Category: Travel

Recently, our long-time friend and prolific blogger Dan Cirucci interviewed us about our travel adventures – in particular our recent South America cruise cut short by a day because of the coronavirus, and our 2019 Norway cruise during which the ship lost power in the stormy North Sea. Enjoy.

(Click on the photo to view the video)

From February 28 through March 17, 2020, Anne and Jerry (along with Anne’s cousin Charlie Sceia and his wife Marie) were on a Viking cruise around the southern part of South America.Charlie and Marie Sceia, Anne and Jerry Klein

It was a great experience, but we were saddened to watch the scary news on TV that the coronavirus had exploded from China to the U.S. and around the world. The last stop on our cruise was Buenos Aires, Argentina. Fortunately, only a handful of cases had been reported there; nevertheless, we were forced to return home a day ahead of schedule when the government announced plans to close the airport in Buenos Aires to all incoming and outgoing air traffic on Tuesday, the day we were supposed to fly home. Fortunately, Charlie and Marie were able to get a flight out on Sunday night.

After leaving the cruise ship on Sunday, we were staying at the Buenos Aires Hilton and had planned to spend a couple of days meeting and spending time with two brothers whose last name is Sceia – the same as Anne’s maiden name (but no known relation). Hernan and Esteban have been Anne’s Facebook friends for several years, but they had never met in person. They are wonderful, and their families had planned to show us around Buenos Aires and host a typical Italian Sunday dinner for us at their home.Hernan Sceia, Anne, Jerry, Maria Sceia and Esteban Sceia

We met Hernan, Esteban and Esteban’s wife Maria for lunch on Sunday, then went out for some sightseeing.  When we returned to the hotel late in the afternoon, there were numerous uniformed police guarding the door and we were told the hotel was locked down. That meant we could not go out again to have dinner with the Sceias, which saddened all of us greatly. Hernan even brought their mother to explain to the guards, but to no avail.

No one at the hotel had any answers about how long we would be confined or what we needed to do to get out again. Fortunately, by Monday morning, the police had gotten their act together and had a list of guests who could not leave the hotel. Fortunately, we were not on that list, so Hernan was able to pick us up and show us a beautiful section on the northern outskirts of the city called San Isidro, where his home is. After introducing us to his wife and son, Hernan got us back to the hotel in the afternoon in plenty of time for us to finish packing and get ready to head to the airport for our late evening flight back to the U.S.

We had originally been scheduled to fly from Buenos Aires to Houston, then on to Newark. Instead, Viking got us seats on a nonstop flight from Buenos Aires to JFK International in New York City. At Buenos Aires airport, you would never have known know there was any problem with Covid-19. The line going through passport control was about an hour long but moved well. The border agent looked at our passports, took our photos and had us provide our thumb prints.  We were a couple hours early so we were able to spend the time in the American Airlines lounge which had a great spread of food and drink. Our plane to JFK was full, but we did not hear any coughing.

We breezed thru customs at JFK; we have Global Entry so we had no problem. No medical screening anywhere. The U.S. Customs officer asked if we had been anywhere other than Chile, Argentina and the Falkland islands. We said no and that was it. Once we got home, though, we were quarantined to our house like almost everyone else.

Our cruise was on the Viking Jupiter, and for the most part it was great.Our cruise itinerary

We loved Argentina, Uruguay and the Falkland Islands.  We were not so much in love with Chile; the political unrest has taken a toll on the country, with graffiti on many of the buildings and walls in downtown Valpariso.Plaza Sotomayor, the main square in downtown Valparaiso

During a stop at Puerto Montt, Chile, we enjoyed a sightseeing cruise on fog-shrouded Lake Emerald, visited the Petrohue River waterfalls where melted glacier water empties from a 22,000 year old lava formation, then gazed in awe across the expansive Lake Llanquihue at the still-active, snow-capped Osorno and Calbuco Volcanoes.Lake Emerald

Petrohue River waterfall coursing through the volcanic lava

Gazing across Lake Llanquihue at the still-active Osorno volcano

We spent a day exploring the beautiful Chilean fjords, then cruised by the Amalia Glacier which originates in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. (Patagonia is the region encompassing the vast southernmost tip of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile.)Cruising through the Chilean fjordsThe Amalia Glacier

We had a nice walk through Punta Arenas, the populous capital city of Chile’s southernmost region. It is located on the Strait of Magellan which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.The central square in Punta Arenas

