Ushuaia...not

On our last sea day, before the Falklands, we had a rough sea day. The swells were in the 25 ft. range, with winds close to 50 kms per hour. All the outside decks were closed and walking on the upper decks was very tricky. I (Christine) had a mild case of sea sickness and did not eat until the seas calmed down, around dinner time.

So imagine the fear and trepidation felt by all when the captain announced that there was a significant storm around Ushuaia and we would be bypassing that port. Winds of 50 kms and swells twice as high as the last time were predicated. So we are bypassing the Beagle Channel and heading straight to Ponte Arenas.

Imagine our relief to wake up this morning to relatively calm seas. So the captain's plan is working, so far.

I thought this might be a good time to describe the ship and a typical day. All cruise ships have their own personalities and rhythms. Sirena is a smallish ship with 600 passengers and about 400 crew. The cabins are a typical size but the public areas are all, as you might expect, just a bit smaller. There are only 2 dance floors (one in the forward bar on the top deck) and one in the theatre, where the evening shows are staged. We feel the absence of the dedicated dance floor that we are used to on the 1,000+ ships.

The music/entertainment is provided by a string quartette which plays in the main foyer and in the forward bar, once per day. The stage band is 6 pieces; with a woman who plays saxophone. Almost no one dances. As a result, as soon as the band sees us, they play a chacha in the hope that we will get up and encourage others to join us. So far, we pretty much dance alone! We expected lots of tango music but so far, it has been limited to the formal shows.

As expected, this is an older crowd so given that (and the weather), there are no pool games, pool dance band, late night dance parties etc. Pretty much everything stops at mid-night..

But during the day, there are bridge lessons, a needlepoint group, lectures from a visiting professor, trivia games, shuffleboard , and indoor bean bag toss and putting contests. One of the much appreciated innovations, is a subscription for a daily newspaper. The ship receives the news by internet, prints it and delivers to our cabin. We are getting USA Today (daily) for Brian and The New York Times (3 times per week) for me. Unlike other ships, there are no dance lessons, which we miss.

So, on a typical day, we all get up and go to breakfast independently and then go off to different activities. Wendy joins the needlepoint group, the Trodds do the bridge lessons. Brian hits the gym. Kathleen and Bonnie walk the deck before breakfast. I usually go to the library to read (and listen to people snore!) Peter and Kathleen love the afternoon high tea. We all meet for team trivia at 4:30 p.m. We are not dong very well but it is fun. Then drinks in the forward bar before dinner at 6:30 p.m.

The food is fabulous and it is a real challenge to keep from overeating. Ralph has gotten special consideration for his dietary needs. He is given a special menu to choose from and then he is reassured each time he is served that the dish is gluten free. Very impressive.

Next port, Puerto Arenas.Read more