Just back from great SA trip on Amsterdam

[Toots]

Just got back from the 16-day Amsterdam trip starting in Rio and ending in Santiago. What a wonderful experience! We had gotten lots of good advice from this board ahead of time, so if we can answer any questions, we'd be happy to. We did not use the ship excursions but usually went on our own. We had good experiences with Carlos of Private Tours in Buenos Aires and with Jamie's World Next Door Cafe in Valparaiso. Also with private taxis in Ushuaia, Montevideo, Punta Arenas and Santiago.

 

Here's a brief summary: We had a wonderful 16-day cruise on the HAL Amsterdam, plus spent two days each in Rio and Santiago. We flew into Rio de Janeiro, a big, bustling, exciting city with friendly people surrounded by mountains; Copacabana and Ipanema beaches are gorgeous, full of beautiful young bodies. We took an all-day Grayline bus tour of Rio, including Sugar Loaf mountain (by cable car suspended high in the air) and the statue of Christ (you go up on a cog wheel train) which are so impressive! In Montevideo, Uruguay it was inauguration day of the new president who is left-leaning. Castro was expected but did not come at the last minute - Cuban flags and posters all over the place (those young people have no idea how the Cubans really live). Bands playing, small demonstrations, we watched the Russian delegation go from their (American) Radisson hotel to their bus. If our ship hadn't left in late afternoon, we could have seen the new president speak from his balcony. Two wonderful days in Buenos Aires - one spent on a huge ranch with gaucho horseriding show, BBQ and folk dancing, the second day a thorough tour of the city and surroundings with Carlos from Private Tours. Stood on the Plaza de Cinco de Mayo where two million workers listened to Peron speak and cheered Evita in the 30's. Also saw her grave and heard a lot about her charismatic influence on Argentinian politics. Had a wonderful lunch in LaBoca with a small tango show.

 

We were supposed to land on the Falkland Islands in southern Argentina, but the captain (a handsome Hollander) said there would be gale force winds and we stayed "at sea". Who's going to argue with him? We were sorry we missed this port because we heard the people are very friendly and thrilled to see visitors. 5,000 inhabitants and 500,000 sheep!

 

We sailed around Cape Horn on a sunny day with calm seas (the Cape is a bunch of rocky islands), to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern-most city in the world. Beautifully situated in the snow-covered Andes, took a day trip into Tierra del Fuego national park and into the mountains. Only 600 miles from the Antarctic and yes, it was cold. Then an all-day cruise through the Beagle Channel in and out of mountains and glaciers, one sight more beautiful than the next. The region is called Patagonia and it's breathtaking. Up the Magellan Straight (how he found it 400 years ago while looking for a passage to the Orient, it must have been sheer luck) to Punta Arenas, a very windy city where we took a taxi an hour on dirt roads to see the cutest penguins at Otway Bay! Two days later we were in the old German settlement of Puerto Montt, a progressive city in the Andes with 160,000 people, the fastest growing city in Argentina. Some of the countryside there looked just like Austria, even with chalet style houses.

 

Arriving in Valparaiso, we used Jamie from World Next Door Cafe, whose driver picked us up at customs with a large van (for three of us plus luggage), had an excellent driver and an American tour guide named Patrick. Nice tour of Valparaiso and Vina del Mar, the wineries, stop for lunch and visit to a chocolate factory, then to Santiago. We had two full days in Santiago, and since we've been there before, we took a cab into the Andes, holding our breath on Camino Montana that has 75 curves going straight up the mountains up to snowy peaks. We were in Santiago last year and liked it's European feel. We walked all around the old city with big old buildings, the presidential palace, lots of statues. We took a cable car to the top of San Cristobal right in Santiago which has a fantastic 360 degree view of the city. The Metro subway was easy and cheap to use.

 

We ate at local restaurants when away from the ship, had some unusual foods, sometimes we didn't even know what it was. Ate lots of lamb (there are a LOT of sheep in those cold countries), rice and beans, strange greens, wonderful fruits and vegetables. Now it's back to reality, a stack of mail and bills. We have tons of photos and videos for future rocking-chair enjoyment!

 

The Amsterdam is a lovely ship with everything done first class. The only problem was that many people had colds and flu and I got bronchitis and had to spend two days in bed during sea days. DH was happy when I lost my voice, but I kept going anyway - didn't want to miss a thing in the ports.

 

Feel free to e-mail me directly at emickb@aol.com.

