"Maybe" Live from the Star (Valparaiso to Buenos Aires) Feb 15th

[azbirdmom]

If you can't get on the Patrick Watts' tour, Bluff Cove with Princess was a decent excursion. Plenty of penguins, maybe a few Kings which is what you would have seen a lot of if you go to Volunteer Point. Also Magdalena Island was a nice tour in Puntarenas if you want to see penguins.

[caribill]

So Internet is really sketchy in our cabin

 

Try propping the door to the hallway open a little bit and the signal should greatly improve.

[ckfajf]

Day 3 - Yesterday

Today was the first shore excursion day. We chose the trip to Petrohue Falls, Osorno Volcano lunch beside Lake Lallanique and shopping in Puerto Vargas. Shore excursions are definitely a matter of personal choice. We try to do ones that are more focused on nature, sightseeing with some activity although my husband is far more fit than I. We did the usual Princess, show up at the theater, assigned a color and wait for the tender. We had to be there at 7 am but did not board our tender until 8 am. All good though, well run and efficient.

I know people want to know about the excursions so I will try to be factual although it is entirely subjective:

Pros:

Patricio the guide was simply outstanding. His knowledge, ability to impart knowledge, English and general enthusiasm about his country were great. I learned so much about Chile and really appreciated his knowledge. The bus was clean, new and very comfortable, the lunch at Hotel Cumbres was delicious and as plentiful as a meal on the ship. (four courses with cocktail and wine) We enjoyed Petrohue Falls although it is not a major waterfall and 6 buses disgorged their 200-300 passengers pretty much all at once so you are not getting nature but more of a beautiful view surrounded by a lot of people. It reminded us a bit of Ausable Chasm in NY, or Turner Falls in MA. Beautiful, glad we saw it but not one of the wonders of the world. The stop in Puerto Vargas was nice and we enjoyed the small fair that was going on. We also enjoyed sitting in the town square listening to the local musicians who were performing on wooden pipes. Shopping was good. Prices were really good for alpaca sweaters and ponchos, as well as inexpensive jewelry.

Cons:

We drove up 3,000 feet halfway up a Mountain for the view of Osorno volcano. By the time we got to the destination, we were completely in the clouds and fog. It was cold and rainy. None of this was the fault of the tour in anyway, they were clear that it could be fogged in. Having said that I am not sure I would have booked this tour even if it were bright and sunny. It would be beautiful to see but it is a long drive up and down. If the day is clear you can see the volcano from the ship, the town and surrounding areas.

Summary: Puerto Montt and Puerto Vargas are different than any area I have been in. I definitely am glad we took a tour and did not try to do anything on our own. As with all tours for ships coming in to port it is a lot for the port to handle. Once again I thought Princess did very well moving people through. We got back to the tenders around 3:50 and there were 300-400 people ahead of us in line to board. We were on our tender by 4:30 ish and back at the ship.

We got back to the ship and had a quiet night. Dinner in Horizon Court as a four course meal at lunch was more than enough and we didn’t want to do another four courses for dinner. (Always hard to say no when everything looks so delicious on the menu!)

One note about the weather. It is decidedly cool. Puerto Montt was 14C/59F with rain at higher elevations. Once again we wore jeans light fleece jackets and warm footwear and we were fine.

 

CKF

[kensington143]

One thing I noticed was two husbands who came to get their wives brewed coffee (asked for two brewed coffees) and were not allowed because they only had one coffee card. One gentleman was pretty upset and said it was allowed on all other Princess ships. All good for me as I am the only coffee drinker!

 

Interesting - I've just checked with HO and it seems you can only use the "free" part of the card for one person at a time. If you are purchasing using the card you can "pay" for one and have one free, or "pay" for 2 using one card. You can't use the card for 2 "free" drinks at one time. But the card IS interchangeable between people, unlike the beverage packages which are pre-bought in a passengers name.

 

Now going to purchase another coffee card before we get on board (it works out a little cheaper!)

 

Many thanks for your live blog - I'm finding it very interesting and also helpful! Wishing you a fine and calm cruise :)

[4x4bob]

Thanks for taking the time to post while on your cruise.

