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December 2013 cruise review with many pictures


scubacruiserx2
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Sounds delicious.

 

It was !! And before we knew it our three days in El Calafate had ended. We have just a few more photos to share before we return to Buenos Aires .

 

 

Returning to the town from the glacier

 

 

IMG_3237-001_zps16f7620c.jpg

 

 

 

We just loved the purple colored skies

 

 

 

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Headed toward the airport

 

 

 

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We spent the night in downtown BA before our morning flight returned us to Miami. I'm not much of a mall rat but I did want to see the ceiling frescos in the Galerias Pacifico near our hotel . The Christmas tree is 3 stories tall.

 

 

 

IMG_3301-001_zpsbd0f5d34.jpg

 

 

 

Our ride home

 

 

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Finally , we would like to thank everyone reading this thread , for going along with us on this journey.

 

 

Joe and Pat Scubacruiserx2.

 

 

IMG_4310-002_zpsac68e215.jpg

 

 

We will return soon with some lessons learned and suggestions

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Hi Joe and Pat:

 

We've followed your thread/journey and admire the excellent, truly awesome images you produced along with the many humourous comments. It was certainly entertaining, informative and educational for us embarking on the same voyage Mar. 17, 2014, leaving us with great anticipation of what we can look forward to experience. Congratulations on a great presentation!

 

As an avid photographer, is there any other advice besides the ones listed (technically or artistically)? Would you do anything differently if you were to do it again?

 

We look forward to reading your "Lessons learned and suggestions" as per your last frame, hopefully before we leave.

 

Best regards,

Steve & Sally :)

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Hi Joe and Pat:

 

We've followed your thread/journey and admire the excellent, truly awesome images you produced along with the many humourous comments. It was certainly entertaining, informative and educational for us embarking on the same voyage Mar. 17, 2014, leaving us with great anticipation of what we can look forward to experience. Congratulations on a great presentation!

 

As an avid photographer, is there any other advice besides the ones listed (technically or artistically)? Would you do anything differently if you were to do it again?

 

We look forward to reading your "Lessons learned and suggestions" as per your last frame, hopefully before we leave.

 

Best regards,

Steve & Sally :)

 

 

 

It's very gratifying to read comments like yours Steve and Sally !! We hope your trip will as enjoyable as ours was . I'm not sure of your level of expertise in photography - so I will just say what works for me . They have limited options available on the ship for shopping , so make sure that you have everything that you need - before you go . I forgot my polarizing filters and a micro fleece to wipe lens and glasses . Carry element protection for your equipment . Keep a camera with you ( I carry a small Lumix ) for unexpected shots. Extra batteries and memory cards are much cheaper and more available in advance . Don't forget chargers and plug adapters for South America !! Find your shooting spots on ship in advance . We really liked the aft section. I like to change locations while shooting, front/rear and high/low angle . Take lots of pictures and bracket the really scenic ones . I like to use basic zone - small , medium and large aperture by changing from Landscape to Auto setting and then to the Sports setting. I edit and choose the results later . Because I wear reading glasses I like check the results frequently to prevent goof ups like I did in the Moscow Metro. I was so busy taking photos that I forgot to check results and I had knocked the lens setting from auto to manual focus. The pictures looked OK while taking them - but not so good when I reviewed them ! Finally , I usually shoot jpeg but I discovered that I have a jpeg + RAW setting that takes 2 pictures , 1 jpeg and 1 RAW. I wished that I would have used that setting in South America !!

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We are including lessons learned , suggestions and things that we would do differently :

 

1. Take everything you need. Many items are hard to find and/or pricey. I couldn't find a note or journal book on the ship or in 2 supermarkets. On our first trip , we needed chap stick and found at a pharmacy without a price tag and they charged us $5 American !

 

2. Watch your unguarded purse and make sure you don't lose you ATM card !

 

3. If you fly to Argentina first , pay your fee on line before you try to board the flight .

 

 

4. Book any upgrades on flights before you go . We requested upgrades to and from El Calafate . We were told that they were available , but - they were given to locals instead.

 

 

5.Keep a passport copy and E-mail one to yourself , just in case.

 

 

6. I wished that we could have tried to see the Marble Cathedral while in Chacabuco

 

 

http://travelbeautifulplace.com/uploads/places/images/full/Marble_Caves_Patagonia__6.jpg

 

7. I wish that I would have taken a wildlife guide book like this one :

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Wildlife-Guide-Chile-Continental-Archipelago/dp/0691129762/ref=pd_sim_sbs_b_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=1DR6HQ5SWE434D2EYATS

 

 

8. Consider a post - cruise stay in the Falkland Islands to see different types of penguins.

 

 

9. If you visit El Calafate , stay at least 5 days . 2 days and an overnight in El Chalten with Mt. Fitz Roy and a glacier there (double red arrow). It's a 3 hour drive each way. We wished that we would have done a glacier trek and a multiple glacier cruise while in El Calafate .

