CruiseResource

... (Subtitled "Attitude is Everything" )

Welcome to our first posting in our "Live from the Star Princess" series! This was not the blog post I anticipated writing, nor the time frame in which I thought I'd be making my first post in this series, but the best laid plans, even of travel agents themselves, aren't always what come to pass.

Left Denver this morning and all was well, albeit slightly delayed, on the first leg of our travel to Buenos Aires. No sign anywhere at security about the new lithium battery rules - they haven't updated the sign which shows what must be removed from your bag for separate screening. I, and my 4 camera-sized lithium batteries, sailed through with no sign of problem.

Arrived safely in DC and camped myself out in the United Red Carpet Club to wait out the layover. Always when having to connect flights in winter months, I take possible weather delays into consideration when selecting flights, and I had given myself an extra long layover in case of ice storm. No storm (of the weather variety) in the area, so had an extended layover.

After thinking that I needed to write a blog about the advantages of airline club membership, I was headed out of the club to grab some dinner when I glanced over at the departure status board and saw the most dreaded word in a traveler's vocabulary associated with my flight... CANCELLED.

Fortunately, the customer service representative's desk was right in front of me, so went up to her, got myself rebooked to tomorrow night (even managed to get booked in an airfare code which allowed me to upgrade on points), and a hotel voucher for the night.

In trying to retrieve the luggage for the night (not possible as it had already been containerized and sealed), learned from the truly wonderful baggage coordinator (supervisor) for United that this isn't uncommon on the S. America flights, be they to Buenos Aires, Santiago or Rio. So if flying to S. America, at least on United (and I fear on other airlines as well), be forewarned that a single day pre-cruise may not be sufficient to guarantee your safe arrival. Since they are such wonderful destinations, just go ahead and plan on multiple days pre-cruise to be safe!

Why did I subtitle this entry "Attitude is Everything"? Because all along the way, I was treated in a more favorable manner because I didn't rant, rave, or otherwise abuse the agents. It's not their fault, there's nothing I or they could do to change the situation, all that could be done was minimize the impacts and take it in stride. I know for a fact that because I was smiling and pleasant, they went out of their way to take care of me and make sure my pain was minimized. Take this to heart. These people didn't know I'm a travel agent. I was just a regular traveler. But when you treat these people who are often abused all day long by passengers with respect and are pleasant and friendly (honestly so, not faked), they go out of their way to help you if at all possible.

Oh yes, I did have to do all those things you would have to do in the same circumstance (though I didn't have the advantage of an agent to call - boy would that have been nice!). I called my trip insurer to notify them of the trip delay to document the issue and get them involved. Had I needed assistance in rebooking my flights, they were there as well - may still have to use them to rebook my intra-Argentine flight from Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls as I arrive too late to catch that flight. Contacted the land tour operator in Argentina to try to reschedule the flights for Iguazu Falls. Changed hotel reservations. Etc., etc., etc. See? It happens to all of us. Having trip insurance isn't just something I recommend - I purchase it myself. And I'm thankful I do, so that if plans have to be cancelled, such as Iguazu Falls, or changed for a fee, it's covered. I don't have to worry at all. As I've editorialized for years in my newsletters, trip insurance isn't just for trip cancellation.

So it's almost time for sleep in the airport Hilton, followed by a very long day tomorrow awaiting my flight. And more time in the airline club. Expect to see tomorrow's post to be on the value of airline club membership - even if you typically only fly domestic (but do so a few times a year.)

Hopefully the next "Live From" post will find me in Argentina somewhere, be it Buenos Aires or Iguazu Falls!

January 9, 2008

Impressive Iguazu!

Iguazu Falls is widely acknowledged as one of the great waterfalls in the world, on a par (both in size and in strength) with Victoria Falls in Africa, and even larger than Niagara Falls in New York. Set in the midst of the rain forest at the juncture of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, this small area is one of the largest attractions in Argentina.

Served many times each day from Buenos Aires by air, it's easy to get to, and well worth the time and cost to see. From speaking with many Argentinians in the planning of this trip, I have to recommend LAN Argentina as the airline of choice for service and reliability in scheduling. I was pretty pleased with the 1:40 long flights, including check-in and baggage handling both to and from the park. They use newer A320 aircraft. While the seat pitch is a bit cramped, it's not bad. And you can pretty well trust their schedule. Unlike some of their other local competitors.

Since our plans were changed for us by United Airlines, and we arrived much later in the day than we'd originally booked, we were really only able to take advantage of the Park (It's a National Park in Argentina) for a single day. Because of this, and because of the heat and humidity, our itinerary got shortened a bit. We were able to get out to the scenic Devil's Throat (set in the middle of several of the largest falls) and view the Upper Circuit Trail. The lower circuit, and the zodiac ride into (yes, I said into, not near) some of the falls, had to be postponed to another trip at another time. Unless you have no other choice, and simply must do it in a single day, and are used to heat in the 90s with upwards of 70% humidity, I recommend a minimum of 2 days (1 night minimum) to appreciate just the Argentine side of the Falls. You can also opt, with proper Visa, to go over to the Brazilian side for even more vistas, though that's pretty much a full-day trip. Good to do on your last day if you're there a couple nights and then be dropped back at the airport (either on the Brazilian side or the Argentinian airport - you can enter or depart from either one - but they are separate, so be aware of that when you're booking - if you're flying back to Buenos Aires, book the Argentinian airport. Going to Rio? Head to the Brazilian).

The scope of these falls are breathtaking. Even with a super wide angle lens (for you photogs out there, I was shooting mostly at 10mm), only a tiny fraction of the vista can be taken in at a time. The Falls seem to go on and on and on - and I know I only saw part of it. There are several different "sets" of Falls, each viewable from different areas. Devil's Throat is accessed by a small train which runs every 30 minutes, then by a 400 meter metal walkway/bridge to the "Throat." Then there's the 1 mile long Upper Circuit (which is at about the same perspective as the Devil's Throat - to say at the top of the Falls looking down) and the longer Lower Circuit, which has many stairs, is 2 miles long but gives you the view from the bottoms looking up. Also offered and highly recommended by all who have taken it is a zodiac ride accessed from the Lower Circuit which takes you up close and personal (and completely drenched) to and through some of the Falls.

I mentioned the view from the Sheraton. These photos were taken from my balcony. I could have given you more of the "mind's eye" view - what your mind focuses on and "sees", which would have had the Falls appearing much closer and larger, but instead opted to give you the full wide-angle vista. First shot is about an hour before sunset, the second nearing dawn:

The remainder of these photos were taken at Devil's Throat. First up, this is the first view most see as you get to the Throat and the scenic overlook:

Next you have panned just slightly to the right to see some of the vertical distance. Of course, because of the mist (I was more than damp by the time I left this overlook), you can't see that far down, but the mist will give you an idea of the power and drop of these falls):

I also wanted to try to give you the widest angle possible from the Throat, but this is less than 25% of what you can see from this one single location (because of the light and angles, not to mention the people and other logistical issues, stitching together a true panorama wasn't possible from here) The Falls just go on and on and on:

Finally, probably my favorite picture, taken at the far end of the "circle" of the overlook:

On the way out from the railroad to Devil's Throat, be sure to watch the water for critters - lots of birds, such as cormorants, and even this hungry resident:

A couple of final logistical matters to mention. This is, of course, the hottest time of the year in S. America, it being their summer. In talking with our driver, however, January is more comfortable than February for this region. So if that matters to you, and heat and humidity aren't your friends, think of cruises nearing the beginning of the season down here. Pre or post cruise either are fine, but doing this pre-cruise, you do get a bit tired with all the flying, packing and moving. If you'd rather do that at the start of the cruise when you're fresh then have all the lovely sea days on a S. American itinerary to recover, then do it pre. If you don't fly well and get hit with jet lag even when there are relatively few changes in time zones, then I'd recommend this be a post-cruise option.

Also, if trying to do this with just a single night's stay, do be aware the Sheraton Iguazu has some pretty strict check-out requirements for 10A. Most people arrive relatively early in the day, and they do try to accommodate new arrivals (to the detriment of those leaving in my opinion). They do allow for storage of your luggage and showers in the spa, but you'll pretty much need to check out just after breakfast before entering the park around 8A (when it opens) so take that into consideration in your logistical planning. Thankfully, new friends we met in the Buenos Aires airport on the flight up kindly offered us the use of their room (they were staying two nights) so we could shower off the bug spray, sunscreen and exertion after we did our touring around the Park.

Regardless of when in your itinerary you position it, when planning your trip to South America, I'd absolutely give Iguazu Falls one of my highest ratings. Plan the time and budget to go see it. You'll be glad you did! I can't wait to go back!

January 12, 2008

The Joy of the Sea

Sea days that is.

After the hectic pace of the pre-cruise touring due to the flight difficulties, it was such a relief to arrive at the ship. I'd heard nightmare stories about embarkation in Buenos Aires, as the port is an industrial one and not set up well for passenger ships. That part was certainly true, but Princess did everything they could to ease the process logistically. They had people with their pre-cruise transfers arranged for staggered arrival after a city tour, and for the most part it wasn't too bad. There were times where the line outside the ship was a bit long (and hot and steamy), but fortunately I arrived and was able to board with very little delay.

It was such a relief to unpack and have everything organized again. Just makes you feel like you're "home" instead of constantly in transit. Then it's time to relax! Or not. As I sit here typing, there is one of a series of computer lectures going on behind me in Tequila's. There are Ceramics at Sea classes, scrapbooking, lots of photography and computer offerings, and the usual choices of trivia, games, etc. For those interested, the computer speed has been pretty good and the computer lab is usually busy. I'm posting via wireless and it's also some of the best speeds I've experienced on a ship. Never cheap, never fast as broadband, but it's been reliable and fast so far. Keep your fingers crossed so I can keep these coming!

Our Cruise Critics group had arranged a casual get-together for sailaway which had fairly good attendance, followed by our "official" get together arranged for 10AM in Skywalkers our first day at sea. While Princess doesn't offer the sponsored parties as does Celebrity and Royal Caribbean, they are happy to set aside a place and time for you with advance notice to their offices in California. One person on a roll call should be the contact person and set it up. We had good attendance with about 40 of the roll call members arriving, and were fortunate to have both the Cruise Director (Franky) and our Captain (Philip Pickford) attend our gathering. I do think that the Captain's attendance was a bit of PR as we had a small fire incident earlier that morning, but as you'd expect especially on the Star Princess, the incident was handled quickly and efficiently. I was impressed that Captain Pickford kept us well informed with timely, informative and calming announcements. I'm completely comfortable in his most able hands, especially in these waters.

There's something especially nice about having a day or two at sea before you start having port calls, but all aboard are looking forward to Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands tomorrow. Some more than others, however, as most of the penguin tours were sold out long before embarkation. One absolute on this itinerary is to book your excursions, private or through the ship, well in advance of sailing. The most sought-after were sold out even before December. Many disappointed people upon boarding, though fortunately there is an alternative bus run by Port Stanley to one of the colonies. So we're keeping our fingers crossed that the seas will be amenable to tendering in the morning.

