Almost Live Viking Octantis - Chilean Fjords & Patagonia Explorer - October 17-30, 2023

[janetcbl]

10 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Your guides and lectures  sound very interesting ! That is one of the  things I love about Viking. And the 3D movie  is a nice surprise.

Thank you agin for th editorial reports. Looks like the weather is cooperating for your excursions.

We were on the Octantis this past summer….never heard of the 3D movie or saw use of it. There was so much going on on that trip (Great Lakes) there probably wasn’t room for it!

[philbob84]

On 10/21/2023 at 2:51 AM, OneSixtyToOne said:

So far Castro and Puerto Chacabuco are tender ports. 

 

by chance did you get a better photo the Hurtigrueten ship with the Octanis?

[OneSixtyToOne]

23 minutes ago, philbob84 said:

by chance did you get a better photo the Hurtigrueten ship with the Octanis?

Lol It’s been shadowing use since Santiago.

 

 

[aungrl]

Love seeing all the pictures and hearing your commentary!  Sometimes we think we might be interested in an itinerary and then someone will post and we decide that it isn't really at the top of the list for us.  Not the case here - every time you post something new, we think how much we'd like this!

[lovetocrusie9918]

I agreed with aungrl, all of the commentary and photo make me very excited.  I can't wait to experience all of them in a week.

 

OneSixtyToOne - Sorry for being a problem child, but I have more questions.  Is the "grill" inside the World Cafe (WC)?  Do you need to dress up for the WC?  Is jeans and sneaker ok?  Want to know how many dressy clothing I need to pack if I will be eating mostly at the buffet.  I will have at least one more question on departure, which I plan on asking towards the end of the week.  Don't want you to think about the end of the cruise so early.  Thank you for all of the commentary and wonderful pictures.

[johneb2]

We went on this trip last February and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Hopefully the weather will hold up and allow you to stop at the Falkland Islands.  We were lucky and found the stop to be most enjoyable.  Thanks for sharing and bringing back memories!  JohnEB

[OneSixtyToOne]

8 hours ago, lovetocrusie9918 said:

OneSixtyToOne - Sorry for being a problem child, but I have more questions.  Is the "grill" inside the World Cafe (WC)?  Do you need to dress up for the WC?  Is jeans and sneaker ok?  Want to know how many dressy clothing I need to pack if I will be eating mostly at the buffet.  I will have at least one more question on departure, which I plan on asking towards the end of the week.  Don't want you to think about the end of the cruise so early.  Thank you for all of the commentary and wonderful pictures.

Grill and Sushi Bar are part of the WC. No one is dressed up.  Very casual. Make sure you bring cold weather gear. It very cold on deck and the wind chill is brutal. Wool cap and a neck gator to cover your face is essential. Woke up to 39 degrees with ice in the water. We saw a penguin yesterday. Visiting Pio XI glacier today.

[OneSixtyToOne]

5 hours ago, johneb2 said:

Hopefully the weather will hold up and allow you to stop at the Falkland Islands. 

This is a leg of the longitudinal world cruise. We disembarks at Ushuaia, Argentina. It then cruises Antartica for the austral summer.

 

 

Edited October 23, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[OneSixtyToOne]

I’m a couple of days behind with my postings but I had to share the view from our room as we anchored next to Pio XI Glacier. I even capture video of the glacier calving which I’ll post later. Unusually clear weather, Fog was forecasted, but it burned off early.

 

 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

In Exploration Central, they have a whiteboard that tracks all the wildlife seen by passengers and crew. Today I sighted and photographed the first Dusky Dolphin of the cruise. 

 

 

 

[lovetocrusie9918]

12 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Grill and Sushi Bar are part of the WC. No one is dressed up.  Very casual. Make sure you bring cold weather gear. It very cold on deck and the wind chill is brutal. Wool cap and a neck gator to cover your face is essential. Woke up to 39 degrees with ice in the water. We saw a penguin yesterday. Visiting Pio XI glacier today.

Thank you very very much.  You just saved more rooms in luggage. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 8 - Toys in the Water

 

 

Today we sailed to Puerto Chacabuco under clear and sunny skies. The weather is exceptionally clear, something the locals have told us on every tour so far. It will be in the low 60s, a perfect day for a short hike and then our first opportunity to try out the toys! 

