Oceania Marina to Antartica…but many concerns

[TwoGoForward]

We have never sailed with Oceania. The Marina’s itinerary for South America and Antartica in February looks great. Our interest would be seeing Antarctica, wandering around Port Stanley, enjoying sea days. We are not food fanatics, prefer quiet evenings over big entertainment so Oceania seems right for us.  Our hesitancy comes because there aren’t many reviews of this voyage and the few I’ve seen are iffy at best. One mentions missed ports, changed itineraries, poor communication. I understand seas can be rough down there and I’d rather the Captain make conservative decisions than put passengers at risk but I’m wondering how often the ship misses places. More hesitancy comes because I twice filled out Oceania’s on-line form requesting an agent to call. I got an automatic “donotreply” email in response, with a promise that an agent would contact me but I got no phone call. The first form I completed was 3 weeks ago. Today, I called them but I hung up after ten minutes waiting for “the next available agent” to answer. I’m trying hard to hold onto a good feeling about this cruise line but I’m losing my grip. 

I found a similar but shorter and less interesting itinerary on Norwegian Sun…not many reviews but nothing negative. We’ve done two TAs with NCL and loved them. No problems with getting answers; instead, a bit of hard sell. 

I’ve found higher end cruises which go to the Falklands and Antarctica…$$$$$…but I’m not sure we want to go that badly.  

Any insight would be appreciated. 

[ORV]

13 minutes ago, TwoGoForward said:

Any insight would be appreciated

Yes, try to find a good travel agent and quit trying to deal directly with Oceania. 

[WNcruiser]

I just did this itinerary (no Antarctica) two months ago on Viking. I’m sure you are aware Antarctica is scenic cruising only and you won’t be stopping or getting off anywhere. For us it seemed kind of a waste to go down there and not be able to get off so we chose Viking. 
 

Yes, the weather is always unpredictable and we had several very rough days. We made it to the Falklands but unfortunately missed Ushuaia due to 50+ mph winds which was very disappointing. We enjoyed Chile and the Beagle channel / glacier alley much more than Argentina, but that’s just us.  
 

The Sun is a far different experience from Oceania, no comparison. Hope that helps, happy to answer any questions. 

Edited April 19, 2023 by WNcruiser

[vaitape]

We did a Seabourn cruise to Antarctica in 2020 and it was the trip of a lifetime.

 

Fantastic expedition team with naturalists, marine biologists, etc onboard to answer all our questions. If we were out on deck, one of the team would approach us and explain what we were looking at and answer any questions we had. Zodiac tours and landings each day while we were in Antarctica. 

 

Every evening before dinner, we went to the theater for a de-briefing and an explanation of what to expect for tomorrow. When we walked into the theater, the expedition team lined the entry way to greet us, along with the staff offering wine, champagne, spirits and mulled wine.

 

If you can stretch your budget a bit beyond an O fare, don't do a sail-by. Walk among the stinky, curious penguins and have the full Antarctica experience.

 

ps the day in the Falklands was amazing as well!

 

 

[Norseh2o]

We traveled on the Marina 2/7-4/6/23 from Santiago to Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires to Lima and Lima to Miami. The muster on February 7, 3023 in the Marina Lounge was lacking in organization, the next 2 musters were done on the television & just fine. The first leg of the trip brought us closest to the Antartica We visited the Falkland Islands on the first part of the trip, did not visit the second leg due to weather. We understand that many guests were less than happy about missed ports between Buenos Aires and Peru & many disagreed with Oceania caution about travel in Peru. Any travel can result in missed ports and rough weather. The scientists on board the Marina as we visited the southern tip of South America  and Antartica were outstanding. The Spanish lessons and dance lessons were appreciated! The staff, crew, and most guests were exceptional. The food was the finest, (one missed specialty dining salad in 58 days!) the temperature onboard was always comfortable. Our cabin was good, all doors and drawers in working order, plenty of hot water. The days onboard the Marina were the finest. This Oceania trip was our favorite and hopefully, we will book the exact trip again.

