Princess South America Cruise

[Thea123]

Hi-

We are scheduled for the Princess 16 night cruise to Antarctica in Jan 2008. Has anyone done this cruise? What was your impression?

Thanks,

Thea

[ko57]

I was on last year's Antarctic cruise. I had a marvelous time. My itinerary was a bit different as we began the cruise in Rio de Janeiro and had a port day in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Otherwise the cruises are the same.

 

Be sure to pack both warm and cold weather clothing. At the very least, bring a hat or earmuffs, and some gloves for your outdoor photo shoots while cruising Antarctica. You'll need warm weather clothing for Montevideo and Buenos Aires. If you plan to take the Antarctic landing tour out of Punta Arenas, be advised that even if you take off for the trip, you might not make it to landfall. We had to turn back half way because of weather at the landing area.

 

There's a lot to do on your sea days so you won't be bored unless you want to be.

 

Be sure to introduce yourself to your CC roll call. I was a solo traveler and was able to make some wonderful friendships through CC.

 

Princess also threw a Super Bowl party which was great fun. It's predicated on sattelite reception which can be problematic at the bottom of the world. It looks like your cruise is beginning earlier than ours did so you'll be home by the time the game is on.

 

While we were in Antarctic waters, another ship The Nordkapp had run afoul of rocks around Deception Island. Another one of their ships had come to retrieve the passengers, but we were asked to go pick up 48 of their crew members, who had been taken to a base at Maxwell Bay. The unexpected rescue mission was very exciting to witness and be a part of.

 

If you're looking for a trip that will allow you to get off onto land, this isn't the trip for you. The scenery can be amazing, but it can also be very foggy. You won't know what it will be until you're there. We had fog at Elephant Island and clear blue skies at Deception Island.

 

Enough of my gushing. It was a wonderful experience, one I'm very glad I did. You'll have a great time!

[aclay]

Hi-

We are scheduled for the Princess 16 night cruise to Antarctica in Jan 2008. Has anyone done this cruise? What was your impression?

Thanks,

Thea

Do it, do it!

Amazing scenery albeit a 'drive-by' view. We did the inaugral Antartica cruise with Princess for Xmas/New Year 2003/04, 24 days Cape Town to Santiago on the Royal Princess with FOURTEEN consecutive days at sea. Fantastic experience and our best cruise to date out of thirteen with Princess.

HTH

A

[Thea123]

I was on last year's Antarctic cruise. I had a marvelous time. My itinerary was a bit different as we began the cruise in Rio de Janeiro and had a port day in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Otherwise the cruises are the same.

 

Be sure to pack both warm and cold weather clothing. At the very least, bring a hat or earmuffs, and some gloves for your outdoor photo shoots while cruising Antarctica. You'll need warm weather clothing for Montevideo and Buenos Aires. If you plan to take the Antarctic landing tour out of Punta Arenas, be advised that even if you take off for the trip, you might not make it to landfall. We had to turn back half way because of weather at the landing area.

 

There's a lot to do on your sea days so you won't be bored unless you want to be.

 

Be sure to introduce yourself to your CC roll call. I was a solo traveler and was able to make some wonderful friendships through CC.

 

Princess also threw a Super Bowl party which was great fun. It's predicated on sattelite reception which can be problematic at the bottom of the world. It looks like your cruise is beginning earlier than ours did so you'll be home by the time the game is on.

 

While we were in Antarctic waters, another ship The Nordkapp had run afoul of rocks around Deception Island. Another one of their ships had come to retrieve the passengers, but we were asked to go pick up 48 of their crew members, who had been taken to a base at Maxwell Bay. The unexpected rescue mission was very exciting to witness and be a part of.

 

If you're looking for a trip that will allow you to get off onto land, this isn't the trip for you. The scenery can be amazing, but it can also be very foggy. You won't know what it will be until you're there. We had fog at Elephant Island and clear blue skies at Deception Island.

 

Enough of my gushing. It was a wonderful experience, one I'm very glad I did. You'll have a great time!

Thanks so much for your wonderful reply! We are looking forward to this!

Thea

[Thea123]

Do it, do it!

Amazing scenery albeit a 'drive-by' view. We did the inaugral Antartica cruise with Princess for Xmas/New Year 2003/04, 24 days Cape Town to Santiago on the Royal Princess with FOURTEEN consecutive days at sea. Fantastic experience and our best cruise to date out of thirteen with Princess.

HTH

A

Thank you. That is helpful!

Thea

[Thea123]

I had to respond further. Thank you so much for sharing all of this. I won't do the landing gig. I'm glad to know I won't be bored on sea days. I agree with you. How could one be bored "unless they wanted to be?":) I can't imagine really seeing this amazingly isolated part of the world, and am sad to think that it may not be preserved for the future. I read about the Noordkapp problem online as it occurred and shared it with my husband. Amazing! At the ends of the earth on a luxury liner, participating in a rescue operation. Priceless. Thank you for sharing your experience with me. You made me sure my decision to go was the right one. All the best to you.

PS-What is CC and CC roll call?

 

 

I was on last year's Antarctic cruise. I had a marvelous time. My itinerary was a bit different as we began the cruise in Rio de Janeiro and had a port day in Puerto Madryn, Argentina. Otherwise the cruises are the same.

