Review of Ventus Australis Cruise Jan 2022

[Homerody]

TLDR version: 

Had a great time.  Would most definitely recommend the “all inclusive” (excludes optional tips and port tax) 5 night cruise on a 200 passenger ship in Chilean Patagonia and fjords from (and return to) Punta Arenas. The price for our cruise stated at 500 USD per person per night. The zodiac excursions are a highlight.  However, even if mobility is an issue precluding zodiac or excursion walking, the scenery from the ship is spectacular. 

 

Long version: 

Were on an improvised South American land vacation after our SA cruise was cancelled.  We decided on the Australis cruise a few days before sailing date.  We booked directly online while in Santiago and provided necessary electronic documentation (passport info, covid vax details, Chile mobility pass confirmation, etc) shortly after booking.  The whole thing was finalized in less that 24 hours. 

 

I will skip over the specific COVID protocols and procedures for embarking, on board and disembarking – as things probably are changing and my not be relevant or applicable.  Suffices it to say we had to be tested (rapid antigen) to embark and then on day 4.  Masks were required unless eating and drinking.  On excursions (all zodiac based) masks were required on the zodiac and at times when social distancing was not possible.

 

The ship:

 Ventus has a capacity for 200 passengers.  There is one restaurant, one bar and two other lounges.  The cabins are on decks 2,3 and 4.  The vast majority of cabins are the same in area.  There are a few cabins that are larger in area on the upper decks.  There are a few B category cabins are on the Deck 2 (fore) and have slight curve due to the ship’s shape.  I do not think that impacts the cabin size all that much and window size and shape is the same as the rest of the cabins on Deck 2.  All cabins on Deck 2 have a large rectangular window that starts about 18” from the floor.  Decks 3 and 4 have a larger window.

 

The passengers:

For this sailing we had 92 passengers from 3 countries: Chile, USA, and UK.  We had roughly 20 from USA and UK – 6 of us English speakers were independent travelers the rest of the English speakers were traveling with a tour company and their own guide. The ship staff provided excursions, expedition commentary and expedition preparation and talks for English and Spanish groups separately.  A few bilingual Spanish speakers joined the English speakers.  In both groups we had couples of varying ages, a parent with a child, families with young children (3 or 4 years old) and families with teenagers.  (Yes, the teenagers would run amok occasionally in the hallways.)

 

The cabin:

The typical Deck 2 cabin was comfortable and sufficient for the 5 nights we were on board.  Bathroom was small, but adequate for short duration of the cruise.  As they say, you really don’t spend that much time in the cabin.  And if you do, seeing Patagonia float by from your large cabin window is the ultimate in relaxation.

 

The excursions:

The excursions are all zodiac based.  Waterproof clothing (including pants) is recommended for the excursion because you’ll likely encounter rain, splashing, and a wet zodiac – any combination or all three.  Crew members are very helpful in getting you on and off the zodiac, but some agility is required.  Some of the excursions involve moderately strenuous hike, others as on flat paths and still others involve little or no walking (such as getting close to a glacier on a zodiac).  The excursions are described in full detail during the excursion talk so a passenger can make an informed choice and select according to their abilities and level of comfort.  The excursions included a couple of hikes to overlook points (with magnificent views), some glacier close up visits and a walk in a national park to visit with the penguins and birds.  Each excursion was special in its own way and provided a spectacular view and/or experience not to be missed.  One memory I will treasure is our walk among the penguins on Magdalena Island – and hearing the giddy, delightful laughter and excitement of a 3- or 4-year-old girl in her little life vest, as she saw her first “penguino.”  Magical!  Or the excursion where we walked on the edge of a fjord then to a sand bar and stood no more than 100 feet from the edge of a glacier.  Spectacular!

 

The restaurant:

One restaurant, and no room service.   At the restaurant, tables for 8, 4 and 2 were available.  So, the tour group was seated together on two tables, family groups seated according to their family size and couples had tables for two if they wanted them. Wait staff was friendly, engaging and very efficient and helpful – whether it was refiling your morning coffee, or offering you a substitute to the soup you did not want to order. 