The port lectures, both by the historian and the port lecturer, have been packed beyond capacity in the Princess Theatre, and have been excellent. Princess does do a nice job with their naturalists.

Seas have been good, though rolling. Last night there were a couple big rolls, but nothing too dramatic for this part of the world. But anyone motion sensitive definitely should take preventative measures (meclizine or patches or similar) along with having remedies such as ginger available. Just be prepared.

Tomorrow's a big day as we land in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands! Of course, the big draw there are the three varieties of penguins – King (second in size only to the famed Emperors), Gentoo and Rockhopper (smallest of the "crested" penguins). There isn't a single location to see all three, but you can see up to two at a location. Other highlights of this island include historical and battlefield tours from the Falklands War between Argentina and Britain in the 1980s. This tiny island group with only 3,000 residents is proud of their British heritage and it should be apparent everywhere. I understand there are some traditional British pubs where you can have a nice, enjoyable meal and a pint or two.

But I'm off on a private excursion to see the King Penguins at Volunteer Point. There are only a couple tour operators who have permission to take visitors to the site, as the number of people visiting is tightly controlled. Princess has an excursion there, but it's quite expensive. We've arranged early tendering so should have several hours with the penguins tomorrow. Look forward to my report on the 14th of the tour and some pictures!

Have wonderful dining companions and great conversation each night so far. We're closing out the restaurant for dinner, which to me is always a sign that you've got a great table. We've clicked from the first and am looking forward to two more weeks of conversation. This is the first time in a very long time that I'm one of the least traveled people at my table. We're having fun trading travel stories! Two of our companions are originally from Albania (did you know their language is a Latin language? Neither did I!), the rest of us from the Western US. But we all have a lot of miles under our belts and it makes for a great time. In talking with others, seems to be a fairly universal theme on this cruise.

I'm off to take care of some other logistics, and perhaps a short nap, as the Promenade Bar turns into a terrific Piano Bar at night. I'm not going to miss it tonight! Fortunately, we pick up an hour before our arrival tomorrow morning, so a late night won't have me dragging for the penguins. I also hear the disco was hopping past 1AM last night too! This is an active bunch!

Hope you're enjoying – next post on the 14th.

January 14, 2008

Fabulous Falkland Islands!

Unexpected. Yes, that’s the word for it. Totally unexpected.

Yesterday, we were in Stanley (formerly known as Port Stanley), Falkland Islands. Situated over a hundred miles off the SE coast of Argentina, most people know it only for the 1982 Falklands War, in which 12,000 Argentine soldiers and 8,000 British troops fought fierce battles over control of this series of islands. Argentina claimed them, and had thought of them as their own (though in reality they started the war mainly as a way to rally the country behind their military dictator), Great Britain had controlled them for over 100 years. The British won, but at a definite cost in lives.

Okay, so that’s what you already know about the Falklands. So why do cruise ships (try to) visit her? One word: Penguins! These islands are home to large colonies of four different species of penguins, the Kings, Gentoos, Rockhopper and Magellanics, and visited by others such as the Macaroni. The colonies are accessible in a variety of ways, from bus, water and rough overland journeys, but the key is they’re accessible without necessitating a more extreme type of expedition cruise landing on Antarctica itself.

Reason I say that cruise ships try to reach these islands is because at this latitude, weather is highly unpredictable. Ships over about 300 passengers have to tender passengers ashore, and winds on this island can be fierce, preventing sometimes even entry of the ship into the outer harbor, and often completely preventing tendering into shore. The two days before we arrived, both Celebrity Infinity and Norwegian Dream were turned back by weather. Fortunately, third day’s the charm and we had a day I hadn’t even dared hope for. I was crossing my fingers simply to be able to get ashore. Instead, we had clear, warm (almost 60 degrees) and gorgeous after a bit of fog in the morning. A Visitors’ Bureau type of day. Simply amazing! (You’ll hear that phrase out of me a few times this blog, never fear).

If you want simple penguins, for the Magellans and Gentoos, you can take the “Penguin” bus for about $12 round trip from the town a short distance to a colony. Easy, you get LOTS of penguins, and you can spend as much time as you want, catching a later bus back. To see the other varieties, you will have to go a bit farther afield. Want a marine montage? That’s available too with a boat ride where you will see penguins and may see whales, dolphins, lots of birds, sea lions, etc. Into war history? There are several excellent tours of that here, too.

The island is ruggedly beautiful. Once you get outside the landscaped yards in town, there is nary a tree or bush to be found. Anywhere. None. There is one trial nursery for trees, but no natural greenery reaching above about 12” above ground. Sounds barren, doesn’t it? Nope! The landscape is filled with rolling hills and low mountains. The topography is carved by glaciers, and rivers of stones have been left behind. This is a raw landscape, softened by plants such as their famed Diddle-Dee berry bushes (with beautiful, bright red berries), flowers, grasses and the like growing out of the peat bog. I’m sure in spring the hillsides are a riot of color. But everything is tempered by the wind. The ground and climate are good for growing, and most of the residents have kitchen gardens with vegetables. The islands grow most of their own food, but also get fresh fruit and such from Chile (nothing from Argentina, for obvious reasons – the bad feelings run deeply among the residents).

The population is about 3,000, with 1,500 of those living in Stanley itself. Currency is the Falklands Pound, which is tied to the British Pound in value. Euros are also accepted, but dollars have a horrible exchange rate here. Sheep farming is widespread, and you’ll find sheep everywhere on the island. There is a dairy, brand new high school, and well-educated residents with the government paying to send its graduates to college in England. Most of the income of the islands is derived from fishing leases they grant and tightly control. They have rich waters, but not a fishing heritage, so they wisely opted to have others make use of that resource while they retained control and oversight.

The other main reason you’ve rarely heard of the Falkland Islands is that only about 60,000 visitors arrive every year, mostly from cruise ships. And they provide a large source of income to the residents. When you consider only about 20,000 people visit Antarctica a year, you realize that this is almost as remote and fresh as a destination. Not many people will have a Falklands stamp in their passport. And it’s well worth it.

But you’re probably tired of all that now and wondering when I’ll get to the pictures, right? Okay! Let’s talk about where I went and what I saw.

Out of the many penguin excursion options, my research led me to decide that I wanted to go to Volunteer Point to see the King Penguins. These penguins are second in size only to the Emperor Penguins (of March of the Penguin fame), and of very similar coloring and habits, other than the fact the Kings nest on top of the ground instead of on top of the ice. But in most other ways, including the parents switching off rearing duties while the other goes to feed, incubating their eggs on their feet, keeping their hatchlings on their feet, and even their youngsters being a different color than the adults, they’re a dead ringer for the Emperors (and my guess is they’re very closely related).

I was extremely tempted by the Rockhopper Penguins, as they’re the smallest of the crested penguins (think the ones with the yellow ear feathers like you saw on the Robin Williams character in Happy Feet) and darned cute, but unfortunately it was one or the other. So I went with the Kings.

After researching online, I found Patrick Watts, a highly recommended private vendor and set up the tour. It is about a 2.5 hour drive each way, with about 2 hours at the penguin colony. The ride is mostly over extremely rough terrain. The Princess tour to the same destination has the disclaimer that it is not suitable for pregnant women or those with back or neck injuries, and I’d echo that strongly. You’re driving in 4x4 vehicles in a convoy over peat bog, and bog is not an understatement. Vehicles routinely sink into bog areas and have to be pulled out. You’re bouncing around as you follow the “track” (that term is loose, believe me, as they have to find new routes as the old ones get too torn up to be stable). But every bump and bounce is well worth it.

As we traveled out to the Point, Patrick provided running commentary about the history, the flora and fauna and other tidbits of the islands. I spoke with others in our group and they were thrilled with their driver guides as well. That, and anticipation, made the drive out pass quickly. But finally we were there and had our first penguin sighting – a Magellan out walking by his burrow.

Magellanic penguins dig burrows (holes) in the ground in which to nest, like this one: (You’ll have tons of Magellanic pictures when we reach Punta Arenas, so this is the only one for today)

When you arrive, there are two Wardens who live on the site and who monitor your access to the penguins to ensure you don’t harass or intrude into their rookeries. The King and Gentoo rookeries, where the parents are incubating their eggs on their feet, are surrounded by white stones beyond which you can’t pass. But of course the non-incubating parents are free to come and go and get quite close to you. If you move slowly, and don’t frighten them, they can come right up to you. And the white stones are fairly close to the incubating parents and their young as well.

The Gentoo and King rookeries are separated by a bit of space, but easily walkable about 5 minutes apart. The Gentoos have a white “headband” over their head and look like this:

The Gentoo chicks started hatching about a month ago, so some of them are at a larger, adorable state this time of year, though many parents still were incubating eggs. As you can see, there is a strong, loving bond between parent and child:

But of course, the Kings are the main attraction here. This is an idea of the size of just the rookery itself. There are approximately 1,500 King Penguins who call Volunteer Point home (the brown one in front is a chick from last season who has not yet molted into his adult feathers):

King Penguins Egg Sitting:

Here’s a very newly hatched (probably less than 48 hours old) chick still protected on its parent's feet (I have to admit, when newly hatched, they look a bit like a pterodactyl – gray and wrinkly!):

And a closeup of just the chick so you can see it better:

Another one who is more shy and who didn’t want to show his face, no matter how long I waited:

The setting is absolutely beautiful, with the waves crashing on the beach and the Kings deciding if they want to head out to the water and brave the dangers there: (Doesn't this picture look like a bunch of men in suits heading to work?)

The various penguin species intermingle comfortably. They even mingle with the sheep! If, unlike me you can drag yourself away from the Kings, it’s easy to get some fabulous shots of the Magellanics right up next to sheep – even harassing them a bit:

That’s all the time I have to post pictures today. After the cruise when I get caught up, I’ll post here in the blog my photo site so you can see all the pics.

After another 2+ hour long trip back (made bearable again by the excitement and amazement of what you saw and how close you were – it was an incredible interaction), you have a bit of time around Stanley if you wish before heading back to the ship. Since I’d taken almost 400 shots, and worn myself out in the sun, it was straight back to the ship for me so I could see what I’d gotten and to relax a bit before dinner.

Today’s a day at sea, foggy and coolish as we head into the Antarctic Convergence zone. We’re just traversing that now, and have additional restrictions placed on the ship: No smoking outside, the pools are shut down, and outside activities (games, etc.) severely restricted. All to make sure there’s no accidental contamination of the waters and environment. Tomorrow, we reach Elephant Island and the Antarctic Peninsula! I hope to report tomorrow, but it will all depend on what we’re seeing – of course getting the images and experiencing it comes first, but will report back again as soon as I can!

This was one of the most amazing days I can imagine. It ranks up there with diving with sea lion pups as my most incredible critter interactions. This is simply something you must do at some point in your lifetime.

January 15, 2008

January 16, 2008

January 19, 2008

The Splendor is Overwhelming

My apologies for the gap in posting. Simply put, the beauty and splendor of Antarctica was overwhelming and exhausting. Awakening early so as to not miss a moment of the magnificence, not going to bed until after sunset (which was between 11PM to midnight), it quite wore me out. But it was so worth it!

