December 2013 cruise review with many pictures

[scubacruiserx2]

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.

 

Welcome to the thread and congratulations on your return trip to South America. We also went in 2006 but we enjoyed our last trip even more. In regard to your 1st question, it should work , same passport as 2007 right ? The most recent information that I have seen is that it's a moot point because Chile has dropped the fee (after the U.S. did). Did you have a retina scan and fingerprint when last in Argentina ? That is the current protocol after you show proof of paying your visa. Then they just use that for future entry. You may want to check with the Consulate just to make sure if flying into Argentina first. If you are boarding in Santiago , you may also ask before boarding and check your bill to make sure that they don't charge you for the fee for Argentina - if your previous entry will suffice. ;)

[NancyIL]

Welcome to the thread and congratulations on your return trip to South America. We also went in 2006 but we enjoyed our last trip even more. In regard to your 1st question, it should work , same passport as 2007 right ? The most recent information that I have seen is that it's a moot point because Chile has dropped the fee (after the U.S. did). Did you have a retina scan and fingerprint when last in Argentina ? That is the current protocol after you show proof of paying your visa. Then they just use that for future entry. You may want to check with the Consulate just to make sure if flying into Argentina first. If you are boarding in Santiago , you may also ask before boarding and check your bill to make sure that they don't charge you for the fee for Argentina - if your previous entry will suffice. ;)

 

Which ship were you in in 2006? I don't think you saw my post on the previous page - where I asked whether the size of the ship makes much difference on this itinerary.

[scubacruiserx2]

Which ship were you in in 2006? I don't think you saw my post on the previous page - where I asked whether the size of the ship makes much difference on this itinerary.

 

Attention ! Senior moment ALERT !!! :eek:

 

 

 

Sorry about that Nancy ! The ship we were first on in Chile was the NCL Dream and the date that we were on it was November 2007 ( double senior moment ! ). We were on the Dream in 2006 , but it was on a wonderful Baltic cruise. :D

 

 

 

The Dream was about the same size as the Zaandam and there is part of the trip where a smaller ship has the advantage - Paso Shoal and Summer Pass. It's a VERY shallow area where the ship could get stuck at low tide. The ship wreck of the Santa Leonora is still there as a silent testimony of the danger. I found this beautiful picture on the internet by XEON to show everyone.

 

 

 

We were in the middle of a sleet storm when we went through area and I didn't feel like hanging around outside waiting to take my own picture because it was very cold , windy and bumpy .

 

 

The larger ship would probably be more stable in the open water in the Atlantic and going around the Horn . It is the Summer and the seas are usually calm ( it was for us) , but at latitude the weather can turn on a dime . Since you are happy on both ships I would consider the itinerary to be paramount . To us the best choice would be the Star sailing from Valparaiso on Feb. 15 for many reasons :

 

1. We flew round trip , non-stop from Miami to Buenos Aries in the Daylight both ways , which we preferred to our previous double overnight flights into Santiago .

 

2. The domestic airport was very close to the cruise port so we could catch our flight to El Calafate . The international airport , EZE , is an hour away in non rush hour traffic , which we missed both times.

 

3. As you mentioned in your post , Zaandam skips Puerto Madryn and Punta Tombo .

 

4. On the day you go to Ushuaia , you will cruise Glacier Alley a couple of hours before or after Ushuaia . The morning sunlight is at your back , better for viewing and photos than to have the afternoon sun in your face ! Also , visiting Ushuaia works better in the afternoon than the morning. Most people sleep in and open up later , eat later and stay up later . When we were in on the Zaandam on a Sunday every thing was closed including the lift to the glacier. Only restaurants and the cruises around the harbor were open. On our trip in 2007 we spent the night and visited the lift.

 

 

 

COLD !! But warm drinks with some new friends at the hut on the top were wonderful. They are still some our best friends and we visit them when we go to London. :)

[NancyIL]

Thanks so much for your response! You did post that your previous cruise was on the Dream in 2007, but I missed that the first time around! Was it also from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires?

 

I need to clarify that both the Star Princess (Feb. 1) and the Zaandam (Feb. 21) cruises we are considering go from BA to Valparaiso, as I hadn't considered the Princess Valparaiso to BA sailings on Jan. 18 or Feb. 15. (The Zaandam sails from Valparaiso to BA on March 6, but I don't want to sail that late.) Maybe we need to rethink the direction of the ship!

