Which Ship to take around the Horn

[Lvntrvl]

We are looking at taking a 14 night trip around Cape Horn and would like advice as to which of the mega ships we should take.  We are considering the Diamond Princess, the NCL Star, and HAL Westerdam.  They are similarly priced and the itineraries are nearly identical. Any suggestions as to which one wins out would be appreciated. I believe that the Westerdam has a covered pool which may be a plus on cold and rainy days.  

[Heartfelttraveler]

We did this trip in February 2020 on the Norwegian Star.  Fabulous trip.  The ship was great.  A lot of the cruise is close to land with constant views.

 

Also. NCL was very good with refunds during COVID cancelations.

 

we looked at port times and length plus cost.

 

if you can fit it in, three nights in Iguazu Falls Argentina is worth the effort and time.  Plan a day to go to the Brazil side too.

[Oakman58]

This is based on my pre-Covid experience so the post-Covid experience may be different across all cruise lines as they try to recoup lost revenue.

 

I would choose Holland over NCL.  Holland gives you more of a “classic” style of cruise where most of the crew works to make you feel like royalty.  My last three cruises with NCL gave me the feeling I was on a floating hotel and the crew did their job but nothing more.  Having said that, NCL has much better evening theater entertainment.  I have no experience with Princess so I can’t help with that.

 

My wife and I are booked on the Westerdam in February cruising from Santiago to Buenos Aires. 

Edited May 30, 2021 by Oakman58

[matamanoa]

On 4/26/2021 at 9:51 AM, Lvntrvl said:

We are looking at taking a 14 night trip around Cape Horn and would like advice as to which of the mega ships we should take.  We are considering the Diamond Princess, the NCL Star, and HAL Westerdam.  They are similarly priced and the itineraries are nearly identical. Any suggestions as to which one wins out would be appreciated. I believe that the Westerdam has a covered pool which may be a plus on cold and rainy days.  

It doesn't matter which cruise line you end up booking with, none can guarantee that you will get around the horn if the weather is not in your favour.  We did a Princess cruise from Buenos Aires to Santiago in Feb/March of 2020 and the day that we were to go around the horn, the weather was bright but very windy and the waves made it impossible to continue around the horn.  We had to turn back and go through the Beagle Channel which was a disappointment for many of the passengers.  I'm sure you will enjoy your cruise no matter what line you are on but remember - Mother Nature always wins!

 

Barb

[teacherman]

We went January, 2020 on HAL and had an amazing trip.  They had 3 excellent presenters who gave many lectures on what we would be seeing during the cruise and they also did narrations from the bridge during some parts of the voyage.  To me, the scenery was the big thing, not the shows.  And definitely do Iguazu for 2 or 3 nights if you can.  It is amazing.  And get a falls view room at the Melia in the park.  A once in a lifetime trip.