First, a few pictures from the morning of the last post. The colors of the sunrise against the bergs:

First Light:

Morning brightens:

Amazing sky:

But then the weather and ice close in - so much ice:

The wind whips up:

The mist and the ice:

A visit to Esperanza Station will have to wait for another time, as the ice and wind simply would not let us through.

We then proceeded to Arctowski Station, a Polish Research Center in a beautiful sound:

Some of the scientists come out to speak to us (and enjoy some fresh food and company onboard for a bit of time):

This base is a year-round operation, though not all the researchers stay through winter. Right now, there are 3 women who have come for the summer, but who will depart before winter closes in. 5 of the men stay year round, monitoring the large Gentoo and Adelie penguin colonies nearby, and conducting other research as well.

While the men were onboard, a helicopter from the Chilean Research Base arrives. While the visit was routine (Arctowski Station is the central repair center for the area), it didn't take much imagination to picture the Chileans arriving while the men were onboard our ship in order to take over the Polish base and capture the women.

Chile invades Poland!:

After the scientists departed, we headed out of the sound and proceed out to our next destination the next morning - Gerlache Strait and Neumeyer Channel. Throughout the evening, as we ate dinner on our way, the mountains and water were cast in a bright, clear light. I now understand what people truly mean by "ice blue" - it's the clearest, coldest blue imaginable in the sky with the mountains of snow and ice beneath. Photos aren't nearly enough to describe the feeling the play of light and color evoked.

The next day arrived clear and beautiful again as we sailed along the Gerlache Strait toward Neumeyer Channel. On one side was a huge island, the other was the Antarctic Peninsula, so close that you felt as if you could touch it. Figuratively, I did reach out so my finger seemed to reach it, and while we never made a technical landing, I feel I was truly in Antarctica.

The weather we're having is some of the best our naturalist, Dr. Bernard Stonehouse, has seen in Antarctica. Not just a day, but a string of days of calm, clear weather blessed us.

This day we will go to the farthest point south on our cruise - just shy of 65 degrees south (the Antarctic Circle is at 70 degrees south).

Morning in Gerlache Channel:

Magnificent vistas and scenes were everywhere:

The seas were so calm (officially "smooth with wavelets") the only waves were caused by our wake:

We were entertained not just by the beauty of the day and the scenery, but also visited by Minke, Humpback and Orca whales (we'd seen Minkes and Humbpacks previously, but this was our only visit by Orcas) and of course our favorite penguins cavorted on the ice for our amusement.

Gentoo Penguins on a "Penguin Berg":

As we approached Neumeyer Channel, the ice increased. Our Ice Pilot (also known as the Ice Captain) was magnificent, charting our course through the ice safely. He guided the ship expertly through, maneuvering with fine adjustments so we were always safe. His skill was impressive and we all felt safe in his hands.

These are examples of the ice as we reached the southern end of Gerlache Strait:

Then we turned north to sail back through Neumeyer Channel and the amazing vistas of these mountains:

We weren't alone here - the small expedition ship Corinthian II joined us:

All afternoon and evening we sailed north along the Antarctic Peninsula, finally leaving the tip at about 11:00PM, still light as sunset wasn't until after midnight (and it truly never got dark overnight), and sailed toward Deception Island.

Dawn this morning crept in, masked by fog and low clouds as we approached Deception Island, an island cloaked not just by glaciers, but also in the ash from its active volcano. The island in truth is one huge caldera with a lagoon in the center. If you have visited Santorini, just picture that island transported to Antarctica, covered in ice and ash, and you have Deception Island.

The island is home to an enormous colony (upwards of 100,000) of Chinstrap Penguins. Once again, my morning was spent enjoying "breakfast" with my new friends, Pen and Penny Guin (sorry, couldn't resist). As they came to and fro from the colony, they thrilled us with their antics around the ship. You could see dozens jumping all around.

At one point, a group of the penguins seemed to make a game of keeping up with the ship. Dr. Stonehouse (who provided running commentary whenever we were viewing new places to increase our understanding of what we were seeing) informed us we were moving along at 5.5 knots, and the penguins had no trouble keeping up. Was just pure fun to watch these fast "Chinnies"!

Two other ships joined us - Le Diamant and Polish sailing ship Europa.

While the weather today was not as stunningly beautiful as what we'd experienced the previous two days, it in no way diminished the amazement of all we saw.

This is the entrance to the caldera. Smaller expedition ships can go through the entrance, but because of a shipwreck, large ships like the Star Princess cannot. If you've ever seen pictures of visitors to Antarctica cavorting in the water, this is where they do it. There are places in the caldera where the water is warmed by the volcano underneath, making it possible to go "swimming" in Antarctica.

We finally left Deception Island around noon, heading north across the Drake Channel toward Cape Horn. At first the seas were flat calm and foggy - we had Drake "Lake"! As evening progressed, the seas got a bit more rolling, but never classified as more than "moderate." After so many long days of adventure, spending hours upon hours outside in awe, the gentle rolling all night (and no early events to worry about) made for a very nice night's sleep.

We passed 60 degrees south around midnight, signaling our official departure from Antarctica.

Arrival at Cape Horn should be around 5PM tonight. Hopefully the skies will lift enough so we will be able to see the famous albatross sculpture which is dedicated to the souls of the sailors lost in these treacherous waters, in honor of their wandering souls, just like the albatross.

Have to say I've been extremely impressed with the videographers on this sailing. Typically, I view the cruise video as an "I was there" video, filled primarily with waving faces of the passengers so they can show their friends back home they were actually on the ship, and then complimented with a few port pictures, often with stock footage. Not so on this sailing. The two videographers have wonderfully captured the beauty we've seen in port so far in the Falkland Islands, but also as we've sailed along. There is footage of the whales, penguins, and stunning lengths of the scenery we've seen, magnificently capturing the light and essence of our adventure. Further kudos go to them for the innovative step of allowing the finalized DVD to be seen in its entirety, including the waving faces of the passengers intermixed with the scenery, or to view the scenes themselves, separated, without the passengers. Marvelous! That fills the preferences of everyone! I've ordered three - one for me, one as a gift, and one which will be available for those of you who might want to see it as you contemplate a future visit to Antarctica.

Tomorrow we touch land again for the first time in a week, sailing into and docking in Ushuaia, Argentina. It promises to be another day of wonderful critters as I plan to sail around Beagle Channel on a catamaran, then enjoy king crab (a local specialty) for lunch, followed by their signature hot chocolate. I may not be able to post tomorrow, or the following day when we're in Punta Arenas, Chile, but will try to do at least a quick post without pictures, and bring you all the highlights with pictures no later than the 22nd. Keep watching!

By the way, I've been having difficulty with my email. If you've written me, about anything, and have not received an answer, please write again.

Thank you all for reading!

January 22, 2008

No Good Stories, Only Good Weather and Good Penguins

There's so much I wish I could tell you. I wish I could tell you about 80 foot waves over the bow in Drake Passage and around Cape Horn... but I can't. You'd ask for the pictures, and my pictures of Cape Horn show mostly flat calm. I had to work to find some breaking waves even at the juncture of the Atlantic and the Pacific.

I wish I could tell you about the blustery weather in Ushuaia with cold wind, whipped seas in Beagle Channel and a bucking ride in a catamaran. But again, I know you'd see my pictures which would prove me wrong.

So instead, my blog for Drake Passage and Cape Horn is going to be about the amazing calm we experienced. While the days have been a bit grey, we've had sun each day, and the seas have been positively calm. Slight rolling a bit last night, but I've felt far worse on a clear day in the Caribbean.

Felt a bit of history as we rounded Cape Horn. There's a beautiful sculpture of an albatross there on the headland which symbolizes all those hearty mariners of yonder year who died on crossings in far less favorable conditions than what we experienced. This is a small Chilean base which is truly just an outpost. Notice the Chilean flag. No, I wasn't actually in Texas.

The pilot boat was actually a small boat from the Chilean Navy:

As we approached the crossing from the Atlantic to the Pacific, we saw the beautiful Twin Towers, two rock formations which, in the winds of up to 200mph which do occur here (just not during this sailing), could be extremely treacherous. They mark the delineation between the two oceans:

Absolute gorgeousness in Ushuaia, the Southernmost City in the World, and our Catamaran ride in Beagle Channel. HIGHLY recommended. You've probably been wondering where all the other winged birds are, as I've only concentrated heretofore on the flippered birds (PENGUINS!). Today, I promise you'll get more birds. We have sighted several varieties of Albatross and Petrels on the sailing, but not being a birder, I'm not the best to bring those images to you.

Instead, today, when we arrived in Ushuaia, we boarded a large catamaran right at the pier (arranged privately, though Princess offers a similar excursion at a bit higher price on a larger boat) and headed out into the Beagle Channel for some scenic cruising.

First up was a colony of Black and White Cormorants (which, upon first sighting after days of penguin watching, look remarkably like penguins... until they start to fly off):

On the other side of the island were some seals resting (and youngsters sparring).

Next we went to a small island with Black Cormorants:

I've only ever seen cormorants underwater when they're diving for fish. Seeing their colonies was a treat! Especially with the interactions between them.

Next was a lighthouse rock grouping, with cormorants, South American Terns (very similar to Arctic Terns) and Seals. This is the southernmost lighthouse in the South American continent:

The seal colony was presided over by a large Beachmaster (the dominant male):

There were three other males who were obviously trying to work their way up so they could master the harem. Couldn't help but think that this rock, with all these wannabe Beachmasters was the Ushuaian version of MIT - Masters in Training. ::: cue moans and groans now :::

Finally, on the way back, we got several lovely pictures of Ushuaia itself. It's quite the modern city, though most of the buildings have a frontier town feeling. There was, however, one large, white modern building in the center:

Ooops, sorry, that's the Star Princess stern.

You must forgive my humor this afternoon. We had a lovely King Crab orgy with fabulous Argentinian wine for lunch and the wine has loosened my fingers a bit. The fine Sauvignon Blanc wine is from this Patagonian Region, and at the restaurant came to about $11 per bottle, and at the wine store was only about $7. While Chilean wine gets most of the attention, or the Argentinean Malbecs (red wine), don't overlook the Argentine whites, too. Wonderful, wonderful wine which complimented the crab soup and crab entree (which was actually an appetizer, but was more than plenty with the soup). All crab, all the time. All told, including wine, the meal came to about $30/person. Yes, for crab and we were all stuffed. Didn't I tell you the prices are wonderful down here?

Afterwards, a bit of shopping around town (had to get some wine and chocolate to make hot chocolate with later), then back to the ship.

The day ended up to be quite warm and lovely. The sun broke through around 1PM, and we were in the 60s for temperature, with virtually no wind. Truly couldn't ask for better. The local residents were out in force, enjoying a day so beautiful they said they only get a handful this good per year. Had it not been a weekend, they said they'd have taken off anyway to enjoy the day.

