one of those I avoid - a mentalist. Alan Chamo, The Master of Mentalism. Alan looked like Pit Bull. He was a charming Argentine/Israeli, and now resides in Miami. He was actually very good, but I am pretty sure he has someone feeding him info into his ear. Linda, the cruise director, wore a beautiful red gown this evening. I wish I looked half that good. After the show we decide we looked respectable enough to go to the dining room for dessert. Chocolate lava cake and a Brownie stack. We decide to skip the Captain's party and go watch a movie in the cabin. We are so boring.

 

See you on shore tomorrow in the Lake District and Puerto Montt. The cruise has gone too fast as usual.

[Groningen]

I'm sorry you are not feeling well yet. Maybe you can sweat it out at your tropical post-cruise destination? I'm surprised too that you were out in the open sea for 3 days; there are indeed plenty of inside passages. The 21-day tour stops at 2 more ports in this area, I think.

I'm wondering whether you feel at all that you should have chosen the 21-day that includes Antarctica? Or would that have been too much?

Thank you for letting me know about the temperature in the public areas!

 

Take care!

[Groningen]

I'll be at REI tomorrow for another fleece!

[KCSungirl]

20 November - Welcome to Puerto Montt. It's raining

 

We had an early wake-up call this morning. I booked a private tour with a few fellow passengers I found on the CC roll call. The ship was running over 30 minutes late on getting clearance so we got a much later start than we wanted to. It rained steadily all day, but that NorthFace rain jacket with a hood kept my hair looking pretty decent.

 

Denis, our guide, and Rodriego, our driver were great. Denis was Russian and was so cute. We drove an hour outside of Puerto Montt to a national park to see the Petrohue' Falls and volcano, stopped for a delicious BBQ lunch, made a brief stop in Puerto Varas to visit the craft market, and back to the port to go to the fish market. The weather conditions were bad, so it was not as enjoyable as it could have been. Or as scenic. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the tour. If I were to tour this area again, I would go to the Argentine side and go to Bariloche. It seems nicer. I wasn't very impressed with this area. The weather is bad 90% of the time. Denis kept saying they pride themselves in having very pale skin. I am thinking as a tanorexic, we don't have a lot in common.

 

Back on the ship, they were having a South American BBQ at the pool. We had such a big lunch, we weren't hungry. Didn't stop me from grabbing a sausage at the grill.

We attended the final production show - Elements. I laughed at some of the costumes. The guys wore these shirts with muscles painted on. Kind of funny looking. As always I like the selections of music. PC wanted to go to the dining room for dessert again. He got two Brownie Stacks. He loves chocolate.

 

I had been thinking about the three sea days we just had and relatively speaking there was very little scenic cruising. I was looking at the map and wondering why we were in the open seas instead of the inside passages. This was a great opportunity to get face to face with hottie Brett, the location guide. The desperate housewife went downstairs to his office to chat. I told him I was his number one fan and also asked him to set me straight on the lack of scenic cruising. He verified the ship is too large to navigate the main inside passage. The NaviMag ferry from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt is small enough to make the scenic passage. Lower your expectations on the amount of scenic cruising.

 

Stick a fork in us, we are done. This cruise lizard is ready to move on. 12 days is about my maximum before I start getting tired of the repetition and food. I want Mexican food, a QT fountain drink and Jimmy Kimmel so bad. I need some Vitamin D and a tan. What was I thinking?

[Vict0riann]

You are so funny!:D But how can you possibly ever want to get off a ship?

[SilvertoGold]

Very amusing review!!

 

This board rarely gets anyone so non-HAL writing a live-review: this has been quite a treat!

 

Thanks very much for taking the time and putting in so much effort to make a one-of-a-kind review!!

Edited November 21, 2015 by SilvertoGold

[sunsetbeachgal]

Paige, so enjoying your review! Keep it coming!

 

Carole

[momilani]

Really enjoyed this blog and your videos - we're booked on the Zaandam holidays cruise. I really enjoy your humor, and the wardrobe tips. (Never thought of wearing Merrells with my ball gown before!)

 

Thanks for the preview of coming attractions!

[KCSungirl]

21 November Saturday - Let Sun Shine, Let the Sun Shine In! Heading toward the Tropics

 

Woke up totally rested and invigorated. Must be the fact the sun is shining and I am going on vacayshun. PC had a bit of a bellyache due to all of that sugar and chocolate last night. He will be eating light this afternoon.

 

I am smart enough to start packing a few days prior to disembarkation. I don't want to ruin the last day of my cruise stressing over how to fit all of my crap back into the luggage. I had to redistribute my clothing due to the change of locale and tropical weather. Costume change!

