by This Friday, while the city of fury was still sleeping, the immense cruise ship Serenade of the Seas entered the Port of Buenos Aires.
It is the most epic of the “around the world” ships, it involves the return of Royal Caribbean to the country (even if it is for a day) and it is all the rage on Tiktok for the fun (and drama) that cruise passengers share.
An army of tourists who, at 60 thousand dollars per person, chose embark 9 months to learn more about 60 countriesacross the five continents.
In the midst of the record cruise season in Argentina, this giant, which began its journey on December 10 in Miami, was not going to miss out on receiving a plaque of gratitude for calling at the port of Buenos Aires for the first time.
But the news is that those who follow this novel on board on the networks – with “days of prohibition”, because the best wine is gone; marital fights in the laundry; various hiccups between those who do or do not have access to certain areas; or a couple who, by mistake, were mistaken for swingers-, you may come across these “famous” passengers in Caminito, Palermo and Recoleta.
Or even in the Iguazú Falls, because, with the flights included, it was one of the most booked excursions in our territory.
Everything has happened, and there are only twenty-odd ports.
Jenny, a PHD-level researcher, American, who in 2021 with her husband quit their jobs, sold everything and moved to a “home-truck” life, is one of the viral cruise passengers on TikTok. Already a few miles from Buenos Aires, from the fifth floor of the cruise ship, she anticipated the day’s activities.
“Many ask me why we don’t go to the Iguazu waterfalls. It is an expensive excursion, which is not included in the 7 New Wonders of the World, which those who purchased Platinum status have to pay for. A large group traveled there on Thursday, they left from Uruguay (the previous stopover was in that country). And those who bought the excursion with the cruise will travel today (Friday) from Buenos Aires, which includes tickets and entrances to the Iguazú National Park,” he detailed.
Jenny thought it was so “epic” to visit that tourist attraction that she did not choose any of those possibilities. Like other cruisers who preferred not to get on a flight this time, she chose to do a tour of the City of Buenos Aires. In addition to her husband, she will be accompanied by a “friend” that she met in Curacao, “by chance.”
“This is what happens when you leave things open (to chance) and you are spontaneous. We contacted each other through social networks, we are going to meet in Buenos Aires and he is going to give us a tour of the City,” he explained to his more than 6 thousand followers.
She met this new friend outside the royal ship, but on board there are many people compatible with her lifestyle. Although they manifest its freedom in different ways.
A viral case was that of Adita, a cruise passenger who created a TikTok account to share her trip and knew how to extract juice from the pineapple that, mistakenly, the users of that network interpreted as the discreet symbol that, being stuck at the entrance, to his cabin, it indicated that a swinger couple lives there.
Adita got angry when the New York Post recounted her funny story, referring to her as “an elderly cruiser.” It all started when she uploaded a video to show “how spacious this family cabin is,” with a dressing room for her husband and another for herself, a living room and even a desk. But no one paid attention to the square meters.
In addition to the fruit on the door, the networks did not let on that inside the cabin there was another pineapple, one upside down, which ended up confirming, yes, by mistake, the sexual habit of the couple. The video exceeded 3.8 million views.
Such interest generated the piñagate (because she spread a rumor that the boat was “full of millionaire swingers”) that the woman put on her best yellow blouse, looked at the camera and, always with humor, clarified that she and her husband, Lee, are not that sweet. . .
“I’m sorry to disappoint you, we are not swingers. But we like pineapple! “This is my pineapple ring, this is my pineapple necklace, these are my pineapple earrings…and this is the ‘infamous’ pineapple hanging on my door.”
Amid so much curiosity about who is on board, Joaquín Salgueiro, vice president of Organfur and cruise specialist, tells Clarion that “they are people with time”, not just with money.
“They are nomads who work remotely and choose these trips,” because they do not have in-person work or residential ties, he comments. Jenny, the cruise passenger in the first paragraph, is one of those workers who works from home in her own business consulting company from the ship.
