valparaiso to Santiago airport (SCL)

[marco_polo11]

I'm cruising on the Zaandam in September from Vancouver to Valparaiso. Since my wife and I have been to Santiago before, we decided to fly straight home after we disembark.

We're scheduled to dock at 7am and our flight is at noon. Is 5 hrs enough time for us to make our flight?

To anyone who has done this cruise before, what time were passengers able to get off the ship? Was there immigration to go through at the port? Should I prebook a taxi or would it be easy to get one at the port? It would be ideal to share a taxi with one or two other passengers. The ship would probably provide transfer to the airport but I hesitate to go on a big bus because of the time it would take to wait for everyone. I would like the fastest way possible to the airport. Thoughts and suggestions?

[lizziebargain]

We disembarked in Jan with significant delays. Had a disembark time of around 8 a.m. and finally off around 9:30-and at that we just marched off as our colour had not been called yet and we had a tour/transfer waiting. It was a gong show with not enough buses to take us all to the customs/luggage pick up area. If you are a 4 star mariner or can manage your own luggage you get off first. The week after we disembarked there was a port workers strike. I expect a taxi would be the fastest way to the airport but I think it takes more than an hour. You will likely find the time very tight to allow a couple of hours for check in. If you take a HAL transfer they will only accept you if you have a flight booked after a certain time-perhaps around 1- 2 p.m. if I recall correctly but you can check with HAL. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[0bnxshs]

It's been a while since we disembarked in Valpo but we did have to go through customs there when we did. They actually confiscated some maracas that my DW had bought in Cartegena, Columbia due to their belief that there were seeds inside them to make them rattle when shaken.

 

It's generally around a 90 minute drive to SCL from Valpo. The airport is on the other side of Santiago from Valpo. Traffic near Valpo and through Santiago can make that longer.

 

As I said, it's been 6 years since we've been, but we've gone both directions and it's been about 90 minutes. We were able to get off the ship on time and it was still past 10am before we were in Santiago. I would consider pre-booking just to be sure you have someone there when you get off the ship.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise, South America is absolutely beautiful!

[marco_polo11]

We disembarked in Jan with significant delays. Had a disembark time of around 8 a.m. and finally off around 9:30-and at that we just marched off as our colour had not been called yet and we had a tour/transfer waiting. It was a gong show with not enough buses to take us all to the customs/luggage pick up area. If you are a 4 star mariner or can manage your own luggage you get off first. The week after we disembarked there was a port workers strike. I expect a taxi would be the fastest way to the airport but I think it takes more than an hour. You will likely find the time very tight to allow a couple of hours for check in. If you take a HAL transfer they will only accept you if you have a flight booked after a certain time-perhaps around 1- 2 p.m. if I recall correctly but you can check with HAL. Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

Thanks, Lizzie. Wow, 1.5 hrs to disembark. Maybe it would help that we will only have carry-on luggage with us and can walk straight off. Good point about HAL not taking transfers for flights booked before a certain time. I will look into that. However, my plan A is to find another couple to share a taxi with us.

 

It's been a while since we disembarked in Valpo but we did have to go through customs there when we did. They actually confiscated some maracas that my DW had bought in Cartegena, Columbia due to their belief that there were seeds inside them to make them rattle when shaken.

 

It's generally around a 90 minute drive to SCL from Valpo. The airport is on the other side of Santiago from Valpo. Traffic near Valpo and through Santiago can make that longer.

 

As I said, it's been 6 years since we've been, but we've gone both directions and it's been about 90 minutes. We were able to get off the ship on time and it was still past 10am before we were in Santiago. I would consider pre-booking just to be sure you have someone there when you get off the ship.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise, South America is absolutely beautiful!

 

Thanks, I will count on 90 mins to get to the airport. So if we get off the ship within an hour... say 8am (7am arrival), we should be able to get to the airport by 9:30-10am. It's tight but doesn't allow for any unforseen delays! Cross my fingers!

I have been on a SA cruise before. I agree... absolutely beautiful.

[iancal]

Careful. We disembarked in Feb and it was a mess. First off there was a dock workers strike. Apparently this is not uncommon. The entire disembarkation process was halted for just short of 2 hours.

 

Then when we disembarked, the customs and transport area was a complete zoo. Took us an hour to get through it even with carry on only luggage. Fortunately we were staying in Valparaiso for several days so the delay did not impact us.

