Ms Veendam 21 day cruise ..South America & Antarctica

Sat 22 Dec 2012

Today is the first of 2 sea days as the ship heads south towards Buenos Aires. I woke early and went up to brekkie at 7 am. I then caught up with emails, banking and other requests from the real world.

I met up with Dave and Ruth’s Kiwi friends from Auckland and had a chat with them.

I attended the talk on the ports we are going to visit and then caught up with Wayne for the now customary pre lunch Bloody Marys.

After lunch I went to another one of Anton’s very informative wine tastings.

We did happy hour in the Crows Nest before getting ready for the first formal night of this leg of the cruise. Pre dinner drinks in the Ocean Bar were had before dinner.

The service in the dining room was VIP and the meal was excellent and as usual we were one of the last tables to leave.  

We ended the night with a night cap in the Ocean Bar. I saw the last part of the show and was in bed by 11 pm.

Very few folk were in formal dress and for the blokes just ties and jackets, I really think formals are a thing of the past, esp the large number, I suggest only 1 per week (we have 6 in the  21 nights on this leg). Wayne and I only intend to put on the Tux for the Christmas and New Year formals.

Sunday 23 Dec

I had coffee and brekkie in the Lido early and checked emails before going down to the cabin to get ready for the day. The morning was spent just chatting to some of the new guests and the crew.

 The new crowd seam to be more the normal holiday cruise folk and as such are friendlier than the last lot. There seems to be more English speaking folk on now so that helps. There are 58 Aussies, 456 Yanks, 133 Canadians, 64 Poms, the rest are from all around the world but mainly European.

It is a perfect cloudless very warm and sunny day so we had our pre lunch Bloody Marys out at the Sea View bar and then went to the Lido for lunch. I sat in on the guitarist playing poolside on the Lido deck for half an hour before my Nanna Nap.

After the Happy Hour we had another great meal with the excellent service in the dinning room.

I had an early night and was in bed before 10 pm as tomorrow we will be in Buenos Aries  Hopefully the weather will be much better on this visit.

Monday 24 December 2012

Oh Evita you have worked your magic and provided us with a perfect sunny day, but my dear did you have to make it so hot. OMG it was a bit too humid, anyway it wasn't raining like last week.

We had an early brekkie and set out to catch the Hop on Hop off bus from outside the Cruise terminal. Well it was a 3^rd world batted up bus with only an upstairs open air section with no individual ear phones. However we had a little man that ran up and down the isle translating the sights in about 4 different languages and with his thick accent I found it hard to understand his English.

 I have learnt in South America that you can take it or leave it, so we took it. The positives were we saw many of the Evita sites that I came to see. 

We didn't go on to do the second tour as it was so hot and I was starting to look like a cooked prawn. 

Wayne put on his jacket so his arms wouldn't get sunburnt and ended up feeling as if he was in a sauna.

About 1.30 pm we came back to the ship and went straight to the Ocean Bar for a Couple of Bloody Marys before a late lunch.

I did the happy hours in both the Crows Nest and the Ocean Bar. 

Susanna an elderly Argentinian lady who sailed from Santiago to Buenos Aires on our first leg of the cruise surprised us all by rejoining the ship today and will sail back to Santiago with us 

 After we sailed out of Argentina’s waters it was announced we will be calling in to the Falkland Islands on our cruise south. Everyone was very happy with this news. However I will keep my fingers crossed, as things change very quickly in this politically volatile part of the world.

We again had great service with dinner and then went to Christmas Eve drinks with Carol singing in the piano bar.

 I think I made it to bed by 2am  after a fantastic day and night.

Tuesday 25 December (Christmas Day) 2012.

I slept in and went up to brekkie about 9 am and met up with Wayne and Doug to make our plans for the day in Montevideo, Uruguay. Because of the Christmas Holiday and everything was shut we went on the $20.00 Hop on hop off bus ride as Doug had not been here before.

 Boy oh boy the change in weather was the complete opposite from yesterday’s 40’sC temps down to overcast windy 20C. From sunburn and sweat to being rugged up with a jacket and even having to hold on to the cap so the wind would not blow it off. As I said on my last visit here I was impressed with this city and  I do prefer it to Buenos Aries or Rio.

