Star Princess – South America-December 24, 2011 Review

This is a long review and concentrates mostly on the tours we took and the logistics involved along with some information about the ship. The tours we took while on the ship were all booked through Princess.

We flew Delta non-stop to Rio on Wednesday night. Tried Economy Comfort seat and was grateful for the extra legroom and recline. Service provided by and disposition of Delta flight attendants on both flights to Rio and from Santiago a different story.

We arrived in Rio at the same time as four other flights. It took over an hour to get through immigration. After going through all the hassles of getting the Brazilian visa (providing data, face-to-face meeting, etc.), the Brazilian agents at the Rio airport were manually re-typing in all of the information from the visa for each passenger. Hope they upgrade their process prior to the World Cup and Olympics. You receive and entry card that you then relinquish to Brazilian authorities after ship check-in and also give up your passport at that time. We received our passport back toward the end of the cruise on the second sea day between Punta Arenas and Santiago. We also carry a copy of our passports with us on a cruise when off of the ship.

We were met by the Princess representative after exiting baggage claim and led to bus which was smaller van type bus with luggage placed in back of bus, not under. We had booked the two-day pre-hotel package at the JW Marriott. Of the twelve people on the bus, all were going to the Sheraton with the exception of us, so we got a scenic tour of the city and the others were dropped off first. Glad we stayed at the JW Marriott as the Sheraton seemed a little remote but will let others tell about their stay at that hotel.

The JW Marriott is right on Copacabana beach in a great location and was a very nice hotel. We were pleasantly surprised that breakfast was included in the Princess package and they had a great buffet each morning with the usual foods and a made-to-order egg station. Room, while small, was very comfortable and we had the atrium view which is what we expected. Asked at check-in about a beach view and was told it would cost $160 more so opted not to accept. Nice roof-top pool and there was a gym adjacent to it.

Prices at the hotel were high so we ventured out and found a lot of restaurants along Atlantica Avenue as well as a grocery and other shopping a short two blocks away (away from the beach and behind the JW Marriott). We never felt uncomfortable walking and were never hassled by anyone. We were told by hotel staff not to carry cameras out in open and to use a bag so we did when on our own.

On Friday, we had booked a full day tour through Manu Peclat and as he was already busy that day and not available, he set us up with his counterpart Julio Rosas. Julio did a great job and exceeded our expectations. We went to Sugar Loaf, the waterfront near downtown, the tiled staircase of Jorge Selaron (very interesting), St. Teresa, Corcovado and Christ the Redeemer, the parks that surround Rio, and a drive along all of the beaches back to our hotel including a stop to watch the hang gliders. Crowds were not too bad and believe there were several cruise ships in that day but think we were usually ahead of or behind the crowds at each stop. The weather in Rio during our stay was perfect, sunny and in the upper 80’s approaching 90 degrees.

Check-out at the hotel at 12Noon. Our luggage was to be placed outside our room by 11AM, and would be sent to ship ahead of us. Bus was scheduled to leave at 1PM. Well, we got antsy so after leaving the bags for Princess to handle, advised the Princess hotel rep that we were going to take a cab to the port and arrived at the port around noon. There was little to no signage at the port. Star Princess was in the first birth in front of the first building. The cab driver let us out and we went up to that building where there was a long line. As it turned out, Costa was using the first building and bussing people to their ship, go figure. Anyway, after about 20 minutes we figured out that Princess was using the second building for check-in. Checked-in in one area, then to another to drop off Brazilian boarding card and give up passport (you receive a numbered receipt for your passport so don’t lose it), through security and on to the ship. Sail away at sunset past Sugar Loaf, Copacabana, and Corcovado was excellent.

Ship was in great shape since just through dry-dock. We had a balcony cabin on Caribe Deck aft, Starboard side. Found nicer new balcony chairs with three position recline but no foot stools. Looked below and mini-suites had foot stools. Tried to get some to no avail. Swapped out elite mini-bar, then went and made reservations at Sabatini’s and the Crown Grill. Americans were a minority on this cruise with South Americans in the majority. All announcements were in English and either Portuguese or Spanish (not sure which it was). There were 42 nationalities on board and we heard we dropped off 280 people in Buenos Aires and picked up an additional 300. Most traveled was 999 days and believe second/third were both around the 670 day total. Ship was decorated for Christmas (and later for New Year’s) and was one of the best overall crews we’ve sailed with. Captain Kent is our favorite captain as we love his great sense of humor as well as he tells it like it is. We ate once at both Sabatini’s and Crown Grill with the remainder of the cruise split between the Portofino Dining Room and Horizon Court. We love the changes to the Sabatini’s menu and it was our favorite meal on the ship. Food otherwise was good and the new dessert area on Horizon court is a hit for us. Regarding concern about tables with the new dessert area, they use both the aft deck area as well as the Calypso Reef and Pool area set with table service. Only show we saw was British Invasion which we enjoyed. Joe May was the port lecturer and he was great, and Marine Geologist Randy Ashley was the Scholarship@Sea special interest speaker and was excellent. The Elite/Plantinum/Suite Happy Hour in Skywalker’s was well attended the nights we were there and only issue was the evening we went around Cape Horn (more on that later).

