Almost Live Viking Octantis - Chilean Fjords & Patagonia Explorer - October 17-30, 2023

[Azulann]

WOW!  Thank you for the details of all the  toys and the scientific data the ship is doing on your cruise. The expedition ships  are a whole different  type of cruising in my book. Anyone who is curious about nature, the oceans, Great Lakes and all the creatures in the water are in for a treat. 

Those 40 folks doing the longitude cruise are very lucky.

Now I want to go on a Viking  expedition ship.

Look forward to  your next installment.

[OneSixtyToOne]

We just saw a pod of humpback whales. Updates in my next post.

 

 

[Mike07]

Awesome thread @OneSixtyToOne!!!!

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 6 - A Whale of A Time

 

Another sea day so we took the opportunity to sleep in and finally recover from jet lag.

 

We ate breakfast at Mamsen’s and had the wonderful waffles topped with fresh raspberries.

 

After a late breakfast it was time for the fitting of boots and pants. Boot fitting occurs on Deck A and the times are divided by room numbers. It was a quick, efficient process lasting about 10-15 minutes. You take your boots with you to place in the drying closet. Pants are delivered to your stateroom later in the day. 

 

After lunch the expedition crew was on deck for wildlife viewing tips. Everyone is encouraged to take their supplied binoculars and scan for whales and other sea mammals. For those who are unfamiliar with how to use binoculars, there was also an introductory class in Expedition Central. As luck would have it, we immediately saw the blow of a pod of whales. An announcement was made informing everyone and the captain maneuvered the ship for a closer look. There was a pod of three humpback whales about 20-40 yards off the bow. The day before we had been informed of an app called Happy Whale which allows people to download pictures to help track whales. Their tails are like fingerprints and by using AI, they are able to identify individual whales and will send you updates when your whale is seen in other places on the planet. For a donation, you can even name your whale. Very cool experience. (See previous post for video)

 

 

 

 

At 5:30 we had our first port talk for an actual port. Tomorrow we will tender to Castro where we have an optional excursion booked to Chiloé National Park.

 

This was followed by a short lesson about clouds.

 

 

For dinner DW had surf and turf. She said the lobster was excellent as was the filet mignon. 

 

After dinner if was time for trivia. This time we teamed with three other passengers and we won again! Let the champagne flow.

 

After trivia we attend a timely lecture about whales. It was here that we learned that while the crew and passengers were doing boot fittings, a crew member took a picture of whale. To the amazement of the marine biologist and unbeknownst to the photographer, it turned out to be a blue whale, the largest species on earth. He couldn’t believe that he was passing out boots during this unique sighting. Pictures below.

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow morning we arrive in Castro.

 

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[island lady]

19 hours ago, Azulann said:

WOW!  Thank you for the details of all the  toys and the scientific data the ship is doing on your cruise. The expedition ships  are a whole different  type of cruising in my book. Anyone who is curious about nature, the oceans, Great Lakes and all the creatures in the water are in for a treat. 

Those 40 folks doing the longitude cruise are very lucky.

Now I want to go on a Viking  expedition ship.

Look forward to  your next installment.

 

I got lucky and stumbled on the new Northwest Passage on Octantis for 2025.   Had been released only 3 days prior for booking and was going fast.  

 

Combined that with a first leg out of Milwaukee to stay on in Toronto to start the NW.  Very much looking forward to it.  🥰

[tullbja]

Thank you so much for your very informative posts! They really heighten our excitement for our March trip!

[Mich3554]

Interesting.  We were out in Puget Sound on a dinner cruise a few years ago when a pod of humpback whales was seen.  The Dungeness crab dinner was quickly forgotten while we all went out on deck to watch the whales.  Locally, ships are not allowed to get within a certain distance of whales, and the whales were continually getting closer to the boat we were on, so we had to keep backing away to keep the legal distance, rather than getting closer.  20-40 yards was too close, so wonder if this is restriction is only for the local area or a worldwide standard?
We saw more whale activity on that dinner cruise than in the 3 whale watching trips I’ve taken visiting guests out on…..combined.  

[1985rz1]

7 hours ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

Tomorrow we will tender to Castro where we have an optional excursion booked to Chiloé National Park.