We loved Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world and the capital of Tierra del Fuego. It’s situated on the Beagle Channel, where Charles Darwin had explored in the late 1800s.Ushuaia

The next day, we cruised around Cape Horn, the southernmost tip of South America. The weather was chilly but the seas were smooth. The Viking Staff Captain (whom we had met on a previous cruise on the Viking Star) said the water around Cape Horn was the most calm he had ever seen it.Looking north toward Cape Horn (the high peak at the left)

Our next stop was the Falkland Islands, object of the 10-week 1982 undeclared war between Argentina and Great Britain (the English won). We opted not to take the tours to see the penguins or sheep; instead we took the tour around the capital, Port Stanley, then had lunch at a charming British hotel.Anglican Christ Church Cathedral in Port Stanley. The arch in front of the cathedral is made of whale bones

Then it was four days at sea because our next port, Puerto Madryn, Argentina, was closed due to high winds. We finally arrived in Montevideo, Uruguay, where we walked around the city. This is a beautiful city — in spots. As with most of South America, there is a big division between the rich and the poor.  We had our temperatures taken twice, once when we left the ship and again when we re-boarded.Plaza Independencia in Montevideo, with the Executive Office Building, offices of Uruguay’s president, in the background

The last stop was Buenos Aires. We LOVED Buenos Aires, Argentina’s expansive, cosmopolitan capital city. The metro area is home to almost 16 million people and spans 1,837 square miles. It poured rain on Saturday, but Sunday and Monday were perfect days. Unfortunately, we were only able to see highlights, and wish we could have stayed longer.Casa Rosada (“the Pink House”) is Argentina’s Government house and the place where many of the major historic events of this country took place. It is home to the balcony that Eva Peron often used to address throngs of poor laborers. It became iconic as the setting for “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina,” the signature song of the musical “Evita.”

Residents and tourists taking a Sunday afternoon walk in one of Buenos Aries’ large parks

Maria Sceia, Anne’s cousin’s wife, has posted more than 40 of her photos of the trip on Facebook. She tagged Anne (on Facebook as Anne Sceia Klein), so if you search for Anne, you should be able to see Marie’s photos on Anne’s timeline.

We hope everyone is staying well.  This is a scary time.  We are home and have no symptoms — fingers crossed.

April 2019 – We spent Easter weekend with one of Anne’s many cousins, who was visiting from California. After hosting him for dinner on Holy Saturday and brunch on Easter Sunday, we left for San Antonio early on Easter Monday. We then spent a great week with dear friends in San Antonio, all four of whom we had met and bonded with on a Viking cruise a year earlier.

After an uneventful air trip from Philadelphia, the trip turned a little rocky at the rental car garage; we had reserved a Chevy Traverse but were upgraded to a (larger) Tahoe. But when we drove to the exit, the attendant told us the Tahoe had just been SOLD by Hertz. So back to the aisle, and we ended up with an (even larger) Suburban! That enabled us to drive all six of us around San Antonio and environs in spacious comfort.

It was only at the end of the week, when the weather shifted from mild to HOT, that we discovered the air conditioner didn’t work! Fortunately, a sympathetic attendant gave us a $25 discount on the rental price.

The day (Saturday) we were leaving San Antonio, a massive snowstorm closed Chicago O’Hare Airport (we were scheduled to return from San Antonio through Chicago to Philadelphia)! Fortunately, we found a United Club at the San Antonio airport, where we learned that our flight to Chicago was at first delayed, then canceled. The woman at the reception desk was able to re-book us on a flight to Houston that afternoon with a very early departure to Philadelphia on Sunday morning. We left for Houston at 4:30 pm and arrived a little after 5 pm. We were told our luggage would be sent to Houston. Well, it was, but with the re-route stickers on the label, the luggage did not arrive on the carousel where it was supposed to arrive. Thankfully, Jerry found it about an hour later in a secure United office for re-routed luggage.

Naturally, we missed the shuttle to the hotel where United had booked and paid for us, so we took a cab. Our driver didn’t know where the hotel was located until we gave him an address.

Another adventure… The cab had a credit card machine which indicated we should swipe our card; we did, and the card was accepted. Then our driver said the credit card machine did not work, and we should use his cell phone. Jerry was very suspicious, thinking we had been charged twice. Fortunately, we had not. United also paid for dinner, and we had delicious fajitas! (Love Mexican food and margaritas!)