We were blessed with great weather for all port stops throughout the cruise. In preparing we were concerned about weather on this itinerary based upon previous reviews, especially getting into Stanley, Falkland Islands (for whatever reason, no longer “Port” Stanley as we were advised they dropped the “Port”). As Captain Kent said as we departed “I’ve been sailing into Stanley for 30 years and this is the nicest weather I’ve ever seen here”, so we lucked out. It was overcast with rain off-and-on as we went around Cape Horn, and had several cloudy sea days, but overall the Mother Nature smiled on us for this cruise.

Montevideo – Estancia La Rabida & City Drive

We got to see some of the city and stopped for pictures then drove in the bus about an hour outside of Montevideo to La Rabida, an estancia or “ranch” owned by a family. This was one of the best tours we’ve ever been on. The family of several generations was so hospitable and what a great place to spend the day. There were lots of activities, great food, beer and wine, and fun and games such as milking a cow, shearing a sheep, being pulled behind a horse on a rug, and horse riding. Also included during the day was a ride down to a beautiful beach on the river that borders the property. The ride was conducted in antique automobiles and on hay wagons. There were three bus loads of passengers on this excursion but it never felt crowded on the ranch. We had a great day and would highly recommend this tour.

Buenos Aires – Tango Show & City Drive

Stopped at La Recoleta Cemetery and saw Evita Peron’s grave. We then went to La Boca, a colorful area of the city with shops and had about 25 minutes there. We then went to Plaza de Mayo and visited the church and the Casa Rosada. Then on to the Tango hall with a great lunch (beef was amazing) and entertaining tango show. Wine was included with lunch.

Stanley Falkland Islands – Sparrow Cove Penguin Tour

We debated between taking the Sparrow Cove tour or the Volunteer Point tour and decided on Sparrow Cove as we didn’t want to endure the long bumpy ride to Volunteer Point and also wanted time to go into Stanley. The tours to Sparrow cove (there were 13 that day) were broken up into groups of 12 and we were the first tour of the day. We were picked from the ship by a boat (since we were anchored off Stanley) operated by the tour company (not a tender) and taken to a dock about 20 minutes away. Six of us got into one of two four-wheel drive vehicles for a 30 minute ride to the cove. We were told there were no King penguins sited recently so were somewhat disappointed. Two rangers met us at the cove, outlined the guidelines to follow and we were free to wander on our own. There were a large number of Gentoo penguins and lots of babies. Lo and behold, there was one King penguin that had snuck in and was holding court amongst them! There was a small building within walking distance from the penguins where you could get coffee, tea or hot chocolate. Luckily it was a beautiful day and a warm drink wasn’t needed. The four-wheel vehicles went back to the dock for the next group and picked us up for the ride back when second group was dropped off. We had about an hour or so at the cove. We stopped on the way back to the dock for picture of the ship. We were taken from the small dock back to the ship where we immediately got on a tender to Stanley to walk around the town, see the church, military monument shop and have a local beer.

Cape Horn

Was overcast and rainy when we approached. We thought that by being on Starboard side we would be able to sit in our cabin and as we went around the Cape but the captain had advised previous day that he would probably be going around counter-clockwise, so we would be on the wrong side of the ship. Decided to go to Skywalkers instead then head out to Deck 16 to take pictures, then back up to Skywalkers vs. stand out in the rain. Skywalkers was a zoo with very little seating when we got there about 20 minutes before we were supposed to arrive at Cape Horn. Even though there was an Elite/Platinum/Suite cocktail hour, there was no way to control all the people. When two small children began sticking their fingers in the food on the buffet, we decided to leave. The trip around Cape Horn was pretty amazing and it eventually stopped raining so we finished watching on Deck 16 by the Oasis Bar.

Ushuaia – Southernmost Railway & Ensenada Bay

Ushuaia is a beautiful city. We got on a bus and travelled about an hour to a train station to board the Southern Fuegian Railway or “End of the World Train”. Along the way we passed the world’s most southern most golf course (were told it was $90 for 9 holes). We got to the train station and boarded the train. We were seated in bench seats facing those across from us. It was a pleasant train ride with nice views and a there is a narration of the history of the train which was originally built to transport prisoners out to the forest to cut down trees. After the train ride, we rode for a short while to Ensenada Bay which was picturesque. Then back to Ushuaia for some shopping. This tour was OK but not our favorite and kind of overpriced. We wondered if we should have taken the Beagle Channel tour by boat instead.

Scenic Cruising – Glaciers

One of the biggest surprises was how amazing the glaciers were between Ushuaia and Punta Arenas. They were on the Starboard side and Joe May did a narration as we passed them. Believe there were five with the names Holland, Italia, Franzia, Germany, and Romancia (don’t quote me on these J). But all were different and amazing.

