A SA Cruise Review - Golden Feb 12

[Marie-Claude]

I decided to post the review here, as many future cruisers may find some answers, and maybe inspiration from our cruise notes.

 

I apologize in advance - this is long, but I can't help it!!

 

Golden Princess - South America Cruise -Buenos Aires to Santiago

February 8 - 24, 2007

Pre Cruise in Buenos Aires:

 

We stayed at the Intercontinental Hotel, in the Montserrat area of the city. We had booked the Gaucho Fiesta Package which included a 3 night stay, a city tour and a full day tour to a Gaucho Estancia in the Pampas.

 

We arrived later than expected as our connecting flight in Miami was delayed 9 hours. So we pretty much missed the first day in BA. When we arrived at the airport, the Princess Rep had the wrong passenger list, therefore we had to wait over an hour before he realized he was waiting for people who wouldn’t come... So it added somewhat to the frustration of missing most of our first day, and we arrived at the hotel at around 8 pm.

 

The Intercontinental hotel is a beautiful hotel. We had a very large room with 2 double beds and a sofa. The bathroom was large and had a separate marble walk-in shower and a bath. The room had all the necessary amenities, coffee maker, air dryer etc. It even had on the desk power outlets for 110 volts. The hotel staff was polite and courteous, and the concierge very helpful. Both restaurants were excellent. Breakfast was served in a large conference room and was plentiful with a good variety of hot and cold items. Princess had two reps on duty a few hours everyday. They had an day-by-day activity board that clearly indicated the possible tour options and tour departure times.

 

City tours were available every day, and the Gaucho Fiesta was scheduled for Sunday. We enjoyed both tours tremendously. We had a very good guide for the city tour, which made all the difference. We went to every neighbourhoods, including San Telmo, Puerto Madero, Palermo, etc. We stopped at La Boca, visited the Recoleta Cemetery, and we were dropped off at Plaza San Martin, just off of Calle Florida where we could do some shopping for leather and cashmere. There was a free shuttle from the Intercontinental hotel to Plaza San Martin and back (H Stern store in the Marriott Plaza provided the shuttle) that ran from 11am to 4pm. It wasn’t necessarily at the hotel on time, but a taxi ride to cover the same distance was about 8$US. We took the free shuttle back to the hotel.

 

On Sunday, we had our full day in the Pampas at the La Fortuna Estancia. We drove on highway 3, the Pan American Highway through the country side for about 90 minutes. We had a stop to use the facilities, and a chance to grab a coffee and snack. We arrived at the Estancia just in time for lunch. As we arrived to the estate, the buses were escorted by gauchos on their horses to the farm. As we disembarked the buses, ladies were offering us hot empenadas - delicious and timely, as everyone was getting hungry! We were offered wine, beer or water by the farm workers. Before going to lunch we had about an hour to walk around the farm, see the meat being cooked on the hot fires and grills outside. We also had the opportunity to either ride a horse or go for a carriage ride around the farm. Our lunch was served under a large roofed area outside, where a stage had been appointed. Towards the end of the meal, the Estancia owner came to talk about life on this farm, and 4 couples dressed with the various folk costumes gave a little dance demonstration. Local musicians added to this lively presentation. After lunch, the gauchos demonstrated their skills in a race where they had to catch a small piece of paper with a wooden stick while riding their horse at full speed. Impressive! At around 3:30 pm it was time to head back to the city. All the gauchos lined up to fare us goodbye, and to allow people to get their picture taken with them. Overall we had a great day and enjoyed the chance of seeing something other than the city, as gaucho ranching is part of the Argentinian life.

Those who had not bought the package had the opportunity to purchase the city tour as well as a tango show and dinner (55$US) from the Princess Rep on site.

 

Embarkation :

The day prior to embarkation, people holding Princess transfers were asked to leave their suitcases outside the hotel room before midnight. Suitcases were transferred directly from the hotel to our cabin on the ship.

 

We had received tickets for our transfer to the pier for 2:00 pm on Monday. Checking out was at 10:00 am. Princess had set-up a few reception rooms at the hotel the with games (pool and pingpong tables, board games, cards etc.) so that people could wait for the transfer to the pier. There was also a room where we could leave our carry-on luggage.

Some people took advantage of the shuttle to go shopping on Calle Florida, while others stayed at the hotel. I decided to stroll the streets, went to Café Tortoni for a coffee and a croissants before returning to the hotel in time for the transfer.

 

As planned, the bus departed at 2:00 pm. It took about 20 minutes to get to the port. Unfortunately, the BA port terminal was a total mess. When our bus arrive the Rep told us to stay onboard while the line got shorter, but it only got longer as many more buses arrived after ours. So we ended up having to walk all the way at the end of the line, outside the building, around the corner. We stayed in line outside for more than 90 minutes! When we came close to the building, a man came to fetch people with priority embarkation. We followed him inside to find a bigger mess! He put us in another line, but frankly, I think it was worst than staying in the original line. The whole embarkation process took more than 2 hours... We got inside the ship at 5:10 pm, and weren’t the last. The ship was scheduled to depart at 5 pm, needless to say we were delayed. Muster Drill was at 5h30 pm, so we hardly had any time to get settled before going down for the drill. This was by far the worst embarkation of all 15 cruises we’ve taken in the past, regardless of ports or cruise lines. Our only consolation was that we received a great upgrade! We had originally booked a category G guarantee, and were assigned a category E. When we checked-in, we were given a category BC!! I have to say that for this itinerary a balcony is a must.