[Host CMLA]

Great review! Thanks for sharing. It made me nostalgic for my SA cruise a few years ago.

[Aussie Gal]

Toots,

 

Thanks for sharing your wonderful experience with us. I am so glad you had a great time even though you weren't well for a couple of days.

 

We are using Carlos in Buenos Aires and I am looking forward to this excurison with him. It is now only 10 months until we will be down there.

 

Jennie

[NDRB]

Excellent report, Toots! What a drag to have caught a cold...

 

I was curious about the number of really cold days (we're leaving on the March 30th sailing), as my suitcase is now morbidly obese! Will I definitely need that down jacket??

 

How many days would you say had "short sleeve" weather and how many were definitely sweater (and jacket) days ? (I live in sunny Colorado...) It seems like it will stay pretty warm down to Montevideo?

 

Did the weather discourage people from being out on deck further south, or would that down jacket (that my husband wants me to take) come in handy?

 

How were the laudromat lines????

 

Any trouble getting cash (US dollars) from the purser? I hate to take too much cash, but don't want to run out, either! Did you have to obtain much local currency or were US dollars and credit cards adequate in all the ports?

 

Do you think it best to cary money strictly in money belts in Rio, or do you think if common sense is shown that one can keep a reasonable amount of cash in wallets and shoulder bags?

 

Must you take the train to and from Corcovado, or can you take a taxi up there (as we had planned to do)?

 

Questions, questions, questions...

 

Nina

 

(That's too bad about the Falklands- my husband will be so disappointed if we aren't able to go ashore...)

[BCHappyGal]

Great report - brought back wonderful memories of our january cruise on the Infinity.

 

You can skip the down parka just take cloths so that you can layer - i.e. sweatshirt, sweater, light jacket - but remember a hat, scarf & gloves.

 

We found it was cold in the following ports Punta Arenas, Ushuaia & the Falkland Islands and on the sea days in between.

[Jane110]

Thanks for the terrific review.

 

We spent a day with Carlos in Buenos Aires. He's terrific, though he talks a bit too much, but he's so incredibly sweet. He took us to that same restaurant in La Boca. Lovely, wasn't it?

 

In Rio, we hooked up with his partner Pedro (aka Peter) who's older and more experienced than Carlos and also fantastic. I recommend him highly also.

 

Jane

[NDRB]

So, even being out on deck on the (windy) sea days, you don't think we'd need the down parka?

 

Nina

[Host CMLA]

I was curious about the number of really cold days (we're leaving on the March 30th sailing), as my suitcase is now morbidly obese! Will I definitely need that down jacket??

 

How many days would you say had "short sleeve" weather and how many were definitely sweater (and jacket) days ? (I live in sunny Colorado...) It seems like it will stay pretty warm down to Montevideo?

I live in sunny Colorado as well and I'm used to the cold weather. On the 14 day BA to Santiago trip I did it was warm in BA and Montevideo and chilly in the Falklands, cold in Ushuaia, cold around the horn and through some of the channels, chilly and amazingly windy in Punta Arenas and back to warm by Santiago. I had to buy gloves and a scarf but a long sleeve sweatshirt and my gortex North Face light jacket was enough to keep the rest of me warm in the cold spots. It snowed when we were in Ushuaia in mid March.

 

You haven't asked for a recommendation but I'm offering up an excellant place to have lunch in Punta Arenas. It's called Sotito's and it has the best king crab meals that you'll ever have. If you're a crab lover, it's not to be missed and it's within walking distance to the pier.

[ponstad]

Just wanted to add my thanks to Toots and the other posters - we are planning our trip on the Rotterdam for Dec of 2005 and have found the information here very valuable. Just wondering what kind of weather we can expect in December?

[Toots]

I forgot to mention our great lunch at Sotito's in Punta Arenas. The outside doesn't look like much, but inside was very nice with attentive waiters. We saw others from the ship have their famous crab. We ordered lamb and for two of us they brought out a roaster heaped with chops, riblets, and other pieces with delicious garlicky sauce. My mouth is watering now! It's quite a walk - I would take a cab at least one way.

[wander]

A good windbreaker and layers underneath should be fine. However, I would Highly recommend gloves and a scarf or hat to cover your hear and ears. They made it possible for me to be on the deck and comfortable even in their summer time.