Sailing away from Ushuaia, we cruised up through the Beagle Channel, which is a narrow channel lined with glaciers. Incredible beauty surrounded us. Whilst at dinner, we spied one glacier with a large waterfall running from beneath it. Unfortunately, since it was during dinner, no pictures of that one. Suffice to say this channel alone was as beautiful as any of the scenery in Alaska or the Norwegian Fjords.

The next morning arrived a bit gray, with diminishing light showers, but with terrific anticipation, as it meant more... PENGUINS! We arrived in Punta Arenas on time at 7:00AM, and you know I was on the first tender ashore.

There are two different options from Punta Arenas to see the penguins. The first is Otway Sound, a colony of about 10,000 Magellanic penguins. It's about a one hour drive from the port, and is easily accessible, even possible for those in wheelchairs (you can even rent one on site). The second choice is the one I'd originally opted to take, Magdalena Island, but unfortunately it was cancelled due to an unexpected dry dock of the ferry. That is about a 90 minute ferry ride to another island, with a lighthouse, also covered by a Magellanic penguin colony. It is also available privately by riding on rigid inflatables (zodiacs), but because of the uncertainty of the weather, and the tendency toward winds and rough rides in the channel, we decided not to risk the zodiac ride. Turned out to be a good decision.

Once ashore, there is a nice, comfortable terminal from where you can catch a taxi or other tour offerings. A taxi to Otway Sound is about $110 (US) and the taxis can easily hold 3 people, or 4 if you're good friends and not too large. I highly recommend this option. It's quick, easy, and you can negotiate as much time at the colony as you wish. There will be an additional charge for extra time, but if you're like me, and more time with the penguins is better, then the standard 1 hour to navigate the over 1 mile circuit just isn't enough.

Our driver, Jose, spoke limited English, but between his fair English and my very limited Spanish, we made ourselves understood. He offered to stop if we wanted some water or snacks, but we headed straight to the colony.

Driving through part of Punta Arenas, it's clear this city is a true city, clean and modern but on a scale appropriate to being still on the edge of the frontier. It was an extremely important city for shipping prior to the opening of the Panama Canal in 1912, and has rebuilt itself in recent times primarily based on natural resources and tourism.

If you're able to be on the first tender ashore (legitimately by being Elite with Princess as I was, or by just knowing where and when to go), you can have an experience like I did of being at the colony totally alone for a period of time. We arrived about 30 minutes before the first of Princess' tour busses, and had the area totally to ourselves for that time. I meandered down the path, enjoying the quiet and calm, and had the small birds, rabbits and of course PENGUINS all to myself. Once the groups arrived, there was no more sign of some of the smaller, more skitterish birds (they looked like chickadees), or the rabbits.

Just because you're expecting penguin pictures, here's one of the small bird:

If you don't want to be out and about quite so early, and your time in port allows, the other excellent option would be to still take a taxi, but look to see when the Princess excursions leave. The main groups are early in the morning. If you wait until about 30-45 minutes after the last of the main groups leave the ship, by the time you get to the colony, they'll be finishing up their limited time and be leaving, and you'll have the paths and overlooks more to yourself without the crowds.

Be prepared, as this site is reportedly always windy, sometimes extremely so, which makes the mile-long walk along the wooden walkway chilly and a bit more challenging than you'd think otherwise. Of course, being that we had near miraculous and unprecedented weather this entire cruise, it was mild during this visit. Overcast for the most part, though getting sunny later in the day, the winds were light. But a windbreaker and perhaps a sweater are welcome here. Don't forget even when overcast, there is still a high likelihood of sunburn due to the thin ozone, so use that SPF. I didn't find gloves necessary here, but did wear a hat.

As I mentioned before, the Magellanic penguins nest in burrows they dig out of the ground or in the hillsides. They actually dig using their beaks and flippers. In the distance, saw one expanding his nest and he was throwing up quite the cloud of dirt!

This site has a lot of greenery, so you have to look closely sometimes to see the penguins nesting in their burrows. Where's Penguiney?:

Every morning or afternoon, one parent makes the trek down the well-worn tracks to the sea to go fishing, coming back in the afternoon or evening. Am I the only one who is humming "hi ho, hi ho, it's off to fish we go" when looking at this picture?

The Magellanic penguins are also closely related to the Jackass penguins found in South Africa. At least listening to them call I have to believe so. If I get a chance, I'll ask our naturalist, as he is a true penguin expert, having discovered the 4th known Emperor colony back in the 1940s. But back to the sound they make. It's a braying very close to a donkey's, not only in the tone, but also the style. Funny to listen to and watch. You can see one getting ready to bray as they start panting a bit, opening their beaks, then they throw back their head and let loose. They definitely use their diaphragms like any good singer, taking deep breaths you can see, and supporting their call fully. Let me tell you, they really get into it. Not entirely sure what they're signifying when they call, be it hunger, territory or just letting loose, but it doesn't seem to be calling back and forth between them. It's a bit more solitary than that, and others around don't seem to take much attention:

Though at times, you'd have 2 or more in a group who decided to call together:

Penguins are highly social birds. They seem to prefer to walk together from their nesting areas to the beach and water, they play with each other on the water, they are curious about one another, and groom one another, both to rid themselves of tics, but also to help each other moult off the old feathers. Several times in watching the beach group, it looked like a rugby scrum was forming, with the penguins forming a tight group that moved back and forth together:

Other times, there were small groups which seemed to be in intense conversation with their heads together. You have to wonder what strategy they're discussing:

These two seemed to be happy just standing flipper in flipper:

They also at times seem curious about us, though they hesitated to cross under bridges while people were on them, and we were encouraged not to stand on the bridges for that reason:

Interestingly, even though social, they're also territorial. These 5 kings of the rock did not want to allow any other penguins to join them up on their perch:

I believe most of the penguins on the beach were juveniles who were awaiting the return of their parents. While some had most of their adult feathering, and could go into the water, these weren't swimming out, but only swimming around the shallows a bit. Others were obviously in full moult from their juvenile fluff to adult feathers:

Many were extremely patient while waiting, not moving in the least the entire time I watched:

Or simply finding a comfy bed on the kelp washed up on the beach in which to take a nap:

Other times, they were playing with one another, sometimes hide-and-seek in a hollow log, other times splashing one another in the water:

These juveniles could go into the water, but since their feathers weren't fully in, going out to sea to fish for themselves wasn't possible, as they don't have enough protection and waterproofing yet. But they sure did like the water!

Several times there were what appeared to be one adult and a juvenile together near their burrow:

Just like the other species we've observed, there's a close bond between parent and child:

Okay, enough about penguins. Hope I've not taxed your patience about them too much.

Around Punta Arenas, there are a number of other options which are also available if you aren't a penguin fanatic as I am. There are the wild llamas which can be seen (they're smaller and more sturdy than the ones you're used to). There's a beautiful glacier which you can hike by riding a chair lift, overlooking the Straits of Magellan. The town itself offers museums, focusing on the history of Patagonia, the local Indians and Magellan, and the Town Square is quite scenic, featuring a large statue of Magellan, but surrounded by images of the native Indians he found here. It's said if you rub the toe of the statue, it will ensure you return. Actually, the tale is if you kiss the toe you'll return, but rubbing seems to be more sanitarily correct these days.

Surrounding the square, and in many other areas, are a wealth of local handicrafts, many made on site using traditional methods. I saw many people coming back to the ship laden with bags from town.

Because of the changeable weather and often 200 kph winds here, be aware the tender ride can get a bit tricky. While smaller ships can dock in town, the Star Princess must tender a bit off. Middle of the afternoon, there were storm force 10 winds for a time, and the seas were buckling and a few passengers had a pretty bumpy ride. They did cease tender operations for a bit before resuming, and we had quite a tricky time getting the last two tenders aboard, needing the assistance of a tug boat to turn us around so they could be raised. But we were safely away after about an hours' delay, sailing out of the Straits toward Argentina.

We have three wonderful sea days ahead, before our next port in Montevideo on the 25th. Today dawned absolutely clear and calm, and it's been a wonderful day onboard the ship with excellent presentation lectures and the typical activities onboard. I tend to work on this blog and pictures in the area where the computer classes have been held, and she's been excellent with a broad range of topics, from basic to more advanced such as PowerPoint presentations.

I will post again before we arrive in Montevideo, giving more information about the ship itself, background on the quality of the lecturers, and other information. Again, email me if you have something you'd like me to address.

By the way, I've gotten several questions about my photographic equipment. I'm using a Canon DSLR camera (400D), and the lenses I've used for the images I've posted are a Sigma 10-20mm wide angle, Sigma 18-200mm OS zoom, and a Canon 100-400mm L super telephoto. I will admit that I've taken literally thousands of images on this trip, with only a few represented here. In areas where I was trying to get the jumping penguins in the water, I was lucky to get 1 in 4 images which even had penguins in the shot, but as I was using continual shooting, it gave me much better likelihood of getting the shot I wanted. In Otway Sound, I took 1497 images (no, that's not a typo) during the 3 hours I was there, and have a very high "keeper" rate with a lot of really fun stories told through them.

There will be many other images posted after I return and have time to go through and convert them from RAW and post them to my photographic web site, http://www.amberwavesphotography.com./ Give me probably a month or so to get them all up, but I'll try to post a few each week as I work on them.

If anyone has questions about any of these pictures, how I got them, or want advise on camera equipment for this type of trip, or even where to rent lenses they may not have (I rented the 100-400mm for example), drop me an email. I'm happy to help!

And of course, all the images are copyrighted. Please do not use them outside this blog/review without permission or attribution.

Watch for my next post tomorrow or Thursday!

January 24, 2008

Sea Days - And a 2009 Adventure?

Three lovely sea days. Time to catch up, experience a bit more of the ship, and relax. They've been wonderful. Yesterday dawned a bit foggy, and stayed that way most of the day into evening, but it didn't lessen one of my favorite sights - a full moon at sea. Today is clear, warming and calm. I know I keep repeating myself, but the weather we've experienced has been incredible. We've truly been blessed.

I just looked outside my window and saw at least a half dozen Albatross of different species surrounding the ship. Lovely!

The nice weather has followed us, but definitely hasn't been universal down here. From Punta Arenas, an excursion is offered through Princess for a flight to and landing in Antarctica. Unfortunately, they were unable to go as the weather at the station they were heading to was snowy, socked in and windy. According to the shore excursion lecturer, Joe May, that's the case about 80% of the time. On average, only one Princess flight during the season actually makes it.

I'd researched doing a similar flight on my own (as the Princess cost as you can imagine is rather steep) and my research revealed the same issue - they are cancelled outright about 50% of the time, and when flights are able to take off, a good portion of the time they're turned back before they reach Antarctica. If they are fortunate enough to land, many times their return to Chile is delayed or diverted to another airport. In other words, a really bad option to book independently unless you're on a land vacation and have several days in which to make the attempt. This is the perfect example of an excursion which should be booked through the cruise line.

