frantic36

Day One Rio continued... @Mr Luxury I am going to the gym now though I avoided it for awhile prior to Antarctica as I didn't want to risk getting sick and there seemed to be quite a few people coughing and blowing their noses with flu issues. I avoided Seabourn Square at that time for the same reason. As I mentioned in the previous post the modern architecture was interesting and the views from the top of "The Ruins House" as our guide called it was very interesting. Here is the church with the stained glass windows from the outside and though the pyramid shape is interesting the concrete blocks are quite simplistic. Note also the glass building where the church and bell tower are reflected in the glass. When we were on the other side of town we saw how clever the architects were as the tall glass buildings formed a cross in the centre. In the foreground of the photo was Ipanema beach if I remember correctly. Being a Sunday and the day after Carnival beaches like Impenama and Cococabana were packed with little sand to be seen. Our guide took us to a great place to try fried empanadas and a chicken filled pastry while we relaxed like the locals on a wall shaded with trees. We were lucky and got there just before the long queues started as the place was popular. We did go later to have a small sit down meal but I enjoyed this little break watching the world go by. We then went to a large local Sunday market where you could all sorts of Art, clothing jewellery etc of good quality. We then went to watch the paraglides and hang gliders jump of a mountain and come in for a landing near us on the beach. My husband and I opted to watch and not join in the "fun". So Day One was busy and interesting in Rio. Just arrived in Santarem and we are heading out on a private boat with friends to do piranha fishing. More later.

Day One Rio continued... After the stairs we went to the Cathedral which from the outside it looks very bland but inside the stained glass is lovely. Rio also went through a period in the 1920s where French architecture was most desired. The modern architects in Rio are also clever with preserving old buildings. This old home of a wealthy socialite now used as an art gallery was preserved using modern iron and wood internally to make it usable. It had amazing views from the top floor. I will have to do more later as heading to a sommelier's lunch now.

Okay we get it, you hate Seabourn and love Regent. Talk about beating a dead horse on this Seabourn board.🙄

Rio 26 February Day One: Our Tours by Local Guide Ana met us promptly at 8.30am at the port gate. She had brought a driver and a large comfortable car. As it was the Sunday after the last day of Carnival she warned us we may have to detour as some roads were still blocked as they cleaned up viewing stands etc. Traffic was light being Sunday so it wasn't really a problem. First we went to the Selaron Steps which was the work of a Chilean artist who fell in love with Rio and a local woman and dedicated covering the steps with tiles and Mosiacs. The work took from 1990 till his death in 2014. Many people from all over the world donated tiles to help him with the work. I will post further about Rio soon but this is my second attempt to write this and I don't want this attempt lost, plus it is time to get ready for dinner.

25 February Ilhabela, Brazil - Seabourn excursion, 4x4 Safari Curral Beach and Tres Tombas Waterfall The 4x4 vehicles were the type with bench seats in the back to sit on. There was only five of us in our vehicle so we weren't packed in. Not the most comfortable ride as the roads were bumpy but it was only about 20 minutes. Interesting scenery on the way and very obvious it is a very Catholic community with the prominent statuary along the way. The beach itself was clean and the water cool but very refreshing in the heat of the day. The waterfall part was disappointing because I misinterpreted the write up which read "be cooled by the spray from the waterfall" to mean we could walk next to the waterfall. Unfortunately as impressive as the falls were we were fenced off from them. I know it can be dangerous but I have some experience clambering over rocks so it was disappointed. Thankfully when I get to do my Kimberly expedition cruise I will get to clamber over the rocks. After the excursion we returned to the ship to clean up and then returned ashore. The tender ride was short so easy to do. This was also a great stop for not doing an excursion as it had good walking paths, local boutique shops and some beaches nearby. The crew appreciated the fact they could stock up on snacks, toiletries etc and also have a chance for a swim quite easily. It was a pretty town with nice people and good food.

Some reassurance about Singapore Airlines. We last flew them in July & August, 2022 with a similar layover and they were excellent. No problems with lost luggage though others we knew travelling at the same time with BA and Qantas had problems with delayed luggage. The Business Class lounge at Changi has been updated and has two sections. One section caters more for dining with drinks available and the other side for sitting and drinks. Both have much more light coming in and the sitting area allows you to watch planes on the tarmac.