 

Dining Room and Overall Food:

We were waitlisted for the Traditional 2nd seating and when we checked-in, we had been assigned to Traditional 1st seating. Due to our late boarding, I didn’t have time to see the Maitre D and we decided to go to the Anytime dining room instead. We recognized one of the head waiter from our previous cruise on the Golden in August - in fact he was on three of our cruises with Princess - and he assisted us in making a standing reservation in the Anytime dining room which turned out to be perfect. We had a table for two, with a great team of servers with whom we had a great time.

 

We found the food in the dining room to be excellent. The menus were varied, the quality excellent and service friendly. Horizon Court was fine - as usual.

 

Our biggest disappointment was Sabatinis. Being on the ship for 12 days, we thought it would make a nice change for one of the sea day to dine at Sabatinis. We had heard great things about it and decided to try it. The service was cold. We were showed our table and given menus. When the waiter came back he told us we only had to choose a soup and a main course, that all other items would be served silver platter table side. When the antipasto came, the only want my Mom wanted was the caviar. The waiter told us we should have ordered it as it takes 15 minutes to prepare!! He had just specifically told us to only order soup and main... He made us feel like we had done something wrong. He finally brought the caviar after our cold appetizers, hot appetizers and soup. So far the food was good but not exceptional. Our main entrees were very disappointing. We had ordered a plate of lobster tails and a plate of scallops. The lobster was so tough that the Maitre D couldn’t even get it out of the shell - he never offered to change it. The scallops were sandy... So it was just not up to our expectations and we felt that rather than a unique experience, we have wasted our evening. The next night we had lobster tails in the dining room and they were absolutely delicious!!

 

Montevideo:

We were docked alongside the Crystal Serenity, right in town. One of the downtown leather store offered a free shuttle into town, and many people took advantage of it. But it was an easy walk into the city, and as you exit the port, a large Tourist Information Centre provides walking tour maps and other information to visit on your own. The old city is compact and can be visited in a half day. Worth seeing is the Plaza Independencia with the statue and mausoleum of Artigas and the Palacio Salvo, the Plaza Constitucion where a large handicraft and flea-market was held in the Park across from the Cathedral and the City Hall, as well as the Plaza Zabala.

In the afternoon, I had booked a tour with Princess - EZ Montevideo. It was a very good tour of the city, old and newer parts, with several stops for taking pictures.

 

Falklands:

After two days at sea we were anxious to see if we would make our call into Stanley. Even if the skies were cloudy and it was a bit windy, we anchored as planned at Port Stanley. I had booked the Falklands Birding Expedition for the morning. Only 15 people were on this walking tour and two guides accompanied us for this fauna and flora exploration. We took a bus that got us out of the city, and started our walk along the shore of the island. We discovered over 15 species of birds, and numerous plants and flowers endemic to this island. After several kilometres along the shore, we ended up at Gypsy Cove where we saw the colony of Magellanic penguins. This was the highlight of the walk. It was amazing to see these little guys surfing the waves, and enjoying the beach, as if they were on vacations. It was great!This was an amazing tour and I would highly recommend it.

 

We returned to the city Centre where I had enough time to see the cathedral - which was closed due to a funeral that day - before setting out for our afternoon excursion to Long Island Farm. This was also an amazing tour. We drove inland about one hour through fields of rocks to get to this small sheep farm. The farm owners Glenda and Neil greeted us personally as we exited the bus. Pat, one of the farm help gave us a demonstration of peat cutting and explained how they use peat for heating. A few passengers were invited to give peat cutting a try - seems a lot easier than it is! Then we walked back to the farm where Glenda talked about her dogs and their role in sheep herding. The group was slit in two and half went into the farm house to have tea and wonderful homemade empenadas, cookies and other delicious treats while the other half went to the shearing house to see Pat shear a sheep in just a few minutes! The tour ended with Neil showing us the different pieces used to saddle their horse. Then back through the fields of rocks to head back to Stanley. Our guide was a young lad, native of the Falklands and gave us a lot of information and details about the way of life of these remote islands inhabitants.

 

Back in our cabin, we heard excited screams coming from the balconies. We rushed out to see one of the most amazing spectacles: porpoises doing flips just in front of the Starboard balconies!! They were probably Burmeister’s porpoise, as they are abundant in this part of the world. There were several pods playing around. It was amazing to see them race the tenders, then jump in groups of three. This little went on for quite some times, until we set sail to leave Port Stanley! What a great way to end a beautiful day. I’m so happy that we made our stop into the Falklands, this was a unique experience that will give us lifetime memories.

 

Cape Horn:

At around 4:00 pm, the Port Lecturer, Joe May, announced that we were approaching the Cape. Our cabin was on Starboard and we thought we would be on the right side to see the

Cape from our balcony, but in fact, the view was from the Portside of the ship. So we put on our warm clothes and set went out on the front of the ship on the Upper Promenade deck. It was a perfect spot to view both sides, and to hear the commentary. As this cruise had many passengers from South America, most commentaries were done in English and Spanish. The seas were rather calms as we approached the Cape. While Cape Horn is just a big chunk of rock, the simple fact of sailing these legendary waters is very impressive. As we started our circumnavigation around Isla de Hornos the waves got a bit chunkier. It wasn’t that cold, but it was extremely windy - we needed the warm clothes. The sky was cloudy but we could see big patches of blue appearing. With the sun coming out, we witnessed the most magnificent spectacle that nature can give us: rainbows... all over the place. One on the right, another on the left, it was simply amazing. It made for some interesting pictures. It took about 2 hours to go around the island and get back to our original point, Cape Horn.

