Yesterday, we left the comforts of our hotel in Buenos Aires (I highly recommend the Fierro Hotel should you go) and were safely delivered to the port to board our Oceania cruise on Marina.
I say "safely" because everyone we talked to told us that the embarkation process was a shitshow. Our tour operator warned us of long lines, our on-the-ground hostess warned us of crazy tourists from everywhere and horrible organization. The concierge at the hotel warned us that traffic would be terrible, that the lines would be long, that the shuttle from the port to the ship would be cramped, and that immigration would be a nightmare. NONE OF THAT HAPPENED.
While traffic was a little crazy, our driver has us well in had...and we had no chance of being late...we had the entire day (1pm to 7pm) to check into and board the ship. We were ushered into the port terminal and asked to follow four steps: a form that said we didn't have the measles or the flu, check in our luggage and send our carry-on through the xray, get our passports stamped and our picture taken, and get our room keys. It took us about 20 minutes. No shitshow, no crazy lines, no chaos. AT ALL.
And when we got on board, we were allowed to go to the Terrace Cafe for some lunch, and about half-way through, we were notified that our rooms were ready. Perfect!
While we were unpacking, we had one of those, "omg I'm so fucking stupid moments" (CDH, think candle cutting for half birthdays). Our empty suitcases were too big to be stored under the bed, so we asked the housekeeper if they could store them elsewhere for us during the trip. She looked at me and said, "Well, they'll fit if you open them flat and slide them under." We are the dumbest of the dumb.
Anyway... We wandered around a bit - refamiliarizing ourselves with the ship (this is our sixth time aboard), went to our appointed muster station for the safety drill, had a drink in the bar, and headed to dinner. I'd since delivered my food baby, and I was starving. I finished the strawberries, the salad, the pasta, the coffee, and the chocolate brownie. Baby, I'm back!
Our first stop (now Friday) was in Montevideo, Uruguay.
A nice place to visit...I wish we were staying on the beach somewhere. We took a beer-tasting excursion (something you don't ordinarily see on an Oceania cruise - they are all about wine) and after a couple of quick stops for pictures, we arrived at the Mastra Brewery. While it's not Russian River, the beer was pretty darn good! We tried a blonde, a wit, an American style IPA, and a stout.
Here are some other pictures from our bus tour. I adore the Spanish influence in the architecture.
We had fun today - the weather was a bit cooler, but the people, were warm and welcoming, and the food, and beer were great!
Tomorrow we're in Punte del Este.
I say "safely" because everyone we talked to told us that the embarkation process was a shitshow. Our tour operator warned us of long lines, our on-the-ground hostess warned us of crazy tourists from everywhere and horrible organization. The concierge at the hotel warned us that traffic would be terrible, that the lines would be long, that the shuttle from the port to the ship would be cramped, and that immigration would be a nightmare. NONE OF THAT HAPPENED.
While traffic was a little crazy, our driver has us well in had...and we had no chance of being late...we had the entire day (1pm to 7pm) to check into and board the ship. We were ushered into the port terminal and asked to follow four steps: a form that said we didn't have the measles or the flu, check in our luggage and send our carry-on through the xray, get our passports stamped and our picture taken, and get our room keys. It took us about 20 minutes. No shitshow, no crazy lines, no chaos. AT ALL.
And when we got on board, we were allowed to go to the Terrace Cafe for some lunch, and about half-way through, we were notified that our rooms were ready. Perfect!
While we were unpacking, we had one of those, "omg I'm so fucking stupid moments" (CDH, think candle cutting for half birthdays). Our empty suitcases were too big to be stored under the bed, so we asked the housekeeper if they could store them elsewhere for us during the trip. She looked at me and said, "Well, they'll fit if you open them flat and slide them under." We are the dumbest of the dumb.
Anyway... We wandered around a bit - refamiliarizing ourselves with the ship (this is our sixth time aboard), went to our appointed muster station for the safety drill, had a drink in the bar, and headed to dinner. I'd since delivered my food baby, and I was starving. I finished the strawberries, the salad, the pasta, the coffee, and the chocolate brownie. Baby, I'm back!
Our first stop (now Friday) was in Montevideo, Uruguay.
A nice place to visit...I wish we were staying on the beach somewhere. We took a beer-tasting excursion (something you don't ordinarily see on an Oceania cruise - they are all about wine) and after a couple of quick stops for pictures, we arrived at the Mastra Brewery. While it's not Russian River, the beer was pretty darn good! We tried a blonde, a wit, an American style IPA, and a stout.
Here are some other pictures from our bus tour. I adore the Spanish influence in the architecture.
a large market
their parliament building
their national hero
Montevideo used to be a walled city...here's a leftover gate
Gaucho statue
When the tour was over, Joe and I headed out to the public market to find some lunch and local beers. Mission accomplished.
Tomorrow we're in Punte del Este.
🤣👍
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