The cost was about $2,400/person, and if it is cancelled, there is a $200 penalty as there are non-refundable costs associated with chartering the flight. They do offer this excursion on all their South American sailings which go to Punta Arenas, not just those with the Antarctica itinerary as we had, and it sells out almost immediately. If you're interested in it, watch the Princess Cruise Personalizer daily when you get to about 4 months before sailing, as you'll need to book it within a day or two of its release.

Speaking of shore excursions, I believe I mentioned that those who waited to book onboard were somewhat disappointed in the remaining selection. Because of the limited availability of vendors in ports such as Port Stanley specifically, they were truly sold out through pre-sales, either online at the Personalizer or through mailed or faxed requests. If you don't already utilize online resources and you prefer to book shore excursions through the ship, it's time to get familiar with them, and not only with Princess. More and more, the cruise lines will be moving to this medium, and people waiting to book onboard will be extremely disappointed. If you're reading this blog, you're somewhat computer comfortable, and should have no problem with taking care of your excursion bookings in this manner. Especially with Princess, it's risk-free, as you're not charged for the excursions until you board, so you can feel free to book a couple excursions in each port immediately when they become available, then take a bit of time to decide which you really want. Better to book and cancel later than to be disappointed. If you cancel, you'll make someone on the wait list very happy, so no harm, no foul.

But one factor on this ship which made the lack of Princess excursions easier was our port lecturer, Joe May. He's sailed around South America 108 times, visiting the ports many, many times. While he's not as familiar with Antarctica, only having crossed Drake Channel 8 times, including the 2 on this sailing, that's what we had another lecturer to help us with.

Many times on a cruise, you'll have someone extremely familiar with the ports, but they're either doing just shopping lectures or pushing the ship excursions. Not in this case. In each port, he's given options if you wanted to go into town on your own, or see the penguins on your own, etc. He provided a restaurant recommendation for me in Ushuaia (unfortunately that particular restaurant was closed since it was Sunday, but the menu looked terrific), and was on hand at the shore excursions desk for any questions people had. I usually ignore the port lectures because of the shopping push for the recommended stores, but they were nothing like that on this sailing and I looked forward to them. Kudos to Princess for changing the style of these lectures and working with someone the quality of Joe May.

As good as Joe was, he was overshadowed by two other people onboard providing information to us throughout the cruise - Ice Captain Bob Parsons and Antarctica and Penguin researcher, Dr. Bernard Stonehouse. First Captain Parsons. He's a retired Coast Guard captain who worked on ice breakers, even working on their design. He's worked in the Great Lakes, Alaska, Antarctica and other areas. He spoke about navigational issues through ice, the composition of the ice (a really great lecture entitled "Ice is Nice") including how it's formed, breaks off, and its "life" including movement in the water. As I mentioned before, I felt very comfortable with him aiding Captain Pickford when we were in the vicinity of ice. Together they handled this ship beautifully and in ways I'd not have expected they could.

But the highlight was the information given in lectures, and when we were in Antarctica itself, by Dr. Bernard Stonehouse. Originally a meteorologist, a plane crash in Antarctica many decades ago led to his becoming a penguin and Antarctic expert and researcher. I believe I mentioned he discovered the 4th known colony of Emperor penguins, and he as found several other colonies over the years. His background is fascinating, and his delivery style is charming, understandable and amusing. Currently associated with Oxford University, he has the style of a British lecturer which at first seems a bit slow and halting, but as you get familiar with it is extremely effective.

Speaking almost continually when we were in the major areas of Antarctica, giving commentary about what we were seeing (as were Joe May or Captain Parsons when appropriate), he educated us about a variety of topics to help us understand what we were seeing when we were seeing it, such as the Shackleton history when we sailed around Elephant Island and saw their landing and wintering site, information about the Arctowski base when we visited them, educating us about the glaciers and geology of the beauty we observed when sailing in Gerlache Strait and Neumeyer Channel, and alerting us to penguin, whale, dolphin, bird, seal and other sightings as we sailed along. This commentary was broadcast on the open decks and available as well on the cabin television, but was not in the public areas of the ship so if you weren't interested, you weren't accosted by it. Personally, I wish they had also broadcast in areas such as the dining room and buffet at lunch, but that's me.

In addition to the commentary, almost every day he also had a lecture which complimented the information he'd touched on while we were viewing, or educated us in aspects of Antarctica such as ice research, penguin colonies and life, and even his days as a dog sledger across the ice fields. Fascinating!

I know many people looking at this itinerary, with a full week of sailing between the Falklands and our next landing in Ushuaia, are concerned they might be bored. I mean, how many ice bergs can you look at and be interested? The twice daily lectures, plus the running commentary, made the days sailing very different than a typical day at sea. If you love natural beauty, are interested in aquatic or air critters such as those found in Antarctica, or simply want to continue to learn about an area of the world which is largely forgotten in mainstream exploration, you'll want to take this cruise. On a ship such as Star Princess, it is extremely comfortable, but you do absolutely get an Antarctic experience, even though you don't step foot on the Continent. It's simply amazing.

To give you an idea of the daily lectures, from the various sources, here was the line up, in order of when they were presented. All of them were under the heading of Scholarship@Sea Enrichment Lectures:

Dr. Bernard Stonehouse - Where are we going, what will we see?
Dr. Bernard Stonehouse - The Falkland Islands: The land and the people
Dr. Bernard Stonehouse - Southern Oceans Wildlife
Dr. Bernard Stonehouse - Who Owns Antarctica? (And who wants it anyway?!)
Capt. Bob Parsons, Joe May, Senior First Officer Tim Wingate - Antarctic Navigation (overview of anticipated routes, maps, history of Antarctic explorers)
Dr. Bernard Stonehouse - My friends the penguins
Dr. Bernard Stonehouse - The Shackleton Story
Dr. Bernard Stonehouse and Capt. Bob Parsons - All About Ice - Ice is Nice. Sea ice, and the record of history in glaciers and icecaps.
Dr. Bob Parsons - Antarctic cruising, scientific support & US Coast Guard activities
First Officer Mario Tani - Behind the Scenes of the Navigational Bridge
Dr. Bernard Stonehouse, Capt. Bob Parsons and Joe May - Where did we go, what did we see?

Of course, there were the compliment of normal activities onboard as well, and other Scholarship@Sea offerings such as ceramics, bridge play and others. I've talked before about the excellent computer classes offered. Social groups met onboard every day, with the normal service clubs, Friends of Bill, Rainbow GLBT/Friends of Dorothy and similar, along with arranged get-togethers for photographers, scrapbookers, and bird watchers were particularly active, and the cruise director staff was very open to putting together ad-hoc get togethers when requested. Today I watched a Pacific Rim DVD put together from a Sapphire Princess sailing late in 2007.

A special note to all my solo travelers. This sailing was extremely solo friendly, with get-togethers EVERY night at 7:00PM, along with designated nights up in Skywalkers and other activities. I've never seen such support for solos on a mainstream line, especially since there weren't any gentlemen hosts (Princess doesn't provide them). This is absolutely a sailing which would be appropriate for solos, and don't forget that Princess offers reduced single supplements for inside and oceanview cabins.

The passengers have been diverse, and extremely interesting as a whole. The overall age was on the younger side for this length of sailing. Many, many people in their 40s and 50s, though the older set were also well represented. While there were a few new cruisers onboard, with only a couple cruises under their belt who were attracted mostly by the adventure, most were pretty well traveled overall, and often frequent cruisers. In fact, there were so many past passengers they had to have the Captain's Circle party held two different nights! Have had so many fascinating conversations during lunch, in the lounges, and out on deck while sailing. Everyone onboard has a bit of the adventurer at heart, from those like me who regularly explore the unusual, to those who were in wheelchairs, scooters or on oxygen, and it's been a fabulous experience for all.

Okay, think it's probably time to let out a little secret I've been holding back. Was going to wait until the end of this saga, once we had returned from the post-cruise stay in Buenos Aires so you had the entire picture, but I think now is the time to let the penguin out of the bag so to speak. If you've been following this journey and thought you'd love to do this itinerary and are fascinated with what we've seen, another agent and I have arranged for group space on next year's January 17, 2009 Star Princess Antarctic sailing. And yes, we will be escorting the group personally. Next year's itinerary is slightly different in that instead of it being a round trip from Buenos Aires, it will instead disembark in Valparaiso Chile, the port for Santiago, opening up post-cruise opportunities there.

This means not only will you have my regular assistance in booking and planning your cruise and giving you information on the ports, but I'll be assisting in arranging private excursions in the ports, going with you on some of the options (of course I can't be everywhere at once), joining you on deck when in the viewing areas and assisting in explaining what we're seeing, pointing out interesting sites, giving you my super-secret viewing areas on the ship, and even if desired some photographic and Photoshop assistance, not to mention the advantage that my associate, Susan Combs, will also be co-leader for this group so you'll be well taken care of throughout the journey. While I can't promise weather like I experienced this year (the experts have said they've not had this many days of this good weather on a single sailing - and the experience of calm both ways on Drake Passage, getting in effect "Drake Lake" both ways is almost unheard of), I can promise excitement, adventure and PENGUINS!

I'll also be arranging pre-cruise for those interested in Buenos Aires or Iguazu Falls (I'll be going up to the Falls again) and post-cruise in the Santiago area, probably going to an Estancia (ranch) and/or vineyards in the area. Other options pre-cruise also include an Estancia, Tango show and all the fun and excitement of Buenos Aires. You can also opt for the pre-cruise options through Princess, of which I've received nothing but praise from the passengers who opted for it, which consists of arrival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, flight up to Iguazu Falls, stay there, then flight down to Buenos Aires and another two nights there. Excellent option.

While I'll not be back in the US until the 29th, and not fully back in the office until January 30, if you're interested in this group, go ahead and contact me now. I can provide pricing for you and hold a cabin. The most popular cabin options are already being booked for next year, so now is the time to put in your request and secure the cabin which will give you the best experience!

Tonight is the last formal night onboard, and tomorrow is our final port - Montevideo, Uruguay. With all the rush of a port day, packing and disembarkation, you won't hear from me again until at the earliest late Saturday night after the tango show in Buenos Aires.

This blog isn't yet over for this sailing, as I'll report after Uruguay and in Buenos Aires and of course any adventures and final thoughts from the trip home. Hope you keep reading!

You've probably figured out by now that I'm a rather thorough planner. Just my nature. However, for me planning isn't about having a rigid schedule, but instead feeling comfortable with the choices I've made, along with knowing the other options when the inevitable glitches occur. With travel, it's not if something unexpected happens, but when and how often. Planning can minimize their occurrence, and also the impact. Yesterday was Montevideo. Another glorious day, mid 70s, fair with a bit of wind (at least a bit at the start, but we'll get to that). Unfortunately, all night long I'd had a bad night, feeling like I was catching something, and when I awakened, felt I would be far better off and wiser to stay on board rather than go on my planned tour. Phooey! However, the rest of the group went on to the excursion, a City Tour and Vineyard Visit booked independently through Port Compass. The information here is based on what they told me when they returned.

