Bit of a blog - HAL Oosterdam - South America & Antarctica - Dec/Jan 2023/24

[NorbertsNiece]

Port or starboard? I'm really not bothered. Starboard on 6 meant we're just down from the bow open deck. I think deck 7 may have similar. I booked Starboard as it was the cabin nearest the lift!

[NorbertsNiece]

Esperanza Bay

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Video here

Edited December 26, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[Astrid61]

28 minutes ago, CNSJ said:

Perhaps the most comprehensive Blog and Photo report I have seen.  

 

I am about to book the same trip for a future season.  For this Buenos Aires to Santiago direct Antartica cruise, has being in a port or starboard cabin made any difference?  Both are available now, so I need to pick a side of the ship.  As this is more of a North south run than east west (like a Transpacific or Transatlantic), I wasn't sure if side mattered?  

 

Norberts Niece or others, please feel free to give me any tips and rationale.

 

We got the advice on board to book a cabin at starbord site.
Be careful where you book a cabin because of maybe noise disturbance from above because of for instance BB King club or some other music venue or a kitchen.
Also consider if you want a cabin with a balcony for this trip because of the climate.
It also can be an idea to book a cabin not to high on the ship and more in the middle if you are sensitive for seasickness.

[NorbertsNiece]

Error alert.

We're in Hope Bay.

Esperanza Base is an Argentine research base in Hope Bay at the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula. Part of it is designated as Fortín Sargento Cabral, a year-round civilian settlement. Babies have been born here, there is a school. Pic from today's talk.

 

 

 

[mustgo]

2 hours ago, CNSJ said:

Perhaps the most comprehensive Blog and Photo report I have seen.  

 

I am about to book the same trip for a future season.  For this Buenos Aires to Santiago direct Antartica cruise, has being in a port or starboard cabin made any difference?  Both are available now, so I need to pick a side of the ship.  As this is more of a North south run than east west (like a Transpacific or Transatlantic), I wasn't sure if side mattered?  

 

Norberts Niece or others, please feel free to give me any tips and rationale.

 

We are enjoying the same cruise. I followed someone’s advice and booked starboard and am so glad  Many of the sights are just off the balcony. We even had a smaller iceberg float by very close with 20 to 30 penguins. Shortly before the cruise, there were many more port cabins available than starboard. There was a reason.

[NorbertsNiece]

I love my port cabin. Nothing wrong with it that a kettle and some coffee wouldn't fix 🤭

[CNSJ]

I was not sure if the whales, orcas, seals, and penguins were told to line up on port or starboard side.  Speaking of coffee, it would be nice if HAL put Nespresso machines in ALL the staterooms.  Having one in the one time I sailed in a Neptune was nice.

 

 

[NorbertsNiece]

This simply isn't on. We're just ½ way through the cruise and we get disembarking info. 😊😉

 

 

[CNSJ]

4 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

This simply isn't on. We're just ½ way through the cruise and we get disembarking info. 😊😉

 

 

Getting the disembark instructions on any cruise is depressing!

[NorbertsNiece]

Dinner tonight in Canaletto. Sunset not due for another couple of hours! 

 

Having asked twice in person and once via the app to speak to an officer in person I have popped a written request into the Hotel GM box.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Jo-D]

8 hours ago, NorbertsNiece said:

I love my port cabin. Nothing wrong with it that a kettle and some coffee wouldn't fix 🤭

Is there a bad side on this cruise? From the pictures, I think not! 😉

 

I'll be sure to pack a sleep mask, I'm like a plant and my sleep is determined by the sunlight! 

 

Again, I truly love all these updates! 

[Bill B]

17 hours ago, CNSJ said:

I was not sure if the whales, orcas, seals, and penguins were told to line up on port or starboard side.  

 

Due to the Coriolis effect, penguins are on the port side and swim clockwise in the southern hemisphere, and on starboard side swimming counter clockwise in the northern hemisphere.

