An item of interest to some is the layout of the ship. Journey's deck plans can be found here. There you can locate our little home, 7044.
We've nobody with us this time. But the ship will have many Australians on board; they're always fun and easy to meet. Our cruise from Singapore to Athens taught us this, where we Americans were in the minority.
We rose casually since we aren't doing anything ashore today. Breakfast in the restaurant, again sort of sparse. We packed and loafed until 1130. Our minivan came and took us to the boarding hall. Check-in was the normal flap but we got through it without much damage.
We made the necessary survival call, then sail-away on the pool deck. We took pictures as we left the harbor.
Then we returned to the stateroom to unpack the suitcases. We found space for everything, but it is rather tight.
Our cabin attendant (Jocelyn) introduced herself and helped. Very personable young lady. We couldn't get the TV going, but she furnished a new remote controller.
The Captain and the Cruise Director (CD) gave speeches with emphasis on saving water but washing hands regularly and thoroughly. Quite concerned about health since we'll be away from any port for several days and hundreds of miles.
That took us until 1845 when we headed for Windows to get food. The buffet is good, as always, tonight slanted toward seafood. We did well but not overwell.
O is having problems getting the MacBook onto the internet. Azamara has totally trashed their prior application, one that showed the things you can also read in the daily insider received each evening. Now there's only a login QR code that enables connection to the StarLink. It works very well on the hand-helds with a camera to initiate contact; the MacBook has no such QR app.
After dinner we went to the introductory show. Each group did their thing (I'll get to them as they appear in their individual shows). Justin Schreyer (Ass't CD) and Stephen Milliet (CD) were outstanding. We've sailed with them before. Justin, while describing bingo prizes, gave D an Azamara visor.
To the Living Room for our nightcap (port for D, Gibson for O). And to bed.
First day at sea.. A time to look around, to see if you recognize anyone, to see what's new in the shops, and meet people. Start a list of things we've forgotten. Learn the wine offerings. Meet the entertainment staff. Meet the Den bartenders.
Up not early, not late. Breakfast in Windows while doing laundry. Regarding the photo at right, one wonders where people might have been placing the pods.
O went to the here-where-we're-going presentation while D did jewelry making and came back with a new wristlet. O still having MacBook problems.
We did a light lunch in Windows rather than a full lunch in Discoveries, the Main Dining Room (MDR henceforth). Sandwich and dessert.
O did the 1400 presentation by the History lecturer on Magellan and his discovery of the Strait.
We'passed over the location of the world's most powerful earthquake - Valdivia. This is the one that caused a tsunami to reach Hilo, Hawaii.
General Trivia was fun even though we didn't do well. Then dinner in the MDR which went well. Sat by ourselves and observed others.
The Captain's Toast came after a while, where he introduce his officers and made remarks.
The evening show was a pianist who also did a number on the accordion. Everyone liked him.
No nightcap, we were tired and went to bed.
Photo Link
First port. It appears there's not much in the city. All the tours take you north into a district of lakes and a pretty volcano.
The staff announcements about going ashore included 1) drink nothing ashore, 2) eat nothing ashore, and 3) take nothing ashore. Also, the pickpockets are very talented; stay in groups and be aware of your surroundings.
Given all that, we stayed aboard.
We had coffee and muffins in the Mosaic Cafe near the shops. Nice place; some people spend hours here.
O fixed his problem of getting his MacBook on-line. He had several selected DNS addresses in that field of Wifi; they prevented Wifi from getting the ship's DNS setting from the ship's router. When they were cleared, the ship's setting was received and used. Santa Maria, it works!!
O took the old Canon camera topside to shoot pictures of the port and another ship anchored near us. Tenders going back and forth to the shore. He noted the Patio is being set up for lunch - we'll go down there.
We did go to the Patio for burger and chicken and salad things. Saw a pair of seals cavorting alongside.
Trivia at 1600 - in General we did all right for the two of us. 1630 - Music Trivia of the 80's - we're in the wrong decade.
Went to look at the Chilean foods setup on the pool deck, then went to dinner in the MDR. Wandered around for a while, decided not to attend the mind-reading magician show.
Returned to cabin and off to bed.
The itinerary says we're going to dock here, but I can't figure out where the dock is. Probably anchor out.
