Which Antarctica itinerary

[zelker]

For those of you who are experienced Antarctica cruisers, which direction and time frame would you recommend:

 

• Valparaiso-Buenos Aires itinerary that sails Dec. 20, 2015-Jan. 10, 2016
  
• Buenos Aires-Valparaiso itinerary that sails Jan. 10-Jan. 31, 2016
  
• Valparaiso-Buenos Aires itinerary that sails Jan 31-Feb. 21, 2016
  

 

Is there much advantage of one direction over the other or sailing a couple weeks earlier or later than another?

 

Also, how much will it affect our enjoyment of the cruise if our verandah isn't on the "preferred" side of the ship (i.e., port side sailing eastbound or starboard size sailing westbound). We will certainly be up top for a lot of the time but with this many sea/cruise-only days, we know we'll want to spend some amount of time viewing off our own verandah as well.

 

Thanks for any light you can shed. :)

Edited May 11, 2015 by zelker

[ChaCr]

Hi

 

We did the BA to V version this past January. If I were to do this over again, I'd start from Valparaiso. I think after seeing Antarctica, the Chilean Fjords and glaciers are a "so what." I believe if we had started in V, we would have appreciated the glaciers in Chile much more.

 

It truly is a trip of a lifetime. Enjoy Antarctica!

 

Charles

Edited May 11, 2015 by ChaCr

[take us away]

We did the Prinsedam in So America and came down the western coast into Antarctica then up to BA. It was wonderful and ChaCr is correct in that the Chilean fjords would not be impressive after Antarctica - and the fjords are beautiful. We liked this way as it just kept getting better and better. Seeing the penguins swimming with such grace following the ship was special but then we got to the Falklands and they would awkwardly waddle right up to you - wow! Also loved BA so recommend you spend an extra day there if possible while not a fan of Valparaiso.

[janmcn]

The later cruises will be later during the penguin season, so if you want to see little penguins, the earlier one or before would be better...but check on these facts. I know when we went the penguins were just about leaving the nests...that was the first 2 weeks of January. (I also agree going V to BA...and if you can, do an extension on your own to Iguazu Falls...amazing!)

 

Edited May 11, 2015 by janmcn

[TiogaCruiser]

I've been puzzling over that one myself since I got back (2 years ago).

 

So I decided I need to try the other way: BA to Valpo. :D

 

Can't do it immediately as have lots of "life" happening at the moment. And if too much time goes by, maybe do Valpo to BA again- so the comparisons are fresh. ( it's at the least a nice dream).

[Micmac]

We went Rio to Valparaiso and would strongly encourage you to do the reverse. I was so disappointed in myself that I found the Chilean fjords so anticlimactic, but after several incredible days in Antarctica, I just couldn't get excited for them. Done in the opposite order, I know I would have appreciated their beauty.

 

As far as sides of the ship, I didn't find it to be that important. Whales and interesting icebergs didn't play favorites and found they frequently spun the ship around for any important point of interest. One important thing to note - there was an incredibly different view on our cruise from those aft compared to those forward. Aft gave me lots of whales and penguins on icebergs while those on the bow had incredible views of us maneuvering the ice.

 

Still my most favorite trip, land or sea. Enjoy!!!

[zelker]

Well, based on everyone's consensus, this is a no-brainer ... we'll definitely book the eastbound V-BA itinerary. :D

 

Micmac, for sure we'll be splitting our viewing time between the bow and the aft, much the same as we do in Alaska.

 

Janmcn (or others), if all we can manage is one day to Iguazu Falls, is it still worth going?

 

Janmcn - what camera did you shoot all your great penguin photos with? Am guessing by the white lens it's a Canon but which body? What lens(es) do you recommend for this trip?

 

------------------

 

Thanks for the great feedback everyone!

 

Barb

[lcand1923]

I have to put out a word of caution on the V - BA route.

 

When I did this cruise, there was political unrest between Argentina and everyone else in SA. We did not stop in the Falklands and missed a couple of other ports. While the Captain handled the matter well, by giving us extra time cruising in Antarctic waters, I did miss the extra opportunities to see penguins. The cruises that went from BA - V did not miss any ports.

 

(One port on our cruise would have been missed due to rough seas which were very obvious. I don't think that was the case re the other ports. The consensus of opinion on the vessel was that we missed the ports due to the political climate.)