Here you are Catlover. Your claim that someone like myself who is being positive about a cruise has cognitive dissonance because they refuse to accept that they have spent money and wasted time and money on it so they put on rose coloured glasses. I find this insulting.

I was rushing to get ready for dinner and forgot to proof read😝. It was in the Club Bar on Deck 5.

Generally most are fine but I must admit to wondering what cruise line I was on yesterday evening about 7.15 pm when I man entered dressed in baggy shorts, a rumpled Hawaiian, short sleeved shirt and slip on sandals. I tried my best to be non-judgemental but did have to tell him to stop when he pulled his shirt up high exposing his large belly when talking with his friends. Even his wife told him to stop. Markham is doing okay and can still have a laugh.

And others like myself find people like yourself and @samininaclaim people like myself aren't worth listening to because we are just cheerleaders and also must have no discerning taste since we enjoyed our cruise. My point being your claim of being dismissive of others opinions works both ways in the negative and positive camp.

I can't attest for all the Sommeliers on all the ships but definitely Our Sommelier on Quest, Phillipe is very knowledgeable about wine. We have enjoyed two wine tasting lunches on board and are looking forward to two more. We haven't gone to all only because sometimes we already knew the wines being served.

Hi Kathy, the only 5% discount I know of is when onboard you place a $500pp holder deposit with the Cruise Sales Specialist. This is viable for 4 years and means when you book a future cruise you can use this and automatically get a 5% discount. I am assuming this is the "Club Member" discount as you can only book it onboard when you automatically become a Club Member. I could be wrong though. Sometimes this discount isn't applied if the Sale discount is already large, for example someone on here recently couldn't use it because they were getting 35% discount on a cruise.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I will get there soon but busy each port day and then catching up with friends onboard during sea days. Another port day in Natal Brazil tomorrow then some sea days and cruising the Amazon so that should give me a chance to catch up.

Definitely common and acceptable.

@nancygp they have Crossbarn as well here in Quest as some other good included white wine choices. I found the 9 hats red wine to be very good. They also picked up some Argentinian Malbec which apparently was very nice. @Vineyard ViewWe are onto our third package for this cruise. We take the Sommeliers package because it allows us to have a good variety. Unfortunately my husband has become allergic to red wine so I can't help you much with that selection as we stick with white wine. Though occasionally I get a glass of red to enjoy.

@number one eagles fan I do agree if you are keen to have the full expedition experience it is better to go on an expedition ship. Our cruise was hampered by poor weather but Venture did end up sailing further south then we had even scheduled to go when she went on her cruise after we left Antarctica. My husband was curious and tracked where Venture went.

On Quest at the moment the standard champagne pour is Montaudon and is what you receive in your suite.

I agree there have been few special events on deck but there have been multiple lectures each day either by the expedition team or guest lecturers. There have been wine tastings and champagne tastings about 3 per segment. I have been to some and have 2 more booked as they got some new wines on at Montevideo I wish to try. Phillips the head Sommelier is excellent and his assistants are also very good.

Just an update from Quest about this question. Last night we were seated at 8pm for dinner at a window table. The seating hostess drew back the curtains which had been closed so we could see the ocean rushing past. We also got to see the lightening as there was a storm last night. We didn't ask them to be drawn but was happy she did so. I noticed the table next to the next window had there curtains closed and they were almost completing there meal so maybe the requested them to be closed or maybe they never asked for them to be opened? @shark b8have you had any comment onboard Sojourn regarding this? Julie

Food has been good though we had a bit of shortage issues as new supplies didn't arrive in Punta Arenas so there was some repetition towards the end of the second segment. We had 15 containers loaded in Montevideo so the decision was made to have arrival at 8am instead of 1pm to allow loading time. Even then we still left an hour late. They got there earlier by going to New Island early, starting the group transfers early and then going a bit faster on the sea days. The only thing missing was fresh strawberries which the chef told me the purchased in Buenos Aires. Chef Trevor is very good and did a special French dinner for us about 10 days ago. His French Onion Soup especially was delicious which even friends who joined us agreed it was done right. He leaves on the 27th January and we are getting Chef Christof who is French but I don't know him, do you?

