Cruise Critic Chris

Forgot to show the pool!

Hello from Athens! I stayed last night at St. George Lycabettus Lifestyle, which is the hotel used here by Windstar. They have a concierge desk in the hotel and also a transfer to the ship that leaves here at 1 pm on embarkation day. We arrived from Newark from our overnight flight, hoping for an early checkin. No dice. The concierge stored our bags and we did a short walk down to the Parliament to watch the changing of the guard. We got back to the hotel at 1, hot and exhausted at this point. The room still wasn't ready. Now here - the hotel SHOULD have directed us to their lovely rooftop pool. They didn't and we did not ask, so we fell asleep in the lobby. Again, do not do as we did. The hotel bar and pool on the roof is delightful. We finally got into our room at 3:30 but had to leave by 4 so we could meet our tour of the Acropolis. I booked this through Viator but it was run by Tours by Athens. At the meeting point, it was a bit chaotic but we were eventually placed in a group of about 20 with a fantastic guide. We had headsets so we could wander a bit. Greece in September is less hot and crowded than the heart of summer. That being said... the Acropolis was still hot and crowded. I did appreciate going in late afternoon because by the time we left, we were starting to get golden hour sun. We took a cab back to the hotel. Exhausted, we decided to eat at the hotel restaurant, which had a gorgeous view of the Acropolis at night. Service was a tad slow but the food was delicious. I recommend the greek salad and the pistachio chicken. We fell into bed at 9:30 pm and barely woke up at 10 am to get our bags outside. We missed the included breakfast but went up to the rooftop pool area to relax before the shuttle pickup at 1. There, we ordered lattes and avocado toast. This is where we should have spent our time the first day!!

Hi all, it's Chris, your friendly neighborhood executive editor, popping in to say that I'll be boarding Wind Star in Athens on Saturday. My primary reason for going is to see how the renovations on the sailing ships are turning out, as well as take a look at Greece in fall (which should be slightly less crowded than Greece in summer). Let me know if there is anything you want me to look for, or that you want to know about this itinerary. Ports: Mykonos, Patmos, Ephesus, Santorini, Monemvasia, Nafpliio. This will be my second time on Windstar. My other cruise was on Star Pride, on the Monaco F1 cruise. It's my third cruise to the Greek Isles. Other lines were Louis (now Celestyal) and Azamara. Cruise #104 overall!

When you walk onto a ship, what kind of vibe do you prefer, when it comes to decor? Are you a follower of Farcus (Joe), who created Carnival's eye-popping interiors? Or do you want your ship to be a sanctuary at sea, in soothing tones? Are you an art lover, who loves it when ships become floating galleries? Or do you want to feel like you're on a classic ship, with lots of wood and brass? Let us know your preference in the poll! And feel free to submit any photos of your favorite ship interiors in this thread.

We had the story too. 🙂 https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/crystal-cruises-news

That's a good question. They didn't have the answer for me, just "later this year." Once we know, I'll update. I've also asked them what items from Taste will remain on the menu.

Hi all! Cruise Critic went to Beefbar New York with Crystal to try some menu items. Here's the write-up: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/crystal-cruises-news

Hi all! I'm just off Disney Magic, which made the first preview sailing to Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point. Quite a few photos in my story, below, but go ahead and ask me anything... I'll try to get the answer if I don't already have it. https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/photos-of-lookout-cay-at-lighthouse-point-disney-new-private-island/

I can confirm that it is, indeed, long! But only a little over .5 miles. It took us 10 minutes but we were able bodied adults without any kids in tow. I'm just off the Lookout Cay preview sailing. Here's my story. AMA! https://www.cruisecritic.com/articles/photos-of-lookout-cay-at-lighthouse-point-disney-new-private-island/

Hi there! Cruise Critic was also at the event, and it was a nice one. Really, a lot of excitement for this relaunch. It was nice to hear Nobu himself say such nice things about Umi Uma. We've written up our article, also with some photos: https://www.cruisecritic.com/news/crystal-relaunch-partnership-with-sushi-master-chef-nobu-matshuisa-on-revamped-cruise-ships. (Some of my Instagram photos are shared above; I'm @chrisgrayfaust.) Cruise Critic will have editors onboard Serenity right before the first sailing and on Symphony for the first sailing. Chris

The next event was the required biosecurity check. Because Antarctica is such a specific and protected environment, all of your outdoor gear needs to be treated to make sure you aren't bringing any spores or seeds with you. It's also a time to exchange your gear if it doesn't fit. My pants and jacket were both too small, and my husband needed smaller boots. I was a bit worried I wouldn't get the size I need. But it ended up being an easy process. I now have what I need to be comfortable. As a reminder; Viking gives you a parka with an under jacket, waterproof pants (Helly Hansen) and boots. You get to keep the parka/jacket.

We woke up on our first day in the Drake with quite a busy schedule. There are two lectures today, one on mammals and one on birds. Plus the kayak test and a time to go get your gear "bio-protected." More on that. First the kayak test. They brought us down to the Hangar and we were told the best way to get from the zodiacs into the kayak. Everyone passed. That being said, if you have mobility issues, this is likely not the activity for you.