 

I would urge you towards the January sail dates, if you are interested in penguins.

 

ANY time in Iguazu Falls is worthwhile. If you flew in in the morning, you would be able to do one of the walks in the afternoon.

[janmcn]

No, you can't do a one-day trip to Iguazu. You are at the mercy of their (LAN) plane schedules which are iffy at best and the flights are over an hour.

 

We booked (on our own) two nights in Iguazu at the Secret Garden B and B. The owner arranged for a car to pick us up at the airport which took us to his B and B and then immediately to the Falls with instructions as to what/how to see what we could in the limited time that afternoon. It was great! The car picked us up and returned us to the B and B where we spent a delightful evening with our host and the other 4 guests. The tapas the host provided were so hearty that none of us felt a need to go out to dinner. The following day (POURING rain) we again went to the falls. The next day we flew back to BA, took a cab to the "other airport" for our return flight to the states. (There are TWO airports in BA...one for international flights, the other for in-country flights.) Our total costs were less than what the HAL excursion would have been. (Our TA arranged it all, except I did the B and B research and reservations.)

 

Our photos of Iguazu are on our Travel pages too for 2012.

 

Yes, I use a Canon. For that year it was a 50D with the 70-300 f/4-5.6 which remains my workhorse lens. In most the penguin areas, the penguins are sometimes really just at your feet. In Antarctica they can be right on the iceberg next to you. I recommend getting "down" onto the walk around deck rather "up high" for viewing them. You will be running all over the ship for Antarctica...incredible views. Our favorite trip of so many! No matter what, you'll enjoy the trip! (Make sure to read about Shackleton's excursion and/or watch the documentary about retracing his steps before you take the voyage.)

[zelker]

Thanks for the heads up about the B&B but it sounds like you don't think our spending just one night at Iguazu Falls is worth our time or effort? (cuz I think that's all we could manage time-wise) Curious - did you take all your luggage with you or is there somewhere to store it?

 

Will definitely be walking the Promenade Deck to shoot things from that lower angle. Thanks for the camera info - I'm still debating what to get. Did you feel that 300mm was long enough or did you find yourself wishing for 400mm at times, like when trying to shoot penguins on land in Antarctica?

 

lcand1923 - thanks for the feedback but we're sticking with the V-BA itinerary because I'd say it was just the luck of the draw/timing that you encountered civil unrest on your particular sailing, not which direction you sailed. We're leaning towards the end of December-beginning of January rather than February ... I'm sure we'll see plenty of wildlife and will have amazing light since we'll be sailing during the Southern Hemisphere's summer solstice.

[janmcn]

Re: going to Iguazu. If the Travel Gods are with you, it could be done. However...keep in mind the variables: clearing BA by the ship by the time you think you will, travel time from the ship's port to the INTRA-country airport IN TRAFFIC (took us almost an hour that we were sweating it out in a cab), then the airplane schedule (our plane was cancelled, but I got a text message from our TA that she had gone ahead and rebooked us on the next flight out...which was still a couple hours' wait...friends weren't so lucky.) Once you get to Iguazu's airport, you have to get to the park, then once inside the park, there's a train/tram to take you to the various walks. It's not like seeing Niagara Falls...you have to walk on good paths, but nevertheless you have to walk quite a bit.

If you are still on board with this, stay in the Sheraton which has a "back door" to the park that gets you closer for exiting the park which is a help (on my photos of Iguazu in the 2012 Travels you'll see the view from the Sheraton). That way, you can again go in quickly in the morning and visit the parts you didn't see the day before (which can be considerable), then take an afternoon flight back to BA, take a cab between the two airports and get a late red-eye flight back. Doable...

Also...at that time (and probably still) LAN was weighing a measuring all carryon luggage...until the pile got so high at the gate that they let the rest of us carry on whatever we had. (I was just removing my camera gear and putting it in an extra lightweight backpack I always have packed inside my carryon.) Whew!

No place to store luggage anymore...used to be, but no longer with the terror threats....plus...you will be returning to the states via a different airport.

