Bit of a Blog : Crown Princess : Buenos Aires - Valparaiso : February 1st 2017

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

 

The school

 

 

There is no University. Students are sent to the UK to finish their education.

[NorbertsNiece]

The hospital, GP, Chiropracter in fact all medical facilities under one (blue) roof. Minor surgeries only. Anything major and you're flown to Santiago in Chile or Inverness in Scotland.

 

 

 

Government House

 

 

In memory of the liberators, June 1982

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

Mast of the SS Great Britain

 

 

 

 

 

Christ Church Cathedral

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

Little England

 

 

 

 

 

Back on board watching the tendering

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

This bread is getting tiresome

 

 

My tablemate demonstrated his Swiss Army knife

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

This was soooo sweet and virtually inedible!

 

 

So I go to the International cafe and have this GF coconut confection instead

 

 

What I like about the Crown is the amazing array of items for purchase. I needed nail polish remover and they had pads really cheap!! (less than $3) They had hearing aid batteries.... a really comprehensive stock

 

[NorbertsNiece]

People sometimes ask on the CC board about cigarettes on board.....

 

Day 14 Stanley done and dusted.

[NorbertsNiece]

Day 15 Cape Horn Scenic Cruising

 

 

 

Breakfast in Botticelli's

 

 

 

NOT GF

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

And lunch in Botticelli's

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

Land ahoy

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

i go for afternoon tea..... they know I'm coming. this is the display for all

 

 

This is what I am given..... the usual bread, untoasted. Imagine eating Amazon packaging..... that.

 

 

These are rather nice

 

 

As are the GF scones

 

[NorbertsNiece]

We have yet to reach the Horn

 

 

 

Warm it isn't

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

The Cape Horn Monument. More about it here.

 

Bridge cam

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

Ran to window..... there was a whale..... honest....

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

Outside the buffet...... best kept secret....

 

 

 

End of day 15

[NancyIL]

Beautiful photos and a wonderful blog! So...would you sail with Princess again?

[t60]

Thank you for sharing all this with us, I know how much work and time it takes

Sandy in Spain

[NorbertsNiece]

Beautiful photos and a wonderful blog! So...would you sail with Princess again?

 

Oh Nancy such a difficult question to answer my friend. I had such high expectations of the ship and I really don't want to give the impression that there's a whole lot wrong with it. The whole holiday was incredible and I'm so glad to have experienced the entire itinerary in the order I did. The glitches on board in no way impacted my time away..... just for moments if that makes sense. They need to sort the tendering out....it's a major factor.....we only walked ashore once the whole time. We never sailed away on time. And that matters when you're sailing a Glacier alley. They need to have a word with the executive chef about the GF bread!! Lol. I did a galley tour (pics later) and I would've been encouraged had I seen a GF galley. But I didn't. I missed sailing on a ship and not having status..... sounds crazy but having free laundry and a glass or two of wine in the evening really helps!! They didn't offer a new to Princess cruises evening event at all. Any time I went to the theatre (to be fair it wasn't often) it was standing room only..... too small for the number of passengers. So...... probably not is the answer. Didn't feel much valued is how that comes out eh?

[NorbertsNiece]

Thank you for sharing all this with us, I know how much work and time it takes

Sandy in Spain

 

Thanks Sandy. I've caught up with the laundry, seen the grandsons, shared gifts and have little dog home from the kennels.... this is helping me reminisce :)

 

Day 16 Ushuaia and Glacier Alley

I think this was the day that impacted me most on board in a negative way. I tried really hard to 'go with the flow' but it's incredibly difficult when you've had a very early start then no lunch, morning and afternoon excursions, and a port of call you don't actually get to see. Here's how it went.

 

Check out the screen time

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

We're supposed to be berthed but we're tendered

 

 

 

 

We're over two hours plus in the theatre awaiting our catamaran tour to be called with no refreshments. Two Princess bus excursions are cancelled altogether. We're told that the water level isn't deep enough for us at the berth and that a Celebrity ship is there already. This turns out to be a little white lie eh Princess? Rumours fly about that It's our presence on the Falklands Islands has caused red tape to fly but eventually word gets out that our berth hadn't in fact been secured by Corporate..... so Celebrity coughed up and got it. We'll never know for sure.

 

We're then told that we have been offered a berth but accessing the pier is hazardous as would necessitate the use of a ladder so has been declined (seriously?)

 

Eventually the catamaran tour is called.... we will board the catamaran directly from the ship.

We go below stairs.

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

 

Military base and jail

 

 

We are in the Beagle Channel, Argentina on one side and Chile on the other, and named for the ship on which Darwin sailed in 1833.

 

 

A multitude of birds