BROKE DOWN IN SANTOS
What Happened to the Ship:
Remember I said yesterday afternoon at 2:30 we had an electrical failure and were without any power for 15 minutes. At sailing time last evening the Captain announced that it was caused by a failure of the ship's emergency generator. It is a "no-go" piece of equipment so has to be fixed before we can leave. Just like on the airplanes I flew, if a piece of equipment begins with the word "emergency" then it is required prior to departure. She stated that the ship's engineering staff in conjunction with headquarters in Miami were working to fix the problem. Our stop at Ilha Grande has been cancelled. That is the 4th port we will have missed on our cruise. She said we would be remaining overnight in Santos and also today.
Rebecca and I ran into the Captain prior to dinner last night so I questioned her more. She said they would be trying to lease a backup emergency generator, put it in a container, and load it on board today. That way we could continue while they repair the ship's generator. No word so far this morning on any progress. I expect she will be making a PA sometime this morning or noon at the latest.
They would not let people off the ship last night. We were talking to a group of Brazilian business men at the bar and they were not happy as wanted to go into Santos for dinner. I later found out reason. The cruise terminal was closed and there was no shuttle service from the ship to it anyway. That info probably should have been included in PA so passengers would know reason for being restricted to the ship. The excursion desk quickly arranged more tours for today here. One is an 8 hour tour so know we will not be departing before 8:00 pm today, if then! There are also shuttle buses to a shopping mall downtown and to another location, not sure where that is.
We are doing our normal morning routine and on way to fitness center. I am considering taking the shuttle into Santos. I just loooooooove to shop!
It's 2:30 pm. After we returned from working out this morning the ship's internet was not working. Oh, no! We had lunch and I took a laptop to the cruise terminal to finish this post. Not working there either. Decided not to take shuttle to the mall today. By time I just returned to ship, our internet was back up. Yea!
Captain's update at 11:00 am did not sound very optimistic. I'm afraid we will be spending tomorrow here also. If so, there may be a passenger mutiny. We are still smiling and even starting to laugh at what is unfolding with this cruise. This is not close to typical of a Regent cruise. I feel bad for the staff and crew. Anyway, she said she would update us again this evening. Passengers are to be back on board my 8:00 pm.
Ilha Grande, Brazil
Historical/Background Info:
***Even though this port of call has been cancelled, I thought I would include this information and even put the link for the photos I took here back in 2012.
This is an island just off the coast of Brazil about 120 miles south of Rio de Janeiro. It first housed a leper colony and then a top security prison for some of the most dangerous prisoners within the Brazilian penal system. The prison was closed in 1994. The 75 sq mile island is now a popular tourist destination noted for its rugged, rain forest terrain and for its over 200 beaches. Most of it is in the Grande State Park with the rest of the island subject to stringent development restrictions.
Ilha Grande’s rainforest is one of the richest ecosystems in the world. It holds some of the largest remaining populations of many endangered species. There are no roads and motor vehicles are banned on the island. Population of this island is less than 5000.
Link to photos taken in Ilha Grande 2012.
https://goo.gl/photos/2HupJ6nNaan9fUqx6
What We Did Today:
Guess I have covered our activities today already. This evening we plan on cocktails then dinner in Compass Rose. I should comment on our dinner last night. We requested Chef Michael prepare veal parmesan. Here it is.
Not enough marinara sauce but after getting a side of sauce it was very good. Saw Chef Michael at lunch in La Veranda and he apologized saying he did not supervise the preparation last night. Heck he has hundreds of people to take care of. He is soooooo nice.
Way too much for my lunch in La Veranda. Roasted turkey with some cranberry sauce, pork parmesan, steamed veggies, and a taste of the veal stroganoff. That's bad thing with a buffet. You want everything!
Cocktails followed by dinner in Compass Rose is plan for tonight. Debating two entrees to choose from: roasted crispy duck ala orange OR roasted black Angus beef prime rib. Show is a return of the flautist, Suzanne Godfrey. Will probably pass again on her show.
I am going to post this now in case we lose internet again. I may come back later this evening and edit it if we get update from Captain about our generator issue.
Cocktails followed by dinner in Compass Rose is plan for tonight. Debating two entrees to choose from: roasted crispy duck ala orange OR roasted black Angus beef prime rib. Show is a return of the flautist, Suzanne Godfrey. Will probably pass again on her show.
I am going to post this now in case we lose internet again. I may come back later this evening and edit it if we get update from Captain about our generator issue.
No comments:
Post a Comment