[mauibabes]

@TwoGoForward

We made this exact trip in January 2023 and it was outstanding, my DW’s #1 cruise of over 20 Oceania cruises. Yes, we missed the Falklands due to weather. Yes we had to alter course a time or two in the Antarctic bays due to ice flows but we just went elsewhere. Yes there were high winds and big waves in Drake’s Passage but it was much less than we have experienced in the North Sea by the Shetland Islands. 
Do not miss this cruise and disregard any negativity so you can make your own decision.
Feel free to email me and ask any questions because this is not an itinerary to be missed, GerryEsker at gmail dot com

Mauibabes

[bikegrrrl]

If you make an Oceania account, include your phone number on your profile, and "start" to book the cruise, I guarantee someone will call you within an hour.  🙂

 

[marne-c]

FWIW, we just switched from Oceania Marina's February 2024 Antarctic itinerary Rio de Janeiro -to- Santiago de Chile to Marina's 18 December 2023 Antarctic itinerary Lima -to- Buenos Aires.  We like the additional ports in Peru and Chile over those we'll miss in Brazil.

 

We've never been on a sail-by to Antarctica, but we've done two around-Cape-Horn itineraries.  We made it to the Falklands both times, but that's always an iffy port-stop given the sea conditions in the South Atlantic.  We know that Stanley, all of the Antarctic sail-by locations, and other port-stops may need to be skipped if the weather and sea ice are uncooperative.  That's just part of cruising.  In the Antarctic, things often don't go as planned.  (Just ask Ernest Shackleton...)

 

--Marne

Edited April 19, 2023 by marne-c

[TwoGoForward]

Thankss for your all your help. It sounds like a great trip and we will be moving forward.

[WNcruiser]

On 4/18/2023 at 10:07 PM, vaitape said:

We did a Seabourn cruise to Antarctica in 2020 and it was the trip of a lifetime.

 

Fantastic expedition team with naturalists, marine biologists, etc onboard to answer all our questions. If we were out on deck, one of the team would approach us and explain what we were looking at and answer any questions we had. Zodiac tours and landings each day while we were in Antarctica. 

 

Every evening before dinner, we went to the theater for a de-briefing and an explanation of what to expect for tomorrow. When we walked into the theater, the expedition team lined the entry way to greet us, along with the staff offering wine, champagne, spirits and mulled wine.

 

If you can stretch your budget a bit beyond an O fare, don't do a sail-by. Walk among the stinky, curious penguins and have the full Antarctica experience.

 

ps the day in the Falklands was amazing as well!

 

 

An expedition cruise is totally different from what the OP asking about. Hopefully your description is helpful for future cruisers. 

[DoulaAnn]

We were on Marina in January doing the Antarctic and there were several specialists onboard to tell us about what we were going to see, some of the geology, the birds, and so forth.  The naturalist in the group was on the bridge doing commentary when there were things to see.  All four of the specialists were seen frequently on the decks and we asked plenty of questions of them.  Was a great experience, even with overcast weather the whole time.  The passengers on the cruise after ours, which went from Santiago to Buenos Aires had incredibly sunny days in Antartica.  And we missed the Falklands due to high winds, they got to dock there and see things.  Just luck of the draw on a lot of that.

[mumcat]

On 4/22/2023 at 6:23 AM, DoulaAnn said:

We were on Marina in January doing the Antarctic and there were several specialists onboard to tell us about what we were going to see, some of the geology, the birds, and so forth.  The naturalist in the group was on the bridge doing commentary when there were things to see.  All four of the specialists were seen frequently on the decks and we asked plenty of questions of them.  Was a great experience, even with overcast weather the whole time.  The passengers on the cruise after ours, which went from Santiago to Buenos Aires had incredibly sunny days in Antartica.  And we missed the Falklands due to high winds, they got to dock there and see things.  Just luck of the draw on a lot of that.

We are considering that itinerary next year. During your cruise did you see much marine life - specifically whales ?