[Host CMLA]

I forgot to mention our great lunch at Sotito's in Punta Arenas. The outside doesn't look like much, but inside was very nice with attentive waiters. We saw others from the ship have their famous crab. We ordered lamb and for two of us they brought out a roaster heaped with chops, riblets, and other pieces with delicious garlicky sauce. My mouth is watering now! It's quite a walk - I would take a cab at least one way.

Great wasn't it?!? I haven't been there in a few years and I can still remember every detail about the food. Sotitos was recommended to us by several crew members and other passengers that had been there before. I think we didn't mind the walk because we needed the exercise to work off some of the lunch. LOL

[May]

THE CRUISE

 

We just returned from the same trip as Toots (we actually met on this board and spent time together on the ship). Their experiences very much mirror ours. Beautiful ship, wonderful food, fantastic cabin, bars and dinning rooms’ crew. We found the "upper level" staff a bit curt. They don't seem too interested in going out of their way for anything. But other than that the service was great.

 

 

 

Like Toots we organized mostly private tours on our own. In Rio we toured with Pedro (Peter) for a whole day in his white jeep, he was great and we really saw a lot. Rio is really beautiful, in an amazing setting. We stayed at the Gloria hotel and would highly recommend it. Beautiful old dame full of antic furniture, beautiful gardens, two lovely pools (one rooftop with an amazing view of Sugarloaf and Corcovado) and awesome buffet breakfast. The coffee was terrific. If you aren't stuck on being on the beach then try this hotel. It's away from the very touristy areas and gives you a better appreciation of Rio. We were glad that we didn't book the Sheraton that Holland recommends. It's really out of the way, the beach (as told by Pedro) is very polluted in that area and you could see the scum floating in the water. It's also very close to favellas (very poor areas), so I don't know how safe it would be walking around on your own. Overall, we felt quite safe in Rio. You have to use common sense like any other large city.

 

 

 

In Buenos Aires we toured with Anna (Pedro' and Carlos' associate). She was the best tour we have ever had. She is very pleasant, speaks excellent English and is very knowledgeable. We loved Buenos Aires and I wish we had more time for shopping on Florida Street. If you like to shop and want excellent quality leader you must go there. We had lunch in one of the restaurants in Puerto Madeiro (near the yacht club) which is the "in" spot to lunch for the locals. Lunch specials are cheap; include appetizer, main course, dessert, coffee and a glass of wine or soft drink. For those of you who watch the Amazing Race, in the last episode they were in BA and the Tigres, Rio de la Plata river delta. Tigres was also part of our tour with Anna. Very interesting. Again, we were given a lot of warnings about safety, but we had absolutely no problems. Again, don't act like a typical tourist with cameras, purses or money in clear view. Every time one travels it's a good idea to try to blend in with the locals.

 

 

 

Montevideo, as Toots mentioned, was in the midst of a national holiday, so most stores were closed. We were fascinated with this old city. So much potential to become a great tourist destination (beautiful old quarters) but obviously no money to repair the grand old buildings. We found the people very friendly and we felt safe. We visited some local stores to buy wine, beer and maté (their famous tea).

 

 

 

In Ushuaia we took the HA tour to visit Lago Escondido in the Glacier area. The scenery was very beautiful. The city and it's setting was a nice surprise. Beautiful mountains, unlike the Alps.

 

 

 

:( We didn't find Punta Arenas very interesting, there really isn't all that much to see or do. The city didn't wake up until around 11:00. We have never experienced crazier drivers. No one obeys the traffic lights, so exercise caution when crossing the roads. Just because it's green light it doesn't actually mean that they will stop.

 

 

 

Puerto Montt is charming in a faded sort of way and it's starting to develop of which they are very proud of. However, I hope that they don't spoil it with building new high-rises on the waterfront. We have booked a tour here with RV tours (Gail and Veronica). Unfortunately, the ship was late coming in, then they were not very efficient with tendering and people were getting very aggravated and some really angry. Everyone had booked long tours (so much to see in that area) and we all ran out of time to see the area properly. We did this tour with Toots & Co. and I think all of our heads were spinning after the tour was done (some of us can also blame the Pisco Sour we consumed at lunch). They drove us like mad through the area, with no stop (except lunch) and we felt a little cheated by the whole experience. The weather was also not cooperating. It was cloudy and we never saw the top of Osorno volcano. We found the Petrohue falls to be the highlight of this tour.

 

 

 

The whole cruising through the channels, strait and fjords was unforgettable. We were glued to the windows. Thousands of islands, water falls, beautiful lush green scenery.

