Sun Review: December 21-January 4

[buckeye82]

We were a family of five cruising from Valparaiso, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. My husband and I were traveling with our three twenty-something children.

I thought the NCL SUN was pretty and for the most part well kept. I did notice some worn carpet and a button in the elevator was missing. The ship was smaller than we are used to on NCL, but was laid out nicely and we had no trouble finding anything.

The cruise director and his staff were wonderful. We enjoyed interacting with them when we participated in ship activities such as trivia, pictionary, bingo, line dancing, jeopardy, and star gazing. We also attended some lectures which were ok-nothing great. Because this was a holiday cruise there was midnight caroling, a holiday show and a huge New Year’s Eve party on all levels of the atrium. We had a great time!

We had two balcony cabins on the port side of deck 9. This was great when we were cruising the Beagle Channel, as all the glaciers were on that side. Because this was a long cruise (14 days) and we had to pack for hot and cold weather and there is no self service laundry on board, my husband and I used every nook and cranny for our clothes and you can imagine how it was in the kids’ cabin! The cabin stewards were friendly and there was much good natured joking when my husband and I were ready to have our cabin made up, but then only 1 or 2 of the kids would emerge from their cabin, because someone was still sleeping (it was hard to get them all out at the same time sometimes!). The cabin felt tight near the entry way and the shower was small, though the water pressure was good. I was not impressed with the soap and shampoo in the dispensers and there was no conditioner for hair. The body lotion was awful, and of course with heaters on, the air was very dry.

Most of the sailing was fairly smooth, except the first night out of Valparaiso. The waves were “rough” and the Captain said that this was unexpected. We did ok, though a lot of people did not. But as the Captain said –surely we would all get our sea legs on such a long cruise! Going around Cape Horn was fine. We enjoyed being able to use our balcony when we were in the Beagle Channel. We saw Dolphins, rainbows, glaciers snow capped mountains and waterfalls. And it snowed, which was a treat for us since we live in South Florida! As we approached one of the glaciers that actually goes down to the water, I said, “now if only it would calve, everything would be perfect.” Just as I said that a chunk of ice broke off and went into the channel! Wish granted!

Ports

Puerto Montt- We had a private tour lined up with GV tours and we saw the volcano and made some stops to browse around two lake front towns. We went to lunch at a local restaurant where we had Chilean salmon, pisco sours and Chilean wines. We went to Petrohue falls and Lake Esmeralda. We really enjoyed our tour with Veronica. The weather was partly sunny and in the upper 60’s, but very windy at the lake! We did some shopping when we returned to Port.

Puerto Chucabaco-Beautiful area, but this is where we hit the worst weather of our trip. Fog, squally rain and high winds greeted us and there is nothing to do if you just wander when you tender off the ship. The kids went kayaking and they said it was not as windy away from the water and as the day progressed the weather did improve somewhat. My husband and I “stretched our legs” in port and walked up the hill to admire the views through the fog. When we had enough of the wind and wet we went back aboard the ship. The kids enjoyed the kayaking and one of the excursion staff said that this was the port in which to do something adventurous.

Puerto Arenas-We had scheduled a private tour to go to Otway Sound to see the penguins and do a short city tour. It is a long trek over gravel roads to see the Penguins but well worth it. I dressed in layers and had a hat as well as my hood and I was very glad I did. It was windy and cold with a little rain, but not so bad if you were prepared for it. This was fascinating. The penguins were very busy in and out of the water and by taking the private tour we beat the crowds. (Celebrity was in port also). I think you could have easily taken a taxi here if you have some knowledge of Spanish. As we left, the tour busses were rolling in. We saw the sights in the city including the beautiful cemetery and the hill overlooking the city and water. When we returned, we walked to the main city square that we had seen earlier and there were many stands with people selling souvenirs. This was perhaps the best trinket shopping of the trip. The prices were great. Magnets were two for a dollar and we bought knit hats with llamas on them at four dollars each.

