CRUISING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN

I talked about the changes of the cruise’s itinerary and the cancellation of the Argentine Tango dinner. By the way, to compensate for these “unforeseen” inconveniences we were given $500 onboard credit per person. After the ship left Montevideo (the six mountains from east to west), we were scheduled to anchor near Punta del Este, a popular resort in Uruguay but this did not happen again due to heavy seas which made the trip ashore dangerous. Since the ship was anchored a tender (passenger boat) is used to transport passengers to shore and doing that was extremely dangerous.

So here we are in South Atlantic Ocean cruising east of Brazil. Once a divider of continents Europeans believed “there be dragons” beyond the ocean’s glaring horizon. Once they considered that another world lay on the other side, the Atlantic became an avenue of conquest and trade.

So what else to do while floating in this huge expanse of water?

Fortunately, Viking provided us with lots of amenities and activities to keep us preoccupied. If you’re bored then it’s your own fault! The ship has a versatile and very entertaining band composed of Filipinos musicians! Yes, they are great and I do not say this because they come from my country of birth. We’ve been cruising for a long time and when there is quality entertainment aboard a ship, there you see Filipino entertainers!

There are games and contests daily. Experts from various fields captivated the audience with their interesting topics. One woman talked about her record-breaking journey in a row boat with her son for more than 3000 miles in 101 days! Another discussed about astronomy; someone presented about international human rights, etc.

The Star Theater is the venue for the main shows onboard. We were treated with exquisite and sensuous tango show we missed in Buenos Aires. The Tango Cervila performed superbly and delighted the crowd with their traditional and modern tango style. There are also two movie theaters if you didn’t want to watch them in your staterooms.

We were also treated with the fabulous performance celebrating the legendary Swedish pop group ABBA!

We’ve been pampered in the spa and enjoyed the relaxing steam room and the soothing effects the hydro pool. This morning we experienced a blissful 50-minute Swedish massage…aaahhhhh! In between these luxurious pampering, Trini and I used the complete fitness center equipment. Workout is a must in order to partake in the decadent fine dining in the evenings! There is a walking trail (4 laps equals a mile) if you prefer the outdoors.

There are so many options for dining onboard. If you want casual buffet, you can go to the World Cafe where you can select form many different cuisines (my favorite is sashimi and sushi). If you prefer to dress up a little bit, then go to Manfredi’s (where I had chilled octopus Carpaccio, crema di Porcini e Crostini and bisteca Florentina – a very tender ribeye steak cooked to perfection)!. Or you can try The Restaurant, a more relaxed atmosphere with the same delicious entrees. However, if you would like to really dress and experience fine dining at its best make a reservation at The Chef’s Table.

This morning, three chefs demonstrated how to prepare Caribbean cooking! They made it look so easy!

I just came back from a veteran’s group get together at the Explorers Lounge and it was so nostalgic meeting other veterans and talking about the “old days”! We all agreed that we should meet again at least one more time before the cruise is over.