We went up to the Lido bar for our Bloody Marys after the bus tour. Kelsey came along and gave us a big Christmas hug and shouted us a Bloody Mary. Kelsey is an excellent Cruise Director and a very nice and friendly person as well.

We had a late arvo snack because we missed lunch. We skipped the Crow’s Nest 4 pm Happy hour and let me tell you, that through the bar staff into total confusion. Anyway we got all dolled up in the Tux for the Christmas formal night. When I went up to the Ocean Bar for pre dinner drinks there was a fantastic sunset.

We have open seating and it seems like most of the ship also has open seating on this cruise and they all chose to go to dinner at 8pm for Christmas.  Well there was a big line up and we got in to the dinning room at 8.55 pm. They gave us a buzzer so we went back to the bar. We have never experienced this delay before on this cruise so we put it down to the special day and the late sunset. 

The meal and the service was its usual excellent standard.

The crew put on a special international Christmas show in the theatre at 11 pm and it was splendid. Wayne and I were ushered in and we were given front row seats. We were acknowledged by little waves, smiles and winks by our friends on stage. I was so pleased we made the effort to stay up and go to the show. 

Some of the Kids even said to me after the show ‘Sir Pat it is well past your bed time and thanks for watching the show’.

As we were passing the Ocean Bar we were met by Mark the Bar Manager and he wanted to shout us a drink for Christmas. Mark is an Aussie so he bought us 2 drinks before his pager summoned him to somewhere else on the ship. After leaving the bar Mr Casino must have somehow kidnapped us and in no time at all he had taken $20 off me. He was half as greedy with Wayne and only took $10 off him. By now it was about 2 am so it was time for bed.

Wed 26 December 2012

I woke up at 10.10 am after a great 8 hours sleep. I had a late light continental brekkie in a near deserted Lido dining room.

We did the Bloody Marys pre lunch then had an easy arvo after lunch. As we had our Pinnacle Grill booking for 6 pm our arvo had to be modified. What a great meal we had at the Pinnacle and the service was excellent.

After dinner we went to the ocean bar for a night cap and again were shouted drinks by Mark, so I got to bed by 11 pm.

Thur 27 December 2012

I went up to brekkie at 7.45 am and met up with Wayne and Doug. I had an easy morning and then went up to the Lido for Bloody Marys pre lunch. It was down to the cabin for a nanna nap prior to the Happy hour in the Ocean Bar (it was a bit too choppy to go up to the Crows Nest). The temps are dropping sharply as we head south. The max temp today was 13C and for this boy from the tropics it was bloody cold and I was well rugged up.

Fri 28 Dec 2012

We arrived at the Falklands (Malvinas) and it was a tender ride to go ashore. What a day with freezing cold rain with little ice drops but well worth the visit. 

We walked around the little town of Port Stanley taking shelter when a rain squall passed by.  After an hour of taking in the sights and historic memorials we headed to the little English pub for fish and chips. What a fun place that was with the locals and the cruise folk joining in the craic. But their local beer was only in bottles and was 5.4% in alcohol volume.

I met a nice young local lady and she had studied at the Agricultural College in Longreach Queensland and when I told her I spent some time there last year we were instant friends.

About mid arvo I got the tender back to the ship. I had to get out of my wet shoes and socks and have a hot shower to warm up. After having a coffee it was time to go to Happy hour in the Ocean bar where I was presented with a bi-plane model made of cork and the wire from champagne bottles.

I caught up with Kelsey for a chat and she had invited me to her Murder Mystery Dinner she is planning for next week.

Dinner was the usual high standard and the service was excellent. I called it an early night and was in bed by 10.30 pm. The seas were calm as we head down to Antarctica.

Sat 29 Dec 2012

It was a day at sea as we entered the Drake Passage on route to Antarctica and the ocean is unusually calm which is great.

Well the cruise just gets better as I was presented with an 8 inch penguin toy and a plate of chockies from the Guest Relations team.