The tour left at 8:30AM, which was perfect. Not immediately after docking, but still early enough that on the City Tour portion, they beat all the Princess (and Oceania) busses to the locales and had them to themselves. The group was 10 people, all from Princess. After the very informative City Tour with a guide they all adored, they headed out to a fairly new vineyard not too far from town. The reports were of excellent, though young wine, nice short tour, and lots of tasting (and of course opportunity to purchase).

They returned to the ship around 2:30PM, with plenty of time to head back into town for shopping or further visiting if they wanted to after their return. The evaluation of the tour was uniformly positive with glowing references, and I'm looking forward to being able to take it next year when I return.

Last night onboard the ship. Always melancholy, but after 16 nights of such a monumental, emotional trip, there's also some anticipation to be starting the homeward process. Okay, and a bit of relief at leaving Princess beds behind. Even with an egg crate topper, these are still some of the hardest beds around. Sorry, Princess, but you really need to pay attention to what your sister companies have done with their bedding.

There were the inevitable lines to pick up the trip DVDs (which turned out FABULOUSLY! For those of you on the February sailing, don't even wait, just go ahead and order yours immediately), and those last night formal pictures, etc.

Speaking of pictures, there's one truly outstanding photographer onboard. If you can, go to him for your photos. He is in his early 20s, dark curly hair and a bit of a beard. His Latin name suddenly escapes me, but he's the only one who even comes close to matching that description. Also, the tall thin blonde woman with the short hair. She moves with the grace of a cat and she also does an excellent job of making sure you get the best results.

Because of the very tight customs rules in Buenos Aires, all luggage is requested to be out by 10PM, and their preference and strong request is that the majority be out around 5:30PM. They're serious about this. No waiting until 1-2AM on this itinerary. So be forewarned, you may want to pack at least your warmer layers on the last sea day, as you won't have much time between your return in Montevideo and the last dinner.

Now about the real flexibility necessity. We had amazing weather the entire sailing, but our last two ports, Punta Arenas and Montevideo, along with this morning trying to disembark in Buenos Aires, the wind kept trying to play tricks on us.

Star Princess is an extremely tall ship, and in higher winds, depending on their direction, she does have an enormous sail effect, getting blown about a bit, even when the seas aren't terribly bad. If the wind comes from a particular quarter, it can play havoc. In Punta Arenas, it was making it difficult to raise the last two tenders, requiring assistance from a local tug. As we departed Montevideo, Gale Force winds keeled us over a bit probably about 15 degrees off vertical plane. Nothing where you got panicked, but definitely got your attention especially if you were standing up. A few items slid around on tables and such, but nothing serious, and we righted ourselves immediately, just as she's designed to do. A few more lesser rolls and we got out of the wind and turned a bit to avoid further unusual tilting.

This morning as we came up the river into Buenos Aires, the winds tried to get us again. We had to anchor downstream a bit for a few hours. Wow, the sunrise this morning was spectacular outside my window!

At 7AM (when we were actually due to arrive in Buenos Aires), there were Force 8 winds whipping around, and because of the narrow channel, the Captain came on and said he and Pilot felt it would be safer to remain at anchor until they died down. About 7:30, the winds finally calmed, and we proceeded up river again, arriving at our berth a little over 3 hours late at 10:15AM.

Disembarkation of a ship this size is always a bit time consuming, but when you have this type of delay, and an entirely manual system of luggage unloading, it can take a bit of patience. Fortunately for most, flights to the US and Canada generally leave late in the evening, and most people on those flights had Princess tours or were going to the courtesy hotel, so no problem there, just a bit of a delay. Some flights which connect in Latin American countries, such as Mexico, leave mid-afternoon, but even then the passengers were in pretty good shape. The Purser's office worked hard to help everyone get taken care of, even pro-actively calling some passengers. I'd say that portion of it was extremely well handled.

We were in one of the last groups to disembark, as I'm staying 2 more nights in Buenos Aires to enjoy this wonderful, beautiful city. Once off the ship at about noon, it was another 45 minutes before our luggage was unloaded and in the hall. A bit unorganized, but as the majority of passengers' luggage had been taken directly to post-cruise hotels or the airport, it wasn't unmanageable. But again, patience is the key.

I had arranged a private vehicle to pick me up and transfer me to my hotel in the Palermo Soho area of Buenos Aires. I'd been concerned about the taxi situation with three ships disembarking at the same time. Since we were delayed, I think it would have been okay to have the taxi, but it was such a relief to have the driver awaiting me outside the luggage hall. A very pleasant driver arranged by WOW! Argentina travel agency again, the same agency which had taken care of my arrangements (and changes necessitated by the flight cancellation at the beginning of this trip) up to Iguazu Falls. When they learned about the ship delay, they called my cell phone to inform me that they'd arranged for the driver to pick me up later, though he still had to wait a bit before we got through disembarkation. Let me tell you, I'm truly impressed with the service from this local company, and will be referring them in the future for this type of local arrangement. They take care of their customers and are great for the local aspects. While I am a travel agent, my job isn't to try to book every little detail for my clients myself; it's sometimes better to know when to hand off the arrangements to be co-op arranged with a local expert. This is one such case. It would have been much more stress this morning trying to contact a private driver without their assistance. And yes, even on a weekend they're available and pleasant.

The Palermo Soho neighborhood is charming. Tree-lined residential streets with boutique hotels scattered on the blocks. A few blocks away is a trendy restaurant and shopping area I'm looking forward to checking out. I'm staying at the Esplendor Palermo, part of a small chain of hotels in Buenos Aires. This one just opened up about 3 months ago and has that "new hotel" smell to it. My room is large and comfortable, with a lovely view out to the trees and across the rooftops (with several rooftop gardens). Very nice! The bathroom arrangement is a bit quirky, but that's part of the fun of staying in Boutique hotels. It's nice to spend the pre-cruise downtown (though I didn't get as much time there as expected due to the flight cancellation) and post-cruise somewhere a bit different to get the flavor of this city.

After visiting the ATM for some more Argentine Pesos (I always recommend this as the best way to get cash in almost every country), had lunch at a very locals' pizza parlor on the way back to the hotel. Not a word of English spoken by any of the staff, nor on the menu. Fabulous! It was deep dish pizza at its best. Simple, perfectly done, yummy. Got a bit of assistance from a couple other patrons in deciphering the menu (young people are usually good candidates to ask if they speak English), and the rest of the process was easy. Universal point and smile always works well. The restaurant has been around since 1942, and is obviously a very popular lunch place with the neighborhood. I couldn't have chosen better.

Tonight it's off to Tango Carlos Gardel, one of the well-established and revered tango shows in Buenos Aires. Opted for just the show, not dinner, so will eat unfashionably early (or extremely late) as the show starts at 10:30.

I can't sign off for today without a quick comment about the Champagne Waterfall on the final formal night. In my past experiences with Princess, this has been a rather boring affair, just watching everyone get their picture taken pouring the champagne into the glasses and awaiting your glass of the bubbly to be brought around. In an example of the excellent Cruise Director staff onboard, this turned out to be one of the highlights of the cruise. They had the most popular entertainer onboard, Maurizio, playing the piano while they assembled the glass pyramid, then spun dance tunes as soon as the champagne started flowing. Three decks of dance party. There were several of the wait staff dancing on the stairs and the Cruise Director staff were front and center dancing up a storm to keep us all going.

Several nights this cruise the atrium and the upper decks surrounding it turned into quite the lively late night scene. Basically, any time Maurizio played there, the dancing crowd arrived and had a wonderful time. I do hope this is something Princess is adopting fleet-wide, as it makes the Champagne Waterfall the signature event of the cruise it's intended to be, instead of something which visually is stunning and is an assembling feat on a moving ship, but otherwise is usually rather ho hum. Well done!

Will report tomorrow on the Tango and Sunday at the antiques market in San Telmo. We're winding down, but still not home yet. Keep reading!

SUNDAY, JANUARY 27, 2008

If you find me with a new address, don't be surprised. Buenos Aires has absolutely captured my heart! From the warmth of the Portenos (locals in Buenos Aires), to the quality (and price!) of the food, this city has surpassed French Polynesia as perhaps my favorite place on earth. To catch you up on the past two days, after arrival at the Esplendor Palermo hotel in Palermo Soho, I will admit I succumbed to the local habit of a siesta before going out for an absolutely incredible meal at Sucre. Buenos Aires has a long history of Italian style and preferences. As such, I searched out one of the fine Italian restaurants for our first night here, and found Sucre. It didn't disappoint in any way. From the quality of the service and food, to the price, it's simply one of the finest Italian meals (in the true Italian style, not Olive Garden quality) I've experienced. While I've had more sublime meals in Italy itself, the price here, at about $35/person, including wine, makes this a meal worth remembering and repeating.

I arrived at about 8:30PM, unfashionably early by Buenos Aires standards, but absolutely necessary in order to make a 10:30PM Tango show. We were almost the first there, with the only other patrons also Americanos. However, by 9:00PM, the restaurant was filling up. They definitely accommodated Americans nicely, with an English menu, but by no means was our experience an Anglicized one. As with most of Buenos Aires, a few words of Spanish goes a long way toward improving the experience.

Next up was Tango Carlos Gardel. Carlos Gardel is one of the historical figures in Argentine Tango, as one of the premiere singers in the 40s, 50s and 60s. His namesake theatre is beautiful. You can have dinner there as well, and by all reports it's one of the best combination dinners and shows, but I opted instead to book just the show, arriving at 10:30PM. While you're seated at the back of the theatre, the view is fabulous and comfortable, and you're served both water and the wine (or other beverage) of your choice. The show is extremely memorable, and went a long way toward touching my heart and soul and connecting me firmly with this extraordinary city and its people. I was afraid a Tango show would be too touristic and kitschy, but as promised by several local experts, this show was more authentic than several others (which are often described as "Hollywood style") and gave me insight into the Argentine rhythm.

Consisting of 5 sets of dancers, 2 primary dancers, 2 singers and an orchestra, this 90 minute show never lagged and was well paced showing the progression of Tango from its origins early in the 20th Century. I highly recommend it! Again, I have to compliment the assistance of Wow! Argentina, as our reserved seats were smack dab in the center.

Back to the hotel and caught the end of the Boca y River Football match, one of the chief rivalries in Argentina soccer, with the hotel staff. Again, the joys of a Boutique hotel experience.

After sleeping in, was off to San Telmo for the traditional Sunday afternoon Antiques Market and street fair. Tango bands, tango street dancers and lots and lots of stalls offering everything from handicrafts to moderate value antiques were found. Mostly, it was about experiencing what Portenos do on a Sunday afternoon rather than purchasing.

On the way I passed the Recoletto crafts fair. Next time, if I'm here on a Saturday or Sunday, I'll head back there. Looked interesting!

Back to Palermo for a lunch experience of sushi, much assisted by a friendly couple at the table next door who filled in my gaps in knowledge of Spanish food terms and ordering correctly. This is exactly the joy of experiencing a city as a traveler, rather than a tourist. Again, the restaurant staff spoke not a word of English, but communication was easily achieved and a lovely, quality, light lunch at an affordable price was obtained.

