KCSungirl

23 November - Fly Me to the Moon

We checked out of the Ritz Carlton at 10am to get a taxi to the airport. The Ritz is definitely in the best and safest neighborhood of Santiago. I recommend. It was around $37 to transfer to the airport. Our driver, Alfredo, was trying to make it to the airport in record time. He had a fake police siren and was driving 100mph using this siren. Normally the ride is 30 minutes, we made it in 20 minutes. He thought it was hysterical. I kept saying "Alfredo is loco!"

Our airline, LAN, has a different checkin area for domestic and international flights. The lines were really long. I am so glad I didn't trust the hotel and leave myself one hour for check-in. Two hours to be safe. I never allow myself enough time so I never get to duty free shop! The Santiago airport is great. New, modern, clean and a Starbucks and MAC cosmetics store. I am in business.

The short list for our land adventure:

1. Iguazu Falls

2. Panama

3. San Pedro de Atacama, Chile

4. Easter Island, Chile

And the winner is....................The driest place on earth, the Atacama desert.

It was the easiest flight of all the options and off the beaten path to make it exotic and interesting. The Atacama is famous for a few things - astronomy, geology, and thermal activity for starters. It is one of the stargazing capitals of the world. Set along the Andes mountains at almost 8000ft, it is otherworldly.

How do I find out about these places and find hotels? I will tell you my secret. I would like to tell you it's because I am so well read, but that's not the case. I go to the Abercrombie and Kent website and look at itineraries. Abercrombie and Kent is a luxury, high end tour company and I get a lot of my ideas for travel from them.

It was a two hour flight from Santiago. When you land, you think you have landed on the moon. It is bizarre. I wanted to shout "ET Phone Home". I am pretty sure we will find a UFO, maybe Elvis. I just don't want any major volcanic eruptions.

PC is so happy. This is everything he loves. Scenery, the sun/moon/stars, and warm weather. There are 4-5 luxury high end hotels in San Pedro. It was difficult to chose. They are all super expensive and I agonized over trying to figure out based on Trip Advisor reviews which property would be a good fit for us. We like luxury, but more casual luxury, not snobby or amateur. I decided on the Tierra Atacama. Most of the luxury resorts in Atacama have sister properties in Patagonia. I would call this Luxury Glamping. Glamping = No TV and natural construction materials to blend with the environment. The other three hotels I considered were Explora, Alto de Atacama, and Awasi. I am happy with my choice, even though it seems ridiculously expensive. I opted for the all-inclusive package. It includes unlimited food, drink, excursions, and airport transfers. I probably should have taken the bed and breakfast package and purchased everything else a la carte. We don't eat and drink enough to make all-inclusive a good deal. We also don't want to tour all day, everyday.

When we arrived at the hotel, they have already checked us in and assigned rooms. We immediately meet with the tour director to sign up for all the excursions we want to book for the week. Lots of choices with various degrees of intensity. We can book half day excursions, full day, and evening. The meal schedule kills us. Dinner is 8-10pm. That is so late and we are exhausted.

Our room is super cool with a large patio overlooking the Andes mountains, the sunrise, and the full moon rise. Stargazing is not good this week due to the full moon. The sky is too light. It barely gets dark due to the intensity of the moon. We have an indoor and outdoor shower side by side. More L'Occitane bath products I love.

The menus are set with 2 appetizer choices, 2 salad choices, 3 entree choices, and 3 desserts. There is a separate menu for people not on the all-inclusive plan. The meals are beautifully presented and gourmet.

Our first dinner was lamb chops and grouper. Heaven. PC is going crazy over the ice cream.

Off to bed in anticipation of the two excursions we have planned for tomorrow.

22 November - Time to say goodbye to the buff-ette. Sobbing

It was another early morning. UGH! We opted not to put our luggage outside at the door last night so we carried everything off ourselves. This is fine if you are strong. The gangway is straight down and you have to take a shuttle bus almost a mile from the ship to cruise terminal. This means anything you carry off the ship has to be loaded under the bus. It was no problem for us. It was a little emotional getting off the ship. We will miss those kids who worked so hard for our enjoyment. I did get to witness something I have never seen before - the parade for crew members ending and beginning contracts. 15 people getting to go home today and 15 coming on. I cried for the kids leaving, but cried more at the faces of the kids coming on. It must be so hard starting a contract and realizing the sleep deprivation and exhaustion that comes with working on a ship. Watching the kids say goodbye were happy tears. They get to be with families for the holidays. We enjoyed the cruise, but it was a couple of days too long for us. Only because we want to travel by land also.

We booked the Ritz-Carlton in Santiago over night and they set up a driver for us for the day. We were picked up at 9am by Willy in a Mercedes van. Nice, big, and comfortable. We started our tour at the port city, Valparaiso. This is a Unesco World Heritage site. This is a really cool city. Very artsy. Lots of galleries. I could have easily spent a couple of days hanging out here with a boho vibe. We went to the Pablo Neruda house, had coffee, empanadas, and snacks at a cafe and French Bakery, and walked around the tourist areas. After leaving Valpo we headed up the coastline north passing thru many coastal communities - Vina del Mar, Rancona. I thought I was in Orange County or Malibu. The sea water is so clean, but way too cold. The current is strong. Good surfing though. Lots of oceanfront cafes. Vina del Mar is a very nice oceanside community. The have the famous flower clock across from the Sheraton hotel. After making our way through these beach areas, we got on the highway toward the wine valley and Santiago. We stopped at two wineries in the Casablanca Valley. Neither winery was a hit for me. One had no outdoor patio and one was only serving brunch. We wanted snacks and cheese. It was beautiful and I got a good understanding of the area. We drove 45 mins further and were in the Santiago city limits. We took a quick tour of Santiago. Very nice city. I love touring on Sundays. No traffic. PC was bored and tortured in the back seat of the van. He hates city touring. He is all about nature and scenery. We reached the Ritz around 6pm.

When I was checking in I told the front desk girl to check my Visa card because I had received a notice that I needed to call Chase regarding my card. I used the card in Buenos Aires and I phoned Chase to put a travel alert on my card. The card was not able to be authorized and the hotel was kind enough to let me phone Chase for free. The fraud department gets on the line to inform me that over 100 transactions of over $3000 had been charged to my card while I was cruising. I am trying to figure out how this happened. I only used the card once at the Four Seasons. The charges were all between $15-$20 from VooDoo or something like that. I have traveled around the world using credit cards and this has never happened before. If anyone has experience with this let me know.

Poor PC. I have worn him out. I hope I can redeem myself with a few special days I planned with him in mind and I hope he will love. We fly onward tomorrow at noon. I will see you from a surprise location tomorrow night.

I have lots more regarding the cruise but too sleepy tonight to write. Watching Meet the Fockers in Spanish.

21 November Saturday - Let Sun Shine, Let the Sun Shine In! Heading toward the Tropics

Woke up totally rested and invigorated. Must be the fact the sun is shining and I am going on vacayshun. PC had a bit of a bellyache due to all of that sugar and chocolate last night. He will be eating light this afternoon.

I am smart enough to start packing a few days prior to disembarkation. I don't want to ruin the last day of my cruise stressing over how to fit all of my crap back into the luggage. I had to redistribute my clothing due to the change of locale and tropical weather. Costume change!

It's a legging day. I am pretty sure everything else I packed is too tight. If I was on this ship another week, I would have an additional chin on top of the two I already have. Now, when I wear leggings, I think of Wynonna Judd. That's all she wears to cover her subjects. My Michelin is becoming harder to cover, but hopefully I don't look as horsey as Wynonna. When I got on the elevator two old farts were flirting with me. I am hoping it was because they thought I was Catherine Deneuve, and not Wynonna Judd.