Very interested in your assessment of this tour.  We have it booked for our upcoming cruise on the Polaris.

[Mike07]

13 minutes ago, 1985rz1 said:

Very interested in your assessment of this tour.  We have it booked for our upcoming cruise on the Polaris.

 

Agreed... Any optional shore excursions, I'd appreciate feedback as well.

[susiebobtail]

What interesting posts from you. We are due on the Polaris next Friday and have a question re clothing. I assumed we only got expedition type clothes on board if we were on the Antarctic cruises. Do we just need the pants and boots for the zodiac and the SOB? Did you take your own jackets? I’m unsure as to what type of clothing is required re weather conditions but it seems to be pretty mild from what I can see. Any advice would be gratefully received.

[OneSixtyToOne]

27 minutes ago, susiebobtail said:

What interesting posts from you. We are due on the Polaris next Friday and have a question re clothing. I assumed we only got expedition type clothes on board if we were on the Antarctic cruises. Do we just need the pants and boots for the zodiac and the SOB? Did you take your own jackets? I’m unsure as to what type of clothing is required re weather conditions but it seems to be pretty mild from what I can see. Any advice would be gratefully received.

You only get pants and boots and those are for the Zodiac and SOB. We are not kayaking but they did say they get a special life jacket. Weather this morning was in the 40s but warmed up to the 60s. The key is wearing layers and at the port talk they say more and more layers as you go south. Today we had on a shirt, sweater, and jacket. Took the jacket off after a while. Wind and rain are really the issue. Make sure that you have a decent weather proof coat or jacket. It gets cold on deck, when riding the zodiac, and SOB because of the windchill. They also warn that you might get wet. IMO bring what you would wear in a rainstorm in the 40s.

 

We are in the port talk right now. Tomorrow’s high is 49.

Edited October 20, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[susiebobtail]

Brilliant information. Many thanks. Much appreciated. I look forward to reading more of your posts. It sounds awesome.

[Travelerstory]

23 minutes ago, OneSixtyToOne said:

You only get pants and boots and those are for the Zodiac and SOB. We are not kayaking but they did say they get a special life jacket. Weather this morning was in the 40s but warmed up to the 60s. The key is wearing layers and at the port talk they say more and more layers as you go south. Today we had on a shirt, sweater, and jacket. Took the jacket off after a while. Wind and rain are really the issue. Make sure that you have a decent weather proof coat or jacket. It gets cold on deck, when riding the zodiac, and SOB because of the windchill. They also warn that you might get wet. IMO bring what you would wear in a rainstorm in the 40s.

1st thank you for the great pics. We will be following you starting Sept 26, 2024 in Duluth and ending 71 days later in Ushuaia, with an extension in Buenos Airas and hopefully 7 days exploring Antarctica.  Last year 153 days around the 
world on Viking Neptune.

 

We would love to see Castro but the Octantis' camera is not working. Maybe the crew could fix it? Webcam Viking Cruises - Octantis - PANOMAX 360°

 

Edited October 20, 2023 by Travelerstory

[VLC1513]

Thank you for all the useful information. Looking forward to boarding the Polaris.

[lovetocrusie9918]

Thank you very much for all of the info.  Excellent tips on what clothing to pack for the cruise.  Seeing your Santiago pictures gave me a glimpse of the city, since we are going straight to the ship from the airport. 

 

Can you please let me know would all of the ports be tender in?

[OneSixtyToOne]

5 hours ago, lovetocrusie9918 said:

Can you please let me know would all of the ports be tender in?

So far Castro and Puerto Chacabuco are tender ports. 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Working on an update but had to stop when I opened the shades and saw this view from our cabin.

 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Room with a view😍

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

They launched the toys!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Kayaks 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[OneSixtyToOne]

Yellow Submarine

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by OneSixtyToOne

[susiebobtail]

Stunning vistas to see upon opening the blinds. Have a great day on the water. 

[OneSixtyToOne]

Day 7 - You say Potato, I Say Chiloé

 

 

 

Today we rose early for our first excursion of the cruise. To save a little time, we scheduled room service for breakfast. Then we’re off to hike Chiloé National Park. 