So, the dreaded Drake! I brought four types of seasickness remedies with me, just in case - the patch; bonine; seabands and ginger candies. I almost never get seasick but my husband does. If you want to stalk Drake weather, use the app Windy.com. It had been showing green for our trip, and the captain confirmed it at the first briefing. Drake Lake; it is! That doesn't mean you won't get any swells. My husband, who is more susceptible, took Bonine. But our entire first two days sailing look to be very calm.

Our first night was very uneventful. I went to the spa and had a soak; no one was there. For our first meal; I did room service and did the Chairman's Special salmon. As good as is it on other ships! The entertainment was a movie about whales: which we skipped. First day dailies attached. The ship has stressed that you really need to check your app, though, as things can change. Sailing through the Beagle Channel was lovely. Very calm. Sunset was around 10 pm., about the same time we entered the Drake.

Checking in to the ship was very easy. I had copies of everything - my express check in; my medical form - but no one asked me for it. Once you check in, you go and get weighed if you're signed up for a sub ride; you also sign a waiver. Then you are seamlessly directed to your safety briefing. All very smooth. Your first gathering as a group after the ship leaves goes over submarine and kayak safety. The kayak test is the next day.

I forgot to mention the flight down. You do not get to choose your seat, although it does seem that the line puts people together in the same row, with no one else. Even though you are given a zone, you don't board that way - it's a bit of a free for all. The biggest problem with this was the carryon situation. Many people were toward the front and had no overhead bin space, forcing you to go to the back of the plane to stash your bag. We ended up moving to a seat back there so it would be easier to get off. The plane wasn't full so we were allowed to do this. People were putting things like coats and purses above and refusing to move them for larger bags. A bit more control here, and a bit less entitlement among the passengers, would have gone a long way.

A few shots from around the ship. If you want more photos of a specific spot, let me know.

Boarded the ship yesterday in Ushuaia. We were onboard around noon, and cabins opened at 1. Back onboard time was 4 pm and the ship left about an hour later. There was definitely enough time to get your passport stamped at the Ushuaia tourism office. I am in room 4003, a Nordic Penthouse. It's plenty spacious, although I did prefer the expanded balcony room I had on Seabourn Venture two months ago. The drying closet is great, though! The gear that you ordered in advance was already in there but don't worry, if anything doesn't fit, you can exchange (I'll write about that separately). USB ports by the bed. Heated floors in the bathroom. Our phone does not work: as we found when I tried to order room service, but we've been told it will get fixed. A few shots.

Here is the schedule for the charter flights between BA and Ushuaia: Transfers for the first flight began at 4 am, the last flight at 6:10 am. We were in the happy middle group. Note: these were assigned randomly; you do not sign up for a time. There's a cold breakfast buffet set up that morning, along with small bags to take away. The process to get on the buses was very smooth. You receive your boarding pass for the domestic flight on the bus.

We did sign up for the sub ride, the kayaking, the SOB and landings. But I know this is one trip where things definitely depend on the weather. I am ready to take it as it comes!

A few photos of the Hilton and surrounding area. Puerto Madero is not super close to main sightseeing but it is safe and there are plenty of restaurants nearby along the river. Uber is easy to use. Most people checked in today. There was a Viking desk in the front lobby, where you received info about your airport transfer times. We are in a group leaving the hotel at 5:30 am. Bags out for collection at 8 pm tonight.

I'm not going to get too much into my vacation, unless people have specific questions about things to do in BA. This is my third time here but first time for my husband. We are at the Hilton Buenos Aires, which is generally the hotel that Viking uses. Viking arranged it so we did not have to change rooms - highly appreciated. This hotel is used for quite a few groups as a pre-stay before Antarctica trips - I saw Hurtigruten. Tauck and Globus info behind the front desk. Viking seems to be upgrading people to the 8th floor, which is nice because you get access to the executive lounge, which has breakfast and Happy Hour snacks. The Hilton is in Puerto Madero, which is lively and has many restaurants along the river. It's not as good for sightseeing - it's a walk to San Telmo and you'll need to take a taxi or uber if you want to visit neighborhoods like Recoleta or Palermo. Uber has worked just fine for us. BA this time of year is quite warm - 85 degrees F. So we had to pack clothes for the heat, in addition to our cold-weather gear. I kept all my BA clothes separate in packing cubes in my carryon, which meant I didn't really have to disturb my cruise bag. We have spent our time exploring and taking various tours. Sunday, we went to the San Telmo Antiques Market, and enjoyed watching the tango dancers there. Monday we took a tour with Context, one of my favorite tour providers, that gave us a deep dive into Peronism; we were mostly in Recoleta for this. We also had a fabulous parrilla (steakhouse) lunch in Palermo. Tuesday we did a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay booked through Viator. And today, we're eating steak again on a food tour in San Telmo with Parrilla Tours. I'll add a few hotel photos later today.

Hi all! I'm writing from the Buenos Aires Hilton. My Viking Polaris trip "officially" starts today. I came in early for a few days vacation in BA. As it is for everyone, this cruise will be an adventure of a lifetime! Through my work here at Cruise Critic, I have read and edited many stories about Antarctica cruising, and sent many writers to the White Continent. But this is the first time that I get to go! There is a fairly large press group on this trip, and two representatives from Viking. Please let me know if you have any specific questions. I will try to post photos of the daily programs as well. All internet permitting!