Experiences with Mare Australis - patagonia?

Does anyone have experiences with the two 125 passenger ships run by a Chilean company that do three/four day cruises in Patagonia? They sail in the tip of S. America area, between Punta Arenas, Chile and Ushuaia Argentina. The itinerary includes the "Strait of Magellan," the Beagle Channel and Cape Horn National Park. Our family is considering going in December 2006 (including 14 and 15 year old daughters). The two ships were built in 2002 and 2005.

Although not been on a cruise on these ships, when aboard NCL Crown in December last year, we were berthed opposite Mare in Punta Arenas. She is a beautiful ship, really stunning. I did manage a few peeks in through the windows and internally she looked very luxurious. Both ships were in port but Mare's sister was at anchor out in the bay and we didn't get close to her, but Mare definately impressed me alot. :)

We didn't sail on the Australis but we passed her in the Beagle Channel this past January. She is a beatiful ship.

http://www.shipspotting.com/uploads/photos/190686.jpg

The Oct 2006 issue of Cruise Travel magazine has an article about the company, its ships, and cruising in Patagonia.

Pretty part of the world - we were down there this past March, on Regal Princess, Buenos Aires to Santiago.

My wife, two teen-aged daughters (15 and 14), my wife's parents, and I just returned from an awesome 4-day adventure cruise on the Chilean Mare Australis. We all heartily recommend it!

There were 90+ passengers on board, representing 17 nationalities. 50-60 spoke English. We sailed from Punta Arenas, Chile to Ushuia, Argentina. Several coments: 1) itinerary was mostly within the Magellan straits/Beagle Channel, so it wasn't very rough. We did have two nights of rocking when exposed to the Pacific and Atlantic. 2) the scenery/ excusions (1-2 per day, on 14 passenger Zodiacs) were unbelievable - glaciers, Penguins and cormorants, Seals, Sea Lions, landing on Cape Horn. 2) Crew was great, very accomodating (our luggage didn't make it, they even did some wash for us!); good nature understanding, with lectures (on different decks) in English and Spanish and good knowledge of flora/Fauna/Geology. 3) food very good, with excellent wines for lunch and dinner. No choices of entre at dinner, but my Mexican in-laws (veteran cruisers) and our teen-aged daughters all enjoyed it as much as I.

4) the boat was well appointed and functional, with large windows in rooms, nice enclosed public areas; it is well designed for the itinerary with just 3 1/2 meter draft; there are five decks (no elevators, but no problem!) 5) prices for the overall trip are somewhat high, but there is no nickel and diming. Open bar and wine, all but one excursion, all food, even hot chocolate and /or whiskey (on Glacier ice) at the end of excursions, use of Wellington boots, are all included. For most,tips (one pool, with $15 pp per day suggested) are the only substantive outlay on board.

John is dec 16th the start date of your cruise? if so I have some good photos of Mare Australis at cape horn (blowing a bit) on 17th taken from MV Nordkapp. I will be posting them on webshots soon.

Would love to see those shots...my husband and I are doing the Via Australis in late April.

Chase in NH

My two traveling companions and I traveled on the Via Australis from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia the end of January, 2007. While this is a beautiful ship we would recommend choosing a different cruise line as we did not feel the quality of the food or service was worth the very high prices charged- $1950.00 (single cabin) for 3 nights/2 days (board at 6 pm, debark at 8 am)

Embarkation:

Upon arrival at Punta Arenas airport on we noticed a kiosk in the baggage claim area with a representative of the company, Cruceros Australis, standing behind a table and banner with the company’s logo. He advised us that he was there to promote the cruises and suggested that we take the direct bus from the airport to downtown Punta Arenas’ Plaza de Armas as it stopped right in front of the cruise offices.

We boarded the bus at his suggestion, and the company representative also boarded. We assumed he was escorting us to the cruise offices. However, without so much as a good bye, adios, hasta la vista, or “bon voyage” he got off the bus before it reached town and went home! The bus arrived into downtown Punta Arenas, where it had now begun to rain heavily. We got off the bus and the cruise check-in office was nowhere in sight. The land agent had gone home. We were given wrong directions to the offices by the bus ticket collector and ended up walking up and down the hills of Punta Arenas carrying all of our luggage in the rain for 20 minutes trying to find the offices. The bus did NOT stop in front of the offices, as we were told by their agent, but on the opposite side of the (very large) square.