 

Ushuaia:

We arrived in Ushuaia very early in the morning. The view of the mountains in the dark with the lights from the houses at the base of the mountain was just amazing. As the day set out, we knew we were in for a pretty rainy day. Heavy clouds covered the mountains tops. I had reserved the first departure for the Catamaran Beagle Channel excursion at 7h15am. The winds were strong and the ship had difficulty docking, and we were only able to get out at 7h30. The catamarans were moored right across the pier so it was a 2 minute walk to get there. We set sailed shortly after 7h30. The clouds were very low, and it was raining. So we didn’t have a spectacular view of the channel as I would have expected. Later departures probably had better viewing than we did. We stopped at different islands to see the sealions, seals and cormorants. It was cold on deck, but we were able to get really close to the animals - enough to get a good whiff... We also saw the southernmost lighthouse in the world!! We could buy postcards on the catamaran, and toward the end of the cruise they came around with the ‘Fin del Mundo’ stamps (one with penguins, the other with the lighthouse) so that we could get our postcards or passport stamped. There’s a post office right on the pier where you can buy stamps and mail the postcards. We were back on the pier at 9h30. So that gave me enough time to go into town before setting out on our next excursion at 11h30. Since we were there on a Sunday, most shops in town were closed. A few shops were opened but they were few and far between. Some souvenir and leather shops were open on the pier as well.

 

Our next endeavour was the Drive to the End of the World excursion. This was a drive through Tierra del Fuego National Park. Some people were disappointed with this tour, but we enjoyed it very much as we learned a lot about the natives that were found on this land, living around fires they carried everywhere with them to keep warm in this cold and rainy climate - hence the name Tierra del Fuego or Fireland. The nature was beautiful and we made a few stops to take in the views. We also stopped by lake La Roca where there was a small gift shop and restaurant. The park hosts hundreds of rabbits and beavers. Both animals were brought in the park in hopes of creating a new trade for fur. But the climate being different than where these animals originated, they grew a thick layer of fat that rendered the fur unsaleable. So both animals are now considered somewhat pests. The rabbits are all over the place just like squirrels in our parks. As for the beavers, they are most active during the night, so we couldn’t see them, but we could see the devastated areas left by the floods created by their dams. After the stop at lake La Roca, we drove to the end of the Pan American Highway that spans more than 17 000 km from Alaska to here! Everyone got their picture taken by the ‘sign’. A walk down the walkway brought us to spectacular views of this End of the World. Nature was on our side and gave us 3 minutes of sunshine (literally), just enough to make great pictures! We were back on the pier at 3h15 pm, just in time for all aboard and to make a few last minute purchase in the pier shops!

 

We left Ushuaia on time just past 4 pm. Shortly after 7 pm we saw the first glacier emerge from Starboard side of the Beagle Channel in the Darwin Mountain chain. We were thrilled to have this view on ‘our’ side of the ship so that we could watch this incredible scenery go by as we sat on our balcony. We turned on the TV on the channel 35 so we could listen to Joe May’s commentary. First glacier we saw was Espana followed by Holland, Italia, New Francia and Old Francia, Alemania and finally Romanche. It was quite something to see how much some of them had receded. Romanche was half way up the mountain and an amazing cascade of water was pouring out of it. It truly looked like the glacier was weeping. Sad. The last glacier unrolled just after 8 pm, in time for us to get ready for dinner.

 

Punta Arenas:

We were out on the tender early morning for our first excursion Punta Arenas City Sights. The day promised to be beautiful, and it turned out to be a great day. Sun was out, it was a little chilly at about 12C. As we exited the cruise passenger terminal, we found Princess tour buses waiting for us. Our guide Juan immediately started giving us information on the city, the way it was colonized, the trade etc. Punta Arenas counts around 120 000 people, so it’s far from being a village! Our first stop was at the municipal cemetery. Dating from 1840, this park was giving to the town by Sara Braun, a rich businesswoman who also built a beautiful palace around the Plaza Munoz Gamero. The cemetery hosts extravagant mausoleums and enormous bell shape cypress trees, all witness of a glorious past. Our next stop was at an open-air museum, ran by the Patagonia Institute, part of the Universidad de Magallanes, the Museo del Recuerdo displays pioneer agricultural and industrial machinery. It also reconstructed original traditional houses, general stores and a shearing shed. There’s a good exhibit on maritime instruments and an impressive cartographic exhibits. We then drove through some nice areas of city along Bulnes avenue to get to our third stop, the Maggiorino Borgatello Salesian Museum. This museum was constructed in 1893 by the Salesian missionaries. It hosts many exhibits on the region’s history, flora and fauna, indigenous tribes and their way of life, and the work of the missionaries. We saw many stuffed animals and fossils. Particularly interesting are the many photographs of the various tribes, as well as samples of their tools and other everyday objects and even one original canoes. Our last stop was at the Plaza Munoz Gamero, the city main square. Sitting in the middle of the square is the statue of Magellan. At the base of the statue, you can find a mermaid and two Indians. A local custom says that those who kiss the big toe of the Patagonian Indian will have good luck and will return to Punta Arenas again! You should see the color of this big toe, it’s shiny gold by all the tourists polishing it with their hopes of returning. All around the square, artisans were offering their handicrafts. Alpaca sweaters were selling for $12! We had the option of staying at the square or to drive back to the pier.

 

We arrived back at the pier at 11h00 am. Since I had another tour to Seno Otway Penguin Colony at 1h30pm, I decided to have a quick lunch and to walk back into town to continue the exploration. There was small café outside the port where I had a good sandwich. The main square is only a few blocks from the pier. I walked around the square exploring the palaces and did a bit of shopping on the commercial streets. I was back at the pier in time for our next tour to the penguin colony. We had a 90 minute bus ride to Seno Otway. For some reason our guide gave all explanation in English and Spanish, so it made for a very confusing narration at times, as it was obvious she was more comfortable speaking Spanish and gave a lot more information in this language. I’ve never experienced this on a Princess tour. The ride to Seno Otway is pretty boring. Once there, we realized quickly that all the warnings to dress warmly had not been done in vain. The wind was extremely forceful, I could barely stand still. We had to walk about a mile on a path paralleling the water. The first sighting station is at the Beach. You can watch the penguins from behind a wood shelter. But the wind whistling though the watching hole was so strong we could barely look for more than a minute. I had to hold my camera with both hands to take a somewhat decent picture. There was about 30 penguins there, and they were very quiet, not moving at all.

