falkland island guide patrick watts

i have read great things about patrick, however i understand he has a number of people who drive and guide for him. has anyone had any experience with any of his driver/guides? thanks in advance. ray

Because the tour is done in 4-wheel drive vehicles, each one carries only 4 passengers and the driver. The drivers travel in caravan so if one gets bogged down, there's someone close by to help. We did get bogged and had to be pulled out and that added to the experience for us.

 

The drivers are all locals who take the day off from their normal daily job/routine and use their own vehicles. We had a rather colorful character for a driver who told us about the scenery on the way to Volunteer Point. Also, since Volunteer Point is on private property, there are gates to be opened and closed. The first driver in the caravan opens and the last one closes.

 

Patrick is available at the port and at VP upon arrival for any questions. He is very personable and runs a good show IMHO. We heard no negative comments from any of the others in our caravan about their drivers. It was a super day and we had magnificent weather. It's a not to be missed experience. I don't know how the people get selected to ride with Patrick, perhaps the first booked.........

 

BTW, we were running right along with the ship's tour..........interesting, I thought. I don't know if this answers your questions. You may want to check out the South America ports of call section where you'll find lots of info on this tour.

As mentioned in the other response all of the vehicles travel together in case any have problems and/or get stuck. My driver/guide was Val, he had been the driver of the local ambulance for years and had some great stories to tell about living there. He was probably the oldest and slowest driver but was the smartest.

 

Many vehicles would speed/bounce past us but every time we arrived at a gate we magically were in the right spot to sail thru. If there was a series of two gates we were the third one to arrive and the other drivers would have to get out and open/close the gates while we just drove thru. Every stop we seemed to be the 1st or second one to arrive. Several times the caravan would stop to look at how to get around a bad spot. Val would sit patienly for a while in line, them get tired of this and then just pick a different spot and easily drive around where the group had gone. Really kind of funny how easy he made it look :)

 

This was a fantastic tour and I highly recommed booking thru Patrick if at all possible. Aside from the cruise line he is the only game in town and IMHO provides a much better tour at a great price.

i have read great things about patrick, however i understand he has a number of people who drive and guide for him. has anyone had any experience with any of his driver/guides? thanks in advance. ray

We went to Volunteer Point with Patrick Watts in March/09. We signed up very early & had the good fortune to be in the 4x4 with him. Everything you read is true. Patrick is an interesting & easy-going fellow who obviously loves Falklands & is eager to share it with others. But as you know, Patrick recruits other local drivers, known to be reliable & safe, to work with him. On our trip, there were a total of 10 vehicles in convoy. And we rode across the bogs alongside the Shorex 4x4s, taking maneuvers that could only be described as friendly competition amongst locals!

 

I expect that we all had slightly different experiences on the ride to Volunteer Point, depending on our drivers. Patrick is very outgoing & engaging & he made the journey interesting with his tales from the Falklands War. Some drivers are equally talkative while others are less so. Some pax in our convoy mentioned that their driver didn’t talk much at all but was very chatty once they asked him questions. But in the end, everyone arrives at Volunteer Point where it won’t matter at all who your driver was. The King Penguins take over as tour leader.

 

I think Patrick Watts runs a first-class operation to Volunteer Point & I wouldn’t hesitate to have any of his drivers take me there.

I think he does assign cars on a first come, first served basis. Also, from what I have been reading, he is pretty well booked for this season. Don't let that deter you. Get on his waiting list. If you are booked for 2011, don't wait to make your reservation. Also, not all of the cruises calling in FI have enough time to do the VP trip; if your ship isn't offering the tour, then neither is Patrick.

 

Another hint. You have to try to get on the first tender. There were a number of us from cruise critic on the tour and we worked as a group to get off the ship quickly using Captain's Club priority passes.

 

We had a great day at VP as you can see from our pictures. The link is below in my signature.

we are booked for feb 2011. our ship is sheduled will be in port from 8 am to 6 pm. patrick has told me assignments are made the morning of the tour. his latest email state he will reply in due time with more info. i peregrina651 great pictures. i have no doubt that this is a must do tour. we will be on the first tender unless princess reserves it for thier tours.

we are booked with Parick Watt for February, so far there are only 5 people!! I guess that means 2 vehicles only?

we are booked with Parick Watt for February, so far there are only 5 people!! I guess that means 2 vehicles only?

I checked the e-mails that Patrick sent me for our trip in April/09 & he mentioned that he prefers to have a minimum of 2-3 vehicles in convoy, for viability & safety. It's still early days yet for you, but I'd suggest that you "promote" his Volunteer Point in your Roll Call. I know that very few on our sailing knew about private alternatives to the Shorex tour. Good luck!

Our driver was Owen. We liked him very much and he was a great driver - what an adventure!!

How rough is the ride to Volunteer Point?

It is rough. The cruise ship does not recommend the tour for those with back and neck problems. One couple from our roll call opted not to take it because of back problems.

