Friday (02/08/2013)

Going from Rio to Santos

We left work straight away at around 10pm for the Novo Rio bus station, in Rio de Janeiro. Our bus stops Saints (R$125 per person – executive) only left close to midnight, but as it was the day before Carnival and there is always traffic, we thought it would be better to leave early. We didn't even need to, because our bus was almost 2 hours late…

Day 1 – Saturday (09/02/2013)

In the port of Santos

We arrived in Saints around 11am, after a 9-hour trip. We got off at the city bus station and went to look for a taxi to take us to the port, but we noticed that the passengers on our bus were returning to it because they had gotten a ride for R$$10 per person. We also got back on the bus and only got off in front of the stands of the cruise companies. I never thought I would walk so little…

We easily found the stand of our company, Royal Caribbean. We left our luggage where they told us to and waited for the check-in start, as they explained to us. The port was packed with all kinds of people… you could clearly see people who were single and looking for a lot of partying during Carnival (cruises to the northeast, for example) and families, couples and seniors looking for a calmer Carnival (other destinations). We bought our beers and in less than an hour, we were already on the ship. What organization, huh… Congratulations!

Entering the ship

I had already taken a cruise with MSC when I graduated in engineering in 2009, but it was the first time with Celo. This time, I chose Royal Caribbean and I can say right away that I liked it more. Our ship was the Splendour of the Seas and it's quite luxurious. They all are actually, but something tells me this one was more than mine from MSC.

Since our cabins weren’t available yet when we boarded the ship, we decided to take a walk around to do the famous reconnaissance of the area. There are interactive maps on the ship itself that help you understand where you are, where you can go and what you can do. We went straight to the 9th floor, where the pools are (yes, more than one!) to get into the mood, right? We weren’t very impressed with the size of the outdoor pool, but we enjoyed the views. jacuzzis around it. Then we went to the indoor pool area and it's really cool, but I confess that I don't really like indoor pools.

Lunch on the ship

We discovered that there was lunch going on in the restaurant on this floor, on the opposite side of where we were staying, and there we went, starving, since our last meal had been the night before. The restaurant was of the type buffet, very tidy and with some options of salads, pastas, meats and desserts. The best thing about restaurants on ships is the view, right? So we made sure to sit close to the window, looking out over the water of the Santos sea (horrible, by the way, lol).

IMPORTANT: All meals were included in the price we paid for the ship (R$2600 – outside cabin). We only paid for drinks, which were quite expensive. To give you an idea, a draft beer cost US$6.90. (This was in 2013… I don’t know how much it costs nowadays). There are even drink packages, but none of them were worth it for us. We had to pay one by one…

Our room

After lunch, we finally went to our room! We arrived and our bags were already nearby, so we put everything inside without stress. We changed our clothes, got some rest, and were woken up for emergency training.

This training is always done at the beginning of the trip, because it is important that everyone knows what to do in case of an accident (everyone has seen the movie Titanic, right?). Well then… it must have lasted at most half an hour. After the training, we went to get drinks and walk around the other areas. We loved everything we saw, without exception. It is such a comfortable, cozy environment, you know? I love the atmosphere of resort that ships have, I don't know... The colorful carpets, the lights, the wallpapers, the cold air conditioning, the people serving you and being super friendly... I love it, but I know there are people who hate it.

We watched the ship leave the port and passed by some places in Santos where people wave at the ships. We looked like celebrities, you know? It’s interesting…

Dinner on the ship

Soon it was time for our dinner. Before we traveled, we booked the My Time Dining, as we were instructed, our dinners throughout the trip. You basically choose the day, the restaurant and the time of the meal. We scheduled it for 9pm every day, but then we realized that a lot of cool attractions happened at that time.

Some of them were repeated later, but others weren't, so we ended up missing the attractions (no one deserves to go to bed hungry, right?). I got the impression that the best thing to do is go without a reserved time and try your luck, but I confess that we like not having to wait in lines and crowds, so I think I would try to get an earlier time slot next time...

Day 2 – Sunday (10/02/2013)

All day on the ship

We woke up and read the following information in the cruise newspaper: Full day of sailing! We were a little apprehensive, but when we turned the page and saw the amount of activities that would be carried out, we relaxed. There is everything happening on the ship…karaoke, pool games, quiz with prizes, dance classes, shows, game tournaments, stretching, among others. It was difficult to organize our schedule, but we managed it!

