Another Live from the Oosterdam? 1/29-2/20

[pirate cruiser]

Glad you mentioned Capt. Kevin-we were on Oosterdam last Sept and he was the friendliest, most approachable Captain I have ever met.

[KayFrancis]

Thank you so much to all of you on this cruise with the great information and pictures. I am in process of booking this cruise on the Oosterdam for next January. For those of you that had a balcony did you make use of it in Antarctica? If I were to get a balcony: port or starboard?

[0106]

@KayFrancisWe definitely used our balcony.  I believe it is better to be starboard from BA to Santiago and port in the opposite direction.  Others say it doesn’t matter.  

[0106]

Just attended a wonderful recap presentation by the naturalists.  These photos taken by Tim are from the slideshow that was shown at the end of the presentation.

 

 

 

 

 

Sad the Antarctica portion of the cruise is over but looking forward to the ports on the west coast of SA.

[NorbertsNiece]

Here you are in the early hours of this morning, straddling the border in the Strait of Magellan

 

 

You're being followed by Norwegian Sun and Seven Seas Voyager

 

 

Have a fabulous day!

 

 

Edited February 12 by NorbertsNiece

[0106]

Good Morning from Ushuaia!  We are impatiently waiting for the ship to be cleared.  We have a private tour with Alma Calma to Tierra Del Fuego National Park.

 

[0106]

We attended the Super Bowl celebration last night.  It was comfortable watching in Billboard.  I walked through the Gallery Bar and the Main Stage where they were also showing the game.  Sliders, chicken fingers, egg rolls, veggie dippers, popcorn were passed by the servers.  The game was also shown in the cabins.

[NorbertsNiece]

Tenders are up and running. You're being spared the long pier walk. Was incredibly windy when we were there, the walk back was really bad! Three other cruise ships in port with you. The town is going to be buzzing!!

 

 

Edited February 12 by NorbertsNiece

[0106]

Our ship has not been cleared yet. We have been waiting an hour.  Our tender tickets are 9;  they are currently distributing #31.

[kazu]

2 hours ago, 0106 said:

Our ship has not been cleared yet. We have been waiting an hour.  Our tender tickets are 9;  they are currently distributing #31.

 

Yikes!  Hope they get all the tenders out 🤞 

[TravelBluebird]

22 hours ago, KayFrancis said:

Thank you so much to all of you on this cruise with the great information and pictures. I am in process of booking this cruise on the Oosterdam for next January. For those of you that had a balcony did you make use of it in Antarctica? If I were to get a balcony: port or starboard?

 

Absolutely used the balcony—could dash out to take photos and in to warm up whenever needed.  Even though I was out on the bow quite a bit, you can’t always be out there, and there is so much that you can see (and photograph) from your balcony.  I do agree that port is a bit better from Santiago (Glacier Alley etc.) and Starboard from SA BUT we were starboard from Santiago and it was still wonderful, and you can’t plan on serendipity (the penguins on ice floes that floated by on Starboard on my trip, whales etc).

[0106]

We finally got to shore at 9.  Our tour with only 10 people was wonderful.  Our guide got us ahead of many of the large busses and took us on an easy hike at our four stops, away from the crowds.  She was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna.

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, getting a tender back to the ship was a nightmare.  One pier shared with other tour vessels.  Incorrect information given by HAL employees about what line to stand in.  We got in line at 2 and were back on the ship at 3:25.  All aboard was supposed to be at 3 and the tenders are still running at 4.  Ushuaia cannot handle the 4 ships at the pier and us tendering on a shared dock.

Edited February 12 by 0106

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

We finally got to shore at 9.  Our tour with only 10 people was wonderful.  Our guide got us ahead of many of the large busses and took us on an easy hike at our four stops, away from the crowds.  She was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna.

 

Unfortunately, getting a tender back to the ship was a nightmare...

Unfortunate the tender is a nightmare - not a good way to end a day. This picture is stunning!! DH and I select a rare photo that we deem as "puzzle worthy," I will award that to this one 🧐😎

[billco]

Well, we departed Oosterdam in Ushuaia this morning due to medical reasons. I can’t say enough about how Patrick, our connoisseur made the departure efficient and easy. He took care of all the details including flight arrangements and getting us to the airport. This morning Patrick and a steward got our luggage and accompanied us to the tender. Patrick stayed with us to get our passports and get us on the van. The van driver and his assistant didn’t just drop us at the airport, but stayed with us to get checked in. Also, the medical staff was outstanding.

[0106]

@billcoSorry you had to be medically disembarked.  I hope all HAL passengers would receive the same excellent service.  I hope you have smooth travels home and that you have a full and quick recovery from your medical issues.

[cccole]

34 minutes ago, billco said:

Well, we departed Oosterdam in Ushuaia this morning due to medical reasons. I can’t say enough about how Patrick, our connoisseur made the departure efficient and easy. He took care of all the details including flight arrangements and getting us to the airport. This morning Patrick and a steward got our luggage and accompanied us to the tender. Patrick stayed with us to get our passports and get us on the van. The van driver and his assistant didn’t just drop us at the airport, but stayed with us to get checked in. Also, the medical staff was outstanding.

