Day 1 of our cruise started with a pick up so early I have already blocked it out of my memory. We had booked a package with an expedition cruise company that included a pre night in Buenos Aires, and a charter flight down to Ushuaia to board the ship (this is pretty common). If I tell you that our flight arrived into Ushuaia around 1130am, it was a 3 ½ hour flight, the trip from the hotel to the airport in Buenos Aires was close to an hour, and the company wanted us all at the airport at least 3 hours before our flight – I think you get the idea of how early we were up. However, my window seat on the flight took my breath away and as I was about to find out the most common word I would utter the whole trip would be, Wow.
I will cover Ushuaia on another blog, as we spent 3 nights there after the cruise. It is a gorgeous little town and it has a buzz about it due to the great big expedition ships lined up at the small pier. It seems everyone is either coming from or going to Antarctica and the atmosphere is so friendly. We did stop in at El Viejo Marino https://www.facebook.com/elviejomarinorestaurant/ for some amazing seafood and we highly recommend a visit this restaurant. We were able to enjoy a light lunch (back then it was USD$25 for a plate of crab, scallops and a white fish) while staring out lovingly at our ship. This trip was booked 18 months in advance, before the Australian borders were even open so it was a leap of faith that paid off very well.
Finally, we board the coach to be taken to the ship in small numbers (40 at a time). We explore as much as the ship as we can immediately and every crew member that we come across has a huge smile on their face and is welcoming and friendly. As we bumped into other guests that are also exploring, we seem to mirror each other’s giddy excitement at finally starting our magnificent journey.
Our Ship was the MS Fridtjof Nansen https://www.hurtigruten.com/en-au/expeditions/ships/fridtjof-nansen/ only just over 2 years old and still had that new ship look and feel. We settle into our luxurious cabin and then enjoy the remainder of the day and a nice dinner while the ship departs on our unforgettable journey to Antarctica – the 7th Continent.
The Famous Ushuaia sign, MS Fridtjof Nansen, Table for 2 with a view for dinner
