Review: Rhapsody 14 nt Round th Horn, 28 FEB thru 13 MAR

[Pumbaamd]

You are bringing back many fond memories from when we did parts of this itin on Mariner a few years back. It is fortunate for you that being on a smaller ship like Rhapsody, that you can go places Mariner would dare not go. Keep up your splendid reviews!

Rick and Deirdra

[Virtopia]

Thanks for this review! I appreciate the comments on the internet, I've definitely decided not to get it and just to use my free 24 hour window.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Sailing into Ushuaia. Captain told us

last night that it's doubtful we will go around the Horn due to weather. Plan, for now, is to overnight in Ushuaia. Final decision will be made today.

 

 

 

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Edited March 5, 2016 by suzyluvs2cruise

[suzyluvs2cruise]

Beautiful Ushuaia. Nice that we're able to dock instead of tender. Heading out on our "end of the world" tour.

 

 

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[jimbri]

Great review and thanks for the photos!

[okietx]

Thanks so much Aviator 1945 for the review, and Sue for the pictures. We will be on the March 27, cruise so this is very exciting for us!

[relaxatsea]

Thanks so much, Aviator, Sue, and Cpt. Sticky!

 

We're on the March 13 sailing from B.A., so very excited to hear and see everything you all have to say!

Edited March 5, 2016 by relaxatsea
spelling

[suzyluvs2cruise]

We were supposed to leave Ushuaia at 6 am but due to high winds pushing the ship against the dock we're still here.....at 11am. Capt just announced he will try again at noon. Not sure if this will impact our arrival to Puerta Madryn.

 

 

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[aviator1945]

Thanks to Aviator 1945 for the great review. We're also onboard so I hope it's OK to share some of my pictures of the Glacier, Magdalena Island Penguins and Mt Osorno.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Thanks Suzy! Great pictures!

[Bfson]

Fierce winds pusing us into the pier continue. No tug boats in this harbor. Stuck until winds die down. It is now 3 pm

Edited March 6, 2016 by Bfson

[aviator1945]

CRUISE DAY 6, FRIDAY 4 MAR: PUNTA ARENAS

 

Overnight the ship made its way through the Strait of Magellan to Punta Arenas (English translation: Sandy Point). This was the second tendered port stop, with operations starting early and lasting until around 4:45 pm. Breakfast started early as well, at 6 am.

 

DW and I chose the shore excursion "Punta Arenas Highlights", a three and a half hour bus tour which gave us a good introduction to the city. First we stopped for a few minutes at La Cruz Hill, from where we had a great view of Punta Arenas from above. It was a fairly nice day, not so cold and with very light winds, not the chilly southwesterlies that often prevail here. The visibility being good, we could see large parts of the Strait of Magellan as well as the Tierra del Fuego (in English, Land of Fire). When Ferdinand Magellan first navigated the waterway that bears his name, he noted the many fires that lit up the shores, kindled by the indigenous peoples living there, in order to protect themselves from the cold.

 

Next, our bus took us to an open air museum, the Institute of Patagonia, in memory of the first Patagonian pioneers, coming from Croatia and Germany during the latter decades of the nineteenth and early years of the twentieth centuries. There was lots of old farm and industrial equipment, as well as a small garage with antique automobiles. There were also several restored homes of the pioneers.

 

Next, we went to the Maggiorino Borgatello Museum, to view their exhibits and in particular the handicrafts on display. In the entrance hall was a gift shop with many various souvenirs for sale, at prices below those of the tender terminal. When I still had a few minutes before the departure of our bus, I noticed a sign on the wall with the password of the museum's free wifi. I quickly fired up my iPad, made a few edits on the second Day 5 review, and posted it. Lucky me, because when we eventually reached the tender terminal, so many other people were trying to connect, that their wifi was totally blocked by all the traffic.

 

Before ending the tour we made a brief stop at Plaza Muñoz Gamero, the main square of Punta Arenas, to view a number of elegant mansions around the plaza. We also saw a statue dedicated to Ferdinand Magellan, Portuguese explorer working for Spain. As Patrick had said in one of his enrichment lectures, Magellan surely knew on which side his bread was buttered. Our tour guide gave us the option of riding the bus back to the tender terminal, or remain in the vicinity of the plaza and walk back the five city blocks. We chose the bus.

 

Back on the ship we had lunch in WJ before taking an afternoon rest, given the early hour at which we woke up in order to get breakfast before our tour.

 

There was lots of evening entertainment lined up. In the Centrum, DW and I watched a second performance by Brazilian Tenor Jorge Durian and his accompanying violinist Tiago Reis, which had been arranged by popular demand after their very successful previous show earlier during the week. The audience was strongly enthusiastic, and Jorge and Tiago were offered a standing ovation at the end of their performance.

