My Experience - DIY Xfr from San Antonio to Santiago

[GMoney]

I recently sailed 16 nights on HAL Zaandam from Rio to San Antonio and wanted to share my experience traveling from SA to Santiago on my own. There is a lot of good basic information available now transferring, so this is mostly an update. Some of the info is specific to HAL;  some is generic.  

 

Overall, it’s cheap and easy and I’m glad I didn’t fork over $$$$ to the cruise line.

Summary
+ I was assigned Expedited departure given that I could walk off unassisted. A small white card labeled “Expedited” was left in my stateroom a few days prior to disembarkation date. Expedited disembarkation was scheduled to start at 730am.

+ The ship docked on time. 

+ Around 720am, I wandered down and they were letting people leave the ship. No announcement had been made. 

+ After scanning out and walking down the gangway, I was ushered into a shuttle bus for a very very short 2 minute ride to the terminal.  There were plenty of English-speaking port staff around shepherding the process. 

 

+ Upon arriving at the terminal, all luggage is scanned, just like airport security. I think the Chileans are more interested in food and other banned items they do not want entering their country. At this time, a visa-type entry form previously provided by HAL was collected. 

 

+ I then proceeded toward the terminal exit. I recall a small seating area, a snack stand, and I think WiFi was available. The terminal itself is small but orderly and well organized.  I believe luggage was available for collection here, but don’t recall the details because I just had a small backpack with me.

 

+ Upon exiting the terminal, HAL tour buses are lined up. There is a well marked information stand. It was here where I ran into 3 representatives from Pullman Tur - the bus company - identifiable by their logo wear.  They weren’t actively doing anything - just hanging out around their tourist info stand. I asked them about bus transfers to Santiago. One spoke good English and explained I could take a bus that was positioned at the end of the cruise terminal which was leaving at 830, or walk a few blocks to the bus station at try to get an earlier bus. I forget the exact cost in CHP, but it was between $6-7 USD, payable with card or CHP. I didn’t really want to wait around for an hour, but the convenience won out.  I paid, was assigned a seat, provided a printed ticket, and boarded the bus. Eventually, about 7 others joined me. The company doesn’t  seem to actively promote the bus, but are happy to give information if asked. 

 

+ Around 810am, the driver started the bus and it seemed we were off to Santiago early; however, we just drove over to the bus station and picked up a full load of passengers there. I guess it’s possible I could have caught a slightly earlier departure, but I was in no hurry.  

 

+ The ride to Santiago was uneventful with a few stops along the way. Traffic worsened the closer we got to the city. The last few miles are on narrow city streets and slow going.

 

+ We arrived at Terminal Alameda, the central bus station in Santiago. It’s predictably a busy place, with the 2 major companies (Pullman Tur and TurBus) offering trips all over the country (I journeyed from here to Valparaiso the following day, and to the airport at the end of my stay).

 

+ Terminal Alameda is connected to the University of Santiago metro station on the Red line, where I used an automated kiosk to by a Bip card to travel to on to my hotel.

Sent from my iPad

[nsw104]

GMoney, Thanks for the current update. I'll be debarking a Princess cruise in San Antonio in about 3 weeks. Was going to take the bus to Valporaiso and then to Santiago the next day.Did you use credit-card or CHP to pay for bus tickets, how about the Bip card? Not sure how much CHP I'll have, so nice to know I can use Credit card. Thanks, Norman

[Budget Queen]

50 minutes ago, nsw104 said:

GMoney, Thanks for the current update. I'll be debarking a Princess cruise in San Antonio in about 3 weeks. Was going to take the bus to Valporaiso and then to Santiago the next day.Did you use credit-card or CHP to pay for bus tickets, how about the Bip card? Not sure how much CHP I'll have, so nice to know I can use Credit card. Thanks, Norman

They do take Credit Cards.    I've used Tur bus,  multiple times.   Very efficient and cheap. 

[the1gq2nvy]

This was very informational. In my prior research on this forum, I was under impression you would have to buy a ticket in advance online with paypal. Few questions. You mentioned that the bus came to the cruise terminal. Do all the buses go to the cruise terminal first or was it just that specific time they did? From prior reading i was under impresison they went to the bus stop few blocks away only.