We went out to have breakfast at the restaurant The King and I that has a la carte food + buffet. This restaurant is only open until 10am, so you have to wake up relatively early to go, but it's worth it! They prepare pancakes, waffles, eggs in all shapes, omelets and everything comes warm and is tasty. There are several different breads, lots of cereals and fruits in the buffet. This restaurant ended up being our favorite…

Swimming pool and jacuzzi

We changed our clothes and went straight to the ship's main pool. We left our belongings on two lounge chairs and went for a swim, but we found the water quite cold and the pool was relatively full. After a while, we went to the jacuzzi outside and we stayed there relaxing for a long time. Then we decided to go to the indoor pool…. oh, life is tough…lol.

We had lunch in the meantime, relaxed, walked around the ship and saw everything we could see. We took a dance class right after lunch and of course it didn’t do us any good. We felt sick at the end of the day and didn’t even get to see the captain, which I think is one of the most important events of the cruise. What a shame…

After feeling sick for so long, I called reception in the middle of the night to ask about medical services. They told me that because of the time, I would have to pay US$$48 to wake up the doctor and another US$$160 for the consultation. Totally absurd!!!! This should be free, right? I asked for an anti-nausea medicine and they at least sent someone to deliver it to the room, but unfortunately it didn't help. I felt sick for a while longer and ended up falling asleep from exhaustion.

Day 3 – Monday (11/02/2013)

After the fabulous night I had, I woke up exhausted. Even so, we got ready, had breakfast and went to explore Punta del Este, as soon as they allowed people to leave. As the city does not have a considerable port, the ships remain stationary far from the city, in the middle of the sea, and passengers take boats to the beach with the pier.

Punta Del Este

We got off, I was still feeling a little sick, and decided to buy a Coke at the first restaurant we saw. Since we didn't have Uruguayan pesos, we paid in reais. Amazing: we paid 9 reais for a can. I was shocked by the price, but since it was very soft and I thought drinking coke would help me, I paid.

We had a map of the city with an indication of tour that we could do on our own walking. I thought it was great, because that way we could walk at our own pace, but You can buy tour packages on the cruise. They are much more expensive than self-guided tours, of course, but you don’t have to worry about transportation or schedules, since the guide will take care of you. I think there are pros and cons…

We followed the map along the waterfront and had a great impression of the city. Organized, clean, new cars, beautiful and healthy people. A healthy environment, you know? Unfortunately, I started to feel sick again and we had to stop at a snack bar inside the Artigas Square to rest.

Having lunch in Punta

As it started to rain and I was already cold, Celo went to look for an umbrella and recommendations for a good restaurant to have lunch. After he came back, we continued walking along the main street until we found one of the restaurants that had been recommended, The Tucan. What a cozy place, you know… I don’t know if it’s because I was exhausted and cold, wanting some peace, but I found the restaurant calm, comfortable and with wonderful food. We ordered best meat (eye of steak) recommended by the waitress, mashed potatoes and Uruguayan beer Patrícia for Celo. We ate it as a starter chorizos, which are wonderful sausages! 

After this delicious lunch with perfect service, the bill came. It came to R$$90 for the two of us. I thought it was fair considering the quality and quantity of everything, you know? I recommend it! The only annoying part is that near the bathroom, we came across toucans and macaws in cages. Why keep these beautiful animals locked up, right? Anyway…

The sculpture of the hand

We continued walking around the city to complete the tour that the map indicated to us. We saw calm and wild beaches, the lighthouse, the cathedral, the small market, the marina, the famous hand sculpture, well, everything that was on the map. Nothing too impressive, but the tour itself is very enjoyable. You feel super safe and end up walking around with your camera hanging around your neck and without having to worry about anything. I found it to be first world level, mainly because the people are very polite and the houses and buildings are beautiful and luxurious. It's a resort for rich people, right?

Punta Casino

At the end of the day, we decided to pop into the Conrad Hotel Casino, considered the best in Punta. What a luxurious hotel, huh? Just to give you an idea, the cheapest daily rate in low season was US$$230. The most expensive, in any season, costs US$$7,500. You get the luxury, right?

The casino is quite large, but people are allowed to smoke inside and that immediately put me off. I hate cigarette smoke, so we only stayed for a short time, but we made sure to play roulette (I love it!). Guess what? We won!!! We left right after the win to keep the good memories of the place alive…

Punta Beach

Before we returned to the ship, Celo wanted to go into the sea very close to the pier. The beach was very crowded and he said that the water temperature was great, but I couldn't go in because it was still soft.