Tonight was the classic Argentine experience of a Parilla (pronounced Parisha as the Argentines admittedly speak Spanish their own way and lla is not "ya", but "sha"), or grill house at La Cabrera, one of the highest rated steak houses in the city. Bring your appetite, as the beef is amazing, and the side dishes more than ample. I started with an appetizer of Proveleta (fried provolone with herbs - sounds odd but is amazing), a bottle of local Malbec (red) wine and sparkling water. The waiter provided recommendations easily, but in Spanish. Followed up by an enormous portion of Bife de Chorizo (sirloin strip) and finished with Espresso and a glass of Proseco (Italian sparkling wine), the meal was perfect and just over $40/person. Have to love this city! The sirloin itself was about $15, and a smaller portion (which I recommend, as the full size is simply too much) was only $12. See why I could move here?

The table next to us was an American college group on an experience for a philosophy course. They seemed just as impressed and overwhelmed by the food (and quantity!) as did I. This restaurant would also be perfect for just an appetizer of the Proveleta and a cold antipasto plate or salad - more than filling!

Back to the hotel much "lubricated" on Argentine wine, and off to bed soon. But sharing this joy and experience while still in the moment is important to your understanding of why you want to spend at least a couple nights here pre- or post-cruise and get out into the neighborhoods.

Tomorrow it's off to the Leather Markets, a short rest at the hotel, then out to the airport for a late night flight. Most international flights to the US and Canada leave very late at night, so if staying at a smaller hotel such as this, it's worth it to arrange a half day room if possible to allow you to shower and rest before leaving for the airport. It all depends on availability, but will make the flight home more comfortable being fresh and rested after a day of shopping. It's costing me about $80, but I'd say that's worth it. You may choose otherwise, and most hotels are happy to store your luggage for you from their regular check-out time until you leave for the airport. Just another factor to consider as you make your plans for Buenos Aires.

Probably won't be in touch again until I arrive home to Denver and give you the final details, then one last post in this series on last thoughts, on the ship, itinerary and other considerations when planning a journey like this.

Of course, if you don't hear from me for a few extra days with the wrap-up, don't worry - I'm likely just overwhelmed with clients who have been awaiting my return. Of course, it may be possible I simply couldn't bear to board the flight and instead am investigating long-term rentals in Buenos Aires and how to forward my toll-free line down here!

JANUARY 31, 2008

This is my second-to-last posting regarding the Star Princess Antarctic cruise. While I have returned from the sailing, I'm still putting together my final thoughts about the cruise overall, recommendations and thoughts about Antarctica and South America cruising. I'm hoping to post that wrap-up by Saturday.

But on to the final chapter in the adventure and the trip home! Men, it's time to guard your bank accounts. Ladies, listen up. If you like leather goods, Buenos Aires is your city. There are many shops, especially around Calle Florida which is a downtown pedestrian mall near the Marriott, which will custom make a fine coat for you in a few hours. If you have both pre- and post-cruise stays here, it's even better, as you can order before the cruise, then pick up and pay for your completed items afterwards.

Shoes, handbags, belts and of course, coats and pants. Wonderful quality, though you do have various levels of course. Many colors and styles and you're likely to find something exactly for you.

I headed out the other direction from downtown to a manufacturer called Gonzales, which is recommended by many sources. They will pick you up from, and return you to, your hotel or ship complimentarily in a nice sedan. Prices are fantastic for what you get. Nice selection, though you'll find more on Calle Florida, albeit more at (Argentine) retail prices downtown.

Went in expecting mostly to look, and help my shopping companion to purchase something (she was wanting at least one new purse), and came out not only with her purchases, but with a new handbag for me (they don't call them purses - they're handbags as a FYI for you), a matching wallet and a gold leather evening bag. All for much less than I'd have paid for one medium-quality bag here, and far less than a single Brighton bag, for example.

The variety was staggering. Styles, leathers, textures... and that's just in the handbags. This store on three levels is large and basic in design. They're not putting money into flashy displays - you do have to finger through the shelves to find what you're wanting. But this is good for the prices. There is another, slightly smaller competitor across the street, and I recommend you visit them first (that is, unless you have Gonzales pick you up and bring you - at that point go to Gonzales first, then go across the street and come back). Excellent quality, but not as much selection. Having two manufacturers right there by one another makes shopping extremely easy. Do be aware that, as opposed to many of the shops on Calle Florida, there is no bargaining here. But the prices are so good you won't mind too much.

The shoes are varied in design, but if you're looking for highest fashion, this isn't the place. They're current in design and style, but not as many high-style such as stilettos, for example. But they do have a nice variety and some which match in leather design to their purses, so can make for a great set, especially if you go for the textured leather. There's one style which is prevalent everywhere you look of a leather which looks like it's a checked suede, with the checks embossed into the soft leather. This is one signature look your friends will love and be envious of, and matching shoes, be they ballet slipper style or high heels (or anything in between) will also be a nice addition to your wardrobe. I'm regretting a bit I didn't purchase a matching pair, and think I'll get some next year when I go back.

It's also a perfect place to pick up gifts for those back home. The wallets are nice quality and inexpensive. Some of the bags are cute and fun and perfect for your teen or older daughters. Keep room in your luggage as you're going to want it. Believe me, you'll want to purchase some leather for yourself and gifts in Buenos Aires.

After the shopping adventure, it was back to the hotel for a bit of food and a nap before catching the flights home. I'd arranged for a half-day extension to the room, and it was well worth the cost not to have to pack up and be out of the room by 11A when I didn't need to leave for the airport until 7P. Gave me time to relax in the afternoon (I could have instead opted to shop more, or sightsee, but felt rest was more important as I was feeling the length of this trip beginning to bear down on me), shower and pack in a more leisurely manner. Do inquire with your hotel if this is possible for you. Probably easier with some of the boutique properties, especially if they're not full that night.

The trip to the airport was in full rush hour, with the sidewalks of Buenos Aires packed with pedestrians and the streets filled with commuters. There's a definite energy on the streets this time of night, as people do their shopping, socializing and other activities before dinner. It's simply electrifying.

The taxi was a bit of an adventure, as it was a private Remise (private car) ordered by the hotel and I think it had some bad gas, as we kept having hesitations and several cut-outs of the engine. But made it in good time to the airport and started the check-in process.

Buenos Aires airport requires several stops to get to the gate. First you go through an oral screening process, consisting of questions which are no longer asked in the US, but still are in other areas of the world. If you've traveled to France or Germany you'll be familiar with the litany: Have you packed the bags yourself, have they been out of your control, did you accept any items from anyone, any battery powered electronics in your bags, any liquids," etc. Nothing too unusual. Then you check in with your airline. After getting your boarding pass, you proceed to the Departure Tax window (which is another line) and pay your $18 departure tax. You may pay it in US dollars, Argentine Pesos, by credit card or Euro. Then it's upstairs to the gates, where you go through a check to make sure you've paid your departure tax, then through immigration, and finally to security. Whew! At least there's no silliness about needing to take off shoes, remove your laptop or screen your liquids separately here.

The gate areas are fairly comfortable, clean and roomy. There is the usual assortment of duty free shops, cafes and the like. If you've fallen in love with the Dulche de Leche (a caramel-like substance) now is your chance to get a few jars, but remember you'll have to put them in your checked luggage when you retrieve them in the US before rechecking - they're too big to be allowed in your carry-ons in the US.

The flights home were uneventful, even leaving about 15 minutes early from Buenos Aires, getting through customs without a problem in DC (though this is still one of the worst-designed luggage retrieval, customs and luggage re-check airports in the nation, having an early-morning flight did ease the difficulty in getting through as we were ahead of the European flights which arrive early afternoon), and a nice flight on to Denver. Just the way you want a trip to end! Luggage arrived without a hitch, and the taxi ride home was quick and comfortable.

Will put together my final thoughts on Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires, the Star Princess, and Antarctica in the next day or two. Thank you to everyone who has been emailing or posting on Cruise Critic about this blog. If you have questions you'd like to be addressed in the final "chapter" just email me at amber@cruiseresource.com.
One more chapter to go!

It's just over a week since I disembarked from the Star Princess. Now that I'm back home and have had a chance to absorb and mentally review everything from the trip, I have a few wrap up thoughts about the experience.

Absolutely, positively, go in at least one day early. Not only were there many people who arrived the day of the cruise without their luggage (and didn't get it until 10 days into the cruise), but there were more who missed the ship due to flight problems - cancelled or delayed flights, both from the US and the UK. From talking with airline officials, cancelled flights aren't at all unusual to Rio or Buenos Aires, on many airlines, so you really need to plan for it. Again, those who arrived late and missed the ship couldn't catch up to it until 10 days later in Ushuaia, after the Antarctic and Falklands portions, as there are no flights from Argentina to the Falkland Islands (the Falklanders are still pretty touchy about contact with Argentines), so you'd have to fly to Santiago, Chile and then to the Falklands and hope the ship was able to make it into port to catch up any earlier - not a single passenger opted to do that.

In addition to the flight and luggage issues, there's so much to do in Buenos Aires and Argentina that it is an absolute shame to fly that far and not take advantage of it. Of course, Iguazu Falls is magnificent. But if that's just a bit too much for you, in time, cost or activity level, then going out to a Gaucho ranch near Buenos Aires, enjoying a traditional Tango show, or simply shopping and eating to your heart's content in the wonderful city should be enjoyed. I'd suggest 2 nights pre-cruise if you're just wanting to enjoy Buenos Aires, at least 3 if you want to do Iguazu Falls as well. As I've mentioned before, the Princess cruisetour or pre-cruise packages are also excellent.

Where to stay in Buenos Aires? If you're coming in and want to be in the heart of things, you can't miss with the Marriott. While it's an older, classic hotel (with the accompanying quirks in layout and physical amenities), it's in the perfect location and is one of the base hotels for Princess. While that means a bit of a crowd at check-out on embarkation day, it's still worth it to stay in such a historic hotel in the middle of the city.

I also want to compliment the Marriott on being solo traveler friendly. It's one of the few restaurants I've experienced where they as a matter of routine have several tables in the dining room set for solos. Makes you feel more comfortable when the table to which you're lead is intended for just one diner. Thank you, Marriott!

Prefer to be close to the port? The Hilton is about as close as you can get, and got good reviews from those I spoke with who stayed there.

There are other options, more and less expensive, in traditional hotels. You can have a spectacular experience with a splurge at a few options in the Recoleta neighborhood, or you can opt for budget options as well. If you want to be more in the residential neighborhoods than the downtown, I highly recommend one of the many excellent Boutique hotels Buenos Aires offers. The taxis are plentiful and CHEAP and you can get almost anywhere in about 30 minutes and $10 in cab fare.