[GMoney]

You absolutely do not need to advance purchase bus tickets. Just do it when you get there. It's easy, even if there is a language barrier. I got by with asking for "un boleto al <wherever>." The price will be displayed on the computer screen. The only thing that can get a little tricky is selecting a seat (asiento), but if all else fails, they will just assign one to you. 

 

What I learned very quickly is that bus travel is SA, and particularly in Chile, is highly utilized. Buses run continuously between Santiago and SA, Santiago and Valparaiso. 

 

The Pullman bus to Santiago didn't come to the cruise terminal, it was already located in the cruise terminal at the end of the parking lot near the terminal exit. Our first stop was then the bus terminal a few blocks away. It's odd the Pullman agents were not recruiting people more actively for the the bus, but I think my cruise was one of the first of the season. Maybe they are still figuring things out. 

[the1gq2nvy]

27 minutes ago, GMoney said:

You absolutely do not need to advance purchase bus tickets. Just do it when you get there. It's easy, even if there is a language barrier. I got by with asking for "un boleto al <wherever>." The price will be displayed on the computer screen. The only thing that can get a little tricky is selecting a seat (asiento), but if all else fails, they will just assign one to you. 

 

What I learned very quickly is that bus travel is SA, and particularly in Chile, is highly utilized. Buses run continuously between Santiago and SA, Santiago and Valparaiso. 

 

The Pullman bus to Santiago didn't come to the cruise terminal, it was already located in the cruise terminal at the end of the parking lot near the terminal exit. Our first stop was then the bus terminal a few blocks away. It's odd the Pullman agents were not recruiting people more actively for the the bus, but I think my cruise was one of the first of the season. Maybe they are still figuring things out.  

Ok, excellent! So basically for cruise passengers, there is no need to goto the outside bus stop few blocks away. Just catch the Pullman bus at the parking lot near the terminal exit? That will help tremendously since my parents are old and were hauling luggages.

[GMoney]

Correct - or at least that was my experience on 19 Nov. 

 

Pass through and exit the terminal.

Go past the tourist information stand. 

Look straight ahead toward the end of the parking lot - that's where the pinkish / orange Pullman bus to Santiago should be.

[mcmarya]

So glad they have made this improvement.  When we disembarked in San Antonio on 10/18, one of the first ships of the season, they were not offering bus service from the cruise terminal and things were a bit disorganized.  They had a shuttle to the bus station for about $3 each, but there was no sign it was going to leave any time soon.  So, we walked to the bus station where we purchased tickets and caught a bus leaving in 5 minutes. 

Edited January 10, 2019 by mcmarya

[the1gq2nvy]

Just some input on my recent experience. I got off a princess cruise in December and the experience was very pleasant. The cruise port is very clean, well organized, nice bathrooms and very well spoken english govt employed tourism employees working there. There is a pullman bus that comes to the end of the parking lot every 30-45mins. You do not need to walk to the other bus station that is 10-15 mins away. The buses come straight to the cruise port parking lot. When i got there i had to wait for the next bus which wasn't bad because they do fill up once a cruise ship arrives. There were pullman employees standing at the end of the parking lot and you can purchase the ticket from them directly with credit card for about $6 usd per person. It is assigned seating with wifi so first come first serve. The actual ride of Santiago was about 1.5 hours and the bus stop in Santiago wasn't that bad either in terms of crowdness. There are also helpful emloyees working there. Main issue i had was my cellular service to request an Uber. I thought my cell phone would work there but it didn't so i had to connect to any wifi i could find at the bus station. Uber works really well there but the driver will ask you to be picked up few steps away from the station. Like other south american countries uber is still not legal but widely use so they want to pick you up a little away from main areas. The chilean people were all very courteous and nice.

[AryMay]

Any reviews from someone who has done the reverse trip from Santiago to San Antonio by bus in the last month or so? Is there any difference or preference between the two companies...Tur Bus & Pullman?

 

I understand there is a shuttle bus that runs from the bus station in San Antonio to the cruise port...what time does it begin service?

[galelynn]

18 hours ago, AryMay said:

Any reviews from someone who has done the reverse trip from Santiago to San Antonio by bus in the last month or so? Is there any difference or preference between the two companies...Tur Bus & Pullman?

