Zaandam 21 day South America & Antarctic Explorer cruise log/review

[StartrainDD]

Thank you so much for your detailed reporting! We are signed up for 2017 :).

 

:):):):)

 

Thank you thank you thank you !!!!!!!

We did a National Geographic trip a few years ago in Alaska and in New Zealand

Which was bringing back memories for me with your description in such detail of your trip!

We are now going to do this trip! Very memorable for you guys and because of this fantastic write up it is a no brainer!

The glaciers in Alaska, and our extended trip to Fox Glacier which we climbed in New Zealand gave my husband and I the itch to do this cruise!

No coffee for me right now, but...... Hummmmm.... Wine time!

Have a great day and sooo look forward to more!

Denise:)

 

You have much to look forward to! If you prefer private shore excursions take note that in some of these ports there are only one or two non-HAL options out there so research and book early!

 

Good choice.

 

Hi Ruth! I see we are going to be on the Koningsdam inaugural trans-atlantic together. Hope to meet you on that trip.

 

Arie

[StartrainDD]

We were up before 6:00 and the coffee / tea delivery was right on time at 6:00. Our bridge cam showed little but fog and an occasional iceberg. The captain had said we would be traversing “Iceberg alley” and he was so right. We were out on the bow before 6:30 and there were huge icebergs, many larger than the ship, seemingly all around us. We left the bow after taking photos and found a window seat near the aft of the Lido.

 

At 7:00 the captain announced that they had been in touch with the Argentine base in Hope Bay and they reported the bay was clogged with ice. The path to the Antarctic sound was also ice-blocked so he had no choice but to turn around. The Zaandam was being steered through the icebergs by radar and the fog horn was blowing. We were told we would head towards Elephant Island, for late afternoon scenic viewing, conditions permitting. We stayed in the lido with evening tablemates until after 9:00. We then took the unexpected unscheduled time to use the pool and hot tubs. After that, I took in a Windows class on Movie Maker. DW enjoyed an explorations café coffee. Despite apparent winds of well over 50 knots, the fog is being persistent today as we head northeast.

 

We had arranged with our evening tablemates to all meet at the dining room for 12:15 lunch. This ended up being a disappointment. We had a table of eight and six of us ordered the “Fish and Chips.” Those fish and chips were the worst meal of the cruise. DW’s special ordered fettuccini with cream source, figs and dates arrived with only the fettuccini. Rather than return it to the kitchen, the waiter obtained the missing items and mixed it later at the table. While our group had a very nice time together, the meal was really not acceptable.

 

At 2:00 I attended the location guide Umberto’s presentation on the Falkland Islands and Puerto Madryn. My opinion is that he spent too much time on the history of the Falklands and presented a view very one sided (Pro Argentina and anti-British). This is likely not the best option with many Brits and other British-related guests onboard.

 

Just before 3:00 the sun came out and we had a beautiful view of Elephant Island in the distance. Did I take a photo? No, I will take one when we are closer and can see more detail. Big mistake. By 4:15 the fog was back, and it stayed back into the night.

 

At 3:55 I headed to the Ocean bar to obtain a happy hour special for DW. She enjoys a certain Shiraz wine they have on board that qualifies for happy hour. The Ocean Bar had run out. They called and eventually obtained this wine from the Crow’s Nest, but what should have taken me five minutes took thirty. This was the first “Customer service failure” experienced on this cruise. The staff seemed powerless to make any decision to substitute with a slightly more costly wine (for which HAL would still make plenty of profit) or do anything to not have their customer waiting thirty minutes. (side note - DW ordered the same wine in the Mix the following night for happy hour and they just 'automatically' substituted the slightly more costly wine.) Making this even worse the bridge began announcing whales on both sides of the ship, and this is one of the only times I am not with a camera!

 

It turned out that the bridge counted over forty whales. I managed to get outside for the last few pods that passed and have several videos of whales exhaling and one whale on the surface. The best sighting I had I thought the camera was recording but it turned out it wasn’t. Ugh!

