Emerald Princess South America

[Reina del Mar]

Is there anyone currently on the Emerald Princess who can share what weather is like, please ? Will we need padded jackets?

 

How formal are formal nights? Do passengers 'dress' for smart casual? Or are evenings more casual like Alaska ?

 

I am an over packer for the Caribbean, but this trip is causing a real headache!

 

Any other helpful tips, gratefully received.

 

Many thanks.

[paul929207]

You will want a heavy jacket for the time around the Horn.

[skynight]

You will require layered clothing, hat and some light weight gloves. It is warm in Argentina kind of warm in northern Chile, Santiago. If you take a trip into the Andes it is cooler. It's summer in S.A.. As you travel south it gets colder, and you will require a coat or all your layers going around Cape Horn, and for stops in Ushuaia, Falklands, and Punta Arenas. Last season I brought, a long sleeve silk like under shirt, long sleeve shirt, light weight fleece vest, hooded sweatshirt, Goretex rain jacket which was used as a windbreaker shell, good walking shoes, warm socks.

Formal nights are the same as on any other Princess cruise, maybe a little more formal. I noticed that passengers from S.A. tended to dress to impress.

Despite all this the two of us were able to pack with one suitcase and one carry on each.

[capriccio]

You will require layered clothing, hat and some light weight gloves. It is warm in Argentina kind of warm in northern Chile, Santiago. If you take a trip into the Andes it is cooler. It's summer in S.A.. As you travel south it gets colder, and you will require a coat or all your layers going around Cape Horn, and for stops in Ushuaia, Falklands, and Punta Arenas. Last season I brought, a long sleeve silk like under shirt, long sleeve shirt, light weight fleece vest, hooded sweatshirt, Goretex rain jacket which was used as a windbreaker shell, good walking shoes, warm socks.

Formal nights are the same as on any other Princess cruise, maybe a little more formal. I noticed that passengers from S.A. tended to dress to impress.

Despite all this the two of us were able to pack with one suitcase and one carry on each.

 

Based on our experiences last year (LA to Rio, December 4 to January 4) this is excellent advice. I might add that in Buenos Aires the weather wasn't just warm, it was hot (in the upper 90s)! We experienced temps of 111 degrees in Rio, Montevideo in the 80s, Buenos Aires in the 90s, the Falkland Islands in the upper 40s/low 50s and very windy at Volunteer Point, Ushuaia in the low 50s (and very windy), Punta Arenas also in the low 50s, and Valparaiso was in in the 80s.

 

Maybe because our cruise was over Christmas and New Years the formal nights were much more formal than usual (and much, much more formal than Alaska cruises). The SA guests did seem to dress to impress (and they did!).

 

This website had lots of weather related statistics by city and country in South America: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/country.php3?r=SOU

[Jetstreamer]

We've just returned from the 20DEC-03JAN SA cruise on the Emerald. Weather was generally very good, although the weather can be so variable from day to day down there it could be completely different when you go.

 

As a guide though:

 

* Santiago - very hot (over 30c) and sunny

* Valparaiso & San Antonio - A little cooler and breezier than Santiago - may need to wear a sweater

* Porto Montt - 2/3 days see rain in this area. We had a mix of rain and sunshine and everything in between. Definitely pack a rain jacket. Wasn't too cold though, say around 14c. T-shirt, sweater, raincoat combo should keep you warm enough, removing layers as necessary.

* Punta Arenas - Sunny and not too cold, around 14c. Wore T-shirt, sweater, rain coat and at various points the coat had to come off. We did the Patagonia Treck and Andean Club tour and it was cooler up the mountain and it even snowed for a few minutes but was still generally sunny and mild (it seemed way too warm for snow).

* Ushuaia - Very similar to Puerto Montt in that we had 4 seasons in 1 day. Was the coldest of the ports on our trip but in no way was it cold. It certainly didn't drop below 10c.

* Port Stanley - Hot and sunny but we were very lucky. Was bordering on shorts and t-shirt weather in town but cooler elsewhere. Don't read anything into this though as everyone was quick to remind us it isn't like that all the time in the Falklands!

* Puerto Madryn - Hot and sunny in town (the beach was crowded). We took the Peninsula Valdes tour and it was got here too, although quite windy. I wore light trousers, t-shirt and rain jacket but the jacket stayed in the bus.

* Montevideo - was sunny but cooler than normal. The days before and after we were there were in the mid 30s © but our day was around 25c, which was better for us. Was still shorts and t-shirt weather.

* Buenos Aires - very hot, hot, hot.

 

I would suggest to pack more warm weather clothes than you might think but really you need to be prepared for anything. I don't think it gets too cold during cruise season from speaking to some of the crew who had done it last season but you just have to have plenty of layers that can be added or removed as necessary. I'd say protecting against the wind is more useful than protecting against the cold. I should however add that we are from England, so our definition of god weather might be different than yours!

 

As for formal nights, it was a little more formal than Alaska which we did in May but there were still many different interpretations of formal, from full on black tie down to what I would describe as very smart casual. Non-formal nights saw some people dressing to impress but for most people it was just smart casual, and sometimes not even that smart!

 

Hope this helps. It certainly is a tough one to pack for as the weather is just so unpredictable.

