TwoSue

The whole tender situation was a disaster the day we were in Ushuaia. There were SO many ships there (last stop before Antarctica) and we had to share one tender spot at the pier. Then there was a medical emergency from another ship so all the tendering has to stop. Some people on our ship were left floating on the tender for an hour.and missed their excursions. I am usually a big proponent of private tours, but maybe not at this port. Hopefully someone else will chime in and say that was a fluke and it's usually fine, but I've been on 11 cruises and that was the worst tender experience of them all.

There is a cab booth inside the airport. You tell them where you're going. You pay right there. Then a cab driver comes and gets you and your luggage. Quick and efficient!

They have a lot of exchange rates but when we were there a year ago, there were three that were important. There is an official exchange rate that you would get if you withdrew cash at an ATM. There is the blue rate that you would get if you changed cash on the street at a cambio. This was about twice the official rate. Then there was the rate you got if you used a US credit card, which was slightly less than the blue rate. We took crisp $100 bills and changed them at the blue rate. However, just this week their new president devalued the peso almost in half (SO many pesos per dollar...it's changing daily) and may be trying to eliminate the blue rate. So depending on when you're going, you'll have to keep an eye on it to see what the best rate is

It was ok. There are great views from the top of the chairlift. The hike down was not easy...we are a bit younger than the average HAL crowd and were concerned about several older people in our group.

Uber is easy and super cheap there.

You will see whales, penguins, icebergs, glaciers, and spectacular scenery. They will all be at a distance. I don't know about lenses, but bring what you can to get a closer shot.

We used Andes Wind for a day trip into the Andes from Santiago. Highly recommend.

We did the Oosterdam last January. We are slightly younger than you and had a great time on HAL. My suggestion is to start in Chile and go east. You start with some Chilean fjords, then glaciers, then the Cape, and culminating in Antarctica. If you go the other way, you start with Antarctica and I think the other places won't be as impressive after that . My favorite excursion was to Volunteer Point on the Falkland Islands to see the king penguins (We used Estancia Excursions). Ships only make that port 50% of the times so we also saw magellanic penguins out of Puerto Madryn (used Santir Travel). I'd also recommend a few days in Santiago and Buenos Aires on either end. Try to fit in Iguazu Falls . Enjoy!

We stayed a week in Buenos Aires in an AirBnB, but arranged a 2 day trip in the middle to Iguazu Falls. I tried to plan it myself but got overwhelmed with all the details , so ended up using EcoUruguay.com and they were great! Diego arranged flights, hotel, bus from airport and to the falls, guides at the falls. Great value

We flew FlyBondi one way and JetSmart the other. We had no problems with either. We were in and out of AEP, which is closer to the city. We actually walked from our Airbnb.

I booked a last minute cruise that will stop in Moorea and Tahiti. I really want to snorkel in at least one of those places but am finding vendors that are sold out. Will there be people at the dock selling snorkeling tours, or at least a ride to where we'll need to go? We have our own equipment.

We just spent five days in Chile before our cruise and a week afterwards in Argentina. We bought two separate SIM cards in the two countries. They were pretty cheap, so it was fine. You may be able to find an eSIM that works in more than one country, but my phone wasn't compatible.

I've never been sick on a cruise ship but I've never been to this area before. So for our cruise to Antarctica next month, I got a prescription for the patch, just in case. Maybe you could do something like that to allay your fears?

We are going to be cruising from Chile, by Antarctica, and ending in Buenos Aires. Last year, we did a Panama Canal cruise and for the first time I didn't book any excursions ahead of time. We found plenty to do in each port, either hiring taxis, walking around cities, or finding tours at the dock. We enjoyed the spontaneity of it. For our upcoming South American cruise, I have booked penguin tours at Volunteer Point in the Falklands and Punta Tumbo because I wanted to make sure to see them. Are there any other "must see or do" trips that we should schedule ahead of time? Will we be able to find tours at the docks or should I keep looking for them now?

I'll be in Cabo in October, and am interested in kayaking out to Lovers Beach. We've kayaked often and don't need a guide. The last time I was there, we walked to the public beach on the west side of the marina. Can you rent kayaks there? I've seen posts about renting at Medano Beach, but that would be quite a bit farther from the tender area.