Day 59 to Day 64 Antartica Cruise - Punta Arenas and Ushuaia

The journey begins :)

Day 59 Embarkation

It started on January 20th. We reached the ship on time and were able to get on the ship at 11 a.m. Class. We had decided to go to the gym twice a day, which was really well equipped. After a good hour of sightseeing and sighting of the ship, we went for sports.

Since there was still reception, we listened to the Leverkusen game during training and played it for two hours.

Afterwards we went straight to the pools and to the buffet in the evening. So we arrived here safely :)

Day 60 sea day

The first day at sea was approaching. Since we had already gotten to know what it means to sail on the Pacific the day before, day 60 wasn't exactly easier. It wobbled quite a bit. Luckily we didn't get seasick.

In the morning I went for exercise - I had downloaded Dragon Ball and was therefore able to relax and watch 3 episodes per running session. Was really cool. Then freshen up and eat yogurt and fruit. Great ;)

Around midday we were invited to the welcome reception. Laura didn't want to go - as it turned out, for good reason - we won a photo package worth almost $300 ;)

In the afternoon we found the youth playroom with free air hockey and a ball game. Was really funny. Back to the gym around 5 and then eating in the free restaurant for the first time. Really delicious food. Just really small meals :(

If only the sweets here on the ship weren't so delicious. :(

Day 61 sea day

Actually 1:1 like day 60 - except that we took part in the game show Deal or no Deal. Really cool - but also expensive. But whatever :)

We won a bingo :D

Day 62 sea day

See day 60. Lots of sport - lots of relaxation - lots of shows. For example, we took part in the Bean Bag Challenge. I'll show you the game when we get back ;) it's a lot of fun and really simple.

Day 63 Punta Arenas

Back to the gym in the morning, we didn't want to lose our routine. The ship then moored in Punta Arenas in Chile and here we first took the tender boat to the shore. We left the ship around 8:30. We wanted to book a trip to the penguin island Isla Magdalena while we were there. On board they wanted $300 per person for the excursion, but the fun wasn't worth it to us. On land, the first provider told us that this excursion was no longer available. We still tried our luck at various agencies in the city, but unfortunately everything was fully booked. We then decided to stroll through the city instead and visit a nearby shopping center, which we had already discovered in 2020.

Back on board we went back to exercise and had dinner. Like every evening, three courses in the full-service restaurant, which were tasty but small. Luckily there was still the buffet restaurant or the 24 hour snack bar if someone wasn't full.

Day 64 Ushuaia

This time we didn't have to tender in Ushuaia, Argentina, but were able to get off the boat straight away. The first shock in the port: there were four other cruise ships besides us and we wanted to book our excursion on site again...

In fact, it still went well, we booked a tour in a small boat through the Beagle Channel right at the first boat tour stand. We did that in 2020, but with a big boat and we liked it so much back then. A pleasant surprise when paying. We were supposed to pay 80,000 Argentine pesos, according to the providers that should be around 80 euros. 63 euros were then debited :D Argentina has been suffering from strong inflation for years, this increased again on December 10, 2023 when the new president came to power. On the day we booked the tour, the rate was very favorable for us.

Since the boat tour wasn't supposed to start for another 2 hours, we used the time to stroll through the city. As we already discovered in 2020: a totally charming city! Super beautiful and located right by the sea and literally the end of the world, because Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world.

After our stroll we arrived back at the harbor. We went through the Beagle Channel with a small boat and 8 others. We drove to the lighthouse and then to a small island with sea lions. The small boat allowed us to get so close - indescribable. To experience such beautiful, interesting animals so closely. Afterwards we stopped at a small island. We walked across this to the viewpoint from which you could see the bay and the city. You could see the huge snow-capped peaks of the Andes towering over the city. Just beautiful !

Back in the harbor we went back on board for exercise and food.

Most of the fellow travelers on board were Americans and Asians, although there were 2 Swiss tour groups and a few Germans, so we also got rid of one or two German words :)

Until the next report :)