Chile and Antarctica cruise

[RooFlyer]

While we were having dinner, a bit of a dance between various vessels started.

We were bunkering; Cloud cast off, pirouetted 180 degrees and moved out; Ponant's L'Austral moved in, next to bunker; we cast off bunker ship and also pirouetted 180 degrees while warping; bunker ship tied up to L'Austral. Two tugs there to assist.









Breakfast the final morning was early - I went to The Restaurant and my eyebrow at the service there was raised again.

Food-flecked menu



Yoghurt with granola in a packet



Toasted English muffin



I'm guessing with the early start and new pax arriving later in the day, the kitchen was operating with a scratch team.

Busses waiting to take us to the airport.



At the airport, VIP entrance off the bus and swiftly onto the plane

 

[RooFlyer]

Departed on time. A strong revving of the engines while brake applied to give s a flying start on the short runway; we are going via Punta Arenas, 45 mins away to refuel. In spite of announcements saying what would happen both on board the craft and before, many were wondering what was happening.

As before 2-3 seating but occupied with a shadow in the middle seat of the 3 and @Port Power got one in 7B to her 7A. Plenty of leg room again and extensive service - snack between PW and PA; chicken soup on the ground at PA, then quite a big lunch after depoarting PA; it was only 10:30 so I skipped it. Booze available all trip!!

Arrived SCL; identified checked bag on the ground in the charter building, onto a nice coach to the Mandarin Oriental Hotel again, for a night.

Arrived at 1:15pm and told my room wasn't ready until 3pm; others were OK. It was a bit chaotic - but the MO does this many, many times during the season and I think it should be a better process. But there you go.

I'm still coughing up a storm - very embarrassing but I haven't seen any dirty looks, so far ....

Walk to shopping centre in ice fine and warm weather with Port Power to go to a pharmac_ and eventually negotiate some cough syrup and lozenges to replace my rapidly depleting supply (PP has already donated Strepsils - mine ran out ages ago).

Bade farewell to Port Power just now - for some reason I booked a flight tomorrow and am staying at the airport tonight. Much appreciated PP's company and guidance through all things SilverSea. Fair sailings ...

 

[Port Power]

On Silver Muse MrLtL had a schnitzel in Atlantide and it came perched on spaghetti as well - no idea why but he reported it was not yummy.

I did write a note to the Hotel Director stating the food was delicious by all accounts, but decidedly not Australian, and that was insulting to Australians. He came and spoke to me the next night. He had talked to the Executive Chef and they totally agreed and apologised. As this is a fleet-wide menu, I will be interested to see if there are changes made. Call the menu “Australian inspired“ and actually name the dish as a cottage pie, then all would be well. And put mash or chips with the chicken schnitzel.

 

[Pushka]

Isn't departure day just horrid. Even the ship starts pumping out service like you no longer matter.

Interesting about running out of veggies. On the cruises I've been on, its been alcohol.

 

[Seat0B]

With steaks the usual is 4 fat chips. So they only got dudded one. It is the area where Silversea has gone downhill. As far as I am concerned because of RCL taking over the ordering and supplies for every ship in the fleet. The Main Dining room menu on the wind for a particular night will be the same fleet wide.

After many years as an RAAF Catering Officer (yes cue the jokes now) I have a complete hatred for lazy institutional cooking. I can assure you there is NO reason at all that mass cooking has to be awful. I found that the standard of meals in the Airmen‘s Mess could be improved substantially just by making the person who cooked it serve it to the customer - and making sure the customers knew that was what was happening so they could give feedback directly to the maker. Quality improved very quickly after that.

 

[RooFlyer]

Interesting about running out of veggies. On the cruises I've been on, its been alcohol.

in my room at least that was certainly never the case. if you ask your Butler to bring some wine it wasn’t a glass, it was a bottle. Right to the bitter end!

And I took the picture on the day of my departure. The bottle of Monopole blue top that was sitting in an ice bucket when I first got on board regrettably was left behind untouched.

