Veendam South America/Antarctica 12/20/10

[Rivergirl77]

Hi drtree, I'm so sorry to hear of your quarantine. I was just about to read your blog and see you have more about it in there.

 

I'm really enjoying reading your blogs too. You and Becky are so informative and delightful to read. I hope you don't get too sick and are allowed out after the 24 hrs.

 

jpver, thanks for the photos :)

[Liv4cruzin]

Becky,

 

I'm so enjoying your posts. I'll be on the Jan 20th cruise from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires (including Antarctica) on the "other" cruise line that you often cruise. :D Hope to meet you on one someday!

 

Patty

 

Me too Patty.

[Liv4cruzin]

Look forward to your posts each day Becky. I hope you are feeling better now you know what is ailing you.

 

It's heartening to hear you might be able to get the internet in the cabin with door open. I'm B190, what do you think my chances are.

 

Thanks

Robyn

 

That depends on how close your cabin is to one of the "repeaters/boosters". I have one 4 doors down from me. As soon as you get to your cabin; look up & down the hall on the ceiling. If you see something that looks like a white "Re-Nu-zit" air freshener cone turned upside down, you're chances are good. If not, just walk throughout the public areas looking for "cones"; they're all over the place.

 

Tks for the encouraging words, Robyn

[Liv4cruzin]

Becky, I'm under house arrest for 24 hours since I have a fever. A lot of people are sick, but I don't know if it's seasickness or our sickness. My room service is supposed to take an hour to arrive.

 

Oh, nooooooo......this is terrible. I'm so sorry. I've heard a lot of people coughing the last few days. I don't think I could have spread my sinus infection to others (I've been very careful with coughing & tissues & hand washing).

 

I got out for a late breakfast; but have pretty much spent the rest of the day in bed. The nurse called to check on me this afternoon; & I told her I was feeling a little more foggy headed. She asked if I had a fever; & I still don't.

 

I'm about to venture out for some dinner; so I guess I won't be seeing you. I contemplated ordering from the D.R. menu through room service but I do feel well enough to get it myself & breath some fresh air.

 

Hope you got some good drugs (maybe you sprung for the Z-pack) & feel a lot better tomorrow. I miss you.....

[Mangapai Cruiser]

Becky and drtee, have been following your blogs.They give us an insight to where our daughter is working.This is her 2nd trip on the Veendam(or any cruise ship) so was baptism by fire on her 1st rounding of the Horn.

 

Have'nt been in touch with her since start of your cruise though and missed her phone call Xmas eve.She is working in the Gym(tall redhead NZlander)

 

Dave

[Rivergirl77]

That depends on how close your cabin is to one of the "repeaters/boosters". I have one 4 doors down from me. As soon as you get to your cabin; look up & down the hall on the ceiling. If you see something that looks like a white "Re-Nu-zit" air freshener cone turned upside down, you're chances are good. If not, just walk throughout the public areas looking for "cones"; they're all over the place.

 

 

Thanks for the info Becky :)

[goldengatecruisers]

What a great thread. Becky - your blog is wonderful and I am enjoying it especially the photographs. Dtree and others I hope that you start to feel better very soon so you can be out on the open decks enjoying this wonderful voyage. There is nothing worse than being sick on a cruise especially when we are paying to be there! I am not sure how much you will be able to contribute to the blog while in Antarctica so let me just say to you - relax, enjoy the scenery and the experience and we will eagerly await your voyage report when internet service is back up consistently. Becky, if you are taking some interior shots of the ship would you please post them at some point during your cruise so we can see 'ship life'. Many thanks for taking the time to update your journal - we are all enjoying this cruise with you. Keep popping those drugs, get plenty of rest and get yourself back to 100% so you can fully enjoy the upcoming days as you head further south.

 

Happy New Year to you and everyone on board.

 

Ashley.

[DrTee]

I'm hoping to be emancipated tomorrow, though I suspect I'll continue to stay in the cabin most of the time the next couple of days.

Wait till you see (on my blog) the visitors I had today,

Really sick of room service. They're getting things wrong a lot.

