Which way best??

[lk4xits]

Looking at my options around Cape Horn in 2006, Are their any cruise differences between sailing from BA to Santiago or using the reverse itinerary? Right now the Celebrity Infinity 14 day cruise has peaked my interest. The Holland American Amsterdam cruise 16 day starting or ending in Rio is also a contender although BA is of more interest to me then Rio. Weather wise which would you prefer Feb or March. Cheap airfare??? does it exist>:)

 

Thanks for your input in advance.

 

Marty

[Smooth Sailing]

If you leave out of Valparaiso and fly into Santiago - the government of Chile charges $100.00 US cash per person entry fee into the country - you do not pay this if you arrive from Buenos Aires via Cruise Ship. The weather is the opposite from North America - Feb is equivalent to August and March to September - It will most liklely be getting much cooler as you head into late Feb and March - also the Penquins will be mostly gone. We are leaving Jan. 14th - the equivalent of the middle of July up North - I will be reporting back when we arrive back home on the trip, ports, weather, etc.

[Smooth Sailing]

I don't believe there is any cheap airfare to either Buenos Aires or Santiago - However, you can usually get it for less than what the Cruise Lines charge - remember it is not really round trip since you will be returning from a different city than the one you flew into. I looked at all the onlines sites for months and finally settled for $1000.00 per person from San Antonio to Santiago and return Bunos Aires to San Antonio with one stop in Atlanta each way. I never saw it any less expensive - I did this about 6 months in advance and the price has been several hundred dollars more expensive the past several months.

[Host CMLA]

It was pricey no matter which way I would have gone. So I chose the cruise line's airfare because if there were any problems, the cruise line would be responsible for getting me to the next port if my flights were late, etc. If I have to pay a fortune anyway, at least I got some peace of mind. And it turns out I needed that piece of mind. There was a huge snow storm in Chicago the day I flew out from Denver. I had a stopover in Chicago. The airlines were predicting delayed flights. Fortunately, I was able to switch to a flight that went through Miami instead but others that flew through Chicago had a tense day hoping they would get to BA in time.

 

As for time of year...I left on March 2 out of BA. As we went South it did get colder. It snowed when we were in Ushuaia, Argentina. But that was the coldest day. On other days we wore gortex wind breakers. In Puerto Madryn we went to the penguin reserve and there were thousands of penguins. It was still warm in Uraguay and when we got to Santiago.

 

I think it's more economical to book at the end of the season. Because the weather is changing and it can be colder, those cruises don't book as fast. If price is a concern, I'd strongly consider a late season SA cruise.

[lk4xits]

Thanks for the input. Most 2005 SA cruises are sold out so 2006 it will be. I anticpate cold weather around Cape Horn and the south. Just hope sea is at least moderate. I'm guessing we will fly Lan Chile and fly in a day or so early. Meanwhile working on a early June (Gemini) trip or cruise somewhere. Initial thoughts Greece and Turkey sounds warmer then London, France.

 

Marty

[tiegs]

Check with Lan Chile on their USA web site, keep in mind they partner with American Airlines, we saved alot 2 years ago.

[Splinter]

We went on HAL Ryndam. We got our own plane tickets (United) and saved nearly $600 each over what HAL asked (we got these through our TA). We flew to Santiago through Miami and then home again from Rio through Miami. Some people traveling with us got their tickets through HAL and were on Delta. Coming home their flight was cancelled and they had to reroute from Rio through Sao Paulo (flying south first) and got home 8 hours later than originally planned. Just be sure if you book on your own that you give yourself enough time to make adjustments for delays due to weather, etc. I have since flown to Brazil again and used Varig on a code sharing flight with United...I paid $300 less round trip than the people I sat next to who booked directly with United.