Panama Canal or South America Cruise, which would you pick

[SISer]

I am looking at two different cruises, both are on HAL ships.

I am debating between two cruises, any comments (good and bad) will be appreciated since I am trying to deceide where to travel to next.

I have enough FF points for airtickets, and at present I am able to get availablity at present, so airfare costs are not an issue, at least for the time being.

23 Night Panama Canal Transit, Vancouver to Tampa, ship: Ryndam, September/October, 2009 this cruise visits:-

Vancouver, BC
Victoria, BC
San Diego, CA
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Zihuataneto/Ixtapa, Mexico,
Acapulco, Mexico
Huatulco, Mexico
Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala,
Corinto, Nicaragua,
Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica,
Fuerte Amador, Panama City (overnight in port)
Cartegena, Columbia
Georgetown, Cayman Islands.
Tampa, FL

There are a few at sea days too, none of which I care for (I know avid cruisers who enjoy at sea days will try to teach me a thing or two). I have been to Vancouver, Victoria and San Diego. Also, I;ve travelled around Guatemala and Honduras (but didn't visit on a cruise ship) and seen the ancient Mayan sights of Tikal and Copan. The other places are all new to me.

The second cruise is a 16 night South American cruise from Rio de Janerio, Brazil to Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile, ship: Veendam, in December, 2009, this cruise visits:-

Rio de Janerio, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Argentina (overnight in port),
Montevideo, Uruguay,
Pt Stanley, Falkland Islands,
Scenic cruising, Cape Horn, (crusing only, no docking/disembarking)
Ushuia, Argnetina,
Scenic cruising, Cockburn and Beagle Chanels, (no docking/disembarking)
Punta Arenas, Chile,
Strait of Magellan, (crusing only, no docking/disembarking),
Amalia Glacier Canal Sarmineto, (cruising only, no docking/disembarking)
Darwin Chanel Fjords (crusing only, no docking/disembarking)
Puerto Montt, Chile,
Santiago (Valparaso), Chile.

There are also some sea days, I again these are not of interest to me. Of the places on this itinearary I have only been to Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Any thought comments/would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[Keith1010]

I highly would recommend the South America itinerary over the other cruise. Yes, the Panama Canal is fascinating but you can see that another time and you don't have to even take such a long cruise to go through the Panama Canal.

What you will see in South America is breataking from the beautiful scenery including the fjords, to wonderful wildlife to wonderful ports of call. When you visit Buenos Aires you will feel as if you are in Europe. Even the days at sea will be focused on the scenery and wildlife that is all aound you. I have been fortunate to have cruised this area twice and will be visitng a portion of South America in early 2010 as part of a world cruise. To me there is no comparison between the two itineraries and I highly recommend South Amerca.

Keith

[MightyQuinn]

I agree with Keith - go for South America. It's such an exciting & diverse destination. HAL has an incredible itinerary with well scheduled time in ports as well as daylight passing of fjords & glaciers. We sailed Rio-Valparaiso in March/09 on the Amsterdam & it ranks as one of our favorite cruises.

We have also done a HAL Panama Canal itinerary. While we enjoyed it, there is simply no comparison (at least for us) to South America.

As you know, HAL will sail the Veendam in SA next season. It was recently refurbished with additional SOE enhancements, including new lanai cabins, a resort-retreat pool and a champagne/martini bar. So you’ll have a refreshed ship in an unbeatable destination. And your FF points can work harder to get you further!

[smeyer418]

I agree too. The Panama canal is interesting in an Engineering way but in the end is just a ditch and locks. The locks on the St Lawrence are just as interesting and I have seen them all(lock 8?) and the crews there are more friendly. But you should know this is also from someone who has been both to the Panama and Suez canals.....

[dileep]

We have not done Panama Canal, but we thoroughly enjoyed our South America cruise from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso including a pre-cruise trip to Iguazu Falls.

[karen327]

I also debated between these two different cruises, and we chose to do the south america Valparaiso to Buenos Aires. It just seemed like there would be so much more to see. I will give you a head up though that it is extreamely difficult to use frequent flyer miles to fly to the southern part of SA. Very few flights go there directly from the USA. We originally wanted to go to SA in Feb 2010 and were on the internet the day the FF miles were released (330 days before the flight) and nothing was available unless you wanted to use double miles. We may have to pay for the flights. Also, if you cruise all the way up to Brazil, you will have to have a visa. And if you originate your cruise in Chile, you have to pay a $100 US pp fee in cash to enter the country by air, not necessary to leave the country.

