Looking for advice on first South American cruise

[dreameral000]

We are looking at January 2024 cruises that leave from Santiago and ends in Buenos Aires, with a cruise by Antarctic. There is a Sapphire Princess that is 16 days and a Holland American Oosterdam that is 22 days. The HA seems to go into the Chilean fiords. The Holland American is also 3000.00 more than the Princess. I understand there are extra days on the HA. I’m wondering if there is a huge difference in the two cruises for scenery and will I miss out not seeing the Fiords? As far as the ships , is there a large difference in food quality or enrichment. Looking for any advice and past experiences.

thanks,

Al

[TayanaLorna]

25 minutes ago, dreameral000 said:

We are looking at January 2024 cruises that leave from Santiago and ends in Buenos Aires, with a cruise by Antarctic. There is a Sapphire Princess that is 16 days and a Holland American Oosterdam that is 22 days. The HA seems to go into the Chilean fiords. The Holland American is also 3000.00 more than the Princess. I understand there are extra days on the HA. I’m wondering if there is a huge difference in the two cruises for scenery and will I miss out not seeing the Fiords? As far as the ships , is there a large difference in food quality or enrichment. Looking for any advice and past experiences.

thanks,

Al

The Chilean fjords are spectacular.

[kathynorth]

3 hours ago, dreameral000 said:

We are looking at January 2024 cruises that leave from Santiago and ends in Buenos Aires, with a cruise by Antarctic. There is a Sapphire Princess that is 16 days and a Holland American Oosterdam that is 22 days. The HA seems to go into the Chilean fiords. The Holland American is also 3000.00 more than the Princess. I understand there are extra days on the HA. I’m wondering if there is a huge difference in the two cruises for scenery and will I miss out not seeing the Fiords? As far as the ships , is there a large difference in food quality or enrichment. Looking for any advice and past experiences.

thanks,

Al

 

Elements to consider:

- How many days are you cruising in Antarctica?

- What are the ports of call?

- Is willdlife viewing (penguins and whales) a priority or secondary?

- Do you plan to stay extra days pre/post cruise and would this impact the length of the cruise portion of your trip?

 

The Chilean Fjords are beautiful, but what would you be missing if you took the HA cruise instead of the Princess cruise?

[dawnvip]

Other elements to consider:

- size of boat/number of passengers. HAL is smaller (2000 passengers) vs Princess (2600). HAL will have less on-board activities like the big evening shows, fewer specialty restaurants, etc. 

- your age. HAL caters to an older crowd, but generally speaking, the longer the cruise, the older the clientel.

 

DH and I have been on both Princess and HAL, so can say the food is similar quality. We are booked on Oosterdam ths fall, through Panama Canal down to Santiago, so won't be able to say how the ship is for awhile!!

[DCThunder]

On 4/13/2023 at 11:20 AM, dreameral000 said:

We are looking at January 2024 cruises that leave from Santiago and ends in Buenos Aires, with a cruise by Antarctic. There is a Sapphire Princess that is 16 days and a Holland American Oosterdam that is 22 days. The HA seems to go into the Chilean fiords. The Holland American is also 3000.00 more than the Princess. I understand there are extra days on the HA. I’m wondering if there is a huge difference in the two cruises for scenery and will I miss out not seeing the Fiords? As far as the ships , is there a large difference in food quality or enrichment. Looking for any advice and past experiences.

thanks,

Al

I did 31 days on Oosterdam in March/April from BA to Ft. Lauderdale around Cape Horn and up the west coast to Panama and then Florida.  I loved the cruise.  We had a very active Roll Call, great weather, a fun captain and cruise director and saw wonderful things.  We didn't go to Antarctica, but did see the Pio XI glacier which is not on the usual itineraries, as well as the Falklands, Ushuia, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Montt.  We had about 1850 passengers and while the evening entertainment wasn't Broadway/West End caliber shows, it was fine and the enrichment talks during sea days were top-notch.  I'd say the majority of passengers were in the 55-75 range.

 

I have a good friend who did the Sapphire Princess cruise you mentioned as another option and she did go to Antarctica.  But they didn't do as much fjord cruising or as many port calls in the Patagonia region.  She really enjoyed going to Antarctica, however, but they didn't go ashore.

 

I don't think you can go wrong either way, but I'd take the HAL cruise again, especially if it went to Antarctica next time. 

 

If you're interested, here's a link to our Roll Call:  

 

[Shella73]

On 4/13/2023 at 11:20 AM, dreameral000 said:

We are looking at January 2024 cruises that leave from Santiago and ends in Buenos Aires, with a cruise by Antarctic. There is a Sapphire Princess that is 16 days and a Holland American Oosterdam that is 22 days. The HA seems to go into the Chilean fiords. The Holland American is also 3000.00 more than the Princess. I understand there are extra days on the HA. I’m wondering if there is a huge difference in the two cruises for scenery and will I miss out not seeing the Fiords? As far as the ships , is there a large difference in food quality or enrichment. Looking for any advice and past experiences.

thanks,

Al

We did an NCL trip on Jan 2023 for 14 days from Santiago to BA that did a small taste of fjords, and it was beautiful. I highly recommend it. We saw the glaciers in the Beagle Channel and the Straight of Magellan. 