Dining Table Reservations:

I was the first to board the ship arriving by taxi, with my other traveling companions arriving on foot some time later. I was not given any information or instructions that it was necessary to make dining room reservations. My traveling companions boarded at about 18:45 and two large tour groups, one from Spain composed of about 48 passengers and another from Italy composed of over 30 had already reserved ALL of the dining tables adjacent to the windows. Had I been informed that we were to make dining room reservations I could have made reservations at the Captain’s Table as I was the first to board. Our complaints regarding this were unheeded. There is nothing in the ships' “FAQ” about the need for table reservations upon boarding.

Food and Wine; Dining Service:

We were very disappointed in the food service. The breakfast eggs were always cold and the selection of breads was mediocre. The fruits were very nice but the voracious tour groups consumed large amounts and nothing was ever replenished. Lunches were adequate but not especially appetizing, consisting of inexpensive pasta and casserole dishes. The steak dinner was good, the lamb dinner was also appealing if inadequately sized. However the seafood dinner was cold, gummy and unappetizing. Overall the food quality was very disappointing. No choices were offered at dinner.

Our waiter was not trained and clearly over his head in trying to serve and bus three full tables. The dining room staffing levels were inadequate for the passenger load, and other waiters frequently had to come assist our waiter as dirty plates remained uncleared (for unnecessarily long spans of time), water glasses were never refilled, and courses were delayed. The wines served were quite mediocre, especially considering the excellent wines for reasonable prices available in Chile. Serving cheap off-brand Santa Rita wines with a private label was a poor choice considering the cost of this cruise. We did not expect ultra-premium wines but we certainly expected a better selection, or the possibility or buying an upgraded wine at least. Having just come from a week of wine-tasting in the Colchuaga Valley the poor quality of these wines was noteable.

Tours:

There were not enough zodiacs to accommodate all the passengers. Inevitably, the tour groups from Spain and Italy were given preferential treatment and first boarding of the zodiacs while the French, German, and American FIT passengers stood on the decks and staircases in the cold and waited to go last. I found it surprising that full-fare paying passengers traveling FIT were treated so poorly with tour groups given preference. This certainly is not mentioned in any of the advertising, promotional brochures or web materials. Furthermore, the inadequate number of zodiacs created waiting to board, waiting to debark, waiting to come back to the ship and waiting to re-board the ship. All this waiting greatly limited the number of tours that could be operated.

Lectures:

Lectures were not given by scientists but by the tour leaders; the content was often vague or overblown. Except for one lecturer, most did not have sufficient command of English to be easily understood. For the prices charged, we expected a much more scientific and professional lecture program with a dedicated on-board scientist, and were disappointed in what was presented.

Scheduling:

The first day breakfast was served from 6:45am- 7:45am. No meal was then served until 12:30pm. For those who wished to skip the morning tour and sleep in (as it was foggy and rainy outside) NO FOOD AT ALL was offered as an option except coffee in the lounge. A continental breakfast could have been made available until 9:00 or 10:00.

The bar opened and closed at erratic times. It seemed that whenever guests wanted a drink the bar was “Cerrado”. No advance time was given or posted in a prominent location as to when the bar was to be open or closed. Two bartenders (one who just began his job the day of our cruise) could not serve this large a group.

Reception Desk:

The front desk staff was in complete disarray and unprofessional. If asking to buy a sweatshirt I am told to come back at 15:00 and talk to Ms X. To make a hotel booking in Ushuaia, I am told to come back at 17:00 and talk to Mr. Y. If I need something for my room come back at 16:00 and talk to Ms Z. This was ludicrous! No successful service business is operated by telling people to come back another time and to try again.The ship is operated with separate profit centers such as Tour Staff, Hotel Staff, Ship Staff, etc, owned by different companies- this may make financial sense but is totally consumer unfriendly The front desk needs to be staffed by people who have authority to do follow-through on customer needs and act on customer needs in the moment.