In short, Punta del Este It's a cute city, with polite people, good restaurants, lively nightlife, good, safe beaches, in short, it seemed like a paradise in South America. It makes me want to go back again.

Night on the ship

Back on the ship, we got ready for dinner and ate some wonderful dishes (I don't remember which ones exactly) and then we went to watch the show Gary Williams. This guy is an English singer who sings classics by Sinatra, Gipsy Kings, etc. and his show was incredible. We loved it. We left there so excited that we stopped by the casino to play roulette. I was impressed by the money people were willing to spend there…there were people with a lot of money, especially from the midwest region of the country.

We slept like rocks….

Day 4 – Tuesday (12/02/2013)

Buenos Aires

We woke up and we were in Buenos Aires! How great it is to sleep and wake up in another city, right? So practical. We had breakfast at our favorite restaurant and when we finished, we got ready to visit the city of Buenos Aires, which we both already knew. We got off the ship and took a bus that dropped us off at the port's embarkation and disembarkation terminal, which was quite luxurious by the way.

There we were approached by many people offering tours, but again we preferred to go on our own (we are like that, adventurous...lol). We got a map of the city and walked around looking for a bus to the park. Rose garden, but as it was so hot, we gave up halfway and took a taxi.

We got off at the Rosedal (garden with several types of roses) and I immediately went looking for a bike rental to repeat what I did in 2011 (see more details here), but now in good company. But, however, we realized that they don't rent bikes with locks, so if we left the bike parked at Japanese Garden, for example, we could run the risk of it being stolen and we would have to pay for it. We thought it would be better to do everything on foot, despite the heat…

Rose garden

I showed the Rosedal (free entry) to Celo and he was impressed with the organization and beauty. He said it looked like some places in Europe (at that time I hadn't been to Europe yet, but today I can confirm what he said).

Japanese Garden

After that we walked to the Japanese Garden (entrance fee), but I ended up feeling a little sick and we had to stop to rest. It was really hot and I was still weak from the day before, so I felt like I was going to faint the whole time. When we entered the JJ, we noticed that there was a competition of people dressed as cartoon characters…every character we saw…lol. Oh, Celo liked the JJ too. 🙂

Lunch in Buenos Aires

We left the garden and struggled to find a taxi that accepted reais. We found one and went straight to the best empanada restaurant in Buenos Aires according to my mother-in-law, San Juanino, in the upscale neighborhood of Recoleta. We waited in line for a while, but it was worth the wait. We ordered a few different flavored empanadas and they were all delicious. The only thing I didn’t like was the service and the warm beer they gave us…

Tango Show

We took a taxi to the port with a super friendly driver. We got ready and then went back to the terminal to wait for the transfer of the event we booked for the evening: tango show, dinner and dance class at a place called Sabor a Tango.

I already knew their show from my solo backpacking trip in 2011 and I chose it again because of the tango dance class, which I really wanted to do with Celo. The class was actually nice, but the food wasn't that great and the show It wasn't spectacular either, so I don't know if they actually made it worse or if we were just unlucky.

THE transfer He dropped us off at the port terminal again and when we arrived at the ship, we stopped by the casino to end the night on a high note.

Day 5 – Wednesday (13)/02/2013)

Lunch at Puerto Madero

We woke up a little late and didn't even have breakfast on the ship – we went straight to the restaurant The Goat, in the neighborhood of Puerto Madero,  to eat a real grill. We took a taxi right in front of the port terminal that accepted reais and went.

There was a huge line of very large groups waiting for a table, but since there were only 2 of us, we were lucky to get a small table. We sat outside the restaurant and received great service. The food really is delicious!

They serve about 500 side dishes for the meat and they are all great (the water in the photo is also delicious!). We panicked when we realized we didn't have any Argentine pesos or many reais with us, so we had to pay with a credit card. We had forgotten to unlock it for use abroad, but thank God it went through just fine...lol. Don't forget to unlock yours!

Delicious ice cream shop

I vaguely remembered where the ice cream shop was. Jauja, which I loved so much first time I went to BsAs, and I made a point of taking Celo there. I knew it was close to Evita Museum, which in turn was close to the Zoo, so we took a taxi and I asked him to go to the Evita Museum. As soon as he stopped at the corner, I remembered all the details of my walk alone and took my little one to see the museum. best ice cream shop in town. We didn't have much time until the ship left the port, but it was just the right time to order 2 delicious balls with unique flavors. We tried almost all of them before choosing... I recommend them!