Since we eat in the buff-ette almost every meal, we develop relationships with the cooks and servers behind the line, as well as the beverage and bussing staff. These kids get very little time off and work every meal. They need some TLC and motherly love. Reach out to these kids, learn their names. Thank them for taking good care to load your plate too many calories.

The Griswolds made it to Wally World! It's Bingo time. 4 games, 6 cards, $35. It's computer generated so it's not as much fun as the old fashioned pop the ball out of the cage. The computer knows the winner before the winner. Civilized cruise lines like HAL use the punch out cards. What in heck is Princess doing using daubers? Another way to make money. Thinking I should leave the stupid dauber behind. Didn't win anything, but had fun trying.

The Captain. Ooh La La! A tall, Dutch, hunk of a man. Wouter van Hoogdalem. Looks like my kid brother. Around 42 years old. Very young for a captain. I had not seen him around the ship, so today I was going to meet him. Unfortunately it's too late for a relationship, but I can still get the selfie. A Q& A session with the five big bosses was featured in the Mondriaan lounge at 2pm. This was great. Some of the questions were awesome and then some passengers like to show up to bitch about something. Inappropriate IMHO. It'a supposed to be questions about the ship, navigation, procedures, etc. Some idiot had a rant on tipping. There is a time and place to discuss these issues, but not in this forum. Tipping is so divisive like politics. I understand that tipping is an American practice and other countries/cultures resent having to tip. The cruise lines have a system in place and it's not going to change. The only thing that could change is they add the tips to the cost of the cruise instead of a daily charge. Please no comments on tipping. It is what is is. It it's a problem for someone, don't cruise or book a cruise that includes tips in the overall price. One of the good questions was which cruise itinerary is the most difficult to navigate? - South America. How much waste goes out to sea? - Everything, after it's treated. How many engines? - 5 for 2 propeller systems.. Lots of interesting navigation questions. One passenger, A Chilean man, asked a similar question to the one I asked Hottie Brett about why the ship bypassed the most beautiful passage in Chile near the Darwin passage. The Captain's response was that the low speed limit in the channel would not get us to Puerto Montt on schedule I would have gladly agreed to a shorter day in Puerto Montt to get to see the most beautiful channel in Chile. That is when not being the leader tortures me. If others read books and maps they might figure these things out and make a suggestion to the cruise line to adjust the schedule. Princess van Hoogalem. That sounds like I am coughing up phlegm. I will have to wait till Albert becomes available. Got the selfie though!

We stayed in the theater to watch the Dancing With the Stars at Sea finale. It was campy, but fun. After the show we ran to get the scraps of high tea in the dining room. It dawned on me that I skipped desert at lunch and I needed sugar. Grabbed a few cookies and headed for the upper decks. Guess what? It has turned out to be a Hawaiian Tropic afternoon. Sunny and in the 60's. All the Germans were out shirtless, the bikinis were a bit much. We got the last warm hour of sun on our faces. I can feel my mood lifting at the thought of warm weather.

The sunset was looking so good we decided to celebrate with dinner in the main dining room. I wanted another French Onion soup. I ordered rainbow trout. I rarely order fish, but it was the only thing I hadn't eaten on the menu. We missed our friends in the buff-ette so much. We went to the Lido for dessert to bid everyone farewell and thank them for taking good care of us.

The last two shows of the cruise - The Marriage Game and a variety show with comedian, Kevin Devane and instrumentalist, Andy Bunger. Don't know if I will make it. I don't want to push myself too hard considering we are moving on to a super cool adventure and I need to keep this cold I was fighting away.

We are pretty well packed and ready to move on down the road. We have a guide and driver picking us up at the port at 9am tomorrow for a very ambitious tour. See a hundred things in 8 hours! We will be spending the night in Santiago before continuing on our adventure. I planned our next stop around the full moon. Where could we most enjoy a full moon?

I have more thoughts on the cruise, product endorsements, and other trivial comments to make. I will keep posting if you want to finish the trip with me. Otherwise, I will wrap-up tomorrow night after I give you the scoop on disembarkation and Santiago. I am happy to answer any questions.

Thanks to everyone who took time to comment. I hope you had fun coming along. You can always join me on my Facebook page if you want to know what craziness I get myself into. I am tentatively planning on being at sea again in May 2016, a little too early to know for sure. 2016 Mexican Melrose Place is coming soon.

Cheers, Sungirl

20 November - Welcome to Puerto Montt. It's raining

We had an early wake-up call this morning. I booked a private tour with a few fellow passengers I found on the CC roll call. The ship was running over 30 minutes late on getting clearance so we got a much later start than we wanted to. It rained steadily all day, but that NorthFace rain jacket with a hood kept my hair looking pretty decent.

Denis, our guide, and Rodriego, our driver were great. Denis was Russian and was so cute. We drove an hour outside of Puerto Montt to a national park to see the Petrohue' Falls and volcano, stopped for a delicious BBQ lunch, made a brief stop in Puerto Varas to visit the craft market, and back to the port to go to the fish market. The weather conditions were bad, so it was not as enjoyable as it could have been. Or as scenic. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the tour. If I were to tour this area again, I would go to the Argentine side and go to Bariloche. It seems nicer. I wasn't very impressed with this area. The weather is bad 90% of the time. Denis kept saying they pride themselves in having very pale skin. I am thinking as a tanorexic, we don't have a lot in common.

Back on the ship, they were having a South American BBQ at the pool. We had such a big lunch, we weren't hungry. Didn't stop me from grabbing a sausage at the grill.

We attended the final production show - Elements. I laughed at some of the costumes. The guys wore these shirts with muscles painted on. Kind of funny looking. As always I like the selections of music. PC wanted to go to the dining room for dessert again. He got two Brownie Stacks. He loves chocolate.

I had been thinking about the three sea days we just had and relatively speaking there was very little scenic cruising. I was looking at the map and wondering why we were in the open seas instead of the inside passages. This was a great opportunity to get face to face with hottie Brett, the location guide. The desperate housewife went downstairs to his office to chat. I told him I was his number one fan and also asked him to set me straight on the lack of scenic cruising. He verified the ship is too large to navigate the main inside passage. The NaviMag ferry from Puerto Natales to Puerto Montt is small enough to make the scenic passage. Lower your expectations on the amount of scenic cruising.

Stick a fork in us, we are done. This cruise lizard is ready to move on. 12 days is about my maximum before I start getting tired of the repetition and food. I want Mexican food, a QT fountain drink and Jimmy Kimmel so bad. I need some Vitamin D and a tan. What was I thinking?

19 November - Cruising Fjords of Northern Patagonia

We cruised the open seas all night rocking and rolling. Good sleeping weather. We awoke to low visibility and rocky seas. At least the Captain doesn't have to blow the whistle every two minutes. We rolled out of bed at 10am to get to breakfast. PC has been bringing me beverage service every morning. He goes to the Explorations Cafe to get lattes and expresso. He is very sweet to always take care of my beverage needs - coffee, diet Coke, wine, and an occasional margarita.

We completely own the mansion (six person booth) in the back of the buffette. If anyone else sits there, we join them. We have met lots of international cruisers. It's interesting. We realized, however, the best people watching is in the main pool area to watch the fools in bathing suits. It's cold in that area. Not sure why people sit there. I also can't figure out people lying around in bathing suits at the pool on cold days. IMHO the only reason to don a swimsuit is to get a nice tan to cover up cellulite. People seem to enjoy the jacuzzis. I will keep my clothes on. Temperature is relative. Some people walk around in coats and some in t-shirts. It just depends on your own thermostat. Personally, I think it is cold in the public areas. PC and I wear a t-shirt with Northface fleece pullovers/zip ups. PC wears shorts, but that is a bit of a stretch. I have only seen a handful of people in shorts. Our cabin is nice and warm.