[pinotlover]

To begin with, the ships don’t go into fjords in Chile. It’s marketing hype.They sail past/through a series of off shore islands. If the weather is clear, it’s lovely sailing. If it is overcast, foggy, and rainy as it often is, then not much to see. 

There is a reason the area is a cool climate rain forest. Read up on the Humboldt Currents and fog and the weather patterns associated.

[Harley57]

@pinotlover - thanks for the insight.  I have a Viking cruise scheduled for February 2024 from Buenos Aires to Santiago that is suppose to visit Ushuaia, Puenta Arenas, Amalia Glacier and the Chilean Fjords.  Do I need to temper my expectations in terms of not really seeing any of the fjords in Chile?  I was hoping it would be similar to a Norway cruise we took in 2015 where we sailed through Geiranger Fjord.  The itinerary map indicates we sail up the channel to the glacier, but perhaps not?  

Any insight you can provide is appreciated.  

[cccole]

We chose the HAL Oosterdam in January 2024 because of the itinerary and the reviews.  I have also seen photos from this cruise and similar cruises.  We're really looking forward to the adventure.  Cherie

[dreamcruiser53]

We have Jan 4th booked on the Sapphire it also appears that Princess will not be returning to SA after Dec. 2024 ☹️

[DCThunder]

On 5/27/2023 at 1:29 PM, Harley57 said:

@pinotlover - thanks for the insight.  I have a Viking cruise scheduled for February 2024 from Buenos Aires to Santiago that is suppose to visit Ushuaia, Puenta Arenas, Amalia Glacier and the Chilean Fjords.  Do I need to temper my expectations in terms of not really seeing any of the fjords in Chile?  I was hoping it would be similar to a Norway cruise we took in 2015 where we sailed through Geiranger Fjord.  The itinerary map indicates we sail up the channel to the glacier, but perhaps not?  

Any insight you can provide is appreciated.  

The fjords of southern Chile are not like those of Norway.  No one lives in southern Chile except for some town, so there aren't the coastal houses or other signs of civilization you'd see in Norway.  They are more like the Alaskan fjords in that wilderness forests come right down to the waterline on steep hillsides.  Also many similarities to the Inside Passage up in Alaska.

 

We cruised up a fjord to the Pio XI glacier, and it was very similar to going into Glacier Bay in Alaska.  Coming out, we cruised through several narrow passages that were no more than 200 yards wide.  But there are no signs that humans have ever been in these hillsides.  One place we passed a shipwreck where the ship had run aground and sunk in the early 1960s and the wreck was just left in place to rust away.

 

I wouldn't go so far as the previous poster to say that the Chilean fjords are "marketing hype", but they are different than what I've seen in Norway.  I do not think you will be disappointed.  IMHO, but this is "scenic cruising" at its best, but YMMV.

[Harley57]

@DCThunder - appreciate the insight.  Thanks

[OneSixtyToOne]

On 5/27/2023 at 10:29 AM, Harley57 said:

@pinotlover - thanks for the insight.  I have a Viking cruise scheduled for February 2024 from Buenos Aires to Santiago that is suppose to visit Ushuaia, Puenta Arenas, Amalia Glacier and the Chilean Fjords.  Do I need to temper my expectations in terms of not really seeing any of the fjords in Chile?  I was hoping it would be similar to a Norway cruise we took in 2015 where we sailed through Geiranger Fjord.  The itinerary map indicates we sail up the channel to the glacier, but perhaps not?  

Any insight you can provide is appreciated.  

 

Are you sailing Viking Ocean or Expedition?  We will be on the Oct 17, 2023 sailing of Octantis expedition ship from Santiago to Ushuaia. I will be live posting the cruise on the Viking Ocean forum. Be sure to follow along as I attempt to provide relevant information.

 

Question for the forum, we have a 2-day pre-cruise extension in Santiago. Any recommendations for tour guides?

[Harley57]

2 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

Are you sailing Viking Ocean or Expedition?  We will be on the Oct 17, 2023 sailing of Octantis expedition ship from Santiago to Ushuaia. I will be live posting the cruise on the Viking Ocean forum. Be sure to follow along as I attempt to provide relevant information.

 

Question for the forum, we have a 2-day pre-cruise extension in Santiago. Any recommendations for tour guides?

We will be on the ocean cruise (Viking Jupiter).  I’ll be watching for your October posts!

[DCThunder]

5 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

 

Are you sailing Viking Ocean or Expedition?  We will be on the Oct 17, 2023 sailing of Octantis expedition ship from Santiago to Ushuaia. I will be live posting the cruise on the Viking Ocean forum. Be sure to follow along as I attempt to provide relevant information.

