What are the chances that the cruise ship can't make it to the Falklands?

[Gary K]

I've heard that sometimes cruise ships are unable to dock at the Falkland Islands because of bad weather, etc. What are the chances of that, typically?

 

I have booked an excursion to see penguins there, but I have read that sometimes it is a good idea to be safe and also book an excursion for penguins in another city too, as a backup. Is this true?

[t60]

Yes is the short answer

 

Sandy in Spain

[KirkNC]

Well its not docking that's the problem, its tendering but same effect. We were lucky we made it onshore our one time there but it is a port that is more with some frequency.

[J-D]

We have been scheduled to stop at the Falklands (Stanley) on two trips -- successful the first time; not the 2nd. Overall the success rate for large cruise ships at Stanley is certainly better than our 50%, but lower than for many ports.

 

If you are interested in penguins, it is definitely a good idea to book a penguin tour in at least one other port in case you cannot land at Stanley. However, at the South American stops most people see just one species of penguin, the Magellanic. In contrast, during a one-day visit to the Falklands it is easy to see at least three species, including the large King Penguin, among other interesting birds.

 

John

[Gary K]

If the ship is unable to tender at the Falklands, then do you guys imagine it would be easy to then reserve several spots for the penguin tours at another port, such as Punta Arenas? For instance, would Princess open up more buses there if the Falklands was canceled, since surely they would predict a surge in new reservations?

 

What I'm saying is, should I book a backup penguin tour before the cruise, or is waiting for the day that I'm at the Falkland Islands to decide on a backup tour?

Edited September 10, 2014 by Gary King

[as19111]

I would suggest that you book before you cruise. As I mentioned on another thread, I booked a private tour for the Falklands. We also booked another Princess tour in Puerto Madryn. We made it to the Falklands. Puerto Madryn was cancelled due to a labor strike! We sailed from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires.

 

So, from the sound of it, you are sailing from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. If you miss the Falklands, Punta Arenas is your back up. You should have enough port/sea days in between to cancel the Punta Arenas tour IF you make it to the Falklands. If you are sailing the reverse route, you'll take the Punta Arenas tour AND the Falklands, if you so choose.

[J-D]

I would suggest that you book before you cruise. ... from the sound of it, you are sailing from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. If you miss the Falklands, ... you should have enough port/sea days in between to cancel the Punta Arenas tour IF you make it to the Falklands.

 

I concur with as19111. Penguin tours are popular and are likely to be fully booked in advance, whether or not the ship successfully lands pax at Stanley (Falklands).

 

It is also possible to see penguins during a port call to Ushuaia, but there is probably too little time between the Stanley and Ushuaia to allow you to cancel an Ushuaia tour (should you wish to do that) after success at Stanley.

 

Incidentally, if the winds near Ushuaia happen to be light, you may be able to see (with binoculars) some Magellanic Penguins swimming singly near the ship during the hour before arriving at Ushuaia (if it is daytime) or the hour after leaving. We saw quite a few of them as we left Ushuaia in late afternoon on an uncharacteristically near-calm day. However, you would get a much closer and better view at one of the colonies.

 

John

[catergirl]

with princess within so much time 48 hr?? not sure, you can cancel tours, which is really good compared to other cruiselines:) someone will gladly take your spot. if there is enough time between ports. or you could see penguins again!!! falklands is the 'best' place though

[Fattony]

However, at the South American stops most people see just one species of penguin, the Magellan.

 

John

 

Not scientific, I believe. How many species one sees at Ushuaia, etc. depends on the time of year, due to times of migrations. I was there around April 1, which was after some species had migrated northward. Lots of last-minute tours available at Ushuaia port but most tour boats stop just offshore the main penguin island. The tour that takes you onto the island (bus, then zodiac) too long most cruise stops.

Edited September 11, 2014 by Fattony

[KirkNC]

We saw five types on our trip, King, Gento, Chinstrap, Rockhopper and Magellanic. Gento and Magellanic were the most common though we did see a colony of over 1,000 kings at Volunteer Point. If you do make the Falklands, thats the place to go, amazing.

 

Note- We also went to Antartica on that trip.

[KirkNC]

Not scientific, I believe. How many species one sees at Ushuaia, etc. depends on the time of year, due to times of migrations. I was there around April 1, which was after some species had migrated northward. Lots of last-minute tours available at Ushuaia port but most tour boats stop just offshore the main penguin island. The tour that takes you onto the island (bus, then zodiac) too long most cruise stops.

 

Pira Tours is the company that takes tours to Martillo Island, a gazillion penguins there and you walk right amoungst them. It was not a long day, I believe we left around 9:00 and were back around 4:00 and you could even do it quicker as we made a few stops, ate lunch at the little place where you get the boat to the island.

[Gary K]

What's the cancellation policy for Princess excursions? I was looking at their policy in the "Excursion Cancellation" section on this page but still am not quite sure about it.

 

So basically I can only cancel an excursion five days or earlier, before the cruise starts? Otherwise, I can cancel before the "Closing time" for the excursion (where can I find this info?), and in that case I only get ship credit?

 

Could someone please clarify?

Thanks!