Patrick is amazing.  We were on the cruise before you and he made such a difference in our experience.  We did not ask for much but when we had questions or needs Patrick was on top of it.  Sorry that you will miss the Chilean fjords and wishing you safe travels home.  Cherie 

[cccole]

On 2/11/2024 at 10:12 AM, KayFrancis said:

Thank you so much to all of you on this cruise with the great information and pictures. I am in process of booking this cruise on the Oosterdam for next January. For those of you that had a balcony did you make use of it in Antarctica? If I were to get a balcony: port or starboard?

Hi, We were on the January 7 cruise from San Antonio.  We chose this date because there was an aft wrap cabin on the port side.  If we were starting in BA I would choose an aft wrap on the starboard side.  We used our balcony ALL the time.  If you have an aft or aft wrap balcony you see everything as the ship leaves to exit the area.  When it was cold and windy we were very happy to have a balcony that we could pop in and out of.  And, remember that the bow is not the only place to see the scenery.  You do not need to get a "good" spot on the bow, usually the front of decks 4 ,5, 6 and 7 are open for viewing.  And you don't have to worry about getting a "good shot."  The captain asked those on the bow to be considerate of others and not hog the best spots but we all know how that goes.

 

We were really happy to have a great balcony.  Cherie

[0106]

A beautiful cruise through Glacier Alley on the way to Punta Arenas.  

All the glaciers are on the starboard side.  All the pictures were taken from my verandah.  

Gorgeous waterfall
I took this last picture after 9 as it was beginning to get dark.

Edited February 13 by 0106

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, 0106 said:

A beautiful cruise through Glacier Alley on the way to Punta Arenas.  

All the glaciers are on the starboard side.  All the pictures were taken from my verandah.  

Gorgeous waterfall
I took this last picture after 9 as it was beginning to get dark.

Once again - stunning pictures; it just doesn't get old. You sure have a great balcony location.

[TravelBluebird]

16 hours ago, billco said:

Well, we departed Oosterdam in Ushuaia this morning due to medical reasons. I can’t say enough about how Patrick, our connoisseur made the departure efficient and easy. He took care of all the details including flight arrangements and getting us to the airport. This morning Patrick and a steward got our luggage and accompanied us to the tender. Patrick stayed with us to get our passports and get us on the van. The van driver and his assistant didn’t just drop us at the airport, but stayed with us to get checked in. Also, the medical staff was outstanding

 

So sorry to hear about your medical disembarkation; I had to do this once from a Carnival ship, and was also taken very good care of.  I am glad that Holland America took good care of you as well.

 

I hope that everything turns out OK and that you get home safely.

[TravelBluebird]

On 2/12/2024 at 5:52 AM, 0106 said:

Our ship has not been cleared yet. We have been waiting an hour.  Our tender tickets are 9;  they are currently distributing #31.

 

I felt very lucky that we didn’t have to tender in Ushuaia for our cruise, especially since we had so many other tender ports.

[NorbertsNiece]

Tenders busy in Punta Arenas

 

 

You're now in Chile

 

 

[0106]

I took another HAL tour in Punta Arenas.  It was my final opportunity to see penguins. Here is the tour description.

Board a boat to cross the famous Strait of Magellan. You will be plying the same waters as Sir Francis Drake and Charles Darwin. 

Upon arrival at Magdalena Island, declared a Natural Monument in 1982, you will see one of the largest penguin colonies in southern Chile and get acquainted with the unspoiled habitat of penguins, cormorants and many other birds. A substantial colony of Magellan penguins nests and breeds here. These penguins return every year to this spot between October and March to lay eggs and raise their young. They bury their eggs in sandy burrows and under shrubs; most of the chicks will have hatched at this time of year. The animals are naturally curious but untamed; they will scamper into their burrows or try to reach the water if approached too quickly.

A snack pack is provided.

After ample time to observe the birds, it is time for the invigorating walk back to the catamaran and the navigation back to Punta Arenas.

You will have about one hour on the island to observe the curious and entertaining penguins before returning to Punta Arenas.

 

It was nice that the catamaran left from the same pier where the tenders arrived. It took two hours to get to the island.  The seas were relatively calm but I understand that the passage through the Strait can have seas of three meters.   If it had been the first penguin colony I visited, I might have been impressed.  Unfortunately, we were approaching the end of the season and the juveniles had already left.  There is a path that you must stay on to walk around the island.  I saw many birds and some penguins.  It was extremely windy.  I had a much better experience on all of my other Penguin tours.

[NorbertsNiece]

You're heading to the glacier. Am sure your pics will be stunning. 

 

 

 

 

[0106]

It was extremely foggy and rainy today. See the ship in the distance.We were still able to see some of the waterfalls in the fjords.Our wonderful Captain took us very close to the glacier.