Disembarkation:

The tour office booked a nice day room hotel for us in Ushuaia. They also promised us a van transfer from the ship to the hotel. However, during disembarkation, the staff informed us, after all the other passengers had been evacuated from the quayside, that there were no vans available for us, they were all busy. This of course after the main service desk had received final billings and payments from us. We were also told that no taxi would be allowed to come pick us up (and our 6 pieces of luggage and carry-on bags) We were thus forced to walk the entire length of the quay and find our own way to the taxi stand far outside the demise of the port operations. One of our party was temporarily disabled, and no wheelchair or electric cart service was evident.

Cabins:

Attention needs to be paid to cabin cleanliness when the ship is turned around in port. Upon boarding in Punta Arenas, there was a full trash can from the previous occupant in the toilet compartment in one cabin. Twenty four hours later it was still full. I found an open condom wrapper in the top bureau drawer upon arrival in my cabin.

The ship and common areas are quite nicely decorated and the cabins are very nice and well appointed. Bedding is of good quality. The bathroom is small but serviceable. From afar the ship looks lovely. But the poor service and lack of attention to customer needs made this trip a true disappointment and one I would never recommend to anyone else. All of us have been on ships world-wide and all agree that this was some of the worst service and food we have received aboard a ship, doubly so considering the extremely high prices charged. The tours and lectures were also a disappointment.

Well, this is part of an independent tour that my husband and I have already booked and paid for. So we have no choice.

A quick question: are there hairdryers in the bathrooms?

Chase in NH

Yes there is a hair dryer in the head/bathroom. It is the step-up type of bathroom, maybe about 5 inches higher than cabin level. Cozy for one but crowded for two :-)

Since you are on a tour you will have no problem with transfers; bring some good wine with you if you enjoy wine; bring some snacks along if you plan on missing breakfast (not like a US cruise ship where they overfeed you, this was more like a periods of low blood sugar type cruise).

Be prepared to be herded into a barn-like building at the base of the pier prior to boarding(filled with shops of course) after the scheduled boarding time . They would not let anyone walk down to the ship, they made everybody ride down on a bus. (I subverted this by arriving in a taxi)

Well, this is part of an independent tour that my husband and I have already booked and paid for. So we have no choice.

 

A quick question: are there hairdryers in the bathrooms?

 

Chase in NH

<FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Me and some friend went on the Mare Australis last October 2006 The trip was spectacular. Everyone loved the Australis... the crew was fabulous. the whole experience was great. We did get around the

Some friends and I went on the Mare Australis last October 2006 The trip was spectacular. Everyone loved the Australis... the crew was fabulous. The whole experience was great. We did get around the Cape Horn which was a thrill!!! We all loved it. I have only great things to say about the boat... the beds... all the accommodations.

I'm thinking about going on the Mare Australis. What are the pros and cons of each of the cabin levels? Cabin level B is significantly cheaper...so I'm wondering why. I have little experience on cruises so would appreciate your feedback.

I sailed on the Mare Australis from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia just before Christmas last year. There were 91 passengers, with 21 nationalities. It was a great expedition on a small ship. It is not a huge cruise ship with all of the amenities - no dancing girls, no internet access.

The cabin levels usually map to the deck level. The cheapest cabins are on the lowest decks - down low and in the middle is the place to be in rough weather. I was in the cheapest cabin grade - perfectly ok. Twin beds, small bathroom with shower. Cruceros Australis is a Chilean run company - most of the staff speak Spanish as their first language and other languages as their second.

We were lucky, we had great weather and made all of our landings, including Cape Horn. The weather in Patagonia is extremely variable - mist, rain and strong winds are the norm, not sunshine and calm seas, even in summer. You should be aware of that before you go.

I met a group of New Yorkers in Torres del Paine who complained incessantly about the weather and lack of 'entertainment' on the Via Australis, which they had taken from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas. Then again, they complained about everything. :rolleyes:

Cheers

I sailed in the Mare Australis on December 27th, 2008 from Punta Arenas to Usuahia. It was a most enjoyable experience for myself, my wife and my son and daughter in law.