 

There’s a couple of watch towers from which you can watch the penguins, but again there was 3 at the first, and may 7 or 8 at the second tower. We were told afterwards that most penguins had already left. It was a lot of effort to walk in this wind to see so few penguins that all look like they were sleeping. It was somewhat disappointing, especially after seeing them so many of them, and so lively in the Falklands. We were back at the pier in time for the last tender at 5 pm. Needless to say that the line to embark on the tender was pretty long.

 

 

Cruising through the Chilean Fjords:

Last night was rough. The cracking noise and vibrations of the ship woke me up at 2h30. As soon as we woke up we went to eat to make sure our stomach was full... keeping it full is not really hard work on a cruise ship!! The seas are rougher because we are in the Pacific ocean - not sure how this ocean got its name... We’ll have two days at sea going along the coast of Chile, going in and out of the canals and fjords up to Puerto Montt. The Captain told us that we would get back in the canals at around 11h00, and seas should be much calmer. He was right - as always!

 

Around 16h00 we entered Pitt Canal. During about three hours, we saw the most beautiful scenery go by... just breathtaking! Sculpted mountains, small rocky islands, glacier waterfalls were parading in front of us, as we comfortably sat on our balcony. Joe May told us that these fjords are unusual as they are very green. The sun came out shyly just in time to show the snowy cap of the Andes in the background. What is truly amazing is that we sailed in these fjords for hours without seeing any trace of Men - no structures, no lighthouses, nothing!

 

During our second night at sea, I again woke up at 2h30. I went out on the balcony. I couldn’t believe my eyes... there were hundreds of little white balls floating on the sea. At first, I thought it was ice chunks but I quickly realized they were birds floating away. They were probably gulls sleeping!! Then my eyes went up to the sky, and again, hundreds, no millions of stars were covering the sky. It was an unbelievable experience. I could hardly go back to sleep with all these stars in my eyes.

 

Our second day at sea was less scenic. So we went up to the Conservatory to relax and read. In the afternoon, we went to the card room to play cards and dominos.

 

Puerto Montt

We woke up early this morning to try to be on the first tender out to Puerto Montt. We reserved a private tour with GV Tours. They asked us to be there for 8h00-8h30. We were originally scheduled to arrive at 7h00 but somehow that got changed to 8h00. So were didn’t want to miss our tour with them. We were at the Explorer’s Lounge at 7h30. We were the only one there but not for long! Within minutes, the line got fairly long. We still had to wait until 8h45 to get on the tender. They filled the tenders with people on Princess tour and they kept 20 seats for the other people. We were in the first 20 out along with AZkitty from CC. We met some people later on who told us that they arrived at the lounge at 8h45 and weren’t able to disembark before 11h15!!

 

Gail from GV Tours was waiting just outside the cruise terminal, as promised. Four more people were already there, so we joined the group and left almost immediately. Our guide for the day was Anny, Gail and Veronica’s 17 year old daughter. Even if Anny was young, she was a good guide and gave us good and unbiased information on Chile, political and economical views, and of course historical information. I’m sure her mom or dad would have been more talkative, but everything considered, she did a good job.

 

Puerto Montt is in the Lake and Volcanoes district of Chile. Our itinerary took us around Lake Llanquihue (pronounced Yankee Way!). Our first stop was Frutillar, a small village on the lake, founded by 200 German settlers that came to Chile in 1856. If the weather has cooperated we would have seen the majestic Osorno volcano, but alas, the clouds were very low and we could only see its base. The architecture is German, and many shops and restaurants offer the traditional Kuchen, or German pastries. The Museo Colonial Aleman sits in the village center and offers a good exhibition of buildings and objects used by the German settlers. Across four buildings, you can see an old mill, a barn, the blacksmith house and also a rich farmer’s house. The gardens are really spectacular, filled with blue hydrangeas!

 

Next stop was Puerto Varas or the city of roses. Streets, parks and people’s lawn are lined with rose bushes. Truly beautiful. Again, this city is on the shores of Lake Llanquihue. It’s a popular starting point for kayak expedition and for people wanting to ascend the Osorno (9000 ft). If the skies were clear we could see Osorno snow capped cone, that look like Mt Fuji. But even if we can’t see it, we can imagine how beautiful it would be.

 

On our way to Ensenada, where we’ll stop for lunch, we stopped at a small farm where we saw emus and lamas. They also had a small zip lines that amused a lot of people while others were chasing the lamas around to get an up close picture.

 

Our lunch was great. We stopped at the Las Tranqueras restaurant where we had a ‘simple Chilean meal’ as Anny said. As soon as we sat down, they brought small piping hot breads or sopapillas with a chimichurri sauce. It was followed by grilled salmon served with potatoes, Chile national vegetable. Contrary to what we believed, Chilean do not use a lot of spices on their food. It was simple but quite tasty. Dessert was a bowl of fruit compote, apple or sour peaches. Of course we had Chilean wine. Anny told us that lunch was the main meal in Chile and still today, family tried hard to keep it as a family meal.