Again, there doesn't appear to be much to excite us, so we plan on just a simple walk to the square / plaza and look around.
We arose to find the ship anchored at Castro in rain. The usual injunctions against food and drink ashore apply. Decided to have coffee and wait to see if the weather improves.
An hour later the moisture became a dense fog. Then that went away but the clouds stayed.
We decided to go to lunch in the Patio. There, we met Andy (former travel agent / cruise specialist) and Randy (retired submariner officer). They reside in Arizona but spend much of their time cruising. We swapped stories, both Navy and cruising, until we ate everything. We parted and took a short walk to the cabin.
Gave up on going ashore.
A comment on Internet access here: When most people are aboard and unoccupied, access is really slow - lots of people on line. It's actually fairly speedy at night or in early morning. If you have more than one device, switching between them is easy. It's still not for FaceTime video calls. O uploads changes to our travel web with no problem other than slow speed. So, better. But.
Azamara has totally given up on that goofy Insider application, instead publishing the Insider paper every day and putting most things on the cabin TV.
We listened to Stephen the CD do songs for an hour in the Living Room, and then did dinner with waiter Adrian.
Then the singers and dancers show in the Cabaret at 2000, then return to the cabin. Must be up early tomorrow for the Discoverers+ breakfast. 'gnite.
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This is a tiny little place. The pier is shorter than the ship. But at left is a picture of Azamara Pursuit tied up to it. Other pictures show Azamara ships anchored out. Captain's decision.
We're getting into the Patagonia region of Chile here. All tours go north from here to Aysen, the district center. After this, we'll be two days at sea.
Again the weather is not good. Given there's not much here & we signed up for no tour, we're staying aboard. Saw several salmon farms near the shore while passing.
This morning the Captain's Breakfast for guests at the Discoverers level and above was held in Discoveries. Nice buffet with all sorts of dishes. We were seated next to a couple that had been on the same cruise four years ago. So we caught up on recent cruising and so forth.
Then we watched as the ship traversed a narrow gorge (at slow speed) past salmon farms in approaching Puerto Chacabuco. The Captain chose to anchor a short distance from the town.
Good day to do laundry. Did laundry, but had to fight the dryer which wanted to stop before finishing. We spoke to it, after which it behaved.
Light lunch in Windows for O, D skipped.
General Trivia - 13, 15 was high. Elvis Trivia - don't ask.
Hung around the cabin, observing underway at 1800, then dinner in the MDR - wienerschnitzle tonight.
The show tonight was our band with a guest guitarist, who played mainly rock music with hundreds of notes is no particular key just to make notes. When he slowed down for a song or two, he was quite good. He's a Chilean, so some songs were loosely based on native songs.
D to bed, O to the Den where he ran into an Irish couple. Much talk about Ireland and our trips there. Then to bed.
Photo Link
20250207 & 08 Friday & Saturday At Sea
Chilean Fjords. Two days cruising the Norway-like fjords of Chile.
We went out into the Pacific for 24 hours of bouncing around, then swung inland about 1100 to enter a series of channels through coastal islands. They supposed to look like Norway and they may - later. Right now we''re in fog. And rain. Downright yucky day, except the bouncing is reduced.
We joined four others to form a team in progressive Trivia at 1215. Did poorly, but O came up with the capital of Nicaragua.
About 1700 we turned into a dead-end fjord landward. Viewed our first glacier this trip at latitude 48*. Ship did a 360* turn so everyone had a chance to get a good picture (R). Then we resumed cruising south.
General Trivia gave us 13 to the winners 15.
We got a good look at an old grounded steamer with a story of having been abandoned by the captain for insurance fraud. Didn't work.
We had a nice dinner in the MDR followed by drinks in the Den with a lady native of Buenos Aires. Then off to the cabin.
Woke up to see a glacier outside our door. The ship spun to show everybody the big ice thing. Got a pot of coffee and started a laundry cycle while continuing to watch the scenery slide past. Very harsh environment. Finished laundry.
Noon position 51*12'S, 074*09.5'W. Making 19 knots on course 164T, 142M.
We did progressive Trivia with new friends - had fun, didn't win. Went to lunch in Windows. Loafed during the afternoon. Then did afternoon regular Trivia (13 against winners 15), then Music (14 against winners 20). We passed an old rusty grounded freighter during the fun.