 

Dinner was very good. We both had the Barramundi and I also added the everyday steak. The show tonight was a magician/comedian named John Lenahan. This was easily the worst show of the cruise that we’ve attended. We left after thirty minutes. We would have left sooner except the house lights were on. The captain announced we should expect seas to become heavier overnight and into tomorrow, reaching four meters or 15 feet.

As tomorrow there is a 9:00 seminar we need to attend, and we were still getting over New Year’s and the very early morning, we called it a night.

[StartrainDD]

Our day began with coffee & tea delivery at 7:00. We went to the dining room for breakfast at about 8:05 and found one of our evening tablemates waiting at the check in. They invited us to join them and we had a nice breakfast.

 

At 9:00, Captain Dick Taylor, USCG, retired, gave a wonderful talk on “Ships and Ice.” This was very educational and enjoyable. Captain is the “Ice pilot” I met on the dock earlier in the cruise. During the Q & A I asked if he was “Up all night” the previous night as we approached “Iceberg alley.” He said no, but he was up very early. He also said the captain made the perfect call to turn around when he did.

 

It was another foggy morning with heavy seas. By late morning the seas began to subside and the sun came out. I got in line at 11:50 for tender tickets for the Falkland Islands. Tickets were being distributed beginning at 1:00 PM. I had a comfortable seat and edited photos the whole time while waiting. While waiting, the captain gave his daily update and said that conditions look very favorable for the Falklands with light winds, sun, and temperatures in the mid-50’s. I obtained tender ticket “D,” the earliest they were giving out.

 

We had a light lunch in the lido and after another quite early morning we rested a while. A while became a couple of hours. We were ready early for dinner and relaxed watching the sea from the explorations café. I used one of the computers there to look at a few potential future cruises on the HAL website. We talked to the future cruise consultant about one of the cruises and asked her to look into air costs.

 

Dinner was very good. The Mahi-mahi was excellent and everything was fine. The show was outstanding. Amy Lee, a violinist, played everything from Beethoven to Michael Jackson. This was a really superb show. After the show we went to the lido for tea. We noticed the sun was nearly set and waited for sunset and took several photos. A relaxing day but we will be happy to get off the ship tomorrow after six consecutive days on Zaandam.

[StartrainDD]

What a super day! 15 out of 10. The only negative is that the tight quarters and bouncing around in the 4x4 took a toll on DW’s knees. We were up at 6:00 simply because we couldn’t sleep any longer. Our 6:30 coffee & tea delivery came in at 6:18. We got everything ready and made sure not to forget the sunscreen on faces, ears, and necks. I went out on deck three watching the crew lowering the tenders, as well as the local administration come out to the Zaandam to clear the ship. I saw a penguin floating in the water not too far from the ship. It seemed to be bathing and preening. I was able to take some nice photos and video.

 

We met touring friends at 7:25 and had breakfast in the lido. The waffle man was having challenges this morning and every time I went back he had none. No worries, my omelet was great. We went back to our room at 8:00 to get our coats and at 8:05 they called tender ticket D. The ticket estimated time was 8:45 – 9:15. We were happy to be on the first tender with non-ship’s tour guests!

 

Once ashore, we quickly found Patrick Watts. Our driver was Bob. He took us out to Bertha’s beach, about 46 miles from Stanley, the last dozen or so literally “Over the prairie.” Seeing the many penguins up close was worth it. We were able to walk among them, watch them walk into the sea and come out of the sea to head back to the nesting areas. While this is a Gentoo penguin colony, there is one pair of King Penguins that hangs out here and we were able to follow them as well. We were there about ninety minutes; time that flew by.

 

At Bertha’s beach, Patrick collected our payments and offered tea and cookies. Next we headed back to Stanley for the “Ten minute tour” and chances to photograph the governor’s house and the various war memorials. Bob gave us his opinion on places for lunch and souvenir shopping. Then we headed to Gypsy Cove to see a colony of Magellanic penguins. Here were could not get as close as the walking path was fenced to keep visitors away from the colony. This was a very pretty area in any case.