 

 

 

We took a short 30 minute bus ride to a private nature reserve in the Patagonian hills. Here we viewed the “Old Man Of the Forest,” an old growth tree that survived a major forest fires two decades ago. 

 

 

 

 

 

Then onto a picturesque waterfall. 

 

 

 

We then hiked back to the visitors hall where dinner is on the fire for another tour group that opted for a longer all after hike. Yesterday our guide explained that barbecue in this part of the world means a whole animal and here was the proof.

 

 

Back at the ship all the toys were fully deployed. We took an invigorating ride on the SOB. Boy, was that a blast! Incredible experience. We also saw a condor, the first one sighted on this cruise.

 

 

 

 

   

 

Upon return there was the Explorers Society toast on the Finse Terrace. 

 

 

We were also on the last SOB of the day so I was able to view the SOB loading into the rear loading ramp. BTW they no longer board the SOB inside the ship. Because of the weight of the passengers, it was taking too long. Instead you board from the side hanger doors. This time savings allows two additional outings a day.

 

Tonight’s port talk dealt with weather and tomorrow’s scenic cruising schedule. The expedition team will be on deck to help identify wildlife sightings. The science segment dealt with aquaculture and mussel farms.

 

One thing I failed to mention is that there are no do not disturb signs onboard. It’s all electronic. Your doorbell lights up different colors to indicate DND and make up the room. It also indicates if the room is occupied. Very nice feature.

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 9 - Fjords

 

 

 

Today is a scenic sailing day in the fjords. The crew was on deck to help with wildlife sightings. We saw a penguin swimming but it was too fast to get a picture. There was also a pod of three orcas, but I failed to get any pictures. 

 

 

 

 

 

The afternoon lecture was on bioluminescence. Interestingly, there is bioluminescent in salt water and on land, but none in fresh water. Scientists have not yet determined why this is.

 

 

The nightly port talk was about tomorrow’s visit to Pio XI Glacier. The Patagonian ice field holds the 3rd largest reservoir of fresh water on the planet. If it all melted the oceans would rise 1/2 inch. The presentation slide at the bottom is on its side, so north is on the left. Here you can see the extent of the ice field. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow we visit the glaciers. We also were notified there will be a weather balloon launch at 9:00 AM on Deck 6.

 

i also noticed they changed the bird display in Explorers Central. 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[OneSixtyToOne]

Our weather luck ran out. Wind and snow this morning. We have to move to a small protective bay to launch the toys, too windy at el Bruno glacier. 

Edited October 24, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[TayanaLorna]

I have been following along mostly silently with your amazing cruise reporting and photos.  The lecture topics have been outstanding.  Although we loved our 2020 Chilean Fjords, Patagonia and Round Cape Horn cruise, I was very disappointed the the lecture topics.  With the exception of a talk on whales, there were no lectures about the amazingly diverse floristic zones or the flora and fauna, there was no mention of the indigenous peoples or the 3 different tribes that populated the horn and Tierra del Fuego area.  I see a Viking Daily is highlighting the Yamana.  There was no mention of the sailing through glacier alley in the Beagle Channel so most passengers missed it by not getting up early enough.  I was so glad we purchased and read Rounding the Horn and gotten a wildlife guide which thoroughly covered the flora and fauna.  Also fun to have was the Patagonian & Fuegian Channels Chilean Fjords Cruise Chart up on our stateroom wall which gave much more detail then the Viking TV map.  Think we have to return for an Expedition cruise.  Thank you for the time you are taking to document your wonderful trip.

[Twitchly]

I’m finding it all fascinating. Thanks for doing this!

[OneSixtyToOne]

19 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

I have been following along mostly silently with your amazing cruise reporting and photos.  The lecture topics have been outstanding.  Although we loved our 2020 Chilean Fjords, Patagonia and Round Cape Horn cruise, I was very disappointed the the lecture topics.  With the exception of a talk on whales, there were no lectures about the amazingly diverse floristic zones or the flora and fauna, there was no mention of the indigenous peoples or the 3 different tribes that populated the horn and Tierra del Fuego area.  I see a Viking Daily is highlighting the Yamana.  There was no mention of the sailing through glacier alley in the Beagle Channel so most passengers missed it by not getting up early enough.  I was so glad we purchased and read Rounding the Horn and gotten a wildlife guide which thoroughly covered the flora and fauna.  Also fun to have was the Patagonian & Fuegian Channels Chilean Fjords Cruise Chart up on our stateroom wall which gave much more detail then the Viking TV map.  Think we have to return for an Expedition cruise.  Thank you for the time you are taking to document your wonderful trip.

