LIVE! HAL Oosterdam 1/7-1/29 South America & Antarctica—Let’s Cruise!

[TravelBluebird]

For those of you into photography, that was shot with a Nikon D500 with a 55-300mm telephoto Nikon DX, telephoto prob about 250mm.

[TravelBluebird]

More photos from our time out on the bow!  Weather was beautiful—bit windy and partly cloudy!  

If you zoom in you can see the cable we had to get under!

 

 

 

Edited January 9 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

Here is another photo from the bow, of  Chiloe island, the largest island of the Chiloe Archipelago.

 

Fun bonus—we couldn’t see it with our naked eyes, but sitting under the gorse bushes on the cliiffs, is a colony of sea lions!  Shot with 300mm lens.  

Edited January 9 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

We had just a perfect dinner at Caneletto’s. The restaurant was not busy at all, and so we were lavished with service.  

 

For starters we each had the Grilled TIger Shrimp with Salsa verde (perfectly cooked shrimp, well grilled with a delicious sauce).  We shared the Burrata with Plum Tomatoes (where do they get these flavorful tomatoes in Chile? They are amazing!).

 

DH got the Ossobuco (brown not tomato sauce; very nice) and I got the Broiled Lobster Tails on spaghetti and warm crab mayonnaise.  Loved them; $15 up charge for the lobster.  The restaurant overall was a $25 up charge each.

 

For desert, DH had Affogato and I had the Baked Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake. Great flavor and texture to the cheese cake, and mixed berries not that horrid strawberry sauce some places pour all over their cheesecake.  

 

We had a chance to tell the chef how much we enjoyed it. The staff said they are never completely full this trip, and to just stop by if we want to eat there!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 9 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

I then went outside on Promenade 3 and blew my hair to bigs (again!!) to get a couple photos of the high mountains we are passing (including, I believe, a few more volcanoes) on the port side.  It has got very hazy and very difficult to get any contrast or resolution in the photos; these have been photoshopped a bit:  

 

 

Edited January 9 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

We’ve decided NOT to take the little municipal van into town before our excursion tomorrow—too risky to miss our excursion which we are looking forward to! Instead we are going to go ashore in the tender about 1.5 hours before the excursion. We know its a small port and not much to do there, but I’ll do some photography and we’ll hang out in the coffee shop.  Here is a description of tomorrow’s excursion:

 

Top 3 Reasons To Book

• A walk through the Aiken del Sur Private Park
• Superb views of nearby lakes, rivers, hills and mountains
• A delicious, typical Patagonian barbecue lunch (lamb).

 

A 15-minute ride takes you along an outstandingly beautiful road. Your destination is Aikén del Sur Private Park. On the banks of the placid, transparent waters of Lake Riesco, the park covers an area of five square miles.

Visit the Information Center for an introduction to the whole area. Interpretive stations explain the bio-geographical history of the region; then, outdoors, you'll stroll down three nature trails, complete with rails and bridges, to discover the three different zones -- forest, prairie and swamp.

In the indigenous perennial forest, you'll see ferns (some typified for the first time in Chile), mosses and lichens.

The River Trail immerses you in the deep nature of Patagonia as you traverse prairies and the humid forest that characterizes this part of the world. The flora here consists of patriarchal myrtle and turf mingled with wild fuchsia and calafate shrubbery.

On the Swamp Trail, macal and mallines wetlands round out the wealth of habitat found at Aikén del Sur.

A 65-foot-tall waterfall -- the impressive Old Man's Beard cascade -- awaits at the trail's end. Take photos before you return to base via the Waterfall Trail.

A delicious, typical Patagonian lunch of barbecued lamb is served before you return to the ship.

Notes:

Wear comfortable walking shoes, biodegradable sunscreen and insect repellent. Dress warmly in layers with a wind- and waterproof outer layer. Not advisable for guests with mobility limitations. If you have dietary restrictions, please advise the shore excursion manager on board the ship. Your guide will do his/her best to speak English, but please keep in mind that the limited tourism infrastructure here is part of the port's charm, and bear with any language difficulties he/she may encounter. The coach is not air-conditioned. Aikén de Sur's commitment to reduced waste means that plastic bottles cannot be brought into the park. There are water stations within the park; recyclable cups are provided. You are welcome to bring bottled water in your own non-plastic reusable bottle.

 

 

[TravelBluebird]

We have found MUSIC IN THE OCEAN  BAR! 😀

 

They are called “Third Avenue West” after HAL’s address in Seattle,  They were listed in events under the name with no description. 

 

 

[TravelBluebird]

The absolutely GORGEOUS view from ship right now: 

 

 

[TravelBluebird]

The trio was very jazzy, and we enjoyed them!

 

Then I went out to see the promised 9pm port side. It was VERY windy and I needed a coat, scarf and hat and we are not even near Antartica yet! 

 

Unfortunately, said 9pm volcano was shrouded in clouds except for the tippy top.

