Aussie Tripster

 

 

Congratulations on your cruise ! We really did enjoy the HAL experience . And the weather , like in the Baltics will probably change dramatically during the cruise , so be prepared !

 

We're sorry to hear that you missed Peterhoff but we skipped Catherine's intentionally . Did you miss both the day and night in SPB ?

 

Your booking has got us looking at Antarctica , and our eyes are on this prize !

 

They make shore landings in zodiacs and spend a week in Antarctica !

 

P. S . Bring lots of money !! :eek:

 

 

 

Wow......When are you thinking about this cruise? Will certainly look forward to your review!!

 

Hello Cathy , and thank you for the kind words . With any of the 3 cruise lines HAL , Celebrity or Princess , we're sure that you'll have a great time in this beautiful area of the world . Once again , those are our favorite cruise lines but , who's the best fit for you ?

 

Have you been to , or considered Antarctica ? The Infinity goes there on February , 18th . That's one that we would also consider if we were there at that time . It is the Summer and the cruises only go a couple of times a year . In that region the weather is always changeable , but probably most stable then , making Antarctica both doable and affordable . :) :D

 

We have actually booked the HAL cruise departing Valparasio on Jan 28th 2018 which does cruise to Antarctica......So we are on same the line of thought with you regarding Antarctica!

 

Your photos from your trip to SA were gorgeous, hopefully we will be lucky enough to have nice weather too.

 

We have recently returned from a Baltic cruise on the Silhouette. We were unable to make port on our first day at St Petersburg and it rained all day the following day, but we were able to make the most of it and see quite a bit - just didn't get to Peterhoff or St Catherine's Palace......We did luck out with weather in Norway afterwards though, the day we arrived in Geiranger was 27C and beautiful blue skies - a sight to behold that for sure. Weather certainly makes an impact.

email me at kunnocat at gmail dot com Where are you from?

Victoria.... Not sure if you know the suburbs but we're in the outer east of Melbourne near the foothills of the dandenongs.

Thanks for your email - I'll be in touch.

Hi Cathy, I looked at those two cabins, but opted for the Lower Prom, as one can then go from side to side or rear, if necessary to see the wildlife. I sail on this deck when ever possible. ( I sail solo so it is my ''balcony'' cabin) My TA Guru, came to the party, and gave me a part reduction on the fare, plus the explore 4 which I opted for, as it means I will cut down on on board charges which are in USD. K

I'd love to know who your Guru is !!!

Hi Cathy I have also just booked Jan 28th from VP. Long way to go but it will go quickly. I am also having a week in BA at the end including a trip to the falls. Not sure what I am doing in Santiago yet. K

Fantastic.....After reading all the reviews on CC I think it will be a fabulous cruise. We're planning to do the falls post cruise as well and Torres del Paine pre cruise.

 

For the Antarctic sail-by, we have booked a great Deck 7 OV at the rear of the ship that overlooks the wake. Outside, just a few steps from the cabin, is a our private balcony -- a huge covered terrace with 180 degree views and loungers. There are only two such cabins on the Zaandam.

Thanks for the tip on the cabin!

A TA is holding one of those cabins for us on the HAL Antarctic 'sail-by' on 28th Jan 18..... I've read so many reviews on CC about different cruise lines and sailings which has been very helpful and whether to go East to West or reverse.....Now we just have to decide whether to pay the cheaper price or pay extra for the Explore 4.....Our TA tells me if we we're booking for 2017 we'd get the cheaper price and the Explore 4 package!

Think we are going to go with HAL for the first time - Val to BA on the 28th Jan 18 ....

Have one of the secret cabins on hold that was recommended here!

We were also looking at Princess and HAL for SA.

 

Look closely at the itinerary. HAL lists a lot of scenic cruising. Princess not so much. Our choice would be HAL because of the scenic cruising of the fjords.

Yes, we are starting to think that way too.

Are you considering the HAL cruise with the 'sail by Antarctica' as well or the round the horn trip?

Decisions, decisions, the planning itself is half the fun!

Thanks for your thoughts.

Since I know absolutely about you, let me state my particulars so that you can see where I am coming from.

 

We just had a fabulous TA from Rotterdam to Boston, via Iceland and Greenland, on HAL. It was one of the best of our 35+ cruises, taken on all major mass-market lines (not including Disney but including MSC and Costa). A very pleasant ship (a sibling of the Zaandam), good food in the MDR and buffet, excellent library, live MSNBC (Republican convention), wonderful room attendant and -- I think this is important -- illuminating lectures about the Viking world.