[Liv4cruzin]

Lou,

I was really hoping to see you out today. I wrapped up like a polar bear (you could only see my eyes); just so I could be out there. If I'd been quarantined in my inside cabin, that would have been a fate worse than death today. I was so excited to see the snow (big cotton ball size flakes flying sideways). I wanted to call & check on you; but realized I don't have your cabin #. I guess reception could connect me. I'm feeling much better today; & I'm hoping the same for you tomorrow.

[Liv4cruzin]

I was in the process of uploading photos to C.C. last night when we lost internet. And it's still slow tonight; so I don't know if I'll manage to get any up now either. But the blog has been updated.

 

Even though it was a grey kinda day, it was fantastic once we found the right spot. Day started off with dense fog; but the Capt. was persistent in trying different places until he found good visibility & scenery to die for. We saw tons of icebergs; lots of gentoo penguins; a few humpback whales; & SNOW! I was giddy with excitement. This place is so pristine; just gorgeous. I can only imagine what it must look like under a bright blue sky.

[rafinmd]

Glad you're feeling at least some better and I hope you continue to improve. I'd love to see the pictures but for me at least they can wait until your internet is better. They'll be worth waiting for.

 

Roy

[Kelownabccan]

Thanks a whole bunch from a couple of Canucks who are booked next year on Jan 6....almost doing the same plan as you so finding this very very interesting....can hardly wait to go...but you are both giving my wife and I a real taste of what we can expect....hopefully not the cough and fever part though...lol.....by the way the snow flakes are falling here also..ha ha....but it is not summer!!!!....like where you are....keep up the great blogging and hope you both get better...healthwise...

[Liv4cruzin]

Thanks everybody for your interest in our travels. I know Lou appreciates it too. BTW, Lou escaped her "containment field" today. I got a kick out of her stories of the men in 'hazmat' gear sanitizing her room every day. I'm glad for her she at least had a balcony to watch the beautiful scenery from.

 

It was another exciting day outside. Very cold; occasionally we'd catch a glimpse of blue sky through holes in the clouds. Saw lots of penguins in their natural habitat, several leopard seals sunbathing (not) on icebergs that floated by. The ice pilot must have felt like he was running an obstacle course dodging icebergs. There were tons of them in the Lemaire Channel. Saw lots of blue ice & a few chunks of snow/ice "calf" off into the water. I don't think there was a whale sighting today. If there was, I didn't hear about it.

 

It's totally useless to upload photos to CC, FB or the blog. It takes mins. for each photo; & the odds are 75% that you'll get knocked off before it finishes. I know, I'm frustrated too. They tell us that their satellite uplink is in NJ; & the snowstorm DID have an effect on our reception.

 

Ashley as for your request for interior photos. I really hadn't planned to do that because I shot the ship rather thoroughly back in '98 when I sailed. I was using film at the time. IF I do shoot any, am I understanding that you actually want people in the shots doing normal stuff. Or are you asking for photo details of the public rooms?

[RuthC]

The ice pilot must have felt like he was running an obstacle course dodging icebergs. There were tons of them in the Lemaire Channel. Saw lots of blue ice & a few chunks of snow/ice "calf" off into the water.

Did you actually get to sail all the way through the Lemaire Channel? :) That's considered The Holy Grail of sailing the Antarctic waters. My first time there we got part way down, then had to turn back. My second time, we didn't even try. :(

 

Thank you so much for these posts. Every one brings back such pleasant memories.

Isn't it neat watching the penguins go through the water? Like watching living torpedos!

[Liv4cruzin]

Yes, Ruth......we did make it through. And the Capt. made sure we understood how lucky we were to do so. He spent 3 days flying by the seat of his pants. Making plans, changing plans & going where the good visibility would pay off the most. He & the ice pilot did an outstanding job. In fact, I think we came closer than any cruise ship has to the actual Antarctic Circle. It looked like we were at most 1.5 degrees north of the line. I sure was hoping for a certificate stating that I had made it into the Antarctic circle to out up next to mine from the Rotterdam for making it into the Arctic Circle. But, they presented us with a similar, yet not so historic version,

[Liv4cruzin]

It's been 2 days since I've been able to get on C.C. Lou has better timing than I; as she can find times to get online. I spend way too much time trying to upload photos to the blog; & getting knocked off. So, I'm playing catch up tonight.

