As I conclude my cruise sailing the southern part of South America, I reflect on my trip and the people that I encountered, as well as the places that I visited.
Kenny and I boarded the Star Princess on January 3 in Buenos Aries, Argentina. We had flown in a few days before to explore this beautiful city.
This cruise was a 14 day trip with six ports of calls, ending at the port of San Antonio, which is about two hours from Santiago, Chile. This ship can carry a maximum of 3,100 passengers with a crew of 1,205. This particular cruise had 2,600 passengers with 1,200 from the U.S.A. There were many countries represented: Canada, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, Korea, Japan, Germany and others.
It is always exciting on the first day, as you locate where your room and explore out the various decks, locating the restaurants, buffet area, spa, gym, pools, theater, etc.
On our cruise, we always enjoy having designated seating for dinner at a specific time and with the same group of individuals. This gives you an opportunity to get to know someone better. Our dinner mates were couples from Florida, California and Michigan. The majority of them were retired and enjoy traveling. It is great meeting new individuals, as everybody has a story and a very interesting background.
As well as meeting all the different passengers, you also get to know the crew members, such as your cabin steward, waiters and waitresses in the the various restaurants, cruise directors for all the activities on ship, etc. All these crew members come from many countries: the Philippines, Central and South America, Hungary, Russia, etc.
The Cruise Director plays an important part on the ship as he or she plans all the activities that occur on board, especially the days that you are at sea. Each night your cabin, receives a newsletter stating all the activities that will occur the next day. Some of the activities on board were lectures on the ports that the ship would be docking at for land excursions; lectures on some of the great explorers, such as Christopher Columbus, Ferdinand Magellan and others. Kenny and I attended Spanish Lessons; Dancing(cha-cha, tango...); art auctions; movies; fitness seminars and the evening performances. The evening performances were singers, magician, musicals and so much more.
I enjoyed seeing families and friends playing board games, working puzzles and playing cards. It was also nice not seeing every individual on their phone, as internet access is difficult to access on the ship.
The total distance traveled from Buenos Aires, Argentina to San Antonio, Chile was 3,956.3 nautical miles.
Summary of our 14 day cruise:
Thursday, January 3 - boarded the Star Princess. Overnight stay.
Friday, January 4 - ship sailed at 6:30 pm to Montevideo, Uruguay
Saturday, January 5 - docked in Montevideo at 8 am. Toured the city.
Sunday, January 6 - sea day. Sailing to Puerto Madryn, Argentina.
Monday, January 7 - docked at 8 am. Took a tour to Valdes Peninsula to see the sea lions, penguins, and elephant lions. Took sail out of the Gulfo Nuevo and back out to the Southern Atlantic Ocean. Next port of call is Stanley, Falkland Islands.
Tuesday, January 8 - at sea. Due to heavy weather encountered and an even worse forecast, the captain made the decision to alter the ship's track to try and avoid the worst of the heavy seas and strong wind. This unfortunately led to cancelling Stanley/Falkland Islands. The ship proceeded directly to Cape Horn.
Wednesday, January 9 - at sea. Strong winds.
Thursday, January 10 - At around 12:20 pm, Star Princess arrived at Hornos Island, which is the southernmost island of Chile's Tierra del Fuego archipelago and home of the infamous Cape Horn. Southerly point of headland of South America. This is also where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet. What a wonderful experience! Now to Ushuaia, Argentina. Docked at 11:30 p.m.
Friday, January 11 - Half day tour. We visited Pipo River Valley in the Tierra del Fuego National Park; Ensenada Bay overlooking Beagle Channel, Roca Lake and Lapataia Bay. An enjoyable day at the "End of the World". At 4:30 p.m., we were sailing to Punta Arenas.
Saturday, January 12 - At 7:30 am, anchors were set inside the Magellan strait. Today would be a tender service from the ship to the dock of Punta Arenas. Kenny and I took a catamaran to Magdalena Island to see the home of 25,000 penguins. The ride back from the Island to the dock was an adventure as the wind was gusting at around 50 mph and the swells were from 4 to 6 feet. At 8 pm, the anchors were brought up and the ship sailed to exit Magellan strait and to set course for Amalia Glacier.
Sunday, January 13 - Today was Amalia Glacier. Everyone on the ship enjoyed the spectacular views of the glacier.
Monday, January 14 - at sea. Next port of call, Puerto Montt.
Tuesday, January 15 - In the early morning, the Star Princess made her approach to Puerto Montt. This was another tender service day. Visited Monumento Natural Lahuen Nadi, a German Village and Puerto Varas "City of Roses". 6:30 pm, anchors up and we proceed to sea for our final port of call, San Antonio.
Wednesday, January 16 - at sea. Spent the day saying good-bye to new friends. Enjoyed a beautiful sunset!
Thursday, January 17 - In the early hours of the morning, Star Princess embarked to the San Antonio pier. At 6:45 am, Kenny and I were off the ship and on a tour to enjoy the city of Santiago. We would be staying a few more days in Santiago to enjoy the city, the beaches and the wineries.
It was a spectacular three weeks of seeing another continent and enjoying the panoramic scenery that God had created!
I love these quotes:
"traveling, it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller"
"we take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone"
I am ready to share my stories and my photos!
1 comment:
What a fabulous trip! So full of events, sights and new friends. Thanks for taking us along with you.
Post a Comment