Falklands Help!!! Golden Princess, leaving Buenos Aires on 3/1/2014

[smajy]

Hi,

 

My wife and I will be coming to the Falklands on the Golden Princess on March 7th and we would desperately love to go to Volunteer Point, but it seems as if everyone - literally everyone - is booked. We're taking our honeymoon to see Penguins!!!

 

Any suggestions???

[Cassie_Zuzu]

Hi,

 

My wife and I will be coming to the Falklands on the Golden Princess on March 7th and we would desperately love to go to Volunteer Point, but it seems as if everyone - literally everyone - is booked. We're taking our honeymoon to see Penguins!!!

 

Any suggestions???

 

We were there just recently and Patrick Watts is the person to contact. If he is fully booked you could ask him to recommend someone. A person who might be able to help is Derek Petterson. He puts out a DVD with photos of penguins etc. Contact is drp@horizon.co.fk

[smajy]

Thank you for the reply, but Patrick told us that he's fully booked...and he can't recommend anyone because he is afraid they would not provide as good a tour as he.

 

We emailed everyone from the tourism bureau website!

[runnerodb83]

See if the north pond tour is available, we did that, very up close and personal.

 

Unfortunately, with only 2000 inhabitants, and most people that run tours run them with their own vehicles, there is a supply problem when it comes to tours.

[Pam in CA]

That was my experience on the Golden a number of years ago on my first time in the Falklands. I'd booked a Princess tour as soon as tours opened up. By the time the ship arrived in Stanley, there was literally nothing left and probably at least of seriously pissed passengers without options other than going ashore and walking around. It's unfortunate but resources are very limited and to get to Volunteer Point, you need experienced drivers and a group of more than one vehicle. They can and do get stuck in the mud and track, and it takes another vehicle to haul it out. There just aren't enough vehicles on the island.

 

If you're unable to find a tour in the Falklands, book one going to Magdalena Island out of Punta Arenas. Not as spectacular as Volunteer Point but you'll see lots of penguins up close.

[caribill]

That It's unfortunate but resources are very limited and to get to Volunteer Point, you need experienced drivers and a group of more than one vehicle. They can and do get stuck in the mud and track, and it takes another vehicle to haul it out. There just aren't enough vehicles on the island.

 

 

This was much less of a problem when Princess used smaller ships to visit the Falklands.

[rasybanks]

We also saw many penguins from Puerto Madryn when we took a tour to Punta Tomba. Could get right up,to them . They are the gentoo penguins so smaller but there were many of them. Could book a private tour or join one that has already formed and has space.

[WarEagle76]

As an alternative, you might consider Sparrow Cove (if they still have this tour). We debated between taking the Sparrow Cove tour or the Volunteer Point tour and decided on Sparrow Cove as we wanted time to go into Stanley after the tour figuring we would probably never get back there again. The tours to Sparrow cove (there were 13 that day) were broken up into groups of 12 and we were the first tour of the day. We were picked from the ship by a boat (since we were anchored off Stanley) operated by the tour company (not a tender) and taken to a dock about 20 minutes away. Six of us got into one of two four-wheel drive vehicles for a 30 minute ride to the cove. We were told there were no King penguins sited recently so were somewhat disappointed. Two rangers met us at the cove, outlined the guidelines to follow and we were free to wander on our own. There were a large number of Gentoo penguins and lots of babies. Lo and behold, there was one King penguin that had snuck in and was holding court amongst them! There was a small building within walking distance from the penguins where you could get coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Luckily it was a beautiful day and a warm drink wasn’t needed. The four-wheel vehicles went back to the dock for the next group and picked us up for the ride back when second group was dropped off. We had about an hour or so at the cove. We stopped on the way back to the dock for picture of the ship. We were taken from the small dock back to the ship where we immediately got on a tender to Stanley to walk around the town, see the church, military monument shop and have a local beer.

 

 

 

 

[mreasier]

Another alternative is to take the shuttle to Gypsy Cove. It cost $20pp last year. It has Magellanic Penguins, not the King Penguins. Here is a link to a description: http://www.itravelgotraveltoo.com/quick-travel-tip-port-stanley-falkland-islands/

Wayne

[sammiedawg]

We were booked with Patrick Watts two years ago. Sadly we could not get in due to high winds. Crossing my fingers the OP makes it ashore as this is a frequently aborted port. We were on Holland america and as soon as the no go announcement was made I ran to the shore excursion desk and got the last two stops for Magdalena island which was good.

[tahoe782]

I went to Sparrow Cove and loved it. If it still available book it. It was wonderful.

My husband just walked around and had a nice time.

Tahoe782

[runnerodb83]

whatever you decide to do, make sure you arrange penguin tours in more than 1 place. unfortunately Punta Arenas and the Falklands are the main penguin locations on this cruise, and both are tender ports with potentially severe weather.

 

While punta arenas was beautiful, it was miserable weather. It was sunny and 45 degrees but with a constant 30mph wind...it just never let up and it made it seem like it was closer to 25 degrees.

[cmh]

See if the north pond tour is available, we did that, very up close and personal.

 

Unfortunately, with only 2000 inhabitants, and most people that run tours run them with their own vehicles, there is a supply problem when it comes to tours.

 

We are taking a South American cruise next year and I am trying to decide which tour to take in the Falkland Islands. I was leaning towards this North Pond tour, but can you tell me if they have bathroom facilities there? We have a friend who had prostrate surgery and cannot go on such a long tour without a bathroom.

 

Thanks!

[bettycoop]

Try Nobby Clarke. Email nobbyoffroad@horizon.co.fk. We had a wonderful tour with him in 2013. highly recommend. Unfortunately cannot find the card the gave us with telephone number but will keep looking for you. Good luck and hope he can find space for you. Betty

[truckmaker]

On the other hand, and since it is your honeymoon, I would suggest that you get to know the onboard tour people really really well, explain your situation, and ask that they contact you if anyone onboard cancels. In addition, the day of the tour, if you are not successful in making other arrangements, stand beside them on the dock. From time to time, people suddenly decide they cannot go on a tour at the last moment so your may be able to purchase their tickets for cash.

 

Just a couple of desperation moves that may work.

 

Oh, and enjoy your cruise, the Falkands are a special place to get to talk with folks who lived through a war. Some incredible experiences.

[swedish weave]

Note that this thread was started over a year ago !!

[ssbeagle]

We are just off the Golden SA cruise and we didn't make it on shore in the Falklands. It was a nice sunny day but extremely windy. They were afraid that if they got everyone off on the tenders and the weather was deteriorating and they wouldn't be able to get everyone back on board they wouldn't let us off. So we were among the unfortunate cruises that didn't get to see Stanley except from on deck.

 

Check with someone who has arranged a tour and see if there are any cancellations. If we would have made it we would have had a cancellation as my husband wasn't able to take the tour. We had several tours with cancellations on them. If you have nothing, a last-minute tour can happen.

[Mackenzie1]

Note that this thread was started over a year ago !!

 

Yes, it was, and it remains very helpful to those of us who are currently planning a tour to the Falkland Islands. Thanks, everyone!

Edited April 14, 2015 by Mackenzie1