Ushuaia Argentina-we took a ship excursion. First we went on a catamaran to see sea lions and cormorants in the Beagle Channel. The boat was much different than I expected. It boarded directly from the ship. It was large and comfy and there was plenty of room for everyone. You could go sit upstairs or downstairs with tables and big windows. There was a snack bar. You could also go outside and this was great to do when you got near the wildlife. Again, dress for the weather. It was sunny, but outside on the boat you needed to bundle up. The boat ride was pretty long, as they took us to Tierra Del Fuego National Park to board a coach bus to go back to the ship through the Park. I think I could have done without this part. As soon as we got on the bus they made a stop for thirty minutes at a visitor center so we could use the facilities (which if you had been thinking you would have done on the boat) and to shop their expensive gift shops and eat at their cafeteria which was very crowded. Then we stopped at a lake and got out to enjoy the view, but we stayed much too long. At last we were back in port and we did some shopping. The town was very nice. If we had had more time I would have eaten dinner in town where they had lamb roasting in the windows over open fires.

Port Stanley-Though the captain kept saying the weather was “iffy” for tendering, we did get in. We took the excursion “Ride to the Rockhoppers” and it was an adventure! We took a small van to a sheep farm and then divided up into small jeeps. There were four in each jeep with a driver. There were six jeeps so there were only 24 of us. We drove off road across the peaty country side for about forty-five minutes. We enjoyed talking with our driver as he told us about the Falklands and himself. Then he said he would be leaving us at the sea cliffs for about an hour. They take back the group that is already there. I was a little surprised and hoped that they would indeed come back for us. Again, I was thankful to be dressed for the weather. The wind on the cliffs was strong and cold. Fortunately, I did not feel quite so deserted there. There was a warden to watch over the penguins (and us) and a little shack with bathroom facilities (read outhouses). After you get cold enough you can go to the shack and a nice lady serves tea or hot chocolate and cookies, and chats about life in the Falklands (and even her experiences in the war). The Rockhoppers were interesting and lived up to their name. The jeep drivers did come back to get us and drove us straight into Stanley where we browsed around. Nice town! While we were waiting for the tender it started sleeting. Talk about changeable weather!

Puerto Madryn-We went on the ship’s shore excursion called ‘The Great Patagonian Adventure.’ It started early as we were going to Peninsula Valdez. On the ride we saw Rheas, Guanacos (llama like animals in herds), Mara (large rodents), rabbits, and sheep. We drove to an Estancia where we boarded smaller vans which took us to the shore to see Magellan penguins. These are the same as we saw at Otway Sound but the landscape is so different that it was a completely new experience. We spent about an hour there and then drove back to the Estancia for a very nice lunch of Patagonian lamb, empanadas, salad, sausages, cheese and bread with wine. I thought it was clean, well organized and delicious. Just remember that you have bumpy roads to travel and don’t over eat! We then drove on to another coastal area to see huge sea lions, seals and sea elephants. It was fascinating and I wish we could have spent more time there. I don’t know what prevents those tiny cubs from getting crushed by the huge adults! But we had a ship to catch! We were late getting back, but others were, as well, and as it turned out the port had to close due to gale force winds and we couldn’t leave anyway. Finally, we were given the all clear to depart. The weather here had been sunny and windy but not as cold. Of course it started to shower a little when we were with the Penguins but it didn’t last. This was a pier port . No tenders!

Montevideo – We were able to pull up to the pier here and we got out and walked to some shops and squares. It was warm and sunny and a great day to be out. We went back to the ship for lunch and then took the afternoon city tour via coach bus. We visited the main squares and memorials of the city and then drove back to the ship along the coast. It was nice to see all the residents out at the beach enjoying the sun and water. I am not sure I would have considered it warm enough to swim, but they sure looked like they were having fun.