 

It's a legging day. I am pretty sure everything else I packed is too tight. If I was on this ship another week, I would have an additional chin on top of the two I already have. Now, when I wear leggings, I think of Wynonna Judd. That's all she wears to cover her subjects. My Michelin is becoming harder to cover, but hopefully I don't look as horsey as Wynonna. When I got on the elevator two old farts were flirting with me. I am hoping it was because they thought I was Catherine Deneuve, and not Wynonna Judd.

 

Since we eat in the buff-ette almost every meal, we develop relationships with the cooks and servers behind the line, as well as the beverage and bussing staff. These kids get very little time off and work every meal. They need some TLC and motherly love. Reach out to these kids, learn their names. Thank them for taking good care to load your plate too many calories.

 

The Griswolds made it to Wally World! It's Bingo time. 4 games, 6 cards, $35. It's computer generated so it's not as much fun as the old fashioned pop the ball out of the cage. The computer knows the winner before the winner. Civilized cruise lines like HAL use the punch out cards. What in heck is Princess doing using daubers? Another way to make money. Thinking I should leave the stupid dauber behind. Didn't win anything, but had fun trying.

 

The Captain. Ooh La La! A tall, Dutch, hunk of a man. Wouter van Hoogdalem. Looks like my kid brother. Around 42 years old. Very young for a captain. I had not seen him around the ship, so today I was going to meet him. Unfortunately it's too late for a relationship, but I can still get the selfie. A Q& A session with the five big bosses was featured in the Mondriaan lounge at 2pm. This was great. Some of the questions were awesome and then some passengers like to show up to bitch about something. Inappropriate IMHO. It'a supposed to be questions about the ship, navigation, procedures, etc. Some idiot had a rant on tipping. There is a time and place to discuss these issues, but not in this forum. Tipping is so divisive like politics. I understand that tipping is an American practice and other countries/cultures resent having to tip. The cruise lines have a system in place and it's not going to change. The only thing that could change is they add the tips to the cost of the cruise instead of a daily charge. Please no comments on tipping. It is what is is. It it's a problem for someone, don't cruise or book a cruise that includes tips in the overall price. One of the good questions was which cruise itinerary is the most difficult to navigate? - South America. How much waste goes out to sea? - Everything, after it's treated. How many engines? - 5 for 2 propeller systems.. Lots of interesting navigation questions. One passenger, A Chilean man, asked a similar question to the one I asked Hottie Brett about why the ship bypassed the most beautiful passage in Chile near the Darwin passage. The Captain's response was that the low speed limit in the channel would not get us to Puerto Montt on schedule I would have gladly agreed to a shorter day in Puerto Montt to get to see the most beautiful channel in Chile. That is when not being the leader tortures me. If others read books and maps they might figure these things out and make a suggestion to the cruise line to adjust the schedule. Princess van Hoogalem. That sounds like I am coughing up phlegm. I will have to wait till Albert becomes available. Got the selfie though!

 

We stayed in the theater to watch the Dancing With the Stars at Sea finale. It was campy, but fun. After the show we ran to get the scraps of high tea in the dining room. It dawned on me that I skipped desert at lunch and I needed sugar. Grabbed a few cookies and headed for the upper decks. Guess what? It has turned out to be a Hawaiian Tropic afternoon. Sunny and in the 60's. All the Germans were out shirtless, the bikinis were a bit much. We got the last warm hour of sun on our faces. I can feel my mood lifting at the thought of warm weather.

 

The sunset was looking so good we decided to celebrate with dinner in the main dining room. I wanted another French Onion soup. I ordered rainbow trout. I rarely order fish, but it was the only thing I hadn't eaten on the menu. We missed our friends in the buff-ette so much. We went to the Lido for dessert to bid everyone farewell and thank them for taking good care of us.

 

The last two shows of the cruise - The Marriage Game and a variety show with comedian, Kevin Devane and instrumentalist, Andy Bunger. Don't know if I will make it. I don't want to push myself too hard considering we are moving on to a super cool adventure and I need to keep this cold I was fighting away.

 

We are pretty well packed and ready to move on down the road. We have a guide and driver picking us up at the port at 9am tomorrow for a very ambitious tour. See a hundred things in 8 hours! We will be spending the night in Santiago before continuing on our adventure. I planned our next stop around the full moon. Where could we most enjoy a full moon?

 

I have more thoughts on the cruise, product endorsements, and other trivial comments to make. I will keep posting if you want to finish the trip with me. Otherwise, I will wrap-up tomorrow night after I give you the scoop on disembarkation and Santiago. I am happy to answer any questions.

 

Thanks to everyone who took time to comment. I hope you had fun coming along. You can always join me on my Facebook page if you want to know what craziness I get myself into. I am tentatively planning on being at sea again in May 2016, a little too early to know for sure. 2016 Mexican Melrose Place is coming soon.

