Another Change in Schedule Sigh

 Monday, March 4

Today the ship was supposed to be tendered in Punta del Este, Uruguay.  The population is around 12,000 year-round but it increases to 450,000 during the summer!  It's kind of a resort town.

Last night at dinner, the captain announced that the ship would not be going to Punta del Este, but we would have a full day at sea.  Then we would arrive at the next destination a day early and stay overnight there.  And stay the next day.  Got all that???  We really didn't either.

We had booked a private full-day bird watching tour, and we are very disappointed to be missing it.  The captain said it was because of weather.  But when we contacted the birding company to cancel (thank goodness for WhatsApp!!!), they said it was hot and sunny.  But they did say it was windy.   She was nice enough to send a list of the birds that we missed seeing. 🐦  😒  Then during the show last night, the cruise director said it was because we were supposed to be tendered, and the waves have been too big.  

This is a good time to share the itinerary of the cruise.

We have embarked on a 2 week cruise with Celebrity Eclipse.  The 122,000 ton ship was built in 2010 and carries 2,800 passengers. The ship is 317 meters long. Carpets, linens, and drapes were replaced in 2023.

Our cruise begins in Buenos Aires, goes south along the coast of South America, around Cape Horn, and back up the other side to end in Valparaiso, Chile (near Santiago).

So what to do with an unexpected day at sea???

We decided to visit the gym after breakfast.  They have nice modern circuit machines. We made it 3/4 through our workout before we decided that using moving equipment on a rocky boat is maybe not such a great idea..... In the future, any workouts will have to take place while we're docked.

The captain's announcement came on at 9:45 am.  Today there are 15 foot waves and the winds are about 40 knots (75 km/h).  The ship is rockin' and rollin'.  There were a few "naps" this morning.

We went to see a presentation by the ship's naturalist Milos:  Wildlife of the Open Ocean.  We're pretty sure we've done cruises with him before???  He said today everyone was walking like bishops (it's a chess reference). 

After several naps and lunch, we found a cozy spot in the center of the ship (less rocking) and read a book.  Frankie actually finished just before dinner:  Book #1 finished.  Oh oh, did she bring enough books????

Dinner was "evening chic:  fancier than smart casual but not as fancy as formal.  Sheesh.  Do yoga pants with a flowery blouse count?  

We tried the show and sorry to say, did not enjoy the Brazilian singer much.  We went back to our cabin but Rinku was all flustered because he wasn't finished making it up yet.  Which led us back to our chairs in the middle of the ship where we listened to smoltzy music.  Anton is threatening to make a list of songs that we hear that have been "smoltzified" LOL.