 

 

 

LosGlaciares_zpscd58901d.jpg

 

10. Download a free copy of Linde Waidhofer's E - book : Unknown Patagonia . I found this after we returned and it has some amazing photos ! Just click on the photo of the book for a download in English.

 

http://www.westerneyepress.com/photo-e-books.html

 

 

 

11. And last of all , have a great time while visiting and don't forget to write and share some of your photos ! :D

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Another consideration for us was to wrap or , not to wrap ? We had seen luggage wrapping many times in Miami and never gave it a second thought . But after reading that EZE in Buenos Aires was notorious for theft in a travel guide that we like , we choose to try it . I had some left over plastic wrap and wrapped our large suitcase with it before we left the US . We kept everything that we needed in our carry on luggage and didn't open our large suitcase until we received it on the cruise ship. Here is a report about the process.

 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323550604578410831335268510

 

 

Before we returned home we used TrueStar in Buenos Aires for about $15 a bag and it includes an insurance policy. Here is our video clip of the process . We had no problems coming or going but we decided that it was cheap insurance.

 

 

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Thank you so much for this well written trip report with your amazing photos. I came to this thread just for them! You also made me put Argentina back in the bucket. :D

 

A couple of cruises on our bucket list are Argentina - Antarctica and Australia - New Zealand . Cruises to , and landing on Antarctica are very expensive :eek: But the Celebrity Infinity offers great trip that cruises past Antarctica with no landing for a very good price next February . It also include the Falkland Islands and Puerto Madryn - so there should be some great penguin viewing :) My wife's favorite cruise was a Transatlantic on the Infinity's sister ship the Constellation in 2009. She found a great deal on a family suite - at the last minute with our favorite balcony !!

 

Transatlantic09Joe028.jpg

 

It came complete with a romantic sunset in the calm Sargasso Sea .

 

 

 

Transatlantic09Joe033.jpg

 

 

Holland America has a New Zealand - Australia - Transpacific cruise for 36 days in April 2015 that we are looking into . But with land based pre cruise and post cruise stay it could be almost 7 weeks !

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We travelled in (independently) and around Australia and New Zealand (Princess). I would not book a cruise again for Argentina. One rainy and stormy cruise is enough. It would be a land based trip and independently organized or a mixture of group and solo like we did in Peru.

 

I'll see whether I will do a trip report here on our Galapagos cruise. Check in again in October. ;-) Usually, I post first on Facebook, more convenient photo management and friends who are interested.

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 5 weeks later...
It's very gratifying to read comments like yours Steve and Sally !! We hope your trip will as enjoyable as ours was . I'm not sure of your level of expertise in photography - so I will just say what works for me . They have limited options available on the ship for shopping , so make sure that you have everything that you need - before you go . I forgot my polarizing filters and a micro fleece to wipe lens and glasses . Carry element protection for your equipment . Keep a camera with you ( I carry a small Lumix ) for unexpected shots. Extra batteries and memory cards are much cheaper and more available in advance . Don't forget chargers and plug adapters for South America !! Find your shooting spots on ship in advance . We really liked the aft section. I like to change locations while shooting, front/rear and high/low angle . Take lots of pictures and bracket the really scenic ones . I like to use basic zone - small , medium and large aperture by changing from Landscape to Auto setting and then to the Sports setting. I edit and choose the results later . Because I wear reading glasses I like check the results frequently to prevent goof ups like I did in the Moscow Metro. I was so busy taking photos that I forgot to check results and I had knocked the lens setting from auto to manual focus. The pictures looked OK while taking them - but not so good when I reviewed them ! Finally , I usually shoot jpeg but I discovered that I have a jpeg + RAW setting that takes 2 pictures , 1 jpeg and 1 RAW. I wished that I would have used that setting in South America !!

 

Hello Joe & Pat:

 

We returned from our cruise & post vacation in Argentina three weeks ago and have had an opportunity to do a quick review of the pictures. We are reasonably satisfied with the majority but one area we weren't as fortunate as you was in fjords, channels and glacier country! Whereas you had gorgeous sunshine and clear views, we had total fog, rain and extremely high winds for 2-3 days in the areas just mentioned. Hence, although we did manage to get some images you can see (or not) through the fog, you can barely notice the outline of some mountains, water falls and/or glaciers where applicable.

