Access to Ushuaia after Stanley

[Mr_Astro]

It's been suggested that if a ship visits Stanley (Falkland Isles) it may not be permitted to visit an Argentinean port for political reasons. If that's the case, and it's happened to you, what course did the captain take (heading from Buenos Aries to Valpariso) to Punta Arenas? Did he back-track and head for Punta A from the Atlantic or go into the Pacific and head for Punta A?

 

Advice, please.

 

Sky Guy

[paul929207]

I believe this has only happened to two cruise ships early in 2012

[azbirdmom]

The Star Princess cruise after our's last February had this happen and folks posted that the captain spent extra time in Glacier Alley allowing those on both sides of the ship to see the glaciers. It's usually a one way trip between Punta Arenas and Ushuaia. Here is the post: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1581679&highlight=falklands I would imagine the economic impact was quite large to Ushuaia and hopefully this incident doesn't repeat.

[WeBeGone]

We were on the Star in Feb and were denied entry into Ushuaia after porting in the Falklands. Some were disappointed but the day of glacier sightseeing more than made up for the loss of a port. We went to Punta A from the Pacific.

[Mr_Astro]

We were on the Star in Feb and were denied entry into Ushuaia after porting in the Falklands. Some were disappointed but the day of glacier sightseeing more than made up for the loss of a port. We went to Punta A from the Pacific.

 

 

Thank you all for your comments. They were and are most helpful. See you on the Star in February.

 

Mr Astro

[Mr_Astro]

To those who had this happen to them; at what point in the cruise were you advised of the change in intinerary?

 

TNX

 

Mr.A

[KirkNC]

We have the Falklands on our 2014 sailing and I hope we can avoid these silly political issues.

[WeBeGone]

To those who had this happen to them; at what point in the cruise were you advised of the change in intinerary?

 

TNX

 

Mr.A

 

An announcement was made at 7:00am the morning we were to port. Many people had private excursions booked and were standing in the hall waiting to debark when we were told we wouldn't be docking. I think those were the ones most upset due to pre-payments. Of course those booked on ship excursions lost no money. We had nothing pre-planned so my only disappointment was not being able to say I had been there. The ship just kept on going and we never were even in sight of the city. I felt sorry for all the shop keepers in town. We were to be the last ship of the season so it was their last chance to unload inventory.

[peterscot]

2 ships have bypassed the Falklands this last month - Veendam and AidaCara.

 

Today, according to Mercopress, Seabourne Sojourn was boycotting the Falklands, but in reality, the passengers enjoyed a wonderfully warm and sunny day in and around Stanley. I think they are heading for Montevideo.

 

If you want to visit the Falklands, I would let your company know, otherwise some take the attitude that their passengers don't really care.....

[CIRCUSGIRL]

Well said Peterscot.

[dr__dawggy]

We have the Falklands on our 2014 sailing and I hope we can avoid these silly political issues.

 

 

As long as the current president of Argentina is in office, don't count on docking in Argentine ports (Buenos Aires or Ushuaia) if your ship visits the Falklands. She is totally unpredictable. Argentine ports may be open one day and closed the next. I love Argentina, but the present political situation makes it difficult to plan for future travel. If it is any consolation, it is even more difficult for residents to know how her next move will affect their lives.

 

Here is a recent thread on the topic on Trip Advisor.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g312741-i979-k5959564-Cruise_ships_docking_in_Buenos_Aires-Buenos_Aires_Capital_Federal_District.html

[TracieABD]

This will most definately be a "wait and see" issue...

[paul929207]

As long as the current president of Argentina is in office, don't count on docking in Argentine ports (Buenos Aires or Ushuaia) if your ship visits the Falklands. She is totally unpredictable. Argentine ports may be open one day and closed the next. I love Argentina, but the present political situation makes it difficult to plan for future travel. If it is any consolation, it is even more difficult for residents to know how her next move will affect their lives.

 

Here is a recent thread on the topic on Trip Advisor.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g312741-i979-k5959564-Cruise_ships_docking_in_Buenos_Aires-Buenos_Aires_Capital_Federal_District.html

Argentina is not the only country with rules like that. Any ship that stops in Cuba is not allowed in any US port.

[peterscot]

I agree, Paul, but that's been the US position for the last 50 years.

 

Christina's thugs (and they have smashed up offices and intimidated people), make up the rules as they go along.

 

One week a ship is allowed to berth, the next week they are not. It's part of the strategy to de-stabilise the tourism industry to the Falklands.