 

We expect the same at Christmas/New Year when we board the Zaandam for an Antarctic drive-by.

 

I am 74 author of a book under construction; my wife is a year older and is losing her memory as a result of brain aneurysm and now dementia. Despite some challenges, we had a great time, although she had no idea where we were even as icebergs floated by.

 

We had booked an inside L on the Lower Promenade deck because it is just steps away from the biggest balcony at seas -- the Rotterdam circular promenade. HAL upgraded us to an OV (2670) which was a real gift as my wife could see what was going on, even if she had no interest to go up to the deck.

 

For the Antarctic sail-by, we have booked a great Deck 7 OV at the rear of the ship that overlooks the wake. Outside, just a few steps from the cabin, is a our private balcony -- a huge covered terrace with 180 degree views and loungers. There are only two such cabins on the Zaandam. May the Force be with you.

 

Neither of us has any interest in stepping on the continent itself. So paying big bucks for that was never an option.

 

Lastly, in late April we'll sail from Valparaiso to San Francisco on NCL Norwegian Sun, the ship in SA. We got a rear balcony. No great expectations in the food department (and we refuse to pay extra). On that score, the Rotterdam was a pleasant surprise. A good, varied menu. (Here is a tip: You can ask for freshly pressed coffee and they will bring the works to you free of charge). Particularly their fish was outstanding, a rarity on cruise ships in my experience.

 

One minus was the Rotterdam's lousy Internet (even allowing for the distant Arctic locations) and its expensive wi-fi plans. I don't mind paying but I want it to work. But as a result, I ended up reading some excellent stuff for relaxation before concentrating on my book; not writing really but conceptualizing. I read Erik Larson's In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin and began an excellent by an Australian, R. J. B. Bpsworth, Mussolini's Italy: Life Under the Fascist Dictatorship, 1915-1945. (A great book but so detailed I needed a map of Italy in front of me).

 

At that point, as a friend commented, I was getting ready for whatever comes in November.

 

Because of my writing and speech schedules I have my cruises planned for the next two years. For Christmas/New York 2017, we'll take a 14-day cruise from Abu Dhabi to Southern India and back on Celebrity, with New Year's fireworks during an overnight stay in Dubai. If health considerations allow, we plan to revisit Indochina on the HAL Veendam for Christmas 2018.

 

I am an optimist.

Thank you for your great insight.....We have only completed 2 cruises so a long way behind you! We usually travel independantly, in Europe especially as we love train travel but have done the Alaskan passage on Princess and the Baltics on Celebrity - loved boh cruises.

I am leaning towards HAL on this one though because of the scenic cruising, but having never sailed on any of her ships its always hard to make that final decision.

Thanks for your tips too, I have checked out the cabins you were talking about, they look like a great idea....Maybe your wife will use the deck with it being so close and relatively private?

Happy & safe sailing to you both.

You do not want a drive by of Antarctica. Wait until you can afford to take a proper expedition ship to go there. It would be totally frustrating to just look from the ship and the bigger ships cannot go to some of the more scenic areas.

Thanks for you advice but at this stage we are just planning a South America trip and want to include land tours in Santiago, Torres del Paine, El Calafate, Bariloche, Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls & Rio. We also want to include a cruise through the Chilean fjords & glaciers departing in either Valparasio or BA, its just that I noticed a HAL cruise to this area that included a 'drive-by' of Antarctica and wondered whether it would be worth doing and if you would see much of the 'white continent' from the ship. We have travelled mainly through Europe, Scandinavia, Africa, & North America but never to South America. It's such a huge continent that its impossible to include all the places we'd love to see on one trip so this is just a little sampler for us with the plans of returning in time to see Peru & Bolivia and maybe as you suggest an expedition to Antarctica. Patagonia & Torres del Paine in particular has been on the bucket list for awhile, so its the major reason for the trip. Thanks for your advice on Antarctica it is much appreciated.

Anyone have any info on Main Deck # E2702, E2713 or E2715. Aft facing cabins. Pictures?? Or pictures of the aft deck on the Main Deck. we are in one of those cabins for 23 day South America. Thanks!

I'm interested in that answer also, as we're thinking of one of those cabins for a 22 day SA cruise in 2018. Hope someone has some info.

Hi Hubby & I are planning a cruise to SA Jan/Feb 2018 and need some advice/thoughts from people who have done these great cruises as to which cruise line they recommend. We will both be knocking on the door of 60 for this cruise, we have cruised previously with Princess & Celebrity and enjoyed both. We are also wondering whether to include a 'drive-by' of Antarctica? A TA has a cabin on hold for me on the Emerald Princess but I keep umming and arring about HAL? At this stage we are only looking at Princess, Celebrity, HAL & maybe NCL.