The Bloody Marys, lunch, nanna nap, Happy hour and then dinner filled in the very relaxing day at sea. Mr Casino took a small donation from me so I’m sulking now and will not be going back there. (Well for the time being.  I was in bed before 10 pm.

 Sun 30 December 2012

Its snowing and the seas are still calm. I have had to get very rugged up to go outside on the deck. Fancy the bloke from tropical Cairns seeing snow in the southern hemisphere in the middle of summer. How great does this get?

Jose the barman from the Ocean bar is giving me lessons on how to drive my new Galaxy Tab 2 that I purchased just before leaving home. I can now send emails from it. I get another lesson today and as the next 5 days will be sea days I will hopefully be able to do all kinds of things on it.

OMG it was freezing up on the top deck, but well worth it watching the whales and the occasional little iceberg as we keep heading south towards Antarctica. You should see me with all the gear on however it is very difficult to use the camera with gloves on.

The pre lunch Bloody Marys went down very well and then it was time for the nanna nap.

Happy Hour in the Crows Nest was a hoot and more and more folk are joining the ‘fun’ people at this bar.

We went to the Canaletto (Italian restaurant) for dinner which was very enjoyable and the food was excellent. After a night cap in the Ocean Bar I made it to bed before 11 pm.

Mon 31 December 2012

I was up on the top deck at 7.30 am watching huge icebergs floating by with penguins on them watching us cruise by. It is so well worth the experience of visiting this area. The seas are still calm however last night our passage through the Bransfield Str was blocked by ice so we now have to change course and detour around some of the islands.

About 60 million years ago a deep ocean separated Australia and Antarctica and Drake Passage, the wide channel between Antarctica and Cape Horn, began to open. The separation allowed the Antarctic Circumpolar Current to isolate the continent from warmer currents that might have otherwise tempered the polar climate.

What a way to spend New Years Eve. It was another great night starting with Happy hour then an excellent dinner in the dining room that was all decked out for the New Years festivities. We celebrated the New Year in the Ocean Bar and going by my photos it looks like I had a beaut time and was photographed with so many of the passengers and crew.

 I called it a night about 2 am and did not wake up until 10.30 am.

Tues 1 Jan 2013 
News Years Day (Feast day of the Circumcision)

I awoke very late and went up for brunch about 11.30 am as we were sailing up the rugged coastline viewing icebergs, penguins, whales and seals. I went outside on the deck in the snow to get more photos. This was a first for the bloke from the tropics to be out in the snow in the middle of summer in the southern hemisphere.

We went up a passage and came to Circumcision Bay named by a French explorer who discovered it on 1 January over 150 years ago. As you all know 1 January is the feast day of the Circumcision of Christ so it was fitting we came here on this day.

I was served hot chocolate to help keep me warm in the crows nest each time I came in from the deck.

I had a short nanna nap and then went up to the Ocean bar for happy hour.

 What a surprise we got as there were 2 young ladies (a Yank and an Aussie) that were from the Palmer research station. These delightful young ladies were so pleased to have come on board with a party of other scientists to give lectures on the area.

 We had heaps of fun with them and it was sad when they had to go and get back in their full survival suits and climb down the rope ladder and into the Zodiac for the 30 minute freezing trip back to their base.

Jose made them a motor bike  out of the champagne corks and wire and I gave them each a little Koala to ride the bikes.

Dinner was its usual high standard and I got another invite to sit at the Captain’s table for tomorrow nights formal dinner. Mark the Bar manager joined us at the end of the meal and shouted us after dinner drinks.

I made it an early night and was in bed before midnight.

Wed 2 Jan 2013

I slept in until 8.30 am and then went up to the Lido for brekkie. I was lucky to score a window table to take in the magic views of this fantastic place. It is clear and sunny which gives the snow and rocky outcrops a completely different perspective to yesterday.

I haven’t had much luck with the internet over the past few days so I will try to send this update when I can.

I had the Bloody Marys before lunch with Wayne and we spent some time with Mark and Dolores (Bar Manager and Asst Bar Manager) they usually have a chat with us at our mid day Lido bar Bloody Mary session. 