[Peregrina651]

Here is yet another vote for the South America cruise. There are no penguins on the Panama Canal. There are no glaciers, no sea lions and no Cape Horn or Beagle Channel. You will not sail further south on this planet than you ever have before--and that in itself is a goosebump moment.

Read dileep's review of his trip. Very well done; very helpful. The link is in his signature. I used a lot of his advice when planning our trip. Also check out our pictures. Just use the links in our signature files.

I also suggest that you not rush home after your cruise. If your can arrange your flights to spend a few nights in Buenos Aires (or even to get to Iguazu Falls) or even spend a few more days in Chile (Valparaiso or even Santiago) your will not be disappointed.

[karen327]

Originally Posted by Peregrina651

Here is yet another vote for the South America cruise. There are no penguins on the Panama Canal. There are no glaciers, no sea lions and no Cape Horn or Beagle Channel. You will not sail further south on this planet than you ever have before--and that in itself is a goosebump moment.

Read dileep's review of his trip. Very well done; very helpful. The link is in his signature. I used a lot of his advice when planning our trip. Also check out our pictures. Just use the links in our signature files.

I also suggest that you not rush home after your cruise. If your can arrange your flights to spend a few nights in Buenos Aires (or even to get to Iguazu Falls) or even spend a few more days in Chile (Valparaiso or even Santiago) your will not be disappointed.

Thanks for suggesting I read dileep's review. It was very good. (And thanks dileep for writing it). We will be on the Infinity in Jan 2011 valpo to ba and can't hardly wait. Did a lot of people do their own excursions? Was it hard finding English speaking guides? My only concern would be if a vehicle broke down and you missed the ship.

[dileep]

Originally Posted by karen327

Thanks for suggesting I read dileep's review. It was very good. (And thanks dileep for writing it). We will be on the Infinity in Jan 2011 valpo to ba and can't hardly wait. Did a lot of people do their own excursions? Was it hard finding English speaking guides? My only concern would be if a vehicle broke down and you missed the ship.

remember that we went in Jan 2006. So my info may be somewhat out of date. We had no language problems. Few people use private tours becase there are few good operators. I benefited from the review that BCHappyGal wrote and felt I had to give back by adding my own. Jan 2011 is a long time from now. the Infinity is a great ship! Enjoy!

The South America cruise was a lot of fun. Now we are looking forward to Antarctica next January. We had a great time in the galapagos last October too.

[SISer]

Many thanks for the comments.

dileep, what a fabulos review, many thanks for sharing your travel experiences. I too enjoyed the Galapagos, I was there last year. What a fantastic travel experience. Ever since the Galapagos trip, Antartica has intrigued me. Perhaps, in 2010/2011 travel season I'll visit Antartica. Today I went to a travel agent to inquire about Antartica and asked for brochures. The travel agent was shocked and had absolutely no information. Needless to say, she thought I was crazy. Urgh. Enjoy Antartica.

[Peregrina651]

Originally Posted by karen327

Thanks for suggesting I read dileep's review. It was very good. (And thanks dileep for writing it). We will be on the Infinity in Jan 2011 valpo to ba and can't hardly wait. Did a lot of people do their own excursions? Was it hard finding English speaking guides? My only concern would be if a vehicle broke down and you missed the ship.

We did not use a single ship's excursion. With the help of Cruise Critic members and a very active roll call, we either toured on our own (i.e., no guide) or hired a guide or even just grabbed a cab as we left the ship (you can barely get through the gates for the number of cab drivers who want your business).

Between Cruise critic and Trip Advisor (and other travel sites) it is very easy not only to find the names of tour companies but also to read customer reviews and experiences.

Start by checking out the names that Dileep gives in his review. In the past 3 seasons even more people have used those guides and posted their experiences. Plus, even more people have posted the names of the guides they have used. There are plenty of options for private guides and it is so much cheaper than what the ship offers (and less waiting around for slow-pokes). After that, go to the roll call for your sail date and see what is being said. You can probably even find folks to tour with. It is even helpful to read other roll calls that are doing the same itinerary. There was a lot of sharing among the roll calls for the 2009 sailings.