After breakfast, the machine crashed. Since we were cruising the open seas til 4:30pm, I was going to nap. I am trying hard to keep this chest congestion to a minimum. I had to skip Name that Tune trivia, but getting well was more important. PC enjoyed the afternoon reading in the cabin.

Princess has no status on HAL and it's not right. What am I missing? I did get invited to a Mariner brunch. I miss the perks of my status on Celebrity and Princess. It seems like a huge mountain to climb to obtain status on HAL. I will keep at it though.

The spa offers a special everyday. Usually a "pick three" kind of deal. The thermal suite is $40/day or $298/cruise. The thermal pool is a tiny jacuzzi. A disappointment if you are used to the bigger pools. The heated chaises are nice. I used them before my spa treatment.

I hesitated booking this cruise due to the number of sea days. Eight sea days in total. One of the gurus on the Princess forum - Keith, encouraged me. Keith, if you are reading this, thank you for pushing me. The sea days have been great and much needed.

Some of you that have traveled with me before on CC or Facebook, know how I love to decorate my cabins and hotel rooms. It usually consists of holiday decor and twinkle lights. The only room decor I have on this voyage are navigation maps which we enjoyed. I highly recommend going to Amazon and buying maps for this itinerary. I learned about the names of latitude - Roaring 40"s and Screaming 50's. So interesting. The seas are so rough in this part of the world Can't imagine in the wintertime.

After napping most of the afternoon (I even missed a meal!), I awoke to scenic cruising. The scenic cruising today was a disappointment. It was foggy and rainy. I am a little confused as to why we didn't have more scenic cruising with three sea days in a row. It doesn't make sense that we had to be on the open seas when there were many scenic passages. I know, I have a map! Another letter to the Captain.

Tonight is the third and final Gala night. I went all out and wore my gold sparkle Swatch watch. We went to the buffette early because they changed the show times tonight to 7pm and 9pm due to the 10pm Captains Masquerade party. The production show tonight was one of those I avoid - a mentalist. Alan Chamo, The Master of Mentalism. Alan looked like Pit Bull. He was a charming Argentine/Israeli, and now resides in Miami. He was actually very good, but I am pretty sure he has someone feeding him info into his ear. Linda, the cruise director, wore a beautiful red gown this evening. I wish I looked half that good. After the show we decide we looked respectable enough to go to the dining room for dessert. Chocolate lava cake and a Brownie stack. We decide to skip the Captain's party and go watch a movie in the cabin. We are so boring.

See you on shore tomorrow in the Lake District and Puerto Montt. The cruise has gone too fast as usual.

18 November - Cruising the Chilean fjords

Dear God or any higher spiritual power,

I want to give thanks for a few things this week.

1. Good Heat

2. the Buffette

3. a veranda

4. My version of the "Plastics" scene in The Graduate.

KCSungirl: I want to say just two words to you. Just two words.

Benjamin: Yes, ma'am

KCSungirl: Are you listening?

Benjamin: Yes, I am

KCSungirl: Grab Bars

OMG I never thought I would get to an age where grab bars seem like such a good idea. They are so helpful in the cabin bathrooms getting in and out of the tub/shower. I am grateful for a veranda. It's an expensive price point on HAL in this class of ship, but I wouldn't want to cruise without one. If PC acts up I can send him outside for timeout.

I woke up last night around 11:30pm chilling badly. Crap. That means fever. I immediately went to my pharmacy and found some Tylenol cold and sinus with expectorant. Slept like a baby. Did the same thing this am, but changed to Advil cold and sinus. I like to mix things up a bit! A nice hot shower and I am in business.

Scenic cruising started at 8am thru the Paso Shoal, Paso Summer, the Sarmiento Canal and later this evening the Canal Pitt and Canal Trinidad. We are making our way up the Chilean coast via fjords to the Lake district. We have crossed over the Southern Patagonian region to the Northern Patagonian region.

The lunch grill has hamburger and hot dogs. Decent. French fries are good. I enjoyed my fourth hot dog on a poppy seed bun today. Pretty hard to screw up a hot dog. The food is getting repetitive and boring, but nonetheless hot and tasty.

We collected our passports today. The ship held them until we were done entering Argentina. We also collected tender tickets for our next port. I had not done this previously because I have been booked on ships tours. I booked a private tour at the next port.

We made a detour today to visit a spectacular glacier - El Brujo. I am not sure if this is on the schedule for every cruise or if weather conditions permitted us to cruise there today. This glacier is massive. Runs 45 miles inland. Beautiful blue ice. I would say the ship got fairly close and made a super tight turn inside the fjord. Thrilling. Hottie Brett narrated the passage to the glacier. On the starboard side we got to face the glacier as me made the turn. No words to describe this experience. A once in a lifetime affair. We have been in and out of rain and snow all day. Earlier this am there were white out conditions. It's now evening and the temps will start to rise going North. The sun is trying to make an appearance also. Sunset is not until 9:33pm so days are getting longer.

Lots of shipboard activities today including BINGO. However, Bingo interfered with the glacier viewing. Some of today's shipboard activities included line dancing, martini tasting, scotch tasting, Napkin folding (another one that gets me giggling), and a flower tour. On top of all of the activities I listed yesterday.

Listing of the musicians in each lounge

Yolanda and the Hal Cats. Crow's Nest/Pool

Yolanda is great. Sings R&B, Jazz

Solo Guitarist Brian - the Mixx

Adagio - classical music duo. Where the sophisticated go.

The Neptunes - Ballroom Dance music

Don the Piano Man - I think he might be a werewolf. I noticed a heavy amount of hair growing all the way around and down his ear. He needs a wax.

I have to comment on the Fine Art at sea. This gives me the giggles too. I am not sure how many years some of these art pieces have been on the ship. Who buys this stuff? Don't want to offend anyone, but Thomas Kincaid is painted by Smurfs in a factory and Peter Max is so 70's. I did buy a painting one time on Windstar in the 90's by French painter Marcel Moully. I have treasured it. The Park West salesman on board is kind of used car salesman like. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

After a day full of beautiful and scenic cruising we made our way back to the buffette. The longer days are throwing off my circadian rhythms. I am getting tired, but since it is light outside, I don't think I should go to sleep. I had this problem in Alaska when it stayed light outside til midnight.

The production show this evening featured German multi instrumentalist Andy Buenger. His photo in the daily guide shows him holding a pan flute. This conjures up memories of Zamfir on those late night infomercials. What happened to Zamfir? I wasn't going to last long at the show if it was all pan flute. He played many instruments and was very talented. Another great evening in the Mondrian theater.

The fjords are breathtakingly gorgeous with the sun setting. The jury is still out on which is the better side of the ship. There are things I like about both sides. I will let you know the verdict at the end of the cruise

Rumor has it someone died on the ship. I have no reason to doubt this because when we were leaving for our airplane flight at 6:30am in Punta Arenas, there was an ambulance waiting for someone. On that note, I am going to knock myself out with the hard stuff - NyQuil and pray I wake up tomorrow . Too-da-loo as the cruise director says.

17 November - Rounding Cape Horn back North toward the Fjords and Lake District.

Another early morning wakeup call. 5:30am. I figure I can sleep when I am dead. We are rounding the Horn this morning from 6-7am. I bought a book called Rounding the Horn and I bought a map showing the passages, glaciers, fjords, etc of southern Patagonia. It's all part of the cabin decor. I wanted to learn about the stories of the explorers and treacherous sailing conditions around the horn. As much as I think I know everything, I didn't understand this part of the world at all. I am so much smarter now. That means I will be able to answer more questions at trivia games.

