Antarctica Live On Board

Speaking of BA scams: We were slimed in BA yesterday but unlike in India it wasn’t feces so we laughed it off and went to the nearest McD’s to clean up!! No problem for us with that scam (assuming it comes out of my pants when I launder them!). It’s not letting me post the pictures of the back of my husband’s black polo shirt (that he took off and washed at McD’s) or the back of my khaki pants...

Ugh. Thanks for letting us know. We will take wet wipes with us in BA.

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Yuck. We had no issues in ba last time.

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A few questions for the veterans here

 

Any good reason to take a bathing suit?

Would an insulated mug come in handy?

Are Chilean pesos required in Chile or can we make do with usd and credit cards?

I have read a lot about the peso vs usd situation in Argentina. Did you exchange money? At atms? Are the taxis still pulling the bill swap scam? Last time we were there it was rampant

 

 

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Re: Argentina and money.

I exchanged $100 into local currency at a Citibank in BA. Got the official rate of exchange.

However, in restaurants I asked for the bill in dollars and got a very favorable rate of exchange. We had also arranged a private guide from the US and that was all prearranged for payment to be made in dollars. Equally very favorable to us.

I did not, and was not willing to, change money on the street.

In Chile, our experience was that they wanted their own currency (Chilean pesos) and not dollars. I changed money at Citibank again or used my Amex card.

Does Seabourn sell any foreign currency on board? Do they cash travelor's checks?

Just to add to the above comments:

The pool was open through most of our cruise, and was heated to about 90 F, except for the day of the "polar plunge", when it was filled with seawater from the Drake! (We passed on that one.)

We got pesos in BA from an ATM in a shopping mall that was recommended by our hotel, but really did not need them since credit cards were accepted almost everywhere. We paid our guide at the Ricoletta Cemetery in pesos, but she probably would have accepted dollars. We paid for our car service from the airport in dollars and taxi to the port in pesos.

No problem with credit cards in Ushuaia.

In Chile, we used dollars in a craft stall in Porto Montt. We prepaid for our San Antonio tour/transfer in dollars, and paid for our lunch with a credit card.

A few questions for the veterans here

 

.........................I have read a lot about the peso vs usd situation in Argentina. Did you exchange money? At atms? Are the taxis still pulling the bill swap scam? Last time we were there it was rampant

 

 

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You will obviously have read about the "blue dollar exchange rate" in Argentina. We found we got very favourable exchange rates using USD in restaurants....e.g. official rate approx. 10 pesos to $/restaurants 15 pesos to $.

You will obviously have read about the "blue dollar exchange rate" in Argentina. We found we got very favourable exchange rates using USD in restaurants....e.g. official rate approx. 10 pesos to $/restaurants 15 pesos to $.

Yes I have. Good to know.

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I have read a lot about the peso vs usd situation in Argentina. Did you exchange money? At atms? Are the taxis still pulling the bill swap scam? Last time we were there it was rampant

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Just spent four sweltering days in BA. Mostly took Uber, no tip expected. Took black and yellow cabs twice, no problem. Hired Tienda Leon from EZE to hotel. No problems.

Got ATM money twice, at EZE and hotel. Advised not to get at ATMs in publilic areas. Used cc widely, only used pesos for cash tips at restaurants and at mom/pop convenience stores.

Never rah into scams, but I’m pretty vigilant and also was with a local Puerteno the whole time.

We ended our cruise on HALs Zaandam in January, and also got slimed in BA. Luckily , we got a letter from the captain warning us of this pick pocket scam. We had nothing on us except my shoulder bag. We walked quickly to the corner where there was a policewoman. Then went back to the hotel and filled up the bath tub and washed our clothes.

Speaking of BA scams: We were slimed in BA yesterday but unlike in India it wasn’t feces so we laughed it off and went to the nearest McD’s to clean up!! No problem for us with that scam (assuming it comes out of my pants when I launder them!). It’s not letting me post the pictures of the back of my husband’s black polo shirt (that he took off and washed at McD’s) or the back of my khaki pants...

My slimed khaki pants cleaned up beautifully at the Belmond, Iguazu Falls, Brazil. I no longer can post photos to CruiseCritic due to an error but I sure wish everyone could see the slime. I laughed!!

Is anyone on board now who can update us on your present trip? Looking at the seabourn ventures blog, it looked like you were near Stanley all day yesterday, so I presume you tendered in ok?