 

1. This confused me! However, I reread your first few posts to see that you flew from Miami to BA and then to Santiago to begin the cruise. We would use American Airlines miles for the flights, so we would have to choose to fly into one or the other - but not both. The flights to or from Santiago are all overnight, whereas the flights to or from BA are available both during the day and overnight. I would prefer an overnight flight to BA if we were to go to Iguazu Falls before a cruise from BA.

 

2. Flying to El Calafate is definitely easier and less expensive from BA than from Santiago, and we could go to El Calafate at the beginning of the trip if we sailed from BA. We would have to choose between Iguazu Falls and El Calafate, as you did. However, after seeing your beautiful photos of the Perito Moreno Glacier - I am more interested in spending our time in Patagonia.

 

3. I do think the port stop in Puerto Madryn is the biggest reason to choose Princess over HAL - especially since there are no guarantees that either ship would get to the Falklands.

 

4. The Star Princess is in Ushuaia on a Tuesday from 7-4 on the BA-Val cruise, and on a Sunday from 12-8 on the Val-BA cruise. Would you still choose 12-8 on a Sunday?

 

Thanks again for letting me pick your brain!

 

P.S. A couple of things I noticed when comparing the Star Princess BA-Valparaiso vs. Valparaiso-BA itineraries just now: the Cape Horn scenic cruising is from 8-9 a.m. going east, and from 5-6 p.m. going west; and the Amalia Glacier scenic cruising is from 7-8 a.m. (ouch!) going east, and from 4-5 p.m. going west. I think I prefer the later times for the scenic cruising.

Edited August 4, 2014 by NancyIL

[scubacruiserx2]

Thanks so much for your response! You did post that your previous cruise was on the Dream in 2007, but I missed that the first time around! Was it also from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires?

 

I looked online and found the itinerary from the November 7, 2007 sailing .

 

 

 

 

Norwegian Dream Norwegian Cruise LineNorwegian Cruise Line

 

 

Sailing on: November 7, 2007

Departure Port: Valparaiso (Santiago), Chile

Day... Location Arrival Departure

Wednesday, November 7, 2007 Valparaiso (santiago), Chile -- 06:00 PM

Thursday, November 8, 2007 Concepcion (talcahuano), Chile 10:30 AM 05:00 PM

Friday, November 9, 2007 At Sea -- --

Saturday, November 10, 2007 Puerto Chacabuco, Chile 08:00 AM 05:00 PM

Sunday, November 11, 2007 At Sea -- --

Monday, November 12, 2007 At Sea -- --

Tuesday, November 13, 2007 Punta Arenas, Chile 07:00 AM 06:30 PM

Wednesday, November 14, 2007 Ushuaia, Argentina 03:00 PM --

Thursday, November 15, 2007 Ushuaia, Argentina -- 07:00 PM

Friday, November 16, 2007 At Sea -- --

Saturday, November 17, 2007 At Sea -- --

Sunday, November 18, 2007 Puerto Montt, Chile 08:00 AM 05:00 PM

Monday, November 19, 2007 Valdivia (corral), Chile 08:00 AM 05:00 PM

Tuesday, November 20, 2007 At Sea -- --

Wednesday, November 21, 2007 Valparaiso (santiago), Chile 08:00 AM --

 

 

I also found out that the Dream was involved in an accident 3 weeks after we had completed our cruise .

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=2309 :eek:

 

 

Thanks for the new information on your trip - it helps clarify the choices and we have plenty of time to plan. I know that Iguazu falls attracts most of the cruise ship attention , but we really wanted an out of the box experience and LOVED the natural and isolated beauty of the El Calafate region. We just wished that we would have spent more time there. Here's the books I mentioned previously.

 

 

 

As you can see , Mt. Fitz Roy graces the cover of the Argentina book. If you go to El Calafate , you may want to consider a night or two in El Chalten to visit Fitz Roy and glacier Viedma while you are there .

 

http://www.interpatagonia.com/paseos/glaciar_lago_viedma/index_i.html

 

 

El Chalten is a couple of hours North (toward the airport) from El Calafate. If you arrived early enough , you might consider driving to El Chalten first before visiting El Calafate. Make sure to keep a full gas tank as there is a lot of open road and few , if any gas stations. This is a great web site to help you plan - if you go. I wish that we had found it before we went. Oh well , a good reason to go back. We looked at Antarctica on Seaborne and this is one on our list !! .

