Crown Princess Welcome Dinner

Welcome Aboard Dinner

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Our early seating dinner was scheduled for 5:45 PM in the Botticelli Dining Room on deck 6 aft. Due to the safety drill, we were running behind schedule.  A waiter escorted us to our assigned table (#39) for two, at the rear of the dining room.  There were a few more tables of two near us, as well as one larger table which was occupied by an extended family group. It was in a nice location, near a window, so we were content.

As usual, the assistant waiter helped seat us, gave us our menus, put the napkins on our laps and took our drink order.  We like ice tea with our meal and regular water.   This would be the last time we'd have to tell them since from then on, they remembered and had it waiting for us shortly after we were seated every night.  This is one of the things we love about traditional dining.

Tonight's Choices

Dining on a Princess cruise ship is equivalent to fine dining at home.  The daily menu consists of Starters, Soups & Salads, Signature Patas, Mains, Featured Beverages, and always available Princess Favorites.  Typically you select an item from Starters or Princess Favorites, a soup and /or salad and a Main entree.   It is possible to select one of the pasta as one of your starter choices as well.   Desserts are presented in a separate menu at the conclusion of the meal.  You can purchase alcoholic beverages and wines from your wait staff if desired.  There also was a nice selection of rolls and bread sticks on the table to complement your meal.

Our Selections included:  Crispy Hand-Rolled Vegetable Spring Rolls (peanut dip), Frozen Rum-Infused Pina Colada Soup (chilled), and Roasted Pork with Apricot Glaze (for me) Slow-Roasted Corn-Fed Prime Rib (husband).  See the menu for complete details and alternate choices.

We picked two different desserts as well:  Milky Chocolate-Hazelnut Souffle and French Vanilla Bean Creme Brulee.

More Pictures:  Welcome Dinner

Additional photos can be found on our South America Shutterfly page

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Note:  we will be adding to these albums as we continue our journey.

Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.




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Crown Princess Embarkation

Boarding - Valparaiso, Chile

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We've been cruising for over thirty years and on more than 50 cruises and we have never seen an embarkation like this before and probably never will again.

As our transfer bus pulled into the pier, we could see Crown Princess further in the distance, no where near where we were being dropped off.  There were porters there to collect any bags that passengers wished to check in.  Since we didn't have anything to check in, we proceeded into the terminal.  It was now 2 PM (we landed shortly after 10 AM in Santiago).  As usual, they checked our boarding passes and passports, gave us the health forms, and we were selected to turn in a control paper which showed the time we entered the building.

There was a long line that stretched the length of the terminal.  At the end of that line there were tables where you could fill out your health form.  The line fed into a maze like you'd find at an amusement park.  We thought we'd never see the front of the line, but after 50 minutes, we had finally gotten to an agent.   We turned in our boarding passes, presented our passports, along with the stamped piece of paper from immigration, completed health forms, and of course the credit card to be used for onboard spending.  Note:  they will keep your passports and give you a receipt.   It is a good idea to always travel with a photo copy of your passports.

So far, this doesn't sound too unique (other than the long wait and most cruises you keep your passport) but the next part is definitely unique.

Boarded a Bus

After completing embarkation paperwork and with cabin key in hand, we were directed to a bus for a short ride to the waiting ship.  We drove through the pier area where we passed by stack after stack of shipping containers and longshoremen working the yard.  We finally arrived at our ship.  I almost forgot ... the cruise line wouldn't miss an opportunity to get you to spend money, so prior to boarding the bus, they took embarkation photos.  Boarding the ship it was time for another photo (for security purposes) taken when we presented our cabin key at the gangway.  Phew, we were finally on the ship.

Hello Cabin

An advantage of getting on board so late in the day, there is no delay in getting to your cabin.  We dropped off our handbags, took a couple pictures of the cabin and headed off for a bite to eat.   We opted for a quick slice of pizza.  Our dinner would be at 5:45 PM as we had early dining for this cruise.



Related Albums:

Crown Princess Embarkation
Transfer to Valparaiso

Note:  we will be adding to these albums as we continue our journey.

Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional photos can be found on our South America Shutterfly page

View Our Other Shutterfly Share Pages

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  

Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin 
and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Flying to Santiago Chile

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JFK to Santiago

The second leg of our flight to Santiago, Chile departed JFK at 9 PM.  Once airborn, total flight time was 10 hours and 10 minutes.  The plane was a Boeing 767 operated by LATAM Airlines, a OneWorld alliance airline.  We had economy seats and had selected two seats in the second section.  The configuration was two seats on each side with three in the middle.  When we had selected our seats at check-in, there had been plenty of open seating in the middle, so we figured we'd be able to recline once we were airborne.   Those seats had filled up quickly but I was fortunate to have the flight attendant reseat me in a row to myself, so that I could lie flat and get some sleep on the long flight.

There were two meals served during the flight.  Dinner choices included a pasta dish and BBQ chicken with rice.   I slept through that meal but my husband had the chicken.  Breakfast was a choice of ham and cheese sandwich or eggs.  We both had the sandwich.


