Oosterdam South America and Antarctica

[flamingos]

We are looking at the 22 day South America and Antarctica for either Dec. 2023, or December 2024.  Question: would we get much use from a verandah cabin?  We did fine with one in Alaska, but I don't know if this will be markedly cooler.

 

Thanks. 

[0106]

I am booked in a deck 8 aft verandah for January 2024.  My thought was I could view the fjords and Antartica from the verandah and go inside when I got cold and watch through the window, if necessary, I could run up to the Seaview pool.

 

I look forward to any advice people who have done this cruise have to offer.

[OlsSalt]

We were lucky enough to have  a Neptune suite for this cruise on the Zaandam and used the balcony a lot. It is cold outside - not terribly cold - but it was nice to have ready access to go back inside the cabin, because so many of the outdoor views, esp in Antarctica were spectacular so it was a luxury to view them from our own balcony.

 

Warning: taking cameras and binoculars out from the warm cabin into the cold air will cause them to fog up - nice to have the balcony where we could at least leave the binoculars out for ready use.

 

An alternative tip for this cruise is  to get an ocean-view cabin on the promenade deck, close to the atrium, where you can easily go in and out on that large promenade viewing deck too. Biggest advantage of this cabin choice near the atrium is you can easily go from one side of the ship to the other to catch all the views.  

 

Plus being a lower deck and in the center of the ship will give you the smoother sailings across Drake's Passage.

[RuthC]

I've done this cruise three times in an inside cabin and practically LIVED outdoors when I wasn't sleeping. Even ate out on deck at lunchtime a few times. 

A balcony would be lovely to have! Now, there will likely be days when one side of the ship is getting a strong (cold) wind, while the other side is in the lee. Those will be the days you may have to go up on deck to get outdoors, as being in the wind can be bitter. Most of the time the cold isn't awful; it's the wind. 
Don't forget, there will be places at the beginning and end of the cruise when it will be too hot to use the balcony. And then, a few places where it is 'just right'. 

I always wore my heaviest winter jacket, packing the gloves in the pockets before I left. And layer. Be ready to layer extensively. 

[0106]

Thank you @OlsSalt for your advice about leaving cameras and binoculars outside.  The Oosterdam is now cruising SA & Antartica.  There are no cabins on the Promenade deck.

 

Thank you @RuthC for the comments about the wind.  I usually only travel with a carry on but have decided for this trip to bring a duffel full of winter gear.

 

Any can’t miss excursions either of you would recommend?

[cruisin'teach]

Have done this cruise 4 times! Our most favorite. In verandah each time - makes viewing and picture taking so much easier because you can duck into cabin any time you get cold. Dress in layers, have a hat, neck scarf and gloves for outside viewing. We also had hand warmers but didn't use them often.

For sure excursion - seeing penguins in the Falklands. Best is Volunteer Park, but we also saw the rockhoppers and gentoos on other tours. Our call to Falklands in Jan. 2023 was cancelled because of high winds so hope you won't be disappointed! Enjoy -- you'll love this cruise!

[SightCRR]

For what it looks like from the ship look at this site. In the archives you can go back and see what 2022/23 looked like. I had relatives on NCL in Stanley the same day as O-dam and got great shots of ncl Star. Find a cruise that has similar itinerary. If you leave from B/A it will be very hot the first few days. You can pan & zoom and stop/slow down the rotation. O-dam only HAL with it. 

Webcam Holland America Line - Oosterdam - PANOMAX 360°

sightcrr

[RuthC]

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

Thank you @OlsSalt for your advice about leaving cameras and binoculars outside.

Another thing you can do to help with condensation is to store your cameras and binoculars in a plastic bag, and bring them outdoors in the bags. The condensation will land on the plastic, then you can remove the bags. The lenses should stay clear then as they will has cooled off along with the bags. 

[Dobby36]

There was something so peaceful about having a balcony early in the AM when we pulled into a long turn to view a glacier on the Oosterdam in Chile last season.  We also spent time in the covered lido pool area but then it’s a crapshoot on chairs and table being as available, the conversation nearby, etc. so it was nice to have the balcony and they gave us a deck blanket which was a nice touch when you wanted to just sit out in pajamas for a while. 

[flamingos]

Did anyone rent a cabana in The Retreat?  We did for the week in Alaska, and it was fabulous.  It's obviously prohibitive for 22 days, but a day rental is an idea for some of the scenic areas.

[DCThunder]

38 minutes ago, flamingos said:

Did anyone rent a cabana in The Retreat?  We did for the week in Alaska, and it was fabulous.  It's obviously prohibitive for 22 days, but a day rental is an idea for some of the scenic areas.

The cabanas on Oosterdam were not open on our recent BA>Santiago cruise.  Even when the ship went on to FLL, they still didn't open.  It was often extremely windy on the open decks and sometimes the Promenade deck was closed too.

 

I wouldn't count on cabanas being available to book.

[OlsSalt]

4 hours ago, 0106 said:

 

 

Any can’t miss excursions either of you would recommend?

 

The major King Penguin colony on the Falkland Islands. Rugged ride to get there but well, well worth it

 

Sorry, about the Vista ship promenade deck cabin layout mismatch. Glad you caught that.