It is at the top of the Seabourn Board page, either the first or second heading.

Buenos Aires continued... Of course the tour included information about Eva Peron. Since the current government are similar in nature to Peronistas they honour her. In the Presidential Palace the balcony door where she gave her final speech is left open. The controversy about her is divisive and at one time her body was sent overseas to stop the discord however after a number of years a General associated with the opposition party was kidnapped and killed and the Peron supporters refused to release his body until Eva was returned to BA where she was buried in her sister's family mausoleum under the name Duarte. It is all a bit crazy to me. However the Crematorium with the various Mausoleums to the wealthy though interesting were also an ode to excess. Eva Peron's Mausoleum that attracts multiple people still. The most expensive mausoleum. In the cupola was a mosaic with multiple gold leaf tiles and apparently this was echoed inside where the caskets were as well. We visited various areas in BA including the area where Italian and Spanish immigrants arrived and were inspired by an artist to make their houses colourful to make the area more attractive. Soccer is of course huge in Argentina and they were very happy about winning the World Cup. Our lunch was simple in a local restaurant consisting of Empanadas, Chorizo & salsa and beer.The beer we shared as it was a litre bottle but it was very nice similar to an IPA. My empanadas was delicious as was the chorizo sandwich and my photos don't do them justice.

Buenos Aires 21 February We went on a private tour organised by another couple we are friends with. Our guide Merta was excellent as was Alberto our driver. The van was modern and very comfortable. What was interesting to me was how clean, and the multitude of parks there were. In one there was a very old Ficus that they had used some ingenious devices to support the limbs. Again a lot of French architecture influence on the older buildings. The Plaza de Mayo in front of the Presidential Palace was some I think interesting cultural aspects. On the paving in a circle was painted white head scarves remembering the mothers who protested there and who still protest looking for their missing children who were taken during the military dictatorship between 1976 - 1983. Many of these were students and union workers most under 35yo who spoke out against the government. Azucena Villaflor one of the main leaders of the movement who was herself kidnapped and killed for speaking out has had her ashes interred at the Plaza. At the base of one of the original BA military founders statue was multiple pebbles with the names of people who died during the first two years of Covid. Apparently this is around a few different statues in the city.

Montevideo 20 February I had booked a "free" walking tour for 10.30 which is where you tip at the end what you think it was worth. Our guide was English speaking and there were only 7 in the group as opposed to the Spanish speaking which had about 20 people. Our guide discussed cultural, historical and Architectural aspects of Uruguay and Montevideo. The tour lasted 2 hours and there was a lot of walking so we got about 11 kms that day. There were lots of influence by European and especially France. The Salvo Palace is fascinating and has a twin in Buenos Aires which the architect built a large light on top with the plan being to have a light bridge between the two. As our guide pointed out the architect Mario Palanti didn't allow for curvature of the earth so it never worked. The Cathedral was also quite beautiful. After the tour we went to the Mercado Puerto for lunch. We had been told the difference between barbecues in Uruguay and Buenos Aires is Uruguay uses wood fire whereas BA uses coal fired. @hoya68 we saw a few wine shops so decided we would just walk around and pick a place to eat. We opted for the steak option but an lovely Irish guy who was on the tour with us opted for Paella and we both enjoyed our meals. There were some good clothing shops we decided to go back to check after lunch but sadly for me but not my husband they were all shut for lunch and ?siesta. Only the tourist shops open. Another enjoyable aspect was there were many pedestrian only streets.

It isn't so much the big crowd onboard but sometimes there have been problems with the port authorities checking people in. For example one time at Civitavecchia we heard from other people there had been a problem with electrical connection for the computers so people had to wait a long time in a hot room. Another time in Athens we dropped off our luggage around 11.45 before heading to a local restaurant and a lot of people were there already. The glitch was the local authorities were refusing to start processing until midday. There were lots of grumpy people so we were glad we were leaving and going to lunch. Just to be clear these issues were both due to the local port authority not Seabourn.