We used Monica in Puerto Madryn to go to Punta Tombo, Patrick Watt in the Falklands to go to Volunteer Point and GV Tours in Puerto Montt to see the area. Montevideo we did on our own but I suggest getting a guide who will take you beyond the old city and the port area. Ushuaia we did a Beagle Channel cruise (sea lions upclose and personal; we bought our tickets when we got there from the ticket shacks to the right of the tourist info building). In Punta Arenas, six of us negotiated for a mini-van as we got off the ship and told the driver to show us around and then take us out into the countryside. You can just as easily get the driver to go to Otway Sound (penguins).

[libby10205]

One this year and the other next year..... you need to do both..... they are both wonderful.

[Bodger]

Originally Posted by libby10205

One this year and the other next year..... you need to do both..... they are both wonderful.

Good idea, we had similar thoughts and went to Machu Pichuu this year and will go to the Galapagos next year.

Although I might be inclined to wait until 2014 for the Panama Canal when the third set of locks are due to be ready.

Bodger

[biker1972]

How set are you on times and dates? X does repos from Valo thru the canal and on to Florida (or reverse) Add in a b2b from BA to Valpo (or reverse) and you are at 28 days. Hal may have similar trips that go thru the canal and circle SA (at least they did this year)

[helpmesailaway]

Your photos are wonderful. I enjoyed revisiting SA through your pictures.

[hospvol]

Seems like South America would be interesting. Of course, I have been thru the Panama Canal and have never done South America.

[Keith1010]

Originally Posted by hospvol

Seems like South America would be interesting. Of course, I have been thru the Panama Canal and have never done South America.

You seemed to have found a three year old thread.

Keith

[4774Papa]

Originally Posted by SISer

I am looking at two different cruises, both are on HAL ships.

I am debating between two cruises, any comments (good and bad) will be appreciated since I am trying to deceide where to travel to next.

I have enough FF points for airtickets, and at present I am able to get availablity at present, so airfare costs are not an issue, at least for the time being.

23 Night Panama Canal Transit, Vancouver to Tampa, ship: Ryndam, September/October, 2009 this cruise visits:-

Vancouver, BC
Victoria, BC
San Diego, CA
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Zihuataneto/Ixtapa, Mexico,
Acapulco, Mexico
Huatulco, Mexico
Puerto Chiapas, Mexico
Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala,
Corinto, Nicaragua,
Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica,
Fuerte Amador, Panama City (overnight in port)
Cartegena, Columbia
Georgetown, Cayman Islands.
Tampa, FL

There are a few at sea days too, none of which I care for (I know avid cruisers who enjoy at sea days will try to teach me a thing or two). I have been to Vancouver, Victoria and San Diego. Also, I;ve travelled around Guatemala and Honduras (but didn't visit on a cruise ship) and seen the ancient Mayan sights of Tikal and Copan. The other places are all new to me.

The second cruise is a 16 night South American cruise from Rio de Janerio, Brazil to Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile, ship: Veendam, in December, 2009, this cruise visits:-

Rio de Janerio, Brazil
Buenos Aires, Argentina (overnight in port),
Montevideo, Uruguay,
Pt Stanley, Falkland Islands,
Scenic cruising, Cape Horn, (crusing only, no docking/disembarking)
Ushuia, Argnetina,
Scenic cruising, Cockburn and Beagle Chanels, (no docking/disembarking)
Punta Arenas, Chile,
Strait of Magellan, (crusing only, no docking/disembarking),
Amalia Glacier Canal Sarmineto, (cruising only, no docking/disembarking)
Darwin Chanel Fjords (crusing only, no docking/disembarking)
Puerto Montt, Chile,
Santiago (Valparaso), Chile.

There are also some sea days, I again these are not of interest to me. Of the places on this itinearary I have only been to Rio de Janerio, Brazil.

Any thought comments/would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I am not interested in Mexico, with all the crime problems there.
We did Celebrity's repo from FLL through the canal to Chile. It was great. The cruise goes twice a year.

[trixietx]

We have done the Panama Canal cruise and South America, from Sao Paulo, Brazil to Valpariso, Chile. Enjoyed both, but our favorite was South America. If you have a little time before or after the cruise be sure and see the Argentina and Brazil sides of Iguazu Falla, awesome sight. We walked the Argentna side and the next day took a cab to the Brazil side and did the helicopter tour. Beautiful views!