 

I understand there is a shuttle bus that runs from the bus station in San Antonio to the cruise port...what time does it begin service?

Also looking for answers for the reverse trip from Santiago to San Antonio by bus.

[GMoney]

On 1/10/2019 at 6:50 PM, AryMay said:

Any reviews from someone who has done the reverse trip from Santiago to San Antonio by bus in the last month or so? Is there any difference or preference between the two companies...Tur Bus & Pullman?

 

I understand there is a shuttle bus that runs from the bus station in San Antonio to the cruise port...what time does it begin service?

The trip is very easy. Buses run frequently and are a popular option in Chile. There is very little difference between the 2 companies in terms of price and bus type. Just go with whatever one best fits your schedule.

[Happytraveler99]

On ‎1‎/‎10‎/‎2019 at 7:50 PM, AryMay said:

Any reviews from someone who has done the reverse trip from Santiago to San Antonio by bus in the last month or so? Is there any difference or preference between the two companies...Tur Bus & Pullman?

 

I understand there is a shuttle bus that runs from the bus station in San Antonio to the cruise port...what time does it begin service?

We did Santiago to San Antonio on January 6th with Pullman. Very easy. At least half the bus were people heading to the ship. Once they dropped the rest of the riders off at the San Antonio bus station, they had us get back on the same bus and they drove us over to the ship. It worked out great so that we didn't have to unload and reload our luggage.

[AryMay]

27 minutes ago, Happytraveler99 said:

We did Santiago to San Antonio on January 6th with Pullman. Very easy. At least half the bus were people heading to the ship. Once they dropped the rest of the riders off at the San Antonio bus station, they had us get back on the same bus and they drove us over to the ship. It worked out great so that we didn't have to unload and reload our luggage.

 

Thanks! This is reassuring!! 🙂

 

Did you purchase tickets in advance or at the bus station? I was planning to just wait until we got to the station.

 

What time did your bus leave Santiago and how did that work out for embarkation?

[Happytraveler99]

3 minutes ago, AryMay said:

 

Thanks! This is reassuring!! 🙂

 

Did you purchase tickets in advance or at the bus station? I was planning to just wait until we got to the station.

 

What time did your bus leave Santiago and how did that work out for embarkation?

I purchased ahead of time on recorrido.cl   You are able to pick a seat on the specific bus. The bus was full so I was glad I already had a ticket. We took the 10:20 bus and it arrived around noon.

[AryMay]

Thanks again. 

 

Would you say one side of the bus is any better than the other for views?

 

(Sorry for so many questions!)

[Happytraveler99]

4 hours ago, AryMay said:

Thanks again. 

 

Would you say one side of the bus is any better than the other for views?

 

(Sorry for so many questions!)

Don't think it would really make any difference which side you choose. 

[Calgary Girl]

Just one question if anyone can help - what is the name of the bus station in SAN Antonio that we are supposed to get off? Do we have to specify that when buying tickets? Thanks

[mcmarya]

San Antonio is a pretty small place so I think there is only one bus station.

[poolma]

We’ll be staying at the Sheraton. Can we take the Metro to Terminal Alameda? Or just get a taxi?

[mcmarya]

We took luggage on Metro even though it is not recommended.  But, we only had a rollaboard and a 24" suitcase.  You have to carry whatever you have up and down some stairs since elevators and escalators are scarce in older stations.  So, unless you are really light packers, you will probably want to take a cab.  Supposedly they are inexpensive and Uber is an option even though it is illegal.

[ScotAusCan]

Hello

Thanks for the information re San Antonio to Santiago; do you recall if it's possible to catch the either Pullman or Tur Bus directly from the cruise ship terminal to SCL (International Airport)?

 

Thanks 

[GMoney]

Not on Pullman or Turbus. You have to change at Alameda Station.

[Budget Queen]

On 1/27/2019 at 10:44 PM, ScotAusCan said:

Hello

Thanks for the information re San Antonio to Santiago; do you recall if it's possible to catch the either Pullman or Tur Bus directly from the cruise ship terminal to SCL (International Airport)?

 

Thanks 

This requires 2 buses.     But simple transfer.