live Island Princess 59 day Circle South America Ja 9 -Mr 7

[Waynetor]

Day 21 Wednesday Ja 29 at sea

Ahh what a good night’s sleep does for the mind and body.  Finally, 8+ solid hours of blissful unconsciousness.  Got up ready and raring to go this morning.  Like many others we planned a full day of sitting back and exchanging stories about yesterday.

 

I was a bit off on time zones – Easter Island is on the same time as Peru but a hour behind mainland Chile so we had an hour change last night so even though we will next be on the west coast of South America, we are an hour ahead of the East coast of the USA.

 

Regarding having a cruise ship like Island P going to Easter Island where there is only a 50-50 chance of being able to go ashore – While those that got to see the island enjoyed it, I think for anyone wanting to get the best of a trip to Easter Is., it would be best to do a voyage that ends in Santiago and then do an air trip to Easter Is.  An example would be like this first segment and then 4 days later after flying to Easter Is. and back rejoin the Coral Princess in Santiago which is replicating the 2^nd segment of this voyage.  If this 58-day voyage had not included the 9-day side trip to Easter Is. only 1 sea day would have been needed to get to our next port and overall an extra 5 or 6 extra ports could have been added by staying close to the coast.  There are lots of extra ports in Chile and Brazil that could have been added.  Just a couple thoughts – hard to say which way would be more popular.  Also, if doing an air trip to Easter island try to void a day when a large cruise ship will be there.

 

Last night while at dinner we received an invitation for this morning for a tour of the ships bridge area.  There were 15 passengers included.  We could see the sleeping/office quarters for the senior bridge staff.  There are signs that only English may be used on the bridge.  The Captain gave us a short welcome and we spent about a half hour with a second officer who explained much of what is in the area and we were able to ask a lot of questions.  There are 2 officers who watch all the screens and make any adjustments.  Our route to mainland in mainly preprogrammed and the ship is on auto pilot most of the time but that can change due to various factors such as the appearance of other vessels or weather changes.  There were 2 watchmen that just stand by the window looking straight out to sea watching for anything that may not have been picked up by radar.  They do that on a 4 hours on, 8 hours off schedule.

 

There was a question re with consecutive sea days.  There are a lot of activity options during the day which we participate in some.  I was given a large number of National Geographic mags and am slowing going through the pile I brought.  It has often been hard at times to get the satellite news channels (MSNBC, FOX, BBC and a business channel) on board, but the other Princess channels provided some good options.  I don’t mind the sea days.  We will have a busy time as we hit the more southern area.  I will post a list of movies at the end of the 1^st segment.

 

Over dinner the topic turned to family.  One gentleman noted that he had been raised as an only child.  A brief pause and he continued “Of course that really annoyed my sister”.

 

Today’s quote of the day - Call me Ishmael. Some years ago -- never mind how long precisely -- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me." - From Moby Dick by Herman Melville

[Waynetor]

Rano a Raraka Quary - more pics in coming days

 

[Waynetor]

2nd pic shows largest known moai mostly carved in cliff but never finished, 3rd pic shows natural caves in cliff

[Waynetor]

Day 22 Thursday Ja 30 at sea

Weather – Mostly cloudy, seas around 1.5 m (4-5ft) and cool breeze with temp of 21C (72F).

 

Some more notes on Easter Island – It is believed when the first people reached Easter Island there were no animals on the island.  They brought chickens and rats.  There are very few birds there year-round.  I saw a sparrow type bird and Chilean Hawks that were brought into fight the now unwanted rats.  The problem is the rats come out at night and the hawks hunt during the day.  Mosquitos came via ship cargo a few years back but they are mainly found in the lake in the cater and that lake has small fish that feed off the larvae.  Whales pass the area during migration.

 

Played ‘I’ll take trivia for $100’ trivia tonight – close to 50 teams and our little group came 2nd.  Close but no freshly brewed bottle of Champagne for us.