 

You are doing a real good job with your post making it very clear what you saw and what you did.

 

Bob

[cruising babe]

Thanks once again for taking the time and trouble to write this blog. It is so helpful to hear first hand about the places that we will be visiting. We depart for BA in three days, Wifi dependent I will be checking in to CC from time to time to follow your trip. Happy cruising.

[CruisinLow]

Thank you so much for taking your time to do this for all of us. I too am on the Star on Feb 29 and take it back to Los Angeles. Interesting that they took your passports in Santiago when you boarded. Wonder if they will be doing that to us also on the return trip form Buenos Aries. We shall find out soon enough.

Many thanks for your insights.

[karen456]

I'm loving your blog - thank you so much for taking the time to do this for us :) I am making particular notes on your recommendations (what to wear, to buy some Dramamine or Bonine!) I am on the Star beginning 2/29.

 

Karen

[Mackenzie1]

Your blog is so much fun! It's wonderful having your perspective for those of us taking the trip back to Santiago on February 29. If I may ask, where is your cabin located on the ship? I've found that mid-aft cabins will have very little movement during rough seas, whereas the forward cabins will rock and roll with drawers moving in and out. If you are mid-ship on a lower deck (like the Caribe deck), I'll need to re-think how much Bonine to pack up. Thanks!

 

Also, thanks for the information about the weather. It really helps those of us taking the next sailing in deciding what type of clothes to pack.

Edited February 19, 2016 by Mackenzie1

[mustgo]

I am loving the beginning of your blog and looking forward to more. We don't do the cruise until Feb 1, 17 so it really helps to read about your experience. Hope you continue to have a wonderful time.

[Colo Cruiser]

[ckfajf]

Days 3 and 4

Two days at sea and it has been fun. Hubby and I have been pretty tired from working so hard so we have had a chance to relax, read, knit (me!) and wander the ship. Yesterday was bright sunshine and cool. Around the same temps as Puerto Montt but with wind off the sea. We had to go to have our gear inspected, vacuumed and decontaminated for (hopefully) the big outing on Saturday….We sat outside on the balcony and read, I shopped a bit then we went upstairs to watch the Sheryl Crow concert on MUTS. It got COLD! Everyone had fleeces on and were under blankets or towels. Still fun. Last night was the first formal night. DH looked AWESOME in his tux. We saw about six men in Tux’s and most in business suits. Lots of ladies in beautiful dresses both short and long. Dinner was lovely. Our date night is always Thursday night and the headwaiter must have known as we had a table for two without asking or waiting! Went to the production show. Singers and Dancers were excellent but the music was from the 40’s and 50’s. Probably would have enjoyed it more if a bit updated but honestly not complaining as the performers were great.

Today was cruising the Amalia Glacier. NOT to be missed. It was simply beautiful. Our shipped pulled in front of the glacier around 7:30 in the morning. The captain announced he would stay for approximately one hour. I had been down at the International Café working (never stops!) and raced upstairs to wake up hubby. We went out on the balcony took one look and raced downstairs and walked the promenade deck to get the best views as the Captain turned the ship 360 degrees at least four times. The skies were overcast but the sun tried to come up behind the mountaintops. It was the best weather of the day as the weather quickly turned south. (As did we :>)) It is now heavily overcast 40F/4C and spitting rain. DH ran on the treadmill. The seas are pretty rough so he worked as hard staying on the treadmill as he did running! I went down to the raffles but didn’t win anything. No surprise but fun.

Our cabin is C402 perfectly mid ship and we still feel the motion. Drawers are not opening and nothing is falling but we are definitely swaying! Everyone on the ship has mastered the two step gait, one step forward one to the side to steady yourself. Hopefully the weather clears as we are hoping to be on the Antarctica expedition tomorrow. Chance of a lifetime to set foot there but it is heavily weather dependent.

One quick apology, on my post yesterday I mentioned Puerto Vargas, it is Puerto Varas. I meant to look it up to make sure and go back and edit the journal before I uploaded it but forgot to!

 

CKF

[Clarea]

Enjoying the review.