We took a taxi nearby and went straight to the port. We were lucky enough to get a very friendly taxi driver who was extremely happy when I told him that I had traveled around Argentina for 15 days in 2011, visiting several cities. He joked that I was almost Argentine, I knew the country so well, and I confess that I felt like the queen of coconut candy at that moment! It must be rare for an Argentine to find a Brazilian who knows more than Buenos Aires or Bariloche, right?

Back on the ship

We returned to the ship and in less than an hour, it was setting sail. I thought it was really cool to see the city of BsAs moving away from us. Take a look at the view:

We took advantage of the fact that we were there enjoying the view and played a little golf to pass the time. I lost to Celo both times we played…lol

Then we participated in a quiz of songs with 2 other guys in our group, but we almost didn't win first place (we came in second).

Sunset from the ship

We bought some drinks and sat down to enjoy the sunset from a quiet spot on the ship. I thought it was so beautiful!!! Check it out:

Dinner on the ship

We went back to the room and got ready for dinner, even though we weren't very hungry. We had crab cakes, breaded shrimp and a steak that looked delicious and, luckily, everything was very tasty. The best part of the night was finally trying the Australian beer. Foster's. We weren’t even able to try it in Australia… (to find out more about our trip there, Click here.)

Show on the ship

We watched the tango show that was playing in the main theater and, apart from the fact that the old singer was a disaster, we thought it was pretty cool. We left the show and came across a show by the ship's entertainment group... only classical music and the focus was the Macho Men, who were dressed up and had a lot of fun. The women went crazy...

We left there and stopped by the casino to end the day on a high note... Addiction is addiction, people. It's horrible... lol.

Day 6 – Thursday (14)/02/2013)

Montevideo

We woke up this time in MontevideoWe only had the morning to explore the city, as the ship would leave around 1pm. We had breakfast relatively early in the room (we booked it for free!!) and we got off excited about yet another city to visit.

As soon as we got a little further away from the ship, we were approached by several tour companies, but we chose again to do the city tour alone, walking. We took a map of just the historic part of the city and off we went.

We started by passing in front of the Port Market, which because of the time, was still closed. We passed by Museum of Pre-Colombian and Indigenous Art (MAPI), Plaza Zabala, Metropolitan Cathedral, Gurvich Museum, Plaza Constitución, Museu y Archivo Historico Municipal (Cabildo), walking mostly through Sarandí Pedestrian Street, pedestrian-only street. I found the street quite pleasant with several shops, restaurants, street vendors…

We arrived at the monument Citadel Gate that is in Independence Square. In this square there are several important and imposing buildings, such as the building where the president works. Very close to the square is the Solís Theater and it is very pretty on the outside (we didn't get to go inside). I found the city to be well organized, the people polite and the weather delightful for walking around. We walked to the street United Nations Rambla, where there is a cycle path for cyclists and from where it is possible to see the River Plate.

We returned to the historic center and continued passing in front of the buildings that our guide had marked as tourist attractions. A few more museums, churches, etc. We didn't find anything special and didn't go into any of them. We stopped at a Brazilian coffee shop to rest, we had a Uruguayan beer and then left.

Port Market

We then went to the Port Market because we wanted to eat good Uruguayan meat again. We sat at a bar counter that had a large grill with all the meat exposed. We ordered a 1 liter Zillertal beer (good!!) and waited for our meat to arrive. We ate chorizos and a rib huge, but that last one wasn't wonderful.

I was really worried about the time, so as soon as we left, we went straight to the ship. Celo kept bothering me the whole way back, telling me that we had time and that we didn't need to be afraid, but I thought it best to ignore him. We arrived on the ship on time and I was finally able to relax. 🙂

Dance on the ship

Since we woke up early, we went back to the room to sleep a little longer. When we woke up, it was almost time for breakfast. Ballroom Dancing Class that we wanted to do so much. Or rather, that I wanted us to do…lol. We went there and Celo rocked it! 🙂 He’s getting good at this dancing thing. 

After the dance we stayed a little in the pool, walked around the ship and soon it was time for dinner. I bought the drink of the day to keep the souvenir cup (they let you have it!) and we went to the restaurant. I had a vegetarian Greek lasagna, Celo had a Thai dish and we also ordered some desserts, which were very good.