 

A note I forgot to add from a few days ago.  As Elite loyalty members, we get a free mini-bar set up for each segment.  Normally we exchange some items.  For the first time when doing a back to back cruise, we have been given the opportunity to fill out a form with our request of what we would like to have delivered for the new upcoming segment.  While taking extra time to prepare each delivery, this should save room service a lot of time overall.  The form was the one used for ordering extra mini bar items.  No special space for exchanging for coffee card or wine but would assume that could have been written in.  We will see in a few days how this works out.

 

I was up in the spa today where a woman noticed her husband was standing on the bathroom scale, sucking in his stomach. “Ha­­! That’s not going to help,” she said.
“Sure, it does,” he said. “It’s the only way I can see the numbers.”

 

Today’s thought of the day - All of us who can cruise are blessed in the things we are able to do.

 

[Waynetor]

Day 23 Friday Ja 31 at sea

I know that many of those who have not been on an extended voyage don't fully understand how full your days can become and still not do everything you want to.  We have not participated, but quite a few members of our roll call are getting together at times for cards and Mah Jong games.

 

The weather was much like yesterday but winds a bit less and seas a bit calmer.  We were up on the open deck shorter after sunrise at 8:25am and it was quite cool then.  Sunset was not until 9:33pm.

 

Two very good days for our Progressive trivia team – 20/20 yesterday and 19/20 today.  Tomorrow is the final day – looks like we will be around 5^th of 31 teams.

 

We had our 4^th and last formal night for this segment.

 

At dinner tonight one gentleman was not eating much.  The waiter asked him if everything was alright.  He assured the waiter the food was fine, it was just his ulcer giving him problems and he did not feel like eating very much.  One of the other ladies piped in, “It could be worse, my ex never had ulcers but he was a carrier.”

 

Today’s thought of the day - People who don’t travel cannot have a global view, all they see is what’s in front of them. Those people cannot accept new things because all they know is where they live.” – Martin Yan

[h20cruzer]

Love, love, love your reviw.  Thank you so much for taking the time to write it!!!

Norma

[Go-Bucks!]

What a blessing to get onto Easter Island...despite all the tendering chaos! That small indigenous pineapple was so sweet and juicy!

Edited February 2, 2020 by Go-Bucks!

[Waynetor]

Day 24 Saturday Feb 1 at sea

Our streak of cool weather with mostly cloudy conditions continued.  The open area pool area was mostly deserted all day.  With 8 of last 9 days being at sea, the only sign of life during that time was the large pod of dolphins and a few birds on the 2^nd day.

 

The Island P, for this voyage at least is not a "party ship", but there is an interesting mix of people on-board.  Lots of opportunities to connect with others OR have your total privacy.

 

Today there was one of those sales that take over the dinning room.  Lots of ladies clothing but not much for men unless your looking for leftover Alaska cruise T-shirts.

 

Today was the final game of Progressive trivia.  Yesterday they had each team submit a question or a few that could be used as long as not too obscure.  They had some good entries but the internet was too slow for them to validate the questions/answers so they had to pass on that for a final – ended up with a few questions from each of the top categories.  Princess is known for its low budget prizes.  Having Progressive trivia takes it even further.  After a game for each sea day, they gave prizes to the top 3 teams that were equivalent to those given out daily in normal trivia.  One team led start to finish and had a 9-point end advantage.  That team also got a certificate.  Our team was 7^th.

 

Our team won the 50-60s name the artist trivia – 19/20 and the 4-way tiebreaker.  Helps to pick the right teammates.

 

Princess closed the indoor pool area from 4 – 8pm today for a party for those leaving in Santiago.  Other than the table in the covered corners, the outdoor pool area was deserted today due to the cooler temp and wind.

 

We have been quite pleased with the meals and menus so far.  I was worried that the menu would repeat every 10 days or so but there has not been a lot of repeated menus.  Individual items have repeated a couple times but not the same menu each time.  We were told that escargot would likely be on the last formal night but that has come and gone with no escargot.  Also, I never saw any turkey offered.  Opinions can vary – we were discussing the meals a couple nights ago and a lady said she was disappointed that the menu repeats every 7 days.