 

Food and beverage:

You will not go hungry or thirsty on board.  Meals are a single seating.   An early risers’ self-serve breakfast consisting of coffee (brewed and an espresso machine), tea and pastries is available in one of the lounges.    Breakfast was a buffet consisting of cereals, pastries, breads, cold cuts, and excellent fresh fruit.  Hot options included scrambled eggs, French toast, and pancakes.   Wait staff provided the coffee or tea and if requested espresso type drinks.  During breakfast we were presented the lunch menu to select our main course and then at lunch we were presented the dinner menu to select main course.  Lunch and dinner consisted of an appetizer, soup (or salad if you asked), 3 main course options and dessert.   We did not try any of the vegetarian or pasta main courses.  We substituted salad for soup a couple of times.  Salad ingredients were fresh and nicely presented.  We had fish and meat dishes.  The fish main courses were excellent every time – both in taste and how well they were cooked.  Ceviche, as an appetizer, served twice was really good.  The chef has a knack to produce excellent fish dishes.  Meat dishes on the other hand, were average (in comparison the fish) and were generally on the well-done side, as it seems that is the prevailing local preference. (Travel partner felt that desserts were unimaginative and on the small side and the menu for a 5 night cruise was too limited but otherwise agrees with the above including fish and meat dish assessment.)

 

Wine (several option of red and white), soft drinks and fruit juice were free flowing at mealtime.  Service was great. At all meals.  Drinks were refilled promptly, waitstaff remembered your preferences and added small touches that showed their level of detail.  For example, if you switched between wines (even between white wines) they appeared with a new glass.  Or folding your napkin into a rose or a boat and offering to teach you how to do it.  Wait staff was friendly, engaging and had a significant impact in our enjoyment of the cruise.

 

At the bar/lounge there were two bar tenders.  One was funny and very friendly the other had a vibe of “I’m here to do a job” and did not interact much with any of the passengers.  Drinks were available from 11AM on and pre dinner they had pisco and calafate sours and snacks lined up at the bar – but you could ask for any drink you wanted.

 

Throughout the day, two self-serve espresso machines and a refrigerator with soft drinks and beer were available. 

 

One interesting and festive experience in the bar/lounge area was at the time we cruised in the alley of glaciers named after countries.  In the long drinks and figure foods from the respective country was served.  For example, pizza for Italy and cheese for France.  A fun way to spend a pre-dinner hour as we watched magnificent glaciers.

 

Embarkation and disembarkation:

Embarkation was done for groups of about 30 (based on a pre-assigned boarding time starting at 17:30). Upon entering the ship, a crew member walked with you to the cabin and explained the covid protocols and gave a safety briefing and a brief overview of the ship. For disembarkation the English-speaking group was in a single group.  We were asked to clear our cabins by 10:30 and waited in one of the lounges till we docked and disembarked about noon.

 

Some of the embarkation and disembarkation procedures were covid related, but overall the process was organized.  A covid related bit of a hassle was you could not walk out of the port and grab a taxi.  You either had to have a pre-arranged private transfer or get on the provided bus that took you the central square with your luggage (about a two block walk to the Australis office where we checked in for our cruise).     If you needed to store luggage for a few hours (as we did) – we went to the office, and they gladly did that (and reminded us that they close at 17:00).  As a side point there was some confusion among crew members on board on the luggage storage situation, but a helpful Australis agent explained everything when we got on the bus.  A minor issue that worked out well.

 

Conclusion:

If you are looking for multiple restaurants, room service, butlers, and entertainment reviews with easy access excursions, this probably is not your cruise.

On the other hand, if you enjoy nature and are OK with zodiacs, fairly active excursions, being close with nature, are content with documentaries, trivia contests and talks for entertainment, and happy with a comfortable accommodations, small ship and accordingly limited choices – this would be a good fit and highly recommended.

 

Happy to answer any specific questions.

 

 

      

Edited February 18, 2022 by Homerody
typos

[yogagal47]

Thank you for this thorough review. By any chance was the tour group from Backroads? Just wondering how rough for the seas during your cruise? Also what does it mean if the cruise begins at Ushuaia and ends at Punta Arenas? I have read some information suggesting to reverse direction is better and also the option of the complete round-trip

[Homerody]

The tour group was on a multi country tour with OAT.

 

There was a couple of areas of open seas and some rough waters in these areas for a couple of hours (crew warned us about these areas) - but for the most part it was smooth sailing in protected waters.

 

In Jan 2022 - Australis was not making the Punta Arenas - Ushuaia sailing.  It was a Punta Arenas loop.  So I don't know how the route would change for a one way trip when they become available.  

 

In any event, I recall reading that the Santiago to Buenos Aires cruises on major cruise lines were best going from BA to Santiago due to passage through some important areas such as the Beagle Channel in daylight.  Not really sure how that would apply to the Australis sailings.

 

For our sailing, we did not miss any sights due to night time sailing.  But early risers did get some spectacular sun rises on 2 days of the cruise and the solitude of a sleeping ship.

Edited March 22, 2022 by Homerody