 

We headed back to Stanley and Bob dropped us off at about 2:20 with a 3:00 “Last tender.” We headed right to the recommended gift shop and found a good selection of t-shirts and polos. We got in line for the tender at about 2:50 but it was after 3:35 by the time we were onboard Zaandam. Many people were targeting the last tender. It was after 4:30 by the time Zaandam was hoisting the tenders and making the turn to leave Stanley.

 

We had a quick burger, hot dog, and fries from the Dive in. We ran into our touring friends on the pool deck and talked with them until 4:30. Then it was time to get ready for dinner. Just as we were heading out for dinner we ran into “The bird man” from the explorations team who told us there was a killer whale just off the port side. We went outside and DW did get a good look at this relative of Shamu. As often happens, I missed it and certainly did not get a photo!

 

The menu tonight was not the most exciting but the “Everyday sirloin” was fine. DW had the everyday Salmon and that was also good. After dinner we headed to the ocean bar to listen to the music, download photos onto the PC, and write up my log. At 9:00 we moved to the Mix as it was “Country night at the Piano bar.

[StartrainDD]

No early schedule and no coffee & tea delivery to start the day. After a leisurely early morning I walked around the ship delivering tour reminders for those on the Puerto Madryn tour I arranged for tomorrow. We went to the dining room for breakfast at 8:05, and had a good breakfast. Next we went to the nice warm pool and DW was able to do her aqua therapy before the children arrived much later in the day. The hot tubs were not hot at all and in fact the pool was warmer.

 

While drying off we spoke with some touring friends who we will next be with for the walking tour in Buenos Aires on Saturday. After a quick shower, we attended the 11:00 talk on the Emperor Penguin. It was quite enjoyable. After our great breakfast, we really didn’t feel the need for lunch. A little bit of ice cream held us over until dinner.

 

We enjoyed 90 minutes on the pool lido deck with friends until we all left to get ready for the 2:00 destination talk on Montevideo and Buenos Aires. I returned to the cabin for a short rest but after about five minutes heard from the officer of the watch that whales and dolphins were being sighted. We went to deck three aft and within 70 minutes of watching saw Southern Right Whales, a Fin Whale, and several Orcas. They are incredibly challenging to photograph!

 

It was time to get ready for dinner. Everything was superb tonight. I really enjoyed the roast tenderloin with a side of sweet and sour shrimp. We attended the show, Hassard, who played many instruments and sang tunes from Elvis to the Beatles and Lionel Ritchie. He was quite good. We concluded the day by attending the Irish sing-along at the piano bar. Tomorrow we visit Puerto Madryn, Argentina.

[StartrainDD]

The Zaandam docked at 5:45 AM. The early tours left at 7:00 for the 2.5 hour ride (each way) to either Peninsula Valdes to see wildlife or Punto Tombo to see penguins. We opted for a much shorter (half hour) ride to see the Sea Lions at Punto Loma. This allowed us a leisurely dining room breakfast where we ran into touring friends and enjoyed their company. When we were ready to leave Zaandam we couldn’t!

 

The winds had picked up to gale force (despite a cloudless sky) and the winds had actually pushed Zaandam a bit away from the dock. We called home while waiting and caught up a little with our son. With additional lines secured and Zaandam continuously providing thrust against the wind, a gangway was prepared and we were able to depart.

 

It is a very long pier and the local authorities provide a complimentary transfer to the port entrance. It is nice that the dock is right in the middle of town, just four blocks from the main town square. We found our tour provider and told them we were return at the appointed time of 10:50. We stopped in two banks and my ATM card would not work. We walked to the town square where a few vendors were set up. One was a leather craftsman who had some attractive belts. DW purchased a belt for US$15.

 

We found the one and only mall on the waterfront. A nice jewelry store was there and had locally produced items. A few gifts were purchased. The helpful salesperson offered a discount for cash and said that the bank around the corner would likely work with my card. He was right, and now we have ARS Pesos!