 

At dinner tonight some of the guest at the table were having wine and offered the rest of us a glass to toast their anniversary.  One gentleman declined saying he was a recovering AA member.  The anniversary gentlemen said he could completely understand.  He said he “As a workaholic I’m also recovering, with the help of my support team, my wife and my travel agent, I travel 6+ months a year and have fortunately avoided a relapse. 

 

Todays thought for the day – The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page. Augustinus Aurelius

[Waynetor]

Feb 2 La Serena (Coquimbo), Intro

Coquimbo (pronounced ko kimbo) is situated in a valley 10km (6mi) south of La Serena with which it forms Greater La Serena with more than 400,000 inhabitants (about two-thirds in La Serena).  Coquimbo is nearly a third of the way down from northern Chile to the southern point.

 

The Coquimbo Region forms the narrowest part, or ‘waist’ of Chile, and is hence one of the country's more mountainous regions, as the Andes range runs closer to the sea than elsewhere.  It is located on Coquimbo Bay giving a quite protected harbour.

 

The gold and copper industry in the region led to the city's importance as a port around 1840 and many Europeans, especially from England settled in Coquimbo.

 

It is an access point for beautiful beach (cool for swimming) towns to the south, such as Guanaqueros and Tongoy.  The port is still important for shipping, especially fruit and copper from mines in the region.  Wine is also produced in the area.

 

Coquimbo was hit by a devastating tsunami in 2015 reducing most of the shore drive to little more than rubble.  Fortunately, advanced warnings allowed most people to get to higher ground.

 

The average high temperature in February is 21C (70F).  Coquimbo is affected by the Humboldt Current and by mountains hugging the coast.  The net result is a cool, damp climate on the coast that becomes dry and warmer in the mountains.  The frequent fog on the coast does not carry on into the surrounding hills, and the dry, clear climate in the mountains is ideal for Observatories (first built in 1960’s).

[Waynetor]

Day 25 Sunday La Serena (Coquimbo), Chile 8 – 6pm

We are docked in a very small cargo port today – there was not much that could be called a terminal.

 

It was about a kilometre (less than a mile) to the town center of Coquimbo and about 11km (7mi) to La Serena.  With today being Sunday there were less business open but there was a general market not too far from the port.   

 

There were vans offering tours in the port area.  You can also bargain with the taxis for 1-way travel.

 

This is another port we stopped at in 2009.  We took a shuttle to La Serena and walked around a bit but not too much due to it being hilly and Freda’s walking issue– did see an interesting court house, churches and market.  I remember seeing people with buckets, brushes and towel washing cars as they parked on the street while the driver did other business.  Great way to make a bit of money with low overhead and saves time for the car drivers.  Once back we had lunch on the ship – after that I got off and checked out the area near by.  The port has a lot of small fishing boats and there was a typical fish market near the ship.  The market was buzzing with people.  The air was filled with freshly caught fish – not sure if the flies cost extra.  I could see about a dozen seals swimming around looking for any waste that gets thrown in.  This market was heavy damaged by a tsunami, I think it was 2016, and has not fully recovered.  

 

On a hill overlooking the town and the port is the crossed shaped Y2K millennium monument (2,000 years of Christianity) which was clearly visible from the ship.  Also, clearly visible is the Coquimbo Islamic Center – not a mosque but is a large cultural and educational center.

 

Today I did a tour organized on the roll call for $89. The description was:

Full day tour - La Serena, Elqui Valley & Coquimbo tour includes:

Our tour will take us through the streets of historic La Serena, visiting the Recova, the old artisan center, on to the main square to see some of the historic buildings, the monumental Lighthouse of La Serena and along Avenida Del Mar heading to Coquimbo to see the Cross of the Third Millennium, the Fort of Coquimbo and it's typical Chilean neighborhoods. After we will head to the Elqui Valley, visit a Pisco Distillery, Vicuna City, Puclaro Lake, Gabriela Mistral Museum. We will have lunch at a famous Chilean solar restaurant where the meal is completely cooked by solar.  Lunch included.

