2-28 Ushuaia (Tierra Del Fuego) - The End of the World

Well, thanks to the determined Captian, we DID "Round Cape Horn" last night.  And we receive certificates to prove it!  Thank you Captain Nash.  Let's just say it was memorable, and a bit bumpy!

After Rounding Cape Horn, the Ship u-turned north and then headed west up the Beagle Channel, named after the explorer Magellan's ship.  At three in the morning the local pilot was picked up and as we slept peacefully we were delivered to the pier of Ushuaia, Argentina, known as the End of the World.  Even though there are more named communities to the south, Ushuaia lays claim to being the southern most populated town.

FYI, at this point we are only 600 miles from Antartica.  So it's no surprise that it's only 48 degrees at the end of their summer.  And surprise, it's raining.  fortunately we have an excursion booked today and we'll be seeing Tierra Del Fuego by motor coach.  Our tour begins at 11, so there's no rush this morning.

Tierra Del Fuego is an archipelago (group of islands) at the most souther tip of mainland South America.  It is divided by Chile & Argentina.  It is also the southern end of the 19,000 mile Pan-American Highway which ends in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska.  And yes, I had to look that up.

The excursion was mainly driving through the scenic park and stopping occasionally at various vistas.  With the wind, rain and low temperatures, that was ok with us.  Here are a few pics -

As we head back to the ship the fog settles in again and the rain becomes more constant.  This was the view from our coach window just before we turn into the port.

That night the ship sails through the Beagle Channel and we catch a gimps of a couple of amazing glaciers.

Yes, the ice is blue.

This is not an overexposed photo.  The top gray band is fog!

Thank you Argentina for another great day!  Now on to Chile.

2-27 Sailing around Cape Horn & Winemaker's Dinner

Today is a scenic cruising day.  We are scheduled to sail around Cape Horn around 5 pm this evening.    Being summer in the southern hemesphere means sunlight until 8:30pm.  The seas continue to be quite rough and the autopilot on this ship slows itself down to a safe speed.  And it's quite foggy.  To quote our tour guide yesterday, "Expect anything.  It's the South Atlantic."  Bottom line, no Cape Horn.

But we still had a great day.  In the evening we have scheduled a winemaker's dinner.  For an additional charge, we enjoy a private dining area and have a special meal prepared for us while tasting a white and red wine.  Tony & I did this while crossing the Atlantic a few years ago.  And we wanted Pat & Dean, and Linda & Gordy to experience.  We were joined by a forth couple from Australia.  Thumbs up from everyone!

Linda & Gordon

Pat & Dean 

White Wine

Main Course

Red Wine

Dessert

Us with the Maitre d'

2-26 Stanley, Falkland Islands

Good luck was on our side today and we were able to disembark the Royal Princess and tour Stanley, Falkland Islands.  I had booked a private tour with Patrick Watts to see Bertha’s Beach, the town of Stanley, and Gypsy Cove.

We’re up by 6 and head up to the Horizon Court (buffet) for a quick and light breakfast, head back to our room to finish getting ready and pack up for the day.  By 7:45 we’re back in the Piazza (middle of the ship) to meet our friends, Dean & Pat who will be joining us on the tour.  Stanly is a tendered port which means the ship docks in the middle of the bay and smaller boats tender passengers from the ship to land and then back to the ship.  We wait our turn and by 8:15 we’re walking down the pier looking for our tour guide.

Passengers were tendered from the ship to the dock of Stanley

Gentoo Penguins in the grassland above the beach

This little guys ran all over the beach

On shore we meet Owen, our driver and guide for the day and we head out on the 1.5 hour drive to Bertha’s Beach.  Bertha’s Beach is named after a Norwegian ship which wrecked there in 1892.  It is the home of a large colony of Gentoo penguins who “have the freedom of a beautiful long white sand beach, and although covered in penguin poop, it is beautiful!  Owen, a native of the Falkland Islands, tells us we’re on our own to wonder down to the beach to hang with the Gentoo Gang.  There is a small group just feet from the parking lot, but many more down at the beach, so we head down the windy trail to get a look at these cute little critters.

It’s an overcast day, and we feel intermittent raindrops, but we still spend 45 minutes watching the antics of this community and photographing them like crazy.  Finally, chilled to the bone, we head back to Owen’s vehicle where Patrick Watts, the owner of the tour company is waiting with hot tea & coffee and biscuits.  

Leaving Bertha’s Beach we drive back to Stanley, passing RAF Mount Pleasant, the Royal Air Force station open in 1985 after the Falkland war.  Back in Stanley we ride past a number of military memorials dedicated to not only the Falkland war, but also both World Wars.  I never knew, and I won’t even attempt to pretend I understand it all.  But I found it fascinating and will definitely do some reading up on it when I return home.

Falkland War Memorial

From Stanley, we have a short drive to Gypsy Cove to see the Magellanic penguins and a WW II gun remains that sits just above the cove.