Punta Arenas – Otway Sound Penguin Colony

We tendered in and boarded a bus and it was about an hour and a half ride to Otway Sound. Saw some rhea’s, sheep, and condors on the way. Once you get to Otway, there is a path that leads to a boardwalk and several different paths you can take. At various points there are viewing stands as the Magellenic penguins burrow. One of the viewing stands is at the beach. Otway is a beautiful natural environment and we saw several hares and various bird species in addition to the penguins. You have about an hour to walk around and enjoy the penguins, again, lots of babies. We were dropped off in the town square and shopped at the market there. Some good buys at the market on Alpaca scarves and sweaters.

One note on Chile, you have to fill out and sign a declaration that you are not carrying any food or fruit into the country. There are stiff penalties if you are caught doing so. You are supposed to present this form upon arrival at each Chilean port. Well, we were the first ship in for the year to Punta Arenas and no one asked for the form. Joe May told us in a later during the Valparaiso/Santiago port overview that they confiscated three crates of fruit from people getting off the ship in Punta Arenas but no fines issued and that they would not be as lenient in Valparaiso.

Scenic Cruising – Chilean Fjords

On the first sea day (of three) out of Punta Arenas, during the day we cruised past the Chilean Fjords. They were pretty but not as spectacular as the glaciers, but also it was a gloomy day and probably would have been more enjoyable if the sun had been shining.

Santiago – Santiago & Aconcagua Valley Winery

Instead of going to the airport and sitting 12 hours, we chose to take the Santiago & Aconcagua Valley Winery Tour and glad we did. On this tour, after setting out your luggage the night before arrival in Valparaiso, you will not see it again until the airport, in other words you do not claim it at the terminal in Valparaiso before boarding the bus. Valparaiso is a huge container terminal, so when you leave the ship, you board a bus to the terminal which is about three blocks away. You get off that bus, go through the terminal, turn in your food/fruit declaration, then board the bus which you will be on for the entire day. There is room for luggage under the bus, i.e. roller boards etc., and some on the tour were going to a Princess booked hotel, so all of their luggage was underneath the bus as well. We drove from Valparaiso to the Errazuriz Winery passing farmlands with all kinds of items being grown and narration along the way. The winery itself is really a very nice place. You are taken on a tour of the winery and told the history and how in recent years it has been modernized. You get to see the underground storage rooms and then in another building the more modern fermentation process being used. A lunch was served (Chilean Sea Bass as main course) with a wine pairing for each course of the lunch. Inside the main building you could purchase bottles of wine and they also had some sweaters, scarves and jewelry available for sale. Each person was also given a wine glass to take home. We left the winery and headed toward Santiago. We stopped at a large plaza near the presidential palace and court of justice. We then drove to a hillside park overlooking the city and the Andes. We dropped off people at two hotels and then finally the airport (it was about 5:30PM or so). Our bags were waiting on luggage carts outside the terminal with Princess representatives watching them and there to help us. Delta didn’t open their counter until about 6:45PM and our flight home was at 10:15PM (needless to say, long day).

Note: When you get your passport back prior to arrival in Valparaiso, you will receive with it a Chilean entry card that you relinquish upon leaving Chile (in our case at the Santiago airport), and there is a fine if you don’t have it.

Overall was a great cruise, great itinerary, great captain and crew and we enjoyed it immensely. Regarding currency, we took some Brazilian and Chilean currency but it seemed like US dollars were being accepted almost everywhere. We met some of the nicest people we’ve ever cruised with on this cruise, and unfortunately also saw some of the rudest, but that is a part of travelling with a large group of people.

Our pictures are available online and basically follow the narrative above. There are a lot of them but you can jump to a section you want. Best viewing is in slideshow mode, full screen. They can be found at:

http://smengelt.shutterfly.com/1665

Thanks for the review. We're booked to travel from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles on Star Princess in 2013 so your review was very informative.

Michelle

All announcements were in English and either Portuguese or Spanish (not sure which it was).

It was Spanish. Although I'm pretty sure one or two of the missing passenger calls as we were getting ready to leave ports were also done in Portuguese, presumably they did that knowing the nationality of the people involved.

I did my own comments on the cruise on my website, http://www.schrock.org, although I haven't quite gotten around to filling in the last few sea days and Valporaiso/Santiago yet, need to get that done. My photos will probably take a while, since I'm still a cruise behind on sorting through them :).

Rio was the one place where it seemed to be somewhat easier to have local currency, although even then at least some places took US (we'd gotten some local currency though). Everywhere else, it was almost always very easy to use US currency.

piper28, enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to the seeing your pictures. Regarding currency, we had no problem anywhere we wanted to use USD, even in Argentina where there are some new currency restrictions. In fact, in those countries where we had local currency, because we were Americans, we were usually asked if we wanted to pay in USD. There may be some exceptions to this but we did not run into any and didn't make any large purchases in USD. Regarding picking up people in Buenos Aires, believe the cruise was marketed Venice to Buenos Aires (as well as to Rio) so about 280 passengers got off. It was also marketed Buenos Aires to Santiago and about 300 passengers were supposed to embark in Buenos Aires for that segment. Some, in fact, were doing a back-to-back Buenos Aires-Santiago-Buenos Aires.