[J-D]

Once you are aboard the ship, most tours can be cancelled up to about 2 days in advance of the tour in question. For each port, the tour desk lists a specific date & time after which Princess tours at that port cannot be cancelled. Certain expensive tours (helicopter flights, etc.) have a longer "must cancel before" time.

 

Provided you tell Princess that your tours should be charged to your onboard account (not prepaid), you should effectively not be charged for any tour cancelled before the specified time. More specifically, all tour charges will be posted to your onboard account early in the cruise, but a credit should be issued to the account for any that are cancelled before the specified time. Thus, when you settle the account at the end of the cruise, the cancelled tour(s) should not be involved at all. This all assumes that there has been no recent change in procedures.

 

John

[as19111]

Princess takes the current cruise offline about 5 days before your sail. So, you can make any changes on-line up to that cutoff.

 

When you board the ship, your excursion tickets should be in your cabin. On each ticket is a cancellation date, usually 48-72 hours before the port. If you choose to cancel, there is a box nearby the excursion desk on the ship. You can simply drop the tickets in the box, if the line is long. If you feel more comfortable handing them to the cruise employee, you can do that as well. There is no charge for cancelling the excursion IF you meet the deadline posted on the ticket.

 

The excursion is not charged to your cabin statement until the date of the excursion. It is not paid for in advance of the cruise, unless you made special arrangements to do this.

[peterscot]

Re. The original question....it's all down to the ship. Working in the Falklands tourist industry, it is clear that some ships have more trouble with the harbour than others. Some ships might cancel 3 or 4 Times a season, while others never cancel.

 

Some are more manoeuvrable, some are more risk-averse. Some drag their anchors in strong winds, others find sheltered spots.

 

So, if you have your heart set on seeing penguins in the Falklands, choose a smaller ship, and one capable of Antarctic landings.

 

Then there are the ships which bow to political pressure from the neighbours.....

 

By the way, the non-resident penguins are starting to return this week. Am off to Sealion island tomorrow for a recce.

[goose30]

Chances of not making it 40/60.

[Floridiana]

What's the cancellation policy for Princess excursions? I was looking at their policy in the "Excursion Cancellation" section on this page but still am not quite sure about it.

 

 

Don't rely on the Falklands. We did not go there, had to skip Punta Arenas and Ushuaia due to storms.

 

Cancellation of tickets: We had tickets for a very popular Barrier Reef excursion with Princess. I gave them back the evening before and they were glad to refund me. There had been a wait list and they were happy to take someone off that list. I had not expected anything since it was after the official deadline.

 

I have only once experienced that an additional trip was added to a popular excursion. It depends on the capacity of the local operators.

[ssawjo]

Re. The original question....it's all down to the ship. Working in the Falklands tourist industry, it is clear that some ships have more trouble with the harbour than others. Some ships might cancel 3 or 4 Times a season, while others never cancel.

 

Some are more manoeuvrable, some are more risk-averse. Some drag their anchors in strong winds, others find sheltered spots.

 

So, if you have your heart set on seeing penguins in the Falklands, choose a smaller ship, and one capable of Antarctic landings.

 

Then there are the ships which bow to political pressure from the neighbours.....

 

By the way, the non-resident penguins are starting to return this week. Am off to Sealion island tomorrow for a recce.

 

Glad to hear the "non-resident" penguins are starting to return. Sort of like snow birds in Arizona. We will be visiting the Falklands on Nov. 30 on the Silversea Shadow. It is a smaller ship and hopefully there will be no problems. I will let everyone know what happens when I return.

 

Bill

[Gary K]

So excursions are charged when the cruise starts, and if I cancel them, then I get back ship credit? No full refund?

[Floridiana]

You get a full refund.

[Gary K]

Excellent thanks, I'll go ahead and get me some backup penguins then!

[flamomo]

Excellent thanks, I'll go ahead and get me some backup penguins then!

If a Princess excursion goes to someplace you REALLY want to see, it is always wise to pre-reserve it via the Personalizer in advance of your cruise. Don't leave it to chance that spots will still be available thru the tour desk once you get onboard. Popular sights/sites often get booked up quickly.

[getsmartraveler]

Even if the Falklands are listed on the cruise ship, passengers will actually get to go on shore on less than half the cruises - the seas are too rough for the tenders to debark safely. Even if you do get off the ship, be prepared for a very rough ride to the shore.:)

[DougH]

You didn't mention which tour you booked, IMHO the Penguin trip with Patrick Watts is about the best excursion I've taken anywhere. Not sure when you are sailing but he usually fills up far in advance.

[peterscot]

Even if the Falklands are listed on the cruise ship, passengers will actually get to go on shore on less than half the cruises - the seas are too rough for the tenders to debark safely. Even if you do get off the ship, be prepared for a very rough ride to the shore.:)

 

 

Not sure where you get your stats, but I think its more like 10% of landings are abandoned.

 

And of those, most are related to one ship or line.

 

So, say, 22 ships call in on average 3 times per season, about 6 landings would be cancelled, and some of those for political reasons, not weather.

 

I think the worst year saw 25% cancellations. You can read reports from the FI tourist board on the topic, as they greatly affect businesses in the Falklands.

 

However, if you were to try to land from one particular ship, you may find it cancels 3 times out of 6. Maybe thats where the 50% stat comes from?

 

As I said earlier in this thread, some ships never have trouble, others are prone to cancel.