I've done it in both directions and also been down to Antarctica on an excellent drive-by with Holland America. If your cruise goes to Antarctica then I think it is best to start in Valparaiso so you really enjoy the scenery of the Chilean fjords. In the other direction, they seem anticlimactic after the Antarctic Peninsular. If you don't visit Antarctica, then I don't think the direction matters so much. Be sure that you see the Beagle Channel/Glacier Alley (just West of Ushuaia) in daylight.

 

For tours, a lot depends on whether you want to see Penguins. If you do, you need a tour. If not then you can do a lot on your own. In Ushuaia, and Punta Arenas there are good museums where you can learn about the Yaghan/Yamana people. Punta Arenas also has an excellent cemetery (a bit like Recoleta in BsAs) and a wonderful boatyard where they have built accurate reconstructions of the Nao Victoria, Beagle, James Caird, and Ancud: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Nao_Victoria

 

I really enjoyed (and learned a lot from) the book "Rounding the Horn" by Dallas Murphy and wish I had read it before my first visit.

We're planning a SA cruise for Jan/Feb 18, trying to decide which cruise line to go with and also whether to include a 'drive by' of Antarctica. Did you cruise with varies companies or all with HAL? We have cruised with Celebrity & Princess but not HAL.....Any advice and thoughts would be greatly appreciate

We were on the Star Princess in late Feb. 2016 - from Buenos Aires to Valparaíso. As it was the last Around the Horn cruise of the season, the majority of the people on our roll call stayed on the ship for the 17-night cruise back to Los Angeles.

 

All of the land travel was before the cruise.

That's almost identical to the trip we are planning....Emerald Princess departing BA 28th Feb 2018 with a pre cruise trip that includes Torres del Paine, El Calafate( maybe El Chalten also), Bariloche, Iugazu Falls & Rio before arriving in BA for the cruise.

Our TA is holding a cabin that I'm supposed to pay the deposit on this morning but all weekend I've been umming and ahhing if we're doing the right thing going with Princess instead of HAL? We've never cruised on HAL but I just wondered if the smaller ship through the Chilean Fjords would be better.....How did you find your Princess Cruise?

Thanks so much for your info, its great to be able to chat to someone who's done what we're planning!

Since this thread has been recently bumped up, I wanted to thank you again for your wonderful review! :) It is because of your photos of the Perito Moreno Glacier that my 2-week cruise eventually turned into a 6-week trip. :D I considered going to El Calafate on my own, then looked at tours to Patagonia. I chose a 15-night tour with OAT (Overseas Adventure Travel) that went to BA, Bariloche, Puerto Varas, Chiloė Island, Torres del Paine, and El Calafate! I was in Argentina for a week before my land tour started, so I spent 2 nights in BA, 2 at Iguazú Falls, and 3 in Salta. It was a fabulous trip! :)

Wow, what an amazing trip you had! Can I ask which cruise company you went with and which direction?

I love the idea of your post cruise tour too, sounds fantastic.

We just returned from a 14 day cruise on the HAL Zaandam from Santiago to Buenos Aires. All we can say is WOW ! We will review the ship , the ports and be glad to answer any and all questions. And of course pictures :)

 

 

 

Hi,

 

I just stubbled upon this review while researching cruises to SA.

Wow, wow, wow, your photos are truly spectacular and I loved your blog.

Thank you so much for sharing...

 

My husband and I are looking at one of these round the horn cruises for early 2018 and can't decide between the various cruise lines, we're thinking we might go BA to Santiago. We've cruised with Princess & Celebrity before but not HAL, but I'm wondering if the smaller HAL vessel would be better for this trip, the itineraries look identical but I'm not sure if they are.....I really liked that you got to cruise Beagle Channel in the daylight too. Any thoughts and observations would be greatly appreciated.

 

We're planning to have a few days in Torres del Paine prior to the cruise - it's been a bucket list item for some time and I'm not sure one day would be enough for me. If only we could be so lucky as you with the weather I also love the idea of having time in El Calafate & El Chalten.

 

Again, thank you for your wonderful post.

Thank you so much for the 2016 schedule.... We're looking at the Baltic cruise from Copenhagen on the 6th July.

Just wondering if the launch fares seem expensive to anyone? Do Princess usually offer perks with their launch fares? We are seriously considering the Celebrity line also as they have the 123go deal ATM.....when I compare the princess launch fares with Celebrity, the 123go offer looks pretty good.:)