 

Our small group then headed to Vicente Rosales National Park. The dirt road took us all the way to Petrohue Falls. Once there, we walked about 10 minutes in a forest path. The deep sound of falling water told us we were close to our goal. Even if this is the end of summer and water levels are low, the torrential waters were quite impressive. The black lava rocks contrast with the emerald green water. Quite a spectacle. Small bridges allow you to walk over the rocks and the cascade making the walk quite easy. The scenery is really beautiful and definitely worth making the trip. As I read these lines, I realized that it’s impossible to put in words the beauty of nature. From the Petrohue Saltos, we continued on the road all the way up to Lake Todos los Santos or more commonly known as Emerald Lake for its bright blue green color. A long time ago, this lake was part of Lake Llanquihue but during one of the volcano’s eruption, a lava flowed into the lake and formed a smaller lake - Lake Esmeralda. We could now see part of the snowy cap of Osorno. Our hopes were up that we might see it after all!! We did for about 4 seconds on the way back to Puerto Montt as the clouds got away, but truly for just a few seconds...

 

We then headed back to Puerto Montt. In Alerce, a small suburb, we saw several new housing projects for low income family. The tiny houses are affordably priced (15-20$/month) so that these families can have access to property, and to get them out of the favelas. Minimum wage is 240$/ month. The small houses are all identical, have very little land but at least, people have a good roof over their heads. Old Alerce is still lined with old houses made of tin and planks.

 

Back in Puerto Montt, we stopped at the main square to see the Cathedral, the only standing structure made of the Alerce wood, that today is almost extinct. The Cathedral is the only wood building that survived the 1960 earthquake and tsunami.

 

We were back at the tender pier at 4h30. Our tour cost was 65$US per person. We paid at the end of the day. This was a great deal compared to the prices Princess wanted for similar tour. Furthermore, we were able to hit all places before the busses which was great.

 

It took quite a while to get back on board the ship. Most busses arrived at the same time and the line was very long. The last tender was scheduled for 5 pm, but we saw them running until 7pm! Many small boats loaded with people came around our mega ship. It was really fun as we could talk to them, they were so close! They would shout Hola and laugh like crazy when we answered back!!

 

Last Sea Day

Our last day at sea was wonderful. A bright sun was hooked onto a blue sky and the sea was calm for most of the day. In the morning, the chefs and Maitre D gave a humorous cooking demonstration. The Princess theater was packed!

 

We spent most afternoon on deck soaking up the sun, and on our balcony and we were lucky to see quite a few whales. What a great way to end a great cruise! But reality checked in and we started packing ... all good things must end! But still, we have a full day tomorrow in Santiago.

 

Valparaiso - Santiago - Debarkation

The ship docked in Valparaiso early at around 2am. The noise coming from the harbor woke me up. Trucks and lifts were coming and going with an incredible amount of activities. As the day rose, we could see the hills of this legendary city. The houses are colorful and we could see the funicular go up and down the hills. We brought our breakfast back to the cabin and we sat on the balcony to savor our last moments in Valparaiso. At 7h30 the sun was up high painting the hills with a great golden color. Magnificent!

 

Halfway during the cruise, I had gone to the Tour desk to see what they had available for debarkation day. We were told that tours would be confirmed the day we were in Puerto Montt and he put our cabin number on a list. The morning of Puerto Montt we found a tour list in our box and we chose a Santiago City Tour with a visit to Concha y Toro winery and lunch. Our tickets were delivered on the last sea day along with debarkation instructions and luggage tags.

 

So we left our cabin at 7h30 to meet our debarkation tour in the Princess theater. The line was out the door, and the tour staff had lost control of the situation. They were confused and disorganized. Nevertheless, we managed to disembark at 8h30. We then boarded the buses that took us to the terminal as it is about 1 mile away from the pier. Once at the terminal, we were asked to stand in line and to drop our bags and purses on the floor for the sniffing dogs to inspect our belongings. After the sniffing test, we were good to go! No other immigration officer to see. We quickly found our bus and our guide Eduardo waiting for us.

 

The bus seemed a bit old and we didn’t immediately realized that the AC didn’t work properly, but as the day unfold we suffered tremendously from the heat. It was a very hot day in Santiago, and without proper AC, it was unbearable. We left Valparaiso at 9h15. We didn’t see much of it unfortunately and headed straight on the highway. It took about 2 hours to reach Santiago, but the road was interesting and our guide talked the whole way. We crossed Casablanca Valley where we saw many vineyards. This valley is renowned for its white wines (Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay) as the temperature varies very little between night and day. We then crossed the Maipos Valley, the most fertile of Chile, where grapes, lemons, mangoes and other fruits and crops are grown with the help of the Israelite irrigation techniques.

 

We went across Santiago to a suburd called Pirque. That’s where the largest vineyard of Chile, Concha y Toro is. Our tour was a bit disappointing. We walked through the park to go see the house and beautiful gardens. We walked back to the edge of a demo vineyard (no grapes left on the vines...), and quickly headed back to the cellars to taste our first wine: Castillero del Diablo Carmenet 2005. A young wine, too astringent and too purple. We were told we could keep the wine glasses as a souvenir. After the tasting we went down to the Devil’s cellar. They told us that the original owner Don Melchor Concha y Toro would tell people that devil visited his cellar, hence the name. A great way to keep pilfrager out of the place. Then we had a second tasting: an older wine, a Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon 1998, one of the house’s grand cru. The color was deeper with the orange fire ring typical of the Cabernet. Stronger tannins but not a great wine. It was now 2 pm. Everybody was starving - we had breakfast really early, couldn’t bring any food with us, and there were no water on the bus, and no place to buy some. This was a poorly designed tour.

