“Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
This post serves as the closest to writing a ship review.
For the final three days the Coral Princess sailed toward San Antonio, Chile, one of the two ports used by Santiago. When we disembarked here a few years ago, Princess used the other port, Valparaiso, which reminded us of San Francisco. The port at San Antonio operates in a more industrial and residential area. Princess changed ports due to the labor issues at the Valparaiso port. Those issues in part affected our previous disembarkation, making it the most arduous effort to abandon ship.
The Coral Princess provided us a fine home for five weeks and guided us on an amazing journey of discovery, a trip we will never forget. The Coral became the first Princess ship in ten years to travel to Antarctica and became the largest ship ever to sail to the continent. Captain Todd McBain, who captained the previous Princess ship in these waters, greatly enhanced the experience with his communications with the passengers and his ability to adjust the itinerary as ice and weather demanded.
Nature should receive some credit, as most of the time the sun accompanied our journey and the seas remained calm. Even the occasional light rain and clouds, helped you gain an appreciation of how quickly events could turn threatening.
Unfamiliar names to us such as Elephant Island, Gerlache Strait, and Charlotte Bay, became instant celebrities. The grandeur of the continent overwhelms. Searching to create a route through miles of pack ice with armies of penguins floating by us, oblivious to the ship, will not be forgotten. Watching hundreds of whales feeding even more persistently than some of our fellow passengers, will also stay with us.
Antarctica received superb support from the Drake Passage, Cape Horn, the Beagle Channel, and the Strait of Magellan. The two ports of call in Patagonia pared perfectly with the desolate continent to the south. The ports of Buenos Aries, Montevideo, Rio, and Salvador also impressed us, although we will always lament the cancellation of our second scheduled stop in Montevideo, preventing our friends from rejoining the ship.
The three lecturers provided by Princess, significantly enhanced the journey. Chris Gunn, Bob Headland, and Mark Harris each provided an hour long daily presentation and further commentaries during the scenic cruising of Antarctica for over a week.
Our cabin on deck 10, the Carib deck, met our needs, despite what may have been the smallest shower ever encountered on a cruise ship.
Had I not lost the weight earlier this year, a lubricant or crowbar may have been required to extract me. We particularly enjoyed the oversized balcony, which allowed us the choice of full sun or shelter from the elements. The room stewards maintained the cabin perfectly.
We ate nearly all of our dinners in the main dining room, where we found the menus to be varied and of high quality. Our waiter, Mr. Ramos, provided excellent service and recommendations.
The chocolate journey deserts in the main dining never disappointed.
We tried to eat just one other meal a day other than dinner, usually in the Horizon buffet. The food was adequate with very little variety. In 34 days, only once did they serve strawberries and once papayas. We did try an occasional slice of pizza, which we liked very much. The hamburger grill also could be counted on for a good meal.
We enjoyed just a single meal in the specialty restaurants, the Creole venue. While they provided a very nice experience, we are not certain if the additional cost justifies the additional quality.
The 2,000 passenger vessel never felt crowded, with many well designed public areas. We were particularly impressed by the Universe Lounge. The atrium area was rather limited and we seldom used it.
As we said before, if you were only going to take one cruise in your life, we would recommend it be this one. The Coral will return here twice in January, in December and twice in January, 2021.
According to the polls of several online cruise reviewers, it appears that the average weight gain on a 7-day cruise ranges from 5 to 10 pounds. Our weight gain during the 34 days equaled a combined zero pounds.
One last note on Antarctica, a new scientific finding from a few months ago regarding dinosaurs, may have some current relevance. Click on the link below
The Road Goes on Forever 