Saturday 18 December 2010

Turnaround day



Our days at port are always emotional and hectic. Emotional because we bid farewell to our departing passengers, with whom we’ve just spent several very exciting days – and with many of whom embryonic friendships have started. Hectic because preparing a ship in a few hours’ time to be ready for the arrival of our new guests is no easy feat; worse than preparing for the inlaws dropping in for dinnner. We onboard MS Fram, however, love these days as it’s always nice to know we have made a few new friends and to look forward to the new adventures that lie ahead!


Once our new passengers embarked, had familiarized themselves a bit with the vessel, and had enjoyed their first dinner on board, we had the mandatory emergency mustering drill – which took place in the outer decks; i.e., we were exposed to the cold winds that are so abundant in Ushuaia. Naturally, we had warned our guests to dress warmly – and just to be on the safe side, we later invited everybody for a glass of champagne, to welcome them on board and warm up their bodies and minds. Later, we left the port of Ushuaia and slowly made our way along the scenic Beagle Channel, on our way to the Falklands/Malvinas Islands, our first stop in this cruise.