Last night’s port talk included a presentation about the Mapuche people.

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 10 - “It is Balloon” - F Troop

 

 

Today we made our way to the Pio XI Glacier. We woke to clear blue skies and  almost no wind. What a gorgeous day.

 

After nearing the glacier we assembled on Deck 6 at 8:45 for the 9:00 AM weather balloon launch. There was a spread of doughnuts, coffee, and hot chocolate then a countdown to the launch. As mentioned earlier in this thread, all weather balloon are launched at the same time worldwide: midnight and noon UTC. 

 

 

 

 

 

We then slowly move closer and finally anchored ,spending the next few hours near the wall of the glacier. It was eerie to hear the groaning sounds of the ice straining, then cracking. We watched huge pieces of ice calving and crashing into the water. It was a very special experience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We then made an unscheduled attempt to reach nearby Falcon Glacier but the amount of ice in the water made it too slow of a process, so we continued back on our original corse. It was during this part of the cruise that we spotted dolphins off the bow. I got lucky and was able to shoot video of what was later identified as the first Dusky Dolphin seen on the cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight’s port talk was about tomorrow’s stop at el Bruno Glacier where the plan is to again deploy all the toys. We have our first Zodiac ride scheduled. 

 

 

The nature presentation was about pinnipeds. 

 

 

The data of today’s balloon launch was also displayed and explained. 

 

For tonight’s dinner, the dessert bar was transformed into a cake buffet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tonight’s trivia contest ended in a tie, which we won on a tiebreaker.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[susiebobtail]

Wow! This all sounds fantastic and I cannot wait until we board the Polaris on Saturday. I hope we are as lucky with the weather as you have been. Great reporting 👍

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 11 - Gimme Shelter 

 

 

 

Our fantastic weather finally came to an abrupt end. With 30 mile per hour winds, we were unable to launch the toys at el Bruno Glacier. Instead we found a sheltered area away from the glacier that blocked the wind and allowed the launching of the zodiacs, SOB, kayaks, and sub. 

 

 

 

 

We suited up in our gear for our first zodiac ride of the cruise.

 

 

We sailed into a small cove to observe the local flora and fauna.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back we were greater by another zodiac that rafted alongside and handed out champagne for a toast. A very nice Viking touch.

 

 

Tonight’s port talk was brief. Tomorrow is a sea day through the Magellan Straight snd we are expecting terrible weather. Rain is forecasted with wind gusts of 60 mph. 

 

The talk also included a presentation about the Mapuche people, who were one of the only regional tribes not conquered by the Incas.

 

 

 

Tonight’s nature presentation was about the southern beech tree, which we learned was misidentified by Europeans and wasn’t really a birch. Its range dates back to when there was a supercontinent and is found in all the areas formally connected to Antarctica.

 

 

 

We had another 3D movie night. This time is was about the US National Parks, narrated by Robert Redford. As I’ve said before, the 3D movies on the expedition ships are a must see.

 

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[susiebobtail]

Oops! It seems I spoke too soon about your good weather! 

[OneSixtyToOne]

11 minutes ago, susiebobtail said:

Oops! It seems I spoke too soon about your good weather! 

Currently in the Straits of Magellan…

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[susiebobtail]

Oh my goodness! Wet and wild indeed. Hope you all feel okay. 🤞

[CurlerRob]

1 hour ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Currently in the Straits of Magellan…

 

Good pics - it's always hard to show the severity of weather from the ship. Reminds me of a trip years ago when we were unable to get to Cape Horn and had to stay inside the channels. Imagine what it's like outside the Straits, or in the Drake! 🍺🥌

[millybess]

@OneSixtyToOne They really are good photos.  Are you still using your iPhone 14?