 

Next we were off to meet our tour and arrange payment. Everyone was right on time and we were quickly off to see the sea lions. It was about a half-hour drive, the first portion on nice paved Oceanside roads and the last portion a wide gravel road. We arrived at Punto Loma and paid the admission fee (100 Pesos/pp or US$8). From the gate to the parking area is a short drive. We had a fantastic time watching not only the sea lions, of which there were many, but also the various birds. The water is so clear that you can see the sea lions swimming under the surface.

 

We stayed about 45 minutes and then began the ride back. On arrival to town, our guide gave us a brief tour of the main downtown and city square. Quite sad is a monument to nearly 20 firefighters that lost their lives fighting a blaze trying to save children. After they went into a building the wind shifted and they were trapped. Our guide left us at the little mall. We walked around and went back to the square hoping to perhaps buy another belt, but that vendor had left. We decided to return to the ship.

 

Soon enough we were back on board and the lido was still open for lunch. I found grilled Mahi-Mahi and then DW noticed “Turkey.” I didn’t see it as it didn’t look like turkey. She asked if there was any white meat and the server said ‘One minute.’ She went into the back and came out with a whole roasted turkey. Needless to say we both had ample portions of scrumptious white meat turkey and gravy. Now we had Christmas, New Years, and Thanksgiving all on the same cruise!

 

We sat out on the lido pool deck which was delightful. At 2:30 the Halcats played a set. In all my cruises, I have never seen a lido audience so engaged with a band. They do a great job and we loved the music. When they were done we stayed out on the pool deck as it was so pleasant. All too soon it was time to freshen up for dinner.

 

We listed to Adagio for a while and then went to the dining room. Just as we entered the dining room the Zaandam must have passed a point where the bay became open ocean, as it suddenly became quite rough. Really rough. Dinner was pleasant as always and one of our tablemates invited us to pre-dinner cocktails in their cabin tomorrow evening. They are in a Neptune Suite.

 

We attended the show, a variety show tonight. The star of the show is surely the violinist, Amy Lee. She was again fantastic. Afterwards we called it a night. Tomorrow is the last sea day of the cruise and many things are happening including the “Royal Dutch Tea.”

[StartrainDD]

No alarm or delivery this morning but still we were up by 7:30. We reached the dining room at 8:05 for breakfast. Nice breakfast with people we had not met before. We were able to retrieve our passports this morning and put them right into our safe. It was time to enjoy the slightly cooled down pool and the somewhat warmer hot tubs. The “Final clearance sale” was being set up near the pool and a few of these items were procured after our pool time.

 

I ran into one of our touring friends and we sat and talked a while. After changing out of swimwear, we enjoyed a tea in the Lido where Rooney our evening waiter was a host. I took a walk out back and found many people sitting in the sun with blankets around them. They set up some special desserts in the lido and I took a few photos. We met the touring friends for a dining room lunch. The tempura fish was too breaded and rather greasy. I took off the breading and enjoyed the fish. The only gluten free option for DW was the burger of the day and she said it was quite good.

 

We returned to our cabin to find all laundry was delivered. I’ve started asking for ‘folded’ as most of what is now coming back will not be worn again, so it will be ready for packing. My orange cap was missing. We prepared another bag of laundry to go out tonight.

 

We attended the 2:00 “Meeting with the stripes” presentation in the showroom. The captain, hotel director, chief engineer, staff captain and EH&S officer were present for Q&A. Someone asked the captain his expectations for the Zaandam's time left in the fleet? Using the Statendam repurposing/sale as a guide the captain said "Maybe six or seven years."

 

At 3:00 the “Royal Dutch Tea” was offered in the main dining room. We look forward to this event as no place else do I get to enjoy some of the Dutch goodies from my childhood. There was no windmill ice sculpture, but the treats were excellent. Afterwards it was time to prepare for the final gala night of the cruise. Our table friends invited us to their Neptune Suite for pre-dinner drinks and socializing.

