Memories on this Date

[whogo]

Woke early on February 16, 2011 for a walk around our Valparaiso neighborhood, can't begin to describe how much I liked the city, it was nothing like home. Here in the Midwest we do not see old Beetles and Citroen 2CV's in daily use.

*

 

Thought our taxi driver was running up the meter, we drove well past the Veendam before reaching the port area. We were happy with our inside cabin, disappointed at the new lanai cabins that limited available promenade deck chairs. None in front of the lanai doors, of course, two reserved for each lanai cabin, and the chairs with the reserved signs ended up well away from the lanai cabins. Many of the remaining chairs had a view of steel instead of ocean.

 

 

[VintageGeo]

In 2020 we sailed into Puerto Chiapas Mexico.

 

Maybe the subject of the next great blockbuster, "The Pelican Whisperer"?

 

 

 

We left the ship to wander the port area, look through the shops, and enjoy a snack. It really is a lovely spot.

 

 

 

 

Lori & George

 

 

 

[Mtn2Sea]

On this date two years ago, the Amsterdam stopped at Papeete, Polynesia for the day.  We chose to just walk around town, at times dodging the rain. We found a place that offered WiFi as long as we bought something.  While I was “forcing” myself to eat some ice cream, we struck up a conversation with a fellow passenger, who became one of our favorite new friends.

 

[ski ww]

Today in 2016 the Maasdam was in Santarem Brazil heading up stream to Manaus. We did a private city tour, don't know if I'd eat any of those fish after laying out in the heat, no ice.

 

[VintageGeo]

A year ago the Oosterdam visited Huatulco, Mexico.

 

In the afternoon we were entertained by a man overboard drill by the crew. 

 

 

That evening as we sailed out we were walking the promenade deck waiting for the sun to go down when we noticed some activity around the ship. They are fun to watch.

 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

9 hours ago, VintageGeo said:

In the afternoon we were entertained by a man overboard drill by the crew. 

 

Watching and being "the fly on the wall" when it is possible to do so during these drills and listening to the instructions given by the Officers to the crew is a "peek" into the "behind the scenes" of a cruise that I value highly.  

 

Only once, when I tried to be an observer of a crew drill, was I shooed away by an Officer as the drill was about to begin.  

[VintageGeo]

16 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

Watching and being "the fly on the wall" when it is possible to do so during these drills and listening to the instructions given by the Officers to the crew is a "peek" into the "behind the scenes" of a cruise that I value highly.  

 

Only once, when I tried to be an observer of a crew drill, was I shooed away by an Officer as the drill was about to begin.  

I do the same, when I have a chance. Without becoming a 'speed bump' for the crew to run over, that is. 😃 It was very interesting on a sea day to see the demo in the lido pool of the crew lifeboat capsule during the same cruise. Had not seen that before.

 

[ski ww]

Today in 2016 the Maasdam was in Boca da Valeria Brazil.

 

[whogo]

On the way to Rio our Veendam cruise stopped at Puerto Montt on this date in 2011. I was thoroughly impressed with Chile, did not see the poverty I'd seen in other Latin American countries. The middle class seemed to be thriving.

 

We were off to Petrohue Falls and Puerto Varas. The downside to ship's tours? Lots of packed buses and dork dots.

 

Happy with the tour, I had never seen a river rush through a narrow gorge like this one did at Petrohue Falls.

 

Vulcan Orsono awed me. Another first, I'd never seen a conical volcano. This one had snow to boot. I gazed at it for quite a while, thought what a perfect sight it was, practically a religious experience.

 

Puerto Varas, the City of Roses, is beautifully situated on huge Lake Llanquihue. I roamed the town and rewarded myself with a Brahma Beer and enjoyed the view of the lake and Mt. Osorno.

 

[Mtn2Sea]

Two years ago on this date, the Amsterdam was at Bora Bora for the day.  Many years ago I was on a cruise that stopped at Bora Bora, but I was too sick due to a respiratory infection to go ashore. Luckily, the second trip proved to be more successful!

[rkacruiser]

23 hours ago, VintageGeo said:

t was very interesting on a sea day to see the demo in the lido pool of the crew lifeboat capsule during the same cruise. Had not seen that before.

 

 

I wonder if we are on the same cruise.  Eurodam, Viking Passage (a repositioning cruise for the ship) from Europe to New York:  the drill was held at the mid-ship pool with a 2nd Officer in charge/narrator and the Cadets on board being the demonstrators.  Most interesting.  Any guests that have been in such a situation to listen to the Officers' instructions/reminders about lifeboat requirements/procedures, etc. simply have to be impressed.  I am safer on a cruise ship than I am in my own home:  that's how I feel!

[VintageGeo]

13 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

 

I wonder if we are on the same cruise.  Eurodam, Viking Passage (a repositioning cruise for the ship) from Europe to New York:  the drill was held at the mid-ship pool with a 2nd Officer in charge/narrator and the Cadets on board being the demonstrators.  Most interesting.  Any guests that have been in such a situation to listen to the Officers' instructions/reminders about lifeboat requirements/procedures, etc. simply have to be impressed.  I am safer on a cruise ship than I am in my own home:  that's how I feel!