 

Also...my favorite place to photo the penguins was on the Otway Bay penquin tour (HAL) in Punta Arenas. Beautiful spot and the penguins are right there in front of you. Next one was Bluff Cove in the Falklands. The penguins were all over my husband's feet as he video'd them. We did NOT take the longer excursion there...the one (HAL) we did was quite enough and allowed us time to go through the lovely town. For the penguins on land in Antartica I don't think there would have been enough difference between the 400 and what I took which was more versatile (70-300.) I was using a FF camera. If you have a crop factor camera (I've just picked up a 7D2 but it's still not the same as my 5D3) the 70-300 will be more than fine.

[zelker]

Re: going to Iguazu. If the Travel Gods are with you, it could be done. However...keep in mind the variables: clearing BA by the ship by the time you think you will, travel time from the ship's port to the INTRA-country airport IN TRAFFIC (took us almost an hour that we were sweating it out in a cab), then the airplane schedule (our plane was cancelled, but I got a text message from our TA that she had gone ahead and rebooked us on the next flight out...which was still a couple hours' wait...friends weren't so lucky.) Once you get to Iguazu's airport, you have to get to the park, then once inside the park, there's a train/tram to take you to the various walks. It's not like seeing Niagara Falls...you have to walk on good paths, but nevertheless you have to walk quite a bit.

If you are still on board with this, stay in the Sheraton which has a "back door" to the park that gets you closer for exiting the park which is a help (on my photos of Iguazu in the 2012 Travels you'll see the view from the Sheraton). That way, you can again go in quickly in the morning and visit the parts you didn't see the day before (which can be considerable), then take an afternoon flight back to BA, take a cab between the two airports and get a late red-eye flight back. Doable...

Also...at that time (and probably still) LAN was weighing a measuring all carryon luggage...until the pile got so high at the gate that they let the rest of us carry on whatever we had. (I was just removing my camera gear and putting it in an extra lightweight backpack I always have packed inside my carryon.) Whew!

No place to store luggage anymore...used to be, but no longer with the terror threats....plus...you will be returning to the states via a different airport.

 

Also...my favorite place to photo the penguins was on the Otway Bay penquin tour (HAL) in Punta Arenas. Beautiful spot and the penguins are right there in front of you. Next one was Bluff Cove in the Falklands. The penguins were all over my husband's feet as he video'd them. We did NOT take the longer excursion there...the one (HAL) we did was quite enough and allowed us time to go through the lovely town. For the penguins on land in Antartica I don't think there would have been enough difference between the 400 and what I took which was more versatile (70-300.) I was using a FF camera. If you have a crop factor camera (I've just picked up a 7D2 but it's still not the same as my 5D3) the 70-300 will be more than fine.

 

You are a WEALTH of knowledge, my friend! :D

 

Sounds like the Sheraton is the better option being on a tighter schedule so I'll look into that. No problem getting a late flight back to Denver - they're pretty much all red eye flights. :rolleyes: The one good thing is that the ship overnights in BA and I get the impression we clear customs on the first day (correct me if I'm wrong).

 

Was there a particular reason you chose Bluff Cove over Volunteer Point?

 

My wrists can't handle the weight of a FF so yes, it will be a crop sensor. I'm currently researching one of Canon's new T6's, Nikon's D5500, and Sony's A6000 (mirrorless). Thanks for reminding me that 300mm becomes 480mm on a crop body. :o

[janmcn]

AH…if the ship overnights in BA you are in luck…perhaps you could get off early (day before?) or at least you know the ship will have been cleared by early morning, so you can get going. Yes, if you can get to the Sheraton, that will help.

(Hours Iguazu is open are 8-6)

 

By the way…a good friend of mine who is also an avid photographer (we frequently travel together on cruises and road trips for photography) has experimented with mirrorless (has had 4 in the last 2 years…is now on the Sony 7r)….and he’s honest with me about the speed for shooting wildlife (which I like to do) and said none of them come close to being able to get what I can get with my Canons. So…I still lug my equipment all over. ;-(

So not sure how that would fare for getting penguins, whales, etc. Lag time is still not the same between DSLRs and other formats. IMO the T6 will be faster for wildlife than the mirrorless….just my opinion based on my friend’s experience and our competitive shots. Try them out on fast-moving subjects in a store first.

