Patagonia and Ice, any comments?

[jonthomas]

Im looking at a 20 day for Jan or Feb of 2023.

 

Any comments at all would be appreciated.

 

There are 10 days at sea, the long flights, is Jan better than Feb in terms of weather there?

 

Has anyone done this itinerary?

[Hawaiidan]

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Im looking at a 20 day for Jan or Feb of 2023.

 

Any comments at all would be appreciated.

 

There are 10 days at sea, the long flights, is Jan better than Feb in terms of weather there?

 

Has anyone done this itinerary?

well it is summer time and the warmest  Feb is their August.    Fog is present many times in coastal waters at that time.     I had an outside cabin  and because of the constant cold we could never get the cabin warm and transferred to an inside.   

 

  Many ports are very" third world" with crime a big factor.   Most uprising was that the highly touted Buenos Aires was scary with bums and con people everywhere.  Many fellow passengers were victims.   Have fun but remember they are having hard economic times and many are turning to "alternative incomes".  You have to be very situational aware...more than normal.

[jonthomas]

very sound advice....

[clo]

3 hours ago, jonthomas said:

Im looking at a 20 day for Jan or Feb of 2023.

 

Any comments at all would be appreciated.

 

There are 10 days at sea, the long flights, is Jan better than Feb in terms of weather there?

 

Has anyone done this itinerary?

Is this the itinerary your talking about?

 

https://oceaniacruisesale.com/Itinerary.php?type=1&pid=533&id=1380741

 

Not sure what you mean by "ice."

 

We went to Patagonia on a land tour and then Antarctica via Hurtigruten. Anything above IIRC 500 pax and you're not allowed to disembark. So it's a 'sail by,' which is fine for some people but we wouldn't have liked it nearly as much.

 

As far as Buenos Aires we could happily live there! And intend to return. The "Paris of South America" lived up to that for us. It's gorgeous and the food is insanely good. I hadn't realized that it was founded by Italians and that cuisine was top notch. And so reasonably priced (not good for them but good for us). We could have two entrees, a dessert and a bottle of wine for US$30. And leftovers to take back to our airbnb.  We never for one moment felt threatened. 

 

As far as temps and weather, we had one night where it snowed maybe an inch. Otherwise it was sunny and nice. We actually wore shorts on the ship during the day. And not one bit cold in our cabin. Oh, we were there in January. Here's a pic of my husband out on the after deck after breakfast. That's a knit top he has on under his 'blankie.'

 

 

[Rob the Cruiser]

53 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

well it is summer time and the warmest  Feb is their August.    Fog is present many times in coastal waters at that time.     I had an outside cabin  and because of the constant cold we could never get the cabin warm and transferred to an inside.   

 

  Many ports are very" third world" with crime a big factor.   Most uprising was that the highly touted Buenos Aires was scary with bums and con people everywhere.  Many fellow passengers were victims.   Have fun but remember they are having hard economic times and many are turning to "alternative incomes".  You have to be very situational aware...more than normal.

 

DW and I have visited Buenos Aires three times and never encountered "bums and con people everywhere". It's a fabulous city. 

 

The only victims we ever encountered on a cruise were those who ignored advice to leave their jewelry in their cabins when going ashore. 

[clo]

15 minutes ago, Rob the Cruiser said:

 

DW and I have visited Buenos Aires three times and never encountered "bums and con people everywhere". It's a fabulous city. 

 

The only victims we ever encountered on a cruise were those who ignored advice to leave their jewelry in their cabins when going ashore. 

Glad to see another fan!

 

We've spent a fair amount of time in Brazil and less in other S. American countries with no problem whatsoever. (Did get pickpocketed in Barcelona.) But I have an almost 50 y.o. personal motto of "don't be where you shouldn't be when you shouldn't be there."  It's held me in good stead so far.

[PaulMCO]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Is this the itinerary your talking about?

 

https://oceaniacruisesale.com/Itinerary.php?type=1&pid=533&id=1380741

 

Not sure what you mean by "ice."

 

 

The "ice" is the Antarctica drive by Paradise Island and Half Moon Bay.

