South America Cape Horn on Emerald Princess February 28, 2018

[PurpleTraveller]

Thank you so much for your review and photos. We are on the Star Princess 31 Jan next year so reading all your reports and seeing the photos are making us quite excited. Thanks again.

Thanks. Pleased that you enjoyed the review. This is a great itinerary and I hope you have a great cruise next year.

 

Sent from my A1601 using Forums mobile app

[Discoduck]

Purple Traveller, we have gone through your review a couple of times, it has been so informative as we go end Jan.  Can I ask you how much Argentinian pesos you think we would need .  We have two full days in Buenos Aires, possibly taking the ho ho bus and then walking for a good bit of the day from the ship once we embark making really three days in total.  Pesos at the moment are really hard to get here in Aus so we may have to get them there.  We dont want to get too much and then be left with them.  Any idea would be so helpful

[PurpleTraveller]

1 hour ago, Discoduck said:

Purple Traveller, we have gone through your review a couple of times, it has been so informative as we go end Jan.  Can I ask you how much Argentinian pesos you think we would need .  We have two full days in Buenos Aires, possibly taking the ho ho bus and then walking for a good bit of the day from the ship once we embark making really three days in total.  Pesos at the moment are really hard to get here in Aus so we may have to get them there.  We dont want to get too much and then be left with them.  Any idea would be so helpful

 

I spent four days in Buenos Aires plus two cruise stops in Argentina and had about 3,500 Argentinian Pesos which I got in Sydney before I left. I found that many places accepted credit cards, including the HOHO bus when buying the tickets at their main office and that I didn't really need as many as I had. I used them for a taxi from the hotel to the cruise port (I paid the taxi from the airport in USD but I could have used ARS), at the supermarket, at convenience stores, in restaurants and for small souvenirs. I had a bit left over when I got to Ushuaia which I spent as I didn't want to have any left. I guess a lot depends on whether you want to pay for most things in cash or use a credit card and what you have planned. 

 

I'm really pleased that you have found the review helpful and I hope you have a great cruise. 

[Discoduck]

Many thanks for replying.  This gives us an idea of how much we will need.  At the moment very little pesos to be had here in Perth so possibly have to change when we get into B A airport and this will give us a guide how much to get.  Thank you very much and we hope our trip is as good as yours.  I am sure it will be.  Enjoy your cruise to Norway

[skynight]

1 hour ago, Discoduck said:

Many thanks for replying.  This gives us an idea of how much we will need.  At the moment very little pesos to be had here in Perth so possibly have to change when we get into B A airport and this will give us a guide how much to get.  Thank you very much and we hope our trip is as good as yours.  I am sure it will be.  Enjoy your cruise to Norway

We took this cruise in 2017. In Ushuaia we took a private tour and it was arranged that we pay in US$. When we docked in Puerto Madryn we asked on the pier where we could purchase some pesos. We were directed to a store on the main street where we purchased around 900 pesos in the "blue" market. At that time the exchange was around 16 peso/US$. Now its around 35/US$. We did not take any trips in Puerto Madryn, but stopped for some coffee and cake. We were in Buenos Aires for 3 days. We arranged for private tours with BuenosTours.com. We were not disappointed. They have a number of different tours. We paced ourselves and took two half day walking tours, just the two of us and a guide. Since we paid in advance by Pay Pal the only pesos we needed were for inexpensive taxis and some light snacks. In the end we had lots of extra pesos which we gave to the guide. 

[bettycoop]

Great review.  Thank you for sharing.

 

Betty.

[PurpleTraveller]

53 minutes ago, bettycoop said:

Great review.  Thank you for sharing.

 

Betty.

 

Thanks for reading! 

[RLK33853]

Well done!!!  Great review and very informative.  We are doing this same itinerary in February of 2020 and your review is an excellent resource. 

 

Hopefully you will do a review for the Majestic this month.  We are also doing the Majestic next January and various reviews make us nervous about some of the things on the Majestic.

 

Have fun in Norway - we are currently looking at your cruise in June, or one a little later.  My family is from Norway and while it is very picturesque, once on shore it is very expensive.  A cruise is a great way to see it.