Arriving in Santiago

Once we arrived in Chile the first thing we needed to do was check in with a Princess Cruises representative, who gave us a sticker which we'd need for transfer to the pier.  Then we needed to clear immigration.  We hadn't been given any form, so we hoped that we just needed our passports.  Passports were all we needed to get through customs.  They stamp your passport and another slip of paper.   We thought they would collect that along the way, but they did not. Make sure you don't lose that paper because you'll need it on your cruise ship.

After clearing immigration, we headed to pickup our luggage.  We had checked two bags, a regular size suitcase and a soft-sided roller bag.  Our suitcase was the only bag still on the carousel by the time we got there.  We asked a LATAM agent if there were more bags, but there weren't any more.  We told them we were missing one bag and they said to wait about 10 minutes while they checked.  We looked at various piles of suitcases that were standing around as well as the other carousels, but didn't find our bag.   After 15 minutes or so, we went to the counter and filed a missing luggage claim.  We showed them
our itinerary and gave them necessary information including the description of the bag, the claim

check number, contact information, and our ship name.  We also informed Princess Cruises local representative.

Heading to Valparaiso

Crown Princess was actually embarking from Valparaiso which is 1.5 hours away.  We dropped off our luggage which would be sent via truck.  We kept our backpack and canvas bag, filled with cameras, medicines, and other personal items we wouldn't check, and got on a bus for the trip. It was a scenic trip.  We made one stop for restrooms and refreshments, if desired.

We'll describe the check-in process in another post.


Related Albums:

JFK to SCL
Transfer to Valparaiso

Note:  we will be adding to these albums as we continue our journey.

Click on the image to the right for more Blog posts about this trip.

Additional photos can be found on our South America Shutterfly page

View Our Other Shutterfly Share Pages

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  

Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin 
and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc

Where have you explored? 

Gather your travel and food pics and join us Wednesday night for the latest installment of #FoodTravelChat 

Diary of South America Voyage

Journey to Southern South America 

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.


 
Quest to see Penguins 

Those of you who have followed me here or on Twitter, know that I love Penguins. That's what this trip is all about - having the opportunity to see multitudes of penguins in their natural surroundings.

This trip wasn't only about penguins. We arrived in Santiago, Chile on January 18, 2017.  For the next 14 days, we explored South America including the countries of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.  We saw Amalia Glacier, Glacier Alley, Fjords, Cape Horn and many other magnificent sites along the way.

Having sailed the seas for more than 30 years, it's hard to narrow the list down to one trip as the "best", but this trip certainly is among the top contenders.

Come along with us as we provide a day by day diary of our voyage to South America - Cape Horn.

14 Day South America - Cape Horn

	Port	Blog Posts	Photo Albums
Jan 17	Travel Chicago - Santiago, Chile	Beginning Adventure to Chile Flying to Santiago Chile	ORD to JFK JFK to SCL
Jan 18	Transfer: Airport To Ship Santiago (Valparaiso) Check In 1:00pm-5:00pm	Crown Princess Embarkation Crown Princess Welcome Dinner Oh Happy Days	Transfer to Valparaiso Crown Princess Embarkation Welcome Dinner
Jan 19	At Sea	Chocolate Journeys
Jan 20	Puerto Montt, Chile Tender Required	3 Must See Sites in Puerto Montt	Puerto Montt Puerto Varas German Settlers Museum Frutillar
Jan 21	At Sea
Jan 22	Amalia Glacier  Scenic Cruising	Cruising Amalia Glacier	Amalia Glacier
Jan 23	Punta Arenas, Chile Tender Required	Penguins of Punta Arenas Punta Arenas City Tour	Punta Arenas Penguins Patagonia Institute Salesian Museum City Cemetery La Cruz Hill Plaza Munoz Gamero
Jan 24	Ushuaia, Argentina	Cruising Glacier Alley Beagle Channel Wildlife Cruise	Glacier Alley Beagle Channel
Jan 25	Cape Horn Scenic Cruising	Cruising Around Cape Horn	Cape Horn
Jan 26	Falkland Islands (Stanley) Tender Required	Penguins of Falkland Islands	Bluff Cove Rookery
Jan 27	At Sea	Experience The Salty Dog	Salty Dog Gastropub
Jan 28	Puerto Madryn, Argentina Tender Required	Penguins at Punta Tombo	Punta Tombo
Jan 29	At Sea
Jan 30	Montevideo. Uruguay	3 Prominent Sites of Montevideo Montevideo Pier and Markets	Plaza Independencia Centenario Soccer Stadium Legislative Palace Montevideo City Tour Montevideo Harbor Montevideo Market
Jan 31	Buenos Aires, Argentina Overnight	Tigre Delta River Cruise	San Isidtro Tigre River Buenos Aires Port
Feb 1	Buenos Aires, Argentina Transfer: Ship To Airport	Explore City of Buenos Aires La Recoleta Cemetery Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral La Boca Shopping	Metropolitan Cathedral La Recoleta Cemetery Debark Tour
Feb 2	Travel Buenos Aires - Chicago	Argentine Precious Stone	Inca Rose Gems