 

I usually do these recaps in chronological order, but today I’m starting with the 8:00 PM lecture. Chief Scientist on the cruise is Jason Hayden. He’s a South African who lives in Chile, about 2 hours from Castro. He accompanied our tour group on the hike. His lecture was about the mythology of Chiloé, something that was touched on earlier in the day by our tour guide, Vincente, when we were in the park’s nature center. 

 

There is a creation myth about two snakes fighting in the sea, where one rises up and creates the land. The creatures from the sea and land mated and created two mermaids. They will sing songs and depending on the direction of the singing, it predicts the abundance of the bounty of the sea. Jason then related how El Niño works. It is dependent on the winds blowing onshore or offshore. The point being that mythology is based is some kernel of knowledge and myth is used to pass down that knowledge.

 

Another myth has to do with a massive unicorn like giant bull-like beast destroying fields. He then pointed out that the one thing we heard most about today on Chiloé Island was potatoes. Everyone grows potatoes. Sacks of potatoes are given as soccer trophies. When you get married, you are gifted a small plot of land to grow potatoes. Kelp is harvested at low tide to place on the potato fields to fertilize and insulate the crop. Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes. Jason then recounted a personal anecdote when a friend called in the middle of the night because something strange was roaming the woods, knocking down trees. The Jason and his friend went into the forest and found a neighbor’s ox had gotten loose. So it’s easy to see how the giant unicorn bull myth can be used as an excuse to decrease tensions among the inhabitants. Blame is placed on the myth not the neighbor.

 

The most convenient myth is that of the forest troll Trauco. Women must be careful when is the forest because if they stare into the eyes of Trauco, he will cast a spell on them. They will find him irresistible and become pregnant. A very handy myth indeed since most of the male population are fishermen who spend most of their time at sea. “It’s Trauco’s fault.” Even today bastard children are referred to as “children of Trauco” which Jason pointed out is unfortunate because it’s used to stigmatize them.

 

Now, on to the tour. Our tour guide was Vincente, a local who lived a few blocks from the main church. We literally drove through his neighborhood and he filled us in on the local culture and of course talked about potatoes. We took the last spur of the Pan American Highway and found out that the southern terminus is just a few miles away. This is farthest south you can drive on the highway. To get to Puerto Arenas, you must drive north a few hundred kilometers and cross into Argentina, then head south back into Chile.

 

 

 

After about a 90 minute drive through the scenic countryside we arrived. This tour is definitely “demanding.” Trekking poles are provided. This area has rain 200+ days a year, and in the winter months, some areas on the hike are completely underwater. There are small wooden planks and walkways everywhere, helping you to avoid the muddy ground. I would not want to do this hike in the rain. That being said it is a wonderful tour to explore this unique environment. We are very happy we took it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way back we stopped for lunch and then back in Castro for a photo op of the famous houses on stilts.

 

 

 

 

Back on the ship we had dinner and we could see two distant peaks. One volcano exploded a few years ago, blowing its top and sending ash into Argentina. So much do the ski season was cancelled. 

 

 

Later we attend the port talk for tomorrow’s stop at Chacabuco and our first use of the onboard toys.

 

Then there was a presentation about con trails and the NASA citizen science app to collect data about them. 

 

 

There was also a presentation of Chile’s biome.
 

 

 

 

 

Tonight we failed to “three-peat” our trivia win streak, losing by one point. Did you know Yoda was originally going to be a monkey? Well, neither did we.

 

Tonight’s 9:00 PM movie was a 3D documentary about humpback whales narrated by Ewan McGregor. This is the best 3D experience I have encountered. Octantis and Polaris have the only 3D screens in the Viking fleet. The 3D glasses are battery powered and controlled by inferred LEDs. We were told the screens in the Aula cost $1 million each. If you find yourself on an expedition ship, going to a 3D movie is a must.

[Azulann]

Your guides and lectures  sound very interesting ! That is one of the  things I love about Viking. And the 3D movie  is a nice surprise.

Thank you agin for th editorial reports. Looks like the weather is cooperating for your excursions.

[OneSixtyToOne]

6 minutes ago, Azulann said:

Looks like the weather is cooperating for your excursions.

The weather was exceptional yesterday. The local guides were all commenting how unusual it was the see clear skies.

When on the SOB we sighted the first condor seen on the cruise.