 

But the recommendation still holds... should... there be  promenade deck cabins like found on R-class ships..

[DCThunder]

6 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

The major King Penguin colony on the Falkland Islands. Rugged ride to get there but well, well worth it

There's also a helicopter service that flies to Volunteer Point but it's pricey.  Be sure to book with Falklands Adventures, aka Patrick Watts Excursions if you want to go the overland route and book it soon.  It sells out quickly.  Also be sure to go to the Ballesteras Islands out of Puerto Montt.

[Lido deck main]

9 minutes ago, DCThunder said:

There's also a helicopter service that flies to Volunteer Point but it's pricey.  Be sure to book with Falklands Adventures, aka Patrick Watts Excursions if you want to go the overland route and book it soon.  It sells out quickly.  Also be sure to go to the Ballesteras Islands out of Puerto Montt.

 Ballesteras Islands is out of General San Martin in Peru.  Puerto Montt is in Chile.

[DCThunder]

8 minutes ago, Lido deck main said:

 Ballesteras Islands is out of General San Martin in Peru.  Puerto Montt is in Chile.

You are right.  My mistake.  Sorry.  I should have looked it up before posting.

[bluesplayer]

We were on the Oosterdam Hamnuary of 2023.  Booked a signature suite and did enjoy the balcony for photos and viewing.  Too cold to eat outside for us..  yet we did eat inside and watched the scenery go by.  Make sure you are on the land side of the ship while sailing the Fjords. (depending on which way you travel)

[SightCRR]

One of the people we know has back issues so they flew in Stanley. Expensive but great tour. Just got email saying they were closing their flights. Very sad. Top notch all the way but we booked about one year out. 

[boulders]

I agree that Volunteer Point on the Falklands is a must see. We used Estancia Excursions.    http://estancia-excursions.com/  Book far in advance. The cost of a private excursion was much less than booking on HAL's site. Even so, the HAL excursion sold out within a day of being released.  There were many people on the dock who were trying to book on the pier, without much luck. 

[SightCRR]

Also be aware that many trips to Stanley are cancelled because of weather. 

[loveapug]

We cruised on the Oosterdam in February of this year. I absolutely recommend getting a cabin with a verandah. We saw a lot of penguins and whales from our verandah and those were some of the highlights from the trip.  I never tired of looking at the ice and how the water changed as we traveled from SA through the Antarctic peninsula and then viewing the Chilean Fjords. It was a wonderful trip. One recommendation from someone on the Antarctic section of these boards was to invest in a good pair of binoculars.  We did, and we used (and shared them) with others on the trip when out on deck. 

[ukpylot]

We did the 14 day Chile to Argentina trip this February and it was fantastic. Definitely get a balcony if you can and if you are doing it the direction we did, make sure it is on the port side as almost everything was on port side and the ship did not stop to rotate for a 360 view.

 

Our sailing was the only one all season that did all ports, we sure lucked out. Great ship, great crew, highly recommend 

[0106]

On 5/14/2023 at 1:10 PM, DCThunder said:

Be sure to book with Falklands Adventures, aka Patrick Watts Excursions if you want to go the overland route and book it soon.

We have our reservation with Adventure Falklands 🐧🐧🐧FYI- Patrick Watts has now retired from tourism but ‘Adventure Falklands’ will continues under the direction of Shaun Jaffray who has had 12 years experience working with the company.

 

Has anyone taken a private excursion to Isla Magdalena see the penguins from Punta Arenas? I’m want as many penguin excursions as possible in case we miss a port.🐧🐧🐧

 

2 hours ago, loveapug said:

invest in a good pair of binoculars.

We each have a pair of binoculars and my DH just ordered a spotting scope.

@ukpylotWe are going from Argentina to Chile in a verandah cabin on the starboard side thanks to the advice of our PCC.  Interesting to hear the captain didn’t rotate the ship.

 

Thanks to everyone for their insights.

Edited May 16, 2023 by 0106

[ukpylot]

22 minutes ago, 0106 said:

 

Has anyone taken a private excursion to Isla Magdalena see the penguins from Punta Arenas? I’m want as many penguin excursions as possible in case we miss a port.🐧🐧🐧

 

@ukpylotWe are going from Argentina to Chile in a verandah cabin on the starboard side thanks to the advice of our PCC.  Interesting to hear the captain didn’t rotate the ship.

 

Thanks to everyone for their insights.

Good choice on the starboard side, I wish I had done my research.

 

We did the HAL Magdalena island tour and we were the only one all day that got to go because of high winds, no other boat got to leave the dock. Well worth it, a highlight of the trip though a close second to the Falkland Islands rookery

[boulders]

We went to both Isla Magdalena and Volunteer Point. Volunteer Point was much much more impressive with many, many more penguins. The drive to Volunteer Point was interesting too. Everyone went in a Land Rover, so you had your own personal guide. 

[0106]

3 hours ago, boulders said:

We went to both Isla Magdalena 

How did you get to Isla Magdalena?  What type of boat was used for the trip?  Can you recommend a private tour company?