The registration in Punta Arenas takes place in the center of town, we had no problem arriving at it as we were taken there by the people of Explora Patagonia where we had spent the previous six nights. The registration was a bit chaotic as luggage and people shared the space in front of the registration’s desks; However, This was not a major problem as it took only a few minutes to complete.

The company transported the luggage from the office to the boat and it was already in our cabins when we arrived at the ship. The distance from the office to the ship is only a few blocks, unfortunately it is not an interesting walk since it is in a direction away from the few attractions in Punta Arenas. We did have ample time after registration to browse and to purchase a few items on the rather large market that takes place on Saturdays at the main plaza.

If you walk to the dock you must wait in the terminal (not a particularly nice one) for a bus to transfer you a hundred yards or so to the boat – walking from the terminal to the boat is not allowed. You can bypass this by arriving by taxi directly to the boat.

Very important to enhance your experience: try to arrive to the boat as early as it is allowed and immediately make your way to the dinning room to make your table reservations. One of the most enjoyable parts of the trip is the beautiful scenery along the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel, it makes a considerable difference if you have a window table (8 people) We did!

The food / cruise price ratio is below that of a Caribbean or European cruise but one must take into account the location of this expedition cruise, if your frame of reference is one of the above mentioned cruises then you will be disappointed but if your desire is to explore one of the most desolate (during the four nights cruise we met only two other boats) and also one of the most beautiful areas of the world then you will appreciate the opportunity to do so not a luxurious way but definitely in a most comfortable one.

If you are an independent traveler and you have not made a transfer arrangement before the start of the cruise, upon arrival at Usuahia you will not be able to take a taxi at ship side- I had read a review in this site on the subject and was prepared to make the arrangement once on board but that was not possible so we had no transfer – However it turn out to be rather manageable, we had 8 pieces of luggage plus 4 carry-on but the distance from the ship to the first gate on the dock was less than fifty yards. At that gate there is a taxi booth and they contacted the taxi company and in five minutes we had two taxis to take us to the airport.

The only disappointment and it was a BIG one, was the inability to land at Cape Horn. The entire cruise had been incredibly smooth with hardly any motion but the morning we arrived at the cape the winds were sustained at fifty five knots and gusts of over seventy knots. The crew tried for more than two hours to lower the zodiacs but it was not possible. So be prepared for the possibility of not walking on the cape.

I sailed on the Mare Australis from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia just before Christmas last year. There were 91 passengers, with 21 nationalities. It was a great expedition on a small ship. It is not a huge cruise ship with all of the amenities - no dancing girls, no internet access.

 

The cabin levels usually map to the deck level. The cheapest cabins are on the lowest decks - down low and in the middle is the place to be in rough weather. I was in the cheapest cabin grade - perfectly ok. Twin beds, small bathroom with shower. Cruceros Australis is a Chilean run company - most of the staff speak Spanish as their first language and other languages as their second.

 

We were lucky, we had great weather and made all of our landings, including Cape Horn. The weather in Patagonia is extremely variable - mist, rain and strong winds are the norm, not sunshine and calm seas, even in summer. You should be aware of that before you go.

 

I met a group of New Yorkers in Torres del Paine who complained incessantly about the weather and lack of 'entertainment' on the Via Australis, which they had taken from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas. Then again, they complained about everything. :rolleyes:

 

Cheers

I'd be interested in your comments on how this small boat cruise compared to your previous cruise.

I'd be interested in your comments on how this small boat cruise compared to your previous cruise.

Which previous cruise do you mean? The Nordkapp? Or the Minerva (which I did after the Mare Australis)?

Which previous cruise do you mean? The Nordkapp? Or the Minerva (which I did after the Mare Australis)?

The Nordkapp vs Mare Australis for the Chilean Fjords, also I'd be interested in your comments on the Minerva.

Thanks.

The Nordkapp vs Mare Australis for the Chilean Fjords, also I'd be interested in your comments on the Minerva.

 

Thanks.

ok, got it now :p

The Nordkapp was a completely different experience to the Mare Australis - the Nordkapp was more day, different route, and no landings. The Mare Australia had at least one zodiac landing a day, weather permitting (we got all of ours, including Cape Horn). The Mare also takes few passengers (91 out of a capacity of 132 on my cruise), versus the Nordkapp, which at the time took up to 200. I'd say the cabins were nicer and the food better on the Mare.