Speaking of the cabs... if you think NY cabbies are wild, you are in for a surprise. These cabbies aren't aggressive, though they drive with an assertiveness which is sometimes a bit disconcerting. It's just the way of the streets in Buenos Aires. A 4 lane boulevard becomes a 6 lane, or a 6 lane becomes 8 with the lane markers merely suggestions. Need to turn but you're 2 lanes over? No problem, just do it! Stop signs are given mere taps on the breaks to slow a bit, though lights are well observed. Most cabbies speak hardly any English, so be prepared with your destination's address written out to give them. Always have your hotel's name and address written on a card as well. Do stick to the radio cabs with meters, but you can flag one down on the street or have your hotel, shop or restaurant do it or call one for you.

The more popular restaurants have waiters who speak English or even an English menu. Unlike many cities in the world, this doesn't necessarily mean it's a "tourist" restaurant you should avoid, but merely that they're understanding their clientele. The restaurants I planned for the evening were like that, and had a good mix of locals and visitors and were perfectly lovely. But smaller restaurants in neighborhoods may not have anyone who speaks a word of English, so be prepared with a menu translator - a couple pages from a guide book with suffice. When in doubt, ask the neighboring tables. You'll probably find someone who speaks a few words of English who is more than happy to assist.

The people of Buenos Aires are warm and friendly, and eager for you to enjoy your visit. You do need to be aware of street crimes in areas such as Calle Florida downtown, or the street markets such as San Telmo, so don't wear your expensive jewelry out, and beware as well about cameras. A popular scam is where several thieves work together. One may "accidentally" spill something on you, then another comes up to try to "help" clean you up. Don't fall for it. Push their hands away and be aware of everyone around you. I had absolutely no problems, but others on our sailing had experienced similar to what I described. Don't be afraid, just be aware.

I highly recommend use of a local tour operator, such as WOW! Argentina, when putting together packages. They have access to rooms, flights and events you may not be able to get yourself and often at better pricing. This can easily be arranged through your cruise travel agent if they are familiar with tour operator options in South America - they'll contact the local agent on your behalf and put everything together. It will give you a more seamless experience than doing everything a la carte.

Think it's time to talk about the ship. Princess is a middle-of-the-road line. They do most things well, but not necessarily spectacularly. The food is good, but few meals will be memorable. Service is good and friendly, but they don't anticipate requests as much as some other lines might. The ship is comfortable and fairly easily navigated, unless you're in traditional dining in the Amalfi dining room, which only has 2 elevators (one of which was out of service the entire duration of my sailing) serving it all the way at the aft of the ship. You cannot walk to the dining room without taking stairs, as the kitchen is also on that deck just a bit farther forward. So be prepared for stairs or perhaps a bit of a wait for the elevators. You'll get used to it and just need to plan to head back there a few minutes before your dining time. After the first couple nights, wasn't much of a problem.

After the two incidents earlier this season with the MS Fram and the sinking of the MS Explorer, there is a lot of discussion about ships in general in Antarctica, and the larger ships in specific. The Star Princess is by far the largest ship which sails these waters, and many would like to prohibit her. I felt 100% safe onboard her, and there definitely were advantages to her size in the views you could get and the comfort inside for those who were less physically able. If you're not looking for a landing expedition style Antarctic adventure, I wouldn't hesitate to book Princess. The captains, both the Master and the Ice Captain, were experienced in these waters, and I felt absolutely safe at all times. The steering they did and their decisions were amazing. Both came onboard in Buenos Aires specifically for this sailing, and I believe remain onboard through the February itinerary as well.

As to whether they will continue to do this itinerary, one comment in answer to a specific question during their final wrap-up lecture about whether or not Princess will continue this itinerary was quite telling. Princess will sail in Antarctica as long as their insurers will allow it. How far south we went was dictated by insurance (we weren't allowed farther than 65 degrees South, and because of ice didn't get quite that far). In the future, they may not be allowed even that far. I predict at some time in the future, these larger ships, not just the size of the Star Princess, but even the Celebrity and HAL ships which also have similar itineraries (though Crystal, Oceania and Azamara may still be allowed with their smaller ships), will no longer sail in Antarctica. If the Ice Continent is on your must-see list, then do it sooner rather than later or your options may be severely limited.

I do think the Star Princess was an ideal platform for viewing. As I mentioned, her height allowed for some spectacular views from the upper decks. I also wouldn't want to be on a ship without a wrap-around promenade. For those who are serious about ocean critter photography, being able to be lower down and in the bow is essential.

One hint if you're a coffee or hot chocolate lover. Get the coffee card. It's $25 for unlimited brewed coffees from the coffee bars (and if you've ever had Princess coffee, you know you want the fresh brewed not the free stuff from room service or the buffet), and 15 specialty coffees such as espresso, lattes or cappuccinos, or hot chocolate, either from the coffee bars, room service or in the dining rooms. When you come in from hours out in the elements, these hot drinks will be most welcome.

This is an itinerary for the emotionally adventurous, but you don't have to be physically nimble to enjoy the offerings. There were good excursions, even to penguins, in each port for those in wheelchairs. Many viewing areas which are accessible on the ship. While the Princess Theatre, where the lectures take place, isn't the greatest for those with limited mobility as it has a lot of stairs (though it does have good placement areas for wheelchairs), all the lectures are also viewable the same day on the cabin televisions. So if your spirit longs for this adventure, but your body takes a bit more convincing, know you can still have a spectacular experience on this ship in particular.

I also believe it was partially because of the size of the ship that our lecturers were of the quality they were. Dr. Stonehouse said part of his goal in life is to educate as many people as possible about Antarctica and its wildlife. A ship of this size gives him an unequalled platform to reach more people and truly touch them. And you know they're going to have an amazing Ice Captain on board to assist with navigation, but also who has the knowledge to educate us about the ice.

This ship was also quite stable even when we did experience small bits of inclement weather. There were a few times we had some significant rolls, mostly due to wind and not waves, but as someone who is motion sensitive, I was extremely comfortable. I even stopped taking my meclizine for a few nights (though I took it again when we went through Drake Passage, just in case). My drawer of different ginger options (I brought several different varieties just for a change of pace) went mostly unused, though I'll say I really liked the Newman's Own Ginger Mints. Easily transportable as they come in a wrapped roll, nice crisp taste, and definitely enough ginger in them to do the trick. I'll bring more of that next year. (http://www.newmansownorganics.com/food_mints.html)

The ports were great, and in most, it pays to plan ahead. I made it a point to talk with passengers on a wide variety of the excursion options, so if you have questions about a specific excursion, let me know. I made choices based on my own preferences, interests and priorities, but there were many other choices available. I know not everyone is as penguin obsessed as I am.

It feels wonderful to be home, but I'm also going through a bit of culture shock. This trip was so spectacular that the regularity of home doesn't quite fit. But the first thing I unpacked (in truth, one of the only things - shhh, I'm bad about unpacking) is the little penguin figurine I found in Punta Arenas. I put him in the spot for which I purchased him, and look over at him every time I start to feel detached. Once I get caught up with business and am a bit more rested (managed to catch a bit of a cold on the way home - not terribly surprising as my seatmate was suffering from one, and glad it happened at the end not the beginning), I'll start working on the rest of my pictures and will post on the blog when each new "story" is posted for those who are interested.

People talk about the visual splendor of Alaska, and I agree with them. I grew up mostly in Alaska, and tell my clients that everything they've heard is true, and probably doesn't do justice to what they'll see up there. And people who have been to Alaska (or the Norwegian Fjords) probably think a glacier is a glacier and an iceberg an iceberg - what more could Antarctica offer?

All I can say is that Antarctica is the single most spectacular natural environment I've ever experienced. The vastness, the grandeur, the size, scope and history. It goes so far beyond anything else. I now understand why researchers get captivated with this continent and return year after year to such an isolated and extreme habitat. Think you know glaciers? Think again. Ice is ice? Not on your life. I never thought I'd be interested in the different types and how they're formed. I knew how glaciers form, but that's just the tip of the iceberg, pardon the pun.

Some might say that my experience was so spectacular because of the unusual weather we encountered. But it wasn't just the weather - no matter the weather everyone I've spoken to who has been to Antarctica comes away enchanted by the 7th Continent. I know that when I return next year, it will be very different. But equally bewitching and extraordinary because of that. The morning we spent at Elephant Island was misty and clouded. We never got to actually clearly see Cape Valentine where the Shackleton expedition first landed and tried to winter over after they left the ice pack. But it was amazing and inspiring, and not just because it was our first experience in Antarctica. Looking back, the sense of the inaccessibility and how tough the early explorers had it was enhanced by the less-than-perfect weather. We were also turned back from going to Esperanza Station by winds, waves and ice. That morning will stay in my memory forever for the light, waves and amazing vistas of the tabular bergs. While our sailing in Gerlache Strait and Neumeyer Channel was made more impressive by the clear skies which gave a bright clarity to the scenery, I can't wait to see them in another situation and experience another personality of the mountains and ice and water. Weather makes Antarctica special, but by that I mean *any* weather. It's all part of the whole, and the whole is overwhelming.

For those thinking of exploring Antarctica, on this ship, another mainstream line or one of the expeditions (believe me, I've investigated and researched those, too, as they were how I expected to first experience this region), please feel free to contact me by phone or email at amber@cruiseresource.com. While I do think the Star Princess offers a phenomenal value to Antarctica, which is why I've chosen to return on her and lead a group next year, other ships may better fit your preferences and style. But above all, if you've read all of this blog and review, and are captivated by the images and experience, you MUST go!

Only 200,000 people have ever been to Antarctica. If you're wanting true adventure, this is it.

After the Star Princess in 2009, I'll likely return again on another ship and probably do an expedition eventually as well (and this is coming from someone who doesn't tend to like to repeat places while there are still new places to explore). Africa (probably at least one trip) and the Galapagos will likely come first, but my plans have a way of changing. Wonder if one of the American Stations could use a travel agent with computer skills?

I apologize for the endless use of such superlatives and adjectives such as amazing, spectacular, inspiring, overwhelming and wonderful. My thesaurus wasn't up to the task of truly describing this cruise and the experiences. I hope the pictures filled in where my words failed.

If you'd like to read the entire blog from start to finish with pictures, I've archived it on my CruiseResource.com web site. You can find it at Live from the Star Princess Blog or under the CruiseResource and SinglesCruiseResource - Past Feature Articles link on my home page.

Thank you to everyone who has come with me on this voyage through this blog. Many of you have linked to it from several places, and I appreciate the remarks you've posted on several forums and sent to me through email. If I can answer any questions or help you in any way, let me know. This has been a remarkable experience, made more so by the very act of getting my thoughts and pictures together to share it with you. So you, too, have made this even more special. Thank you!

But have to leave you with one final picture in a bit of a different vein. Thanks to good friend and client, I had the perfect shoes for this cruise. Well known for his animal slipper collection to those on Cruise Critic HAL boards, he insisted I must have these slippers, and he was right. They were the hit of the ship every time I wore them. I've spoken about the Guins before, but it's time for you to meet the Guins, Pen and Penny Guin to be exact. I think I saw so many penguins that they've literally grown on me. So many wanted to bring a penguin home - I have my own!

This is me and the Guins on the final formal night. Don't you want to come with us to Antarctica next year?

January 8, 2008

It Can Happen to Anyone...Even a Travel Agent