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Santiago to Buenos Aires vs Buenos Aires to Antarctica


ALD18
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Currently booked for Jan 2022 NCL Santiago to Buenos Aires cruise.  Really looking forward to the west coast portion of cruise along the Beagle Channel.  Hope to see the mountain ranges and hopefully some glaciers up close while passing by.  With current COVID situation seriously contemplating cancelling cruise and moving to Jan 2023 itinerary for same cruise.  However, quite intrigued by the Buenos Aires to Antarctica cruise.  Understand the Antarctica portion has no "ports of call" so to speak and that portion of trip is strictly viewing from the mother ship over 2 days.  Is the wild life, glacier, and possible glacier calving/icebergs viewing up close and personal or is everything done from a fair distance and on the move?  If so, would binoculars etc. be a mandatory thing to take?  Guess it boils down to scenery between 2 days of Antarctica viewing versus the west coast of South America (Beagle Channel, and 2 ports of call).  Anyone have experience with both and your thoughts are appreciated.  Thank you.

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My recommendation? Do both! I realize that the cost in terms of time and money would double, but it would not require any additional international flights. For me the long flights were the downside to this itinerary so I would try to see as much as I could while I was there.

 

You could book the NCL cruises B2B but that would mean visiting multiple ports twice. Another option might be to look at other cruiselines for an itinerary that combines the two routes without overlapping the ports. 

 

In 2019 we sailed on Holland America from Santiago to Buenos Aires and the 22-day cruise included 4 days in Antarctica (instead of just the two that NCL does.) The scenery and wildlife we saw in Antarctica was amazing...hundreds of whales (many breaching right next to the ship!) and penguins by the thousands! Also sailing through Glacier Alley and the Beagle Channel were also breathtaking. 

 

Looks like HAL is offering this our same itinerary in both 2022 and 2023.

 

Map depicting the 22-day s. america & antarctica itinerary leaving from san antonio (santiago), chile and arriving in buenos aires, argentina.

 

We also added a trip to Iguazu Falls once our cruise ended in Buenos Aires...something else to maybe consider?

 

If I only had to pick one of the NCL itineraries, I would be hard pressed to know which was better! I did daily blog posts with lots of photos in case you are interested. Here is a link if you would like to check it out: South America/Antarctica Blog. I have also posted several videos on YouTube from our cruise and those links are in the blog as well.

 

Good luck on your decision and hopefully ships will be sailing soon!

 

 

Edited by AryMay
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Ahhhhhhhhhhhh to be able to do both:)  Would solve everything, but unfortunately neither have the time or funds to do both.  The Puerto Chacabuco and Puerto Montt appear to be very small ports of call and according to the shore excursion lists both are pretty much the same.  Plus was told dependent upon weather the larger ships may actually avoid the Beagle channel if wind is to high and stay out to sea for that safety.  Buenos Aires is a city we both really want to visit and Santiago not so much.  If the ship gets close enough to the glaciers and wildlife in Antarctica then I think I would like to go there instead of the west coast of South America.  But both are very intriguing.  Thanks for your input, appreciate it:)

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I did the expedition route Ushuaia -> Falkland Islands -> South Georgia -> Antarctica -> Ushuaia with RT air between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.  It was a trip of a lifetime.  The experience can be summed up in one word “amazing”.  There is no comparison to a scenic fjords, drive-by cruise.   Do not waste time or short-change yourself doing a drive-by of Antarctica.  The experience of an expedition cruise with landings is totally different.    Although I have not yet done the scenic fjords cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires (via Ushuaia), I am guessing it is not much different than an Alaska cruise or a fjords cruise along coastal Norway even if the South America cruise maybe a bit more spectacular (than Alaska or Norway).

My suggestion is to do both and at different time.  Try to include South Georgia in your Antarctica expedition cruise.  Similarly, try to include a land tour of Iguazu Falls or Easter Islands with your South America cruise.  Expect to pay a lot more for an expedition cruise.  You will find the experience worth every penny.

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Thanks for your input dreamercruise.  One of my main concerns on the Antarctica cruise via NCL is that you do not actually "set foot" on Antarctica.  That would solidify our "been there" mentality.  Arymay's videos are excellent and gave a better perspective of both places via the drive by approach.  After watching them I'm starting to lean toward the around the horn trip and hope the Beagle Channel and fjords are as good as they look.  Antarctica may require another trip, another time, if time and $'s permit.  We have a bunch of other trips around the world we want to do so will have to see.  Thanks again for your help.  Appreciate your advise. 

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On 4/21/2021 at 3:56 PM, AryMay said:

My recommendation? Do both! I realize that the cost in terms of time and money would double, but it would not require any additional international flights. For me the long flights were the downside to this itinerary so I would try to see as much as I could while I was there.

 

You could book the NCL cruises B2B but that would mean visiting multiple ports twice. Another option might be to look at other cruiselines for an itinerary that combines the two routes without overlapping the ports. 

 

In 2019 we sailed on Holland America from Santiago to Buenos Aires and the 22-day cruise included 4 days in Antarctica (instead of just the two that NCL does.) The scenery and wildlife we saw in Antarctica was amazing...hundreds of whales (many breaching right next to the ship!) and penguins by the thousands! Also sailing through Glacier Alley and the Beagle Channel were also breathtaking. 

 

Looks like HAL is offering this our same itinerary in both 2022 and 2023.

 

Map depicting the 22-day s. america & antarctica itinerary leaving from san antonio (santiago), chile and arriving in buenos aires, argentina.

 

We also added a trip to Iguazu Falls once our cruise ended in Buenos Aires...something else to maybe consider?

 

If I only had to pick one of the NCL itineraries, I would be hard pressed to know which was better! I did daily blog posts with lots of photos in case you are interested. Here is a link if you would like to check it out: South America/Antarctica Blog. I have also posted several videos on YouTube from our cruise and those links are in the blog as well.

 

Good luck on your decision and hopefully ships will be sailing soon!

 

 

My wife and I are booked on a Viking South America cruise for 2022 but we doubt it will be sailing.  The Holland America itinerary you mentioned is a very tempting alternative for the following year. While I have only sailed HA once, it is not a line I usually  consider, but the ship is not too big and including Antarctica in the itinerary makes it quite interesting.  Thanks for mentioning this cruise!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, after some drawn out thought and discussion we have decided to just reschedule the original NCL Santiago to Buenos Aires cruise until January 2023.  Put an Antarctica trip off until a future date.  Primary reason was additional cost, only a single drive by day in Antarctica, and the distinct possibility that single day may have lousy weather and not being able to see much.  Thanks to all for your advice and thoughts.  Appreciate it:)

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