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South America & Chilean Fjords Feedback

johneb2

By johneb2,
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johneb2

johneb2

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My wife & I will be on the Feb 7th, 2023 cruise to South America & Chilean Fjords.   We are looking for feedback for anyone who has taken this cruise in the January or February time frame.  What was the weather like?  What excursions do you recommend or avoid?  What clothing is suggested?   We appreciate any input offered.

Thanks, JohnEB

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Mich3554

Mich3554

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We have done this twice, in Dec and Jan.  The weather is very warm in both Santiago/Valparaiso and Buenos Aires.  As we went south, I was comfortable in a LS shirt, sweater and a rain jacket on top.  I wore jeans and waterproof hiking shoes.  
We saw the penguins….all the penguins!  We also did a few winery tours, did the train to the end of the world, and planned our own excursion to Iguazu falls at the end.  
This cruise is one of my favorites.

 

ETA:  just be aware that the ship has about a 50% success rate of stopping in the Falklands as it is a tender port.  We hit it once, once we did not.

Edited by Mich3554
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TayanaLorna

TayanaLorna

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We did this Viking cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires in January - February 2020 and LOVED it.  Check out tomko2travel.blogspot.com for my ramblings, our photos etc.  I just published the unfinished Puerto Madryn which is missing the penguin photos and proof reading (sorry).  Never got to writing Montevideo or BA.  We did a lot of private excursions as we were a group of 6 friends.  This is just a personal blog, no advertising and I get no financial benefit from it.   We just cannot decide which cruise we liked more - this one or the Midnight Sun one.

 

We had temps from the 90's in Santiago to upper 30's for the Amalia Glacier scenic cruising day.  We brought 3 season clothing but then we live in PR so cold is not anything we are used to feeling.

 

Did not do the Patagonia extension but would go to that area in a heartbeat after seeing what we did.  We are more outdoorsy people then city touring people so tend to choose cruises with more adventure involved.

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WNcruiser "Live from...." Rare

WNcruiser

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3 hours ago, johneb2 said:

My wife & I will be on the Feb 7th, 2023 cruise to South America & Chilean Fjords.   We are looking for feedback for anyone who has taken this cruise in the January or February time frame.  What was the weather like?  What excursions do you recommend or avoid?  What clothing is suggested?   We appreciate any input offered.

Thanks, JohnEB

We are going on this cruise in January. You will be boarding as we finish in BA on the 7th. I Found lots of information on the ports boards as well as trip advisor. 
 

I may do a live thread depending on interest but if not I’ll be happy to answer questions while on board.

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LindaS272 "Live from...." Rare

LindaS272

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4 hours ago, johneb2 said:

My wife & I will be on the Feb 7th, 2023 cruise to South America & Chilean Fjords.   We are looking for feedback for anyone who has taken this cruise in the January or February time frame.  What was the weather like?  What excursions do you recommend or avoid?  What clothing is suggested?   We appreciate any input offered.

Thanks, JohnEB

To avoid: Don’t go if you’re going to be interrupted by a pandemic! 🤪 We went Valpo to BA direction, Feb. 28-March 15, 2020. But really the pandemic declaration on March 11 didn’t affect us all that much—we just were not able to stay an extra two days in BA as we had to fly out immediately on March 15 because Argentina was closing the airport!

 

The weather was warmer than I thought it would be around the Falklands & Cape Horn. We made it into the Falklands and the sea was nearly smooth as glass around the Cape—though overcast skies. For you, I’d be prepared for summery weather and early fall conditions—bring a rain jacket (also for wind) but SA is experiencing drought conditions due to climate change—though I don’t know the forecast for this next year.

 

As for excursions: We have been to BA before (on our own) so can recommend Viking excursions of Tango & Dinner Show; Historic Eva Peron; or Artistic Buenos Aires. Of course Iguazu Falls is not to be missed in SA, but the Viking excursion is very pricey. We were there on another trip but it’s fantastic!