 

Below is a photo from the trek to Bluff Cove in the Falklands (HAL Tour)…doesn’t show the creek we crossed too. Similar terrain all over the Falklands. We chose Bluff Cove since it was a bit shorter drive over very bumpy terrain and still had a good photo op for penguins (had only a few King Penguins there but tons of Gentoos) as well as being able to walk around the town a bit (lunch at the pub, etc.) Folks rave about the Volunteer Point tour, but we felt ours was outstanding, too...and I got the shots I wanted of the penguins there.

 

The problem with them not landing before was that the Argentinians were trying to stop any ships that were visiting the Falklands, so if you went to an Argentinian port (like Ushuaia) after the Falklands you were not allowed to dock. I don’t think it’s in effect now since the law the Argentinians passed really was for oil exploration ships. Argentina wants the Falklands in the worst way, but the Falklanders are still quite adamant about staying there as Brits. Interesting to talk with the folks.( By the way, there are still many areas that were mined during the war with Argentina…you still see them roped off and are still being searched for land mines.)

 

http://quiltingjan.smugmug.com/Travel/2012/Antarctica/2012-Cruise-to-Antarctica/i-QFKqPBQ/A

[sciteach603]

We did Antarctica over Christmas and New Years several years ago. HAL made the holidays very festive and special.

 

Would agree with others that the side of the ship doesn't matter. Cruising the waters in Antarctica there was much to see on both sides of the ship.

[visagrunt]

I am planning to do Antarctica--but not with HAL.

 

My intention is to make landfall on Antartica, and to do that you have to be on a small ship. I'm looking at Seabourn and Ponant for this particular trip.

 

HAL is my preferred line, and I will sail with them over anyone else--except for the handful of destinations like Antarctica, Pitcairn and the like where even the Prinsendam is too big to permit going ashore.

[zelker]

Re: side of the ship - it was with regards to being able to see more on the South America continent if we're on an eastbound and in a port-side cabin. Am not worried about a specific side for Antarctica as I know we'll be immersed in things to see down there, no matter where on the ship we are.

 

Much as I'd love to do Antarctica on an expedition boat and have the opportunity to "walk with the penguins", you could literally give me one of those trips free and I wouldn't take it. I'm much too susceptible to mal de mer.

 

Janmcn - sounds like your photographer friend knows a lot about Sony - would you mind asking him his opinion about the A6000 and shooting wildlife. Everything I've read says that with its fast autofocus, shooting fast-moving subjects is its forte. Specs: shutter lag 0.15, buffers are 47 shots (JPEG) and 22 shots RAW, burst mode is 11.1 fps for both JPEG and RAW. I've never shot a mirrorless camera so don't know if I'll even like it but figured I need to give it some consideration.

[janmcn]

THere's a good discussion of cameras on the Photo forum here at CC, but here's the best takeaway from it:

 

http://www.pptphoto.com/articles/a6000.html

 

After reading all the discussions I would tend to lean towards the A6000. Fast autofocus is a big deal when shooting from a ship and getting whales, penguins,etc quickly in focus.

(My friend is traveling at this point and not checking emails too frequently.)

[prescottbob]

Ahoy!

 

We did the Veendam Jan. 2011 westbound and had a fabulous time. I'm not sure if one direction or another would be best.

 

We flew down to BA, spent a night at the Las Pavas Realas B&B, flew up to Iguazu and stayed at the Secret Garden B&B with a driver provided (wonderful B&B) for two night, flew back to BA and spent another night at the Reales and took a train up north for a river tour since the ship didn't depart until 8 or so.

 

The only HAL tour we took was for Puerto Chacabuco which was a last minute port change due to local rioting at the time in Punta Arenas which was cancelled.

 

Likewise, when we disembarked we were picked up and enjoyed a full day wine tour before arriving in Santiago (a beautiful, clean city as compared to BA) and stayed at a wonderful B&B (Casa Moro).

 

In any event, your going to have a blast regardless of which direction you choose.

 

A link to pictures is below my signature. You just need to wait a second for a balloon to pop up and on "click here to go to Picasa albums" & scroll down to the 2011 Veendam albums.

 

We had wonderful weather pretty much throughout and I hope you enjoy all the ice field with clear weather. Pictures turn out much better with bright, clear skies.

 

Bon Voyage & Good Health!

Bob:)

Edited May 13, 2015 by prescottbob
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