 

Question for the forum, we have a 2-day pre-cruise extension in Santiago. Any recommendations for tour guides?

If you get a chance, get out of Santiago and go to Valparaiso.  It's on the coast and is a very interesting town full of wall murals (AKA "street art") and is some good food.  It's about an hour from Santiago and well worth the effort to get over there for a day trip.  In many ways it reminds me of San Francisco, the way San Francisco used to be before it became what it is now.

[OneSixtyToOne]

1 hour ago, DCThunder said:

If you get a chance, get out of Santiago and go to Valparaiso.  It's on the coast and is a very interesting town full of wall murals (AKA "street art") and is some good food.  It's about an hour from Santiago and well worth the effort to get over there for a day trip.  In many ways it reminds me of San Francisco, the way San Francisco used to be before it became what it is now.

We are embarking in Valparaiso so we will be there before we sail.

[DCThunder]

11 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

We are embarking in Valparaiso so we will be there before we sail.

OK.  My HAL ship docked in San Antonio, so we had to take an excursion to Valparaiso.  Some folks got off to go to Santiago and fly home, but others continued up the coast and back to Port Everglades.

[MarciAnn]

It is not true to say you do not sail the fjords of Chile.  if you are on an expedition ship, which by definition is smaller and many less passengers, there will be zodiac excursions everyday into the fjords and in some cases, hiking as well.   If you are on a big non-expedition ship Viking, it is probably true that it is mostly scenic cruising.

[FlaMariner]

On 4/13/2023 at 11:20 AM, dreameral000 said:

There is a Sapphire Princess that is 16 days and a Holland American Oosterdam that is 22 days. The HA seems to go into the Chilean fiords. The Holland American is also 3000.00 more than the Princess.

 

We were on the Oosterdam this past March/April from Santiago/San Antonio to Fort Lauderdale and the cruise was great because of the spotless ship, great crew, excellent food....even had an astrologist onboard for nighttime star gazing.....Really enjoyed the Holland America Line experience on the Oosterdam in South America. 

 

Take that for what it is worth as you compare and enjoy the journey.....

[AlyceA]

Does anyone have any excursion recommendations on either Puerto Chacabuco or Punta Arenas?  I saw an all day tour for Punta Arenas but they will not pick up at the cruise port.  Too bad since the day looked fantastic.

 

thanks for any suggestions.

[slewis7]

@FlaMariner I am glad to hear you enjoyed the Oosterdam.  My wife and I will be aboard her for the first time late next January and have high hopes for the South America itinerary.  I had one previous cruise on a HAL ship and really enjoyed it.
 

You mentioned an onboard “astrologist”, but I think you meant astronomer (unless it related to horoscopes).

[DCThunder]

13 minutes ago, slewis7 said:

@FlaMariner I am glad to hear you enjoyed the Oosterdam.  My wife and I will be aboard her for the first time late next January and have high hopes for the South America itinerary.  I had one previous cruise on a HAL ship and really enjoyed it.
 

You mentioned an onboard “astrologist”, but I think you meant astronomer (unless it related to horoscopes).

Oosterdam picked up two Latvian astronomers in Santiago who are physics and astronomy professors at a university in Labrador, Canada and who had been doing research at the major observatory in northern Chile during summer in the Southern Hemisphere.  HAL was providing them with free passage to Aruba (where they were to fly home to Canada) in exchange for them doing enrichment lectures on the Main Stage on various astrophysics topics, including "star gazing", complete with "sky maps". 

 

On several occasions, Captain Kevin agreed to turn off the lights on the aft pool deck at night to reduce light pollution for star gazing.  One of the professors would use a powerful laser pointer to pick out constellations and stars in the Southern Sky, such as Crux (aka Southern Cross) and the Greater and Lesser Magellenic Clouds, which are actually galaxies.  It was a high point of a very outstanding cruise from BA to FLL.

[cccole]

DCThunder - I would love having this on our Oosterdam cruise in January.  Unfortunately it will be South America and Antarctica.  Maybe Hal will have an astronomer for these cruises.  I love the night sky.  Cherie

[DCThunder]

Just now, cccole said:

DCThunder - I would love having this on our Oosterdam cruise in January.  Unfortunately it will be South America and Antarctica.  Maybe Hal will have an astronomer for these cruises.  I love the night sky.  Cherie

If Capt. Kevin Beirnaert is still Master of Oosterdam (and I'd expect he will be), you could ask him if they'd douse the aft lights when you're down around Cape Horn for a night or two.  Even without an astronomer, you can download sky maps which show various stars and constellations you can see and identify.  You do need clear skies, which sometimes is a challenge, but you do see things that you don't see in the Northern Hemisphere.  Of course, you won't see Polaris or other northern stars, but on a clear dark night, you should see the Milky Way very prominently.

[cccole]

Thank you, we'll hope for the opportunity and clear skies.  Cherie