 

http://www.cruisesonly.com/sc.do?d=11/01/2014&d2=11/30/2014&i=889267&c=48&v=725&IncludeAlumniRates=true&IncludeSeniorRates=true&zipcode=33470&statecode=&dsc=y

 

 

Maybe in a couple years - if we save real hard. :)

[NancyIL]

Thank you! Now that I see the itinerary of your previous cruise, I understand why you flew into and out of Santiago that time.

 

After comparing port times as well as the timing of the scenic cruising, I prefer the Feb. 1 Buenos Aires to Valparaiso itinerary on the Star Princess. Good thing, as that's what I had already booked - prior to considering HAL Zaandam! :D

 

I checked American Airlines flights for January and February 2015 (even though we will go in 2016) to get an idea of the routing to Buenos Aires and El Calafate. I am leaning towards an overnight flight to BA from Miami or Dallas, as a daytime flight from Miami would require 2 flights from central IL to FL the previous day, as well as a night in a hotel. I think it would also work best to spend a night in Buenos Aires, then fly to El Calafate the next day. We could return to BA the day we board the ship, since we overnight on it. Although we might be able to use FF miles to fly from IL all the way to El Calafate, the weather in January could be iffy, and we would have to change airports in BA. It's a good 6+ months before I can book the outbound flights, so I'll have plenty of time to think about all of this!

 

I went to the library and checked out both of the Eyewitness books pictured, as well as Lonely Planet Chile & Easter Island and Moon Patagonia. :)

[cjsegninir]

All this conversation doesn't let me work. I want to go now!

 

I would love to go to Iguazu or El Calafate, but then it means hotel there plus transfers. Are there any day-tours from Buenos Aires as interesting as those?

 

I was also checking the tours on the HAL website and I was shocked by the prices :eek: I understand these areas are not easy to get to, but still even the normal city-tours are in the 100's range or close. I think we need to save some more to be able to make the tours.

 

What tours would you recommend for my itinerary? What tours are the best for seeing fauna? Which tours we MUST take? ;)

 

Cheers

[scubacruiserx2]

It sounds like you have a great grip on the trip. But all this talk about PM glacier made me pull up a couple new shots from when we were there. All of these pictures used a w-i-d-e angle lens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lens gave some distortion to the catwalks.

 

 

 

 

Even with the wide angle lens , it took 2 photos stitched together to show the whole glacier. We learned how to do this at the Digital Workshop which is free classes on HAL dealing with Windows .

 

 

 

 

I love the fire bush in the lower left corner.

 

 

 

 

[NancyIL]

Thank you for sharing more beautiful photos of the glacier. :) I was looking for the bush fire in the corner...then re-read your post and saw that you said "fire bush"! :D

[scubacruiserx2]

All this conversation doesn't let me work. I want to go now!

 

I would love to go to Iguazu or El Calafate, but then it means hotel there plus transfers. Are there any day-tours from Buenos Aires as interesting as those?

 

I was also checking the tours on the HAL website and I was shocked by the prices :eek: I understand these areas are not easy to get to, but still even the normal city-tours are in the 100's range or close. I think we need to save some more to be able to make the tours.

 

What tours would you recommend for my itinerary? What tours are the best for seeing fauna? Which tours we MUST take? ;)

 

Cheers

 

Welcome back ! After reading this post I looked at your Roll Call to see if others had organized private tours. It looks like you're on a Ghost Ship :eek: only 1 page is that right ? Another question , are you comfortable doing (or organizing) private tours ? To us , Iguazu , Torres del Paine and El Calafate fall into different categories as Natural locations. In other words Remote and Expensive !!! We feel that cities or towns like BA , Santiago and Ushuaia are do it yourself experiences (no tour needed). If you want a tour there you may want to look at other threads (or start one yourself) that deal specifically with those cities- as we have little to no experience there. If you are comfortable with private tours , we can give you our contacts or you can find others online. Don't be afraid to get the ball going by contacting tours first and sharing them on your Roll Call. We have met and made many friends this way. When my wife found a tour online for our upcoming tour to Iceland we mentioned it on our Roll Call it filled 3 minibuses !!

 

We agree that the ships tours are many times $ over priced so we go private or DIY. You are blessed to be going to the Falklands and the name that comes up most is Patrick Watts

 

http://www.falklandislands.com/product.php/76/24/tour_guides

 

Private tours are usually about half the cost of ship's tours. Don't miss a chance to see the penguins if you land there. One of the ship's tour that I would recommend is the Magdalena Island penguin tour in Punta Arenas.

