Saturday 25 Jan 2014

We woke up early in the morning with the intention of watching the ship sail in.  The ship was due at 7am so we set the alarm for 6am to be sure we wouldn’t miss it.  Unfortunately when we went out on to our terrace at 6am we saw that the ship had already arrived.

We went back to bed but attempting to get back to sleep proved fruitless.  We got up and went to breakfast and finished off our re-packing and had a leisurely morning.

At midday we had a van collect us and Peter and Lyn with our 10 pieces of luggage to take us to the cruise terminal.  While the van was large – about a 10 seater – it had little room for luggage so there was a lot of grunting and heaving trying to manipulate the luggage into seats.  This is our half!

Our first speed bump was at the check in where we discovered that Australian passport holders (and a few others) needed to pay a Reciprocity Fee for entry to Argentina; and this needed to be paid before we could embark and it could only be done online.  Fortunately there was an Internet Café in the terminal building and we were able to process our payment there but it could have been much worse!

The rest of the check in process went smoothly and we were bussed from the terminal to the dock where we boarded the ship.  We were shown where our emergency muster point was and then we went to the Colonnade restaurant at the back of the ship for lunch.  Several of the staff were the same people who looked after us on our last cruise and remembered us.

Our cabins were released for occupation at 2pm so we headed there to unpack. The rest of the afternoon was spent getting unpacked and getting our cabin set up the way we wanted, as it is going to be home for the next 10 weeks.

At about 5pm the ship departed and there was the usual sail away party around the pool.

We enjoyed a Corona listening to the band and chatting with people and by then it was almost dinner time so we stayed on the pool deck (after a quick dash to get a warm top) as we were comfortable there.  It was a Surf and Turf night so we had a filet steak with a Nigerian prawn – which are almost as big as lobster tails!

After dinner Peter and Lyn suggested we go to the Observation Bar for a nightcap.  Chris the barman is very efficient so by the time we left, after a couple of hours, we thought we were in heavy seas but apparently we weren’t… maybe the Baileys on ice by the tumbler full  did it??

Sunday 26 Jan 2014

A slow start to the morning due to a late night the night before.  Our first engagement was an Australia Day function in the Observation Bar where they served Bloody Marys and Mimosas – neither particularly Australian but apparently having either of these drinks in the morning is OK because of the fruit or vegetable overtones.  They also made sausage rolls, Anzac biscuits, crumbed prawns and mini pavlovas which was a very nice touch.  There are 60+ Australians on board out of a total of about 400 and the second largest national contingent behind the US.

After the Australia Day party we had to dash to the Club Lounge to participate in the first day of the Trivia Contest.

We had a light lunch in the colonnade restaurant at the back of the ship.  3pm was an introduction to our expedition team and then immediately after that was the first in a series of photographic tutorials by our on board professional photography coaches.

When we got back to our room Guest Services called to invite us to the formal dinner in the evening with the Cruise Director… the only problem was that a jacket, and preferably Dinner Suit/Tuxedo, was required and not realizing that tonight was a formal night, Sue had put my jacket and Dinner Suit into the laundry.  I told them I had nothing to wear, but would be happy to accept if Guest Services could spring my clothes out of the laundry.  Within an hour I had my clothes and was able to attend.

The dinner was fantastic – for the appetiser, I had a polenta dish and Sue had a potato cake with caviar and for main I had lobster and Sue had rack of lamb.  Desert was Grand Marnier soufflé.  Our resolve to only take the stairs during the cruise might have to be supplemented with some additional exercise because we are going to be in trouble if we continue in this vein!

When we finished dinner, the evening show by a musician/comedian was about to start so we decided to go and see that.  We are glad that we did because it was an amazing display of skill, particularly on the piano but with brass instruments as well – and the odd hosepipe and any other tube he could lay his hands on!

Monday 27 Jan 2014

Today we arrived into Puerto Montt.  We anchored offshore and tendered into the town.  Eight of us had got together and hired our own private tour, independent of the ship and we were lucky enough to get a head start on the main contingent from the boat.  We headed out of town to the Lake District to the Petrohue National Park and waterfall.  On the way we saw the volcano in the distance on the edge of the lake, with its top covered in snow.

The waterfall was very picturesque and there was a large amount of water flowing

As we were leaving several buses of tourists arrived so our timing was perfect. We then headed to Puerto Varras for lunch.  After lunch we stopped at a vantage point to view the volcano again and see some Llamas.

Then we returned to Puerto Montt to a lookout overlooking the town and then back to the ship.

In the evening there was a local folkloric show by Chilean dancers and singers which was entertaining. Part of the show was to pull people out of the audience and dance with them.

We were feeling a bit worn out from the day’s sightseeing so we decided to get room service and have dinner on our balcony.  The night was balmy, the sea dead calm and the food excellent.

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