Live notes from the first South America cruise on the Star

[retiring soon]

HI all!

 

Michael ~ glad to hear you're okay. I know that feeling too so don't like to sail for more than 14 days altho' I will have 17 days on the Sun solo going from San Diego to Santiago next year.

 

That looked like a great tour (sounds like a good choice Stephen;) how are you?)

 

Thanks again for doing this very interesting report & safe travels home.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[GUEST080219]

Thanks for all your nice comments. To catch up with the last days. After the Falkland Islands we had another seaday and here is the freestyle daily for that.

 

Don't worry at the end of the cruise I will write a summary including the weather, food, service, public area and all of that stuff.

Edited December 3, 2015 by micm

[armwinder]

A report would be great Micheal, we have not been on the Sun for a year or so but really like the ship. We are looking forward to our cruise in March, our first time in South America. Your posts and pictures are helping us a lot and we will be using the information you have provided to plan our activities, thank you again.

[Cruiser#5]

Michael,

Thank you for taking us on your journey. I thoroughly enjoyed your daily updates. Cannot wait to read your review.

[aajusa]

Thanks for all your nice comments. To catch up with the last days. After the Falkland Islands we had another seaday and here is the freestyle daily for that.

 

Don't worry at the end of the cruise I will write a summary including the weather, food, service, public area and all of that stuff.

Michael-

You are a rock star! Thanks for sharing your incredible journey

[GUEST080219]

The next day was finally a port where we docked so no tender operations today.

Welcome to Puerto Madryn

Today was the third and final shore excursion seeing penguins: Punta Tombo Penguin Rookery

 

 

Although the drive was quite long I enjoyed the different setting in which the penguins could be observed and the area is quite huge.

 

On the way back we got a snack box

[karoo]

Punta Tombo looks great-sun out too! I've booked to visit there. I'm curious though, what is inside the wrapper with the penguin on it?

Edited December 6, 2015 by karoo

[marelind]

The wrapper with the penguin looks like cheese, yes?

[karoo]

The wrapper with the penguin looks like cheese, yes?

 

 

Yes it does look like cheese, but I couldn't see the crackers for the cheese. Maybe that's just an Aussie thing.

[GUEST080219]

The wrapper with the penguin looks like cheese, yes?

 

Nope, it was a kind of super sweet dessert/snack.

[rritter25]

I was on the same cruise as Michael - sorry we never got a chance to meet! I wanted to mention that I was also a solo traveler and was part of the solo traveler's group. We met every night at 6:45pm in the Havana Club (in back of the Windjammer bar) where we chatted, discussed the upcoming port, etc. Then whoever wanted to would go to dinner together. The group was run by Gabby and she made the trip a wonderful experience! She attended the get together every evening, had port suggestions, wonderful stories, and could even remember ALL of our names! I met a great group of new friends, with their own stories to tell. I'll echo something Michael mentioned in an earlier post - plan on wearing layers. Bring gloves, hat, scarf, windbreaker/waterproof jacket, warm coat, etc. The cruise itself is not overly dressy, so dress for comfort and warmth!

[karoo]

I was on the same cruise as Michael - sorry we never got a chance to meet! I wanted to mention that I was also a solo traveler and was part of the solo traveler's group. We met every night at 6:45pm in the Havana Club (in back of the Windjammer bar) where we chatted, discussed the upcoming port, etc. Then whoever wanted to would go to dinner together. The group was run by Gabby and she made the trip a wonderful experience! She attended the get together every evening, had port suggestions, wonderful stories, and could even remember ALL of our names! I met a great group of new friends, with their own stories to tell. I'll echo something Michael mentioned in an earlier post - plan on wearing layers. Bring gloves, hat, scarf, windbreaker/waterproof jacket, warm coat, etc. The cruise itself is not overly dressy, so dress for comfort and warmth!

 

 

Great to hear - I am doing this itinerary solo and while I actually don't mind spending my days as a solo it is nice to be able to have dinner with a group of people. Thanks for the great advise about bringing warm clothes too. As an Aussie it isn't until I travel that I learn the true meaning of cold.

[Esperanza7]

I was on the same cruise as Michael - sorry we never got a chance to meet! I'll echo something Michael mentioned in an earlier post - plan on wearing layers. Bring gloves, hat, scarf, windbreaker/waterproof jacket, warm coat, etc. The cruise itself is not overly dressy, so dress for comfort and warmth!

 

Thanks for the information and glad you had a great time on the cruise.

We're certainly looking to bring plenty of warm clothes for this trip but I'm assuming it will be warm enough on the ship for some nice evening wear?

Do you by chance remember whether they had a 'White Hot Party' during the cruise?

 

Esperanza

[Merriem]

Thanks for the information and glad you had a great time on the cruise.

We're certainly looking to bring plenty of warm clothes for this trip but I'm assuming it will be warm enough on the ship for some nice evening wear?