 

http://www.comapa.com/en/general/magdalena-island/

 

 

This is where we got screwed on our first trip. We booked a tour with our new friends on a large boat. We were then informed by the company that the cruise ship had chartered the boat and that we would have to book through the ship - at twice the price !! Well we scrambled and found a small , covered RIB boat that would take us and added a few others to the group. One of the others had mobility issues that made boarding and landing difficult. After we had boarded and launched the operator felt uncomfortable with landing on the rocky island with a mobility challenged person - so they aborted the tour claiming - engine problems. One of our friends (from Peru) later explained to us because our Spanish language skills are "survival" - at best. So they loaded us up in a couple of vans and we began the long trek to Otway. So now we were behind the buses going to a place with far fewer penguins. We were very happy to see the penguins of Otway , but Magdalena Island is the better experience. We later saw some other people (and their pictures) who went to the island and we wished that we would have just gone on the cruises ship's tour in the first. But who knew ? Long story short , use the ship's tour to Magdalena Island in Punta Arenas. We have done many private tours in the past and this was the only difficult experience.

[scubacruiserx2]

Thank you for sharing more beautiful photos of the glacier. :) I was looking for the bush fire in the corner...then re-read your post and saw that you said "fire bush"! :D

 

It would seem that senior moments are contagious . :confused:

[cjsegninir]

Thanks for your reply ;)

 

It looks like you're on a Ghost Ship :eek: only 1 page is that right ?

 

Yes, it looks like it's only 5 of us for the whole ship :cool:

 

Another question , are you comfortable doing (or organizing) private tours ?

 

Tha's what we have done before most of the times. I think in 7 cruises we have only used the ship excursions twice... The rest it has been tours organized in the roll call or calling the operators

 

 

We feel that cities or towns like BA , Santiago and Ushuaia are do it yourself experiences (no tour needed).

 

I agree, but still I use the tour itineraries to pinpoint the places I would like to visit while there. Unless there is a place outside the city that we should go with a tour. Any must-see in those cities?

 

 

If you are comfortable with private tours , we can give you our contacts or you can find others online.

 

 

Please, any ideas will help me to start!

 

You are blessed to be going to the Falklands and the name that comes up most is Patrick Watts

 

One of the ship's tour that I would recommend is the Magdalena Island penguin tour in Punta Arenas.

 

I have read about Patrick Watts somewhere before and also about Magdalena Island. Both of them are in my list so far :D

 

This is where we got screwed on our first trip.

 

Wow! What an experience... Our worst was actually with a ship's organized excursion in Funchal. We took a whale safari, but the sea conditions were not appropriate. They still sailed and we had a ready hard time and didn't see any whales :( As happened with your friends, my spanish allowed me to understand what they were talking in portuguese. They knew that no whales were on sight and that it was dangerous with the rough sea, but they didn't want to cancel the trip and lose money.

Edited August 6, 2014 by cjsegninir

[scubacruiserx2]

Thanks for your reply ;)

 

 

 

Yes, it looks like it's only 5 of us for the whole ship :cool:

 

 

 

Tha's what we have done before most of the times. I think in 7 cruises we have only used the ship excursions twice... The rest it has been tours organized in the roll call or calling the operators

 

 

 

I agree, but still I use the tour itineraries to pinpoint the places I would like to visit while there. Unless there is a place outside the city that we should go with a tour. Any must-see in those cities?

 

 

 

Please, any ideas will help me to start!

 

 

 

I have read about Patrick Watts somewhere before and also about Magdalena Island. Both of them are in my list so far :D

 

 

 

Wow! What an experience... Our worst was actually with a ship's organized excursion in Funchal. We took a whale safari, but the sea conditions were not appropriate. They still sailed and we had a ready hard time and didn't see any whales :( As happened with your friends, my spanish allowed me to understand what they were talking in portuguese. They knew that no whales were on sight and that it was dangerous with the rough sea, but they didn't want to cancel the trip and lose money.

 

The tour operators we used were: Punta Arenas http://www.Turismonuevemundo.com They have several tours in S. America

 

http://www.southexcusions.com also has tours in Chile and Argentina.

In Ushuaia, we grabbed a tour along the pier area, there are many tour operators there. If you want to see penguins, Patrick in the Falklands. They are very easy to contact and if you do not make it into port, no problem.