The weather conditions are truly incredible this am. Calm seas, little wind, drizzle. We circled the horn to view the lighthouse and Albatross statue. The Captain blew the horn while crossing the line where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans meet. The Albatross prayer was read commemorating the sailors who lost their lives sailing the dangerous waters around Cape Horn. Hottie Brett narrated the entire tour. We had a great view from our starboard veranda. As we were leaving weather conditions started deteriorating. Wind is stronger, heavier rain, rougher seas. We have been super lucky on our timing.

PC decides 6:30am is a good time to do laundry. Am I supposed to be on vacation? I will need a vacation from the vacation. We beat the crowd. Four washers/dryers for the entire ship seems a little short on inventory. $3 for a 27 minute wash that includes HE low sud detergent. $1.75 for a 45 minute dryer. We did three loads. The dryers are excellent and don't require all of the 45 minutes. The ship prices for laundry are $20 for a smallish bag or $98 unlimited for the entire cruise. Most people opt for the $98 all you can launder package. I don't want anyone touching my laundry. I am very careful and I don't dry my pants or nicer tops. God forbid if they shrink anymore, I will be wearing pajamas on tour. Of course I forgot to throw the pajamas in the wash, so I just wore them to breakfast. Another load of laundry in my future. I always say I wear costumes because I take so much time to shop and coordinate clothes to the itinerary. You should have seen my moroccan costumes when I traveled Morocco in April. They were perfect! I even buy pajamas with the theme of wherever I am traveling. This trip I brought the cutest penguin pajamas. They are so perfect. All of our costumes have been perfect. Too many tops/ t-shirts, but I seem to always make that mistake.

We were at the buffette at 9am and again it felt like noon with such an early morning. I sleep til 9am at home. This 4:30am to 6:30am business should be illegal. Breakfast was good as always and we headed back to the cabin to read, write, relax, rest.

The schedule is full of sea day activities. Some of them crack me up and I want to go to see who shows up. Here are some of the winners today:

Ladies Only Blackjack - Are they choking down the cigs in the casino at 10am?

Buying Devices - Does that include sex toys?

Rolling Dough - OMG. This one has me peeing my pants. But I LOVE dough.

Relief from Swollen Ankles - Does this include my Cankles?

Pack It up Right - I am hopeless

Dancing with the Stars - the people who think they are better dancers than they are

South American Beer Tasting - $15 to get drunk at 1pm. Probably the same people who go to Dancing with the Stars. Need the beer for courage

LGBT Gathering - this is where the FUN people are. I need to find them

Footprint Analysis - is this like palm reading? will they be able to tell me what I will be doing in my next life?

There are so many activities to chose from - dancing, trivia, music, food, computer classes, high tea, bridge, jewelry presentations, health seminars, acupuncture, teeth whitening, casino tournaments, ping pong, fitness classes, Spanish lessons, mass every day, something for everyone. But NO Bingo! I hauled my Princess cruise daubers all the way from Kansas to South America and there is no Bingo. I am writing a letter to the Captain immediately. PC will kill me if I put that leaking blue ink in my luggage for nothing.

After R&Ring we made our way back to the buffette. This is getting ridiculous. You would think after 42 cruises I would be over the food. Oh no. Need to stuff myself some more so I look even more Rubenesque when we get to the tropics. I couldn't even get the tights on over my ass yesterday. I had them in a drawer at home for a few years. Didn't remember the thrashing and manipulation that needed to happen to get them on. It's been ages since I have worn tights or pantyhose. Heavy tights are much better than long underwear. Highly recommend bringing them with you to wear under jeans or whatever pants you tour in. We wear jeans.

We are taking it easy this afternoon. Lots of people coming down with colds. I feel a bit congested, but I think that is because I choked and aspirated over my new lover, Torrontes, last night. It happened when L'Austral was sailing by. I think my excitement got the best of me. Maybe some Mucinex or Advil later on. Get out that pharmacy I bring along. A 1 gallon ziploc full of pills, ointments, bandaids, and Charmin on the Go. Do not forget your toilet paper when on tour. Also put a washcloth or paper towels in your daypack. so many bathrooms have no TP or paper towels.

We have sailed into a blizzard. It's snowing, cold, and there will be no going outside. We will be navigating fjords all the way to the Lake District. This takes us through Northern Patagonia before getting to the the Lake District. Some areas are protected and some are not. It was only really rough for a couple of hours. Long enough to scare the sh*t out of me. I took a nap, but the noise was bad from the wind.

Our cabin is fine, but the location is terrible. We are directly under the lido aft smoking lounge. Constant movement of the chairs. Horrible noise all day and night above our heads. Never again under the smoking lounge. The lighting in the room is terrible for us. Hard to read and hurts my eyes. Can't see anything in the mirror at the desk due to the bad lighting The ship is in good condition, but doesn't have any bells and whistles. Traditional decor with no flair. Our bathroom has mildew and there is a strong mildew odor in the room. I am sure it gets in the carpet, walls, and ceiling. Nothing can be done, so I wouldn't complain. It comes with the territory of the Zaandam. I wouldn't hesitate to book the ship again if the itinerary was good for me.

After a rest we went back to the Buffette. I am feeling a little achy, so not much appetite. Didn't stop me from having from having some mushroom risotto though. The production show was - Forever Rock. A re-enactment of Romeo and Juliet and Hamlet set to pop/rock songs. Again the costumes were awesome and we enjoyed it.

Back to the cabin for a latte and ice cream from room service. Macadamia Brittle. Sunset is at 9:20pm. I am somewhat chilled, but otherwise Life is Good.

Set your alarm Scenic cruising through the fjords starts at 8am. Night

16 November - Welcome to Ushuaia and the End of the World/Tierra Del Fuego

After I passed out last night at 8pm, I was up nice and early this morning-5am. We were cruising the Beagle Channel and Glacier Alley. I made myself comfortable in my corner mansion in the Buffette. I had to share my mansion with Bob and Ursula. They were from Houston via South Africa. Bob is a synthetic diamond producer and told me he could fool anyone with his diamonds. He looks and speaks like Alfred Hitchcock. OMG! He spent a long time trying to get me to bite on one of his diamonds. After a while he gave up. Princess has no use for fake diamonds. They were a very nice couple. Since PC is from Houston they had a lot to talk about.

Hotttie Brett, the location guide, narrated the entire journey down glacier alley. It is super beautiful and interesting. There was a glacier shaped like a donut. They obviously knew I would be visiting someday. My middle name is donut. After getting up so early, 9am felt like lunchtime. We had breakfast and hung out till 11am. All of the scenery was on the port side today. Since our cabin is starboard, we had to go upstairs for a view. Very enjoyable ride.

We arrived Ushuaia and there was a massive rush to the theater for excursions at 1:30pm. We booked the Train Ride to the End of the World and Tierra del Fuego National Park. Another good decision to book thru the ship. This itinerary is well suited for ship excursions. I don't have to worry about exchanging money, don't have to carry money, don't have to waste time negotiating with tour operators or taxi drivers, and the ship has liability for me. Those are all really good reasons to use ship tours in this part of the world. I booked online before leaving home except for today's tour.

The train ride to the end of the world. I knew when I booked this it would be the cheesiest excursion ever. It is a toy steam train. It crawls. I cracked up because I could have walked faster. the narration during the ride is about the penal colony. very depressing and sad. PC enjoyed it and we had a good time, but I giggled the entire ride. It's a very tight squeeze in the train. if you are extra large, you will be shoulder to shoulder and knee to knee with someone else. Each car seats 6 people. 3 facing forward, 3 facing back. I was facing backwards and didn't like it. When the tracks end, we boarded a bus to drive to Ensenada Bay, all within the National Park of Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire. There is a post office in the Bay, but it was closed. So much for getting my postcards postmarked "End of the World". The excursion was short and sweet. Perfect. We were dropped off on the main street in town for shopping. We went to the famous Ramos General Store for coffee and pastries. We love our internet and coffee stops. Another stop that you shouldn't miss is Fredo's ice cream. This is a gourmet chain of ice cream in Argentina. Do not miss. There are so many interesting facts about Ushuaia. It would take me all day to write. It is fascinating how people live in such a remote place. Children must take vitamin D, because there is rarely sunshine. I would die!