 

Tour review:  The tour was on the disappointing side.  The ship was about a half hour late getting docked and cleared.  The tour started with a bit of a drive along the waterfront and then on to a highway that took us out to the countryside.  That area was very mountainous – rocky, cactus covered and dry looking.  Eventually we reached the Pisco Distillery (grape brandy) which is a co-op.  Went we got there a Princess bus group was being given a tour and while waiting another P bus showed up.  They gave them the next tour telling us we arrived later than planned so would have to wait.  The tour itself was only about 10 minutes (the guide spoke broken English) and then there was time for a sample and buying bottles.  From there we drove further away to the small town of Vicuna City which is powered by solar panels.  That is where we had lunch which turned out to take longer than planned.  It was 2:30pm by the time we left.  The lake we were to see was a small river dammed up to make a reservoir to help supply water to the many local vineyards.  We passed it going to and from the restaurant.  Other than that, is was basically a drive back to the ship.  We went through some older areas but no stopping and you could only see what was on your side of the bus.  Never saw a museum, lighthouse or fort.  Some people wanted to get a better view of the millennium statue for pics so we made a quick stop at a square near the ship but other than the historic buildings around where we parked the statue could not be seen.  The best view of it is from the top decks of the ship.  The bus had an intercom problem so no matter where the guide stood, many of the 27 in the group could not hear anything she was saying.

 

There are ongoing political battles going on here with those that want to preserve older buildings and keep new building under 8 stories and those that want all new and big.  The later seem to be slowly winning as there are new quite a few new, nice looking, tall condos along the water front.

 

South America has quickly become a rising star in the world of wine.  There are a number of excursions in Chile and Montevideo that include tours of wineries.

 

I noticed a few fishing boats in the harbour that looked out of place.  I learned that Chile had seized several fishing boats that were in Chilean waters illegally (Russian and Japanese) and they were held until a fine was paid or for 2 years before the Navy would use them for target practice.

 

The weather prediction in the Patter was only for a high of 16C (61F) and mostly cloudy but it turned out to be a very nice, warm day.

 

We were able to watch the Super Bowl this evening.  The start time was 8:30pm.  The sun did not set until around 8:40pm.  There were no regular commercials shown, just the same ESPN promos over and over.  Viewing options included in cabin TV, Explorers lounge and the MUTS screen.  We watched the first half in Explores – picture quality not up to normal TV standard and now in cabin for 2^nd half.  In Explorers they offered nachos, wrapped mini hotdog and spicy wings and later pizza and popcorn.  Of those watching, and seemed to care, KC has the most fans.

 

Returning to our cabin and seeing packed luggage set outside cabins to be picked up, sorted and delivered to the terminal tomorrow gave us both a big grin knowing we don’t have to do that for another 7 weeks or so...priceless.  I’m sure the staff doing this job love these longer cruises versus the 7- or 10-day voyages.

 

I had heard early that there was about 400 coming and leaving tomorrow but today heard 500 leaving and 450 boarding tomorrow.

 

For those that will be on the Island P in the near future here is a list of evening movies shown on MUTS so far: Judy, Blinded by the light, On the bases of sex, JoJo Rabbit, The Peanut Falcon. Skyscaper, Tolkien, Crazy Rich Asians, Same kind as Me, Five Feet Apart, Second Act, Poms, Where’d you go Berndette, The Upside, The Extraordinary Journey of Fakir, The Sun is also a Star, Gemini Man, First Man, Hearts Beat Loud, Men in Black International, and Ad Astra.  During the day here has been some older movies, Cirque de Soleil and concerts.  I expect they will repeat in upcoming segments.

 

Today’s thought for the day - "When you travel, remember that a country is not designed to make you comfortable.  It is designed to make its own people comfortable." - Clifton Fadiman

[Waynetor]

Internet has been slow and hit and miss - I'll try more pics later. 