  After a light lunch I went out on deck again to take some photos and then I went for a Nanna nap as I wanted to be in top form for the Captains Dinner Table. I skipped the 4 pm Happy Hour.

I met up with the Captain and the 7 other dinner guests for pre dinner cocktails in the Explorations Lounge. We were then escorted down to the dining room for the excellent dinner. The dynamics of this mob was completely different to my last time at the ‘Old Man’s Table. Two of the old dears I thought they were going to wet themselves with the excitement of their first time at this table. (They had only become 4 Star Mariners.)

 They soon realised that the remainder of the table were much more seasoned Mariners. The poor Capt was put through 3^rd degree by them about his private life and family. Fortunately the looks from the others told me it was time to change the subject and as we had a very old Englishman who was in the Merchant Navy we got him talking to the Captain about the changes that have been made to the new ways of Navigation. The Capt was relaxing more now and we all enjoyed the conversations that followed.

After dinner I went to the Ocean Bar for a night cap or two however I was in bed by 11 pm. Of course you realise that down here at this time of the year the sun sets about 2.15 am and rises about 3 am.

Actually Wayne got some fantastic photos of the sunrise on New Years day. 

We departed the Antarctic Continent about 8.30 pm and are now on route to Cape Horn and so far the seas have been mild.

Thurs 3 Jan 2013

I slept in and made it up to brekkie just before 8 am and the boys were there to greet me and got me a good table and as usual waited on me. No wonder some folk look at me and say to one another ‘who the hell is he?’ or maybe ‘who the hell does he think he is?’

 I think to my self if they didn't act so high and mighty in the way some of them treated these hard working folk maybe they would get the special service. Actually I think the real reason they wait on me is because they think I am a danger to shipping carrying my own plates and drinks back to the table esp when the ship is jumping around. Anyhow I appreciate the excellent service I get.

I had an early evening and went to bed about 9.30 pm after dinner.

Fri 4 Jan 2013

We made it into Ushuaia, Argentina just after 7 am and it was a clear sunny day and the town was fringed with snow capped peaks. It was very cold but not too windy. I had an early brekkie and went ashore about 8.30 am. Most of the shops were not open until about 9.30 am so we just walked around and took heaps of photos. I took the laptop ashore in the hope I would find some wifi at an Internet café, but no such luck.

I had to get rid of the remainder of my Argentinian pesos so I bought another overpriced T-shirt. It was a good chance to catch up with some of the crew who had been given some time off to go ashore.

The town is a bit frontier like in some ways similar to a few of the Alaskan towns but in other ways it was a lot like European towns in Norway.

We set sail from here just after lunch so the visit was a short one. 

The scenic cruising along the coast was breath taking with the contrasts of snow, ice, waterfalls and rugged baron mountains.

I had an early night and had room service so I was in bed by 8.30 pm.

Sat 5 and Sun 6 Jan 2013

Both days were scenic cruising through the Strait of Magellan and the Canal Sarmiento and were highlights of the cruise. It was too cold to go out on the deck so we spent most of the days in the Lido looking out on the fantastic coastline and islands. This cruise is a must do for anyone’s bucket list. I am so pleased I have had the opportunity to experience this cruise.

Wayne and I still have our 2 Bloody Marys pre lunch at the Lido Bar and we are usually joined with Mark and Dolores as they do their change of shift handovers.

Dolores has been spoiling me and getting me lunch and bringing it out to the bar so I don’t have to leave my spot at the bar. From my bar stool I get a 180 degree view so it is a great spot for the scenic viewing.

I had a long nanna nap as I wanted to be up for the Filipino Crew show which was on at 11 pm. Once again Wayne and I were escorted to front row seats to enjoy the show. As usual it was an excellent show and to see the national pride they display in the songs and dances. These boys and girls have become good friends over the past weeks as they serve our drinks so they appreciate our support in attending.

It was after midnight by the time I got to bed.

Mon 7 Jan 2013

I slept in and went up to brekkie about 8.30 am. Not many folk were up there as the seas were a bit wild so they stayed in their cabins. I got the usual excellent service from Iceman and the other boys. I then went back to the cabin and went back to bed.