“The ‘around the world’ ships (from the different shipping companies) are ‘very long’ ships (as they say in the jargon), which are sold in sections, of 15, 20, 30 days. They don’t always technically go around the world (unlike the Serenade of the Seas), they do visit all 5 continents. There are people who buy the entire trip or buy the partial trip. “We, per year, in total, from all the companies, sell between 4 and 6 Around the World trips to Argentines,” he explains.
Salgueiro says that purchasing this type of luxury adventure without ties usually includes particular benefits for passengers who work remotely and purchase it in full. There is no need to think about the classic, more modest, “all-inclusive” cruise.
“Wi-Fi is included so you can work from the boat and credit for excursions. Hiring the whole thing is very convenient… for people who have time and the curiosity to know the whole world,” she insists.
Speaking of what is consumed, on Tiktok there was particular interest in the lack of wine. Mike and Nancy, with almost 38 thousand followers, update that alcoholic drama.
“They ran out of wine,” she had said. “They told us we took more than they expected (that includes three pallets of Oberon, a red from California, as well as Errazuriz chardonnay, from Chile), they tried to resupply in Barbados, it didn’t work, and in Rio de Janeiro they got some . . It’s already solved,” Mike clarifies.
Amike Oosthuzen, from South Africa, who traveled with his partner and part of his family, was the one who “at the request of followers,” provided the glamorous images of everything he eats for breakfast every day, his training at the gym and his excursions.
He answers that he can’t get enough of eating cupcakes all week and that He won’t get tired even in 9 months. Another topic of inquiry in the comments is that it reveals more information about a key rumor in these days of navigation. Coexistence problems.
He conveyed that there is some discomfort among those They bought the entire tripthe return to the real world, and those who were able to buy shorter and cheaper routes, something, which many claim, “was not allowed, until the company saw that there were few who bought the 9 months.”
A situation that was also talked about in networks is that of contingents of Asians, particularly passengers from China, who would not have been well advised at the time of purchasing the trip, so They did not have the appropriate papers to disembark at several of the stops along the way.
But on vacation, when everything is supposed to be happiness, so many months of sailing can be harmful for couples who live together in these small cabins.
Without data or evidence, there is talk of a particular marital situation, in the ship’s laundry. A woman threw all of her clothes on the floor at her husband, she reportedly told him “I don’t know how to spend 9 months with you here” and that her divorce “was the safe thing to do” upon her return.
Madison Schwetje, another cruise passenger turned TikToker, clarifies that “coexistence is going well” with her “partner.” But she’s actually talking about her sister, Brooklyn, who also posts all about the trip. After Montevideo, they crossed to Buenos Aires by Buquebus and spent a night “at the Libertador hotel, where President Milei also lives,” Brooklyn was surprised. Before Iguazú, they were also amazed at “a whole loin, with fries, for four.” at the New Brighton restaurant, on Sarmiento Street.
In his content, Madison previously showed an almost empty cruise ship at night, without people in the lobby or in the casino, on a day in which he was unable to fall asleep.
The Serenade of the Seas, according to what they told Clarion from the General Administration of Ports (AGP), has 2,490 passengers and 891 crew on board. His next destination will be Puerto Madryn, so he will conclude his historic visit to Buenos Aires on Saturday at 7 p.m., when he sets sail with no scheduled return.
Daniel Gómez, highest Customs authority in the Port, confirmed to Clarion that the ship had no records “either of contagious diseases or of passengers with serious pathologies, something that by protocol was controlled every time a cruise ship called.” To guarantee national security in terms of health, both passengers and crew remain in a kind of short “quarantine”, until the ship’s medical director reports on the general condition of the travelers and crew. “No one goes down or up until that is certified. Not even Migrations goes up before the Health doctor,” he explains.
Meanwhile, this Friday, even the Captain had abandoned the ship, to change his adventure or, at least, for a few hours on dry land.
