Two Days before Embarkation

      We leave for South America on Wednesday 11/15 so we are in our final preparation stage.  Planning for a 31 day cruise that includes two very different ecosystems and climates is a challenge. Our packing lists have been a real asset in helping us figure out what to take. We need warm weather clothes for the northern part of the trip but as we head south the temperatures will drop. It's late spring in South America so temperatures in Aruba, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Uruguay will be between 70 and 80 but once we get to the the Strait of Magellan, the Chilean fjords and the Falkland Islands, the temperatures will be in the 50s. We've been told it can be windy and rainy as well. And by the time we get to Buenos Aires on 12/15 temperatures will be back near 80. So layers are the name of the game. We're only taking two suitcases, a backpack and a beach bag so we'll see how it goes!  We've learned that people don't really care if you wear the same outfit more  than once. We also have to make sure we aren't over the 50 lb. limit for flying home from Buenos Aires. I've become a big fan of packing cubes and love how they keep my suitcase organized.
     We're interested in seeing how this transit of the Panama Canal will be different from the one we did in April.  We've heard there's been a drought this summer and many of the cargo ships are delayed or canceled due to water depth. The delays don't seem to affect cruise ships, however. We also heard that there's been an outbreak of avian flu in S. America so we are hoping this will not affect our penguin excursion planned for the Falkland Islands. We have excursions planned in Panama City, Lima, Santiago, Ushuaia, the Falklands, Montevideo and Buenos Aires; on our other port stops we'll be on our own. We're also excited to cross the equator and witness the King Neptune ceremony on the ship.
     Since we leave from Ft. Lauderdale by ship but return to Miami by air, figuring out transportation from home and back has been a dilemma but we've come up with a workable solution that saves us money and avoids leaving our car in a parking facility for 31 days. We got a one-way car rental from Naples to Ft. Lauderdale and will be shuttled to Port Everglades cruise port after drop-off. Then we have a one-way rental from the Miami Airport back home. This was way cheaper than a limo from home and back or parking in Ft. Lauderdale and ubering from the Miami airport to the parking lot. So we'll report on how this works out. 
     We're very excited to be heading out on our next adventure and hope to share the highlights in this blog. See you on the Oosterdam on Wednesday!

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