I met up with Wayne at 12.30 pm at the Lido for the customary pre lunch Bloody Marys. I had some just cooked turkey for lunch.

The seas were a bit wild so many folk adjourned to their cabins. The seas don’t bother me and I always seem to sleep better.

Then it was time for the nanna nap for a few hours before going up to the Ocean Bar. It is strange but it seems some folk only find out about happy hour in the last few days of a cruise. It was packed and the staff was working flat out to keep up.

Edwin a Dutch guy joined us again for dinner. The service and the meal was excellent as usual.

After a night cap I was in bed by mid night.

Tues 8 Jan 2013

I slept in again and when I awoke the ship was already anchored off Puerto Montt. The sea was dead calm and there was a thick fog making it impossible to see the shore.

As this is a tender port and I was not impressed with the place when we called in on the way around, I will not go ashore and will use some of my time to start the terrible job of packing. I may have mentioned previously that I hate packing.

I didn't do happy hour as I was meeting Kelsey and Dan for dinner in the Pinnacle Grill at 6 pm so I didn't want to spoil the night. It was an excellent dinner although Kelsey had to leave for 20 minutes to open the show. (Kelsey is the Cruise Director and Dan is the Events Manager.)

 Anyway it was the eve of Kelsey’s 24th birthday so what an honour to have this very attractive young lady share this special time with an old fart like me.

I called to the Ocean Bar for a night cap or two. When Wayne got back from his dinner he joined me and as it was the last formal night he wanted me to join him up as the masked ball in the Crows Nest, but as this started at 11 pm I declined. Jose made me a hot toddy as I could a bit of a head cold coming on so I was in bed just after 11ish.

Tue 9 Jan 2013

I slept in and felt much better cold wise and went up for a late brekkie and was waited on by Iceman. Thank God it was a sea day so I was able to get the rest of my packing done.

I had the usual Bloody Marys pre  lunch at the Lido Bar and Dolores went in and got me some lunch and insisted I have a small serve of bread pudding…. Well the small serve would have fed 3 blokes… she meant well. But it was yummy.

The last day and evening are always terrible having to say goodbye bye all our new friends. Somehow Happy Hour melted into dinner and then last after dinner drinks. Wayne tells me I was in behind the bar handing out chocolates to the crew. The chocolates were a gift to me from the front office kids.

I’m not sure what time I got to bed but I was told I had a good night.

Thurs 10 Jan 20

Well Sir Pat was not a well boy. I even missed brekkie and the Iceman got me some coffee, a bread roll and some strawberry jam. He came along later with some Special K so I didn't have to starve.

The exit from the ship went smoothly considering we had to go from the ship to the cruise terminal by a shuttle. We had to get 2 cabs to take for the 3 of us and our luggage to go from the terminal to the bus terminal to get up to Santiago.

We left the fog of the coast as we headed inland through the vineyards and mountains to a very hot and fine day in Santiago. Wayne had made the booking for our 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment and would you believe we are in the same block as we stayed in last time. 

The unit is managed by a different mob to the other one we stayed in. This time we are up on floor 15 and faced out the front of the building.

 It is so warm here with temps today in the mid 30’s.. It is now after 5pm so Wayne and I are having Happy Hour out on our balcony. Boy Oh Boy I will not need any rocking tonight.

We went out to the German Restaurant that we visited last month and it would have been so nice to have taken a table outside but that’s where all the smokers were. After fumbling through the Spanish menu the bloke trying to serve us realised we could only speak English so he got us their one and only copy of the English menu. 

As on our last visit we enjoyed the meal, however this time Doug was with us and kept confusing the waiter when he tried to use pidgin Spanish in his loud voice and his excessive arm movements of sign language. It provided lots of laughs from the staff and other diners behind his back.

Fri 11 January 2013

It was beaut to sleep in take it easy. It had been so warm during the night  and with the overworked small air conditioner for one bedroom not coping  trying to keep the whole  condo  cool there was a lot of tossing and turning and disrupted sleep.