[Anam Cara]

6 hours ago, Waynetor said:

Today’s thought for the day - "When you travel, remember that a country is not designed to make you comfortable.  It is designed to make its own people comfortable." - Clifton Fadiman

We went to the hospital in Coquimbo.  If government “is designed to make its own people comfortable” we believe the government here is failing miserably here.  What we saw there is nothing short of appalling.
 

On the way back to the ship in the city between Islamic cultural center and sports stadium we saw a daed horse by the side of the rosd being nuzzled by another horse.
 

 Never have I ever in all my travels (and I have been to the “third world”) seen the things I saw today in our short time off the ship.  And I hope never to see them again.  
 

I love this blog.  Helps me remember my own experiences each day and lets me see what others onboard are doing.

Edited February 3, 2020 by Anam Cara
Additional sentences

[hm9912]

11 hours ago, Waynetor said:

Internet has been slow and hit and miss - I'll try more pics later. 

Thank you for your posts

We did the 49 day around South America on the Royal last year and would have loved to visit Easter Island.

The highlight of the trip for us were the penguins in the Falkland Islands.

 

 

 

 

Howard

[Steelers36]

@Waynetor, sorry you had a poor tour in Elqui Valley.  It probably speaks to getting a better experience with a small group.  We had a nice day on a similar tour that included the Solar Restaurant back in 2018. 

[Waynetor]

Feb 3 Santiago (San Antonio), Chile intro

San Antonio is the hub of the fishing area that spans the Chilean coast from Rocas de Santo to Cartagena.  Its port is the largest in terms of freight handled and the busiest on the western coast of South America.

 

The city lies on hills and coastal dunes, immediately north of the mouth of the Majpo River. 

 

San Antonio is the gateway (southern) to Valparaiso, Chile's central valley and the capital of Santiago de Chile – aka just Santiago.  With a population of over 5 million people, Santiago sprawls at the feet of the snow-capped Andes.

 

The distance to inland Santiago is 112 km (70mi) and it generally takes over 2 hours to get to the airport.  From an Oceania Cruise brochure, we received the Santiago description is - Nestled between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean, energetic Santiago offers surprising discoveries with its renovated arts scene, expansive museums and noteworthy restaurants you won’t want to miss.  Take in the outstanding views of this cosmopolitan capital by biking or hiking up one of its many gorgeous hills.  Visit the Plaza de Armas – Santiago’s Original City Center – where you’ll be able to see a wealth of historical buildings and grand architecture.  Or get a glimpse into the private and professional life of the poet and Nobel Prize winner Pablo Neruda by visiting one of his homes, all 3 of which have been converted into museums.

 

San Antonio enjoys a Mediterranean climate with coastal influences.  February has only a trace of rain with an average high temperature of 22C (71F).

[Waynetor]

Day 26 Monday Santiago (San Antonio), Chile 8 – 6pm

The first segment of this voyage has come to an end.  Coming and going passengers transfer to/from the airport in Santiago. 

 

Princess offered tours for those leaving the ship today that will drop the passengers off at the airport for their over night flights home.  I have heard that just over 450 left the Island P today and 422 new passengers boarded today.  US, Canada and GB are the top 3 counties for new passengers.  In 4^th place was North Korea with 19 passengers and Chile and Australia each have 16 new passengers.

 

We are docked in a very large industrial port – had to take a bus from ship to terminal.  They said they could supply transportation for Freda’s wheelchair if she wanted to go out but she now has my cold and decided stay on the ship.  Today was restocking supply day - I looked out 1 time and saw 30 skids and later they were all gone and a new batch was there. 

 

Some taxis were available in the port.

 

There is a roadway along the waterfront with a walkway that starts shortly after existing the port to the left.  I walked that.  The walk was full of vendors offering a huge range of goods aimed at the local population.  About 99% of the huge crowds were not ship passengers.  The water area along the water front was full of small fishing boats.  At the far end was a fish market with a very wide range of fresh seafood.  In that area there were a couple dozen sealions and huge numbers of gulls and pelicans.  Vendors were dumping scrapes off a dock which attracted the crowds.  Across the street was a small mall attached to hotel.  I was able to visit a pharmacy there.