[Cahpek]

I'm cruising on the Zaandam in September from Vancouver to Valparaiso. Since my wife and I have been to Santiago before, we decided to fly straight home after we disembark.

We're scheduled to dock at 7am and our flight is at noon. Is 5 hrs enough time for us to make our flight?

To anyone who has done this cruise before, what time were passengers able to get off the ship? Was there immigration to go through at the port? Should I prebook a taxi or would it be easy to get one at the port? It would be ideal to share a taxi with one or two other passengers. The ship would probably provide transfer to the airport but I hesitate to go on a big bus because of the time it would take to wait for everyone. I would like the fastest way possible to the airport. Thoughts and suggestions?

 

 

The ship will dock quite far from the passenger terminal. For safety reasons, it is not usually advisable to walk to the terminal from the ship, as this is mostly a busy container port, and you would not want to be run over by some truck or lorry! Buses will usually take all passengers to the passenger terminal. If the service works, the bus ride is quite short.

 

From what we remember, there is immigration to go through at the port in Valparaiso.

 

Not only that, the customs are very strict about anyone bringing in food and plants/seeds, into the country. They even have sniffer dogs. You have to declare you do not have those forbidden items with you when you enter , and if you are caught, you could be fined a ridiculous amount of money. The authorities seem to make a big deal of this.

 

There are few taxis outside the cruise terminal especially if your ship is the only cruise ship for the whole day!. There are some vans, but you may have to bargain to get the best price. I think we were advised not to pay more than US$90-100 for the whole vehicle. Having said that, we did not take the van. We pre-arranged a "guide" who took us from Valparaiso, and as he was German and who spoke perfect English, he made the transfer for us very comfortable. If you wish , and if time permits, you could even get a short tour of Valparaiso and/or stopover at one of the vineyards on the way to Santiago or the airport. We found him via Tripadvisor..

 

As you probably realise, the distance between Valparaiso and Santiago airport is about 102 km, and the travel time if without traffic jams would be approx. 1hr 15 mins. The highway linking Valparaiso and Santiago/Santiago Airport is quite good.

 

Hope that is helpful. We cannot confirm the above information, as they are just from our memory during our cruise there. All the best!

Edited April 8, 2017 by Cahpek

[debsjc]

It;s a few years since I did that route, and it was with Oceania, but everything went smoothly for us. Disembarkation was quick, with no delay at customs. We had pre-booked a private transfer with a company we saw recommended on cruise critic, and the drive to the airport took about 80 minutes.

[Bobocasey]

But just getting to the airport isn't the only problem, I seem to remember huge lines at the check in counter and no one gets in a hurry. Plus once checked in the lines for security were really long.

[marco_polo11]

Thanks, everyone, for your input. The more I read, the more I wonder if I should change my flight to an evening one (the only other choice) even if it'll cost me to make the change. After all, it'll cost us more if we miss our flight! It'll be more peace of mind too.

I didn't choose the later flight initially because we have toured Valparaiso/Santiago before on a previous trip. Plus we didn't want to drag our luggage around all day.

I have plenty of time to make the change if needed. So I'll wait and see what other suggestions and tips I get here.

[iancal]

There is a fairly new area for embarkation/disembarkation in Valparaiso. It used to be in town, at the port building beside the Ibis Hotel. This has since changed.

 

You get off the ship. Get your bags. Then board a bus that travels about a KM through the container port. Then you get off, take your bags through customs. Outside it is a mess, partly due to the lack good road access. Here you get to pick. Pre arranged service, buses, or a transfer bus that takes you out of this part of the port area to where you can take a bus or a cab.

 

We took the shuttle bus to get out of the port area. We could not get a cab by the customs area. Big line up for this shuttle...about 25 minutes. Once we got to the main street it was fine. Cab back downtown to Ibis was under $10. Bus terminal for buses going to Santiago is very close to this point. Our bus, a few days later, from Valparaiso to Santiago was just under $4. each. Two stops in town. There were also buses directly to the airport but no idea of the sched or the cost.

[lizziebargain]

Other things to consider-do you arrive on a weekend as traffic may be slightly lighter?

 

Does everyone get off the ship here or are many people going out on HAL tours-they seem to be allowed off first.

 

In our case, sadly a passenger had died that morning so was disembarked first with the attendant paperwork, procedures etc.

 

This was the steepest gangway I have every used and it was taking lots of time and 4 staff with ropes to take many wheelchairs down the ramp-I don't know if this was peculiar to this port or the tide that day. Able bodied people were also needing to go down very slowly with their carry on bags.