 

After this show Captain Dimas came on the PA system with some potentially bad news. He had been following weather developments in the Cape Horn area, and the forecast for early Sunday (Day 8) morning called for winds around 45 knots (~50 mph) and wave heights of around 8 meters (~27 ft), in addition to heavy rain and low visibility. Actually this came as no big surprise to us; already in the morning our tour guide had mentioned that there was a storm brewing in the Cape Horn area. Captain Dimas said that his responsibility for the safety of guests and crew would not allow him to venture into the Cape Horn area under the conditions above. His final decision would be made during the early morning of Saturday (Day 7) before arriving in Ushuaia, by which time the weather forecast would have been updated. He mentioned the possibility of the ship perhaps remaining in Ushuaia overnight and continuing its journey to Puerto Madryn first thing in the morning of Day 8 (Sunday). Time will tell.

 

Tonight's Headliner Showtime event in the Theatre featured Gary Williams singing hit songs of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and others. It was a great show.

 

 

CRUISE DAY 7, SATURDAY 5 MAR: USHUAIA

 

Overnight the ship first backtracked the Magellan Strait and later continued through the Beagle Channel, named after the British ship that explored Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego during the 1820s (and not after Snoopy 😄). By wake-up time we passed by several glaciers named after European countries, however not so easily visible due to that it was still pre-sunrise. Just before our arrival in Ushuaia, Captain Dimas came on the PA system and confirmed his decision to cancel our visit to Cape Horn. He noted that the weather there had even deteriorated somewhat compared to conditions mentioned in my DAY 6 post. So we would remain in Ushuaia until just after daybreak on DAY 8. Imagine, I've always looked forward to spending a night in Ushuaia, the End of the World! ☺️

 

As we arrived in Ushuaia we met NCL's Norwegian Sun, on essentially the same cruise as we were on, except that they were going in the opposite direction. According to the itinerary we should have been tendered, but in reality both our ships were conveniently docked near the center of the town.

 

Today I felt a bit under the weather, due to a bad cold, so I stayed aboard ship most of the day, sneaking out onto the pier only to (successfully) buy some souvenirs and (unsuccessfully) try to find an internet connection. Instead DW and I will use our second (and final) ship's wifi tomorrow afternoon and Monday morning. Hopefully it will work.

 

Today DW was on a six-hour excursion by catamaran through the waterways of Beagle Channel via Bird Island, Sea Wolves Island, Faro del Fin del Mundo (Lighthouse at the End of the World), the Monte Sarmiento (a steamer that ran aground over a century ago), Puerto Williams (a Chilean settlement) and finally Martillo Island, with its Magellanic Penguins, which have been spending their summer (i.e. roughly November through February) nesting and rearing their chicks.

 

During the evening there was an event arranged in the Theatre for all C&A members, regardless of level. Captain Dimas told us of his maritime career as a seaman and officer. He also took the opportunity to hand awards as crew members of the month for December 2015 and January 2016 as well as crew member of the year 2015. Later in the evening the customary Love & Marriage Game Show also took place in the Theatre. As both DW and I were tired, we decided to skip it for this time.

[aviator1945]

Really enjoying the review want to go around the horn someday

 

We were on the Allure TA last Nov with you and we sail on the Rhapsody this year on the Nov TA after the drydock

 

SO how does the Rhapsody handle the ocean compared to the Allure?

Do you miss all the bells and whistles of the Allure?

 

Actually not much difference betwee the two. Allure, being much taller, has a tendency to catch the winds more than Rhapsody, particularly at the higher decks (we were at Deck 12). On Rhapsody we're at Deck 2, with very little motion. But then again, on our Allure TA we were in quite a storm for a day or two.

 

And yes, we do miss some of the bells and whistles of Allure.....

[aviator1945]

Fierce winds pusing us into the pier continue. No tug boats in this harbor. Stuck until winds die down. It is now 3 pm

 

Yes, now we're roughly nine and a half hours late, and although Captain Dimas hasn’t yet addressed this, to me it would appear that itinerary changes might be necessary, either by skipping one of the three port calls remaining (Puerto Madryn, Punta de la Plata, or Montevideo) or arriving a day late in BA (the ship has originally been scheduled for an overnight in BA). But I would guess that those guests that might have planned to jump ship in BA immediately upon her scheduled arrival day wouldn't be very happy.....

[aviator1945]

Great review and pictures! We board on the 13th..

Can you tell me if they are offering religious services? We were on a Panama Cruise a couple of years ago and they had a priest doing services a couple of times per week.

 

On sea days a Catholic mass is celebrated in the mornings.

 

Jewish Sabbath Services are also held, I believe it is on Saturdays. Anybody who has more precise info, please help.

[Bfson]

4 pm. Still trapped. Can feel thrusters straining to break us free

 

410 pm looks like the nose is turning into the wind.

 

Free at last!

Edited March 6, 2016 by Bfson

[springaussie]

Great review.

[suzyluvs2cruise]

aviator1945....thanks, again, for your great review. Tomorrow we'll find out if the departure delay from Ushuaia will affect our upcoming ports.

 

Enjoyed our day yesterday in Ushuaia. Cold and windy in this beautiful part of the world but majestically beautiful. Went to the End of the world Post Office and the famous Alaska mileage marker.

 

 

 

 

 

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[JamesEM]

Thanks for the photos.

