South America

[Janea24]

We are considering a Lima to Buenos Aires cruise and are looking to hear from others who have done this trip.

what did you love? How was the weather? What didn’t work so well?

[PhD-iva]

I will be interested to see the responses. 

[shepherd really]

The 2021-22 South America season was cancelled after the Chile to BA, and that one was cut short and ended in Montevideo.  I don't think you'll get too much feedback that isn't more recent than 2019-2020, which also ended abruptly.

[pinotlover]

We’re in the Feb 27, 2023 cruise, BA to Lima. Last two attempted cruises there cancelled.

 

We’re going during the shoulder months. Weather can very considerably in the Southern extremes between Dec and March. 

[MEFIowa]

Might be slightly off the path, but I spent 14 days in Paraguay in April-May 2022. Drove over 2000 KM and spent time all over the country. Including 6 nights in Asunsion, the amazing old-world capital. I was the ONLY tourist there. Wandered around two UNESCO world heritage sites with my guide (Jesus and Trinidad). They were so friendly everywhere, even the obscure rural areas (Humaita), and so happy to have a tourist. And while I suspect tourism has been a bit better in Peru, Chile and Argentina, they'll be happy to see you there, too.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Janea24 said:

We are considering a Lima to Buenos Aires cruise and are looking to hear from others who have done this trip.

what did you love? How was the weather? What didn’t work so well?

We went in the opposite direction and started further north in Rio. It was February/March and the weather was fine though rounding the Horn can get interesting. 

DW loved the Horn (see pic).

 

One of our favorite cruises. 

Whatever you do for excursions, visit with the penguins and definitely do a flyover of the Nazca Lines (see pic).

 

And - add land days in Lima including enough time to become a master of the Pisco Sour.

[Gracie115]

3 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

 

 

And - add land days in Lima including enough time to become a master of the Pisco Sour.

 

Did Oceania provide an excursion for the Nazca lines?  We are booked in late 2024 and have an overnight in Lima and would love to do this....on husband's bucket list....very high on the list.  

[pinotlover]

2 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Did Oceania provide an excursion for the Nazca lines?  We are booked in late 2024 and have an overnight in Lima and would love to do this....on husband's bucket list....very high on the list.  

Oceania does offer this land/flight tour. At about four (4) times the price offered by private tour companies.

Edited September 3, 2022 by pinotlover

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Did Oceania provide an excursion for the Nazca lines?  We are booked in late 2024 and have an overnight in Lima and would love to do this....on husband's bucket list....very high on the list.  

O had an excursion with two planes (8 folks per plane  - each with a window). Bus to airport (16 people with a “guide” who talked about the “lines”) included. Excursion was offered at several times during the day.

[Gracie115]

1 minute ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

O had an excursion with two planes (8 folks per plane  - each with a window). Bus to airport (16 people with a “guide” who talked about the “lines”) included. Excursion was offered at several times during the day.

 

Thanks.....do you remember how expensive this was?

[Moche1]

I lecture on cruise ships and have gone "around the Horn" four times on Marina, once on one of the R class ships, plus twice on Norwegian Sun, twice on Celebrity, and once on Princess -- with upcoming on Marina in March 2023 and twice on Viking at the end of 2023.  One of my favorite cruises (right up there with Panama Canal transits).

Weather can be iffy, especially around Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and the Beagle Channel.  Possible to have four seasons in one hour....  Sometimes rainy on the Chilean side of Patagonia, and hot (mid-summer) in Santiago and Buenos Aires at both ends of the cruise.  

This is a great trip if you are interested in wildlife -- several ports with penguin tours, marine mammals, birds, etc.  Early in the season you might see whales, late in season no.  Scenery in Chilean Fjords and Beagle Channel is spectacular.  

Local food is great -- Argentine steaks in Buenos Aires, King Crab in Ushuaia, German food in Puerto Montt, plus local wines everywhere. 

[pinotlover]

30 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Thanks.....do you remember how expensive this was?

Currently $549 each, that’s $412 if you have the 25% off.

[Gracie115]

1 minute ago, pinotlover said:

Currently $549 each, that’s $412 if you have the 25% off.

Ouch..... but thanks

[pinotlover]

4 minutes ago, Moche1 said:

I lecture on cruise ships and have gone "around the Horn" four times on Marina, once on one of the R class ships, plus twice on Norwegian Sun, twice on Celebrity, and once on Princess -- with upcoming on Marina in March 2023 and twice on Viking at the end of 2023.  One of my favorite cruises (right up there with Panama Canal transits).

Weather can be iffy, especially around Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and the Beagle Channel.  Possible to have four seasons in one hour....  Sometimes rainy on the Chilean side of Patagonia, and hot (mid-summer) in Santiago and Buenos Aires at both ends of the cruise.  

This is a great trip if you are interested in wildlife -- several ports with penguin tours, marine mammals, birds, etc.  Early in the season you might see whales, late in season no.  Scenery in Chilean Fjords and Beagle Channel is spectacular.  