 

Dinner was excellent. We both ordered the scallops and they were quite good. When it came time for dessert, Rooney remembered that DW really liked the marinated poached pear she had in the lido late in the morning and he brought one for her. So thoughtful. This is Rooney’s last day on Zaandam as he leaves for home from Montevideo. Our table sang ‘For he’s a jolly good fellow’ for Rooney and he was obviously surprised. Before leaving we wished him well and a great time with his family.

 

We headed up to the crow’s nest to get a table and seats for the 10:00 “Captain’s masquerade ball.” Trivia was ongoing but we made ourselves comfortable while waiting for touring friends to join us. They did and everything was fine until just before the event was to start. The venue is simply too small for such an event. We had a prime table yet couldn’t see a thing that was happening as people began standing in any spot they could, including in front of us. In my opinion Linda the cruise director really dropped the ball as there was nothing ‘special’ about this event despite its billing as a top event of the cruise. We stayed until the band took a break and called it a night.

[RuthC]

Hi Ruth! I see we are going to be on the Koningsdam inaugural trans-atlantic together. Hope to meet you on that trip.

 

Arie

That's the plan! Looking forward to meeting you, too. I see there are a few people from the HAL board who have joined the roll call.

 

As it happens, my next cruise after the Koningsdam is back to South America/Antarctica. That makes reading your tale specially fun. Thanks for your continued posts.

Oh, and I love that you are mentioning the entertainment by name. That is very helpful for those who might see the names on a daily program some day.

Edited January 21, 2016 by RuthC

[Nana_Bea-at-Sea]

This is definitely all bringing it back to life! Thank you, Arie

[scluvsrain]

I was/am so excited to read your blog/review, as I'm heading out next week for the exact same cruise, on the Zaandam!! We depart 1/31 from Valparaiso.

 

Say, who is the Captain on the Zaandam now?

 

How were the temperatures along the ports?

[scluvsrain]

I have another question for you -- is there anything you packed for the trip that you ended up NOT needing, and then anything you didn't pack but wish you had?

 

Thanks!

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

Thanks for the review.

[StartrainDD]

Say, who is the Captain on the Zaandam now?

 

How were the temperatures along the ports?

 

I have another question for you -- is there anything you packed for the trip that you ended up NOT needing, and then anything you didn't pack but wish you had?

 

Thanks!

 

The captain left the ship when we did, so I do not know who is currently the master. Temperatures ranged from the 80's in Buenos Aires to the 50's in Ushuaia. In Antarctica they were consistently between 30 & 34 the whole time we were there.

 

We specially purchased and brought "Hand warmers & foot warmers." We never used them. At the end of the cruise we asked our room steward if the crew could use them and he said "Absolutely" so we donated to the hard working crew.

 

We did not think of anything more we needed to bring. They sell very nice "HAL" hooded coats on board for $39.95. Even though we had them with us from a previous cruise we bought two more as they were a different color.

 

Just be prepared to dress in LAYERS. Have a wonderful trip!

 

Arie

[StartrainDD]

Montevideo was a pleasant surprise. We started the morning with a nice dining room breakfast. Just as we finished one of our touring friends asked if we checked our cell phones as apparently Uruguay is on a different time zone, an hour later. This changed the rest of the morning into a rush.

 

Once we were outside I called our tour provider and they said that no, Uruguay did not change to ‘daylight’ time for the first time this year, so the ship’s time is the right time. This took away the rush. We found the shuttle van to the Montevideo leather factory. We bought a few items there. This worked out well as the store is right on Independence Square, where our tour is to meet at 11:00.

 

Our “Free walking tour” was excellent. Our guide, Mida, gave us a great tour of the highlights of old city Montevideo, the early history (settlement) and the more recent history including their depression of 2002-2003 and how 25% of Uruguayans left the country as the banking system collapsed and most lost everything. The country has recovered and she told us that now about 10% of the population is considered in poverty. The tour ended at the port market, which is mostly a group of restaurants in a building originally built as an English-style train station. We were able to watch the restaurants cooking various meats over open flames.

