On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Our third stop was Manta, Ecuador. I can’t tell you much about Manta, because by that time Mr. DAW and I both had covid and were confined to our cabin. So I’ll show you my one Ecuador picture and then show you pictures of the ship, which was one of Viking’s expedition ships.
Mr. DAW watched this tuna boat unload for hours. The poor man needed to be out of that room.
We were confined to the cabin. Fortunately, Viking upgraded us before we even left home so it was very nice. I assume the ship wasn’t full, which would be the reason for the upgrade.
Anyhow, you can see how there’s no normal balcony. The ship had, after all, just spent months in the Antarctic. But they called that space at the far end a Nordic balcony. It’s probably about the floor space of a balcony except it’s enclosed. The top half of that window slides completely down.
The ship had a bunch of different kinds of boats that it used in Antarctica and will use again in the Great Lakes. This is looking down through a window into the place where they kept them. We toured that space at one point and that’s what the next few pictures show.
Kayak?
That’s a small submarine
Zodiac?
raven
Who got to ride in the sub?
Rusty
I had no interest in a cruise until I saw the sub!
Dorothy A. Winsor
@raven: No one on the trip we were on. I don’t know how it worked when the ship was in Antarctica. I heard someone who had stayed on the ship say they had reservations twice but both trips were cancelled due to weather.
raven
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Thanks!
VeniceRiley
Sub ride! My wife would hate it. When she was a child, she and a pal saw a drowned friend under the water. It’s a credit to our love that she feels safe in a swimming pool with me and noodles. Did you know that noodles are the ideal poors raft? One under your arms and support your neck- and one under your knee Joint. Bliss!
Still, a clear bubble undersea aadventure pings my childhood Disney ride emotions.
Kristine
@Rusty: Yup. I’m on Viking’s mailing list and up to now their cruises have been in my Dream On category. But an Antarctic cruise would be awesome. And also, I assume, a test of my sea legs.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@VeniceRiley: One of the lecturers talked about training people to get in and out of the zodiacs on rocks and ice
OzarkHillbilly
The very definition of Hell to me. I don’t care how luxurious the cell I am locked up in is, it’s still prison.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@OzarkHillbilly: I know. There was TV and the internet and I had lots to read. Also, we both slept a lot. But it was a small space.
eclare
So glad you had a window. I took a cruise with relatives years ago, my cousin got an inside room because he was never going to be in the room. It worked out, but if he had gotten sick…
Dorothy A. Winsor
@eclare: OMG. No window would make me claustrophobic
way2blue
Any thoughts about how you & husband caught CoVID? I am assuming everyone aboard had to verify that they’d been vaccinated… (My spouse keeps sending me Viking links to river cruises in Europe.)
I’m still amazed that the cruise went from Chile north to the Panama Canal? then… to the Great Lakes. Seems an incredibly long time to be onboard. But an amazing journey.