 

Some people went on a wine tour in Montevide, Uruguay. We just went into town. It is a short walk or a "free" shuttle to one of the leather shops, that drops you off in the center of town and you walk back.

In Puerto Mont we used Turismo Nueve Mundo for the volcano and waterfalls.

This should give you a good start. Have fun.

[NancyIL]

The tour operators we used were: Punta Arenas http://www.Turismonuevemundo.com They have several tours in S. America

 

http://www.southexcusions.com also has tours in Chile and Argentina.

In Ushuaia, we grabbed a tour along the pier area, there are many tour operators there. If you want to see penguins, Patrick in the Falklands. They are very easy to contact and if you do not make it into port, no problem.

 

Some people went on a wine tour in Montevide, Uruguay. We just went into town. It is a short walk or a "free" shuttle to one of the leather shops, that drops you off in the center of town and you walk back.

In Puerto Mont we used Turismo Nueve Mundo for the volcano and waterfalls.

This should give you a good start. Have fun.

 

That link doesn't work, but this one does: http://www.turismonuevomundo.com/

 

Thanks for the tour company info. I see that Turismo Nuevo Mundo also has a 4-day land tour from El Calafate. :)

[scubacruiserx2]

That link doesn't work, but this one does: http://www.turismonuevomundo.com/

 

Thanks for the tour company info. I see that Turismo Nuevo Mundo also has a 4-day land tour from El Calafate. :)

 

Thanks for the correction !! You have earned 3 free photos as your reward.

 

 

 

This is one of my favorites (did I post it already ? Must be dizzy from that blood draw today at the VA).

 

 

 

 

I tried to capture some of the pretty , purple flowers in the lower left corner. Kinda hard to see but I got the composition good.

 

 

 

 

 

4 days may work but remember , 2 days are travel days -just saying. One major regret that we had from the first trip was , (in hindsight) not flying to Antarctica from Punta Arenas. NCL offered a 10 hour round trip for $1500 p.p. That cost as much as our entire cruise !! We were ready this time but HAL didn't offer it , so we went to Torres del Paine instead. I just noticed as I looked at the Turismo web site that they have a 10 hour , 1 day trip !! No price listed but they also offer an 2 day , overnight trip (bring MONEY). I just wish that I had seen this before our last trip !! Oh well , it sounds like a good reason to go back . :D

[NancyIL]

Thanks for the correction !! You have earned 3 free photos as your reward.

 

 

 

This is one of my favorites (did I post it already ? Must be dizzy from that blood draw today at the VA).

 

 

 

 

I tried to capture some of the pretty , purple flowers in the lower left corner. Kinda hard to see but I got the composition good.

 

 

 

 

 

4 days may work but remember , 2 days are travel days -just saying. One major regret that we had from the first trip was , (in hindsight) not flying to Antarctica from Punta Arenas. NCL offered a 10 hour round trip for $1500 p.p. That cost as much as our entire cruise !! We were ready this time but HAL didn't offer it , so we went to Torres del Paine instead. I just noticed as I looked at the Turismo web site that they have a 10 hour , 1 day trip !! No price listed but they also offer an 2 day , overnight trip (bring MONEY). I just wish that I had seen this before our last trip !! Oh well , it sounds like a good reason to go back . :D

 

Thank you for more lovely photos. :)

 

Princess currently charges $2,999 pp for its 10-hour Antarctica excursion, and $899 pp for the day trip to Torres del Paine! :eek: I would ideally like to visit Torres del Paine on the same land trip to El Calafate. Antarctica would be amazing, but I'd prefer to do that on a ship that spends more time there, and not on a one-day excursion.

 

Princess's excursion to Magdalena Island is $169. I read another trip report (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1767794), and the OP went on an excursion there with Solo Expediciones: http://soloexpediciones.com/en/

Edited August 7, 2014 by NancyIL

[scubacruiserx2]

Thank you for more lovely photos. :)

 

Princess currently charges $2,999 pp for its 10-hour Antarctica excursion, and $899 pp for the day trip to Torres del Paine! :eek: I would ideally like to visit Torres del Paine on the same land trip to El Calafate. Antarctica would be amazing, but I'd prefer to do that on a ship that spends more time there, and not on a one-day excursion.