 

We would like to communicate with you further by email to compare notes and other components related to the photography as well as other aspects of the cruise. We hope you are agreeable to this request, please contact me at ssam.cms@rogers.com.

 

We look forward to hearing from you hopefully.

 

Best regards

 

........Steve & Sally (Toronto) :)

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  • 3 weeks later...

Wow....found this thread yesterday doing research for a possible SA trip in 2015/16. Thank you so much for this armchair trip in the last two days! Your commentary and photography are spectacular and now I just have to convince my DH that two weeks is worth the trip~ (we did PC repo last fall and loved it). :rolleyes:

Thank you for taking the time to do this review, love the suggestions.....the whole take your passport away from you and wrapping suitcases is a little scary (and I lived in Central America for two years, so not an unseasoned traveler) but there are tons of cruises down there, so obviously not TOO much of an issue. Loved this review and have bookmarked it~ :D

Honestly afraid to check out your other ones for fear I will not be able to decide which to do next! :rolleyes:

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Wow....found this thread yesterday doing research for a possible SA trip in 2015/16. Thank you so much for this armchair trip in the last two days! Your commentary and photography are spectacular and now I just have to convince my DH that two weeks is worth the trip~ (we did PC repo last fall and loved it). :rolleyes:

Thank you for taking the time to do this review, love the suggestions.....the whole take your passport away from you and wrapping suitcases is a little scary (and I lived in Central America for two years, so not an unseasoned traveler) but there are tons of cruises down there, so obviously not TOO much of an issue. Loved this review and have bookmarked it~ :D

Honestly afraid to check out your other ones for fear I will not be able to decide which to do next! :rolleyes:

 

I'm glad that you enjoyed the travelogue and hope that it helps you with your possible trip to SA. Part of the reason that I throw the bad parts in the review is to prevent unpleasant surprises ! They are just warning signs and not stop signs because we really enjoyed both South American trips and I would love to return (new camera included). So many trips , so little money ;) But by all means , don't fear the photos of Russia (Baltic) because it is one of our favorite places. In an effort to maximize vacation time (while minimizing costs) , we will be doing a Double Cross . TA from Miami on Celebrity in Spring (a repeat of DW's favorite cruise) to London and a post cruise stay. We will return by air ( I hate flying but it's the price you pay for visiting. Kinda like surrendering your passport in South America). We will use the return ticket to London to pick up a return TA from London to the U.S. in Fall through Iceland. So we will be doing a East bound and a West bound TA hence the moniker , Double Crossing .

 

P.S. I see that you are a Carnival Dreamer so you may want to take a look at our cruise on the Carnival Legend in Northern Europe that I plan on finishing - one of these days.

Edited by scubacruiserx2
Additional info.
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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
Wow, great review and really fantastic pictures! :)

 

Thanks Jeannie for the kind words. We're glad that you enjoyed it. I really like your lovely blog and it has inspired me. Our son (and grandsons) will be coming over on Father's Day to help us set up our own website/blog. So keep up the great work and enjoy your cruise ! :D

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  • 3 weeks later...

An article online this week called A room with a (N) ice view features 2 hotels in the El Calafate region , that have glacier views. But at $700 a day we can't afford to stay. But we can afford a day trip ! The places mentioned are : Hosteria Los Nostros and Estancia Cristina Lodge. :)

 

https://www.yahoo.com/travel/a-room-with-a-n-ice-view-9-hotels-at-glacier-sites-89894216147.html

Edited by scubacruiserx2
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  • 2 weeks later...

I just loved the photos you have shared. We are booked on the Golden Dec 3 from La to Rio. 31 days. I love all the ideas you provided including eating at different places onboard. I had no idea we would see glaciers like those in Alaska. I am going to make sure the other couple we are going with sees your posts. Thank you for sharing, it makes me feel somewhat less ignorant regarding my cruise.

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I just loved the photos you have shared. We are booked on the Golden Dec 3 from La to Rio. 31 days. I love all the ideas you provided including eating at different places onboard. I had no idea we would see glaciers like those in Alaska. I am going to make sure the other couple we are going with sees your posts. Thank you for sharing, it makes me feel somewhat less ignorant regarding my cruise.

 

Thank you snow2day for the kind words and I'm glad that you liked the pictures. It sounds like a great cruise that you have coming up. We wished that we could have gone to the Falkland Islands but maybe next time. If you have any questions , I'll be glad to answer them. I posted some pictures and the thread link for this on your ROLL CALL. ;)

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Thanks Jeannie for the kind words. We're glad that you enjoyed it. I really like your lovely blog and it has inspired me. Our son (and grandsons) will be coming over on Father's Day to help us set up our own website/blog. So keep up the great work and enjoy your cruise ! :D

 

Thank you! :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

What a wonderful review!