 

Be sure to pack both warm and cold weather clothing. At the very least, bring a hat or earmuffs, and some gloves for your outdoor photo shoots while cruising Antarctica. You'll need warm weather clothing for Montevideo and Buenos Aires. If you plan to take the Antarctic landing tour out of Punta Arenas, be advised that even if you take off for the trip, you might not make it to landfall. We had to turn back half way because of weather at the landing area.

 

There's a lot to do on your sea days so you won't be bored unless you want to be.

 

Be sure to introduce yourself to your CC roll call. I was a solo traveler and was able to make some wonderful friendships through CC.

 

Princess also threw a Super Bowl party which was great fun. It's predicated on sattelite reception which can be problematic at the bottom of the world. It looks like your cruise is beginning earlier than ours did so you'll be home by the time the game is on.

 

While we were in Antarctic waters, another ship The Nordkapp had run afoul of rocks around Deception Island. Another one of their ships had come to retrieve the passengers, but we were asked to go pick up 48 of their crew members, who had been taken to a base at Maxwell Bay. The unexpected rescue mission was very exciting to witness and be a part of.

 

If you're looking for a trip that will allow you to get off onto land, this isn't the trip for you. The scenery can be amazing, but it can also be very foggy. You won't know what it will be until you're there. We had fog at Elephant Island and clear blue skies at Deception Island.

 

Enough of my gushing. It was a wonderful experience, one I'm very glad I did. You'll have a great time!

[jms]

Hi

We're booking the Star for it's Jan '09 itinerary (Chile to Buenos Aires) and are looking for input. Which side did you all stay on? Does one side have more scenic viewing than the other?

Thanks!

 

JMS

[cruisernan]

This is all great to read. We are also on the Jan. 10 Star to SA/Antarctica and have worried mostly about all the sea days. We really do like to be out and around. What are some of the extra activities for these days - classes, lectures, entertainment??? I assume Princess has a great lecturer(s) prior to and during the Antarctica portion of this cruise?

 

Princess is not sure they are going to offer the landing excursion on this cruise, but most of what I have read on these boards is negative.

[aclay]

Which side did you all stay on? Does one side have more scenic viewing than the other?

JMS

I can remember thinking that being on the landside would make a HUGE difference so we booked accordingly, however it made no difference to the cruise since there's things to see all around you such as wildlife:- birds, whales, plus loads and loads of icebergs

 

What are some of the extra activities for these days - classes, lectures, entertainment??? I assume Princess has a great lecturer(s) prior to and during the Antarctica portion of this cruise?

 

Princess is not sure they are going to offer the landing excursion on this cruise, but most of what I have read on these boards is negative.

There were some EXCELLENT sea day lectures on where we were, what we could see around us and history of the region. The wildlife lectures were great, people cramming the aisles even. We were never bored, Princess fill your time very well.

There was one fly-in land excursion on Antartica scheduled, but it was cancelled due to bad weather. We hadn't booked it as it was incredibly expensive $1000+.

Bear in mind that my info is quite old now, and the lectures, excursions and experience may have changed in the last three years.

HTH

A

[ko57]

PS-What is CC and CC roll call?

 

 

 

CC is Cruise Critic, and your Cruise Critic roll call is this: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=400709

 

It's a group of people who are on your cruise who chat beforehand, discussing various things about your cruise. There is usually at least one get-together scheduled during the cruise so you can meet everyone face to face. It's a wonderful way to meet people on the cruise.

[ko57]

This is all great to read. We are also on the Jan. 10 Star to SA/Antarctica and have worried mostly about all the sea days. We really do like to be out and around. What are some of the extra activities for these days - classes, lectures, entertainment??? I assume Princess has a great lecturer(s) prior to and during the Antarctica portion of this cruise?

 

Princess is not sure they are going to offer the landing excursion on this cruise, but most of what I have read on these boards is negative.

 

 

Aclay is correct on the lectures. One of the most interesting people we had onboard was the doctor who had to be airlifted out of the American base at the South Pole a few years back because of her breast cancer. Her lectures were facinating. One thing-the lectures are very popular, but don't worry if you can't get in to the theater. They are filmed and shown on television throughout the cruise. You'll get plenty of chances to view them.

 

Another of the lectures that I enjoyed was one by Captain Calabrese about our particular Antarctic cruise, and the route we were going to take. That lecture was later made available on DVD so I will always have that one.

 

There are games and trivias scheduled for each day, Princess Idol, talent shows, bingo, computer classes, ceramics classes, movies shown, plus the usual shows, bands, piano playing in the atrium, , martini making demonstration, champagne waterfall, computers with internet access, library, card room, indoor and outdoor pools, photo opportunities, art auctions, working out, walks, sitting in Skywalkers during the day and watching the wake of the ship and a thousand other things.

 

Once you cross the 60th parallel south, the outdoor pools and hot tubs will be emptied and any outdoor games will stop. Outdoor smoking will be prohibited and you are not to throw anything over the side. The Antarctic Treaty stipulates that no foreign objects enter the waters south of the 60th parallel to keep the area as pristine as possible.

 

I had a balcony on the starboard side. In Antarctica, the side doesn't matter much, and really you are better off being topside so you can go from side to side easily. The day we sailed the Gerlasche Strait I woke very early and took loads of photos at dawn off my balcony.

 

As I said before, it's a wonderful trip and you'll have a fantastic time!