 

Princess's excursion to Magdalena Island is $169. I read another trip report (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1767794), and the OP went on an excursion there with Solo Expediciones: http://soloexpediciones.com/en/

 

 

Why does $899 seem like a bargain compared to the $1,199 that we paid on HAL ? :rolleyes: I found this review on tripadvisor about driving to Torres del Paine from El Calafate. They suggest going through Puerto Natales and said it a total of 6.5 hours driving time.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297400-d314634-r151113142-Torres_del_Paine-Puerto_Natales_Magallanes_Region.html

 

 

We would love to do cruise Antarctica on the Quest but 10 K each would take a couple of years to save and we can do a lot with the 25 K total price.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4

[NancyIL]

Why does $899 seem like a bargain compared to the $1,199 that we paid on HAL ? :rolleyes: I found this review on tripadvisor about driving to Torres del Paine from El Calafate. They suggest going through Puerto Natales and said it a total of 6.5 hours driving time.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g297400-d314634-r151113142-Torres_del_Paine-Puerto_Natales_Magallanes_Region.html

 

 

We would love to do cruise Antarctica on the Quest but 10 K each would take a couple of years to save and we can do a lot with the 25 K total price.

While $899 pp is definitely better than $1,199 pp, it's still a lot of money for one day at Torres del Paine.

 

I agree that $20K for an Antarctic cruise is pricey. However, that will get you 21 days on Seabourne Quest in Nov. 2014 - which is a much better deal than 10 hours on a Princess ship tour @ $2,999: http://www.seabourn.com/find-luxury-cruise-vacation/CruiseDetails.action?destCode=SN&flexibleMonths=false&noOfFlexibleMonths=1&pageNumber=1&voyageCode=6477&webItineraryIdForAudit=S4N21F

 

Lindblad Expeditions also goes there: http://www.expeditions.com/destinations/antarctica/journey-to-antarctica/

Edited August 9, 2014 by NancyIL

[Cruise_me_Crazy]

wow.

 

just amazing!

 

Thank you so much! I originally saw a package deal from an aussie TA for the 31 dayer NCL Sun cruise around the horn in Nov 2015. I thought, "this looks like good value" & always wanted to do SA..... Had a durry on the internet, and found the cruise for 50% less the package deal. Figured we could get free accommodation on Hubbie's points and surely airfares from Aus wouldn't be as much as the remainder....... So I booked this you beaut 31 dayer on NCL Sun, no idea about the ship or NCL, or SA. (with English as my only language)!!!

 

Am so amazed and grateful that you have posted this pictorial review. Great photos and utube clips! :)

 

I am like the other poster, pretty clueless that we would get to see glaciers of the calibre you have shared. I am sooooooo excited now :D! Will be back to get more ideas and help for tours.

 

Thanks heaps.

 

& also a big thanks to John for your wildlife ID. fascinating.

 

Cheers.

[J-D]

 

...& also a big thanks to John for your wildlife ID. fascinating.

 

Cheers.

 

Glad I could help just a little. The "round the Horn" itinerary makes for a great trip. We have done it twice and I would be glad to go again if there were not so many other places we want to go!

 

John

[scubacruiserx2]

wow.

 

just amazing!

 

Thank you so much! I originally saw a package deal from an aussie TA for the 31 dayer NCL Sun cruise around the horn in Nov 2015. I thought, "this looks like good value" & always wanted to do SA..... Had a durry on the internet, and found the cruise for 50% less the package deal. Figured we could get free accommodation on Hubbie's points and surely airfares from Aus wouldn't be as much as the remainder....... So I booked this you beaut 31 dayer on NCL Sun, no idea about the ship or NCL, or SA. (with English as my only language)!!!

 

Am so amazed and grateful that you have posted this pictorial review. Great photos and utube clips! :)

 

I am like the other poster, pretty clueless that we would get to see glaciers of the calibre you have shared. I am sooooooo excited now :D! Will be back to get more ideas and help for tours.

 

Thanks heaps.

 

& also a big thanks to John for your wildlife ID. fascinating.

 

Cheers.

 

You're welcome !! Thanks for your great shout out. This cruise may have been my favorite because of the beautiful days in the glaciers both during and after the cruise :D

 

I'm a little slow to respond partly by some confusion - on my part. Have you booked on the Sun already ? And is it leaving from LA ? :confused:

Confusion ensued when I looked at the itinerary on my favorite cruise site and saw this map:

 

 

The map shows the ship bypassing Glacier Alley ! Well the lights finally came on when I looked at the NCL site this morning - and it looks great ;)

The Sun was the first NCL cruise that we did about 8 years ago and we loved the different dining options. And with stops in the Falklands and Puerto Madryn , you should get some great penguin sightings !! For the best glaciers , consider the post cruise stay option.

