Ellencruise

Can’t wait to hear/read from OP how this all turned out 

Could have been an AI generated error email!

I’m doing this cruise in June. Can’t wait to read your posts

Great photos. I’ll have to consider a trip to Ireland!

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

I had zero tendering priority.  We made arrangements to meet our private tour group (between 8-12 people arranged on the Roll Call) in the Ocean Bar.  Then the group went to Rolling Stones to line up for our tender tickets. The tour operators seem to understand the difficulties of tendering.

 I met many people who only did HAL tours.  If you are going Santiago to BA, the penguins on Magdalena Island from Punta Arenas.  I wanted to see penguins at every possible opportunity.  If it was my first experience it would have been incredible.  It was my last and there weren’t as many penguins as at some of the other places because by mid February, the juveniles were beginning to migrate.

We explored Montevideo and Isla de Chiloe Castro on our own. If you want to hike, you will need transportation to get out of town.  Chile is a beautiful country with many hiking opportunities.

Adventure Falklands (formerly Patrick Watts) was by far the best tour.  People cautioned me about the long rough drive but it was so worth it.

 

El Pedral from Puerto Madryn, my first time walking with the penguins.

 

Tierra del Fuego National Park with Alma Calma in Ushuaia.

 

When planning, I found a lot of information on the previous Roll Calls.  You should book your tours asap for 2025.  Have a great time planning.

 

I agree with all your private tour choices. And the guides wait and fully understand our tendering processes. I took this cruise in March 23, best time ever!!!

On Volendam 6/22 to 6/29, Boston to Montreal. Vista suite.  Beautiful photos from other threads regarding this area.

On 4/26/2024 at 9:25 AM, Ellencruise said:

great recommendation, duck tour. I’ll be in Boston 6/20 before 6/22 sailaway. Now I know what tour I’m taking.

Hmm duck tour, food tour in North End, or both?!

3 hours ago, kazu said:

Yesterday we were in Boston.

 

CC friends Peter & Paul @P&PNH had offered to show us around and had a fabulous itinerary planned for us and then…..

 

the itinerary got changed due to having to travel slowly for the whale migration.  They worked around it, got our tickets changed, bless them and were there waiting for us to disembark.

 

We were chaufferured around Boston.  They had rec or ended the Duck Boat tour since it was hard to get around the historic area of Boston by car.

It was a fabulous idea.   The duck boat travels on land and water 

 

 

 

our narrator was so good.  Humourous, full of history and engaged the children on board.  He did a fabulous job and we all really enjoyed him.

 

 

 

couldn’t take pics because of the movement & type of windows (built to push out in case of problems - they go over safety procedures impeccably)

 

It’s an 80 minute tour and a great way to see that part of Boston on land and sea.

 

After, it was time to fight the traffic and head to one spot we of course, had to see.  

 

 

It’s really the Bull and Finch but it is the bar where Cheers was filmed and based on.  

We were happy just to see it.

 

 

great recommendation, duck tour. I’ll be in Boston 6/20 before 6/22 sailaway. Now I know what tour I’m taking.

42 minutes ago, ghstudio said:

The Crows Nest bar....the only place on the ship to sit quietly for a drink/specialty coffee and the only place to sit with a view forward....has been reserved (closed to the public) for a private Park West group (selling artwork).  The Crows nest is one of the quiet venues for drinks and the specialty coffee area on the ship where you can sit and just look at the water or chat with folks.

 

We have cruised with groups on board many of our cruises on many cruise lines, but they haven't impacted us...their events are held in private areas or in a part of a larger area....in this case, HAL has blocked the entire room/area.  This is a first...and unwelcome change.  I think we all understand changes due to mechanical issues, weather, unreachable ports.....but this is just Holland America marketing prioritizing a group over their other 1800+ passengers and many many of us are 3,4,5 star frequent cruisers.  Many passengers as well as the ship's officers and crew are unhappy about this new change and the officers are recommending that we voice our concerns to HAL HQ...because there's nothing they can do..it was a corporate decision.

 

Be very careful booking a Holland America cruise.....especially if you are going on a scenic cruise because you may find that the only place to view out the front of the ship is closed to you. 

 

We have some future HAL cruises booked that include scenic cruising (Chilean fjords, etc) and we are thinking of moving those cruises to a different cruise line....due to this HQ decision to allow private groups to take over major areas during their peak use hours for the entire cruise.

Send a note on Navigator, as has been suggested. Also note to guest services. The more complaints , the swifter the action. Hopefully!

Yes I booked a vista suite, can’t wait

I’ll be on Volendam in June for New England and Canada. I’m excited to try the small ship. I’ll report back.

So annoying indeed. I want to  book some dining for my June 24 trip and can’t get on for at least 2 days now

7 hours ago, POA1 said:

Greetings, bread pudding officiandos! Cinnamon roll bread pudding with warm vanilla rum sauce tonight. We're at Morimoto by Sea, so we will miss it.

 

Team Fruit Crisp - still nothin'. 😠

OMG. Cinnamon roll bread pudding, must be delish

Wonderful reporting and fabulous photos

15 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Official 2026 World Cruise press release 

 

HERE

Wow!!

Fabulous reporting. Thank you so much 

On 2/16/2024 at 5:27 PM, ajstahle said:

May I ask a favor? Would you check with Guest Services and see if they have Chilean and Peruvian currency to be able to break larger bills into smaller ones? Sometimes when I get foreign currency from my bank, they are not able to provide small bills that you could use for tips and small purchases. I would greatly appreciate it since we board the Oosterdam in BA on 3/5.

If you have any other money tips, please share,  We would be grateful.

On this cruise last year and never changed currency. I used new crisp USD

Didn’t have a problem Aug2023

On 1/23/2024 at 2:34 PM, MabePearl said:

Thank you, good to have the information in advance.  

I used Estancia in March to Volunteer Point. Very good communication and tour guide.  So worth the LONG trip in an ATV on very vast and bumpy terrain. It was an adventure I will always remember. And 1/2 the cost of similar HAL tour.

On 1/9/2024 at 6:02 PM, TravelBluebird said:

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!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love Canaletto. Never been disappointed, lucky I guess

I agree with leaving LATE comers at the pier. It is very disrespectful to the bus load of passengers waiting in seats.

Your blog is so enjoyable. I can’t wait til we all start the cruise through your post!

1 hour ago, Torquer said:

@NorbertsNieceNow that you have been to all 3 countries on the cruise, I want to ask about money.  Do most stores and food vendors take credit cards?  If not, do you use the local country currency or can you use US dollars? 

 

When we go to Europe we always get Euros or the country's currency from an ATM.  However, for the South America/Antarctica cruise we have booked for next month, all the local tour companies only want to be paid in cash in US dollars.  This makes me wonder if US dollars might be widely accepted, especially in Argentina after what just happened to their currency.

 

Any advice would be helpful for our cruise.

I was on this cruise in March and paid with cc and USD.

5 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Back in the van we head to the end of the world where there's a post office! Postcards are sent.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The post office was closed when I visited in March. Thanks for all the wonderful photos 

6 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

Day 16 Ushuaia 

New year's eve

 

Good  morning and thanks for following.

 

Fab view from the balcony this morning. One of the points the Captain raised in his Q&A (which I WILL get around to) is that HE decides whether to dock port or starboard, dependent on the current conditions.

 

As we're here early my tour group is meeting early. Gotta run 🏃‍♂️

 

 

 

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Wow what a beautiful day