I just had some toast and jam with tea for brekkie and worked on catching up with the blog and emails for most of the morning as the other 2 slept in. I also spoke to some of the family that I could get on gmail voice from my laptop.

There is no doubt that Santiago is the nicest capital in South America I have visited so far. This time I was very confident and did not seem to have the language barriers I experienced on the first visit here.

We went walking around and had pizza for lunch and then went on to buy Wayne an extra bag for his extra purchases to get them home. (It was cheaper to pay for an additional bag than to pay for the over weight bags on the flight back to Australia.)

We raised a glass late afternoon to our former Happy hour friends and the crew of the Veendam. The late afternoon views and the change of colours caused by the setting sun on the buildings and the mountains were fantastic from our balcony.

It was another early night with the final packing being done. I realised I had left my external hard drive, USB memory sticks and my noise reduction earphones on the ship. So I hope they will be found and I can have them posted home soon.

Sat 12 Jan 2013

We left the condo about 10.30 am to get a taxi for the airport. OMG the confusion it caused with our entire luggage and our lack of Spanish. Doug was also confusing the issue with his over zealous hand gestures. We said goodbye to Doug.  Wayne and I with the little cab over loaded set off for what we hoped was the airport and the correct one at that. I wish we had a photo of the packed little car with us in it nursing hand luggage. ¾ of the back seat was packed with suit cases and me and the boot was jammed packed.

We were so pleased to see the airport and we could not understand how much the little man wanted for the trip.( No Meter) Anyway we offered him 200,000 in Chilean which was about $ 40 Aussie and we had a friend for life and he wanted to even give us some change. Wow, what a bargain as he even helped us get trollies to go in to the terminal.

Just after getting in the Qantas check in line, Wayne noticed the Qantas assistant Manager walking by checking on things so he called her over to ask her about his online payment he had made for the extra bag but had not the facilities to print it out. She took us out of the line and sent us down to the Business priority check in area where we got VIP treatment and I sure if the flight wasn’t  full we would have been upgraded.

The official security part and immigration was a breeze and we were able to relax in the public departure gate lounge with the real people. (No more Qantas Club Lounges anymore for this poor bloke).

We took advantage of the priority boarding and were in our seats well before the bulk came on board.   

The flight was ok for a long flight and I was able to get in a few hours sleep in between movies.

Sun 13 January 2013

We arrived in Sydney about 5.45 pm and I said Goodbye to Wayne as he was flying on to Melbourne.  The official process of immigration customs etc. went very quickly and I was out waiting for a shuttle bus to take me to the Mercure Sydney Airport Hotel. Mr Qantas cancelled my connecting flight to Cairns so is putting me up with meals at the Mercure overnight.

It was great to have a hot shower and go down for dinner. I had a chat with friends and called it an early night about 10.30 pm.

The body clock is a bit confused and I was up at 1.30 until 4.00 am updating this blog.

Monday 14 January 2013. 

I woke up at 5.30 am and started preparing myself for the final day. After my shower etc. it was time to go down to brekkie in the dining room. It was a well prepared and presented buffet so I had an excellent brekkie.

I caught the shuttle to the domestic airport at 7.50 am and was all checked in and at the departure lounge by 8.30 am so there was only 30 minutes to fill in before boarding the flight. What a bonus I had with 2 seats to myself which was nice. There seams to be only 4 spare seats on the flight.

We were served a hot Brekkie which is unusual these days on domestic flights but maybe it is because this flight is over 3 hours in duration. I will no need any lunch today when I arrive.

As I sit here on the flight and reflect on the past eight weeks I realise I am a lucky bloke to be able to do all this travel whilst I still can. It also will be great to get home for awhile.

I was met at the airport by my brother John and he drove me home. The house and yard were in great condition and had been looked after by my house sitter. My car started first time so all is well and it was beaut to be back in the warm tropical humid air of Cairns.

 Later in the afternoon I went to the supermarket to get some supplies. I was finding it hard to keep awake as the body clock was a bit confused.

What another fantastic holiday and my thanks to all that made it such.