 

The ride is about 2.5 hours--one way. The first 15 minutes is on paved road. Then roads are dirt until you get to the farm and thereafter you are riding over the bogs for at least an hour (if not longer). It is not just how rough it is but how long you riding over rough terrain.

 

The ride is rough and bumps are unpredictable and the exact route you take over the bogs is determined more by Patrick's knowledge of the land than by any markings. No two trips are the same.

 

Actually, we were more worried about DH's propensity for vertigo (only ferris wheels and carousels for him) than we were about the jolting and jarring on our backs. He had no problems. We both have minor back problems and were none the worse for wear. I have taken off-road rides out west that were much rougher than the ride over the bogs but they were also of much shorter duration.

It is rough. The cruise ship does not recommend the tour for those with back and neck problems. One couple from our roll call opted not to take it because of back problems.

 

The ride is about 2.5 hours--one way. The first 15 minutes is on paved road. Then roads are dirt until you get to the farm and thereafter you are riding over the bogs for at least an hour (if not longer). It is not just how rough it is but how long you riding over rough terrain.

 

The ride is rough and bumps are unpredictable and the exact route you take over the bogs is determined more by Patrick's knowledge of the land than by any markings. No two trips are the same.

 

Actually, we were more worried about DH's propensity for vertigo (only ferris wheels and carousels for him) than we were about the jolting and jarring on our backs. He had no problems. We both have minor back problems and were none the worse for wear. I have taken off-road rides out west that were much rougher than the ride over the bogs but they were also of much shorter duration.

 

Thanks for your reply.

Recently disembarked from the Star Princess and have to chime in on how great Patrick's tour was. Just a few points that I hadn't read earlier:

 

* for us, the long drive was actually a *highlight* of the excursion. You really feel like you get out into the Falklands, and the 4x4's across those peat bogs is absolutely fascinating. Watching the tires sink into the soft surface is a site not to be missed. Yes, it is a long drive, but I thought it was every bit as interesting as the penguins (which were great!)

 

* I also was worried about trying to get on the first tender. We have no Princess status and just went down and jumped on the first tender, no problem at all. We got to the tender meeting spot maybe 20-30 minutes before we went ashore and that was plenty of time to get a spot on the first tender. Most people do manage to get over on the first tender, so if you happen to get stuck on the 2nd or 3rd, I think you'll still likely be fine as Patrick sorts out who goes where with his team of drivers.

 

* We also really liked our driver. He wasn't one to start talking too much on his own, but we had plenty of questions and once he saw we were interested he was only too happy to explain things to us.

 

 

It was a fantastic day. I would recommend it highly!

thanks for all the feed back we received from cruise critic members. it was reassuring to know his drivers were either talkers or will open up once they see your interest. thanks again and best wishes for a great holiday season and happy cruise fulled new year.

 

Another hint. You have to try to get on the first tender. There were a number of us from cruise critic on the tour and we worked as a group to get off the ship quickly using Captain's Club priority passes.

 

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Can you tell me how to obtain "Captain's Club Priority passes"? We're booked with Patrick next month and have 30 people thus far going with him.... any tips would be most appreciated!!! mlbrockies@juno.com

If I remember correctly, folks in suites, concierge class and Captain's Club members can get the passes. They are available at the Captain's Club desk to the left of the main customer services desk and can be used in any tender port.

If I remember correctly, folks in suites, concierge class and Captain's Club members can get the passes. They are available at the Captain's Club desk to the left of the main customer services desk and can be used in any tender port.

 

Sorry. I was asleep when I wrote this and forgot to say that this is how it worked on the Infinity. I don't know if the other lines have priority passes and who is entitled to them but maybe someone who has sailed on them can comment.

Just Curious... Did you tip your drivers, and if so how much ??

 

Srpilo

Great question Srpilo, I was wondering the same thing. How much do you tip the drivers on the Patrick Watts tour?

Can someone tell me how to get in touch with Patrick Watts? We are going on the Silverseas in Feb. Thanks

Can someone tell me how to get in touch with Patrick Watts? We are going on the Silverseas in Feb. Thanks

 

pwatts@horizon.co.fk :)

we just got back from the star princess rio to valparaiso holiday run and the trip out to volunteer point was a highlight of the trip. we were lucky enough to be with patrick for the day as we signed up early and were only a group of two. heard great things about all the drivers and they work as as team as it can get a bit crazy our there in the bogs. will be posting my write up of the entire trip and the tours we took under the South American board if you need anymore information.

Could you please tell us how much tips people usually give to the driver for the Volunteer Point? I have tried to post this question at several roll calls, with no luck. Thanks in advance.

 

Jim

patrick collected the money from everyone for the trip out at volunteer point. we were extremely lucky enough to have patrick as our guide also. we tipped about 20%, in US dollars, when he dropped us back in town.

I too am booked for Patrick's tour on February 17 and have 2 questions:

 

1. How much tip should we give - there are 2 of us (myself and one other) in my group.

 

2. This is probably silly, but please tell me there is no chance of a vehicle getting stuck and not making it back to the ship by sail time.

 

Thanks.