[DoulaAnn]

40 minutes ago, mumcat said:

We are considering that itinerary next year. During your cruise did you see much marine life - specifically whales ?

We saw some whales (some saw more than others -- I wasn't seeing what they saw).  I saw that the cruise after us saw large pods of whales.  2 weeks making a difference or weather (we were cloudy and occasionally rainy, they had mostly sun) -- I'm not sure.  But the penguins (naturalist told us where they were as we moved along) and birds (naturalist had given a talk on the various birds and how to identify them) were fascinating.

[friendsoftulie]

When aboard Marina in February for the Santiago to Buenos Aires trip, we saw many whales and birds almost daily.  Of course, we lucked out and were able to disembark in Port Stanley so enjoyed LOTS of penguins and other birds on our excursion.  Overall, I would highly recommend Oceania Marina for many reasons, but especially the quality of the excursion staff they put together for this itinerary…..simply the best.  But don’t be disappointed if you have to miss a port for safety reasons.  This is not an easy part of the world to explore and they have to take in to account the agility of the passengers.  

[LouChamp]

Aloha.  Definitely recommended!  The only caveat is Port Stanley and Usuaia are sometimes cancelled. We saw both but my parents missed Port Stanley due to conditions even though they were on a different ship the following week.  It is hit or miss but worth the gamble. Keep us posted.

[cruisemom42]

The OP has probably already booked, but if you're not a foodie and like quieter evenings, Holland America has a good itinerary for "drive by" Antarctica cruises at good prices. They do several each season, from Santiago Chile to Buenos Aires Argentina and vice versa (first one is preferred). They do four days of cruising in Antarctica which is a day more than many....

 

All cruises in this neck of the woods are subject to weather conditions. Some have beautiful cruises and hit every port; others not so much. 

 

[vtgumby]

As does Azamara, we enjoyed them RT from Buenos Aires in January and we did make Port Stanley but we’ve heard of many folks missing the Falklands repeatedly, one couple missed out three times. Our trip was so incredible that we booked an expedition cruise with Hurtigruten in February 2024 from Santiago but prior to that we will be jumping on the Marina from Rio to Santiago via the Falklands and Antarctica. The entire area is just incredible (birds! whales! penguins!) and we can’t wait to go back so if you can only afford the drive by it’s still an incredible experience, you won’t be disappointed. This time we need to get on the ice, however, and looking forward to these two incredible trips.

[SophieM]

14 hours ago, vtgumby said:

As does Azamara, we enjoyed them RT from Buenos Aires in January and we did make Port Stanley but we’ve heard of many folks missing the Falklands repeatedly, one couple missed out three times. Our trip was so incredible that we booked an expedition cruise with Hurtigruten in February 2024 from Santiago but prior to that we will be jumping on the Marina from Rio to Santiago via the Falklands and Antarctica. The entire area is just incredible (birds! whales! penguins!) and we can’t wait to go back so if you can only afford the drive by it’s still an incredible experience, you won’t be disappointed. This time we need to get on the ice, however, and looking forward to these two incredible trips.

If you are sailing on 1/21, we’ll look forward to meeting you on board. Only slightly jealous of your expedition cruise, but we’ll buck up. 😊

 

Jane & Ed

[vtgumby]

2 hours ago, SophieM said:

If you are sailing on 1/21, we’ll look forward to meeting you on board. Only slightly jealous of your expedition cruise, but we’ll buck up. 😊

 

Jane & Ed

Hi Jane and Ed,

We are and we are going to have a great time, this itinerary on Marina around fabulous South America is wonderful and then to have Antarctica and Falklands is the cherry on top…accompanied by great food, what’s not to love?!!

See you in six!

[SophieM]

Absolutely! If you haven’t already, there is also a roll call. 

[taylorbun1]

is there a roll call for oceania marina leaving dec 18- jan 11 lima to buenos aires?

 

[AMHuntFerry]

45 minutes ago, taylorbun1 said:

is there a roll call for oceania marina leaving dec 18- jan 11 lima to buenos aires?

 

Looks like you found it. Have fun!