 

A few of us hardy types waited to see if some clouds would move, but they did not.  I enjoyed watching many people come out in their short sleeves and dinner clothes, and immediately flee back inside.

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

Heading to bed shortly,..our first port tomorrow!  Want to be well rested. Today was a great day; we feel like we hit our stride and relaxed into the cruise!

[oakridger]

13 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

In the  Crow’s Nest this morning with our espresso and cappucino!  Pastries available for free with your coffee.  We woke

up late—so much for Tai Chi but we are on vacation!  Slow gently rolling swells this morning, pool water is sloshing 

 

 

 

 

I love the glass and espresso cup in the Crow's Nest picture!  I don't drink coffee so hadn't seen it before.

 

I'm also loving all the detail and pictures in your posts.  All you Oosterdam Antarctica posters present and in the recent past, @NorbertsNiece @Btimmer @WriterOnDeck @StLouis Cruiser @scubacruiserx2have been doing an exceptional job of sharing with us!  It's really getting me excited to take this itinerary!

 

~Nancy

 

 

Edited January 10 by oakridger

[caneable]

TravelBluebird, those of us on the next cruise will be docking (?) at the island Chloe as we’ve had Punte Del Este removed from out itin. Did you manage to get any other shots of the island?

[caneable]

9 hours ago, TravelBluebird said:

We have found MUSIC IN THE OCEAN  BAR! 😀

 

They are called “Third Avenue West” after HAL’s address in Seattle,  They were listed in events under the name with no description. 

 

 

Great info, we too don’t like having our ears assaulted by over amplified music. It’s our one BIG GRUMP about NCL. The volume as turned up so loud that it’s often to the detriment of the singers. Some of the females sound to shrieking, but still the audience goes wild. So the Ocean Bar could become a go to but perusal of various Daily News pages shows that it’s not open that often.

[caneable]

Loving the photos and I spotted the sea lions even expanding the photo on my old iPad.

[TravelBluebird]

Good morning!  We are sailing up the channel to Port Chacabuco.  I wanted to wake up for the sunrise but could only manage 7:15 am.  Missed passing by those tall snow covered mountains in the distance, Overcast but beautiful!  Don’t y’all worry on the “wrong” side of the ship, we have views too! 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by TravelBluebird

[0106]

1 hour ago, caneable said:

the Ocean Bar could become a go to but perusal of various Daily News pages shows that it’s not open that often.

The Ocean Bar is open everyday.  My experience, sailing on longer cruises on Vista class ships, has been that they have music 5/6 days a week.

 

@TravelBluebird What time is sunrise?  What is the “wrong” side of the ship?

 

 

Edited January 10 by 0106

[TravelBluebird]

Patch of blue sky!  It’s 42 degrees damp and chilly!  I’m in a thermal, PJ bottoms and scarf

 

 

[oakridger]

3 minutes ago, 0106 said:

The Ocean Bar is open everyday.  My experience, sailing on longer cruises on Vista class ships, has been that they have music 5/6 days a week.

 

The same on Signature Class ships. (Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam)  Ocean Bar opens in the morning around 10am until 11pm or midnight.  The band played usually 3 sets 6 days a week.  

 

~Nancy

[TravelBluebird]

10 minutes ago, 0106 said:

The Ocean Bar is open everyday.  My experience, sailing on longer cruises on Vista class ships, has been that they have music 5/6 days a week.

 

@TravelBluebird What time is sunrise?  What is the “wrong” side of the ship?

sunrise was 6:15.  Better side of ship is considered port side from San Antonio and Starboard from Buenos Aires

[TravelBluebird]

2 hours ago, caneable said:

TravelBluebird, those of us on the next cruise will be docking (?) at the island Chloe as we’ve had Punte Del Este removed from out itin. Did you manage to get any other shots of the island?

should  be amazing!  Besides the natural beauty and wildlife, 16 wood churches are a UNESCO world heritage site!

[TravelBluebird]

All this photo and video stuff—why I like shooting from balcony!

 

They are doing life boat drills next to me.  .  Hope they wake up DH soon so he can get me coffee! 😂

 

Edited January 10 by TravelBluebird

[Bill B]

On 1/9/2024 at 2:16 AM, TravelBluebird said:

I am not askin anyting from HAL because of this, BUT I really want them to change the category or make a notation for future travelers. 
 

 

They'll give you $100 OBC, a bottle of wine and a giant, coffee table book of HAL recipes, but they won't change the category or make a notation for future travelers. 

[TravelBluebird]

Wait—probably our tenders, right?

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

We have stopped!  I believe we are in port super early! Don’t know how DH slept through that but I’m off to get my own coffee! 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 10 by TravelBluebird

[TravelBluebird]

16 minutes ago, Bill B said:

They'll give you $100 OBC, a bottle of wine and a giant, coffee table book of HAL recipes, but they won't change the category or make a notation for future travelers. 

I’ll have my photos of the room and balcony in my YouTube room review so others will know if they research—revenge of the blogger! 😂

Edited January 10 by TravelBluebird