Great AQ cabin in the center of deck 11 looking aft.  There was some soot present on the deck of the veranda in the morning – likely from trash burning overnight.  Cabin is very quiet and convenient to all dining venues – walk down one deck and you are in Oceanview or ride the elevator down to other decks.  The aft elevators seem to be less in demand than others.  Hint: when boarding, walk up to deck two, go aft and get on the elevator avoiding all the crowds waiting for the midship elevator.

We arrived a week before sailing and spent four days touring the city - two days with Tomas (Bonaventura Tours) seeing the city sights and sailing on the Tigre Delta, one day at Estancia El Ombu de Areco, and a day exploring the San Telmo Market and Government Square on our own.  Since we overnighted in Buenos Aires the first night of the cruise, we took in Tango Carlos Gardel and returned about 0030 with no problem.

Tour of the city highlights followed by lunch and wine tasting at Vina Varela Zarranz winery which included cheese, olives, cold cuts, homemade meat pie (similar to quiche) and a dessert sampler.  This was an excellent tour that got us back to the ship with plenty of time for shopping.

We left the port about 7:30 and breezed past the entrance gate since the park had not officially opened and made our first stop at a small area where our guide explained that beavers had been brought from Canada to start a fur industry.  The only problem was the beavers adapted to the slightly warmer climate by growing shorter fur, thus reducing the value of the skins.  Now there is a huge beaver overpopulation problem.  Next stop was Ensenada Bay where the End of the World Post Office is located.  With our early start we were still ahead of many of the ship tour busses.  We stopped briefly at Roca Lake for photo opportunities and then at the park's main area for shopping, coffee and bathrooms. The guide paid our entrance fees as we exited and handed us our tickets.  There are several glaciers, including the La Martial, surrounding Ushuaia which gave us some excellent photos. While the guide was very knowledgeable of the area, her English skills were limited.

fter our tender ride ashore, we began our first day in Chile with a ride to the countryside through an area where there was a forest fire yesterday which closed the highway.  Last night's rain had dampened the fire, but there was lots of lingering smoke near the city.  On the way, we learned that this area was settled by Germans in the mid-1950s.  Today the influence is still very strong with private German schools, clubs, and parks.  The weather cleared as we approached Lake Llanquihue, the largest in Chile, for a short stop and walk about the town of Puerto Varas, known as the City of Roses.  Since we were early, the shops had not yet opened.  In the distance was our next stop, Mt. Osorno, a snow-capped volcano.  We walked across the lava field to reach the Petrohue Falls and rapids.  While not Iguzu, it was very picturesque with glacial blue water swirling. We stopped at restaurant in the Vincente Perez Rosales National Park and learned that the owners of the tour company (and restaurant) were an ex-pat from Oregon (complete with his  OSU ball cap) and his Chilean wife. Our final stop of the adventure was in the Bavarian-styled village of Frutillar with a very interesting performing arts center.  We wished that we had more time in Puerto Varas on the outbound leg, but we were driven by the need to get to the restaurant before the ship's tours arrived.

e highlight of the visit was traveling to the village by dugout canoes and watching the boatmen handle them when there were only inches of water below the boat and our 6 - 8 passengers.  This village of 135 residents is really authentic complete with a local K-6 school with a Panamanian teacher.  Lunch was local freshwater fish and plantains served in a plantain leaf bowl and delicious fresh fruit.  A village elder took us on a trail to show us some local plants and other sights.  The native dance was little more than the women moving their arms and walking in a circle with a drummer in the background.  The worst part was the hour we spent before getting to the canoe area with our guide, Ian, getting lost on the back roads of Panama.  We had a very close vote on returning directly to the ship based on his incompetence, but are glad we stayed with the plan.

We walked through one of the nicest port entrances complete with all sorts of wildlife - flamingos, peacocks, long-necked geese, parakeets, parrots, sloths, rabbits, etc. to meet our superb guide, Marelvey Pena.  Our first stop was at el Popa, a monastery at the top of the city's highest point.  There was a festival-like environment as we arrived with a group of recent high school graduates enrolled in a government program performing several dances.  After watching this, we walked the remainder of the way to the top for some excellent views of the city along with explanations by Marelvey and then entered the chapel complete with the alter from a former church in the city.  At the Fortress of San Felipe, we learned about how the one-legged, one-armed defender of the city defeated a far larger British force and about a recent ceremony attended by Prince Charles and Camilla.  We then did a nice walk about the old city, seeing the walls, main plazas, cloisters and visiting the Spanish consulate, the Gold Museum and a Juan Valdez coffee shop.  It was very hot and very humid and Marelvey did an excellent job including several air conditioned stops so we could refresh.  Marelvey is an excellent guide who I would recommend highly.

We left the port about 7:30 and breezed past the entrance gate since the park had not officially opened and made our first stop at a small area where our guide explained that beavers had been brought from Canada to start a fur industry.This was an excellent tour that got us back to the ship with plenty of time for shopping.

Celebrity Infinity Review

Excellent B2B Buenos Aires to FLL

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