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

aviator1945

By aviator1945,
in Royal Caribbean International

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aviator1945

aviator1945

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CRUISE DAY 10, TUESDAY 8 MARCH: PUERTO MADRYN, SO NEAR, BUT YET SO FAR AWAY!

 

Part 1

 

At 11:23 am we were still making good headway at a speed of around 20 knots, when according to MarineTraffic.com, about 6 miles offshore from Puerto Madryn, Rhapsody slowed down so that by 11:40 am, about 3 miles offshore, we were dead in the water. The pilot's vessel approached us near that time, and all seemed set for an uneventful arrival at the pier. However, the ship remained dead in the water, and at around Noon Captain Dimas announced that due to strong winds up to 45 knots, the Authorities had closed the port, so that we would not be able to call at Puerto Madryn. Also the weather forecast for the remainder of the day did not indicate any improvement of the conditions. Now we might have been able to just turn around and continue to Punta del Este, but there was one complicating factor: Customs. Since we were on a domestic Argentinian journey from Ushuaia, and our next leg would take us to Punta del Este (in Uruguay) it was necessary for us to clear outbound Customs before leaving Puerto Madryn in order to remain legal. So right now, at around 1:45 pm, we are still dead in the water awaiting that clearance. I don't know the exact procedure for clearing Customs in a case like this, whether the Customs Officer actually has to be physically on board, or if our Captain can go ashore in a tender and sign the paperwork there. And of course, with the port being closed, that might add additional problems to our situation. Anyway, at far as we guests are concerned, all is well, WJ is open so nobody is starving. But I do feel bad on behalf of the many fellow guests that that booked shore excursions to see the elephant seals and penguins nearby. For those who had booked the ship's tours, they will get their money back, but how about all the others who have made alternative arrangements?

 

(more will follow later)

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aviator1945

aviator1945

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CRUISE DAY 10, TUESDAY 8 MARCH: PUERTO MADRYN, SO NEAR, BUT YET SO FAR AWAY

 

Part 2

 

MarineTraffic.com just reported us arriving in Puerto Madryn at 1:46 pm (sort of, I guess) and leaving at 2:01 pm, after which we set course for Punta del Este, where we expect to arrive on Thursday at around 7 am, with tendering beginning an hour later. And just before 2 pm today the Pilot's vessel returned and collected the pilot (so he didn't get a free ride to Uruguay).

 

And now we're ahead of schedule!

Edited by aviator1945
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suzyluvs2cruise

suzyluvs2cruise

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Pilotboat picked up the pilot at 2:10 and we're underway. Still windy....45 km...but warmer temps. Tonight 35km winds and 9-11fy sea swells.

 

aviator1945....thanks for the explanation about Customs.

 

We had a private tour booked to Punta Tombo. No charge if ship doesn't dock. Hope others had the same arrangement.

 

Activities staff was quick to add actives and a movie this pm.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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Bfson

Bfson

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Some passengers are convinced that we were not pinned to the pier by the wind but there was an engine problem that they did not want to tell us about. One German passenger reportedly saw engine parts being taken off and returned hours later. I do not believe it but it is amazing what people come up with.

 

Tip: make sure you know your health coverage by your insurance company or health care provider before you leave home. It can save having to make $$$ international phone calls about coverage

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aviator1945

aviator1945

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Tip: make sure you know your health coverage by your insurance company or health care provider before you leave home. It can save having to make $$$ international phone calls about coverage

 

Definitely a good idea, although I was lucky getting away with using Skype. On my first and only voyage wth Oasis I developed a chest pain that I suspected might be of cardiovascular nature. Considering the circumstances We went to the medical clinic and asked for the doctor who did an EKG and this and that and the other plus four hours of observation, all for a grand total of $923, which fortunately was covered by insurance.

 

On a later cruise with Jewel, DW broke her ankle in a stairway. Because this was an onboard accident, she didn't have to pay any onboard medical charges; however, the cast laid by the shore-based doctor in Antigua she had to pay for, reimbursed by insurance. At the end of the cruise we left the ship in style, escorted by the Staff Captain and the Safety Officer.

Edited by aviator1945
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aviator1945

aviator1945

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CRUISE DAY 10, TUESDAY 8 MARCH: PUERTO MADRYN, SO NEAR, BUT YET SO FAR AWAY!

 

Part 3

 

Later in the afternoon I paid a second visit to the ship's medical clinic to replenish my stock of medications. When you buy from them, you normally only get enough for a couple of days, which was why I was already running out of cough medicine. This time I seem to have gotten something more potent. After dinner I took the liquid cough medicine, went to bed, and within five minutes I was fast asleep. Slept like a babe until morning.