Afraid not, although yours sure sounds like a fun one to be on. We were on Oosterdam on a Panama Canal Transit to San Diego. As a matter of fact, the demonstration was a year ago today, during a sea day between Mexican stops. The crew shared some really good info on how best to try to survive going into the ocean. I do agree with your feeling of safety on board.

[VintageGeo]

Last year, during a sea day, Lori attended a carving demonstration. Some of their masterpieces...

 

 

 

 

 

[rkacruiser]

22 hours ago, VintageGeo said:

Afraid not, although yours sure sounds like a fun one to be on. We were on Oosterdam on a Panama Canal Transit to San Diego. As a matter of fact, the demonstration was a year ago today, during a sea day between Mexican stops. The crew shared some really good info on how best to try to survive going into the ocean. I do agree with your feeling of safety on board.

 

OK, different cruises.  But, our experiences were the same as to what we learned in the demonstration.  

 

One of the best descriptions of how to survive a sinking ship if one had to jump into the ocean while wearing a life jacket was on a Princess cruise.  One hand's fingers holding one's nose while the other hand is holding onto the top of the life jacket when one jumps so that the one's neck is not as likely to break when one impacts the water.  

[ski ww]

In 2016 Maasdam was in Manaus Brazil on day two of an over night. The first day we did a ships tour of an Indian Village, which I'm sure is only occupied to put on shows for tourists and later we went to a rubber plantation where they showed us how rubber was harvested. On day two we did a walk about town to see some local life. Very interesting.

 

[whogo]

3 hours ago, ski ww said:

The first day we did a ships tour of an Indian Village, which I'm sure is only occupied to put on shows for tourists...

Somebody is making a lot of money. If the natives are not going home to their split level houses and satellite TV they are being exploited.

[VintageGeo]

In 2020 we sailed north past Cabo and along the coast of Baja California. We were very entertained by the variety of sea life.

 

A small thing to most, I'm sure, but I remember a being a small feller in Ohio learning for the first time about flying fish and being amazed at the idea. This is my first pic of a flying fish...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

George

 

[rkacruiser]

On this date in 2008, I was visiting Bali on the Grand World Voyage.  My journal reminds me of a great tour to Mt. Batur, attendance at a Barong Dance, and an Indonesian lunch in a restaurant that overlooked the mountain and a lake.  One item on our menu must have made quite an impression on me:  Black Rice Pudding.  I mentioned it more than once, yet have no recall of why I must have liked it so much because my journals entries are completely positive about that day in Bali.  

[whogo]

Ten years ago we took another cruise line excursion (big coaches and dork dots) from Punta Arenas on the Atlantic Ocean to Otway Sound on the Pacific Ocean, effectively crossing the South American continent from ocean to ocean in less than an hour. Saw a rhea on the drive and what the guide called condors, but were too numerous to be the rare species, I thought. The attraction at Otway was the Magellanic penguin colony. They earn the nickname ***** penguins by their braying sound. As the first coach we missed the worst of the crowds.

 

The cruise director said that the Punta Arenas city square was a fifteen minute walk from the cruise ship dock. He did not tell us that we were not at the cruise ship dock, we were at the industrial dock and walked for miles to the city square. After all that we did not find a welcoming place for a beer. Rub the foot on the Magellan monument to guarantee your return.

 

[kb4683]

February 21, 2010 -- our first sighting of The Great Barrier Reef.  This was the beginning of a land tour of Australia/New Zealand to celebrate our 10th anniversary.  Hard to believe it's been 11 years ago 😍

 

Wanted to do a cruise, but back then we were sailing exclusively with Celebrity and at that time they had quit cruising the area 😞

Edited February 21, 2021 by kb4683

[Sea42]

2 hours ago, whogo said:

Saw a rhea on the drive and what the guide called condors, but were too numerous to be the rare species, I thought. The attraction at Otway was the Magellanic penguin colony.

They were most likely the Andean Condor not the the very rare California Condor.

[whogo]

5 minutes ago, Sea42 said:

They were most likely the Andean Condor not the the very rare California Condor.

I think they were turkey vultures. They had dark feathers at the leading underside of the wing, lighter feathers on the trailing flight feathers. The underside of Andean condor wings would be all dark. I did not add the Andean condor to my life list of birds.

 

I was surprised the Cruise Critic profanity filter did not allow the Magellanic penguin nickname, daring readers can look up synonyms for male donkey.

[Sea42]

3 minutes ago, whogo said:

I think they were turkey vultures. They had dark feathers at the leading underside of the wing, lighter feathers on the trailing flight feathers. The underside of Andean condor wings would be all dark. I did not add the Andean condor to my life list of birds.

 

I was surprised the Cruise Critic profanity filter did not allow the Magellanic penguin nickname, daring readers can look up synonyms for male donkey.

It's certainly more likely to be a turkey vulture!

[bcummin]

I thought that Otway Sound was north of Punta Arenas, on the Straits of Magellan?

Barbara

[iflyrc5]

Feb 21, 2020 - Volendam Grand South America Adventure - Armacao dos Buzios, Brazil - on our way up the east coast of SA heading for Rio