scubacruiserx2

Leaving Puerto Madryn and the Freestyle Daily for Montevideo and Puerto Madryn .

Dinner was at Cagneys after Puerto Madryn Beef Tartare with Wasabi Frenck Onion Soup Broiled seafood Platter Filet 7 layer chocolate cake

The tide was low as these penquins normally swim here We requested a photo stop of the ship near this statue of Tehuelche The view from the ship of the statue Backing away from the Pier The sunset

Thank you . We also noticed a lot more wind this trip which may have affected the waddlers and it is extremely hot today there also . In Torres del Paine , Chile after the cruise the wind gusts exceeded 100 Km / hour , or 62 mph . Almost hurricane force . Pat took a video at a mirador of a bus that looked like it was going to roll in the crosswind . We seem to be on the mend but a little slower for the older ones .

Other critters

We think that they migrate so they are probally following the food trail ( Like good cruisers ) . 😊

We were about 3 weeks earlier in middle December in 2018 . January 10 th this year . We noticed that the chicks were larger and plumper this year .

Another day at the beach . There were a lot more penquins on the beach at our last visit in 2018 Surfs up !

The bulbous bow looks like another day at the buffet .

It's a 181 KM ( 112 miles ) trip one way but a lot of it is on gravel roads near the end . We did make a quick bathroom break at the gas station and there's a nice one and a small museum at Punta Tumbo . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punta_Tombo We were early , about 1/2 - 1 hour ahead of the busses . So we got to hear the rooster crow . A lot of walking on a wooden pier this time and gravel and you can hear the wind . It was cool to start , fleece weather but we tied them around our waist before long . We never saw these before A partridge near a pear tree ? Feed me A lazy , sunny day

There were no such challanges for us , just the King of the hill . Did you get the sea lion escort service ?

Here comes the Sun ! We met J and M early for a long walk on a long pier in Puerto Madryn The guide and driver could not meet us on the pier . It only has one way traffic so all of the busses had to back up the length or the pier at least half a mile . There were lots of jellyfish in the water and on the beach . Prime penquin food . And a EMS vehicle of course Our guide and our ride Are you ready for a 3 hour ride to Punta Tombo and the wild life ?

Do you mean like this ? From our previous visit on the Zaandam in 2018 . When we were there on January 10 , last month on the NCL Star we didn't see any sea lions , but lot's of jellyfish . A buffet for the Magellanic penquins . It is 0800 there and already 80 F with a predicted high of 102 F ! This translates to 26 C with a high of 38 F ! We are showing our photos of this years visit today on our NCL thread .

We have never been there Mic . What's on for today ?

Well it looks like the NCL is bringing the heat to Puerto Madryn . It is 0700 and already 80 F with a predicted high of 102 F ! This translates to 26 C with a high of 38 F ! https://www.accuweather.com/en/ar/puerto-madryn/8247/hourly-weather-forecast/8247 Our friends on the Oosterdam appear as they are going to join them today , so wear your sunscreen and a hat . And please drink lots of water or Gatorade . It looks like a desert as you will see in todays photos coming up next .

Thanks . We just found out that our grandson who picked us up at the Brightline Station tested positive , the day before he was to solo for the Big Smile company . He got it quicker and seems to be healing quicker than we are . It's too bad for them as the Falklands is the best place for penquin encounters . We have a lot of photos edited for the penquin and wildlife trip to Puerto Madryn the Lord willing tomorrow .

Dinner was at an empty Le Bistro The Escargot was lava hot . Again a homage to our grandson . He first tasted it on his 20th birthday cruise with us . He liked it so much that he ordered 2 more servings ! It was his first HAL cruise and he and his tastes have grown up . Pat's Duck ! I hoped that the Sea Bass wasn't from the Rio del la Plata A giant Herseys Kiss

We didn't pick up on that . So is Puerto Madryn next ? We have never done the port that you skipped but have done Castro and Puerto Montt several times and loved them . Especially the food and wine at the grocery store at Puerto Montt . Smooth sailing Mic and we may get to post some of our penquin trip at Punto Tumbo if you are going there .

After the introduction of the officers , Tony or was it Antony spoke , and led a prize raffle . We brought a Florida shaped Christmas ornament and won a very nice bag with a map of California . The lady that gave it came over to our table and we had a great chat with her . We spent our 45th anniversity last March with 2 days in Big Sur and a Napa wine tasting tour followed by 9 nights in Kauai . We then returned to San Fransisco for a guided 2 day and overnight tour in Yosemite . So we had a lot to talk about . We also met @Jaxmax16 who we would do 2 private penguin tours with in Puerto Madryn and the Falkland Islands . Lunch was Cagneys .

