Best shore excursion in Ushuaia ?

[jocelysue]

The private company we had hired for Ushuaia fell through and now must make up our mind before tomorrow which is the best shore excursion to take. DH wants to see the penguins (just so he can tell the grandkids about them). I would like to go to the tip of SA and see the lighthouse.

 

Is there an excursion that provides both? It's not clear from the descriptions. We should be visiting the rookery in the Falklands but who knows what the weather will be like? We must make up our minds before tomorrow to fall within the 10 day window.

 

Thanks

[Lvteks]

We did the Channel in Ushuaia and the Penguins in Falklands...do not miss the one in Falklands if possible. Given another chance I would do the Penguins in Ushuaia as well. Can you wait to see how the weather is and book on board if you miss the Falklands port? You will see the "tip" of S.A. from the ship for some time....but when will you get to see "happy feet" crew again? Also some of the road trips can be rough for the amount of time spent at the site. Read the description carefully and check the Port of Call Board. Its a great adventure. Have fun. Blessings, Gail

[jocelysue]

Thanks Gail. That is exactly the type of info I was looking for. Someone who has been there, done that.

 

You are right. When will we get the chance to see those happy feet again? And if we do get to see the tip, well, that'sfine.

 

Appreciate your insight.

 

Jocelyn

[GAJE]

I hope you get to dock in Ushuaia. DH and I returned from the 20 day SA/Ant. cruise Sunday on the Rotterdam. We were not able to dock there due to gale force winds. What a disappointment! We had planned on doing the Tierra del Fuego bus/train excursion.

On the other hand, we did make port in the Falklands - first cruise in last four to be able to get in there.

Be prepared for a wonderful cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[GAJE]

I hope you get to dock in Ushuaia. DH and I returned from the 20 day SA/Ant. cruise Sunday on the Rotterdam. We were not able to dock there due to gale force winds. What a disappointment! We had planned on doing the Tierra del Fuego bus/train excursion.

On the other hand, we did make port in the Falklands - first cruise in last four to be able to get in there.

Be prepared for a wonderful cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[GAJE]

I hope you get to dock in Ushuaia. DH and I returned from the 20 day SA/Ant. cruise Sunday on the Rotterdam. We were not able to dock there due to gale force winds. What a disappointment! We had planned on doing the Tierra del Fuego bus/train excursion.

On the other hand, we did make port in the Falklands - first cruise in last four to be able to get in there.

Be prepared for a wonderful cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[GAJE]

I hope you get to dock in Ushuaia. DH and I returned from the 20 day SA/Ant. cruise Sunday on the Rotterdam. We were not able to dock there due to gale force winds. What a disappointment! We had planned on doing the Tierra del Fuego bus/train excursion.

On the other hand, we did make port in the Falklands - first cruise in last four to be able to get in there.

Be prepared for a wonderful cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[GAJE]

I hope you get to dock in Ushuaia. DH and I returned from the 20 day SA/Ant. cruise Sunday on the Rotterdam. We were not able to dock there due to gale force winds. What a disappointment! We had planned on doing the Tierra del Fuego bus/train excursion.

On the other hand, we did make port in the Falklands - first cruise in last four to be able to get in there.

Be prepared for a wonderful cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[GAJE]

So Sorry For All The Duplicate Posts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Bars At The Bottom Of The Screen Never Went Over To The End Of The Box, So I Thought The Site Was Hung Up. Again, My Apologies!!!

Betty

[GAJE]

My Apologies For The Duplicate Posts. I Thought The Site Was Awfully Slow To Respond And Was Hung Up. Dh Always Says I Am A Fast Clicker - I Think He Is Right.

Again, My Apologies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

[Pooky11]

I hope you get to dock in Ushuaia. DH and I returned from the 20 day SA/Ant. cruise Sunday on the Rotterdam. We were not able to dock there due to gale force winds. What a disappointment! We had planned on doing the Tierra del Fuego bus/train excursion.

On the other hand, we did make port in the Falklands - first cruise in last four to be able to get in there.

Be prepared for a wonderful cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Betty

 

 

Betty

 

My husband and I are due to take the 16th Feb SA cruise on the Rotterdam - any advice - what did you like/didn't like about the cruise? What was the weather like? what would you recommend in each of the ports?

