The Historic Rounding of Cape Horn

Many people celebrated Monday, February 18^th as President's Day with a much-deserved day off and a chance to enjoy a three-day weekend. However, those of us onboard Splendour of the Seas on the Crown & Anchor Society Member Cruise had another reason to celebrate - the historic rounding of Cape Horn!

The beauty of modern-day cruising is that we have the chance to experience the excitement of exploring the four corners of the globe. While circumnavigating the South American continent is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime event for many of us, on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship, we get to do it in grand style, unlike the rustic explorations of our forebears.

The trip toward the end of the world began in Montevideo Uruguay, just across the Plate River from Buenos Aires. Everything was in short walking distance from the port and we were enthralled with the narrow streets and European feel of this beautiful city. Back on the ship we enjoyed the Gourmet Cooking Demonstration hosted by Chef Anthony (complete with yummy samples!) and learned how to swing dance.

Next after two sea days we finally reached the end of the world, and the historic rounding of Cape Horn. The Chilean flag atop the lighthouse marked the historic location. After a successful wine tasting event onboard, the next stop around took us to Ushuaia, Argentina which shares the distinction of being the Southernmost city in the world with Punta Arenas, Chile. Both cities lie along the Strait of Magellan, made famous by the original explorer of the same name. Here our members had a choice of tours including the "Train Ride to the End of the World" through Tierra del Fuego National Park. Back onboard we were treated to tango lessons by authentic Argentine tango dancers who shared their secrets of the famous style.

The highlight of Punta Arenas was the Penguin Natural Park, home to the world's largest colony of Magellanic penguins. It was truly a unique pleasure to see penguins frolicking in their natural habitat, a site that can only be seen south of the equator. Likewise the constellation of the Southern Cross, a stunning site viewable overhead every night from the top of the ship or those lucky enough to enjoy a balcony stateroom. Many a northern explorer, including myself, laid eyes in wonder on this site for the first time in our lifetimes.

The sea laid down calm and flat in the protection of the Chilean Fjords during perhaps the most scenic portion of our journey. The alpenglow shone in a soft orange at sunset as we sailed past Osorno Volcano on our way to Puerto Montt. The Chilean Lake District in this beautiful city afforded some fantastic recreational opportunities including horseback riding, hiking and white water rafting.

Hard to believe that our journey is coming to an end so soon. Tomorrow we reach the port of Valparaiso to end our fifteen day journey. We plan to take a city tour of Santiago before we board overnight flights back to the USA. This member cruise has been a wonderful experience for us all, and we look forward to our Hawaiian adventures in May! Stay tuned to this site as we prepare you for our next member cruise adventure.

To see more images from this trip, scroll through the pictures in the upper right hand corner of this article.

If you like reading this article there are others about our previous member cruises and travel locations featured in the 'Crown & Anchor Society' group at Gather. Go to the yellow bar at the top of the page and click 'featured articles'. By clicking, you will go to a page of featured articles by me. Clicking on the three buttons to the right: 'articles', 'images', and 'video', you will get a list of items featured from other group members by scrolling down. Enjoy!

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