 

Thanks again

 

Ray and Ann

[PurpleTraveller]

5 hours ago, RLK33853 said:

Well done!!!  Great review and very informative.  We are doing this same itinerary in February of 2020 and your review is an excellent resource. 

 

Hopefully you will do a review for the Majestic this month.  We are also doing the Majestic next January and various reviews make us nervous about some of the things on the Majestic.

 

Have fun in Norway - we are currently looking at your cruise in June, or one a little later.  My family is from Norway and while it is very picturesque, once on shore it is very expensive.  A cruise is a great way to see it.

 

Thanks again

 

Ray and Ann

 

Thank you! I hope you find the review useful when planning for your cruise. It is a beautiful part of the world and I hope you have a wonderful cruise. 

 

I am really looking forward to visiting Norway as I have never been there before but in the meantime I have the Majestic cruise starting on the 24th. It will be interesting to see what she is like but any day on a cruise is a good day so I'll have a great time. I plan to do a review on my return so look out for it.

 

Thanks again! 

[patrickmoran]

Did you pay Estancia with British pounds? If yes, where did you get them? Thanks

[PurpleTraveller]

1 hour ago, patrickmoran said:

Did you pay Estancia with British pounds? If yes, where did you get them? Thanks

 

Yes, I paid Estancia and also tipped my driver in British Pounds. I got mine in Sydney before I left for South America. They had to be in good condition with no tears (mine were brand new notes) to be accepted. There are not any ATMs in Stanley so you need to bring them with you. You can check with Nyree at Estancia to see what she will accept for payment. 

[SingBill]

I just finished reading your wonderful and informative review. Thank you so much. One question can you tell me how much the unlimited wifi was

[PurpleTraveller]

8 hours ago, SingBill said:

I just finished reading your wonderful and informative review. Thank you so much. One question can you tell me how much the unlimited wifi was

 

Thanks. Sorry, I don't know how much the Wi-Fi is as I get the Platinum free minutes. The Wi-Fi was a bit slow but worked OK for my needs - Facebook, emails and ringing family using Messenger. 

[SingBill]

Thank you for your quick reply. Much appreciated 

[lorri111]

Thank you for the useful info, we are doing South America/Antarctica in Jan 2020. Can I ask who you flew with and what airport you came in at in BA? We are in Perth and I have just started looking at flight options.

[PurpleTraveller]

43 minutes ago, lorri111 said:

Thank you for the useful info, we are doing South America/Antarctica in Jan 2020. Can I ask who you flew with and what airport you came in at in BA? We are in Perth and I have just started looking at flight options.

 

Thanks. We booked through LATAM as we had extra flights from Santiago to Lima then Cusco and back from Puno to Lima to Santiago, so that we could get a better deal. However, as LATAM code shares with Qantas we chose to fly Qantas from Sydney to Santiago and return on their direct flight as flying with LATAM from and to Sydney would have meant a stop in Auckland. From Santiago to Buenos Aires and all our other flights within South America were with LATAM. We flew into Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires and it was a 40 minute taxi ride to our hotel near the obelisk.

[lorri111]

5 minutes ago, PurpleTraveller said:

 

Thanks. We booked through LATAM as we had extra flights from Santiago to Lima then Cusco and back from Puno to Lima to Santiago, so that we could get a better deal. However, as LATAM code shares with Qantas we chose to fly Qantas from Sydney to Santiago and return on their direct flight as flying with LATAM from and to Sydney would have meant a stop in Auckland. From Santiago to Buenos Aires and all our other flights within South America were with LATAM. We flew into Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires and it was a 40 minute taxi ride to our hotel near the obelisk.

Thanks for that. How was LATAM as an airline, I am hearing all sorts of stories about local airlines being notorious for unreliability with times.

[PurpleTraveller]

1 hour ago, lorri111 said:

Thanks for that. How was LATAM as an airline, I am hearing all sorts of stories about local airlines being notorious for unreliability with times.