I have a dream! I have had about six big dreams in my life. PC has made all of them come true. One, was having a swimming pool. I just sold the house. No more pool. ;-( I haven't added many dreams to my list because I am very lucky, content and appreciative of my life. BUT, I have added a dream. I want to cruise the French cruise line Le Ponant. I never expected to ever see one of their yachts, but I got to see one today - L'Austral. It seems so ritzy and French! They don't repeat itineraries often, they just keep moving around the world, so it's hard to ever see one of the ships. It might be too snobbish for me, but I would really like to check it out. Another dream - The Maldives.

We returned to the ship around 6pm. I bought a bottle of Argentine wine, which I knew I would get hassled for bringing it back on the ship. I wasn't letting them get between me and my new lover - Torrontes. After some discussion, I told them I would take it up to reception to discuss. I just went to the cabin! In the countries where the wine industry is fabulous, they should let guests bring ONE bottle of wine on the ship from port. That is horrible they want to make an issue of wine. I understand bringing in liquor, but one bottle of wine per person should be perfectly fine. Especially when half of the shore excursions involve wineries. They do let people buy wine that go on the wine excursions.

******Announcement********** We went to the main dining room for dinner. Yes, we do get out of the cafeteria once in a while. They don't have any tables for 2 next to the window. I had to have a window seat to watch my dream sail away. We had a table for 6. We enjoyed our dinner and our table mates very much, but it is just too long of an evening serving 6 people. 3 hours. Service slow. I sucked down two bowls of french onion soup to die for. Lamb chops, my favorite thing that I never get at home, were wonderful. I watched L'Austral sail by and I shouted under my breath - I will see you someday. We also had somewhat of a sunset. Unbelieveably awesome weather today. No coats!

tonight's show was tango passion. A south American themed dance production. After my 5am wake up, there was no way. I am so bummed. I have missed the shows two nights in a row. My psychiatric disorder, FOMO, is going to flare up. Fear of Missing Out tortures me!

Off to dreamland to visualize myself on Le Ponant cruise lines.

15 November - Welcome to Patagonia

An exciting adventure awaits for us. We booked the cruise ship excursion that will fly us into Patagonia. They didn't offer the Antartica excursion on this itinerary otherwise we may have signed on for that.

After cruising through the Magellan strait, we docked at Punta Arenas. The largest gateway to Patagonia. We go so lucky with the weather. mild and sunny. What is Patagonia? I always wondered that myself. It was kind of mystery. Patagonia is a large area along the Andes mountains on the Chilean and Argentine borders. It is comprised of jagged peaks, fjords, windswept prairies, and glaciers. The weather is very harsh. four seasons in one day in many locations.

There are a few main attractions in the Patagonia regions. National Parks mostly. The Torrres del Paine which is famous for the three pink granite towers, Glacier National Park in El Calafate, Argentina which has the huge glacier, and the Tierra del Fuego, an island. The weather conditions are so extreme and harsh. I don't know how people hang out in this area for very long.

If you were to drive to Torres del Paine from Punta Arenas, it would take up to 3 hours. We had a charter flight to Puerto Natales, the closest landing strip to the park. The airport is tiny and serves only charter flights. We departed the ship at 6:30am and were on our way to Torres del Paine by 8:30am. We were a group of 36 people. We had 3 charter planes of various sizes. We were on the big plane - a twin engine 20 passenger Otter. The other two planes were much smaller. We were bummed, because we wanted the smaller planes. It was good flying conditions and I wasn't too nervous. We had a wonderful guide, Juan, and a chaperone from the ship excursion desk. A coach bus with a BATHROOM was waiting for us upon landing in Puerto Natales. Oscar, our driver, was great. We boarded the bus and set out on a 2 hour drive to our lunch destination in the center of Torres del Paine. The drive included many bathroom and photo stops. I have video and photos of each stop on my facebook page travel page. We saw many guanacos, the llama like animal native to the Patagonian region and a lot of sheep. The conditions are so harsh I don't know how these animals survive.

Our lunch stop was in the center of the park at a small hotel. It was on a beautiful lake. The food was ok. Hearts of palm salad, lamb, potatoes, rolls, and excellent flan for dessert. Its's a restaurant that caters to groups and they are very efficient. Our stop was an hour and a half. We left at 1:30pm to start the journey back to the ship. We made another photo stop along the way. The weather got extremely windy and even snowed for a brief time on the way out of the park. The pilots were waiting for us at the airport. Great flights back to Punta Arenas. Back on the ship at 5pm. I was exhausted, but so happy we took the excursion. You, too, can have lunch in the Torres del Paine park for $1199/pp. It was worth every penny to us. I am glad we decided to cruise and not travel by land. I would have been bored and cold, plus the luxury lodges are expensive. One day was enough for me. I would, however, go back to El Calafate on the Argentine side.

I had two glasses of wine upon returning to the ship. That was a mistake. Between the 4:15am wakeup call, the glass of wine at lunch, the tour, and my happy hour, I would not be attending any show tonight. I passed out at 8pm. PC woke me up at 9pm to get me undressed and get me to bed. I missed the comedian in the showroom. I was ready for some comedy. Maybe he will have an encore show.

I mentioned previously that I did a lot of shopping for the proper clothing prior to the cruise. We are North Face people and believe there products are completely worth the money. We nailed the clothes perfectly. Your first line of defense is for wind. The wind can be brutal anywhere on this itinerary. Rain is not as much of an issue, because you can usually take shelter someplace during rain. Always have an umbrella in your daypack.

My layers:

1. camisole or tank top

2. t-shirt, long sleeve t-shirt, or turtleneck

3. fleece pullover or zip up

4. Thermobomber vest or jacket. It's thin insulation.

5. waterproof rain jacket with a hood

6. HAT. You must have a hat. The most important item. You lose a lot of heat thru your head.

7. gloves are not a must because it is impossible to take photos in gloves, but I would definitely have them. I had thin fleece gloves for dry conditions and a different glove for wet conditions.

8. Shoes. You don't need boots. Goretex trail running shoes or hiking shoes are fine. I bought Asics this trip. High style goretex running shoes. Our shoes have to match the costumes. DUH!

PC wears the North Face thermobomber jacket and the venture rain jacket with hood over his fleece pullover. Completely warm. I wear the 3 in 1 jacket with the zip out liner. I can alternate my thermobomber jacket and osito fleece jacket inside the rain jacket.

I hope you are enjoying the cruise so far. We have another week with lots of scenic cruising on the schedule. And just so you know, I won't leave you after the cruise is over. We have another adventure planned, so come along.

14 November - at sea recovering from the Penguin hangover. Made a u-turn somewhere. Heading west.

We haven't made it to breakfast yet! We hung out in the cabin until 1pm. It's awesome to be able to relax, read, and rest. That doesn't happen at home unfortunately. Lunch in the Buff-Ette on sea days is crowded. It was too crisp to sit outside today. Even for the German tan fools.

We decided to participate in activities today.

First stop - Crow's Nest. Name that tune trivia. PC is a music genius and we won. Our prize was a HAL lapel pin that said South America. I never win anything so it was all very exciting.

Second stop - Mondriaan Lounge - port talk with the location guide, Brett. Brett is a real hottie. Takes himself just a little too seriously, but nevertheless good at his job. Third stop - Atrium - South American Wine Festival. This was a cool event. A $20 wine and food party. Argentine, Chilean, Uruguyan wines and local cocktails.

Fourth stop - Ocean Bar - happy hour.

Fifth stop - Explorers Lounge. A little Internet action and reading.

