How it all began…

Back in March 2023, Paul and I decided we wanted to go on a big adventure while we were still young enough to do it. We therefore booked ourselves onto a 78 night cruise around South America on the Cunard ship Queen Victoria, departing on 9 January 2025. We will depart from Southampton and sail down to the Azores before heading across the Atlantic. We will then sail all the way around South America, visiting Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Peru and Ecuador; we will transit the Panama Canal as well as stopping off in Florida and various Caribbean islands.

Neither of us has ever been to South America and we are incredibly excited to visit new countries, experience South American culture, landscapes, people and food. We will experience temperatures ranging anywhere between freezing and 35 degrees, so we need to pack for all possible weathers. We need woolly jumpers, hats and gloves for one half of the trip (Cape Horn, Patagonia etc), and our shorts and sun cream for the other half! We have spent months planning trips, researching our destinations and getting our gear together. We have had numerous vaccines and need six different currencies in cash. We are as prepared as we can be and all that’s left now is the countdown to our departure… 39 days from today!

Neither of us has ever sailed across the Atlantic, sailed around Cape Horn, or transitted through the Panama Canal. There will be long days at sea with only the endless horizon for company. We are taking a few books each, although there is a good library on board, a bunch of DVDs (plus laptop and special cable!), a couple of games, some drawing materials and my cross stitch! In addition of course there will be onboard entertainment, including cabaret shows, pub quizzes, movies, lectures and other activities. We intend to spend a fair amount of time in the health suite and the gym, as well as taking daily walks around the promenade deck (weather and sea permitting). But above all we are just so excited to have 3 months’ down time, traveling the world on a beautiful ship, and (hopefully) being able to totally CHILLAX! ☺️

Ports of particular interest are:

1. Miami (2 days)
2. Rio De Janeiro (2 days)
3. Buenos Aires (2 days)
4. Ushuaia (the world’s most southerly city at the very southern tip of Argentina)
5. Lima (2 days)
6. Tierra del Fuego national park
7. Montevideo
8. Santiago

I was going to post my packing list, but I fear it would be pretty boring, not to mention long. But I am happy to put it up here if anyone would find it useful.