Buenos Aires, Argentina - Day 8
Saturday, March 11, 2023
Good-bye Buenos Aires! Today, we packed our bags and set off for the next leg of our adventure. Though, not before Andi and Tory made one last breakfast run in our oh-so-convenient neighborhood of Palermo Soho. If you lived here, I don’t know how you’d keep yourself from devouring all the amazing food found on every street corner of this city. Andi and Tory returned a few minutes later with freshly made Nutella and apple croissants, plus chocolate cake — yes, for breakfast! Andi may have caved to his little girl’s request on the last one. Oh my gosh, it was all sinfully delicious.
At 11:00am, the four of us hopped into a cab and rode 30 minutes to the cruise ship terminal in Buenos Aires. Finally, the day the kids have been waiting for is here — we are embarking on a two-week cruise starting in Buenos Aires, traveling around the southern tip of Argentina & Chile, and ending in Valparaiso, Chile. This will be the first cruise our family has taken together, and it’s not a method of travel we’ve ever considered until this trip. The idea of cruising came to us months ago when Andi and I were researching the possibility of traveling to Antarctica. Antarctic cruises are expensive though (averaging $8,000/pp) with very little time actually spent on the 7th continent. It was then that Andi and I stumbled upon cruise options rounding the southern tip of Argentina and Chile. The cost of this cruise option was much less expensive, and helped us see southern parts of the two countries that would have otherwise been logistically harder to reach. For that reason, Andi and I decided to give this method of travel a try.
How Aden feels about Cruise Day …
The port terminal in itself blew Tory and Aden’s minds. “Do you think the word ‘airport’ came from the original ship ports?” Tory wondered? “You know, a port for airplanes?” Good question!
Celebrity’s check-in process was seamless. Andi and I were really impressed! The cruise company had an abundance of staff members working in the terminal to help guide passengers where they needed to be. I suppose they have to be organized given the sheer number of people they need to safely and efficiently get onto the ship. After a month of travels through Argentina, Andi and I weren’t quite sure what to think. It was all so … easy.
We were a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people in the airport terminal. What did we just sign ourselves up for?! Andi sent a quick text to his cousin Laura who does a lot of cruising & she reassured him that the check-in process is the worst part. “Think of it this way,” Laura told Andi. You’ll have a whole boat-load of grandmas looking after your kids for the next two weeks. Andi did a hot lap around the room to see if there were any other kids boarding the ship, but unfortunately he didn’t see many.
Since we’re only traveling with four backpacks, we carried our belongings right onto the ship. No need to check our luggage, and have it delivered to our rooms later. Outside our cabin, we introduced ourselves to the housekeeper in charge of our wing. His name is Afsar and he’s from India; he’s the nicest man with a soft-spoken, caring personality.
Andi did a lot of research in reserving our rooms on the boat. We booked two adjoining rooms on the inside of the boat. They are located directly below the ship’s gym area and the kids club. The rooms aren’t large, but our family is used to living in small spaces without a lot of privacy.
Once we settled in, the four of us headed up the stairs one floor to the Oceanside Cafe. This buffet is the workhorse of the ship, I’m sure. The restaurant was packed with people also grabbing lunch, and to be honest Andi and I were quite overwhelmed. No longer is anything self-serve thanks to Covid — plenty of staff were on hand to serve up dishes like soup, salad, sandwiches, pizza, tacos, carved meats, ice cream, cakes, and more. That fact that passengers were prohibited from even getting their own beverages meant that there were lines formed in every direction. Andi and I hoped that the buffet was only this busy because it was the first day. “There has to be a trick to this,” Andi kept saying.
After traveling in Argentina for the past six weeks, we were all excited to taste the comfort of foods from the United States. Aden and Tory were excited for sprinkles on their ice cream. I loved having Mexican food, and Andi loved the meat carving station.
Once we finished lunch, the four of us walked around the ship to check out all the amenities. There’s so much to do here including two swimming pools, a sports court, and a kids area called Camp at Sea. We filled out the necessary paperwork so that Tory and Aden will be able to attend activities happening in the kids area. It sounds like they have a great program with programs and games for all ages.
Tory and Aden were excited to go to Camp at Sea as soon as the evening hours began at 7:00pm. As much as we enjoy traveling as a family, I think Tory and Aden appreciated having some time to themselves & Andi and I did as well.
Around 8:00pm, we tried to get a table in the main dining room for dinner, but the wait time was too long. We ended up going to the Oceanside Cafe buffet again for dinner. At least they have a variety of options so we can all get what we want to eat. I selected roasted chicken, steamed vegetables, and potatoes for dinner. Tory went for Mexican food again, and Andi and Aden were delighted to see Asian stir-fry on the menu. There’s activities happening on the ship all evening long, but we were tired and ready for bed by 9:30pm. I love how cool and dark our rooms are on the inside of the ship. It’s like a cocoon — we’ll sleep great tonight!
Tomorrow, the ship’s first port stop is in Montevideo, Uruguay. I won’t lie that I’m excited to check another country off our family’s travel list! Can’t wait to see it.