 

I do remember now that someone else mentioned it, that airport check in was also a gong show-I even had trouble finding where to line up.

 

So if you are able to be off at 8-then you bus to the port for luggage and immigration( by now it will likely be close to 9), then drive for 90 minutes( now 10:30), then wait in line for I would say usually a min of an hr at the airport-check in,immigration and security there is no room for delays( there is also a final hand baggage search at the gate before you board).

 

For our private tour/transfer the guide said she would meet us at 9 a.m. after luggage pickup and in reality the last of our group of 12 did not get to the van until about 10:15 so that is when our tour started.

[iancal]

We did not have any trouble at the airport. But...we had carry on AND we checked in on line, had our boarding passes, and went directly to security.

 

The latter is a crap shoot no matter where you are. We went through SCL departures twice on this trip-both international flights. No issue with security screening either time. In fact it was faster than we have experienced in most NA airports.

[marco_polo11]

Other things to consider-do you arrive on a weekend as traffic may be slightly lighter?

 

Does everyone get off the ship here or are many people going out on HAL tours-they seem to be allowed off first.

 

In our case, sadly a passenger had died that morning so was disembarked first with the attendant paperwork, procedures etc.

 

This was the steepest gangway I have every used and it was taking lots of time and 4 staff with ropes to take many wheelchairs down the ramp-I don't know if this was peculiar to this port or the tide that day. Able bodied people were also needing to go down very slowly with their carry on bags.

 

I do remember now that someone else mentioned it, that airport check in was also a gong show-I even had trouble finding where to line up.

 

So if you are able to be off at 8-then you bus to the port for luggage and immigration( by now it will likely be close to 9), then drive for 90 minutes( now 10:30), then wait in line for I would say usually a min of an hr at the airport-check in,immigration and security there is no room for delays( there is also a final hand baggage search at the gate before you board).

 

For our private tour/transfer the guide said she would meet us at 9 a.m. after luggage pickup and in reality the last of our group of 12 did not get to the van until about 10:15 so that is when our tour started.

 

We disembark on Oct. 16, a Monday. So we definitely will have to contend with morning traffic. Yes, there will be tours as there will be passengers who are continuing on the second leg of this back-to-back cruise. However, my wife and I have only carry-on luggage and should be able to walk right off ahead of the tours.

I think it's a good thing that our ship is docking so early (7am) because there might be fewer people waiting for the bus at the port area and at immigration?

I am reading that the airport can be both a zoo or a breeze. I guess it's a crapshoot.

[debsjc]

If you were lucky enough to be flying business class there would be shorter check-in lines, and maybe security too (not sure if they split class of travel at their security of not)

[RuthC]

You seem to be focusing on the 7:00 AM docking, but you won't be disembarking that early; 7:30 is closer to the estimated time for self-disembark. I have seen it as early as 7:15, and as late as 7:45, with the bulk of the times about that 7:30 mark.

 

I've disembarked in Valparaiso twice, and boarded there once, with the drive down from Santiago that morning.

Based on those rides, I would be nervous about a 12:00 noon flight. 2:00 PM is probably safe; I might even take a 1:00 PM flight, but that might be cutting it a little too close.

If you really want the noon flight, how about taking it the next day?

[marco_polo11]

You seem to be focusing on the 7:00 AM docking, but you won't be disembarking that early; 7:30 is closer to the estimated time for self-disembark. I have seen it as early as 7:15, and as late as 7:45, with the bulk of the times about that 7:30 mark.

 

I've disembarked in Valparaiso twice, and boarded there once, with the drive down from Santiago that morning.

Based on those rides, I would be nervous about a 12:00 noon flight. 2:00 PM is probably safe; I might even take a 1:00 PM flight, but that might be cutting it a little too close.

If you really want the noon flight, how about taking it the next day?

 

Thanks, Ruth. Yes, I've sailed often enough to know a 7am arrival doesn't mean a 7am walk-off. I was actually counting on an 8am walk-off. Then allowing myself 2 hrs to get to the airport, after going through immigration at the port. That makes it about a 10am arrival at the airport. From what I'm getting here, it's going to be very tight. It doesn't allow for any sort of hitch.

I do have the option of a later flight at 7:30pm. I might save myself the anxiety (and possibly the cost of a missed flight!) and change to that flight.