Do you by chance remember whether they had a 'White Hot Party' during the cruise?

 

Esperanza

 

If you are going in the Summer. JAn-March the weather is lovely. For example in Ushuia in the Summer it was like San Francisco.

[SunReay]

:DThank you so much for this. This is my first time posting but I've been a lurker forever. Your amazing penguin photos (and all the others), just made me want to say what an amazing review this is. Thank you again!

[sjbdtz]

If you are going in the Summer. JAn-March the weather is lovely. For example in Ushuia in the Summer it was like San Francisco.

 

Could you possibly define 'lovely', for March? :) I was figuring layers, a fleece hoodie, and a Montcler coat.... with some thermal undergarments in case we get the ShoreEx to Antarctica.

 

 

Thanks,

Stephen

 

 

.

[Merriem]

Could you possibly define 'lovely', for March? :) I was figuring layers, a fleece hoodie, and a Montcler coat.... with some thermal undergarments in case we get the ShoreEx to Antarctica.

 

 

Thanks,

Stephen

 

 

well the average temp in Ushuia in March is in the Middle 50s. I remember needing a jacket there but it isn't cold. Puerto Montt in March mid 70s

 

Check out this site and put in your month and year

 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/cl/puerto-montt/821/month/821?monyr=3/01/2015

[sjbdtz]

Could you possibly define 'lovely', for March? :) I was figuring layers, a fleece hoodie, and a Montcler coat.... with some thermal undergarments in case we get the ShoreEx to Antarctica.

 

 

Thanks,

Stephen

 

 

well the average temp in Ushuia in March is in the Middle 50s. I remember needing a jacket there but it isn't cold. Puerto Montt in March mid 70s

 

Check out this site and put in your month and year

 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/cl/puerto-montt/821/month/821?monyr=3/01/2015

 

 

Thanks for that! Appreciated.

 

 

Stephen

 

.

[fin]

Enjoyed your photos thoroughly. Did the same voyage the other direction some years ago on the NCL Crown. The photo of the capt looks familiar, and I'll need to check and see if he is the same one.

 

The passengers sure all look like the ones on my cruise, which was very comfortable and pleasant.

[Merriem]

Enjoyed your photos thoroughly. Did the same voyage the other direction some years ago on the NCL Crown. The photo of the capt looks familiar, and I'll need to check and see if he is the same one.

 

The passengers sure all look like the ones on my cruise, which was very comfortable and pleasant.

 

We were on the Crown too. Nice ship

[karoo]

well the average temp in Ushuia in March is in the Middle 50s. I remember needing a jacket there but it isn't cold. Puerto Montt in March mid 70s

 

Check out this site and put in your month and year

 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/cl/puerto-montt/821/month/821?monyr=3/01/2015

 

Temperature must be all relative depending on where you come from. To me 50 (I'm assuming F) is extremely cold, so I'll be packing my extra warm gear

[Merriem]

well the average temp in Ushuia in March is in the Middle 50s. I remember needing a jacket there but it isn't cold. Puerto Montt in March mid 70s

 

Check out this site and put in your month and year

 

http://www.accuweather.com/en/cl/puerto-montt/821/month/821?monyr=3/01/2015

 

Temperature must be all relative depending on where you come from. To me 50 (I'm assuming F) is extremely cold, so I'll be packing my extra warm gear

 

We live up by the Canadian border, so we found the weather just fine.

[GUEST080219]

The first week after being away from home for more than a month was extremely busy so I had no chance to finish it earlier.

 

I think I got mixed up with the freestyle dailies and to which day they belong so here are all the missing ones in one post now

[GUEST080219]

The final seaday before Montevideo and then disembarkation was the usual routine apart from the passport distribution.

The really nice thing is that you give NCL your passport at embarkation and they take care of everything else. It was organized pretty efficiently in the theatre by decks and I had it back in under 5 minutes. My plan for midday and the afternoon was to relax on the pool deck but as the visibility was like this

The bridge had to use the fog horn every couple of minutes so I found my rest in my cabin.

[GUEST080219]

Last port for this cruise was Montevideo in Uruguay. This was after Huatulco on the first 17 day cruise the only port without organized shore excursion. So my plan was to sleep in, have a quiet late breakfast with every one else already ashore and then just walk around for a while.

The plan didn't work as from 8am on or so I heard announcements in the hallway. I can't remember it have been so bad on other ships that you can clearly hear the announcement signal through the closed door but then you couldn't understand the message itself.

What I later learned was that through the fog we were delayed and as they did not want to leave late they even cancelled the long running shore excursions.

After I got ready a quick breakfast in the empty buffet area apart from a couple of production cast and entertainers and then towards the gangway.

Montevideo is an easy port to just walk out and around. They had a free map at the port exit which you could reach yourself without any shuttle bus.

After that I just walked around without a real plan