 

All our flights left on time except the flight to Cusco which was delayed due to a huge storm in Cusco which meant that the previous flight from Cusco to Lima couldn't depart on time. All the planes were fairly new and clean. Our flight from Santiago to Buenos Aires was on a Boeing 787 and the other flights were on Airbus A320's. I would happily fly with LATAM again. 

 

Edited November 18, 2018 by PurpleTraveller

[PurpleTraveller]

I have just completed my latest Photo Review of my cruise on Sapphire Princess to Norway  - Land of the Midnight Sun in June 2019. When I updated my signature I discovered that I can only have 3 URL addresses in my signature meaning that the link to my Baltic Heritage Photo Review had to be removed. I have decided to help anyone who may be interested in reading other of my reviews by putting links to my other reviews at the end of each of my reviews so that they can find them. Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

[welly world]

Loved your review! Just wondering...how cold and warm did it get? What kind of clothes did you take?

[skynight]

5 hours ago, welly world said:

Loved your review! Just wondering...how cold and warm did it get? What kind of clothes did you take?

I have done this cruise twice. Take layers and a rain jacket.  It can get cooler the further south you go, think Alaska. Very hot in B.A.

[PurpleTraveller]

10 hours ago, welly world said:

Loved your review! Just wondering...how cold and warm did it get? What kind of clothes did you take?

 

Thank you! 

 

It was very warm in Buenos Aires and Montevideo and gradually got cooler as we headed south and then warmed up again as we headed north again until it was very warm in Santiago. 

 

We were in T'Shirts and shorts in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Puerto Madryn and Santiago. Further south we wore long sleeve T'Shirts with a fleecy jacket and also a wind/rain jacket if it was windy or cold. 

 

There was cold wind when doing the scenic cruising around Cape Horn, Glacier Alley and the Amalia Glacier. Then I had a couple of extra layers - a merino T'Shirt as my bottom layer and a down jacket with a hood (one that rolls into a small ball and goes in a small bag) under my rain jacket. I also had possum fur gloves and a beanie. 

 

Layers are the key and lightweight layers at that. It may seem like I had a lot of clothing but it all fit into a 53cm medium size suitcase. It also helped that there was self service laundry rooms on Emerald Princess so I could do washing during the cruise.

 

Clothes that do double duty are also useful. My rain jacket is lightweight and can roll up and fit into my handbag and also doubles as a windbreaker.

 

We were able to add or subtract layers during the day as it often started off cool and then warmed up throughout the day before cooling again later in the afternoon. 

 

Hope this helps a little. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have and I'll do my best to answer them. 

[welly world]

Thank you so much! Your information is definitely helpful! At least now I can start my shopping list and will know what I need to pack.

[mimiclem]

Getting ready for the 58 day journey around South America on the Island Princess.  I just found your posts and can't tell you how helpful they are!  Thank you for the great photos and info on this itinerary.  We are also booked with Nyree at Estancia Excursions in the Falklands and it was good to hear about your experience.  The photos of the cars was reassuring - I wasn't sure what I was expecting but it was encouraging to see such "comfortable" looking vehicles. 

 

Thanks again for taking the time to share with us!

Mimi

[PurpleTraveller]

5 hours ago, mimiclem said:

Getting ready for the 58 day journey around South America on the Island Princess.  I just found your posts and can't tell you how helpful they are!  Thank you for the great photos and info on this itinerary.  We are also booked with Nyree at Estancia Excursions in the Falklands and it was good to hear about your experience.  The photos of the cars was reassuring - I wasn't sure what I was expecting but it was encouraging to see such "comfortable" looking vehicles. 

 

Thanks again for taking the time to share with us!

Mimi

 

Thank you! I am so pleased that the review has been helpful to you! How wonderful for you to have 58 days cruising to look forward to. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that you get into the Falkland Islands. Estancia Excursions are fabulous and my excursion was the best excursion I have been on. The penguins were amazing to see. I was lucky to be in a very comfortable car but I heard from others that the jeeps were okay. Hope you have a wonderful cruise with sunny skies and calm seas! 😊

Edited December 7, 2019 by PurpleTraveller