 

So some ships, eg Veendam, take the view, let's just drop Stanley, while others say, Why should we put up with these threats? Let's drop Argentina...

 

And Argentina has, for a couple of years, barred ships registered in Falkland Islands from their ports, which I believe is illegal under the Laws of the Seas. Maybe if the US didn't use that tactic on Cuba, then Argentina would have to follow suit.?

[AZaTaz]

We also were on the Star in Feb that was denied entry into Ushuaia after porting in the Falklands. We had a great day viewing the glaciers.

 

If Argentina is going to play this game then I would prefer going to the Falklands and missing any Argentina stops.

 

Just so you don't think this is easy for me to say as it has already happen, in 2014 I will be doing a b2b2b and will have two trips to the Falklands and leaving from Argentina. I have let the cruise companies know my preference.

 

till next post,

Evelyn

[peterscot]

The Veendam called into Stanley yesterday, and Star Princess is due in tomorrow. Should be interesting to see how they get on in Argentine ports.

 

These are huge revenue-earners for ports, so it will be interesting to see if the politicians continue to punish their own people and business by blocking these ships.

[GregnChris]

At one point, it was said that Argentina was only barring ships registered in Britain that visited the Falklands. Since HAL is Dutch, maybe they are allowed to visit both? But HAL did officially drop Falklands from our March 30 departure.

 

Greg

[peterscot]

I suspect Veendam, and others, are officially dropping the Falklands, visiting, and not telling the authorities in Buenos Aires.

 

No-one I spoke to from ships this last week had been aware they were calling in to Stanley.

[TracieABD]

The Star was able to go from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina to the Falklands to Puerto Madryn, Argentina. The plan is to disembark in BA. So far there have been no hiccups in the scheduled itinerary. This is very good news. :)

[paul929207]

The Star was able to go from Tierra del Fuego, Argentina to the Falklands to Puerto Madryn, Argentina. The plan is to disembark in BA. So far there have been no hiccups in the scheduled itinerary. This is very good news. :)

Friday, the Star gets to BA. Hopefully that will be smoothe

[Cosmic Rays]

I suspect Veendam, and others, are officially dropping the Falklands, visiting, and not telling the authorities in Buenos Aires.

 

No-one I spoke to from ships this last week had been aware they were calling in to Stanley.

 

I do hope so!! We are on the February 20th sailing from Valparaiso to BA.

 

Surely though, the Argies WILL find out won't they?

[peterscot]

Yes, they will find out. It would be an open secret. But they may not "officially" know, and so be able to turn a blind eye to it.

 

Do they really want to hack off all the main cruise lines?

 

Having said that, recent eruptions from BA have again shown that there is still some more nonsense to come, especially with the run-up to the Falklands referendum, in March.

[dr__dawggy]

Yes, they will find out. It would be an open secret. But they may not "officially" know, and so be able to turn a blind eye to it.

 

Do they really want to hack off all the main cruise lines?

 

Having said that, recent eruptions from BA have again shown that there is still some more nonsense to come, especially with the run-up to the Falklands referendum, in March.

 

Will itineraries of future cruises be affected, since the Star has not encountered any problems with dock workers or from actions by the government of Argentina?

 

Over? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

 

As long as Cristina Kirchner is president of Argentina, expect the Argies to press their claim to "las Malvinas." Argentina is incapable of mounting any sort of military effort to reclaim the islands but may well attempt to apply economic pressure via a number of means that might or might not include turning away ships that have stopped in the Falklands. Her actions are frequently unpredictable and subject to change at a moments notice, which adds to the anxiety for passengers. I wish it weren't so, but her historical record says otherwise.

 

Should citizens of the U.K. worry about being harassed by locals due to tensions between our two nations?

Tension between the U.K and Argentina is between governments. Brits visiting ports in Argentina will find the vast majority of locals are gracious, warm and hospitable. Argies are very capable of drawing the distinction between government officials and individuals. As much as they hated Bush, his daughters were treated well when they visited Buenos Aires...as were American tourists.

 

There does exist a very small group of militant leftist radicals whose protests have turned violent on occasion. Visitors should stay away from protests, particularly any protests involving the Quebrachos group or their leftist supporters.

[paul929207]

The Star Princess did not encounter any problems calling on Puerto Madryn after their call on the Falklands.

[dr__dawggy]

The Star Princess did not encounter any problems calling on Puerto Madryn after their call on the Falklands.

 

Yes, and that's encouraging but does not mean the next cruise ship won't encounter problems. The situation remains too volatile to say with much assurance one way or the other.