 

We left the vineyard and got to the restaurant La Vaquita Echa only a few minutes later. Large tables were set up outside under the trees. It was very comfortable. We were rapidly offered a Pisco Sour, the national drink of Chile along with bread and cheese. A local singer serenaded us with his guitar as we continued our meal: asparagus soup, salmon or beef (the fish was much better than the beef which was tough and overcooked). Coffee and dessert, ice cream or fruit, ended this much welcomed meal.

Now, imagine the scene: bus loads of people who had not eaten anything since the wee hours of the morning, had not drank anything but 2 glasses of wine at the vineyard, a strong Pisco Sour and more wine with lunch... it was 3h30 pm and people were in a very good mood, even if the heat was so intense and we had no AC... but happiness turned into deep sleep - everybody snoozed until we were woken up by our guide as we reached Santiago to continue our tour. We went to the historical center. We stopped at the Plaza de Armas, saw the Cathedral and the statue of Valdivia, founder of Santiago. Most buildings are of different influence, French, Italian. We then headed to the Barrios Alto, or the high neighborhoods, high in altitude and where upper class people live. We reached Cerro San Cristobal, a beautiful park at 3000 ft of altitude. We went all the way up and stopped at a belvedere where we had spectacular panoramic views of the city with the Andes and Mt Plomo (18000 ft) in the background. Even if the sun was high and the sky was clear, there was a thick haze of pollution hanging over the city.

 

We left Cerro San Cristobal for the Grand Hyatt where we left some of the passengers that had a post-cruise tour in Santiago. We had about 20 minutes and were able to use the facilities to freshen up a bit before going to the airport. We got to the airport at 7pm - which in our case was a bit late as our flight was at 9 pm. As we arrived at the airport, we saw all the luggage on the curb. They had been placed on carts. We found all of ours together on two carts pretty quickly - good thing we don't have black suitcases!! The line at the Air Canada counter was long. It took about 45 minutes to register. We then proceeded to immigration, another 20 minute line, and finally security. We didn't have to pay the exit tax we were told we would have to pay - a nice bonus! We just had enough time to grab a quick bite to ear before our flight was called. Our flight departed on time, and we arrived home, 13 hours later, a bit tired but filled with incredible memories.

 

That’s it!! I just hope that this review will convince you that a South America cruise is a must! Was it perfect? No. But, we had an amazing journey, met great people, saw things we didn’t expect to see, and learned a lot about the southern hemisphere, its people, fauna and flora, and mostly its glorious nature.

 

Practical Tips:

- Tours were 90% sold out as we embarked on the ship - Book early, and don’t hesitate to be put on a waitlist. Many people book many tours and cancel once onboard.

- US dollars were accepted everywhere except for taxis in Buenos Aires that only accept Argentinian pesos

- Make sure you have enough memory cards, and a good zoom lens - I took over 1600 pictures...

- If you book tours on your own, be the first in line for tender tickets, tendering so many people in these small ports is a lengthy process.

- Be organized before you leave - know the ports and what you want to do. We met some people who had decided to ‘wing’ it, and they were disappointed in several ports where they had a hard time finding tours, or a taxi driver that spoke English.

 

- A last word on the ship. We were on the Golden 6 months before this cruise in the British Isle, and I must say that she was in much better shape then than she is now. For some reason, the ship didn't feel 'clean' everywhere. The brass around the elevators was smudged and looked permanently faded, the public washrooms were not always well attended, and the buffet tables not cleared very prompty. Overall, it didn't feel like the ship we had sailed on in August.

 

If you want to browse some of my pictures, feel free: http://community.webshots.com/user/mcdessureault

 

MC

[Pam in CA]

Great review, MC! Thanks for posting.

[beckntom]

Wonderful reading as well as very helpful information for our SA cruise next year! Thanks for taking the time and trouble to share.

 

Becky

[Casshew]

Hi M-C! what a great read...... I'm on my way now to look at all the photos.

 

Your Mom is such a trooper, I was tired after reading everything you did and saw, I could never keep up with you two.

 

That last tour with no A/C would have done me in, nevermind the wine and national drink of chile!

 

As for me doing a Princess South American cruise, not likely and certainly not until they get their act together on embarkation, what an ordeal that was for you. Great upgrade though!

[S&B]

MC

From what I have been reading when you go to Punta Arenas, take the Otway Sound penguin excursion, you do not have the same experience as you do with the other penguin excursions, am I correct? I have read several times that you can only look through the boarded fence, or whatever, to see the penguins. In Stanley, if we get there, we walk on trails? I am getting all these penguin excursions confused. So, if we get to Stanley and am happy with the penguins then I don't need to go to Otway. Does all of this make sense??

 

Did you hear from any other passengers that took other excursions in Punta Arenas? I cannot find anything else if we don't do the penguin excursion.

 

Thanks for your wonderful review. We cruise in February 2008. :)

[RASHOPPER2]

Thank You So Much For This Wonderful Post. We Will Be Doing This Trip In Jan 2008 - I Printed Out Your Review And We Will Use It As A Guideline When We Do Our Trip.

[Marie-Claude]

Casshew: Thanks!! You're right about my Mom, she is a trooper and I'm always amazed by all the things she's willing to do!!

 

***************************

 

S&B: You're right, penguins excursions are confusing. I'll try to sort it out a bit.

Falkland:

Gypsy Cove - you see many Magellanic but you're up on the cliff they are down on the beach. You can go there on your own from a shuttle/taxi on the pier for 10$.

Sparrow Cove or Bluff Cove - I believe you need a ship tour for that, and you'll be amidst the penguins. You could see Gentoo, Magellanic and King if you're lucky.

Punta Arenas:

Seno Otway - you'll see Magellanic from a distance, either on the beach (you watch them from behind the planks) or in the fields. This is 1/2 day tour.