[Mackenzie1]

Thank you so much for your update! Oh my, if you're on Caribe mid-ship, this will definitely be a rock and roll cruise. I hope the seas settle down for the rest of your trip. Also, thank you for your update on the weather conditions. The weather has been such a mystery to figure out with the highs in some cities being in the 80's, while knowing that others have said that some of the ports can be very chilly. You have added a lot of clarity about what to expect.

 

Please keep us updated on your Antarctic excursion. How exciting! We're going to Payne National Park, but it was really tempting to do the Antarctic excursion. It sounds so interesting.

Edited February 20, 2016 by Mackenzie1

[caribill]

Thank you so much for taking your time to do this for all of us. I too am on the Star on Feb 29 and take it back to Los Angeles. Interesting that they took your passports in Santiago when you boarded. Wonder if they will be doing that to us also on the return trip form Buenos Aries. We shall find out soon enough.

Many thanks for your insights.

 

Probably.

 

They do it so each country's officials can stamp the passports for entering and leaving the country.

 

You really do not want to keep your passport and have to line up with 2600 other passengers at each port to have it inspected and stamped.

[ckfajf]

Day 5 and 6

 

The last two days have been filled with disappointments, beauty and ultimately fun

We pulled into Punta Arenas on time. As previously mentioned we had signed up for the Antarctica experience. We knew that it only went 50-60% of the time and were hoping it would go off on our trip. Our gathering time was 6 am and at 6 am we were in the Wheelhouse Bar with all 32 other travelers, picking up our passports and getting ready to tender. At 6:15 the captain came on and said that there were problems with the weather and there was danger that the Port was going to be closed by noon. He was awaiting further weather reports to determine whether or not the shore excursions would be allowed. Long story short a half an hour later the port call at Punta Arenas was cancelled. We waiting in Port for immigration authorities to review ship paperwork. By 11 am the winds were around 80 knots and the port was closed. Evidently on a prior cruise in January they had moved ahead with shore excursions and the wind came up and over 1,000 people had to wait on shore until 3 am before they were able to get back to the ship!

The Captain then chose to leave Punta Arenas immediately so that he could get into Ushuaia before any weather problems occurred. We sailed through a magnificent channel and saw many mountain glaciers and beautiful scenery. We arrived in Ushuaia at 7 am. The weather was clear, sunny and cool, around 50F. Our tour was not a Princess tour but it would be similar to the National Park, End of the World tour. We went off to the National Park which was beautiful and drove all around stopping at lookouts, beaver dams, and doing a short hike along the river It was a very, very enjoyable day and wonderful to be outside in the fresh air and sunshine. We went back and visited the prison museum then back to the ship. Many people seemed to be enjoying the day, strolling along Main Street, and we ran into new friends who had lunch in town and said it was wonderful and the wine quite good,.

Today is a sea day. We are rounding the Horn even as I write but it is grey, overcast and the seas are stormy so there is not much to see. Tomorrow the Falklands hopefully!

[CruisingObsessed]

Thank you so much for this blog! This trip is on my bucket list and actually, if I had not waited until all the starboard balconies were sold out, we would have been on it with you. But, that gives us something to look forward to for next year. Thanks for all the information, and hope the rest of your cruise is fabulous!

[Mackenzie1]

I'm so sorry you missed your Antarctic excursion because I know you were looking forward to it. If I may ask, were you reimbursed for your expenses? I know Princess usually does reimburse/not charge for tours that are cancelled for weather reasons, but someone told me on my last cruise that the Antarctic and Payne National Park excursions were an exception because of the high cost of arranging those tours. I feel certain you were reimbursed, but would like to know if the same thing happens to our Payne National Park cruise in Puerto Arenas. Also, have the seas remained rough, or have they settled down a little? I have the impression that you are still having a lot of motion. A hope it's gotten a little easier for you. Again, thank you so much for keeping us updated on your cruise. It's been wonderful having a front row seat.

[CruisinLow]

Thanks from me too for taking your time to give us some insight as to what to expect as I also am on the return cruise from Buenos Aries to Valparaiso on February 29th. Now we know a little of what to possibly expect.

Really do appreciate it. Continue to have a fantastic journey.

