Day 25, Falkland Islands -Almost

Day 25, Falkland Islands – almost

Stanley Harbor

I went down to the Ocean Bar at 6 AM to check out the tender line for our upcoming visit to the Falklands.  This is a popular port that offers an opportunity to see hundreds, if not thousands, of penguins on various shore excursions. 

When booking a private tour to Volunteer Point, your operator will remind you to be on the first tender, as it is a long way out and back and the sooner you get started, the more time you will have to spend observing penguins. 

TENDER LINES

We were here in December 2018 on the Seabourn Quest and thoroughly enjoyed going to Volunteer Point, but this time we decided to stay in town and take the HAL excursion:  Port Stanley on Foot.  Not wanting to get up early for the line for Tender tickets, I decided for this cruise to simply pay the premium and book HAL tours in most tender ports. 

Today, the first person in the 4 and 5 Star line arrived at 4 AM, the second person arrived around 5 AM.  By the time I arrived around 6 AM there were 20 people in line.  Tickets were handed out starting at 8 AM. 

I checked out our location using the “Marine Traffic” app and noticed that Celebrity Eclipse was already at anchor and had a few tenders in the water.  The relative wind over the Amsterdam was about 38 knots, with choppy seas and gloomy skies, it wasn’t looking good for tendering. 

READY TO GO

Captain Mercer came on over the PA system and said that our boats were in the water and we would be starting to tender soon, but cautioned everyone that people with mobility issues should probably stay on the ship.  Things were looking up! 

NOT SO FAST

Alas, around 8 AM, Capt Mercer came back on the PA system and said that the conditions at the Harbor had deteriorated and were unsafe for tendering operations.  The Harbor Master had cancelled tendering for us.  Tendering is probably the most hazardous evolution for cruise ship passengers under normal conditions and with todays conditions, we didn’t have much choice. 

We found out later that the Celebrity Eclipse managed to put 200 people ashore because they started sooner and had access to a pier that was higher and easier to work with.  However, the Eclipse cancelled the rest of their operations soon thereafter and started to recall their passengers. 

PORT CANCELLED – A NEW PLAN

Hamish, the cruise director, came over the PA system and announced that a new Where and When was being printed with a different schedule since this was now a sea day.  The new schedule was in our cabins by 10 AM. 

It’s always disappointing when a port is cancelled, but that is one of the risks of traveling by sea.  If you absolutely have to visit a port or “My Cruise is RUINED” then its best to schedule a land vacation to that spot.  Never book a cruise if your only reason for the cruise is to visit a specific port. 

Cancelling a port always makes the rest of the day feel like it is a “snow day” when school was cancelled.  Judy and I hung around the Crow’s Nest the rest of the morning checking out some of the Antarctica exhibits on display. 

At the noon Navigational update, the Captain addressed some feedback as to why Celebrity had put people ashore and we didn’t.  He said that the pier they were using was higher and more useable till conditions got worse.  

I spent most of the afternoon catching up on the blog, doing some scanning and getting my pictures backed up.  With this post I am finally caught up – at least for the time being! 

There was a note on our tables in the dining room explaining why the port was canceled and offering sparkling wine or soft drinks to celebrate our safety and well-being on board.  Copy HERE

RUNAROUND KIDS

Tonight’s entertainers were the Runaround Kids, a quartet from the UK.  There are several different musicians that will operate under the Runaround Kids name and the producers assemble a group that will tour together for specific length of time.  Their show was entertaining and high energy.