[aviator1945]

Yes, now we're roughly nine and a half hours late, and although Captain Dimas hasn’t yet addressed this, to me it would appear that itinerary changes might be necessary, either by skipping one of the three port calls remaining (Puerto Madryn, Punta de la Plata, or Montevideo) or arriving a day late in BA (the ship has originally been scheduled for an overnight in BA). But I would guess that those guests that might have planned to jump ship in BA immediately upon her scheduled arrival day wouldn't be very happy.....

 

Captain Dimas made an announcement this morning to the effect that that we would be a bit late in Puerto Madryn (scheduled time was to be 8 am, now it will be somewhat later). It appears that some margin is built into the itineraries, to cater for unexpected situations like this. Captain Dimas also hinted that the departure time from Puerto Madryn would be somewhat adjusted. So it looks like we'll be fulfilling the cruise itinerary (except for Cape Horn). On her previous sailing to Valparaiso, Rhapsody also missed tha Cape due to inclement weather, so we're not alone.

[aviator1945]

CRUISE DAY 8, SUNDAY 6 MAR: STUCK IN USHUAIA

 

We were supposed to have left Ushuaia at daybreak, and a brief but futile attempt was made to leave at that time, but to no avail. Overnight the wind had increased, and was now blowing so hard perpendicularly to to ship, that we were being pushed towards towards the pier, creating a potentially dangerous situation. And there were no tug boats available, at least not of the size or with the strength that could negotiate Rhapsody. So we were stuck at the pier for most of the day, and didn't leave Ushuaia until around 4pm, when the wind had begun dying down. Anyway, no problem for us onboard, there was still lots of entertainment and food to keep us contented.

 

As for DW and myself, my bad cold had worsened and DW had managed to pick it up as well. So we decided to pay a visit to the ship's hospital. But first things first: we needed to be certain that our home insurance would pay any charges that might be levied. And in order to do that we'd need a Skype connection. So I had to bite the bullet and get a ship's internet connection. It cost less than it would have if we had done this on Day 1; our cost for the remaining seven days of the cruise was $20 * 7 minus DW's Diamond discount of $40, in all $100. I called the insurance company and they promised to take care of any charges.

 

So DW and I went down to the medical clinic and sat in line with a few other people that were waiting. After about half an hour it was our turn, and we met the attending nurse. Since we only had bad colds and no gastro-intestinal symptoms, she simply sold us some medications for $30 and off we went on our merry way. There was no charge levied for the nurse's services, only for the medicines. It would have been a different story if we had been required to see the doctor, who charges according to US Medicare's prices.

 

Rather than go to the MDR we chose to order room service, something we rarely do onboard. It's simply not as good as the food in the MDR or WJ, but we didn't want to cough and sniffle around our fellow guests. After taking our medications, we retired early.

[Biker19]

It's simply not as good as the food in the MDR or WJ, but we didn't want to cough and sniffle around our fellow guests. After taking our medications, we retired early.

 

Now if only others would be so considerate - hope you feel better soon.

[cinnamon]

Following here too. :)

[relaxatsea]

Hope you both feel better soon!

 

Thanks so much for your report.

[Pumbaamd]

. Nice that we're able to dock instead of tender. Heading out on our "end of the world" tour.

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On our Mariner Cape Horn cruise we had to tender in Beautiful Ushuaia. The distance was very short to tender, should have been a 5 minute trip. However, we waited in a looong line for two hours to tender back from town. Very few tenders available for a ship as big as Mariner. So glad for you that you were able to dock.

R&D

[aviator1945]

CRUISE DAY 9, MONDAY 7 MAR: SEA DAY

 

Today was a sea day, during which Rhapsody was working hard to catch up with her itinerary. Captain Dimas announced that we would be docking in Puerto Madryn tomorrow at around 1 pm (~5 hours later than scheduled time). Tomorrow's Cruise Compass calls for All Aboard at 8 pm (~2.5 hours later than scheduled). I would guess that by the time we reach Punta del Este we'll essentially be on time again. So as I mentioned in a previous post, it appears that there is some slack built into the itinerary.

 

Today we were handed back our passports, which had been collected from us at the Valparaiso Passenger Terminal. There were two additional stamps added; one exit from Chile at Punta Arenas and one entry into Argentina with a "Turista" visa valid for 90 days. I guess that we'll be allowed to keep our passports with us for the rest of the cruise.

 

Today, as always, there have been plenty of activities designed to keep us busy and entertained. For example, during the afternoon Patrick lectured about Puerto Madryn. In the evening the RC Singers & Dancers were featured in the production Pure Country. And finally, by popular demand from the M&M on Day 2, there will be a special "Quest" adult game show at 10:45 pm. Apparently this does not happen very often on Vision Class ships, at least it hasn't happened before on any Vision Class ship that we have cruised on. Alas, neither DW nor I could partake in these events given that we were still coughing and sniffling, and certainly didn't want to spread this to others. If we're not feeling a lot better by tomorrow, we'll pay a second visit to the medical facility and ask for some more potent medication.