Cheers, Sungirl

[Groningen]

Please keep posting! I love your stories! Are you going to the full-moon tour in I? Should be very special - can't wait for the pictures.

Thanks again for everything!!

[Aussie Gal]

Paige,

 

As usual I have loved your Blog and your zany humour. It is a huge pity that you didn't see all the lovely inside passages. We were fortunate when we did it back in 2006 on the old Regal Princess, that we were taken all through that area. In fact, we went out into the open sea for a few hours and had to come back inside as it was too rough. That area of South America is truly beautiful. It was also a shame that you didn't have a lovely day in Puerto Montt as the Emerald Lake is lovely and the scenery in that area is wonderful. Looking forward to your next adventure. I am trying to guess where! Jennie

[Vict0riann]

Do continue posting about the rest of your trip!:)

[Groningen]

I am seriously starting to wonder whether HAL is the right choice for us to do this itinerary. Missing the inside passage and the not so great food might sway us. Not to mention, the prices are also lower on other cruise lines like Princess and NCL. I would really appreciate your opinion and experience, please. Thank you.

[the2ofus]

Sungirl, I love your posts and your great sense of humor. Keep them coming!

[KCSungirl]

22 November - Time to say goodbye to the buff-ette. Sobbing

 

It was another early morning. UGH! We opted not to put our luggage outside at the door last night so we carried everything off ourselves. This is fine if you are strong. The gangway is straight down and you have to take a shuttle bus almost a mile from the ship to cruise terminal. This means anything you carry off the ship has to be loaded under the bus. It was no problem for us. It was a little emotional getting off the ship. We will miss those kids who worked so hard for our enjoyment. I did get to witness something I have never seen before - the parade for crew members ending and beginning contracts. 15 people getting to go home today and 15 coming on. I cried for the kids leaving, but cried more at the faces of the kids coming on. It must be so hard starting a contract and realizing the sleep deprivation and exhaustion that comes with working on a ship. Watching the kids say goodbye were happy tears. They get to be with families for the holidays. We enjoyed the cruise, but it was a couple of days too long for us. Only because we want to travel by land also.

 

We booked the Ritz-Carlton in Santiago over night and they set up a driver for us for the day. We were picked up at 9am by Willy in a Mercedes van. Nice, big, and comfortable. We started our tour at the port city, Valparaiso. This is a Unesco World Heritage site. This is a really cool city. Very artsy. Lots of galleries. I could have easily spent a couple of days hanging out here with a boho vibe. We went to the Pablo Neruda house, had coffee, empanadas, and snacks at a cafe and French Bakery, and walked around the tourist areas. After leaving Valpo we headed up the coastline north passing thru many coastal communities - Vina del Mar, Rancona. I thought I was in Orange County or Malibu. The sea water is so clean, but way too cold. The current is strong. Good surfing though. Lots of oceanfront cafes. Vina del Mar is a very nice oceanside community. The have the famous flower clock across from the Sheraton hotel. After making our way through these beach areas, we got on the highway toward the wine valley and Santiago. We stopped at two wineries in the Casablanca Valley. Neither winery was a hit for me. One had no outdoor patio and one was only serving brunch. We wanted snacks and cheese. It was beautiful and I got a good understanding of the area. We drove 45 mins further and were in the Santiago city limits. We took a quick tour of Santiago. Very nice city. I love touring on Sundays. No traffic. PC was bored and tortured in the back seat of the van. He hates city touring. He is all about nature and scenery. We reached the Ritz around 6pm.

 

When I was checking in I told the front desk girl to check my Visa card because I had received a notice that I needed to call Chase regarding my card. I used the card in Buenos Aires and I phoned Chase to put a travel alert on my card. The card was not able to be authorized and the hotel was kind enough to let me phone Chase for free. The fraud department gets on the line to inform me that over 100 transactions of over $3000 had been charged to my card while I was cruising. I am trying to figure out how this happened. I only used the card once at the Four Seasons. The charges were all between $15-$20 from VooDoo or something like that. I have traveled around the world using credit cards and this has never happened before. If anyone has experience with this let me know.

 

Poor PC. I have worn him out. I hope I can redeem myself with a few special days I planned with him in mind and I hope he will love. We fly onward tomorrow at noon. I will see you from a surprise location tomorrow night.

 

I have lots more regarding the cruise but too sleepy tonight to write. Watching Meet the Fockers in Spanish.

[Groningen]

The "bad guys" have computers run credit card numbers through, and when they hit a number that is real, they start charging it. Something like that. I'm on my 4th Chase card this year because of this. However, Chase is very good at catching this, and taking care of it.

[GeorgesGal]

Thanks, Sungirl, for your wonderful, funny review, enjoyed it immensely! This is a cruise I would love to do in the future.

 

Looking forward to your post-cruise secret vacation.

 

Donna