JKLong

On 10/16/2018 at 9:45 PM, CC Help Jenn said:

 

if you no longer have access to the email on record, send us an email and we can update that for you.  At this time we don't have the "update your email" modal up.  But no problem we can do it for you

The email never comes to change my password!  Where do I send you an email to have you update my account?

Thanks for an interesting and informative review of your shore excursions. It certainly helps us deciding which tours to book. Isabelle

Fred, Fabulous detail and insights for each port! Thank you so much for sharing and taking the time to write to extensively!

JKLong, I can enthusiastically recommend the private tour companies we used in Buenos Aires and the Falklands:

https://www.buenostours.com/ (all-day walking tour)

pwatts@horizon.co.fk (email for Patrick Watts Adventure Falklands Tour to Volunteer Point )

We did the ship's tour to Magdalena Island in Punta Arenas, which was booked through Solo Expediciones.

In Ushuaia, we booked a taxi at the Visitor's Center (short walk from the port) for a tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park and toured the town on our own.

 

I hope this helps with your planning!

Mary

Travel Blog: www.themodernpostcard.com

Thank you Mary! Very helpful!

We did LA to Rio from early December to early January (the beginning of summer). Temps on the Valparaiso to Rio cruise ranged from mid/upper 40s (mornings in Tierra del Fuego) to 110 (farenheit) in Rio (Buenos Aires was in the 90s if I remember correctly). You will definitely need layers for Ushuaia, Punta Arenas and the Falkland Islands plus a hat and gloves (the wind can be incredible - our ship was stuck at the dock in Ushuaia for more than 6 hours because of it).

 

We arranged private excursions in every port: a walking tour in Valparaiso, boat ride to see the Magellanic penguins in Punta Arenas, a boat ride of the Beagle Channel in Ushuaia that was cancelled due to wind and the excursion provider substitued a lovely tour of the National Park, an excursion to Volunteer Point to see the King (and other) penguins in the Falklands, and a walking tour of Buenos Aires.

 

Added: since you have extra time in Buenos Aires, consider going to Iguassu Falls. It is one of the most spectacular sights on the planet. There are a number of threads providing useful information on getting to/from on this forum.

Who did you use for your private excursions? I'm looking to book and need contact info.

My wife and I have taken both cruise sponsored tours and private tours. Both very nice, however, we prefer private tours because you can customize and actually see much more in the time allotted -- not the crowded buses.

 

We were in Buenos Aires for one night in April '17 -- returned back to Houston from BA that night. We decided to use Liz Private Tours. We departed that night after 8 so we booked a day long city tour with Liz. She was great. Beautiful van and day. It was the only 'drizzly' day we had but not a problem. She has two college majors - one being history. Enjoyed talking with her about her country's problems as well as her country's amazing history. Beautiful buildings and parks. We did not miss the daily protests. Liz warned us not to use English around the protestors because they think we are the problem.

How do you find private tours? for Montevideo, Puerto Madrid, Ushuaia, Puna Arena?

There are at least two identical tours to Volunteer Point out of Stanley. Ship tours charge well above $300. pp for this trip.

 

Patrick Watts and Estancia Excursions both offer trips to see the location where several thousand King Penguins live, along with two nice colonies of Magellanic and Gentoos.

 

Basic price is 120 GBP (USD are taken but there is a conversion penalty). It is an all day trip, 2 hour drive out via 4X4, 1.5 hrs at the site, then 2 hours back. It is wonderful. Both seem to offer a small box lunch and water.

 

Our driver gave us a thorough driving tour of Stanley on our way back from Volunteer Point. Being generous, the tour took 10 minutes.:cool:

Thank you! We're booked for Patrick's tour!

We did this cruise in February. Two differences. First of all this was part of a nine week trip encompassing parts of South and Central America. We started for a snow zone city. One more thing....we only travel with carry on. We never bother with formal nights in the MDR.

 

We dressed in layers. All short sleave shirts plus one cotton sweater. And a windproof jacket. Also took an ea rband for each of us. There were a few cool days. We only wore the ear bands once, and only for an hour or so. Only wore the jeans on the flight down and on three days of the cruise. Same with the jacket.

 

We very much enjoyed BA, and most especially the five days we spent in Uruguay prior to the cruise. We preferred our two days in Valparaiso to either of our 2.5 days in Santiago or our few days with a rental car in wine region.

 

We had a pre arranged private tour in Ushuaia which was great. Same for the private tour we picked up at the dock in Falklands. We were on a Princess cruise. The ships excursions were grossly overpriced. We have seen penguins before and it seemed to us that the excursions with penguins were the most overpriced of the lot. We passed.

What private tour did you use for the Falklands?

Welcome to cruise critic! This is a great itinerary. We were on the Crown Princess last winter and visited a number of the same ports.

 

I second the recommendation for Patrick Watts. Passengers are in 4 to 6 person all wheel drive vehicles traveling in a caravan of about 4 or 5 vehicles so that any vehicle that gets stuck (and if it has rained everyone will get stuck one time or another!) can be pulled out by another -- and they are absolutely necessary since most of the drive is off road. The King penguins number in the thousands and are not the least bit fazed by the attention they receive from visitors (who are instructed to stay at least 3 feet away if I remember correctly). There are also smaller colonies of two other types of penguins. If Patrick is full, some members of our roll call spoke equally highly of Estancia.

 

In Punta Arenas we went with Solo Expediciones to Isla Magdalena which has an enormous colony of Magellanic penguins. The island has a nice path that encircles it and visitors are directed to stay on the path. The penguins are everywhere (including the path!) and when we were there in late December there were many babies too. We were supposed to do a sail by of another island with more wildlife but the seas were too rough.

 

In Ushuaia we planned a Beagle Channel boat excursion that would have seen lots of wildlife but unfortunately was cancelled due to choppy water. The tour company, Patagonia Adventure Explorer replaced that excursion with a visit to the National Park which was interesting and quite beautiful in places but we didn't see any wildlife other than birds.

 

We were in transit in Valparaiso (our first cruise was LA to Valparaiso followed by Vlaparaiso to Rio) so we had a full day to enjoy a day of "urban trekking with a local guide" with Patatour Chile. We rode the rail system, a streetcar, a couple of funiculars and walked all about visiting fish and vegetable markets, viewing the incredible murals, etc. Our group (organized on the roll call) also requested that a full lunch be included in the tour and our guide picked a lovely restaurant with very good food and service.

 

 

Do post your questions on the South America Ports of Call board. It will reach a wider audience (i.e., passengers on all cruise lines) than just posting on this forum.

Thank you for replying. I'm very new to cruise critic. How do I find and make reservations for Patrick Watts, Solo Expediciones, Patagonia Adventure Explorer, and finding a local guide? Where do I make reservations?

Where do I find Patrick's Tour's? It was mentioned a couple times in this thread but I don't know how to find it.

We're going on the South American Cruise in January and am looking for recommendations on active excursions with outdoor photography focused, with animals highlighted. Our itinerary is starts at Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Puerto Madrid, Falkland Islands, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Puerto Montt, ending at Santiago. In particular, is there a recommended Falkland Island private tour that is available? Or is there a Princess excursion that would work? I don't want to just sit on a bus and would prefer smaller groups. Hiking is desirable and natural outdoor activities is preferable. Recommendations?