Re the Minerva, my comparison would be to the Nordkapp. The Minerva is a nice ship, well suited to Mediterranean cruising, not so well suited to polar cruising due to the absence of a panorama deck (inside), which the Nordkapp has. I spent a lot of time on the bridge of the Minerva as it was the only place where you could be at the front of the ship, go outside onto the wings and then take shelter in the bridge area. The inner public areas of the Minerva I'd rate as better, the cabins about the same. Food was about the same. One thing the Minerva did that Nordkapp didn't was to do zodiac cruises without landings - ie in Iceberg alley off the Lemaire Channel. Zodiac operations are about the same standard, although I'd say Nordkapp was better organised for getting 100 people off the ship at a time. Itineraries are pretty similar. I think the Minerva was more expensive as it was all-inclusive (ie open bar).

Cheers

ok, got it now :p

 

The Nordkapp was a completely different experience to the Mare Australis - the Nordkapp was more day, different route, and no landings. The Mare Australia had at least one zodiac landing a day, weather permitting (we got all of ours, including Cape Horn). The Mare also takes few passengers (91 out of a capacity of 132 on my cruise), versus the Nordkapp, which at the time took up to 200. I'd say the cabins were nicer and the food better on the Mare.

 

Re the Minerva, my comparison would be to the Nordkapp. The Minerva is a nice ship, well suited to Mediterranean cruising, not so well suited to polar cruising due to the absence of a panorama deck (inside), which the Nordkapp has. I spent a lot of time on the bridge of the Minerva as it was the only place where you could be at the front of the ship, go outside onto the wings and then take shelter in the bridge area. The inner public areas of the Minerva I'd rate as better, the cabins about the same. Food was about the same. One thing the Minerva did that Nordkapp didn't was to do zodiac cruises without landings - ie in Iceberg alley off the Lemaire Channel. Zodiac operations are about the same standard, although I'd say Nordkapp was better organised for getting 100 people off the ship at a time. Itineraries are pretty similar. I think the Minerva was more expensive as it was all-inclusive (ie open bar).

 

Cheers

Thanks so much for your comments.

I'm looking forward to seeing your photos of your trip. Our daughter is enjoying going through her photos of her trip to Patagonia/Antarctica.

Your comments re the panorama deck on Nordkapp reminded me that we lived in the panorama deck on our Norwegian Coastal voyage. I had just taken that advantage for granted!

My husband an I (both mid 40´s) went on Via Australis on May 2007. Is was a wonderful experience. The small ship is ok for the type of cruise where you have 2 disembarkations per day in Zodiacs. Our fellows were ok from many different countries.

Food was ok and crew was fantastic. I do recommend.

.

We will be on the via Australis in two weeks. I'll be happy to post a trip report when we return in early December for those who may be interested!

We will be on the via Australis in two weeks. I'll be happy to post a trip report when we return in early December for those who may be interested!

Looking forward to reading your trip report.

We got off the Va Australis this morning, and we are now in Ushuaia. It was the most luxurious and exciting cruise we have ever taken. There were only about 96 passengers on board including our group of 23. The cabins were very spacious with large picture windows. Dining was excellent, and the open bar was a favorite of everyone. But the best were the expedition leaders who took us on the zodiacs to glaciers and other picturesque islands, where we saw no other people, just wildlife in its natural environment. We strongly recommend this cruise line. You will not be disappointed. If you have any specific questions, please ask, and I will answer them when I next have computer access.

We got off the Va Australis this morning, and we are now in Ushuaia. It was the most luxurious and exciting cruise we have ever taken. There were only about 96 passengers on board including our group of 23. The cabins were very spacious with large picture windows. Dining was excellent, and the open bar was a favorite of everyone. But the best were the expedition leaders who took us on the zodiacs to glaciers and other picturesque islands, where we saw no other people, just wildlife in its natural environment. We strongly recommend this cruise line. You will not be disappointed. If you have any specific questions, please ask, and I will answer them when I next have computer access.

Delighted to hear that you had such an enjoyable exciting cruise. What were the highlights for you?

Did you do any pre and/or post land tours?