 

Unfortunately, however, I did miss the evening entertainment in the Theatre starring Salvatore Hasard, a singer and multi instrumentalist. And I also missed the full show in the Centrum of the RC Aerialists while I was in Dreamland.

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aviator1945

aviator1945

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CRUISE DAY 11, WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH: SEA DAY

 

We were all on our way to Punta del Este, or so at least we thought, when Captain Dimas around midday made an announcement to the effect that we would be unable to tender there tomorrow, due to inclement weather. It was going to be windy with waves up to 3 metres (~10 ft), not exactly ideal conditions for tendering! So instead we would continue to Montevideo and dock there at 7 am. We would remain in port overnight and continue on our last leg of the cruise to BA by late afternoon Friday.

 

Ship's tours in Montevideo would now take place on Thursday (instead of Friday), while on Friday RCI would offer complimentary bus transport to and from Punta del Este (that's a lot of buses if everybody decides to take advantage of their offer). All that is ok for DW and myself, but where will that leave all those good folks who have planned private tours in Punta del Este tomorrow Thursday?

 

DW visited the ship's hospital this afternoon to replenish her supply of medications. Lots of people were there, so she spent 45 minutes sitting in line. It seemed that most of the cases centered on bronchitis and sore throats. No gastro-intestinal issues as far as we could understand.

 

Tonight was the final formal evening onboard. Today two activities were planned in the Theatre: During the afternoon, Stand Up Comedian Scott Harris (English only; I guess that much of his show would be difficult to translate and keep the meaning) and in the evening, Ballroom Fever with Dance Champions Igor & Anastacia together with the RC Singers and Dancers. I decided to pass on both counts, preferring to nurture my health in light of our long flight home next week.

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suzyluvs2cruise

suzyluvs2cruise

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CRUISE DAY 11, WEDNESDAY 9 MARCH: SEA DAY

 

We were all on our way to Punta del Este, or so at least we thought, when Captain Dimas around midday made an announcement to the effect that we would be unable to tender there tomorrow, due to inclement weather. It was going to be windy with waves up to 3 metres (~10 ft), not exactly ideal conditions for tendering! So instead we would continue to Montevideo and dock there at 7 am. We would remain in port overnight and continue on our last leg of the cruise to BA by late afternoon Friday.

 

Ship's tours in Montevideo would now take place on Thursday (instead of Friday), while on Friday RCI would offer complimentary bus transport to and from Punta del Este (that's a lot of buses if everybody decides to take advantage of their offer). All that is ok for DW and myself, but where will that leave all those good folks who have planned private tours in Punta del Este tomorrow Thursday?

 

DW visited the ship's hospital this afternoon to replenish her supply of medications. Lots of people were there, so she spent 45 minutes sitting in line. It seemed that most of the cases centered on bronchitis and sore throats. No gastro-intestinal issues as far as we could understand.

 

Tonight was the final formal evening onboard. Today two activities were planned in the Theatre: During the afternoon, Stand Up Comedian Scott Harris (English only; I guess that much of his show would be difficult to translate and keep the meaning) and in the evening, Ballroom Fever with Dance Champions Igor & Anastacia together with the RC Singers and Dancers. I decided to pass on both counts, preferring to nurture my health in light of our long flight home next week.

Hope you and you DW are feeling better soon.

 

At tonight's show the CD said there would be another aerial show. Not sure which night but know it's not tomorrow night.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

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aviator1945

aviator1945

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CRUISE DAY 12, THURSDAY 10 MAR: MONTEVIDEO

 

Today we should have been tendering in Punta del Este, but due to the weather conditions there Captain Dimas brought Rhapsody directly to Montevideo, where we could dock. Weather here is showery and the forecast promises more of the same for this afternoon, tonight and early morning tomorrow. Later tomorrow the forecast promises nicer weather, FWIW. As for Punta del Este, today's forecast is for downpours and strong winds, definitely not tenderable. Apart from an early morning shower, tomorrow is expected to be nice. So it's likely that we'll be able to enjoy our complimentary bus ride and stay in Punta del Este.

 

BTW, I checked cruisett.com to see if any other ships were supposed to be in Punta del Este today, and yes, MSC Poesia was scheduled to call there as well. So I checked MarineTraffic.com and found that Poesia had bypassed Punta del Este and was now heading for her next port of call, Ilha Grande in Brazil. So we weren't the only ship that had been rerouted.

 

Today DW took an early ship's tour of Montevideo by bus in the morning rain. The city appeared to have a certain European flavor, with many different styles of architecture. Among the memorable sights were the monument commemorating the Fallen Soldiers of the Navy, as well as the Rambla, a long esplanade just before the end of the tour. She also took the opportunity to shop for some souvenirs along the way. Prices appeared to be lower here than in Ushuaia.

 

As for myself, I'm recovering well from my cold but I'm still careful not to overdo things, so I decided to stay out of the rain and in the warmth of the ship today.

