Azamara vs. Oceania in South America

[Eartha]

Hi. 

Greetings.  You are all more experienced cruisers than I am.  Husband and I are trying to decide between cruise options for a Winter 2024 cruise that includes the southernmost ports of South America with or without Antarctica.  Based on the itinerary we have drilled down to either 20 days on Oceania/Marina including Antarctica from Feb-Mar or 15 nights in January on Azamara/Quest excluding Antarctica.  We prefer ships that carry fewer than 2,000 passengers.  We prefer to DIY shore excursions.    We are familiar with the Marina and the "old" Oceania.  Know nothing about Azamara first-hand or about the "newer" Oceania.  

So basically asking two questions:  What would we be missing if we excluded Antarctica since neither cruise actually permits setting foot on land.  How different would the onboard experience of Azamara be compared to Oceania? I am cross-posting this on the Oceania page as well. 

Thanks very much in advance!

 

 

[takemewithyou]

I can’t answer your Antarctica questions.

 

As to the cruise experience…..Azamara includes basic wines and alcohol all day long, not just wines and beer with lunch and dinner as Oceania does with Simply More promotion.

 The officers on Azamara are more visible and interactive with passengers.  Communication from the Captain is more forthcoming about weather, port info, etc.  if a port has to be missed due to weather, Azamara makes every effort to find another port to visit.

 

On the other hand, I think Marina will have undergone a significant refurbishment onboard such as Riviera has just had by that time.  There are more spaces inside to relax inside in cold, inclement weather.  The Azamara ships are all R class as Insignia and the other R class ships Oceania has.  They can get crowded when most 

Passengers are inside.  Also, Marina will have much better bathrooms than the verandas on Azamara, if that matters to you.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Edited September 20, 2023 by takemewithyou

[roberts2005]

If you are never going to an expedition ship to Antarctica the drive by may be a good substitute.   A lot will also depend on the other ports.  Where do the cruises begin and end?

[Eartha]

They both start in Santiago in Chile and end in Buenos Aires. 

[ECCruise]

If you are capable, I have to recommend that you at least consider expedition sailings, especially if you are looking at Azamara and Oceania.

 

It may take a good bit of research, but if you are willing to give up, e.g., a suite on either of those lines, the price difference is not as much as you might think.  We've done it in the past and are doing it again next year. 

[NewSalty]

One consideration is that the Marina is nearly twice the size.  While we prefer the smaller ships (R class both Oceania and Azamara) as well, if you decide to include Antarctica (and I'd urge you to do so, it's fantastic even with landing) - that extra size might be appreciated if you encounter rough seas in the Drake passage.  We did the Marina from Santiago to Buenos Aires this last year, and it was fantastic.

[travelberlin]

I was on the Azamara Quest on a similar itinerary in January this year in South America. Without Antartic, but with the Amazing Beagle Channel. I have loved it. I would do it again with Azamara.

There are some things you can do on those itineraries on your own. For example in Buenos, Aires, Montevideo and Punta del Este you can explore on your own. Falkland Islands, Ushuia and Punta Arenas you might rather book a ship’s excursion.

 

[Eartha]

Thank you! This is all great feedback. 

Edited September 22, 2023 by Eartha

[shank63]

In my opinion, food is much better on Oceania but the vibe on the smaller Azamara ships is nice.  Either choice is good.

[NewSalty]

One learning from our trip - it might be worth checking the number of ships docking at Ushuaia for any cruise that you're interested in.  We had a nightmare of a visit - there were 11 ships in port that day.  Only 3 were able to dock, the rest were tendering to a single landing spot - all that Ushuaia had.  Oceania ended up cancelling 2/3's of all their excursions (including ours!) because they couldn't get them over and back.  The only blemish on an otherwise fantastic trip.  There are several websites such as www.cruisetimetables.com where you can look at the schedules.

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, NewSalty said:

One learning from our trip - it might be worth checking the number of ships docking at Ushuaia for any cruise that you're interested in.  We had a nightmare of a visit - there were 11 ships in port that day.  Only 3 were able to dock, the rest were tendering to a single landing spot - all that Ushuaia had.  Oceania ended up cancelling 2/3's of all their excursions (including ours!) because they couldn't get them over and back.  The only blemish on an otherwise fantastic trip.  There are several websites such as www.cruisetimetables.com where you can look at the schedules.

According to Cruisemapper, for our 2024 Antarctica cruise, we will be the only ship in port in Ushuaia on 2/23. Whew!