 

 

 

Valpo was foggy and therefore we couldn't get a good appreciation for this interesting city. We took HA tour back to Santiago. The trip takes you through some beautiful wine country and at this point the temperatures rise very quickly up to mid 30C. We were scheduled to fly home (Canada) that evening and I will have regrets about that for a long time to come. Santiago appears to be a very nice and interesting city and I really wish we could have spent a few days there.

 

 

 

CLOTHING AND LUNDRY

 

I can understand the concerns everyone has with the temperatures and what clothing to bring. I had a hard time with that before we departed. Being from Canada we are used to cold weather and extreme heat. The best advise is bring layers, forget big heavy winter parkas and pack a spring waterproof (a must) jacket. Hats, scarves and gloves are a must. If you like to spend a lot of time outdoors on the ship, pack long underwear and some fleece jogging pants. It's not so much cold as the winds are very strong. We found that we had less hot/warm days than we expected. It started to cool off a few days after leaving Rio. Montevideo and the first day in BA were in the low 20C and then it didn't really get that warm anymore until we reached Santiago, so you won't need a lot of "beach wear".

 

This was our first time on HollandAmerica (we've always cruised with Celebrity before) and I found the passengers not as dressed up as on the Celebrity, even on the formal nights. Yes, you still need your formal dresses ladies and tuxes for men if you want to dine in the main dinning room on formal nights, but no need to go all out (unless you want to of course). The self serve laundry facilities are great; just don't wait to do the laundry on the last two days as people become hostile if you show your face (and dirty laundry) in the laundry room. We were going to take advantage of the "all you can stuff in laundry bag for $15), but didn’t realise that you have to list each item on a form. Once we realised that it seemed a lot less trouble to just do our own washing. It costs $2 per load (drying incl.) and you get quarters at the Front desk.

 

 

 

SHIP FACILITIES

 

The facilities on the ship are great. Wonderful gym, library, movie theatre and most appreciated the Java Bar. Loved having the expresso and cappuccino (even in the buffet dinning room). Unfortunately a lot of people didn't know how to use the machines and instead of asking for instructions, ended up pushing all the buttons. Within the first week the first machine broke down and by the end of the cruise so did the second one (in the buffet), which really frustrated the serious coffee drinkers (moi) and I wished they would just stick to what they know.

 

Again the ship is top notch, clean, the cabins very specious (but not as well planned or as beautifully decorated as the Celebrity ships). Our window cabin was on the promenade deck, which turned out great if you like to walk outdoors. And no they can't see inside you stateroom - my hubby checked a few times. We originally wanted to book a veranda cabin (but they were already sold out), but with the promenade deck right out the door we didn't miss it at all.

 

Make an effort to attend the ship lectures and the port talks; they are very good and informative.

 

 

 

CRUISELINES

 

For those of you who are occasionally asking which cruise line to go with. In my opinion, between HA and Celebrity, the Celebrity is a little more upscale and sophisticated. The decor and service is also more grand. The à la carte restaurant on the HA was better; however the choice of menu items on the Celebrity wind out. The average age of the crowd on HA is a bit older than on the Celebrity (I'm in late 40s and my hubby in early 50s, we are very young at heart but not party people), but we had a great time, met many very interesting people. We would be happy to cruise with Amsterdam again.

 

 

 

That's it for now, can't really think of anything else. This itinerary was a real treat. We'd love to do this cruise again. I'd be happy to answer questions.

[Aussie Gal]

May,

 

Thanks for that wonderful report of your trip on the Amsterdam. It will help me with my trip in January next year. My sister was on the Amsterdam but on the cruise between Christmas and New Year and loved the experience. We are old HAL cruisers from way back and I was interested to read your comparisons between Celebrity and HAL. One day we must try Celebrity along with Crystal and Silverseas. They are all on my list!

 

Jennie

[digby]

"(American) Radisson hotel"

 

We were told in January that this hotel is owned by the Rev. Moon. He seems to be a major investor in the country.

[NewCruiseFan]

for NDRB, you'll be there at the beginning of winter. My own trip was in December during their summer, it was lovely hot (really hot) in Valpariaso, Santiago, Puerto Madryn, Montevideo and B.A. The rest of the time it was, at best, chilly. Layers are always the best option and you might want to include silk thermals because it will be cold and windy on deck.

 

Have a fab time and be sure to post after your trip!