Cinderella

 Now for something different! Miss W auditioned for and got a part in the musical, Cinderella.

local high school students

She opened the show with a solo on the castle balcony.

She had several solos as the Herald. 

with the Queen & King after the show

her friends brought her flowers

we saw the opening performance on Thursday night

we had tickets for Sunday afternoon

Hubby attended without me

ceiling in the Orpheum

one of the two balconies

a lovely intimate older theatre

the curtain scenery

downtown Sioux Falls

she plans to audition for more Spotlight Theatre musicals

Antarctic Cruise Wrap-Up

 I have some things about the cruise that didn't fit in one of the daily posts, but were interesting enough that I thought I would share.

March 4th was the last of the 4 days of excursions. Hubby took advantage of 3 Zodiac excursions, I did 2, and OFD enjoyed all 8.  On Thursday we began the northward two-day journey back to the port in Ushuaia through the Drake Passage. The trip was smooth, if not smoother than the initial passage. 

population of Ushuaia 100,000

southern Argentina or Chile

black ice floating in the water

but when pulled out of the water, crystal clear

sheet of saltwater ice

blue ice is the oldest ice 

old blue ice

Not all, but maybe half of the expedition staff members shared their expertise in the information session. This was Dr. Glenda. One staff member shared about the insects (mites and roundworms) that lived in Antarctica. Another was a school teacher in Ushuaia who shared the ice info on our Zodiac ride. 

The bridge was open on sea days. Passengers could walk in and look around and talk to the crew. I asked how "The luxury cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II became stuck in thick pack ice near Antarctica's McMurdo Sound around January 17, 2026, requiring assistance from the US Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star." 

The ice flows moved in so quickly (currents) the ship was unable to back-up or turn around. That is why the bridge was NOT open on excursion days so the crew was NOT distracted!

Every passenger room had a balcony. No photo, but the bathrooms were the largest of any ship we have been on. The closets had lots of storage. The balcony room was standard size. Suites were larger.

The elevator floor mates were changed out 3 times a day. 

The Dome viewing area on Deck 7

location of 4:00 Tea

only 7 decks on the yacht

passengers on Decks 3 (staff),  5 and 6

theater, dining and bar on Deck 4

coats, boots & gear storage on Deck 3

condiments were in individual jars

so cute!

We departed the Voyager at 8:30 AM on March 7th for our flight to Buenos Aires, overnight to NYC and eventually home at 4:00 PM on Monday, March 9th. 

Geocaching in Antarctica, March 4

I had created a list of nearly 30 geocache possibilities for our Antarctica cruise. Geocaches, most of them earth caches,  specific to possible stops the cruise ship/yacht might make. I was very aware weather and the captain's discretion might affect the list, but I was certain we would make at least one geocache stop. It wasn't until the final day of Zodiac excursions, and the Captain's plan B or maybe C when the geo fates aligned and the 7:00 PM excursion was an earthcache on my list. It also turned out to be one of the best for wildlife, too.

This Weddell seal greeted us upon our Zodiac landing.

He was gone when we left Portal Point.

The three of us wearing the parkas furnished by the cruise line. Each of us brought ours home. Perfect for winters in SD & MN.

Gentoo penguins at Portal Point

and Fur Seals

there were a total of 4 Fur Seals

some folks walked to the viewing point

In the 1950s the British built a hut at this place to continue local survey work in the region. In 1996 the hut was dismantled and transported to the Falkland Islands Museum. Only the foundation remains. 

the original afternoon plan for the day

the talks that day featured seals and sea lions

it was snowing lightly that evening

the geocaching virtual souvenir

Now, the trip to Antarctica is complete!

There will be one or two more blog posts as a wrap-up and some odds and ends that didn't make the daily posts.

Afternoon Tea and the Polar Plunge

 Each afternoon, at 4 PM tea was offered in the Dome. We took advantage of it after day 2!

A staff member made brewed tea upon request. She had a special blend she made for OFD and I and after the first day, she made her special blend for us as soon as we entered the Dome. (That was the kind of service we received from every staff member!)

brewed for one minute in hot water

drinkable after several minutes

There was also a Tea menu with usually one sandwich offering and your choice of four sweets or desserts. It was a very nice dining option when dinner was at 7:30 or later.

A highlight (for some of the passengers and staff) of the afternoon was the Polar Plunge.

The yacht chose this area for the Polar Plunge. The Zodiacs pushed the ice away from the vessel, giving the divers and jumpers ice-free, open water for their plunge.

staff getting everything ready

the first polar plunger

they wore assorted apparel

75 of the 150 guests took the plunge!

and about 50 of the 130 staff participated

My hot chocolate treat after watching some of the Polar Plunge!