 

Thanks in advance - we are so excited - one week to go!!!!!

Pooky

[RuthC]

As has been mentioned, actually getting to shore in the Falklands is iffy at best. If you do reach land it is a special treat to find this little bit of Merry ol' England in the cold South Atlantic.

The penguins will be reachable in Ushuaia. I took the catamaran tour that went over to colonies of penguins, sea lions, seals. It was great! It was a short walk up and across the dock to board the vessel. It would be a different way of experiencing the penguins (think sense of smell :rolleyes: ) than you get with a land sighting.

If you want to do one thing and your husband another is there any reason you can't do separate tours? That way you both get what you want most.

Do you have a stop at Punta Arenas? There was a tour there that takes you out to a penguin colony. I tried to book it too late and it was closed out. It had very good reviews.

[Aussie Gal]

I have just replied to this topic and have lost it all so here goes again.

 

We also missed out on seeing the Penguins last year in both Puerto Madryn and the Falklands due to bad weather though we did see a lot when we were down in Antarctica. We also made up for not seeing them in Punta Arenas where we went to Cape Otway and literally saw thousands.

 

When we were in Ushuaia, we hired a taxi driver with another couple. He chose one who spoke good English. There were loads of taxis to choose from at the dock.

 

He took us on a 5 hour trip. First of all we went to the Garibaldi Pass and the Hidden Lake which is northwards from Ushuaia, then we retraced our steps and went south as far as the Tierra del Fugo National Park where we saw Lake Roca and the Beagle Channel. I think it cost each couple around $50US and we paid him with cash. It was a good tour and we saw quite a lot of the countryside around Ushuaia.

 

Jennie

[GAJE]

Pooky11: It was an amazing trip. We first did the precruise to Machu Picchu and boarded the ship in Valparaiso. We missed the first port of Puerto Montt because the seas were too rough to allow the tenders to carry passengers. At Puerto Arenas, we visited the penquin colony at Otway Bay. It was very cold (winter coat, hat, muffler, gloves) with an incredible wind that made walking very difficult. We missed Ushuaia and, after Antarctica, we did get into the Falklands. There we visited the Long Island farm that was out in the middle of nowhere. This was literally a huge sheep farm with a tiny farm house. After watching the farmer cut peat and demonstrate sheep shearing, we were invited into this tiny house for coffee, tea, and cookies. This involved a whole bus full of people divided into two groups coming into the house for refreshments and using the single family bathroom - that took a while. It was cold and windy there too. In Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Rio, we just took city tours. We did not care for BA or Rio, but Montevideo was lovely and much friendlier.

As far as packing, you have to pack for cold and very hot (and humid). We were gone for a total of 30 days (also did the postcruise trip to Iguazu Falls) and took two suitcases each, plus our carryons. Despite a great packing list and much advance planning, even DH who swore he would never take more than one suitcase ended up breaking his own rule this time.

Enjoy! You will be so glad you did this cruise. It is our best so far, without reservation.

Betty

[Pooky11]

thank you so much Betty for such an informative post. We are so excited. I can't believe we leave in less than a week (pre tour in Santiago) and we still haven't been assigned a cabin!

 

Wow - you must ahve had an amazing holiday with Macchu Picchu beforehand and then the falls afterwards. We want to do both of those but have time constraints - oh well it gives us an excuse to go back!!

[Jade13]

Who have you used for Antartica since HAL does not stop there? Just wondering for those who love HAL, who they would recommend for Antartica?

[RuthC]

Who have you used for Antartica since HAL does not stop there? Just wondering for those who love HAL, who they would recommend for Antartica?

:confused: I did sail on HAL. It was on the Ryndam in January '02, and I will be there again next January on the Rotterdam.

I don't feel I missed a thing of the Antarctic experience just because I didn't step on the continent.

[RuthC]

I haven't been this frustrated with this board in a long time.

[RuthC]

Sorry for the excess posts.

[RuthC]

Quadruple posts and they didn't even register or bump the thread to the top of the page! :eek:

[RuthC]

Hoping against hope that the hidden post will be revealed.