 

The weather was perfect – pure sunshine, very light breeze and warm but not hot with no humidity,

 

If you have previously done a cruise to Chile that used Valparaiso as a gateway to Santiago the port used has changed, as of late 2017 cruise lines are using San Antonia.  San Antonia is not as nice a place to dock, but there were berthing and workers issues in Valparaiso that was making it very difficult for cruise lines.

 

Tours to Valparaiso and nearby Vina del Mar were a popular option today.  Previously we did a private tour (4 people) from a van taxi that included lots of highlights of both towns – very interesting.  I remember seeing condos built into slopes so that each floor of the building was set back from the floors below and instead of a regular vertical elevator, the buildings used a funicular going from floor to floor.  In Vina del Mar there is one of the moai (statue) from Easter Island statue at the Fonck Museum.

 

All those joining us today had a muster drill at 5pm prior to sailing.  All those in transit also had to do the drill as will pass the 30-day requirement mark on this segment.  This meant that the dinning rooms did not open until 5:45 meaning we could not make the 7:30 show.  

 

Like other Elite passengers, we received our new mini-bar setups in the last couple days – they got our soda order wrong but I got that fixed today – now using Coke Zero instead of Diet Coke.

 

The room steward we started with left in Lima, his replacement left today and now we have a new steward that joined the ship at 10 this morning.

 

We were supposed to sail this eventing around 5:30, but due to supply loading and bunkering along with the fact we had to move about 25ft to allow another to ship to dock behind us, as of 10:50 local tie we have not yet left port.  The Captain said he will try to make up time but if late at the next port we will likely stay late there.

 

Besides the Island Princess doing this grand S/A voyage, the Coral Princess is spending the winter in this region.  It is doing 14 or 16-day cruises from here to Buenos Aires, or in reverse direction.  It will be here on Feb 6 ending and starting a new 14-day voyage repeating all of our ports to BA, just 4 days behind.  The 16-day voyage it is currently doing included 4 days of scenic Antarctic cruising but it is not stopping at Puerto Montt so while we are there on the 5^th, it will be sailing past on its way here.

 

At times there has been some trouble getting good response on the internet.  Thinking of that reminded me of a lesson I learned -

>How to Start Your Day with a Positive Outlook:
> 1. Open a new file in your PC.
> 2. Name it "Housework".
> 3. Send it to the Recycle Bin.
> 4. Empty the Recycle Bin.
> 5. Your PC will ask you, "Are you sure you want to delete “Housework” permanently?"
> 6. Answer calmly, "Yes", and press the mouse button firmly.
> 7. Feel better?

 

Today’s thought of the day - "The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway."-Henry Boye

[Waynetor]

Sea lions around fish market

[Waynetor]

Day 27 Tue, Feb 4, at sea???

As mentioned yesterday we were still in port when I posted.  To our surprise we were greeted in our cabin this morning by the Captain’s voice noting that we were still in port and no sign of when we would leave.  The port is closed by order of the Port Authority due to strong wave conditions in the narrow port entrance.  The Captain said he would be getting hourly updates and would let us know.  At 11:30 he announced no change and around 5pm noted that conditions were not expected to change overnight.  He was hoping that by early morning we may be cleared to leave around 6:30am at the earliest.  That would put us about 37 hours behind schedule.  For now, tomorrows port of call, Puerto Montt, is cancelled.  That will save us 10 hours port time plus a couple extra hours for slowing down and docking so maybe around 12 hours, so still a full day behind and no guarantee we get out at 6:30.  More change ae to come but they can’t announce anything until we know when we are leaving here.

 

No one has been allowed off the ship – initially because there was hope we would get clearance to leave but later it became clear that even when it was clear we were going nowhere today, there was no buses or other systems in place to handle our coming and going.  The day ended up like a sea day except no casino or shops open.

 

The captain added that the Coral Princess is heading here from Buenos Aeries and is scheduled to arrive on the 6^th.  The staff on it is reporting rough seas in the southern areas.  (That would not help us make up any time if conditions like that continue).