Local food is great -- Argentine steaks in Buenos Aires, King Crab in Ushuaia, German food in Puerto Montt, plus local wines everywhere. 

Are you working the Feb 27, 2023 cruise out of BA going west?

[pinotlover]

Just now, Gracie115 said:

Ouch..... but thanks

Those are Oceania prices. About $150 each with private companies.

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, pinotlover said:

Oceania does offer this land/flight tour. At about four (4) times the price offered by private tour companies.

Interesting comment since we looked at doing it on our own (early 2019) and, at the time, there were three companies doing the flights from the nearest airport to the cruise port and the only price difference for DIY (since the general plane ticket price was listed over the check-in counters) was the cost of getting to that airport. Even with a small group, the cost of a van service (the flight companies only did flights and weren’t hurting for business), was not much less than the O price difference (which included the guide/historian) thanks to the YWYW 25% discount. At the bottom line, the extra approx. $20/person for the O tour got us an added history lecture at a total price far far less than FOUR (or THREE or TWO) times the DIY cost.

 

So, as I often state here, there are times/places to do private tours and other situations where the O tour makes more sense if for no other reason than the research time is not worth the effort - particularly when you’re on a cruise with 30-40 port days.

[Flatbush Flyer]

53 minutes ago, Gracie115 said:

 

Thanks.....do you remember how expensive this was?

No- that was more than three years ago and among, at least, a hundred other tours since then.
Since, the bulk of the cost is the plane, you could Google that ticket price and a local transfer service (or check with tour brokers like Viator to give you a ball park idea). If you end up doing it with O, this is the kind of tour that makes the most of the YWYW 25% discount.

[Moche1]

34 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

Are you working the Feb 27, 2023 cruise out of BA going west?

Yes -- I'm on from BA to Lima to Miami -- so Miami to BA, home for a month, then BA to Miami

And I'm still looking for another couple to join me on a very private tour to Cape Bougainville (Rock Hopper penguins) in the Falklands....

[pinotlover]

5 minutes ago, Moche1 said:

Yes -- I'm on from BA to Lima to Miami -- so Miami to BA, home for a month, then BA to Miami

And I'm still looking for another couple to join me on a very private tour to Cape Bougainville (Rock Hopper penguins) in the Falklands....

Great we’ll see you aboard.

 

I’ve set up a group going to Volunteer Point with Patrick Watts in the Falklands.

[HiFi43]

We have taken the Marina cruises around the tip of South America few times…would would not have repeated them if we did not think they were special. In fact, in January we are taking the BA to Santiago cruise on Marina that includes an Antartica pass by.
 

The last time we did the cruise segments you will be on was  in early 2000 when we boarded Marina for a cruise from Miami to Lima including the Amazon.  That cruise ended up being a full circumnavigation of South America when Covid hit and Lima closed down to all ships. We passed Lima, went through the Panama Canal and returned to Miami adding 10 extra days at sea to our cruise. Frankly, we felt safer on our completely healthy and fully stocked ship than we did when we had to fly back home from Miami through almost completely empty airports.

 

Lima as a starting port is interesting but is actually best for the offered Oceania pre-trip to Manchu Picchu. As you cruise south to Chile you’ll be visiting one of the most interesting and beautiful countries in the world. It is worth taking many of the offered tours and the Chilean Fjords are wonderful. While the weather in general has been great on our trips you’ll likely need sweaters and a warm jacket as you head south (probably not a parka since it will be summer during your trip). If  you go through the Straights of Magellan natural channel and the the Beagle Chanel it will be very peaceful water. It you go out into the Pacific at the tip it could get a bit rough. Punta Arenas, Chile  and Ushuaia, Argentina  are usually your stops at the tip of South America and are both beautiful and interesting, especially if the weather is clear. Ushuaia is the South American jumping off port for ships going to Antartica and you’ll see a number of them.

 

if you are going to port Stanley in the Falkland’s, the crossing is likely where you’ll experience your heaviest seas. We been to The Falklands three times and tendering into Port Stanley is totally dependent on the seas being calm enough to be able to tender. We have only missed once so far but we’ll see what happens on our January trip. Make sure to book a tour.

 

Heading north you’ll likely port of on Punta Del Estes, Uruguay (a beautiful stop), Montevideo, Uruguay (an interesting city with wonderful leather goods) and you’ll conclude you’re cruise at Buenois Aires. Please take a couple of extra days in BA because it will absolutely be worth it.

 

it is likely Oceania will offer a post-cruise trip to Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina and Brazil.This trip or a private hosted trip to Falls would be a pity to skip. It makes Niagara Falls look some what  like a piker in comparison.

 

Have a great trip…

 

Bruce
 

 

[Godblessourhome]

2 hours ago, Moche1 said:

I lecture on cruise ships and have gone "around the Horn" four times on Marina, once on one of the R class ships, plus twice on Norwegian Sun, twice on Celebrity, and once on Princess -- with upcoming on Marina in March 2023 and twice on Viking at the end of 2023.  One of my favorite cruises (right up there with Panama Canal transits).