 

It was a life altering couple of days in these waters. The tranquility & sense of wonder is almost a religious experience. If you're reading the blogs, then you already know what would take me hours here to retell.

 

We had a very rough evening in the Drake Passage. We were close to a low pressure system. Outside decks were blocked off; dishes & trays were heard crashing in the Lido's galley; glasswear breaking up in the Crow's Nest. If the TV was correct, wind speeds reached over 80 mph. It was quite a ride; & it put me right to sleep at afternoon nap time.

 

FYI, the blog was updated several times today. So, there are now photos on Dec 29th; & 2 new entries (Dec 30 & 31). Things are looking very good for Port Stanley in the morning. We're expecting 50 degrees, partly cloudy; winds will pick up late in the afternoon. As long as we get in.....don't care HOW we get out.

 

Happy New Year, everyone!

[dfish]

Both blogs are fantastic! You really have me excited for my trip that starts on Thursday. Thanks so much for taking the time (and spending the money) to do these for us.

 

Debbie

[cands]

Hi Becky,

I just caught up on your blog. Fabulous!

 

It was great to see photos of you with the 'Antarctic grin'. How can a place be so stunningly beautiful?

 

Steve.

[knuts1]

We are doing the around the horn cruise on the 23rd. Can either of you tell me how long it takes to upload each update so I can get an idea on how many minutes to buy when we get aboard so my 14yo dd can do a blog for us?

 

I have really enjoyed them both as well and it is getting us more excited!!

[RuthC]

In fact, I think we came closer than any cruise ship has to the actual Antarctic Circle. It looked like we were at most 1.5 degrees north of the line.

The Amsterdam made it across the line a few years ago. As I recall the story, the cruise had gone so smoothly that they had extra time to kill, so the Captain decided to do the run down.

I am so jealous of that! It may be the only certificate I don't have. :(

[Liv4cruzin]

We are doing the around the horn cruise on the 23rd. Can either of you tell me how long it takes to upload each update so I can get an idea on how many minutes to buy when we get aboard so my 14yo dd can do a blog for us?

 

I have really enjoyed them both as well and it is getting us more excited!!

 

The text portion is not that big a deal. Just be sure to compose your text offline in Word or whatever word processing software you prefer. Then go online, copy & paste it onto your blog page. The most awful part is trying to upload photos. Each photo can take (in my case) anywhere for 20 seconds to well over a min. As it was explained to me by the IT guy, we're spoiled to broadband at home. At home, the whole things goes through the fiber optic cables lickety split.

 

On satellite transmission, little tiny portions of each photo are sent up in separate 'packets'. Occasionally, a glitch will occur in mid transmission; & all is lost. You have to start all over again. It's extremely frustrating. I know I'm crazy out of my mind to spend this kind of money just to include so many photos in each entry. But the photos MAKE the blog.

 

The most cost effective pkg is 250 mins, for $100. As I've stated before, I've now going through 7 of those pkgs plus the free bonus mins. that they give to anyone who buys a pkg. The easier way would be to try to find wifi in port. But with extensive touring, that's next to impossible. You just do the best you can do; & set your limit as to how much you're willing to spend. Because the sky's the limit (so to speak).

[Liv4cruzin]

BTW, the blog has now been updated to include yesterday in Stanley, Falkland Islands.,

[Mangapai Cruiser]

Hi Becky

 

Fabulous photo's on your blog. I think the flowers are foxglove, if not they are very similar.Always enjoy your updates.

Daughter finally made contact on New Years eve,was just busy with work in gym etc

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise

 

Dave

[Mangapai Cruiser]

Correction on the flowers in Falklands,they are Lupines

[joyous]

I think those flowers are lupine. Loved all your pictures and comments. Hope you stay well. Look forward to sailing with you again. We did this Antarctica on Crystal several years ago and loved it. I'd like to go again but our weather was so perfect that Pete says we'd never get so lucky again. joy