| SPLENDOUR OF THE SEAS TO BRAZIL DECEMBER 2000 |
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| HENRY NOWICKI 1 JANUARY 2001 |
   www.maxpages.com/cruise21 Cruising South America is always a pleasure and being aboard the Splendour of the Seas (Ref 1) promised to be a real treat. The ship has consistently received good reviews (Ref 2) and I had seen it just a few weeks earlier in the Caribbean where it looked like an attractive, relatively new, contemporary large vessel. My objective was to get a lot of rest and enjoy the ship and the sea. I brought along my 91-yr old uncle and that seemed compatible with my objectives. With more than half of the days spent at sea, this seemed to be a certainty. Incidentally, my uncle proved far too lively for me to get the rest I thought I wanted but that is another story. We flew in from Chicago a few days early to enjoy the Miami scene and that turned out to be delightful. Dec 8, Departure from Miami (Ref 3) was delayed a few hours but with three days at sea ahead this did not seem to present much of a problem. Exiting the Miami port was pleasant and the weather appeared to be with us for the early journey. The Splendour of the Seas, one of about eight ships operated by Royal Caribbean International, is a modern, comfortable vessel. It was RCI's fist venture into South America so there were some attendant problems that crept into the journey. First, it became apparent that the cruise line and a number of travel agents did not sufficiently warn their clients that a visa for Brazil was mandatory for US citizens. This necessitated a hurried trip for quite a few passengers to the Brazilian Consulate for the required procedures with the approved visas and passports to come later by air to the ship enroute to Brazil. A majority of the wait staff were replaced in Miami by Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking crew members to accommodate the large numbers of South American passengers to be expected in these new itineraries. This resulted in some misassignments in the dining rooms but it did not seem to be much of a problem. I rather enjoyed the new staff although our waiter was from the UK and one of the very few holdovers from the previous cruise. The cruise director, Roberto Antier, was from Argentina and, although on his first assignment, did a remarkably fine job. His simultaneous translation of his onstage remarks itself was remarkable. A great many of the performers were from South America and I found this enjoyable although my fellow passengers thought this a bit less entertaining than usual. The great plus for me was the Argentinian dance intructor team of Adriana Vasile and Pochi Luna. They were professional tango dancers of the first magnitude and their performances produced standing ovations. Their patient latin dance instruction to heavily attended classes was certainly most commendable. The open air 18-hole miniature golf course on the aft end the ship was extremely popular especially with quite a few children onboard. The art auction, as usual, pollutes the public spaces with the central atrium, termed the centrum, congested with all the sales activity. I expect the time-share people to start competing with the art sales group any time now for the lucrative captive audiences aboard cruise ships. One curious note: RCI has advertisements all over the ship to "Save the Waves" which itself is laughable (wind is the principal cause of waves and its suppression is probably out of reach for the average passenger) but their new-found concern for the marine environment is hard to seriously reconcile with the recent RCI payment of some $26 million in fines for criminally polluting Alaskan waters with their bypass pipe arrangements. Three days at sea passed very quickly with all the onboard activities and good open deck weather. For most, however, a Caribbean port visit was most welcome. Dec 12, Barbados (Ref 4) the easternmost island in the Caribbean region, is very pleasant with its beaches and energetic Bajan inhabitants. I had explored the island previously so I confined my swimming activities to the area around the Holetown resort area on the west coast. I noted that the nearby new Sandy Lane Hotel has been almost completed and will shortly open as one of the premier spots on the island. Bridgetown, the capital, is always worth a stroll especially along the Careenage (inner harbor) and downtown Trafalgar Square. The relatively new Passenger Cruise Terminal is located approximately one mile west of the city center. Two days at sea were scheduled before a stop in Sao Luis, Brazil (Ref 5); however, due to the combination of a late departure from Barbados and heavy headwinds and seas, we missed the correct tidal conditions for entrance into San Luis and consequently found ourselves with an extra sea day. That meant we were at sea for eight of our first nine days. It's a good thing we like sea days! We crossed the equator enroute and that was cause for a brief ceremony on deck. It was a very tame shellback ceremony to be sure and hardly worth the effort to attend. I can remember when it was special and something to be apprehensive about. Times, of course, change but I'm sure the navy hasn't forgotten. Because we had skipped Sao Luis, we were able to arrive in Fortaleza on the evening of Dec 16th so it was possible to see some of the night life in the city. Dec 17, Fortaleza (Ref 6) is noted for its beaches besides being a port of large regional importance. The port terminal was about a mile and a half from the city center but not far from the lighthouse, Farol do Mucuripe, at the northeast tip of the coastline. The visit was on a Sunday and much of the commercial area was quiet so I embarked on a huge walking circuit along the waterfront and into the central district. I think I overdid it. Two Days at Sea. Dec 20, Salvador (Ref 7) is one of the highlights of Brazil. It faces the huge bay of Todos Os Santos (All Saint's Bay) and is situated in large part atop a plateau along the water's edge. The ship was moored about a mile from the lower part of the city while the upper or historical center of the city is accessed by tunnel or by a climbing coastal road or by elevator if on foot. The Lacerda Elevator only costs about two and a half cents and takes a few minutes but it saves a lot of energy. The upper city is an artist's pleasure as the steep streets, churches and old colorful buildings invite sketching and picture taking to the max. Dec 21, Day at Sea. My uncle Mitchell celebrated his 91st birthday and everyone seemed to be happier than him to see that goal achieved. Dec 22, Rio de Janeiro (Ref 8) has to be one of the most scenic ports in the world. One passes Sugarloaf at the entrance to Guanabara Bay with Corcovado in the distance. The horizon is covered with mountainous hills and islands. Further, the cruise port terminal is located right downtown. Copacabana and Ipanema beaches are about seven miles to the south across the city. There seems to be an interesting view at every turn and there are many turns. The first cable section at Sugarloaf (Pao de Acucar) had parted about a month or so earlier and it was out of operation for visitors so Corcovado, with its huge spectacular statue of Christ the Redeemer, had to carry the brunt of the visitor traffic. The wait for the funicular was long but worth it. The departure from Rio de Janeiro was as magical as the entrance. Dec 23, Santos (Ref 9) is the principal port not only of Brazil but of the entire continent of South America. It is the entrepot for the huge Sao Paulo region with its multitude of manufactures. I did not have time to explore the resort area of Guaruja as I had to fly immediately back to Chicago to allow my uncle to attend his family reunion at Christmastime. Since this was my third visit this year to Brazil, I did feel that I could cut the visit short! The United Boeing 777 flight was excellent in connoisseur class and the entire trip could be considered a huge success; that is, if you could hear my uncle describe it. CLICK HERE for additional cruise/travel accounts by the author. CLICK HERE to contact the author. CLICK HERE for Aloha Cruises Front Page. Copyright 2001, All Rights Reserved. |
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