Cruise to South America comes to an end – Final expenses and favorite photos…Tom’s 65th birthday…

Manta, Ecuador.

“Sightings from the Veranda while Cruising”

Torre De Las Couminicaciones or Antel Tower is a 157 tall meter building on the bay’s shore in Montevideo, Uruguay.

 

We apologize for today’s late posting. Disembarking the ship and getting settled in the hotel in Buenos Aires kept us busy all morning.  Tom is currently taking a short nap while I tackle today’s story. Here we go!

Here’s our final expenses for the 30-night cruise to South America:

Expense US Dollar Notes
Cruise Fare  $                  8,388.32
Airfare   $                     246.42  Costa Rica to Miami 
Hotel in Miami  $                        18.46  Used credits Hotels.com 
Taxi   $                     130.00
Cabin Credit  $                   (550.00)
Wi-Fi  $                     430.00  inc. on second leg 
Gratuities  $                     405.00  inc. on second leg 
Tours & Restaurant  $                    351.86  inc dining  Miami & Cayman  
Additional Gratuities  $                     255.00
Cruise Bill for Purchases  $                     678.13  inc. camera 
Total  $                10,353.19
Avg Daily Cost – 31 days  $                     333.97  inc. one night in the hotel in FL 

Feeling festive on the final night of the 30-night cruise, we stayed up way too late.  From the Cáptain’s Club happy hour party from 5:00 t0 7:00 pm to the delightful dinner table of eight at the Trellis Restaurant to the fun chatting with our favorite bartender Kadak (from Bali) to visiting with more new friends in the Constellation Bar for the final “silent disco” the evening couldn’t have been more varied and fun.

Panama Canal.

At midnight we fell into bed exhausted. Hours earlier, our packed and tagged bags had been taken from outside our cabin door to be stored overnight for morning pickup after the shuttle bus ride at 7:30 am to the port building.

Pisco, Peru.

We were up and about by 6:00 am, a little worn for the wear but anxious to get on our way to the Prodeo Hotel in the famous Palermo district of Buenos Aires. It proved to be the quickest and most efficient debarkation we’ve had to date after 21 cruises in the past five years.

Arica, Chile.

Then, of course, today is Tom’s 65th birthday which, with little merriment on the agenda, we reached the boutique hotel by 8:30 after a 30-minute taxi ride through the busy city. Luckily, it was Saturday, and the traffic was considerably lighter than we heard it could be.

Where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet in Cape Horn, the end of the world.

Buenos Aires is a city of over 12,000,000 people with some of the world’s most harrowing and dangerous traffic. As a result, we plan to do most of our sightseeing on the weekends, when it’s not quite as wild.

The Chilean Fiords.

In an attempt to keep costs to a minimum and to avoid staying in a less-than-desirable neighborhood, we chose this small hotel in the popular and more upscale Palermo district where we should be able to walk or take a short taxi ride for most of our needs.

Glaciers in the Straits of Magellan.

The hotelier has booked a dinner reservation for Tom’s birthday tonight at 6:00 pm, not the later seatings at 10:00 or 11:00 pm. We’ve heard so much about it as typical in Buenos Aires. As tired as we are, an early evening will be in order.

Huge statue in Puerto Montt, Chile.

As I finally write here now, sitting in our somewhat stylish room, we’re in a quandary about a few things. The water isn’t potable, so we’ll have to go out and purchase bottled water.

The Chilean Fiords.

There’s a virtual laundry list of items we’ll need to be a little more at ease, but we’ll report back on these tomorrow once we have a chance to speak to the person in charge, Alessandro, whom we’ll meet with as soon as I upload this post. 

A lizard was eating vegetation at the park in Manta, Ecuador.

Tom watched the first of five Minnesota Vikings games he missed while on the cruise, while I unpacked as best as I could with no available drawers and little closet space. We have a few ideas we’ll run by Alessandro, hoping for a viable solution.

The sun setting, while at sea.

We loved the cruise, the beautiful friends we made, the ports of call, and the many days at sea. Sure, there are always a few areas one could complain about, but we seldom care to spend time whinging about what is wrong when so much is right, the same of which is true here at this affordable hotel.

We were with new friends, Lisa and Barry, whom we’ll see again in June.

We’ll be back tomorrow with Buenos Aires photos, our dinner out tonight for Tom’s birthday, and more.

Barry, Lisa, me, and Tom at dinner in the private wine room at Tuscan Grill specialty restaurant.

Thanks to all of our dear readers for staying with us during the lengthy cruise, including the quiet seas days when we had less to share. We appreciate every one of you.

Typical street with historic buildings in Montevideo, Uruguay,

And, happy birthday to the man of my dreams, who provides me with a life of joyful splendor and perpetual playful anticipation. I love you with all of my heart.

Produce stand in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Photo from one year ago today, December 23, 2016:

Mersey Beach bluff in Tasmania, where we dined for Tom’s birthday. For more details, please click here.

Comments and responses Cruise to South America comes to an end – Final expenses and favorite photos…Tom’s 65th birthday…

  1. LDB922 Reply

    Happy birthday Tom, and Merry Christmas to you both! Excited for your upcoming Antarctica trip, something I'd love to do one day!
    Aloha and safe travels always!
    – Louise xx

  2. Jessica Reply

    Thank you, Louise! And, Merry Christmas to you and Steve. When we booked Antarctica it seemed so long away and now we've only got 31 days to go. Buenos Aires will be interesting for this extended stay with pigeons as the only wildlife in sight but we'll manage.

    Have a wonderful holiday season and New Year!
    Much love to you both!
    Jess & Tom

  3. #Opinion Reply

    Seems like only yesterday we were taking those photos! We are anxiously making arrangements for our visit! Can't wait!!!

  4. Jessica Reply

    We can't wait either. We just booked our flight and rental car. We arrive on February 11th. We're so excited to share this adventure with you two!

    Much love,
    Jess & Tom

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