At 4 am, we were up and in the lobby by 4:45 am to take the shuttle to the airport for the 7:45 am flight to Philadelphia. Fortunately, the flight departed on time and even arrived a little early. We thought we were doing great! Unfortunately, when we arrived in Philadelphia and called to retrieve our car from the parking service, we were told that Anne’s car had a flat tire and had to be filled with air. 30 or 40 minutes later, the car arrived for us to drive home.

We quickly unpacked, repacked and left for Washington, DC, where Anne was meeting three classmates for a book presentation and signing for the Penn Association of Alumnae. We took Jerry’s car which needed gas, so we stopped for gas. We had to eat, so we bought a hot dog at a Wawa near our home, and, finally, we were off to DC. Traffic was moving along fine, until an accident tied up Rt. 95 south of Baltimore. We arrived at the book presentation 5:55 pm, five minutes before the scheduled meeting!

Around 9pm, we had a burger and collapsed in bed so tired. It was cold in our room; Anne called the front desk to ask for blankets. The front desk advised us to turn up the heat, which worked. Of course, we had put the “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door, so Anne could not figure out why the blankets had not arrived. Once we realized what happened, we took down the sign, called the front desk and the blankets arrived.

We slept until 9:30 on Monday morning, then dressed for breakfast, ate, picked up one of Anne’s classmates and drove her to Philadelphia. We stopped for lunch at Woody’s (a great spot for Maryland crabs we had found years ago in Northeast, Md.), relaxed for a while on the shore of the Northeast River, and finally arrived home around 6 pm.

Somehow, everything worked out and we squeezed in all our commitments.

We had a wonderful time in San Antonio and thank our dear friends Phil and Cindy so much for hosting the Viking “veterans.” It was fun to be with Bob and Maryann as well. And thanks also to Diana and Tom, whom we met on a different Viking cruise, for journeying to San Antonio to meet us for Anne’s birthday lunch. Even though the River Walk was crowded, Cindy had made lunch reservations; Anne cannot remember when she had so much fun on her birthday!

The week was perfect, filled with journeys to missions, old towns, vineyards and fabulous food, despite Anne’s ignorance of not knowing that Luckenbach, Texas, is a spot on the map with a handful of old wooden buildings, an enormous grass parking lot, and population of 3!!

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Our March 2019 cruise “In Search of the Northern Lights” did manage to put us in position to see the lights, technically known as the Aurora Borealis, several times. These first photos were shot on March 16, on our cabin’s balcony on our first night in Bergen, Norway. Without time to set up my tripod, I shot these photos hand-held with six-second exposures.

The following evening, March 17, we saw some spectacular sunsets.

That same evening, we set our camera on a tripod and stationed ourselves on the top forward deck of the ship.

The following evening, March 18, we journeyed to a ski hill near Alta, Norway and set up to try to capture more photos of the elusive lights.
The night was cloudy, so our chances of seeing the Northern Lights was slim.

After peering to the heavens for several hours, we finally spotted a very brief flash peeking out from between two mountain peaks.

Several nights later, on March 20, we traveled by motor coach some 2 1/2 hours from Tromso to a location on the boarder with Finland. After staring at the sky for 45 minute with nary a sign of an aurora, we reboard our bus for our ride back to the ship. No sooner had we done so than our guide yelled for everyone to come outside again — an aurora had begun.

That was our last siting of the Northern Lights. As we left Trumso on March 22, the skies had clouded over, and the winds and the waves started growing stronger. That’s what led to our next adventure (see previous post, “Our Viking Sky Adventure,” below).

This past March 13, we flew from Newark Liberty International Airport to Oslo, Norway, and on to Bergen, Norway. There we boarded theViking Sky to take a cruise “In Search of the Northern Lights.” Given the unpredictability of the lights, we were happy we saw them in Alta, on a drive from  Tromso, Norway, into Finland, on the sports deck of the ship, and even on our own cabin’s balcony (photo below).

We love Viking Cruises. In fact, this was our 6th Viking Ocean cruise and our 7th overall with Viking (one was a river cruise from Amsterdam to Basel, Switzerland). We always feel safe with Viking, so we have been to China, the Holy Land, the Baltic Sea and several other destinations, plus we have made great friends.  