Sixth stop - Lido Dinner Buffette. The food is starting to get a little boring. Rosemary chicken every night! I am addicted to the meringue cookies. Pure mainline sugar like cotton candy.

Seventh stop Mondriaan Theater - Hot, the song and dance production show

I am exhausted! I need a vacation.

Returned to cabin to order dessert from room service. It was a "Gala" evening so we weren't dressed properly. Creme Brûlée, vanilla soufflé, brownie stack, and vanilla ice cream. It's unbelievable we have no cavities.

We entered the Strait of Magellan at around 9pm. Will be in the narrow portion around midnight. Why are we doing scenic cruising in the middle of the night?

We are taking the Mother Lode excursion tomorrow out of Punta Arenas. It's a 4:30am wake up call. I hope I can sleep with all of my excitement. Again, praying for great weather. It's a gamble when spending big $$$ and the weather can make or break the day. You will get the word tomorrow night. Hopefully we make it back alive. That otter charter plane makes me nervous.

Your Name that tune trivia question and don't cheat by using the Internet.

Who sang the 1966 Grammy award for best song "Shadow of your Smile"?

We were the only team to get it right. Total guess.

Thank to those commenting. I appreciate you taking the time. Shout out to my friends sunsetbeachgal and aussiegal.

Goodnight and have a pleasant tomorrow.

13 November - the best Friday the 13th ever. I never met a penguin I didn't like. WOW!

I overslept a bit this morning so I didn't have time to raise hell about my shower pressure. Probably a good thing. I did it again! Booked another ship excursion. I have good sense and know when I should book thru the ship. Today was one of those days that I wanted the ship take the liability for me. I can pay a little premium for that.

We booked the 4x4 King Penguin excursion to Volunteer Point. This tour is not for anyone with back problems or mobility issues. We were on way around 8:15am after a 2 mile and 20 minute tender ride. If you were not booked on a ship excursion you had to pick up tender tickets the day before at an assigned time.

We met our driver, Shane, a sixth generation islander. WHY? Four of us loaded in his company owned Land Rover for the 50 mile 2 hour ride to Volunteer Point. I love penguins and my only up close and personal experience with them to date is in the Galapagos islands. I was over the moon about my appt. with the penguins. The first leg of the journey is one hour on a gravel road. the second part of the journey is one hour on off off off road driving. completely painful, but so worth it.

Once we arrived at VP, we had almost two hours to do whatever we wanted. The time went so quickly. We took lots of pic, videos, and were in awe of the penguin behavior. They are fascinating. It was a hawaiian tropic day - sunny and 54 degrees. Gale force wind, however, makes for harsh conditions. There were hundreds of King Penguins and a few Gentoos and Magellenic. The beach is gorgeous. Completely unspoiled. After we spent a few hours chasing penguins, we went back to the vehicle and they provided a snack. Everyone had something different in their bags and it was gross to us. We took the bottled water and gave the rest to our driver. He seemed quite happy about that. I posted several videos and photos on my Facebook page. The road home was so tiresome. We returned around 3pm and did some shopping in Stanley. The Pound prices are so ridiculous that I wouldn't buy anything. I did get one small trinket - a $5 penguin mood ring. It's too funny. I highly recommend this excursion, but it is a hard one. Long day and fighting the elements and 4x4 ride made us feel pretty beat up. Thank God for a sea day tomorrrow. The afternoon ended with a somewhat funny/scary incident. I was coming off the tender boat back to the ship, I was on the platform at the bottom of the stairs to get on the ship. A rogue wave came over the tender boat and platform and almost knocked me in the water. I was drenched. In my shock I was laughing hysterically, but then I got a little upset. Thank goodness I am a well fed girl. Cuz if I was a waif, I would be washing up on shore dead from hypothermia. I think Friday the 13th was lucky for me.

I was feeling traumatized and immediately sent PC to the bar for happy hour wine. I ran to the cabin to remove my clothes. I was soaked to my bra and underwear. I had my jacket open. Got all the clothes hung up to dry, killed three glasses of wine and all is right in my world. AND they fixed the shower while we were out. We will see how long it lasts this time.

We went to our usual aft corner booth in the Buff-ette. We didn't have much left in the tank. After dinner PC went to the cabin and fell asleep while I went to the internet cafe to bitch about the 100 times I have been knocked offline and i wanted some courtesy minutes. The mousey librarian was so generous and gave me 15 courtesy minutes. Seriously? I spend $500 on internet and she can clearly see my troubles and history. PC woke up just in time for the show. The variety show with the feature performers from the last three evenings - Rogerio, the Brazilian pianist, Pampas Devils Tango dance troupe, and Simone, the Scotish violinist/singer. Simone was awesome. She sang the Eva Cassidy version of Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Rogerio played one of my favorite songs "She". I like Elvis Costello's version from Notting Hill.

Another great day and thank goodness I am alive to tell you about it.

12 November - it's a Hawaiian tropic day at sea off the coast of southern Argentina

We awoke to blue skies and smooth seas. We relaxed in the cabin until we headed for lunch around 1pm. It was beautiful outside. All the Germans were in bathing suits at the outside pool aft. Only a German would tan in a bathing suit at 50 degrees. We did enjoy sitting outside for lunch getting sun on our face. The Buff-Ette is crowded on sea days. 2 sea days in a row is about all I can take of the togetherness. I figured out today there is no pizza on the ship. What? Never heard of such a thing.

We went to the spa around 2:30pm for our treatments. We used the thermal area also. I have massage anxiety ever since I was traumatized by a massage therapist in Cambodia. She massaged my boobs and Michelin tire around my waist and it was weird. Now I have to make sure there is no boob or belly rubbing. Tijana from Serbia was great. The facial was also awesome. My only complaint is the treatment room next door was not soundproof and I had to listen to a lot of conversation. Annoying. Tijana tried to turn up the music to drown out the chatter, but that was worse. I complained and the manager said I could come back for another treatment in a quiet room. Nice. PC had a 75 minute massage from Queen.

We came back to the cabin to clean up for dinner. I went to get in the shower and the shower curtain was gone. OMG. Why would they change the shower curtain and not replace fairly quickly? I am naked in the shower trying to get a curtain. They bring a curtain for a shower, not the tub. It was half the width. PC will yell at me if I get water all over the floor. More anxiety. PC takes the the second shower and the shower head breaks again. The O-ring must be slipping or something. We told the cabin steward to get it fixed while we were out for the evening. This is getting ridiculous. This is the kind of crap I do at home.

We had our usual meat and potato dinner at the buff-ette. The production show tonight was Scottish singer/violinist Simone Welsh. She was darling. Loved the show.

After the production show we stopped by the Ocean Bar where each night they are tango dancing. The tango troupes on board dance with each other and guests. It is fun to watch. There is one woman who is hogging the male dancer. Funny. After the tango, we made our way to the Mix piano bar. That is the best entertainment. Drunk and frisky old people. A Seinfeld episode. I am sad to say that Don, the piano entertainer, and I will not be getting into a relationship. I have a thing for piano men, but Don is too old for me. He works the pedals barefoot and I was worried about foot odor. The play list tonight was Grandma's favorites. Even though I know all the words, songs like Embraceable You, Annie, and As Time Goes By puts me to sleep. I am looking for show tunes, Billy Joel, Elton John, and modern music. There was a woman who was coming on to Don and wouldn't let him go on break. I had to watch this train wreck. The best deal on the ship is happy hour. This includes all drinks under $8. We are going back from 9-10pm every night to refill the Diet Cokes at happy hour prices. I spend thousands of dollars to travel, but insist on saving a dollar on Diet Coke!

We went to the late night snack at the buff-ette. They were featuring German food. I wanted some spätzle and bratwurst. PC had eight scoops of ice cream.

