Btimmer's Almost Live to the Amazon 2019 & Beyond

[Btimmer]

1 hour ago, Sir PMP said:

How is the food on board and who is the chef?

I have no idea who the executive chef is, but the food is fine (we eat mainly in the Lido).  We'll check out the Pinnacle in the coming days.  Personally I don't care for the Pinnacle location on the Volendam (no windows).

[Btimmer]

We're in the Amazon delta and will make our first stop at Macapa at 4am local time for immigration and other paperwork.  The water now is very brown.  I'll post pics in the morning.

[Btimmer]

We've been positioned on the equator off Macapá since 4am.  We've just gone downriver to sail around a sand bar and we'll begin our alternate route up the Amazon.  Thus has led to us crossing the equator 3 times in a short amount of time.

 

There was a Brazilian aerobics class this morning on the aft pool deck.  The ship has shut down its water creation process due to the extremely silty water.

 

[Btimmer]

It's a little buggy tonight.  The ship lights will be dimmed and we are to close our drapes overnight.

 

 

 

 

[ski ww]

Just playing catch up on your posts, great picture of the launch. On our cruise we didn't stop at Macapa, the city on the equator.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Catching up with your reports.

 

Interesting bugs.  I don't like the location of the Pinnacle Grill either on the R class ships.

[Btimmer]

We have been stuck on a mud bar since 4:22am.  We're on our second attempt (10:22am local time) to self free ourselves.  If that fails, tugs will be called in.  All passengers are safe, the hull has not been breeched.  We're near Monte Alegre.

[cat shepard]

Wow! And this was on your alternate route! Hope all goes well. Imagine a ship that size stuck in the mud? And you had river pilots onboard, too!

[Btimmer]

No, we are on the main route and have been since yesterday afternoon. The channel is clear on our port side.

[rucrazy]

46 minutes ago, Btimmer said:

No, we are on the main route and have been since yesterday afternoon. The channel is clear on our port side.

 

Tim ... Adventures that make memories last a lifetime... you seem to be getting your moneys worth on this one!!

Stay Safe!

 

Joseph

[TiogaCruiser]

Oh my!

[ScottishMaid]

When we went there 10 years ago the Captain said we were sailing in an area that was marked as land on the paper chart. The river silt shifts constantly. We were on the Veendam with Captain Albert.

Hope all goes well.

[Krazy Kruizers]

3 hours ago, Btimmer said:

We have been stuck on a mud bar since 4:22am.  We're on our second attempt (10:22am local time) to self free ourselves.  If that fails, tugs will be called in.  All passengers are safe, the hull has not been breeched.  We're near Monte Alegre.

 

Sorry to hear this.

 

Keep us updated.

[Btimmer]

We were freed at 11:24am and just arrived in Santarem where we will now overnight and excursions will happen tomorrow morning.  
 

The ship's internet has been out and cell coverage is understandably sparse.  Otherwise I would have updated earlier.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Glad the Volendam is freed and you are now at Santarem where you will spend the night.

[Btimmer]

It turns out that all aboard time is 8am tomorrow morning so all HAL excursions have been cancelled.  We'll miss two port stops on this segment.

 

But we turned lemons into lemonade by putting together an impromptu 2 hour Santarem city tour for $25 per person for 14 folks.  

[colonialinnkeeper]

Some of our most memorable trips have been when we've had to "wing" it for some reason or other.  Always nice when alternate plans come together.  Enjoy...

[TiogaCruiser]

So when Volendam got stuck did you feel anything? Any shake? Sounds? Shift towards one side?

[Btimmer]

4 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

So when Volendam got stuck did you feel anything? Any shake? Sounds? Shift towards one side?

I felt nothing and heard nothing.  And when we freed ourselves there were just tiny increments of movement and then we were moving.  There  were no vibrations other than those of the thrusters.

[colbe]

8 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

So when Volendam got stuck did you feel anything? Any shake? Sounds? Shift towards one side?

We were awake at this time. The ship tilted very slighty, and I waited for the slight roll back, but didn't feel it. It must have moved again slightly, as it did not feel tilted during the morning. With so much then happening I didn't notice anything else.

[Btimmer]

With our delay due to the grounding, the Captain just announced that we are skipping today's port stop at Boca da Valeria today and head directly to Manaus where there will be an under hull inspection.

Edited November 30, 2019 by Btimmer

[Ken the cruiser]

Btimmer, thought I would tag along as we have always considered going on an Amazon cruise, just never got around to getting the dreaded YF shot. So far, though, it doesn't sound like it's been a lot of fun going down the river with all of the missed ports, bugs and going aground in the silt. Hopefully, you're finding plenty to do on the ship.

Edited November 30, 2019 by Ken the cruiser

[seeriteR]

29 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

...So far, though, it doesn't sound like it's been a lot of fun going down the river with all of the missed ports, bugs and going aground in the silt. Hopefully, you're finding plenty to do on the ship.

 

To me, those things add to the adventure! I agree that missing ports is a disappointment, but how many people can say they got stuck in the mud on a cruise ship? 

[Ken the cruiser]

Just now, seeriteR said:

 

To me, those things add to the adventure! I agree that missing ports is a disappointment, but how many people can say they got stuck in the mud on a cruise ship? 

You're exactly right! Life is all about creating memories and they are definitely creating some along the way on this cruise.

[Btimmer]

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Btimmer, thought I would tag along as we have always considered going on an Amazon cruise, just never got around to getting the dreaded YF shot. So far, though, it doesn't sound like it's been a lot of fun going down the river with all of the missed ports, bugs and going aground in the silt. Hopefully, you're finding plenty to do on the ship.

On the contrary, we are loving it.  The grounding just added to the adventure and overnighting in Santarem has led to a full day of scenic cruising on the Amazon in the daylight.  

 

We're parked in the Crow's Nest admiring the views and not doing much of anything else on the ship today.  Large cargo ships pass by us periodically like in the Panama Canal.  There's wildlife to spot (I saw pink dolphins this morning at the port).  

 

Re: YF vaccine, our doctors recommended that we not get vaccinated due to the side effects for people our age.  We do take protective measures like long sleeved clothes and bug spray.  

 

My blog post from yesterday will describe our day and it was anything from boring.  

 

Thanks for following along.  It's a fascinating journey and worth pursuing.