Round the Horn, Cabin Selection Help

[Hot Chilli]

Looking at a cruise on Star Princess from Rio to Santiago around Cape Horn.

 

I am presuming most of the scenery will be on the Starboard side of the ship.

 

There are some AFT Balcony cabins which aren't much different in price (standard balcony not the wrap around suites).

 

So my main question is, which cabin would be better? Would the AFT view be a disadvantage or not make much difference?

 

Thanks :)

[Pam in CA]

I'd take an aft cabin. Otherwise, starboard. This would be for the best viewing of the glaciers and fjords. The ship will sail in both directions along Cape Horn itself.

[J-D]

Starboard is preferable to port on this itinerary, but the advantage is minor. The main times when the starboard view is definitely better are when you are entering port in Ushuaia, and when travelling west from Ushuaia that same evening past a series of glaciers. (Depending on the date and when your ship gets away from Ushuaia, it may or may not be light when passing those glaciers.)

 

At Cape Horn, the ship may approach from the east (best view from starboard) and then rotate 180 degrees providing an equally good view from port. We did that on Star Princess in 2010. Or the ship may circle around Isla Hornos; we did that on Grand Princess in 2013, in a counterclockwise direction, such that the only view of the island in general and of Cape Horn itself was from the port side.

 

In the Chilean Fjords, during both of our visits, the ship turned 180 degrees when just off the most notable glacier, providing equally good views from either side.

 

In general, a starboard cabin is (in our view) marginally preferable to port for this cruise. However, even with a starboard balcony, we chose to spend significant time viewing from the open upper decks where we could quickly get from one side to the other.

 

I would not choose an aft cabin for this itinerary. It is fairly common to see whales, dolphins and sea lions, and these are most easily viewed when ahead or to the sides of the ship. Seabirds are also plentiful; I think a forward or lateral view is best for them as well, but aft could also work for some seabirds. Also worth considering is that there is a possibility of fairly rough seas on this route, for which aft may not be ideal, depending how you react to sea motion.

 

John

Edited September 2, 2015 by J-D

[FlyerTalker]

Chilean fjords are best experienced outside on the upper decks. There will be sights on both sides of the Beagle Channel and if you just plop into a balcony chair, you'll miss a lot.

 

The one thing that you will get on a starboard cabin are views when leaving Rio. You will sail past Santos Dumont airport (right past the end of the runways and planes will pass low overhead to landing), the Brazilian navy base (with some interesting old architecture), Sugarloaf, several of the beaches, plus a view of Corcovado.

 

THAT is worth the choice in my book.