Edited December 27, 2023 by Bill B

[NorbertsNiece]

Day 12 Charlotte Bay

 

Good morning and thanks for following 

 

I slept in this a.m and then engaged in a fascinating conversation with a fellow passenger. The life stories you hear about when cruising are so interesting!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

We weren't able to enter Philomena bay as it was blocked by ice. Hopefully an alternate entry can be found

[TiogaCruiser]

On 12/26/2023 at 7:14 AM, CNSJ said:

 

I am about to book the same trip for a future season.  For this Buenos Aires to Santiago direct Antartica cruise, has being in a port or starboard cabin made any difference?  Both are available now, so I need to pick a side of the ship.  As this is more of a North south run than east west (like a Transpacific or Transatlantic), I wasn't sure if side mattered?  

 

 

On 12/26/2023 at 7:22 AM, 0106 said:

My PCC told me to book starboard so I would have a view of the land while sailing the South American ports.

On the Pacific side of SA you will spend the majority of your time in the Inside Passage- so BOTH sides experience really close up land. (Take a look on a good map of South America and see how huge their archipelago is. It makes Alaska’s seem like a small backyard.) On the Atlantic side you will be far enough from land that at best it will be on the horizon. Once you get to Antarctica your Plan A route will quickly become Plan L, or later. 

So select your cabin based on your favorite amenities.

[NorbertsNiece]

39 minutes ago, NorbertsNiece said:

We weren't able to enter Philomena bay as it was blocked by ice. Hopefully an alternate entry can be found

We weren't able to enter Wilhelmina Bay as it was blocked by ice. Hopefully an alternate entry can be found

 

Apologies for previous error...... my ears just don't work well these days, and they're aid assisted!! 😳

 

 

 

Wilhelmina Bay is a bay 24 km wide along the west coast of Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. It spans between the Reclus Peninsula to the northeast and Cape Anna to the southwest. It was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99 led by Adrien de Gerlach

 

Wilhelmina Bay is a bay 24 km wide along the west coast of Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. It spans between the Reclus Peninsula to the northeast and Cape Anna to the southwest. It was discovered by the Belgian Antarctic Expedition of 1897–99 led by Adrien de Gerlache.

[0106]

7 minutes ago, TiogaCruiser said:

So select your cabin based on your favorite amenities.

Thank you.  Hoping for another (less expensive) offer for an upsell to a Signature Suite so I would now accept a port side cabin too.

[NorbertsNiece]

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[NorbertsNiece]

The expedition ship Ortelius. More about her here :

https://oceanwide-expeditions.com/our-fleet/m-v-ortelius

 

 

[TeDaKi]

I'm loving your in-depth live blog and following along with you as I will also be cruising to Antarctica in January. The scenery looks amazing. 

[g-murd]

On 12/22/2023 at 11:40 PM, NorbertsNiece said:

Am awake at silly o'clock.

 

 

 

 

[g-murd]

I'm on Feb 20 cruise.  Unable to get any tour at Port Stanley.  Please comment about availability of taxis, buses etc, at port. Thanks.  I'm enjoying your posts.

[NorbertsNiece]

22 minutes ago, g-murd said:

I'm on Feb 20 cruise.  Unable to get any tour at Port Stanley.  Please comment about availability of taxis, buses etc, at port. Thanks.  I'm enjoying your posts.

No buses. Or taxis. There may be opportunities to pick up a tour at the pier.

[NorbertsNiece]

Been on the verandah..... thought I saw something ..... turned out to be an excursion craft from somewhere!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Went live briefly here

Edited December 27, 2023 by NorbertsNiece

[AKJonesy]

34 minutes ago, g-murd said:

I'm on Feb 20 cruise.  Unable to get any tour at Port Stanley.  Please comment about availability of taxis, buses etc, at port. Thanks.  I'm enjoying your posts.

We were on the Oosterdam right before this cruise.  We were one of the first to tender in to Port Stanley.  I found a tour operator for Volunteer Point and they had space due to some cancellations.  There were several operators going to Volunteer Point.  It was pouring down sideways but we had rain jackets and pants.  It was good that it was raining because we didn't have to deal with the smell.