We did the exact itinerary in 2010.  Was an excellent cruise an wet our appetite for more Antarctic activities.

 

The only question is whether you will get their in 2023 under the new Polar code.

[TrulyBlonde]

I have been to BA 3 times. Do not wear jewelry and just be aware. I have never seen any bums. It is a beautiful and vibrant city. However, Rio is my all time favorite city in SA.

 

[Kate-AHF]

So many factors that should be assessed before you make a decision.

 

Sea days: 10 is a lot.  We love them.  We are adept at amusing ourselves, but Marina is a big enough ship at 1250 pax that they have a decent amount of lectures/activities, including the artist's studio and the cooking classes (not demos, but actual hand-on classes).  You are also there to "See" not touch, Antarctica.  So being content with leaning over the railing watching for bergs and whales should be on your "I can do that" list.

 

The sea:  It can be really rough on the way to the Falklands (and the seas can prevent you from tendering in and you miss the port), South Georgia, and in the Drake passage on the way back to Chile.  It can also not be rough.  No one can predict which.

 

South America: It's not Europe.  These aren't rich countries.  The tourism infrastructure is not robust.  There is graffiti, and some very poor parts of the cities.  But the people are warm and wonderful, the food is fantastic (but vegetarians beware - these people are meat eaters, even on the coasts).  There is so much to see and do and experience - but in the smaller ports it's going to involve getting into the interior on an excursion - the ports you will be in are working ports, not pretty Mediterranean ports where you walk off, wander around, have lunch and are enchanted. (Punta del Este is the exception.  More upscale and touristy.)  

 

We would take the cruise you mention in a heartbeat, once we've crossed off a few more places we have yet to see.

[jonthomas]

1 hour ago, clo said:

Is this the itinerary your talking about?

 

https://oceaniacruisesale.com/Itinerary.php?type=1&pid=533&id=1380741

 

Not sure what you mean by "ice."

 

We went to Patagonia on a land tour and then Antarctica via Hurtigruten. Anything above IIRC 500 pax and you're not allowed to disembark. So it's a 'sail by,' which is fine for some people but we wouldn't have liked it nearly as much.

 

As far as Buenos Aires we could happily live there! And intend to return. The "Paris of South America" lived up to that for us. It's gorgeous and the food is insanely good. I hadn't realized that it was founded by Italians and that cuisine was top notch. And so reasonably priced (not good for them but good for us). We could have two entrees, a dessert and a bottle of wine for US$30. And leftovers to take back to our airbnb.  We never for one moment felt threatened. 

 

As far as temps and weather, we had one night where it snowed maybe an inch. Otherwise it was sunny and nice. We actually wore shorts on the ship during the day. And not one bit cold in our cabin. Oh, we were there in January. Here's a pic of my husband out on the after deck after breakfast. That's a knit top he has on under his 'blankie.'

 

 

 

The itinerary we are considering is 20 days in January of 2023. 

 

Love sea days, love all the activities Oceania has to offer. 

 

Ice refers to  the Glaciers. 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2021 by jonthomas

[Queen of DaNile]

If you're lucky, many of those "sea days" will be spent on deck looking at fabulous scenery and wildlife. Our first Oceania cruise was around the Horn in January and the only rough seas were en route to the Falklands.  Also did Antarctica in January on an expedition ship and had near perfect weather though that is not the norm. Hopefully they will have naturalists on Marina to enhance your experience.

 

[Hawaiidan]

21 minutes ago, TrulyBlonde said:

I have been to BA 3 times. Do not wear jewelry and just be aware. I have never seen any bums. It is a beautiful and vibrant city. However, Rio is my all time favorite city in SA.

 

Glad you liked it....Saw daily people accosted. one guy had his shoes stolen off his feet when he put them up !  Then the fake taxis that load your stuff and take off without you.   Saw bums sleeping in doorways in main streets, across from hotels.Worse than San Fran .

