February 7, 2008
After three wonderful days in Valparaiso, we boarded our ship this afternoon for our journey around South America. We are sailing on the Star Princess, a 951 ft., 16 deck behemoth of a ship. There are approximately 2500 passengers aboard, serviced by a crew of 1100. Our stateroom is very nice with a balcony to watch the world go by. We even have a walk in closet and tub in our bathroom. Much better than the days of old when a stateroom was about the size of a broom closet. This is David's first cruise in 18 years so he is especially impressed. Our itinerary will take us around the southern tip of South America, visiting the area of Patagonia and the Chilean Ice Fields and includes the passage around Cape Horn. We will be aboard for twelve days, completing our journey in Buenos Aries. We're looking forward to exploring this area and comparing it to Alaska. Much of the landscape is similar - glaciers, mountains, sea animals, etc. - and they are also noted for their king crab. David is excited to do the research on the comparison of who has the better king crab!