Magdalena Island - you'll be up close with Magellanic penguins, but this tour takes all day.

 

The number and kind of penguins depends on the time of year and time of day. At Seno Otway, most penguins had gone already in mid February. Morning is better than afternoon.

 

Also, if you have a good encounter in the Falklands, you may be disappointed in Punta Arenas - it all depends on how 'addicted' to penguins you are!!

 

******************************

 

RASHOPPER2:

Glad you enjoyed the review. Don't hesitate to ask any questions!! And have a great time planning this wonderful cruise!!

 

MC

[mii]

What a great read. I felt like I was on that trip with you. Thank you very much and well done.

 

marilyn

[neildean]

MC

So, if we get to Stanley and am happy with the penguins then I don't need to go to Otway. Does all of this make sense?? :)

 

That's what we did. We booked the Sparrow Cove tour in Stanley and Otway as a back up. After we saw the penguins in the Falklands, we cancelled the Otway tour. On the Sparrow Cove tour, we were asked to stay away from the penguins, but they came walking up to us so we have some very close up pictures.

 

The tour consists of a boat ride (not the ship tenders but local boats) to a landing and a four wheel drive adventure to the cove. We still had time to see Stanley after the tour as well. This was the best excursion we have ever done anywhere.

 

Neil

[terpla]

Wonderful review we will be going in Feb.7,08 and have already booked GV tours in Puerto Montt. Your review makes a great reference for us.

I inadvertantly contacted the people who do the penguin tours for Princess and of course she is contracted witih them but I did ask her which of the two tours do you get to see the most penguins and she said both were excellant. Now Princess just says Bluff cove is the one where you will get enough time to see the city and it doesn't say that on Sparrow Cove, but I see from Neil that you can still see the city after Sparrow Cove. Then others say Bluff cove they saw hundreds of penguins for $10 and Dileep says he only saw one king penguin. So do you think I'm confused or what. $10 dollars versus $118 is a big difference, but will we see enough penguins. HELP!!!

[Marie-Claude]

Then others say Bluff cove they saw hundreds of penguins for $10

The 10$ shuttle takes you to Gypsy Cove - not Bluff Cove. Big difference.

In Gypsy Cove you will see hundreds of penguins but don't get up close and personal with them... if you look at my pictures (the Falkland album) you'll see what I mean.

 

Bluff Cove is only offered through the ship. There you will get close to the penguins.

 

I hope this makes sense!!

MC

[TXTraveler76]

Hi MC

 

What a wonderful review! Thank you for taking the time to provide so much information. I have never given a second glance to the SA itinerary. It looks like one I will have to add. Like Cass, I am amazed at how much your Mom can accomplish. It reminds me of what my Mom and I did 10 tens ago. Keep it up! I am off to look at the pictures.

 

I am planning 2008- Sea Princess 8/30/08. Hope you two can join us.

 

Jacki

[NorcalGuy]

Wonderful review and still reading eagerly, but can't wait to ask a question:

In retrospect, can you recommend your stay at the Intercontinental Hotel over the Mariott Plaza Hotel?

I understand that things to do in the evening would be easier in the area of the Mariott Plaza, but I question if there is really time to take advantage of that? Maybe wouldn't matter?

Did you feel "isolated" at the Intercontinental Hotel area

Any comments for the other cruisers you traveled with re the Mariott Plaza?

I know the Intercontinental sounds ultra nice, so it's a toss up in my uninitiated mind.

So appreciate your experience and advise!!

[paul929207]

Thanks for the great review. We are going on this cruise next March on the Star Princess. I can hardly wait.

 

Thanks again,

 

Paul

[Marie-Claude]

In retrospect, can you recommend your stay at the Intercontinental Hotel over the Mariott Plaza Hotel?

Hi NorcalGuy!

 

We really liked the Intercontinental. It is 2 blocks from Cafe Tortoni and Avenida 25 Mayo, only a few blocks from Plaza de Mayo and a reasonable walking distance from Puerto Madero where a lot of nice restaurants are located. You can easily take a cab back for under 10$. As a matter of fact, taxis are cheap to take you anywhere. In my mind, for the 3 nights we were there, I never felt 'isolated' and I would stay there again for sure, considering the price difference with the Marriot. Also, there's a free shuttle that can take you to Plaza San Martin during the day, and if you're a good walker it's a 30 minute walk.

 

Before leaving there were very few comments on the Intercontinental on this board, so we were hesitating, knowing what I know now, I have no regrets about the Hotel itself. We wanted to do the pre-cruise with Princess as I was travelling with my Mom and I thought it would be easier.

 

Again knowing what I know now... I would not do the pre-cruise with Princess. Hotel was great, tours were wonderful, but transfers were a nightmare. I would definitely take a cab from airport to hotel, and hotel to pier which would have saved us several hours of wait. You can easily book any city tours, tango show and even day in the Pampa with your concierge (for probably a lot less money!)

 

Hope this helps!

MC

[Robert in the Hudson Valle]

Marie-Claude,

 

For taking in the scenery in SA from the ship is one side of the ship better than the other?

 

Robert

[Marie-Claude]

Marie-Claude, for taking in the scenery in SA from the ship is one side of the ship better than the other?

Robert,

 

It's a toss... On the Buenos Aires to Santiago itinerary, starboard had the advantage of being on the Glacier side, Cap Horn was on the port side. The fjords had good viewing from both sides, but on starboard we could peak at the Andes when the clouds weren't too low.

We were on starboard and felt we were on the 'good side' most of the time except for Cap Horn.