The Viking Ocean cruise line began just four years ago (2015), and the Viking Sky was launched just two years ago (2017). Viking appeals to older, well-traveled individuals, so no one appeared concerned when we hit rough seas off Norway. In mid-morning, our ship’s Captain reported to us that the port of Boda, Norway, our next stop, had been closed because of the weather, so he planned to journey on to Stavanger, our next port of call. I love days at sea; I use the time for a massage, the hot tub and just chillin’.  

We were just finishing lunch about 2 pm on Saturday, March 23, when the ship started to roll from side to side. Glasses fell off the tables; soda cans spilled from the carts, and dishes began to crash and break. Having had a small power boat for 35 years, we still were unconcerned, since we had become accustomed to heavy seas. We finished our lunch, had some polite conversation with the woman seated next to us, then returned to our suite using the elevators. I did not see the lights flicker, but my husband did, and then green escape lights turned on. No word came over the PA system, so we returned to our cabin to find our two cabin stewards picking up items that had fallen. They directed us to go to our bedroom and close the door. That was fine. My husband already was sitting on the bed reading, while I took out my tablet to read.  

At that point (about 2:15 pm in the afternoon), the emergency signal was sounded, and the Captain advised us over the PA system this was NOT a drill. We were to report to our muster stations. We took nothing with us, although my husband had his cell phone on him. We walked down the stairs – no elevators – and everyone was quite calm, except for one woman who was accompanied by a crew member; she was wimpering .  

When we arrived at our muster station on the second deck – the Star Theater – we were instructed to put on our life vests, which everyone did. At that point, our Captain advised us that we had lost all the engine power and he had radioed a “mayday.” (Three of the four engines were later restarted.) He said there were three helicopters on their way to evacuate the passengers, and we were waiting for large tugboats to help us get into a port. (We subsequently heard via media reports that five helicopters were working.) I had a fleeting thought – “I hadn’t planned on dying this way.” 

The crew was exceptional in their ability to keep everyone calm and happy. We sat only on sofas that were connected to the floor; not on any swivel chairs that might tip over.  

I had to go to the bathroom, so a crew member came with me. Only two of the three toilets in the nearest ladies’ room were operational.  Eventually, the two working ones stopped working because the power was out. We held our noses when we had to use them. One of the entertainers allowed us to use the dressing room toilet at the front of the theater. That toilet worked for a while, until passengers had made such a mess that the toilet smelled badly.  

Meanwhile, two firefighters who were EMTs, an Army soldier, a police officer, and a physician – all passengers – began to assist anyone who needed help. They were wonderful. The physician even took a bucket and rag and washed out the dressing room bathroom, returning the toilet to normal operation once the power was restored.  Other toilets also were cleaned and returned to service.

The crew was simply amazing – they made sure everyone had water and snacks. Then, for dinner, the crew distributed sandwiches, and bread for those passengers who were not feeling well enough to eat anything other than bread.  

The Captain briefed us every 30 minutes, then every 15 minutes to be sure the passengers stayed calm, and to reassure us he had everything under control. He said he had dropped anchor to keep us from drifting and tossing about. He turned the bow into the wind, which every sailor knows is the correct procedure to take. Then, the captain told us that one of the helicopters sent to rescue us had to be diverted to rescue the crew from a commercial ship that had come to assist us but also became disabled in the heavy seas.  

A wonderful woman (from England) sitting next to me in the theater had her iPad with her and she was reading Facebook, Twitter and news reports. Those reports were so sensational and not factual. Our ship was not filling with water, and passengers were not panicked, trying to get off the ship.  

Later, in London, we met people whose muster station was “The Restaurant,” also on Deck 2. They told us that although one of the outside doors had opened and some people were drenched, there was no panic even in that area.

We saw another woman (from England) the next day who said she was concerned about the young crew, and she wanted them to be evacuated first. We later learned that the sick and the injured were evacuated first. Then the most elderly people who wanted to get off.  

Our small group in the front of the theater did not want to be evacuated by helicopter. With the winds and the storm, we felt it was safer on an anchored ship. We only later learned from news reports that we were only 325 yards from the rocks. The Captain clearly knew this when he dropped the anchor. True that we had none of the four engines working, but the Captain remained calm and reassured us we would be evacuated.   

After 24 hours, only half of the 930 passengers had been evacuated. Each helicopter, we were told, could take only 14 passengers at a time, with each passenger being hoisted individually (photo below). We learned that the scariest part of the ordeal was the helicopter hoist and travel back to port.