 

Uruguay is very much a “Meat” country. They have three million residents and twelve million cows. Even though they are on the Atlantic, seafood is not popular. We decided not to try lunch on shore and after a little bit of shopping headed back to Zaandam. That was an excellent choice!

 

We went to the lido for a burger and found they were setting up for the evening South American barbeque on the pool deck. It was quite a show just watching the hard working crew setting up for this event. We camped out at an ideal table and decided that today we were just staying on the pool deck. I walked around delivering my tour reminders for Buenos Aires and retrieved my Kindle from our room. I only read a chapter or two before our touring friends joined us.

 

This event was a winner, and the most fun on board of the whole cruise. Roasting beef, lamb, and pork over open charcoal flames and all the accompaniments made a great meal. The beef was perfect. Desserts were also very good. We left at about 7:00 to get ready for the 8:00 show, done by local entertainers, “Pampas Devils Gauchos.” The tango and gaucho show was very enjoyable and was standing room only. We were glad we arrived a little early to get our favorite seats. After the show we called it a night as tomorrow is Buenos Aires.

 

Note to future cruisers - do NOT leave the lido barbeque early (like we did). We heard that five minutes later the crew did a parade and were signing and dancing with the guests to "We are family." We were sorry to have missed that.

[StartrainDD]

The alarm was set for 6:45 and coffee & tea ordered for 7:00. We woke to the alarm and soon after the delivery was made. We went to the dining room and enjoyed breakfast with a very pleasant couple we had not previously met. The meeting time for the 16 of us from the roll call who had registered for the “Free walking tour” was 8:45. Everyone came on time and we headed out.

 

In Buenos Aires, it is required to take a shuttle bus the approximately 2 block distance to the cruise terminal. The buses run constantly and have a low step, which DW appreciated. As reported on cruise critic, it does seem that there is a “Taxi mafia” at the cruise port. Four of us shared a taxi to the Obelisk, the meeting place for our tour for an agreed on US$9. When we returned to the ship, a further distance, and the meter fare was ARS$42.50. I have the driver a fifty (about US$4) and he seemed very happy.

 

Still, that was a small price to pay for the transportation. We had a tour with our guide Chris. Chris has been in Buenos Aires for six months, a transplant from Boston where he worked in public relations for the state of Massachusetts. The tour was quite informative and we covered a good part of the central city including the Obelisk, the opera house, the main synagogue, the supreme court, the capitol, the electronics district, jewelry district, luggage district, several churches, landmark cafés, Calle Florida, and ending at the square at the end of Avenue Cinco de mayo. Buenos Aires is a huge city and it was interesting at dinner that all three couples did very different things.

 

We were quite exhausted after a great deal of walking and took a radio taxi back to the port. We purchased a few items from one of the vendors in the port market, which exhausted my ARS$. Back on Zaandam we had a nice lido lunch of Mahi-Mahi (again, very good) and other items. I used my soda card for the last time as we exhausted the value. We returned to our cabin to find our great cabin team had put our luggage on our bed ready for filling!

 

Packing was quite a challenge. We rather quickly filled our two large cases and both are about 48-49 pounds. It’s a good thing I took my laptop in the ‘carry on’ suitcase coming down as I will be carrying my laptop home as we needed the entire case, stuffed to the max, to take everything back. It’s a good thing LAN allows two checked bags each!

 

After packing we got ready for dinner and had time to visit the crow’s nest for a final happy hour. I got two diet cokes as that was a good savings. I finished my log for yesterday at the crow’s nest and updated my e-mail. We returned to the cabin and went to dinner.

 

The dining room was poorly attended tonight, but our table had full attendance. We had a wonderful last meal together and the prime rib entrée was perfect. Dessert offerings included Baked Alaska and an Almond type of cake. After dinner we finalized our luggage by stowing shoes used for dinner and then all the luggage was put outside the cabin. Tomorrow we leave the ship at 8:00 for a half-day tour through HAL that ends at the airport.