MC

[carolus]

We have benefitted tremendously from postings on Cruise Critic, so thought we might add our observations to Marie-Claude's wonderfully detailed report. We were on the same cruise. In Buenos Aires we were met at the airport by a guide and driver we had reserved through Ricardo De Franco, http://www.defrantur.com. He handled our transfers, airport to hotel, hotel to local airport for side trip to Iguazu Falls, including air tickets, Iguazu airport to Sheraton hotel and return, back to the Claridge and then to the ship. It was all accomplished professionally and painlessly. We stayed at the Claridge Hotel, small, clean and pleasant, with an accommodating staff and free internet. It was also only one block from Avenida Florida, the pedestrian shopping street. The first night we had dinner at Piegari, a wonderful Italian restaurant recommended by an Argentinian friend. We then left about 6:15am for Iguazu, (leaving most of our baggage at the hotel) arriving at the Sheraton hotel about noon. We had a room with a view of the falls and it was wonderful, well worth the price. In the afternoon we took the train to the top of the falls (incredible butterflies and even a cayman) and then did the upper falls walk. At sunset we strolled around the grounds, admiring the birds , coatis and agoutis. Dinner at the hotel was quite good. The next morning we walked the lower falls trails, with almost no one else around, and still pleasantly cool. Arrived back in Buenos Aires without incident around 3pm. Had dinner at Cabana de las Lilas, on the renovated waterfront. Touted by a New York Times food critic as worth a flight to Argentina. Perhaps, if you're with the owner. The breads were great, the steak quite good, the service quick and willing, but not polished, the restaurant moves hundreds of patrons through its tables every night. We left the hotel at noon the next day for the ship, managed to get through the line and board in 45 minutes, thus missing the fiasco later in the afternoon.

Montevideo, nothing to add. Flea market was fun.

I regret not taking a penguin tour in Stanley, seems it was the best place. However, the town is delightful, more British than Britain, and the small museum quite interesting. Had a couple of pints at an hospitable pub called the Stanley Arms.

Cape Horn was the reason for the trip, and somewhat disappointing. I had hoped for at least 25 foot seas, and it was a mill pond, with, as noted by Marie Claude, rainbows everywhere.

In Ushuiai we disembarked at 8:30 and bought a ticket for the Beagle Channel catamaran tour. Free yerba mate and coffee on board, nice cruise, if a bit cold and windy on deck. Had lunch at Tante Maria's on the waterfront, to the left (east) of the dock. Excellent, with a view of the channel. After wandering around a bit we had good coffee in a delightful spot called Ramos Generales, full of antique bric-a-brac and selling local wine.

Punta Arenas looked like a frontier town, with almost no redeeming architectural qualities. Took a tour to the Otway penguin grounds, $100 for two or four people. At least we saw some penguins. Returned and had lunch in a wonderful funky restaurant in town called La Marmita. Delightful decor, all the antiques in use, good service and wonderful food - salad, king crab, lamb, chicken, vegetables, real coffee and good wine. Incidentally, we had no difficulty bringing wine back on board ship with us - 5 bottles in Buenos Aires, two in Ushuaia and three in Puntas Arenas.

Puerto Montt - Princess was terrible with tendering. Started at 8:30am, off boat at 10:45. Saw most of same sights as Marie-Claude, but with a private driver for the day - 4 people, $120.

Valparaiso - finally off ship at 10:00, having asked for 8:00am - could have left earlier, no one was checking baggage colors. We had made a car reservation because we wanted to tour a winery, Errazuriz, not on any tour operators' agenda. Another couple from the cruise joined us. Car was very late, but we got an interesting walk through a local market and a haircut. Errazuriz was quite accommodating, feting us with wine and a wonderful meal at 4:30pm when we finally arrived. Drove on to Santiago, finally found our hotel, the Orly, about 9:30pm. Delightful spot, great service, nice rooms, good breakfast cheap internet and very good food in the dining room. We liked Santiago much more than Buenos Aires. At least the area we were in was full of tree lined streets, sidewalk cafes and pleasant people. Also, it was clean and no beggars. Took a taxi to La Moneda Cultural Center, impressive, clean and wonderful photography exhibits. Also took taxi to other end of town to Los Dominicos, many local artisans in a pleasant setting. Trip to airport and departure were easy and uneventful.

Hope this adds a little to the exploration of possibilities. We were content with the ship, had a great room steward, starboard side cabin with balcony.

Charles

[S&B]

Charles,

 

How did you book your hotels, Claridge and the Orly. Did you go through a travel agent or did you book them online with their hotel sites? Or with an online third party? Some people have booked everything with an agency in BA, including transfers, hotels, excursions, etc.

 

I was looking on the internet yesterday with a third party booking site and noticed that alot of the hotels were sold out. Is this possible nine months in advance?

 

Thanks for the review and all your help.

[RASHOPPER2]

I Booked The Claridge And The Orly Directly On Their Web Sites For Jan 2008. No Problem And Good Rates.

[S&B]

Thanks Rashopper,

 

When I look up Claridge Hotel in Buenos Aires I get all these third party sites. I cannot seem to get their main website. I have tried typing it several ways. Can you give me their main hotel website? Thanks.

[carolus]

S&B, like Rashopper, I booked directly with the hotels on their internet sites.

Charles

[S&B]

Charles,

What did you use to get to the Claridge Hotel webpage? I have tried several things and they all take me to Travelocity, etc. I have not had any problems with the Orly in Santiago. Are you staying in Santiago? Presently we are three nights in BA and two in Santiago.

[carolus]

S&B, try sending them an e-mail message at reservations@claridge.com.ar

I stayed at Orly in February.

Charles

[dabear]

How did you like the location of Claridges and were the rooms small? We like to be near the center of shopping and sites and Marriott is great location but their only good rates are with AAA membership which we do not belong.