 

Tango in Montevideo was fun. We skipped Puerto Madryn due to high winds—unable to make port. The Falklands penguin tour to Volunteer Point was full so we booked with the private tour there with Patrick’s group—this is not to be missed as well! In Ushuaia we booked a private excursion to Tierra Del Fuego National Park but I’d highly recommend trying to get there. Punta Arenas by foot, the included tour, was meh so we struck out on our own. At Puerto Montt, we thoroughly enjoyed the Osorno Volcano, Petrohue Falls, Puerto Varas excursion with wonderful lunch at a bodega/cantina near PV. At Valparaiso I recommend On the Trail of Pablo Neruda. We found out on boarding in Valpo that this excursion was canceled due to not enough signups (though the previous cruise excursion went). We were able to scramble & got a local tour guide at the last moment to recreate the tour for us—loved it!—including lunch at a winery near Santiago.

 

This was one of our best cruises due to length (18 days), lots of sea days, astounding scenery (Cape, Fjiords, Falklands), & and, in our case, an exciting exit! Pretty sure you’ll have a great time!

 

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The Other Tom

The Other Tom

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It was warm in BA and Santiago when we went in February, but cold and windy in the Falklands.  Layers are best.  We also encountered hurricane force winds (75 mph) and heavy seas after we exited the Beagle channel into the Pacific.  It lasted for about a day.  The captain said it was worse the week before.  We were on the NCL Sun which is a larger ship than Viking.  Although the ship was rocking and rolling, my wife, who normally gets sea sickness in that type of weather, was fine.  Maybe it was because we were excited about the adventure.

Edit:  We did a private excursion to Volunteer Point (Falkland Islands) to see the Penguins.  We used Patrick Watts and it was one of the best excursions we have been on.  Highly recommended.

Edited by The Other Tom
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johneb2

johneb2

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11 hours ago, Mich3554 said:

We have done this twice, in Dec and Jan.  The weather is very warm in both Santiago/Valparaiso and Buenos Aires.  As we went south, I was comfortable in a LS shirt, sweater and a rain jacket on top.  I wore jeans and waterproof hiking shoes.  
We saw the penguins….all the penguins!  We also did a few winery tours, did the train to the end of the world, and planned our own excursion to Iguazu falls at the end.  
This cruise is one of my favorites.

 

ETA:  just be aware that the ship has about a 50% success rate of stopping in the Falklands as it is a tender port.  We hit it once, once we did not.

When you did not stop at the Falklands, was another port substituted or was it just a sea day?

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TayanaLorna

TayanaLorna

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Recommend if you really want to see penguins, book an excursion to more then one port.

 

In Punta Arenas, all water based excursions were cancelled due to 60 mph winds and the ski lift/hike tour was also cancelled.  Fortunately we were able to dock but it was hard walking.

 

In the Falklands we anchored and the first tender made it to shore.  We started out on the Patrick Watts tour but were called back after a half hour as the Captain cancelled the stop when the second tender could not dock.  Patrick did not charge us but we gave our driver a nice tip.  Do not worry about missing the ship when touring with Patrick.  The lead vehicle carries a radio for communication and we knew immediately when called back to ship.

 

We finally saw penguins on a private tour to the Penninsula Valdes UNESCO World Heritage site and Estancia San Lorenzo through Sentir Patagonia.  Excellent.

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CurlerRob

CurlerRob

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19 hours ago, johneb2 said:

My wife & I will be on the Feb 7th, 2023 cruise to South America & Chilean Fjords.   We are looking for feedback for anyone who has taken this cruise in the January or February time frame.  What was the weather like?  What excursions do you recommend or avoid?  What clothing is suggested?   We appreciate any input offered.

Thanks, JohnEB

 

This is a fantastic trip and the other posters have all provided excellent input.

 

My key advice is flexibility - in both clothing and expectations. The Southern Ocean is home to the most unpredictable and changeable weather on the planet. In 2013, on a different cruise line, we were forced inshore by a storm bringing 70 knot winds and 40 foot seas - no Punta Arenas, Ushuaia or Cape Horn. Disappointing, but still one of our favourite trips. Here's one teaser from our adjusted route ... 🍺🥌

 

image.thumb.png.6b961e2385184b8de74324685b6326d0.png

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Mich3554

Mich3554

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10 hours ago, johneb2 said:

When you did not stop at the Falklands, was another port substituted or was it just a sea day?

Sea day.  There really isn’t anything close to divert to.  The time we made it, the cruise before and after us did not.  We really lucked out, but we were well aware that the odds of getting into that port are about 50%.  