[susancruzs]

What a great post! :) I'm on the 30 day BA to LA cruise in March, can't wait! Living in NE Wisc. I have enough clothes but considering packable puff jacket as my warmer stuff is old & bulky. Living blocks from Lake Michigan, for me high 30s, low 40s isn't cold but add in wind, drizzle or damp, then it's an issue.

 

I'm older, cruising 35 years, I go for easy! I'm not dressy as some, not casual as others. I don't worry what others wear, or being formal. Everything I put in my suitcase has to roll, goes in large zip lock bags. I don't do dresses, slacks, 2 dressy slacks, shiny & silky tops, capris, short/long sleeve tees, knit hoodies. I will take hat, gloves, a rain poncho. I do have knit pants which roll up to be a capri, if I decide to do an exercise class, they'll work plus comfortable for a long plane ride.

 

All of this is because I take one 26" suitcase. Years ago I bought one of the 30"+ variety, gave it away because once I got it packed, too heavy for me to handle and I tended to over pack.

[Level six]

Sometimes it was colder on the ship than in town!!! But, I just got off of 31 days and agree with layers. Which, as stated above, you will remove and put back on several times. I would forget the puffy jacket, IMO. A typical day on shore, I wore a tshirt, jeans, light silky jacket, waterproof/wind jacket and scarf. For the ship you will almost always need a sweater/poncho. Cruising glacier and horn I had a knit hat and gloves too.

Formal night. Some spectacular gowns, some in shorts! Usual Princess. Have fun.

[jerry f]

Going on the 17th, Santiago to Buenos Aries. Wife’s birthday is the 20th, the second sea day. Anyone know which are the formal nights.

[susancruzs]

Thanks, Levelsix, I'll go back to my original plan and won't buy a new jacket. I have one I've used for Canada, Alaska, Iceland, Greenland, England it should do. Every time I've taken the zip out liner, never use it, usually the outer shell with a hoodie under it. Great advice, save myself some money, and space in my closet! :)

[Reina del Mar]

We've just returned from the 20DEC-03JAN SA cruise on the Emerald. Weather was generally very good, although the weather can be so variable from day to day down there it could be completely different when you go.

 

As a guide though:

 

* Santiago - very hot (over 30c) and sunny

* Valparaiso & San Antonio - A little cooler and breezier than Santiago - may need to wear a sweater

* Porto Montt - 2/3 days see rain in this area. We had a mix of rain and sunshine and everything in between. Definitely pack a rain jacket. Wasn't too cold though, say around 14c. T-shirt, sweater, raincoat combo should keep you warm enough, removing layers as necessary.

* Punta Arenas - Sunny and not too cold, around 14c. Wore T-shirt, sweater, rain coat and at various points the coat had to come off. We did the Patagonia Treck and Andean Club tour and it was cooler up the mountain and it even snowed for a few minutes but was still generally sunny and mild (it seemed way too warm for snow).

* Ushuaia - Very similar to Puerto Montt in that we had 4 seasons in 1 day. Was the coldest of the ports on our trip but in no way was it cold. It certainly didn't drop below 10c.

* Port Stanley - Hot and sunny but we were very lucky. Was bordering on shorts and t-shirt weather in town but cooler elsewhere. Don't read anything into this though as everyone was quick to remind us it isn't like that all the time in the Falklands!

* Puerto Madryn - Hot and sunny in town (the beach was crowded). We took the Peninsula Valdes tour and it was got here too, although quite windy. I wore light trousers, t-shirt and rain jacket but the jacket stayed in the bus.

* Montevideo - was sunny but cooler than normal. The days before and after we were there were in the mid 30s © but our day was around 25c, which was better for us. Was still shorts and t-shirt weather.

* Buenos Aires - very hot, hot, hot.

 

I would suggest to pack more warm weather clothes than you might think but really you need to be prepared for anything. I don't think it gets too cold during cruise season from speaking to some of the crew who had done it last season but you just have to have plenty of layers that can be added or removed as necessary. I'd say protecting against the wind is more useful than protecting against the cold. I should however add that we are from England, so our definition of god weather might be different than yours!

 

As for formal nights, it was a little more formal than Alaska which we did in May but there were still many different interpretations of formal, from full on black tie down to what I would describe as very smart casual. Non-formal nights saw some people dressing to impress but for most people it was just smart casual, and sometimes not even that smart!

 

Hope this helps. It certainly is a tough one to pack for as the weather is just so unpredictable.

 

Thanks for your post..very interesting. We are travelling from Cardiff, Wales via Amsterdam and Buenos Aires to Santiago prior to this cruise. I would guess our take on the weather would be similar to yours. We did Alaska in August few years ago with a fleece and kagool but am having trouble getting my head around this trip without taking a padded jacket, even though I know it's summer in South America.! I understand that layers will help....it's me I am an over packer.

 

Have checked weather for our dates (Accu weather) and it seems likely it will be warmer than anticipated

 

My husband will take a suit, for formal nights and I will take cocktail dresses.

 

I shall be re packing daily before we leave I think !!

 

 

 

Thanks again for your help so far and if you have any additional tips, they will be gratefully received.