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We just booked the Quest for January 2019 largely due to this thread (and cancelled our previous booking on the Prinsendam for January 2019)

Do keep posting your experiences and tidbits.

We are wondering about dress codes in the dining room. DH no longer has a tuxedo (he donated his to the HAL Amsterdam in 2014 when we left the ship in Shanghai for a three week China tour and had to pare down our baggage). Is a dark suit going to be acceptable on formal nights or will we be eating elsewhere those evenings?

Yes, a dark suit will be fine in the MDR.

We just booked the Quest for January 2019 largely due to this thread (and cancelled our previous booking on the Prinsendam for January 2019)

 

Do keep posting your experiences and tidbits.

 

We are wondering about dress codes in the dining room. DH no longer has a tuxedo (he donated his to the HAL Amsterdam in 2014 when we left the ship in Shanghai for a three week China tour and had to pare down our baggage). Is a dark suit going to be acceptable on formal nights or will we be eating elsewhere those evenings?

No need for a tuxedo nor even a suit. It is a Formal optional nite and the dress code only requires a jacket, no tie is required nor is a suit or tux. Saw many people in only a sports jacket, no tie as I dressed and had no issues.

Is anyone on board now who can update us on your present trip? Looking at the seabourn ventures blog, it looked like you were near Stanley all day yesterday, so I presume you tendered in ok?

 

 

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Seas were/are calm. We tendered into Stanley and skies were clear most of the day.

We are in Antarctic waters, and the Drake was a Lake.

The food is outstanding and the briefings informative. Landfall expected for the first group at 0930 ship”s time, which is two hours earlirlier than BA time.

Happy to answer any further questions.

Seas were/are calm. We tendered into Stanley and skies were clear most of the day.

 

We are in Antarctic waters, and the Drake was a Lake.

 

The food is outstanding and the briefings informative. Landfall expected for the first group at 0930 ship”s time, which is two hours earlirlier than BA time.

 

Happy to answer any further questions.

I'm glad you made it into Stanley. I really enjoyed my day there (I did the battlefield tour, did some shopping and went to the pub).

I'm glad you made it into Stanley. I really enjoyed my day there (I did the battlefield tour, did some shopping and went to the pub).

We did Bluff Cove, which was an interesting environment with penguins and great tea and assorted cakes. The 4x4 was too cramped in the back seat to warrant a recommendation.

Caveat Emptor!

We did Bluff Cove, which was an interesting environment with penguins and great tea and assorted cakes. The 4x4 was too cramped in the back seat to warrant a recommendation.

 

Caveat Emptor!

We were on a full size bus.

Does anyone have a picture of the "penguin beanie/cap"? Just wondering what it looks like.

Unfortunately I continue to get an error when I try to post any kind of photo to CruiseCritic. It is a typical black watch knit cap. It does not have a pom-pom, tassel or anything like that. It does not have a “brim” that is folded back all the way around the cap. It is 100% merino wool with a polyester inner band. The polyester inner band is fleece lining on the inside bottom 2 inches of the beanie. The fleece lining is what touches your forehead and ears. The all black knit hat has a classy looking white penguin outline knitted into it. The penguin is about 4 inches tall. It is at the bottom of the knit hat. There is also a very small Seabourn tag glued on the outside of the hat. I hope someone that can post a photo takes a picture of the knit beanie hat for you!

Neither my husband nor I wore ours because we brought balaclavas. I really enjoyed having the extra warmth on the back of my neck as well as the front of my neck and on my chin and nose if I wanted it.

I actually really like this hat. It is tight knit and warm.

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They are really good quality. In November, on the first cruise, they were also selling reverse colour hats (white background, black penguin) for about $50.

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Does anyone have a picture of the "penguin beanie/cap"? Just wondering what it looks like.

Don’t know how to post a pic, but will say that the Seabourn-supplied caps are quite good and fit well under the parka hoods. For that reason, bother my wife and I switched from using our favorite caps.

The Quest has made cruise ship history by becoming the largest passenger vessel to cross south of the Antarctic Polar Circle. We are having zodiac and kayak excursions today in which we will traverse between giant icebergs while dodging snowflakes.

South of the Antarctic Circle! How wonderful! We could not go so far south on the last Quest cruise due to the thickness of the ice.

I trust you are finding that the expedition group, Capt Larsen and CD Jan are doing a superb job with all of the organization. What terrific bunch of professionals.

Happy and healthy sailing!