Patrick Watts, founder of the tour company.  And a very proud, native Falklander.

Megellanic Penguins  

WWII Gun placed to defend Stanley from the Germans

Owen drops us off at the port by 3:30, but we’re not ready to return to the ship yet.  Instead, we stop at the local pup and have a local brew, then walk up the street to try some shepherd’s pie and some local cookies from the bakery & tea shop, stop to see the Angelican Church and the Whalebone Archway.  

Angelica Church and Whalebone Arch in Stanley

The rain has held off until now, but by the time we reach the tender at the dock we’re pretty wet and ready to get back to the ship.  We freshen up a bit and head down to Alfredo's where we meet Pat & Dean for dinner.  

There's not too much else to add to this day's post except that it was a wonderful day and we will never forget the Falkland Islands.

2-25 Another Day at Sea

The seas aren't giving up.  This morning the Captain announced 3-4 meter waves with strong winds.  If the seas don't settle down, there's a possibility we won't be able to stop at the Falkland Islands either.  That would be a bummer.  I'm looking forward to seeing those little penguins.  But when cruising, and at any other time, the weather is out of our control.  So we'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

Today is unusually quiet.  Tony's much better and we venture out on the ship a bit more.  Things are really rocking and rolling so we head down to deck 5, midship where we don't feel as much of the motion of the ship.  We also take a dose of Bomine to minimize any motion sickness (not an issue so far).  In the Piazza (midship) we run into Pat & Dean and make plans to meet up with them later in the day to see the comedy variety show starring Bart Rockett.

After the show we head up to the Horizon Court for dinner.  It's not going to be a late night for any of us.  Tomorrow we WILL be in Stanley, Falkland Islands and we are meeting our tour guide by 8am.

2-24 Puerto Madryn

Our first port of call is Puerto Madryn, Argentina.  The ship is scheduled to arrive at the dock around 11.  But at 9 the Captain is on the PA informing us that the winds have picked up and there is a chance that the Ship will be unable to approach the long, exposed dock.

We don't have an excursion planned for this port.  We're just planning to get off the ship and check it out. But even those plans are shaky because Tony is still not feeling 100%.   We don't need to make a decision, because at 10 the Captain is on the PA system again informing us that the local pilot has informed him that it is too dangerous for this 1,087 x 217, 141,000 ton vessel to approach the dock.

So another quite day is on the books for us.  We do get out for a bit and play some trivia.  The first round is general trivia and we pair up with a couple.  Dang, some of those people take their trivia seriously!  Let's just say we didn't win.  We didn't even place!

The couple, two University of Kentucky administrators, decide they don't want to stick around for the  Diva's trivia, and Tony heads back to the cabin.  But out of curiosity, I just stick around.  the beginning of a diva song is played and contestants or teams put the singer down on paper.  I was hot!  I got 14 out of the 20 correct.  But then I realize that this is 2 point trivia and I was supposed to write the songs down too!  What the heck!  I would have won!  I knew at least all the songs for the artists I got correct, but I didn't write them down!  And the winner had 27!! BUMMER!  I really needed the Princess Cruise Line notebook!  Oh well, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.

The rest of the afternoon is spent watching an on demand movie in our cabin.  Tony's got his appetite back so we head down to the dining room where we run into Linda & Gordy.  They join us for dinner.  It was a lovely ending to a quiet day.  The best part - Tony's on the mend!

2-23 Sea Sick

Today is our first day at sea.   We're up early and head to the gym.  Both of us put in 2+ miles on the treadmill while the Ship jumps around on the choppy seas.  Afterward we pick up a bite to eat and the Horizon Court (buffet)  and then head back to the room to shower.

And then life stopped for the next 24 hours.  Tony's stomach began to turn and the rest of the day was spent in bed and close to the bathroom.  Around 7:30 he was feeling better, but not 100%.  I headed up to the Horizon Court and got him some crackers, a banana, and some rice.  He was able to eat the most of it along with a Sprite.

Not sure what it was.  But it hit fast and only lasted about 24 hours.  Sometimes shit happens!

2-22 Adios Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires was an overnight port for the Royal Princess.  Staying in the port allowed passengers to experience longer or overnight excursions, in this case, Iguazu Falls.  Unfortunately, with the delayed arrival all excursions of this type were cancelled.  I'm pretty sure it is safe to say there were a few upset passengers.

Back to us.  I'm up around 7 and head down to the International Cafe where I pick up two cups of coffee and egg & cheese english muffins.  It's breakfast in bed for us while we try out the new wi-fi onboard.  I must say we are pleased.  Speed had improved tremendously over the previous system.  And that's the extent of my knowledge.  We originally purchased service for one device with the intent to share between our iPhones.  We didn't want to be tied to our phones or the internet.  But the service was less than $3 a day, an affordable convenience for us both.  And I must say, it hasn't changed our socializing.  It's just nice to know we have contact with our peeps back home.