There was a large Costa ship waiting off shore for much of the day to take our place.  That would be a disembarkation/embarkation day for that ship.  They eventually gave up and got clearance to dock in Valparaiso.  That would have been a logistic nightmare as the passengers already here waiting to embark would have needed to be transported up the coast to embark while those leaving would need to get fresh transportation to the airport.  Without doing a search, I believe that is near a 100 miles extra trip.  If anyone is able to report anything from their experience, I would like to hear about it.

 

There was another cruise ship trying to get in to this port but I don’t have any info on it.

 

So far the mood on the ship is understanding of the situation.

 

We had another well attended roll call meet and greet this afternoon with 80+ people attending.  The CD, Entertainment Director and Captain Circle host came and answered any questions that they could.  Matt the CD noted that he had been on vacation for 2 weeks when he got the last minute call to be on this voyage.  He will be staying for 10 days after this and then taking 2 more weeks before joining another ship.  He had been on the Royal P last year when it did a 49-day Ft. L to LA cruise similar to this in the opposite direction so he had some experience with what to expect passenger wise.  (We were on the Royal with him for a week before that voyage started).

 

Matt also said that for the next 2 weeks we would have no production shows due to singer breaking a leg going down stairs and another singer having to go home for a family emergency.  So, his staff is scrambling to adjust the entertainment schedule.  Asked about the production shows he said they take about 18 months from start to first showing.  They will last up to 5 years depending on response.

 

The indoor pool area was closed this evening to have a private welcome aboard just for those joining yesterday so no champagne waterfall and glass of freshly brewed champagne for us.

 

Tonight in the theatre there was a violinist and later in Explores they had “Friends” TV trivia.

 

I met the captain today and gave him some advice - Prevention is, as in other aspects of seamanship, better than cure. - Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

Fire prevention at sea is better than fire extinguisher!! – Anonymous

A collision at sea can ruin your entire day. -Thucydides (5th Century BC)

He graciously thanked me – wonder what kind of gift will await me later.  

 

Today’s quote of the day - “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.” - Robert Louis Stevenson

[Waynetor]

Sea conditions outside port and channel we need to go through

[geoherb]

On 1/31/2020 at 7:48 PM, Waynetor said:

A note I forgot to add from a few days ago.  As Elite loyalty members, we get a free mini-bar set up for each segment.  Normally we exchange some items.  For the first time when doing a back to back cruise, we have been given the opportunity to fill out a form with our request of what we would like to have delivered for the new upcoming segment.  While taking extra time to prepare each delivery, this should save room service a lot of time overall.  The form was the one used for ordering extra mini bar items.  No special space for exchanging for coffee card or wine but would assume that could have been written in.  We will see in a few days how this works out.

 

 

When I took back-to-back cruises last summer, I called room service the last day of my first leg to let them know I wanted to trade in the second minibar for a bottle of red wine. It worked fine. I was sailing solo and still had things to give away at the end of the second leg.

Edited February 5, 2020 by geoherb

[AF-1]

Hope the seas change and you can be on your way.

[flydc]

We are on the Azamara Pursuit. Was to dock yesterday in San Antonio. Swapped us to Valparaiso. Instead of sailing last night, we were delayed due to restocking the ship. Further delay for fueling. Then a medical issue. Eventually sailed about noon today (5 Feb). Skipping Puerto Montt tomorrow and arriving next day in Chacubuco about midday. Rough seas right now. 
Captain and crew here are fabulous. They’ve done a great job under the circumstances. 
Hope it smooths out on the “other side” so we can make our port call in Stanley, Falkland Islands! 
The Costa ship apparently didn’t get into port until wee hours of the morning. 
Heard Princess was having similar issues! 
 

[Just4funn]

ATTN:  Island Princess travelers.  Due to unexpected circumstances my wife and I must cancel our private tour to Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands.  If you are interested in going to Volunteer Point to see the penguins up close contact Dee Gurule D633.