We went to watch the show Decadence in the main theater and we thought it was really cool! Several songs that marked the decades, with really cool choreography and costumes. Then we went to a huge hall where the “Mind-blowing challenge“It was a competition in which the groups had to find a way to reach the representatives carrying an object, dressing in a certain way, etc. It was hilarious to see the groups doing everything they could to win the competition!

We left happy and went to the casino again. Let me make it clear that we are very tight-fisted and played a maximum of US$$20 per day, the two of us. We saw several people enter the roulette tables with thousands of dollars, betting on very few numbers and almost 100% of the time losing EVERYTHING. How painful that was, you know…

After playing, we went out for a walk on the ship at night and I loved the feeling of being outside, looking at the pitch black, with the wind in my face.

I felt like I was on the Titanic with my Jack. <3

Day 7 – Friday (15/02/2013)

Full day of sailing….Yay!

We knew the schedule would be great and that we would be able to make the most of our last day of the cruise. We went to breakfast and then changed into our gym clothes to run around the ship.

When we stopped, we went in search of drinks (with a souvenir cup, of course!) and rest. We wanted to take a dip in the pool too, but someone had gotten sick in it, and they had to close it for the whole day!!! I thought that was terrible.

I went back to the room to get ready and do the free evaluation of my feet.  (I don't know why they offer this, but I wanted to do it). It turned out what I already knew: my gait is relatively normal, except for the fact that my toes don't touch the ground. Obviously, they offered a magic insole there, which cost US$$200 and which promised the end of back pain and pain in other areas of the body. Yeah...

More dancing on the ship

I left there and met Celo where we had agreed. It was almost time for our forró class…lol. We danced for 1 hour and had a lot of fun! It was soon time for dinner. Once again the food was wonderful, but I don't remember what we ate. At the end of the night, we went to see the last show of the cruise with Luis Dalton, a circus guy who is a tightrope walker. I found it very bizarre!

We left with a heavy heart because we knew it was our last night on the cruise. We went to the casino, had a few beers at the bar near the casino with live music and then went for a walk around the cruise. We went to the nightclub around 2am and it was so empty that we didn't stay long and went to bed.

NOTE: We had to leave our luggage outside the room at around 8pm, so that it could be taken to the disembarkation points and we could only pick it up when we were in Santos. This was very bizarre to me… I hadn't prepared myself to carry my toiletry bag, pajamas and clothes from the previous day outside of my suitcase.

Day 8 – Saturday (16/02/2013)

We woke up, packed our bags and went to have our last breakfast of the trip. Unfortunately, coffee was only served in the restaurant with buffet. We ate not so well, enjoyed the view of Santos and waited to be called for disembarkation (they call by groups). To our surprise, they were extremely organized and the process did not take long.

Voting for Rio

We left the ship, picked up our luggage and were free to go to the bus station before 12pm. Too bad our bus was only at 2pm. We sat around the bus station for a while, in the scorching heat, and when the bus arrived it was a relief to be inside the air conditioning.

We took the bus and it was one of the worst trips I've ever taken. It was endless... daytime travel is tough, it's hard to sleep with the light on and people talking. We did practically an entire crossword puzzle and still didn't get there. We stopped at Grail And this was the best part of the bus trip. We ate delicious and expensive burgers, stretched our legs and went back to our seats. We even managed to sleep a little afterwards. We arrived in Rio around 11 pm, that is, after a 9-hour trip.

Our tips

1: If you like to indulge in food and don’t mind spending money, don’t worry. The ship has 2 more restaurants that you pay for separately, with a variety of cuisines. I didn’t go because I didn’t care, but I’m sure the dishes are tastier…

2: Bring some anti-nausea medicine, just in case. I felt sick and didn’t have any with me, but they managed to deliver it to my room. I don’t know if they always have it available…

3: Don't bring sunscreen with you spray or if you take it, leave it to be applied in the room. There are a lot of people circulating in the pool area and applying sunscreen spray in the external area it is a little complicated.

4: It is not possible to bring alcoholic beverages onto the ship. If you buy any in any of the cities where the ship stops, they will confiscate them and only return them when the ship docks at the port of disembarkation (in this case, Santos).

5: Enjoy drinks that let you take your own glass souvenir. It's a great souvenir and you don't pay anything extra for it.

6: Since I booked the cruise with a travel agent (I regret it), he already included all the tips in the price. I thought it was expensive after I saw it… We paid US$$70 for the steward for 7 nights, among other tips. Be careful when you buy! 😉

7: Bring clothes for both formal and informal occasions and have fun!