[DRS/NC]

THANKS so much for your time & comments! I'm "cutting/pasting" your posts into my files. I'll have it easily available to my BFF & I as we prepare for our "round the Horn" cruise on the Crown next Feb.!:)

[Bernbun29]

Yes, add one more thank you; we are doing this cruise next year and are living vicariously through you!!

[California Dreamer]

Thank you so much for the great "live" trip report! We will be taking this cruise next year. We have been thinking about the Antarctica tour but I know it was so disappointing for you both. Who was your tour company/guide that you used in Ushuaia? That sounds just what we want to do there! Hope you have a great day in the Falklands! And thanks again!

[ckfajf]

Day 7 and 8

Day 7 was a sea day. I haven’t commented much on that as most people have varying things they do on seas days, also food is entirely subjective and up to personal whim. I would like to mention though that my husband and I did Pub Lunch and Crab Shack on the sea day. The first day Pub Lunch was offered it there was a line all the way out to the rotunda. Yesterday we walked right in at noon. So nice and we had a great time. I asked my husband if we could go to Crab Shack. He doesn’t like to “pay extra” for food on a cruise ship but he humored me and was so glad he did. The food was outstanding, lots and lots of crab, shellfish, hush puppies, fried shrimp, Manhattan clam chowder and dessert. Highly recommend if you like seafood! My husband particularly liked eating Alaskan king crab in the South Atlantic, for some reason he got a kick out of that. Other than that we had a quiet day. It was very, very cold so we could not really sit outside. We had one interesting experience. The seas were high with swells. At one point around 5 pm the ship was rocking and the waves were splashing. I took video as it was really something. About ten minutes max things settled down. Then the Captain came on the PA and announced that the communication between the bridge and the stabilizers had momentarily failed so he had rushed to the bridge to take over steering the stern into the wind. Everything was back on track and he apologized for the bumpy ride! Really interesting how managing the direction the ship is to the wind affects everything

Yesterday was the Falkland Islands. It was a magical day and one my husband and I will remember for the rest of our lives. I had a been a little worried that we would get in to port on the tenders as the seas had been rough but the day dawned sunny, warm (58F/14C) Well warm if you are from New England, ha ha! And beautiful. We were on the second tender in to Stanley and quickly found our 4 wheel drive and our guide Tony (lovely lady). Off we went in a caravan of five vehicles to Volunteer Point. We went over hard pack roads for about 30 minutes then into the rough. And it is rough. Not for the faint of heart but SOOOOOO worth it. We drove approximately one hour fifteen minutes over basically pasture and sheep land to get to Volunteer Point. When we go there we saw the most beautiful blue sea that I have ever seen, completely untouched and wild. And the penguins! Oh my. Easily a thousand perhaps two thousand. Kings, Gentoo’s and Magellenics. You could walk up to them within 10feet. They were adorable. We saw chicks, juniors, moms, dads and lovers. A group of them went down to the ocean and we watched them swimming. There was a large group of Kings (maybe six hundred) all huddled together in a protected area. We could walk up to the area but not into the group. They were standing and talking. It was amazing.

If you choose not to do the Volunteer Point tour there was a tour to Bluff Cove. We talked to three different couples that were on that tour, and they said the same things we did. Magical, lots and lots of penguins and a beautiful ocean to enjoy.

Our guide was wonderful. She is a sheep farmer and drives for the tourists when the cruise ships come in. We learned so much about the Falklands and had a wonderful day. When we got back to port we had time to walk around Stanley (it is very small) and do a little souvenir shopping including Dilly-Dee jam a jam made from berries we saw while driving out to the point.

Today is a sea day and tomorrow Puerto Madryn. I did want to mention Princess fully refunded our Antarctica fees. I too was a tiny bit worried but the credit was on our account that morning. One other note, if you carry an iPad or electronic device you can check your onboard account for free using the Princess at Sea app. I love that! (Yep I am a bean counter!)

[Mackenzie1]

Thank you so much, CK, for the wonderful update! What a thrill Volunteer Point will be. It's all so exciting!

[Nhsaltshaker]

Enjoying every word. Thank you for taking time on your vacation to post. Sorry you missed the port, but be happy you missed the snow today at home. :)