Also on our day at sea we had breakfast and an interdenominational Bible study . We stopped by the well stocked library next to the room that NCL had allocated to us for the study and left some reading material there . Our next stop was Le Bistro where the Cruise Critic M&M was held that was organised by @ziggyuk . Tony and Antony are from the UK and had cruised the previous cruise on the Star to Ireland and had organised the previous one for that cruise . They and NCL did a fantastic job . We have done about 45 cruises and this had the most ship's officers and was the best overall M&M that we have attended . Here's the introduction of the ships officers .

Thank you for your care and concern . We are doing a bit better . But we do miss having other folks shop , prepare , cook , clean and do the mounds of delicious dishes that we consumed . Especially now as our energy level is down , but not out .. 🙂😊 @cruisingrandy do you currently reside in Peru ? Our DIL is from Lima and our son and 3rd grandson were there for Christmas . They were still there when we first arrived in BA . Same Continent but different countries . The next planned cruise is a family cruise with our son and 2 daughters and their spouses and 3 grandsons set for Thanksgiving when 2 of the grandsons are out of school for the holiday .

The last thing that we saw leaving Montvideo was people fishing in the brown water and waving to us . Our guide in BA told us that the water is ok to drink and eat the fish from it - if you're use to it . We're not so I'll stick to bottled water . On Monday , January 8 th , we looked very close to the land at Mar del Plata before breakfast and I told my wife that it's probally a medivac as I've done many . Sure enough , one to go . As we headed out to sea you can see where the brown Rio de la Plata ends and the blue Atlantic Ocean begins . We are more used to an aft view like this from Spice H2O A first look at O ' Sheenan's and the Atrium

A little reprise of the pre cruise from some telephoto shots from a different camera . The ship shots are from our room the night before we boarded the Star , Saturday January 6th . Celebrity Eclipse , one of our favorites that we took a cruise on a TA from Miami to London . The thread had over 380 K views , our most popular . It also took us and our oldest grandson to the Baltic including Russia , where we all had Visas . The next out was the Serenade of the Seas Both of them The MSC Musica The view of the English Tower from the lounge of the Sheraton . You can see the train station on the right and the colorful cheap flats seperated by the other side of the tracks . The Bus Station is on the left Before dawn , here comes our shining Star Followed bt the Azmara Quest After we sailed and turned we saw this huge , smoky fuel tank fire . It made me glad that I have retired from being a Firefighter /Paramedic . The photo almost looks like and old black and white photo . I wonder why the river water is so brown ?

Thank you for writing in and welome aboard . No large ships make port in Antarctica . We 1st went to big A on the HAL Zaandam and they did offer a landing on the continent by a large plane from Punta Arenas and a trip to Torres del Paine . We think that it was almost 3 K to the big A p.p. and if it didn't go you went to Torres anyway . Not sure if the difference was refunded or credited . The Torres trip was about a K or a K and a half p.p. HAL does 4 days cruising the big A and NCL only 2 . HAL was Santiago to BA 22 days or the reverse . NCL was 14 days BA to BA but about half the price . We have some friends Mic and Rosie on the HAL Oosterdam doing the trip now and it appears that they may have missed a port today or the Cruisemapper schedule for them is wrong . You can follow their " live " here but the further South they go , the live will slow or stop on the internet .

Good morning . Day 4 of Covid and observing the old protocols of the epidemic . Both of our daughters had it and survived - but they are not in their 70's and 60's as we are . We feel like a ship in a storm with only one engine working . Still moving but half slow and half fast . Halfast as they used to say in the Navy . Our grandson who picked us up Sunday after our flight from BA to Miami , and the train ride to Palm Beach , started a new job . It's with the Big Smile company and yesterday was his first solo day driving and delivery . We were not covered up and we hoped that he didn't get infected . His mom , our first daughter , is a nurse and his new step dad is an x - ray tech who swabed us and gave us the bad news so they know what to do . We hope that his new employer will understand if he becomes infected and that he dosen't infect others . More bad news ( sorry ) . According to Cruisemapper , the NCL Sun missed the Falklands yesterday . And it appears that the NCL Star has passed them and will miss today . Major Bummer for them . Strangely the Sapphire Princess and Azmara Quest are in port there . You can see the map here and zoom in . https://www.cruisemapper.com/?imo=9195157