It really built up our expectations for our next cruise on December 8th 2014.

We have been looking this trip for a while, but there was always something in the middle. Now we just decided and booked it before something changes! It was not the itinerary we wanted (We first thought the drive-by antarctica) but dates were not working, so we went for this one.

We are doing the reverse itinerary, with some small changes. Sailing from BsAs, Montevideo, Stanley (fingers-crossed!), Punta arenas, Ushuaia, Puerto Montt and debarking in Santiago. Any tips are appreciated :)

 

One big thing I learnt from your review is I NEED a new camera! We have been using a digital with a big zoom, but it won't be enough. I guess I'll (finally) go the DSLR route.

 

Thanks for sharing all your pictures and experiences!

Cheers,

C.S.

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Thanks for your wonderful review! I am trying to decide between the Zaandam and the Star Princess from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso in Feb. 2016. I have been on the Zaandam and on the Star Princess's sister ship, and either would be fine. However, the Star Princess goes to Puerto Madryn and spends more time in Ushuaia (7-4) than the Zaandam (2-8), but the Zaandam spends an extra day cruising around Tierra Del Fuego. Does size of ship make much of a difference in this part of the world?

 

I was very impressed with the photos of your post-cruise trip to El Calafate, and would love to go there, too.

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What a wonderful review!

It really built up our expectations for our next cruise on December 8th 2014.

We have been looking this trip for a while, but there was always something in the middle. Now we just decided and booked it before something changes! It was not the itinerary we wanted (We first thought the drive-by antarctica) but dates were not working, so we went for this one.

We are doing the reverse itinerary, with some small changes. Sailing from BsAs, Montevideo, Stanley (fingers-crossed!), Punta arenas, Ushuaia, Puerto Montt and debarking in Santiago. Any tips are appreciated :)

 

One big thing I learnt from your review is I NEED a new camera! We have been using a digital with a big zoom, but it won't be enough. I guess I'll (finally) go the DSLR route.

 

Thanks for sharing all your pictures and experiences!

Cheers,

C.S.

 

Thank you for the kind words , you made my day (payday didn't hurt either ;) ). We are excited for you and your cruise - it sounds great ! It's about the same time of the year that we went last year and we absolutely loved the weather . We are a bit envious of the Falklands stop with it's many penguins. For requested tips , it helps if you can be specific so that we can give specific answers. A couple of general tips:

 

1. Consider a pre or post cruise stay. You will fly a long way to get there , so why not stay longer ? Many times we rent an apartment for about the same price as a hotel. It's nice to sleep over and walk around in "real time" instead of "ships time". If we had it to do over - we would have skipped the Torres del Paine tour and used the extra money to stay longer in the El Calafate region visiting Fitz Roy and glacier hiking on Perito Moreno !!

 

2. We like private tours and it's a nice way to spend time chatting before the cruise and getting to know your ship mates.

 

3. Read before going !! Frommers on line or , I really like D.K. guides. Good information and great pictures :D I purchased this map before I went and it turned out to be the same one that they displayed at the information desk. It was fun to plot our course and see where we were going.

 

 

 

DSC00050-001_zpsd4924260.jpg

 

 

Lastly , Don't get me talking cameras - or I may never shut up :) . I really think my 300mm lens was enough for this cruise because I shot mostly medium and wide angle. The tele was mostly for the wildlife on the Ushuaia harbor cruise. I had bought DW a new Panasonic FZ-200 with a 600 mm zoom , but we forgot it at home !! But I LOVE my DSLR's. I would not have been able to zoom fast enough to capture the bird walking on the water sequence with the electronic zoom of the Panasonic but the manual zoom of my trusty Canon 70-300 was perfect. Don't be afraid to ask any questions , OK ?

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Hey Miami (my hometown) ! Both Chile and Argentina charge fees equal to what the US charges them. In both cases it was $160 p.p. for a total of $640 for the 2 of us. We flew to Buenos Aires , from MIA and had to pay before we left. If you land without paying first you will be returned (we were told). When we flew into Santiago on the next day , we paid at an airport kiosk before you do anything else. The Chilean fee is attached to the passport and is good for the life of the passport. In Argentina it's good for 10 years and they use a thumb print and eye scan for recognition. I plan on starting the review soon - so stay tuned !

 

 

I have a piece of paper i.e. "receipt" stapled in my passport from my trip to Chili in 2006 so will that work? I also have my passport stamped from 2006/2007 visit to Argentina. Is that all I need for there? Unfortunately my VISA for Brazil was only good for 5 years so will have to get another one.

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