  Seemed like they were everywhere and not confined to any one part.  The cemetery was full of them.   Just a jumble of rich and  abject poverty all thrown together. Was there for 2 days... Do not ever want to return..scary and I do not scare easily.    On tours we were warned not to stray from the exact places we were taken as it was not safe.    As I said I have been in a LOT of 3rd world places, some in war time, and  Buenos Aires  scared me.    

I will say that when you get 30 or so miles out of town  the problems seem to go away, but the cities???    Scary.

 

[clo]

1 hour ago, TrulyBlonde said:

I have been to BA 3 times. Do not wear jewelry and just be aware. I have never seen any bums. It is a beautiful and vibrant city. However, Rio is my all time favorite city in SA.

 

We used to own an apt. in Rio and adore it. Our (hopeful) plan is to return, spend time in Rio and BA. My Spanish and Portuguese are poor but we never go hungry or thirsty...or can't find the banos 🙂

[clo]

53 minutes ago, jonthomas said:

Ice refers to  the Glaciers. 

 

Here ya go! Perito Moreno glacier and my favorite iceberg

 

 

[clo]

37 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

I do not scare easily.

Sure sounds like you do. Or maybe you don't follow my motto. We saw not a single thing like you describe. None. And the cemetary - been there twice - was lovely and calm.

 

40 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

On tours we were warned not to stray from the exact places we were taken as it was not safe. 

Now that IS interesting. There twice and totally DIY. Took taxis regularly. Metered and no problem.  

[ORV]

4 hours ago, clo said:

Is this the itinerary your talking about?

Hey, are you going to correct yourself here?

[clo]

26 minutes ago, ORV said:

Hey, are you going to correct yourself here?

Huh? I had really no idea the cruise they were talking about. Regardless I tried to give good advice.

[ORV]

1 minute ago, clo said:

Huh? I had really no idea the cruise they were talking about. Regardless I tried to give good advice.

Look at it again. Aren't you the grammar police?

[clo]

30 minutes ago, ORV said:

Hey, are you going to correct yourself here?

Oh for crying out loud. That was a typo. That's the kind of mistake that I try to never make. Yes, grammar police if you say so.

[ORV]

What's good for the goose.....

[clo]

13 minutes ago, ORV said:

What's good for the goose.....

You betcha.

[jonthomas]

All comments about this itinerary are appreciated. 

I think we will book it. Some say final pay is in 150 days, will try and augment that. 

 

Have not been to Buenos Aires and would have to come in earlier to be there. Think we will skip it, arrive on the day of sailing, although lots of amazing things to see, the cemeteries are works of art.  I also know it is taboo to not get to a destination ahead of time. But this is already a 20 day trip, thats enough time away from work. 

 

The long flights really bother me. And who knows what it will be like to fly that length of time in two years. Or any other factors for that matter, But one can dream.  I think that is what I am doing right now. Have no idea what the future of cruising will look like.

[Hawaiidan]

15 hours ago, clo said:

Sure sounds like you do. Or maybe you don't follow my motto. We saw not a single thing like you describe. None. And the cemetery - been there twice - was lovely and calm.

 

Now that IS interesting. There twice and totally DIY. Took taxis regularly. Metered and no problem.  

Like dirty Harry said..... Well are you feeling Lucky....well  do ya'"  ( corrected your cemetery spelling at no charge)

[clo]

14 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said:

Like dirty Harry said..... Well are you feeling Lucky....well  do ya'"  ( corrected your cemetery spelling at no charge)

I think you must be a bit of a scaredy-cat, don't you? I've only spent a total of, say, a week in BA but I've spent  six or more MONTHS in Rio and have had the same experiences. And in Rio we almost 100% of the time either take public transpo or walk. Ooh, I just remembered that you're not comfortable in San Francisco. I'm beginning to get the picture. But I sincerely wish you wouldn't be quite so dramatic when trying to scare people away from such a wonderful place.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, jonthomas said:

I also know it is taboo to not get to a destination ahead of time. But this is already a 20 day trip, thats enough time away from work. 

 

 

Just consider  if flying from or through a winter  area  that you may encounter delays

A bit of snow can shut down an airport for  hours or days

JMO