Today we finished getting organized.  Just prior to sailing we attended the mandatory safety drill where we're instructed on what to do in an emergency, and how to put on our life jackets.  The ship cannot sail until all new passengers have attended.  We're still exhausted from our whirlwind pace in Buenos Aires & Iguazu, so an afternoon rest is in order.  Later that evening we meet Pat & Dean for dinner in the main dining room.

It's hot and our energy is fading.  So we say our goodnights and head to bed

Dinner with Pat & Dean

2-21 Boarding the Royal Princess - Finally!

We're in no rush this morning.  Last night we heard that the Royal Princess, which was scheduled to be in port early in the morning would not arrive until later in the afternoon.  First off, the Ship was late leaving it's Uruguay port (not sure of the name).  In addition, rumor was that there were some Chinese passengers on board that did not have the proper paperwork to enter Argentina, and the ship could not enter the port until they were turned over to authorities.  So after the ship left port in Uruguay, the passengers were paged to report to customer service.  There was no response, so the ship sat off the coast until the couple was found...hiding under their traveling companion's beds.  Fact? Fiction?  Hard to tell.  But still a great story.

Our Morning View

Still too much luggage!

We finally saw the Royal sail past our hotel around 1pm.  Linda was in contact with someone who was on board and she informed us not to come before 4.  So again, we request a later checkout (1pm) and then hang out until 4 when taxis are called and we make our way to the port.  The 5 mile ride took over an hour.  There was a Woman's march that closed many of the main roads, construction that reduced traffic from 3 lanes to 1.  And when we finally arrived at the Buenos Aires cruise terminal we were greeted by a dark and very hot terminal building.  The power had got out over 2 hours ago.  It was the perfect storm.

The Royal Princes - almost to Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires Traffic - I'll take LA!

I'm actually glad we waited until the bulk of passengers were onboard.  It only took us another hour to check in, jump on the passenger bus that carried us through the industrial terminal, and finally, finally walk into our room.  We unpack, but are not completely organized yet, then shower and head out to met Dean & Pat for pizza and a much welcome bottle of wine at Alfredo's, the pizza restaurant located midship.

It's been a long day of "hurry up and wait" and we knew we weren't going to be lasting too long.  And shortly before ten we are tucked in bed and ready for a good night's sleep on the Royal Princess.

Buenos Aries cruise terminal - A working port.

2-20 Our Final a day in Iguazu

As I mentioned earlier We weren’t scheduled to leave Iguazú until later in the afternoon. So we have plenty of time in the morning to walk the lower circuit of the Falls, return to the hotel,  have a quick dip in the pool , pack up, have lunch ang get to the airport. And that’s exactly what we did!

Dean and Pat  earlier flight getting ready to leave for the airport. So Tony and I,  Linda and Gordy headed out to the lower circuit of the Falls at 8:30.  One of the advantages of staying inside the park is that we could reach the falls earlier, prior to the many arriving day guests.  This trail had a number of steps.   But they were spread throughout the pathway Which made them easier to maneuver north.   Which made them easier to maneuver.    Just like the upper and middle circuit trails, every turn gave us another magnificent vista of the Falls.

Tony giving Gordon an iPhone lesson!

 Within 90 minutes we’re back at the hotel. Gordy & Linda return to the rooms to pack up, Tony and I switch into our swim suits and head down to the pool for a quick dip.  My only regret for our stay in Iguazú is that we didn’t have more time to lounge in the beautiful pool.   But we can swim anywhere. This is the only place we can enjoy the view provided by Iguazu Falls.

A taste of heaven

 After our short, but refreshing dip in the pool we return to the room to shower and pack up.  I had extended our check out from noon to one. So shortly before one we head down to reception to check out and for the next two hours we wait for Luis, our driver who is scheduled to arrive at 3.  Back at the airport we choose to take our luggage through security hoping to  eliminating the need to check it in.  Once through security, we find a place to sit and wait until our flight begins to board.

The flight back and taxi ride to the hotel was uneventful. But  when we return to the hotel were informed that they do not have rooms for us. There was a maintenance issue and the hotel at an entire floor of rooms were closed. So instead, they arranged for taxi over to their sister hotel, Alvear Icon where rooms were waiting for us.   Winner winner chicken dinner for us.  Although the Alvear Art was a beautiful hotel, and it was a bit of a hassle to taxi over to the new hotel with all of our luggage, the Alvear Icon is a beautiful and modern hotel. And we are upgraded to a very large suite with a view of the riverfront.

Marble Bathroom

Beautiful Entry

Once were settled in, we head up to the bar grab a quick bite to eat - one  more delicious Argentinian beef burger.  Shortly after, we’re back in our rooms and in bed. Tomorrow will be a hectic day as we work our way to the Royal Princess.