 

Here is a description of the tour:  Tour leaves from the pier in 4X4 jwwp qhich holds 4 people.  A 2 hour drive to Volunteer Point - home to Gentoo and Magellanic penguids.  You will be able to walk amongst the penguins and they are so friendly, they will come up to you.  You can also go over the dunes to see them swimming in the ocean. A bag lunch is included.  Tour participants will meet at 7:30 am on Deck 5 in the atrium.  The tour will be back by 4:30.  Tour cost is $219 per person.

[Waynetor]

Feb 5 Puerto Montt, Chile Intro       

Puerto Montt is located on the north side of a well protected bay at the edge of a huge estuary, Seno de Reloncavi, with a very narrow mouth to the ocean.  Puerto Montt has a modern downtown waterfront. 

 

It was named after Manuel Montt, President of Chile 1851 - 1861, who set in motion German immigration in the early 1850’s – there is still a lot of German influence in the architecture in this area.

 

The city is configured as the hub of one of the largest salmon aquaculture industries in the world.  Hatcheries, fisheries and packing plants are mostly located south of Puerto Montt.  Fresh salmon is flown daily to world markets and frozen salmon is shipped by ocean to all destinations.

 

It is located at the southernmost end of Chile's Lake District set among lakes, fjords and rivers, and nestled at the foot of snow-capped mountains including the towering cone peak of Osorno volcano at the edge of the Andes.

 

The average high temperature in Feb is 18C (66F) with 94mm (3.7in) of rain.  It is often quite windy.

[Waynetor]

Day 28 Wednesday San Antanio/at sea/ Puerto Montt, Chile 7 – 5pm         

I posted the above intro, just to give an idea of where we were supposed to be. 

 

The Captain made an announcement at 9am that our departure is continuing to be blocked by the harbour master.  The local political team would be meeting with the port authorities to try to find a way for us to leave.  At 9:45 the Captain said that we would be allowed to leave at 11:30.  At 12:45pm we actually started to back out of our berth.  We needed to back out to the open harbour area and then swing the bow around facing the sea.  We had 2 tugboats tied to us to give assistance.  There were waves coming in but it certainly did not seem bad.  Lots of amateur-professionals on board giving the opinion this was all a local strongman trying to make a point – we will never know.

 

At 5pm the Captain made an update on the itinerary.  Besides missing today’s port of call, we will miss the scenic viewing of Amalia Glacier on the 7th and on the 8^th we will arrive 2 – 3 hours late to Punta Arenas.  Three hours late there would still give us an 8-hour day in port.  Considering we overstayed about 47 hours in San Antonio, I think things are working out about as good as could be expected.  The Captain also noted that the port was still closed to all other traffic.

 

Seas were a bit rough this afternoon/evening but everyone is happy to finally get moving – seeing nothing but the sea this afternoon felt great.  As we move towards an area known for rough sailing conditions, we are hoping King Neptune will be in a good mood, and we will be blessed with calm winds and seas.

 

At dinner tonight the theme was New Zealand/Australian.  Feb 6 is the date in 1840 that the Maori Chiefs and British Crown reps signed the Treaty of Waitangi.

 

Since watching the Super Bowl we have had no live TV until just before dinner.  Hopefully the rest of the world is still out there.

 

The indoor pool was closed for our duration of our stay in San Antonio.  It was filled tonight.  It was closed because it creates so called ‘dirty water’ that can not be dumped while in port.  The same applied to crew laundry – no cleaning for them for 4 days.  

 

At the first show of this segment the CD announced we had a group of North Koreans onboard.  That is now corrected to be 22 South Koreans.

 

Today I had another roll call organized tour. $89US per person.

Full day Puerto Montt, Osorno Volcano, Petrohue Falls & Lakes tour includes:

We'll start with a tour of Puerto Montt with 2 stops for photos, on to Llanquihue Lake and Green Lagoon in The Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. We will see the Petrohue Falls at the foot of Osorno Volcano – on to Puerto Vargas – main square & market. Back to port by 3:30.

No lunch on this tour

Sounded good, but unfortunate it was not to be – would have been a first time in Puerto Montt.

 

Today’s quote of the day - Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel. - Jim Stovall