Returned to the cabin and guess what? The freaking shower is not fixed. I called for a plumber, but they won't send one this late (11pm). This is frustrating me. I will rip them a new one tomorrow. But, they did correct the shower curtain!

Praying we make it into Port Stanley tomorrow. They missed three ports on the last cruise, including Stanley. Night.

11 November - I need sleep! 48 hours at sea.

I didn't know if i would wake up today. We are going to take advantage of the next two days to rest and get some spa treatments. I booked a hair highlight and cut today. PC and I will have massages tomorrow. Plus I will get a mini facial. I took the $139 special. Body massage including head and feet plus facial. I only do these things while cruising, so it is a treat.

The activity schedule is full. The roof on the main pool is closed and lots of people using the pools. I wanted PC to take Tango lessons at 11am, but he over slept. He is all about sensual, seductive, and erotic ballroom dance. We took dance lessons once and the instructors basically told us we flunked out and could move on to the second class. If that is our worst problem, I will take it.

The Captain had to blow the whistle every two minutes today due to low visibility. very annoying. Seas are pretty smooth, around 50 degrees. Still at two layers, but will be at three layers by tomorrow. Packing was very difficult for this trip. I packed for four seasons. I will assess my success on the way home. Right now if feels like i am a thermal under shirt short. I worry about getting cold.

Eat, eat, and eat some more. It feels like that on sea days. But actually, we haven't made it to breakfast yet, so that means we have not eaten to the maximum potential.

We have had mechanical issues in the cabin. So far the electrician for a blown fuse in the outlet, and a plumber for the busted O-Ring in the shower. This feels way too much like home. One more issue might make me complain.

There is a group on board - The Knitting Club. Lots of people knitting all over the cruise. I need them to knit me a long sleeve shirt STAT.

My stylist in the salon, Melissa, was great. She did exactly what I wanted for less than I pay at home. Very happy.

Tonight was formal night. We rarely dress for formal night, but I did reach an all time low tonight. I wore yoga pants and work out wear all day. I didn't even put on clothes for our date. I had the best lamb chops ever in the Buff-ette. All of the meat and fish has been great. Chicken especially.

Production show - Classique. A song and dance show. I was so impressed by the costumes. Really impressive for a cruise ship.

We ordered room service dessert after the show because I can't get the souffles in the Buff-ette. PC had some sort of brownie dessert. We have been ordering soda (DietCoke) through room service because they offer the 3 can package that may be less expensive than purchasing individual cans. The $45/day/pp drink package is a horrible deal for us. We don't drink that much.

Since we slept in, we stayed up late to watch movie from the cabin DVD library and I could also get caught up with my "live" thread. I bought the jumbo internet package - 1000 minutes for $250. I will probably burn through two of those.

Looking forward to some more R & R tomorrow.

10 November - a short hop to Uruguay. As Homer Simpson says U R Gay!

We hit a wall and needed sleep. We slept in and I did it again! Booked another ship tour! This time a walking tour. Surely this would be the physically fit group that could move faster. Montevideo is very easy to walk on your own. There is a internet/post office/phone center at the port. They have a good map with a walking tour. I enjoy the narration a lot, so tours are good in that way. Plus I always have a lot of questions.

Marcelo was our guide for our 3 hour tour. We stopped at the Cathedral, art museum of Torres Garcia, Independence Square, and the Solis Theater. Very easy and plenty of time for an overview. The only thing I regret is not getting a hot dog at La Pasiva.

We were the last kids on the ship because I was busy at the internet center.

We love the Buff-ette. PC wants protein and I want salad bar and desserts! We have a booth in the back we love. We need to put a sign on it to let others know we own it.

Tonight's production show - Pampas Devils Gauchos. An Argentine dance trio. tango thru the years and gaucho dancing with balls on a string. There were a lot of jokes made about balls. so sophomoric, and so funny.

We have settled into our routine. Our official date time is 6pm-9pm. Dinner and the show. Happy hour is offered 4-5pm at Ocean Bar and Crow's Nest. 9-10pm in the MIX. Buy one, get one for $1. Not sure if this includes wine or beer.

There is a movie shown every day in the theater and it also repeats in the cabins. Cabin TV has two movie stations.

09 November - Another day in BA/Bon Voyage

We had to report to immigration 9am in the cruise terminal. We were unsure about how we wanted to spend the day. I was very disappointed I had not booked another day in BA on the front end. I wanted to go to Colonia de Sacramento in Uruguay. It is much easier to take the ferry from BA than make the drive from Montevideo. Our guide, Sebastian, was going over also and he was willing to guide us around. Unfortunately the ferry returned to BA at 5:15pm and the ship left at 6pm. Not enough time. I decided to do something I never do - sign up for a ship tour. I was feeling tired and lazy and not willing to play tour guide. I signed us on for a trip to the suburbs and a Tigre river cruise. It was a nice, easy excursion, but I was quickly reminded why I hesitate to book ship excursions. We like to move fast. That is the impossible on the ships tours. I had to laugh though because PC needs more bathroom stops than anyone. We stopped a lot. A 30 minute ride becomes 2 hours. UGH. It worked out ok and I was glad to have someone else do the work. I am not sure if i would recommend this tour or not. I am on the fence about that. There is so much to see/do in BA. I would do a food crawl next time.

Another tip: If an excursion is showing sold out, you can go stand by. That is what I did. Usually they have a few extra seats.

We returned to the ship in time for the muster drill at 5pm. The Buff-Ette opens at 5:30pm - 8pm. Traditional dining is at 5:45pm and 8pm. Open dining til 9pm.

Tonight's production show - Brazilian pianist Rogerio Tutti. I am not a fan of Liberace or Van Cliburn, but this young man was charming. The showtimes in the evening are 8pm or 10pm.

Another leisurely stroll back to the cabin thru the promenade shops and casino. Smoking is allowed in the casino. We don't hang out in there, so not an issue for us.

08 November - touring the neighborhoods of Buenos Aires

We enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at the hotel which was included in the room rate. The food at the Four Seasons is always incredible. Breakfast was no exception. They served this pie crust pastry and I seriously could have eaten a dozen. I am a donut queen, and this was way better than a donut.

The hotel set up a guide and driver for us. http://www.check-out-buenosaires.com or sebastian@check-out-buenosaires.com

Sebastian and his driver, Ricardo were a perfect match for us. So fun, funny, and patient with all of my questions. I highly recommend. I normally take the hop on/hop off bus tours in any large city, but Buenos Aires is too spread out and I didn't want to waste time. Had not read good reviews. However, if I go back someday, I would ride around on the topless bus.

Buenos Aires is a city of 4 million people. It is divided into many neighborhoods each with a different personality. We drove through many neighborhoods and made several stops for photos and touring. Don't miss the Recoleta Cemetary. If you are visiting on a Sunday the San Telmo street fair is a must. We stopped at an upscale wine shop to purchase our allotted bottles of wine. So looking forward to immersing myself in Argentine and Chilean wine. If you are interested in photos, etc. you can check my FB page. We went back to the hotel after the tour and PC was refusing to leave. He wanted another chance to see Pearl Jam. All the groupies were still lined up. We waited a while, but no sighting so we had to head to the ship.

Ricardo brought us to the ship. It was after 6pm by the time we strolled into the terminal. Immigration was closed so we were prisoners on the ship until we cleared. We have vista suite 7065 on the Navigation deck. 30 seconds from our beloved Buff-Ette.

