Chaos onboard - Valparaiso

Chaos in the ship. Long lines at the service desk, outside phone lines were cut and lines waiting to use the internet. All flights at Santiago were cancelled. The Star Princess will stay in Valparaiso to act as a hotel for those stranded. We booked at the Sheraton in Santiago. We were rescheduled to flight out on LanChile on the 4th. Amidst the chaos, with no help from the ship service desk and our Santiago tour cancelled, therefore no transport to the city, we called the Sheraton to arrange for a car to pick us up at the Valparaiso port. More confusion at disembarkation. We were 1 hr late getting off the boat but the guy with the van was there to meet us at the port. We went for a short tour of Valparaiso and the sister city Viña del Mar. What I remember of this place was hazy. Just narrow streets up to Neruda's house on the hill, a seaside restaurant for lunch and the deserted beach in an overcast day. Today though it was warm and sunny. Viña had many new seaside apartments and we stopped at the Fonck museum with the Moai (remember these guys?) in front. Halfway to Santiago we stopped for a Chilean empanada. No good at all! I much prefer the Argentinian ones which are tastier and flaky. The highway into Santiago proper had some damage and at one point the highway was actually cracked and we had to slow down to cross it. The Sheraton was major crowds and chaos. Every internet station was filled. There were huge cracks on the walls, ceilings and floors. Only 1 elevator was working. Everything that was glass was broken. The rooms were small but we were on the 6th floor which offered a spectacular view of the city and the Andean mountains. Our room table had no top and we saw pieces of glass on the carpet. The hotel restaurant and breakfast staff was a shame. For a 4 star hotel, one needed to get your own coffee and if you need a waiter, none ever came! But the hotel had a nice outdoor area with a good size pool. 15 minutes of walk from the hotel brought us to Av Providencia with shops and restaurants. We ate at a Peruvian restaurant with very cheap but excellent arroz con mariscos. They even had Inca cola! The entire meal cost us only $50. And a very good service from the only waiter there. Thus the cruise ended although not on a very good note.

Valparaiso with Star Princess at Port

Moai at the Fonck Museum