 

[Pushka]

in my room at least that was certainly never the case. if you ask your Butler to bring some wine it wasn’t a glass, it was a bottle. Right to the bitter end!

And I took the picture on the day of my departure. The bottle of Monopole blue top that was sitting in an ice bucket when I first got on board regrettably was left behind untouched.

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Geez. You could at least have packed it away. Thats what we did with our Veuve! The sparkling they give on Cunard - definitely not a drinker or a keeper.

 

[RooFlyer]

Geez. You could at least have packed it away. Thats what we did with our Veuve! The sparkling they give on Cunard - definitely not a drinker or a keeper.

I would’ve given it away to the crew or expedition team, but that’s not allowed. I already have my full grog allowance for coming back to Australia in some delicious Chilean carmenere.

 

[Pushka]

I would’ve given it away to the crew or expedition team, but that’s not allowed. I already have my full grog allowance for coming back to Australia in some delicious Chilean carmenere.

I wondered about that. We'd been given a large box of Lindt chocolates after our ship move. I wasn't in the mood for them and didn't open them. On the second last night I left a note on them for the cabin crew, who'd been lovely under the circumstances and was wondering if she was allowed to take them. Next thing I saw them on her trolley . I said to her that if there was an issue in her accepting them then I could open them and offer her one almost as left overs but didn't want to open them not in her presence. Health stuff and all that.

Clearly not an issue on Viking.

 

[drron]

On the day we get off a Silversea ship we don’t have breakfast in any restaurant that has waiters.Restaurant staff have often been up all night moving passengers bags. They can be quite tired hence service is often sub par that morning.

 

[Pushka]

On the day we get off a Silversea ship we don’t have breakfast in any restaurant that has waiters.Restaurant staff have often been up all night moving passengers bags. They can be quite tired hence service is often sub par that morning.

That makes sense. We pitied our people on our 7 day cruise. They only just moved us in on Sunday then had to ship us out on Tuesday. Then ship other passengers in the night we left. Then on the next Saturday it was rinse and repeat. For us, Tuesday night the crew on the next boat had to get our luggage in made worse by the fact we were now rafted and had to walk through another boat to get to ours. They'd done the opposite earlier that morning. Then for them rinse and repeat on Saturday.

 

[tgh]

Changeover day is a big deal for the crew ; rushing back to our recently vacated cabin to check if we left something, I was amazed to find it already turned upside down and 3 stewards scrubbing and cleaning like their lives depended on it..

 

[bPeteb]

The polar plunge. About 100 people did it. After completing a 4 page medical questionnaire and waiver, you are tied to a harness, and two at a time, jump off the zodiac and climb back in. The ship's photographer is in a zodiac filming (pics for a price) and you can also give your phone to someone behind you to take pics. Or, you can be like me, hanging over Port Power's balcony and looking on in comfort. No-one who took the plunge reported a bad experience.

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A harness! How very fancy Both times we've done it on The World (north and south) they just loosely tied a rope around you!

I'm following it's third expedition of the season down there. Hope you gave it a wave if you saw it

 

[bPeteb]

Amazing photos RooF.

Thanks for the very matter of fact review.

Brings back some great memories of our Ross Sea expedition. I can't believe that it was nearly seven years ago that we went to Antarctica. Time to go back me reckons.

 

[drron]

A harness! How very fancy Both times we've done it on The World (north and south) they just loosely tied a rope around you!

I'm following it's third expedition of the season down there. Hope you gave it a wave if you saw it

They just don't breed them as tough as they used to do they @bPeteb. I did the first of my polar plunges in the Arctic from the Silver Explorer. I was tied up by the wife of the Expedition Leader who assured me she knew how to tie up men. Of course the rope came off as I dived in. Fantastic as I was able to swim around for a while. The Endorphins were flowing.

The second was 5 months later in Antarctica from the Orion. Again tied up but unfortunately the rope stayed in place. I have a picture of myself on the Orion. It was the way I appeared on the pool deck usually.