 

With regard to foreign exchange, the ship doesn't provide Argentinian or Uruguayan currencies. In fact, Guest Services gave me the same advice as my bank did before I left home: for smaller transactions, pay in low denominations of US dollars.

 

As for ship's entertainment, a couple of highlights will be a musical journey to the past, from Julie Andrews to Judy Garland, featuring Colleen Williamson, and the Crew International Parade of Flags, where officers, staff and crew will parade, each with his or her own national flag. Over 50 nations are expected. One of my favorites!

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aviator1945

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CRUISE DAY 12, THURSDAY 10 MAR: MONTEVIDEO

 

ADDENDUM

 

On our way to the MDR for dinner, we stopped by Guest Services to check our account balance. And we each had received a credit for $51.68, corresponding to port taxes/fees at Puerto Madryn, which we missed the other day.

 

After dinner and entertainment we went to our cabin, and waiting for us there was a letter from Captain Dimas regretting the impact that the weather has had on our sailing. As a gesture of goodwill, RCI will be providing each guest with a future cruise certificate for 15% of the cruise fare paid for this sailing, that may be used for a future cruise on any RC ship within the next year. These certificates will be mailed to our home addresses or to our travel agent within six to eight weeks after our return.

 

First time this has ever happened to us.

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aviator1945

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CRUISE DAY 13, FRIDAY 11 MAR: MONTEVIDEO

 

A few days ago DW and I had tried to purchase a ship's excursion for Punta del Este. That was before the port call there had been cancelled, and at that time the tour was sold out. We were nevertheless waitlisted, and were advised upon arrival in Montevideo that tickets had been arranged for us. So we didn't actually avail ourselves of the complementary bus service, but took the paid tour instead. It turned out to be much longer than it otherwise would have been if it had started in Punta del Este, and full guidance was received during the almost two-hour journey from Montevideo. Our guide Adriana did a good job of introducing us to Uruguay, its life and culture, much more than she would have had time for had this only been a short trip around Punta del Este. She told us of her country's history, and of the wartime drama during the early days of WWII and the Battle of Rio de la Plata, when the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee was chased down by the British on 13 DEC 1939. A few days later, the Germans decided to scuttle her, rather than risk losing her to the British.

 

The weather was a lot better today than it had been the previous day. Before too long the sun was shining intermittently through the clouds. Adriana explained to us that Punta del Este was the Uruguayan equivalent of Miami Beach; when we arrived there we saw resort hotels and mansions galore. After being shown much of the resort, we had just over an hour to explore it on our own, by foot. Lots of wifi locations were available, most of them in cafes that required some sort of purchase; most of the connections were really good. On our return journey to Montevideo the weather became a bit more unstable, with a few rain-showers here and there.

 

After dinner, the main entertainment of the evening was first the Aerial Spectacular Baroque in the Centrum, which had been cancelled a few nights earlier because of too much motion in the ocean. The show was really fantastic. Almost immediately following the aerialists was Farewell Showtime in the Theatre with an acrobatic show, Duo Free Action, by a Ukrainian couple of dancers. At the end of their performance much of the audience gave them a standing ovation for their very good show. Finally came one of the traditional events, the farewell of the crew.

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Bfson

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Odd, very odd. As Buenos Aires is a working port you must get off the ship and get onto a shuttle bus. While the busses have handicap spaces, they can not kneel and the step up can be steep. At the port terminal no wheelchairs at all. There are helpful porters. Get your luggage, stand in line for xray. But with a porter you go in a much shorter line

 

 

Outside a zoo. Long line for taxis but if you pay extra you can get one immediately from the dispatcher. They approached us, felt odd jumpng the line

 

Our iPad woke us an hour early as it adjusted forCalif daylight savings time. Sigh

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sr4mjc

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Did you overnight in Buenos Aires or just arrive that morning? We overnight on the Infinity and have an 11:30 am flight the final day. Hoping to walk off with our luggage early and the taxi line won't be as bad. How far is it from the port to the airport?

 

Sorry for all the questions.

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sr4mjc

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Rhapsody overnighted in BA. Airport is about 40 min from port. Friends did express walkoff and made an earlier flight than yours.

 

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

 

Great to hear, thank you very much! I wonder what time express starts. Or does it ever really officially start/end with the overnight? I was thinking 7am, or even 6am to leave the ship.

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suzyluvs2cruise

suzyluvs2cruise

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Great to hear, thank you very much! I wonder what time express starts. Or does it ever really officially start/end with the overnight? I was thinking 7am, or even 6am to leave the ship.

Express started at 6 am. Those wanting to get off in BA on 3/12, rather than the last day, had a window of time in the am and again in the afternoon to debark early.

 

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