Two rumors we heard said the captain lost one anchor and the rope/cable was frayed. We did not hear that. The first news reports noted five (5) people were taken to the hospital. This number grew to 30+. Who knows? I guess if you were hit by a piece of furniture, the furniture could have caused an injury. We had none of those experiences.   

Another news report quoted a Twitter feed of a woman who said, “The penthouse suite guests were tucked safely and warmly in the theater.” Not true; passengers from every level of the ship were in the theater, as it was their pre-assigned muster station. Rumors abounded as people expressed their own fears and frustrations. I can see where it is easy to believe the stories, but the media sensationalized the actual occurrences.  

We did not see this but we were told that prior to docking, the residents of  Molde , Norway, lined the shores to welcome the passengers and crew back. Several women held signs with “hearts,” (like the Valentine hearts) and signs that said, “We love you.”   

We learned the next morning that paparazzi were lined up to get our first-hand stories. My husband and I decided that we would not comment, except to say we all were fine and the Captain and crew were outstanding. As we boarded the bus the next morning, a local news reporter wanted to talk with everyone on our bus who had stayed on the ship. We all said we would not comment, other than to say the crew was great and everyone was fine.  

We wore life jackets for about 23 hours. We have no idea how the chefs and the servers did it, but a full hot lunch (on plastic plates) was served 20 hours in to wearing our life jackets. Then, after about 25 hours, we were permitted to return to our cabins, and a full dinner (on china) was delivered between 5 pm and 6 pm.  

Once we made it into port, we were given the option of sleeping in our cabins or going to a hotel. Most of the passengers remained on board the ship.   

Much to our amazement, the Viking Band and the entertainers put on a full Beatles tribute show at 7:30 pm in the theater (photo below). We have no idea where the entertainers got the energy to perform, but they were great – Dan, Damian, Becky and Maddie, plus the band members. And the cruise director (from Columbus, Ohio) did himself proud.

We were served champagne as part of the Captain’s Farewell party, When the Captain was introduced, and then he introduced members of the crew, the passengers gave them a standing ovation, with whistling and loud applause. A gentleman from Ireland began a “HIP, HIP, HOORAY” to which all the passengers chimed in. What a moment!

We were thrilled that Mr. Torstein Hagen, the owner of Viking Cruises (photo below), came to thank us – the passengers – for being so understanding, patient and cooperative. He announced that he was refunding everyone’s cruise fare in full, and promised vouchers for another complimentary Viking cruise. (My husband and I have three more cruises booked, including an Ocean cruise to South America, so we can take advantage of the new offer.)  

Mr. Hagen, a Norwegian, has acquired some “American slang.” He thought all of us would want to “get out of Dodge!” Mr. Hagan chartered several planes to get passengers from  Molde  to Oslo, and the Viking Travel Department rebooked everyone to their final destinations the next day. The problem was that many of us did not want to go to our final destinations yet, as we had other after-cruise plans; in our case, it was a six-day stay in London. So, we had to scramble to restore our United Airlines flight from London back to Newark the following Sunday, and we needed to be flown from Oslo into Heathrow, not Gatwick. Randy Gillespie, our personal travel agent, was wonderfully helpful booking us from Oslo to Heathrow. (It became obvious to us that the most experienced passengers used a travel agent, as did we.) We called the Marriott in London to see if we could check in a day early, which we could and did.  

Some have called us –  the passengers – “ heros ,” but it was the Captain and crew who deserve the kudos. We were only reacting to what we were told, but they did the best they could in the face of a very difficult situation. Thankfully, what could have been a disaster was avoided by the intelligent thinking of the Captain. We later read that two Norwegian river pilots were aboard to advise the captain. It was reported they said they would have never left port or would have turned around because of the rough seas. If that’s true, why didn’t they tell the Captain?  

Two days later, while we were in London, we heard that the cause of the engine failure had been determined. The extreme pitching and rolling of the ship had prevented enough lubricating fluid from getting to the engines, and they shut off (as designed).  

Mr. Hagan and Viking said they would cooperate with the investigating agencies. We are sure they will. What could have been a disaster for Viking (repeatedly voted the #1 ocean cruise line by readers of Travel & Leisure magazine) will be a “learning” experience.

We are now home, safe and sound and looking forward to our Viking Ocean cruise to South America next year.  

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