Weather can be iffy, especially around Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and the Beagle Channel.  Possible to have four seasons in one hour....  Sometimes rainy on the Chilean side of Patagonia, and hot (mid-summer) in Santiago and Buenos Aires at both ends of the cruise.  

This is a great trip if you are interested in wildlife -- several ports with penguin tours, marine mammals, birds, etc.  Early in the season you might see whales, late in season no.  Scenery in Chilean Fjords and Beagle Channel is spectacular.  

Local food is great -- Argentine steaks in Buenos Aires, King Crab in Ushuaia, German food in Puerto Montt, plus local wines everywhere. 

We will be sailing from Miami to Santiago on Dec. 18, 2022.  

Does anybody have the updated information for the COVID entry requirements for Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Falkland Islands, and Chile - apart from the vaccination requirement?  Love to hear from you - thank you!

[Flatbush Flyer]

2 hours ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

No- that was more than three years ago and among, at least, a hundred other tours since then.
Since, the bulk of the cost is the plane, you could Google that ticket price and a local transfer service (or check with tour brokers like Viator to give you a ball park idea). If you end up doing it with O, this is the kind of tour that makes the most of the YWYW 25% discount.

If you decide to do this - private or with Oceania, do your research about where from you’d be flying and how long you’ll actually spend at the Nazca Lines plus how long it takes to fly to them.

 

We flew from the Airport in Pisco which is the port where the ship stopped. It was about a half hour each way from ship to airport (small bus with the historian) and less than a half hour flying each way to get to the Lines.

It was quite some time ago but I’m guesstimating that, once we reached the Lines, we spent about 45 minutes crisscrossing them. I assume it could be a bit more or less time there depending on how many folks lose their lunch 👀 (since the small Cessnas bank and turn back and forth many times to give everyone good views, anyone prone to air sickness may want to think this over).

 

I also remember that, when I researched DIY tours, the prices ranged from $100 to $300(+) with larger Cessnas and longer actual time at  the Lines accounting for the higher prices.
 

The Pisco airport appears to be the closest to the Lines. So, far less travel time than fly from Lima or drive from Lima then fly from the Pisco airport).

But, the bad news is you pay more for a better experience. I just looked up a Pisco Airport carrier that seems familiar - Nazca Flights - and their longer flight that lets you see at least a dozen major figures (similar to our experience) is $298 pp + airport tax. They have a shorter flight for about $100 pp but it sounds like it’s not as comprehensive (viewing far less of the well known figures).
 

So, be really careful about what you’re getting for whatever price you pay.

 

I’d have to dig through my old files to find what we exactly paid at the YWYW price on O in 2019. But, $350-375 pp strikes a familiar cord.

[pinotlover]

It doesn’t take much research to find highly rated private companies doing ship side pickup for this tour at under $200 and closer to $150. Some claiming to “ never pay retail” just consistently prefer and hawk Oceania tours. If you prefer paying $549 or $412, no apologies needed. Your money, your way! 

[Flatbush Flyer]

29 minutes ago, pinotlover said:

It doesn’t take much research to find highly rated private companies doing ship side pickup for this tour at under $200 and closer to $150. Some claiming to “ never pay retail” just consistently prefer and hawk Oceania tours. If you prefer paying $549 or $412, no apologies needed. Your money, your way! 

Sounds like someone’s favorite app

is Trip Advisor.
In any case, we’re all wondering which Nazca Lines tour that YOU have actually done in the past delivered all that was promised? Name? Cost? When did you do it? ......

Concrete Info that helps folks make informed decisions about what mix (if any) of ship and/or private tours would work best for THEIR preferences serves a far more useful purpose than sophomoric/useless jabs.

[PhD-iva]

7 hours ago, Moche1 said:

I lecture on cruise ships and have gone "around the Horn" four times on Marina, once on one of the R class ships, plus twice on Norwegian Sun, twice on Celebrity, and once on Princess -- with upcoming on Marina in March 2023 and twice on Viking at the end of 2023.  One of my favorite cruises (right up there with Panama Canal transits).

Weather can be iffy, especially around Tierra del Fuego, the Falkland Islands, and the Beagle Channel.  Possible to have four seasons in one hour....  Sometimes rainy on the Chilean side of Patagonia, and hot (mid-summer) in Santiago and Buenos Aires at both ends of the cruise.  

This is a great trip if you are interested in wildlife -- several ports with penguin tours, marine mammals, birds, etc.  Early in the season you might see whales, late in season no.  Scenery in Chilean Fjords and Beagle Channel is spectacular.  

Local food is great -- Argentine steaks in Buenos Aires, King Crab in Ushuaia, German food in Puerto Montt, plus local wines everywhere. 

Hi Moche1! I’m looking forward to our cruise together in November on Mariner! My usual home is here on the O boards. Mariner will be my first Regent cruise; lately the solo pricing on Regent has been unbeatable. I’ll be back on O in March for a Sirena TA that I booked when prices were LOW!