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deec

deec

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We did this cruise last year starting late February.  Pandemic problems aside it was a GREAT cruise.  Unfortunately the Falklands were cancelled because no ships were allowed. 

Our pre-cruise extension was BAD but it was totally Covid related.  We did get to do a a private wine tour that was fantastic.  Great wine country!

 

Puerto Montt    Osorno Volcano, Petrohué Falls & Puerto Varas 

this was a good tour!

 

Puenta Arenas  we did Magdalena Island & Penguin Reserve by Catamaran..this was our best Penguin Experience ( we could not go to the Falklands) OK boat ride and very knowledgeable guides.

 

Ushuaia Great 4x4 and hiking adventure and fun lunch that we ate outside...the guide made this tour

 

Puerto Madryn  we were here for 2 days because the Falklands were closed.  We did Punta Tombo Penguin Colony and something to see Elephant Seals much to the seemingly surprised guide both were without much wildlife...the lunch stops were horrific (but remember this was time of Covid)  those who did the included tour of the the Welsh community enjoyed it!

 

Montivideo  we did the wine tour and it was good!  We also did the included because we were there twice ( we followed SA cruise with the Transatlantic)  This is a walkable fun city to wander about! 

 

Truly though this trip is all about the scenery!!!  We had excellent naturalists onboard and spent most free time up in the Explorer's lounge watching for birds, dolphins and whales!!  Saw them all!!!  The bar tenders were also the BEST!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Iloveketo

Iloveketo

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30 minutes ago, deec said:

We did this cruise last year starting late February.  Pandemic problems aside it was a GREAT cruise.  Unfortunately the Falklands were cancelled because no ships were allowed. 

Our pre-cruise extension was BAD but it was totally Covid related.  We did get to do a a private wine tour that was fantastic.  Great wine country!

 

Puerto Montt    Osorno Volcano, Petrohué Falls & Puerto Varas 

this was a good tour!

 

Puenta Arenas  we did Magdalena Island & Penguin Reserve by Catamaran..this was our best Penguin Experience ( we could not go to the Falklands) OK boat ride and very knowledgeable guides.

 

Ushuaia Great 4x4 and hiking adventure and fun lunch that we ate outside...the guide made this tour

 

Puerto Madryn  we were here for 2 days because the Falklands were closed.  We did Punta Tombo Penguin Colony and something to see Elephant Seals much to the seemingly surprised guide both were without much wildlife...the lunch stops were horrific (but remember this was time of Covid)  those who did the included tour of the the Welsh community enjoyed it!

 

Montivideo  we did the wine tour and it was good!  We also did the included because we were there twice ( we followed SA cruise with the Transatlantic)  This is a walkable fun city to wander about! 

 

Truly though this trip is all about the scenery!!!  We had excellent naturalists onboard and spent most free time up in the Explorer's lounge watching for birds, dolphins and whales!!  Saw them all!!!  The bar tenders were also the BEST!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your critique. 

We are hoping to book this late in February of 2024 and then continue onto Barcelona. 
It sounds like you enjoyed it even with the issues. We have taken 2 Ocean cruises since 2020. One in December in the Caribbean and to French Polynesia in January. Some things were changed or missed, but we still had a wonderful time on both!

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Australia08 "Live from...." Rare

Australia08

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7 hours ago, deec said:

We did this cruise last year starting late February.  Pandemic problems aside it was a GREAT cruise.  Unfortunately the Falklands were cancelled because no ships were allowed. 

Our pre-cruise extension was BAD but it was totally Covid related.  We did get to do a a private wine tour that was fantastic.  Great wine country!

 


Was your private wine tour out of Santiago?  If so where did you go and with what tour company?

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snookie1

snookie1

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We are going on this cruise December 1st.  Thank you to all who have contributed a wealth of information that should make our cruise that much better.  I am concerned about our final day in Santiago, however.  Our plane departs at 11:59PM (for all intents and purposes the following day).  I am sure Viking will want us off the ship early morning.  So what are our options for the day?  We will have all our luggage.  I think I read somewhere that Viking arranged for those with late departures to have a room in a hotel for the day -- does anyone know anything about that?  We would love to do a little sight-seeing -- I wouldn't want to stray far, though, since we would have to take the transfer to the airport, I would imagine around 8PM or so, right?  Any advice is appreciated.☺️

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