Then the Captain kept them in hiding to escape a rough passage across the Drake. The Captain of the Orion had no such qualms though he was a mad Irishman.
Coming back from Macquarie Island to New Zealand we ran into a storm. Waves were 15 metres with occasional ones to 18 metres. To make it a little more interesting the stabilisers were knocked out for an hour or two. We were strapped into bed. Only 3 passengers made it to breakfast the next day. Myself, Mrsdrron and 1 other.

 

[RooFlyer]

View from my room on the 15th floor of the MO.





it was Sunday morning, so I just mucked about the hotel until I was ready to leave- late check-out at 1:30 pm. I sat outside for as long as I could to try to get some fresh air intO me and hopefully give the lungs a bit of a rest from the dry air-conditioners. But Santiago is naturally dry, so, I’m not sure how much good it did.

Uber to the airport - 22,800 CLP (A$38) including tolls and 20 mins time using the new-ish tunnels. early Sunday afternoon.

Staying another night at the Holiday Inn out at the airport. This time got plat recognition, a bottle of water and a drink voucher and was given a room on the fifth floor in the original wing. I’m not sure whether I’ve ever been given a room in this wing before, but it’s definitely older than the other part - for instance only shower over the bath and it’s looking a bit tired.





The view - on the left is a multi story car park so I think I can take that box.



I took a lengthy stroll around the Airport precinct, including both terminals and then went back to Hotel for an early dinner. I selected the cheapest thing on the menu which sounds like a small or children’s burger, but when it came out, it was enormous. And with one of those baskets of chips things.

Next morning, over to Int’l terminal and check was open 3 1/2 hours before departure, via machines only.

Then to immigration - easy for that and also pretty easy through security. No need to take anything out of bags like laptops or liquids and gels.

So I’m now in the 'premium'lounge at Santiago Airport that Qantas uses. It has exactly the same decor as the VIP lounge that I used last time, but smaller and not as good amenity, but still pretty good.

Good coffee!!







I've medicated myself to the max, hoping to suppress any coughing fits on board the plane. I expect there might be one or two or maybe more over the 14 hours so I’m going to have the seat pillow to hand.

 

[drron]

Thanks for the wonderful trip report. It brought back wonderful memories of the Falklands and South Georgia. But I am glad we did it 10 years ago and had several landings.
We didn't go down to the Peninsula as it was the last cruise of the season and then Silversea always did a Cape To Cape cruise from South America to South Africa.
You were incredibly fortunate to land on Elephant Island. Very few have.
So back to the wilds of Tasmania.
All the best until the next trip.

 

[love_the_life]

Thanks for a great TR Rooflyer - brings back memories of a couple of trips including an overnight at Holiday Inn at Santiago on the way back from the Galapagos Is. We had had a pretty eventful flight from Quito (full of party people all wandering around and generally having, well....a party). Got to the hotel and to the bar, ordered a G&T to be told there was no gin. Funny thing was that the shelves behind the bar had lots of bottles of Tanquery and when I pointed that out, was told that they were just for show and all empty. LOL. Vodka and tonic had to suffice.
Super photos and great information on the geology (and not forgetting the penguins).

 

[Pushka]

Thankyou for the most excellent TR Rooflyer although at times I was left behind while being away too. Your pictures were simply stunning. I don't think I will be getting there.

Im curious to get your overall impressions of SS cruises now. Viking has pretty much left a sour taste after a brilliant cruise in May, in reading forums of other cruise lines, the dreaded C seems to have impacted every cruise line greatly. Do you think SS has managed to avoid this issue? Maybe your cruise is a little more complex as it required significant crew expertise, effort and knowledge to undertake it. On the other hand, alcohol supplies appear not to have suffered the same fate. Actually, maybe that's the key to overcome other shortfalls?

Anyway, where next?

 

[Seat0B]

Im curious to get your overall impressions of SS cruises now. Viking has pretty much left a sour taste after a brilliant cruise in May, in reading forums of other cruise lines, the dreaded C seems to have impacted every cruise line greatly.

As someone looking to book my first ever cruise, I would really appreciate the more experienced cruisers starting a thread like this and sharing their views.