Buenos Aires- Our flight was not leaving until after midnight so we took a full day tour through NCL that included city highlights and then a trip out to an Estancia. They had horseback riding and carriage rides for those interested as well as dancing and music. We had beef and chicken and they offered beer, wine and soft drinks. Then we watched the cowboy competitions and tried the local tea, Mate. We ended up buying the special Mate cup, straw, and tea at the airport. We got to the airport at about five and waited in line to check in for 90 minutes. Once we checked our luggage we went to pay the airport fee (less than 20 dollars per person) and then went to the restaurant right next to security. We had a long leisurely dinner with a very friendly waiter who was very patient with our attempts at Spanish and shook our hands when we left and wished us a good trip. Don’t be surprised when after security you have to go through passport control. We didn’t know this, but luckily we had plenty of time.

The Food and the Restaurants –

The main dining rooms were good for the most part. Towards the end we felt like we were seeing the same food in disguise. In other words - leftovers. There were several times when they didn’t have an item on the menu. “It didn’t make it to the ship on time.” Or ‘we will get that again at the next port” were the general explanations.

We tried to avoid the buffet at all costs. It was small, poorly laid out and always seemed crowded. The one evening I decided I was hungry late, I went up to the buffet only to find that it had closed ten minutes earlier at 10:30. We never had any trouble getting into any restaurant. We were five of 300 + Americans on board out of 1700 passengers and it seemed most people wanted to eat after 8 pm. If you were willing to eat at around 7 or earlier you had no problem. We would see lines at the dining rooms after we had eaten.

We enjoyed the Steak , Italian and French specialty restaurants. The kids went to Ginza for sushi one day for lunch, to be told that there was no seaweed to make rolls. They tried again for dinner later in the cruise and enjoyed it very much. I didn’t really care for the food at the sports bar. Las Ramblas had tasty tapas. But check the menu-it changes and one night I loved the tapas and the next time not as much. Las Ramblas was sometimes open for lunch with pre-made sandwiches and soup. Pacific Heights was pretty good for dinner, but we found ourselves going there for lunch quite often to enjoy fresh pasta, pizza and calzones. We went to a jazz brunch on Christmas day in Le Bistro and that was very enjoyable. They had a buffet as well as some special items you could order from the menu. Very nice. Special note: The fruit juices they serve for breakfast are just awful! We heard many people complaining and I stopped ordering any. The desserts didn’t seem as good as they have been on previous cruises. My daughter and I ate a lot of ice cream.

Shows-We went to some shows but not all. We enjoyed ‘The Producers’ which was song and dance from various Broadway shows. We didn’t like ‘Cirque Pan’ as much. I thought ‘Dancing through the Years’ was pretty good. We enjoyed the Crew and Passenger Talent Show –especially the end (very silly and funny). We enjoyed the magicians and comedians. The language barriers sometimes made it even more humorous, when they would pick someone from the audience who did not speak English.

Well it was a great cruise, and when we went around Cape Horn they had a big party where the captain ‘baptized’ everyone with sea water. Now we are true sailors and not “pollywogs,” as we were told. Hope you all can join our ranks!

[bluesea777]

THANK YOU for the wondeful review!! Very glad to hear you enjoyed the cruise very much.

 

We were booked to go on your cruise but had to cancel when AA screwed up the air fares and we could not afford the extra $3600 in airfares for the 3 of us. Alas they dropped the fares to the sale price a few months later!!

 

We booked instead on the East Mediterranean Holiday cruise - also 14 days - and we had a fantastic time. You should try this cruise sometime!

 

Now that I've read YOUR review (b/c it was about the cruise we wanted to go on), I've now put that on our list of what to do before we die!

 

Thank you again.

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

If you remmeber in Ushuaia you where next to the Marco Polo who had just ended an Antarctic cruise.. .I was booked to be on the same voyage as you before making the terrible mistake of changing lines.... my review is coming soon...gosh that trip was terrible.

[buckeye82]

If you remmeber in Ushuaia you where next to the Marco Polo who had just ended an Antarctic cruise.. .I was booked to be on the same voyage as you before making the terrible mistake of changing lines.... my review is coming soon...gosh that trip was terrible.

 

 

Sorry to hear the Marco Polo was not a good choice. I look forward to your review and your experience with Antarctica.

 

Yes, we did recall seeing the Marco Polo when we were in Ushuaia!