[StartrainDD]

The alarm went off at 6:10 AM and the coffee & tea were delivered minutes later. We had made arrangements to meet touring friends for a final dining room breakfast at 7:10. They were right on time. As with most of this cruise, disembarkation announcements were running ahead of schedule. They called us just as we were leaving the dining room. This had the effect of placing us in the rear of “Yellow one.” There were three buses filled of passengers taking the half-day tour and no space left for more passengers or luggage. Another bus was brought in and therefore our bus was only about half-filled.

 

Our tour took us to the Recoleta cemetery. There we could view the very ornate mausoleums including the burial place of Eva Peron (Evita). We drove through the central city passing places we walked yesterday. It did give a different perspective riding down the Avenue 9th of July (the widest street in the world) than walking across it. We stopped at La Boca for 45 minutes. There we looked at the colorful houses and the various items that street vendors and storefronts had for sale. One small purchase was made.

 

Next the tour took us past the San Telmo flea market. We couldn’t see much from the bus but it looked like a great place to explore. To finish our tour we drove down Route 1 to the EZE airport, dropping us off at about 12:40. As we near the airport it begins to rain and the guide told us that Argentina is crying as we are leaving. She said she hopes we will return. We gathered our luggage and headed to check-in. We were directed to the special assist line as DW was using her cane.

 

We were quickly checked in, the luggage taken, and told a wheelchair would come in about ten minutes. The wheelchair never came. Seeing no security lines from the ticketing area, we ventured up the escalator, quickly processed through boarding pass check and the nearly no wait security line. Then we turned a corner to see a huge queue for “Passport control.” We see a side line for special needs and wait there, but DW is now starting to hurt from the standing. After maybe fifteen minutes we see an agent who reviews our documents, takes our photos and fingerprints. This is to leave the country? Okay, we are processed and sent on into the nearly empty terminal.

 

We have lots of time (like over six hours) until our flight. I had anticipated this probability and as a benefit of one of my credit cards have lounge access at the LAN lounge for a small fee. Although it is quite a walk we head there. Exiting the elevator we find an Admiral’s club opposite the LAN lounge. I have one remaining guest pass for an admiral’s club and the nice greeter said she wasn’t sure it was valid there but they err on the side of the passenger so welcome! She suggested we stop at the LAN lounge to secure a wheelchair for when it is time to head to the gate.

 

If you have to wait in an airport for many hours it is certainly nice to have the club facilities available. I checked e-mail; we had lunch, and brought my log up to date. The flight to Santiago left and arrived early. Santiago to New York left a half hour late yet arrived 20 minutes early. We waited nearly an hour for our luggage. While on the outbound flights our special “Low salt” meals were the best we have had on an airplane, on the return flight they were about inedible with very overcooked beef and just not appealing at all.

 

We landed at JFK at 8:10, 20 minutes early. A wheelchair was waiting for DW, and clearing customs took less than 15 minutes. We waited nearly an hour for the luggage but all four pieces came out at the same time. We were back in our van by 9:45 AM and I was in my office at 12:30 PM, ending a most wonderful and memorable journey.

Edited January 22, 2016 by StartrainDD

[StartrainDD]

All the people I have talked to over the years that raved about Antarctica were absolutely correct. This was an outstanding cruise in general and the scenery enjoyed in Southern South America and Antarctica put it “Over the top.” It will be hard, if not impossible, for a cruise to top this one.

 

The very small misconnects that occurred in no way offset the overall positives. We loved having a cabin on deck 3 just steps from the “Biggest balcony on the ship.” Being somewhat forward, we did hear the sounds of the ‘late show’ in the showroom if we turned in early, so watch out if you book a cabin with #3300 – 3318. This did not bother us as it was not loud at all, but some might want to know this.

 

The Captain making the decision to go to Antarctica at full speed gave us an extra eight hours of perfect weather sightseeing that could never be recovered if we had not done so. The senior staff seemed to be “Out and about” around the ship and it always feels good to see them eating on the pool deck and interacting with the guests.

