"Live" Sapphire Princess, 32 Days, Buenos Aires to LA, 3/5/23 to 4/6/23

[pamps2801]

The scenery is quite similar to Alaska

[LACruiser88]

[LACruiser88]

14 hours ago, pamps2801 said:

The scenery is quite similar to Alaska

Having been to Alaska a number of times, IMHO the Chilean Fjords are much more dramatic in scope.

[boone2]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

Having been to Alaska a number of times, IMHO the Chilean Fjords are much more dramatic in scope.

Totally agree. And much more pristine. As I said before.  I just don’t get Alaska. Maybe I’m jaded by working too many cruise ship contracts there.  

[LACruiser88]

We just received our "In-Transit" cards for the second segment of our trip that begins on Sunday.

[c-boy]

8 hours ago, boone2 said:

Totally agree. And much more pristine. As I said before.  I just don’t get Alaska. Maybe I’m jaded by working too many cruise ship contracts there.  

Glaciers are a nice visual, but the Chilean fjords are more stunning. I can see the excitement for passengers cruising Alaska and seeing wild life they have not seen other than on a flat screen. On our last visit, the ship listed when every one outside ran to port rail to catch a glimpse of a bear on shore. My wife and I laughed saying, " come to our house, you can  get up close and personal on  trash night".  

Edited March 16, 2023 by c-boy

[malba2366]

8 hours ago, boone2 said:

Totally agree. And much more pristine. As I said before.  I just don’t get Alaska. Maybe I’m jaded by working too many cruise ship contracts there.  

Alaska is a great place for many to see the beautiful scenery.  Another great place is the Norwegian Fjords.  A lot of people don't want to travel to places where there is constant civil unrest and risk of getting robbed or kidnapped.

[LACruiser88]

[gottagocit]

Thanks for taking the time to post info about your journey.
 

Just noticed they’re calling it the “Patter” again after reading in one of these live from threads they had stopped. Guess it’s making it’s way through the fleet and hasn’t happened on all ships yet. 

[gottagocit]

Just now, gottagocit said:

Thanks for taking the time to post info about your journey.
 

Just noticed they’re calling it the “Patter” again after reading they had stopped calling them this  

 

[that]

15 minutes ago, gottagocit said:

 

Perhaps they just wanted to have the pretty greeting on the old patter template

Saint Patrick’s Day 

[Steelers36]

On 3/14/2023 at 9:09 AM, LACruiser88 said:

It's official, the Captain just canceled our stop in Puntarenas due to the weather.  As soon as we board some new crew members that are waiting on the dock we will leave. 

They seem to board crew in the oddest locations at times. When we did S.A. trip in 2018, they switched captains at one of the small Chilean ports before a more major city (forget which one now).

[mrmarklin]

Here is a tip, cruisers. Chile is one of two places in the world where Lapis Lazuli is found. There are many places in Santiago where it is sold. You can buy from the jewelry shops with confidence. Very honest people, Chileans. 
 

The other place it is mined is hostile Afghanistan.  No one is going there anytime soon. 

[LACruiser88]

Good Morning Puerto Montt, the gateway to Chile's Lake District.  Currently it is 6° C / 42° F.

[suekel]

Are they showing any of March Madness anywhere on the ship?

[loge23]

Danny (Boy) will be breaking out the St. Patrick's Day tunes tonight!

[LACruiser88]

2 hours ago, suekel said:

Are they showing any of March Madness anywhere on the ship?

No, not so far.  

[LACruiser88]

It was a chilly and cloudy day in Puerto Montt today.  Lots of construction ongoing on the pedestrian promenade.  The promenade is mostly made up of local businesses and has alot of foot traffic.

 

Since our last visit here in 2011 they have added a couple of modern malls, a McDonald's and a couple of Subway sandwich shops.

[azbirdmom]

19 hours ago, mrmarklin said:

Here is a tip, cruisers. Chile is one of two places in the world where Lapis Lazuli is found. There are many places in Santiago where it is sold. You can buy from the jewelry shops with confidence. Very honest people, Chileans. 
 

The other place it is mined is hostile Afghanistan.  No one is going there anytime soon. 

 

I got a Lapis penguin pendant and a Lapis penguin wine stopper at a craft fair in a park in Punta Arenas Chile during a port stop there many years ago.  Beautiful pieces and a great deal too!

[LACruiser88]

[LACruiser88]

This mornings sunrise at 7:30 am, local time, from our balcony.

[LACruiser88]

It's nice to have friends working on the ship's.  This is from someone currently on the Regal Princess.

[LACruiser88]

Last night while talking to fellow passengers in the Wheelhouse, they said they were uneasy about the cleanliness of the cushions on their mini-suite couch. 

 

We told them how we always "reupholster" our couch cushions with pool towels (or we sometimes ask our room steward for an extra bed sheet).

 

They said they were totally surprised they had not thought of that before.  So, I'm sharing this with you all.

 

This happens to be my favorite spot to read on cold sea days when the ship interior is crowded.

[that]

Deck blankets 😉

[bbfbgurl]

Hi @LACruiser88 got a question for you, do the lamps on Sapphire have the usb port for charging? Tried zooming in but pic was a bit blurry for me to see if it was or not! Thanks in advance and enjoyed reading about your experience!