We settled in, grabbed a quick bite to eat, and went to the Welcome Show - Listen to the Music. I love the nightly production shows and rarely miss one. Unless it's a juggler or hypnotist. Those shows are anxiety producing! Linda Minnikin is the cruise director. I want to call her Edina. She reminds me of Jennifer Saunders in Ab Fab. She is hospitable and professional. PC suffers through the production shows because he knows I love them. At 51, I am definitely one of the younger people on board. It's an elderly clientele. There are approx 325 Americans, 225 Aussies, 200 Germans, 175 South American, 125 Canadian, 150 UK, and smaller numbers from lots of countries. I was surprised there were not more Canadians and Brits. Many in the crowd were falling asleep during the show. I was getting so worried someone was going to lose a denture with mouths hanging open. I think that someone should be assigned to do a denture sweep after every show.

Nothing on the ship was open since we were in port so it was very quiet. The 10:30pm late night snack in the buff-ette is a full on meal. PC goes to bed and gets up to get another round of dessert at 11pm. 30 seconds from sugar.

06 - 07 November - The bucket list flight and Pre Cruise Hotel

I booked the Dreamliner 787. I had not had a date with that bad boy yet. It was awesome. Quiet, 3-3-3 configuration, and loads of storage space. shoulder to shoulder is tight in economy and I always suggest premium economy if you can swing it. Bad luck on the B Class upgrade. Waitlist number 9 and 10 weren't going to make the cut. I was over the moon with my bulkhead premium economy seat, however. The best consolation prize. Flight was great, food totally fine with salted caramel gelato for dessert in economy. WOW! First time I have ever had free wine with dinner in economy on a US airline. Arrived on time in Buenos Aires. Exhausted, but on time!

I booked the Four Seasons Hotel for one night pre-cruise. I did something I never do. I always book direct for any and all reservations. I would never use a third party or booking engine. Never say never. When I was perusing reviews on Trip Advisor, I found a third party agent with a room price almost half of what I booked direct. I immediately decided to gamble on it. I always have visions of getting the worst rooms when booking thru a third party. I worked out great and I didn't have to sleep in the housekeeping closet. I also made the decision to use some of the $$ I saved on the room to hire the Four Seasons driver to pick us up from the airport. Their are many ways to transfer from the hotel to the city depending on your ambition and budget. Most people would get a blue taxi from the taxi center outside of baggage. Fixed price around $50. The Four Seasons recommends the Tienda Leon shuttle service. I believe it is $57. Not positive. I spent $115 to be safe, comfortable, and the car was at the front door of baggage claim. The right thing for me to do after being loopy flying all night. Lots of bad things can happen when you are sleep deprived. It was so worth every penny.

We checked in around noon, the hotel had no problem getting us to our room before the 3pm check-in. These perks make the price well worth it. We went immediately to the swimming pool and had a fabulous lunch. Gorgeous, warm, sunny spring day. Here is a jet lag story for you. We are at the pool and a lot of people had gathered in the street next to the hotel. Making a lot of noise. We thought it was a political protest and paid no attention. OMG! Pearl Jam was staying at the hotel and they were coming in. We had the best view in the house, but sat there thinking it was a political protest. PC was devastated. It's his favorite band. It's a wonder he left the hotel at all thinking he would meet Mike McCready. So close and yet so far.

We had dinner at the steak house at the hotel. It was fantastic. Don't miss going to a Parilla, Argentine steakhouse. Lots's of famous ones in BA. Don Julio is popular.

We fell into bed, but I can never sleep due to all of my excitement. Looking forward to hitting the streets of BA tomorrow.

Greetings to my Princess peeps! We last met year in Tahiti in December. I am back out on the ocean, but you will have to jump over to the HAL forum for my "LIVE" thread. Hope you will join me.

"LIVE" with Sungirl in South America! Join me on the HAL Zaandam Nov. 8-22, 2015.

Greetings from Sungirl! The last time I met you was May of 2014 on the Noordam I was a HAL virgin. I had a wonderful cruise experience on HAL and I am excited to be back. It was a difficult decision when planning my South American adventure as to where I would go, what I would do and how I would get there. I prefer land travel, but it's a lot more work. I had a busy summer at home and decided a cruise full of scenic sea days would probably be my best choice. If you have read my "LIVE" reports before on the Princess or Celebrity forums, you will know I don't take myself too seriously and I find everything funny. I am a silly girl from Kansas finding my own fun everyday. The disclaimer- food, entertainment, and life in general is subjective. I am only reporting on my experience. My key to happiness is to keep my expectations low. I am usually never disappointed and always more than satisfied. I wander around a bit, and find that patience and politeness are also key to travel success. You can also follow me on Facebook where I post photos and videos - Fungirl Across America and Beyond. FYI - PC is code for Prince Charming, the one who puts up with all of my craziness and makes all things possible.

On with the show! We tend to take longer trip at the holidays. The short list this year - Vietnam, South Africa, or Patagonia. After deciding on South America and finding the perfect schedule on HAL, I booked my usual 30 days in advance. This cruise was a steal for inside and oceanview cabins. Princess (Moi!) had that corner aft Neptune suite on the Noordam Med cruise. I could not imagine life without a Neptune suite. However, being a practical Princess, I booked a Vista suite. I was given an upgrade offer for the Neptune suite, but declined because Starboard side wasn't available. I could also find plenty of uses for that extra $2K.

I spent a lot of $$ on "gear" for this trip. Gore-tex running shoes and a ton of North Face clothes. I will go into more detail as we go.

I booked our airline tickets on United. I fly United exclusively when possible as I enjoy the perks of my status. I never find any "deals", but I do get upgraded to premium economy and/or business class on every flight.

I will create a new post for each day. I may get behind, but I will catch up eventually. I will answer any and all questions at the end of the cruise when I get on land. I hope I can help others and entertain too! I hope you will come with me.

Cheers, Sungirl

ok, I am set to go. I need costumes, however. aka gear, clothing, etc. Paid too much for balcony cabin, but hoping for an upsell offer like I received last year in the Med.

I will post "Live" as I always do.

So much to do, so little time. 3 weeks!

Thanks to everyone who chimed in.

Cheers, Sungirl

is cold weather gear enough or do I need to buy waterproof everything? This is going to require some major shopping.

has anyone taken the day trip from Punta Arenas to Torres del Paine?

Thanks everyone for talking me through this. I really want to cruise, but was worried that I would spend seven sea days in the buffet getting fatter! And I would be freezing while getting fatter.

I have a courtesy hold on the HAL Zaandam Nov 8. I am booking a trip to Easter Island from Santiago to thaw out the last few days.

4774 Papa - you are spot on when you say one day is enough in these ports. When I travel by land, I move almost everyday! I travel wide, not deep.

I guess my main complaint is that I am not getting any perks with the cruise. I am booking so late and so no special offers. the balcony is expensive. I am paying a lot of $$ to be cold. that doesn't seem right.

Can someone chime in on the "gear" I need to buy for the cruise. Are hiking New Balance shoes ok, or do I need something more waterproof.

Maryann, thank you for all of the information. I needed that help. Now I can make a more educated decision. Does GAdventures get good reviews? I was also looking at the Stella Australis. Did you consider that? The Navimag ferry is 3 nights? how are the accomodations?

Thank you, Sungirl

I would appreciate some feedback from previous South American cruisers. I am always torn when booking travel plans as to whether or not to travel by land or sea or a combination. I like adventure and hotels better than cruising, but cruising always serves a purpose and is more economical.

The 14 day South American cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago or reverse has many sea days. I loved Alaska and the scenery, but was concerned this horn cruise had too many sea days. Is the scenery so spectacular it is worth it?

Has anyone taken the excursion to Antartica fromuenta Arenas?

The Falkland Islands would be a reason to cruise, however I realize it's 50/50 on weather conditions to port. Is November any different than any other summer month weather wise?

It's risky to book a cruise and depend on the ports in this part of the world. I need a little push here! Any feedback is helpful. Keith?

Cheers, Sungirl

Neptuneseas = I just responded to your question earlier today. You must have missed it. Luigi Pascale