 

We had the best cabin team, Davies & Mil, that we ever recall. Our primary dinner waiter, Rooney, was outstanding. The on location talks were mostly top-notch. While in two ports we could have chosen better tour options, that is the kind of thing that is not HAL’s fault and we certainly had a great time in everything we did. There is no option but to give the good ship Zaandam and its crew five stars out of five for this great South America and Antarctica explorer cruise.

 

I hope you all enjoyed my log and that this will be helpful to those who are planning for this trip in the future!

 

Arie

[Old As Dirt Mom]

Wow, there is so much great information here! Thank you Arie! I can't believe you went to your office the morning of your return! I don't know if I will ever be able to do this cruise, because of the long flights, so it's been wonderful reading about it through your eyes! Thank you.

[boards]

I was wondering whether you felt the sea motion very much from cabin location. We have been in cabin LP314 on the Maasdam, but the seas were pretty calm on that cruise. We enjoyed that location very much too, but have been concerned about booking a long cruise in that location. DW has similar health condition (knee surgery) and also suffers from too serene motion. We get the motion pills and green apples and they do help.

Thank you for very informative review.

Edited January 22, 2016 by boards

[jaspersmycat]

Thank you for posting your trip. I am doing the Grand South America and Antarctica in 2017 so you gave me great into about many places I'll see.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Sooooo throughly enjoyed this fantastic blog you wrote!

Thank you for letting us inside your fantastic journey!

May you have smooth sailings and wonderful adventures to look forward to in the near future!

Denise :)

[HALGirl]

All the people I have talked to over the years that raved about Antarctica were absolutely correct. This was an outstanding cruise in general and the scenery enjoyed in Southern South America and Antarctica put it “Over the top.” It will be hard, if not impossible, for a cruise to top this one.

 

The very small misconnects that occurred in no way offset the overall positives. We loved having a cabin on deck 3 just steps from the “Biggest balcony on the ship.” Being somewhat forward, we did hear the sounds of the ‘late show’ in the showroom if we turned in early, so watch out if you book a cabin with #3300 – 3318. This did not bother us as it was not loud at all, but some might want to know this.

 

The Captain making the decision to go to Antarctica at full speed gave us an extra eight hours of perfect weather sightseeing that could never be recovered if we had not done so. The senior staff seemed to be “Out and about” around the ship and it always feels good to see them eating on the pool deck and interacting with the guests.

 

We had the best cabin team, Davies & Mil, that we ever recall. Our primary dinner waiter, Rooney, was outstanding. The on location talks were mostly top-notch. While in two ports we could have chosen better tour options, that is the kind of thing that is not HAL’s fault and we certainly had a great time in everything we did. There is no option but to give the good ship Zaandam and its crew five stars out of five for this great South America and Antarctica explorer cruise.

 

I hope you all enjoyed my log and that this will be helpful to those who are planning for this trip in the future!

 

Arie

 

Thank you Arnie for your postings. I am on the Jan 31 cruise and find your information very informative.

 

Joanne

[StartrainDD]

I was wondering whether you felt the sea motion very much from cabin location. We have been in cabin LP314 on the Maasdam, but the seas were pretty calm on that cruise. We enjoyed that location very much too, but have been concerned about booking a long cruise in that location. DW has similar health condition (knee surgery) and also suffers from too serene motion. We get the motion pills and green apples and they do help.

Thank you for very informative review.

 

We felt the sea on two occasions. As background, the only time I was seasick was on the Ryndam after leaving Tampa. 25 foot seas as there was a hurricane in the western Gulf of Mexico. Since then, I always bring a supply of patches, but I've only used them once. I never felt a need on this trip.

 

We did feel the sea the very first night after leaving Valparasio and after reaching the open Pacific after Puerto Chacabuco. We were in #3314. But for your DW you might want something closer to midship.

 

Arie

[Lizzie68]

I really enjoyed your reports and will miss them now you are home.:( I cannot believe you went to the office after all that travel.:eek:

[boards]

Thank you, we usually do book more central.