Shortly afterward the word was passed that we had formally entered the Strait of Magellan. At this point we turned from S to SE in 25 knot winds. The ship started intermittent rolling, despite the stabilizers. Later, it decreased and we were comfortable.
Dinner in the MDR was nice. The show was by the singers and dancers, to choreography we'd see on other Azamara ships. Quite good.
Tomorrow we dock and go on a tour, so off to bed early tonight.
The tour selected for today is the Patagonia Estancia Experience, where we bus to a ranch (Estancia) to see what they do, including sheep. The last such thing in which we took part gave O a severe case of E.coli. Hopefully that will not be repeated.
Punta Arenas (Sandy Point) is located on one of the three ways around Cape Horn, the Strait of Magellan. Second will be the Beagle Channel, which we will view tomorrow. The third is around the point itself, ocean to ocean, done only by lunatics and those suicidal.
Busy day. Up at 7:00 to eat, then dress for windy, partly cloudy, day that turned sunny by evening. The bus left at 0915 for the nearly two hour drive to the Estancia which is on another island reached by small ferry. While driving we saw rheas and other birds.
At Estancia Fitz Roy (Fitz Roy was captain of Beagle who cruised these waters) we stepped out into a junkyard or museum, take your pick. Stuff everywhere. In remote areas nobody throws anything away, lest they need some part from it later. There were old vehicles, old steam engines (at least five, all of the same model), old threshing machines, parts of things like a big gear on an axle; you'll have to look at the photos. The farm cat appeared and followed us everywhere.
There was a herd of sheep in a pen, and people ready to shear them. They have about 200 sheep and two "stands" of shearing equipment. One person pulled in a sheep and manipulated it so he could access all sides, shearing as he went. It took less than three minutes. He flipped out the sheared wool in one piece looking like a good-sized throw rug. Then the wool was thrown into a pickup; the cat hopped up to relax in the wool. The wool is later pressed into bales weighting 250kg for shipment.
After that the sheared sheep were herded into the dipping trough and made to go to the other end while people pushed them down to make sure every part of the body was clean of insects.
Then our guide showed us around the rest of the shearing building, including more stuff. O liked the Grundig reel-to-reel tape recorder and the table of 40 flatirons.
The group (less O, who got lost) were shown to the little chapel the owner had built so that his daughters could be married on the island. Then everyone gathered in the area where the lamb was cooking, being suspended from the roof by a chain and hook. We were given small "pisco sours" while watching. A man then took the rack to a table and chopped or cut it into eating pieces.
Then we sat outside in the sun, with the cat, to watch the dogs move a small herd (12 or so) of sheep into he yard through a gate. They moved the herd around the yard just by walking toward one side of the herd. Then on command they ran the sheep out through the gate and back to their pen.
A girl came up with a tractor and trailer to give us a ride around the farm and back to the house. Saw a number of small cabins they rent out to tourists. The cat came along.
We sat in the yard for a few minutes rest while the driver went off to fetch the bus. Then the ride back, which was quite quiet until we neared the city; then the guide gave information on buildings, on the replica of Magellan's ships, and so forth to the end at the pier.
All told, it was a long but very interesting and unusual day.
We dressed for dinner - resort casual - to attend the Captain's Table. An interesting dozen gathered to do the five-course dinner with curated wines. We stated hesitantly but grew more friendly and loud as the wine took effect. It was very entertaining and we enjoyed it.
Then off to bed.
Photo Link
No, not named for a breed of dog, but for a ship that made a transit through here that thousands of ships have followed, and on which is our port call for tomorrow. But for today, we can take pictures of the walls of a narrow channel and/or read books, play trivia, eat & drink, chat, or do laundry.
Started late. Internet problems again. Down to guest services; guy changed the system-suppled DNS to another (10.38.0.12 to 10.39.0.12) and access was restored. Why the systems gives non-working DNS addresses is known only to some little geek in a dark cabin down by the keel.
Progressive Trivia was fun - got about 8 of 10. Then Lunch in Windows. Back to cabin. The 1600 Trivia in the Living Room was full to the walls. Everybody attended. We didn't do very well, partly because we were 200 yards away from the announcer.
After dinner we retired to do this website, read, rest, and just take it easy.
The glacier at left is the Garibaldi glacier in the Tierra del Fuego National Park in far south Chile.