[ilv4cruising]

Hi

 

I just found this thread and hoping for some advice. I am trying to plan a round the horn 14 day cruise for 2016 or 2017. For the last few cruises we have traveled HAL. We have been looking at Celebrity, Princess and HAL for this trip (bucket list and celebrating our 25 anniversary).

 

We noticed that HAL doesn't include Puerto Madryn on this itinerary anymore. Not sure why as it is included on their 21 day Antarctica one. Celebrity doesn't do the Falkland's and Princess does both. Other than that the itineraries are similar. We have done Alaska twice so we have seen glaciers and lots of whales (including seeing them in Nova Scotia, Canada).

 

As you can tell my goal is to see as much and different wildlife as possible :).

 

I would appreciate feedback and opinions on sticking with HAL and missing Puerto Madryn .

 

Also, we had considered going in Feb but I'm seeing a lot of people do this trip in March. Is March better than Feb?

 

Thank you,

[t60]

This year we sailed Valparaiso to Buenos Aires on HAL..great trip. We were due to go to the Falklands, but due to bad weather Pto Madryn was substitued. Pto Madryn wasn't on the initial published itinerary.

 

Sandy in Spain

[NancyIL]

Hi

 

I just found this thread and hoping for some advice. I am trying to plan a round the horn 14 day cruise for 2016 or 2017. For the last few cruises we have traveled HAL. We have been looking at Celebrity, Princess and HAL for this trip (bucket list and celebrating our 25 anniversary).

 

We noticed that HAL doesn't include Puerto Madryn on this itinerary anymore. Not sure why as it is included on their 21 day Antarctica one. Celebrity doesn't do the Falkland's and Princess does both. Other than that the itineraries are similar. We have done Alaska twice so we have seen glaciers and lots of whales (including seeing them in Nova Scotia, Canada).

 

As you can tell my goal is to see as much and different wildlife as possible :).

 

I would appreciate feedback and opinions on sticking with HAL and missing Puerto Madryn .

 

Also, we had considered going in Feb but I'm seeing a lot of people do this trip in March. Is March better than Feb?

 

Thank you,

See my posts on the previous page where I asked similar questions. I had both HAL and Princess booked, and chose Princess for Feb. 2016.

[scubacruiserx2]

Hi

 

I just found this thread and hoping for some advice. I am trying to plan a round the horn 14 day cruise for 2016 or 2017. For the last few cruises we have traveled HAL. We have been looking at Celebrity, Princess and HAL for this trip (bucket list and celebrating our 25 anniversary).

 

We noticed that HAL doesn't include Puerto Madryn on this itinerary anymore. Not sure why as it is included on their 21 day Antarctica one. Celebrity doesn't do the Falkland's and Princess does both. Other than that the itineraries are similar. We have done Alaska twice so we have seen glaciers and lots of whales (including seeing them in Nova Scotia, Canada).

 

As you can tell my goal is to see as much and different wildlife as possible :).

 

I would appreciate feedback and opinions on sticking with HAL and missing Puerto Madryn .

 

Also, we had considered going in Feb but I'm seeing a lot of people do this trip in March. Is March better than Feb?

 

Thank you,

 

How adventuresome are you ? If it were us (and we are considering it) we would book the Celebrity Feb. 14 , 2016 cruise to Antartica , And spend about a week to - 10 days before or after in El Calafate area. Drive North to Mount Fitz Roy for an overnight. Back to El Calafate and stay several days. Drive West to Puerto Natales and spend a couple nights visiting Torres del Paine , return to El Calafate for the return flight to BA.

 

Plan B would be Princess Jan. 18 , 2016. This would be like our HAL cruise from last December. A big plus would be a stop in the Falkland Islands that we didn't get do. If you can't stay pre or post cruise , consider the Torres del Paine trip from Punta Arenas . It's $200 p.p. cheaper than HAL and you may see Rheas and Guanaco . See the penguins in Puerto Madryn ( and maybe Rheas and Guanaco) and King Penguins in the Falklands - if you can make port there. We like January because you can see the babies in late Spring. :D Congratulations on your 25 th ! As you can see by our future cruises , we LOVE all three cruise lines.