susiesan

I am looking at 2 Cape Horn cruises that sail in early 2018 and trying to decide between them. One is on Princess Santiago to BA on Feb. 14, 2018 and the other is on celebrity BA to Santiago on March 8, 2018. Both have almost all the same ports. The big difference will be the weather.

Which would be the preferred date to take for better weather and glacier /wildlife viewing? And for anyone who has sailed one or the other ships, which would you prefer?

mlgb

YOU might think the weather would be better in February but not necessarily...Valparaiso it will be hot and busy summer season. Probably same in BA. As you go south it might be warmer but also windier which can be worse.

Penguins are around through March (so you should still be okay leaving March 8 especially leaving from from BA and visiting PUnta Tombo there will still be 10s of thousands.
The right whale season around Puerto Madryn is not good in either month, but you may see humpback whales in the Pacific and will probably see the small dolphins and lots of albatross in either month. Glaciers are permanent...

Here is the Valdes wildlife calendar
http://www.theargentinaspecialists.c...aldes/wildlife

Assuming you are able to land in the Falklands, I would recommend Volunteer Point (Estancia Excursions) to see the kings..you shoul see the bit fuzzy brown King penguin vbabies in March as well as more Magellanic and some Gentooos. As soon as you pick your date, I'd sign up with them..you pay when you take the tour..not in advance That is good since a fair percent of cruises are not able to call at Stanley due to weather. .
http://estancia-excursions.com/tour/volunteer-point/

BTW if you do go to PUnta Tombo there is probably no reason to also go see more penguins at Punta Arenas at Isla Magdalena which requires a ferry ride and can be cancelled.

mlgb

BTW if you didn't know there is also a Cruise forum on Fodors. I think there are some people who might have taken that cruise but don't check this forum. I might be one of the few that does both land and sea travel,

mlgb

btw I much preferred Valparaiso to Buenos Aires for extra days pre and post cruise. At the BA end I regretted not going to Iguassu Falls instead of too many days in BA, which I found not a good value and not really that interesting. Since you likely will get lots of good Uruguay beef and tango shows on board, and also stop in MOntevideo (where you can go to a parilla at the Mercado del Puerto) I think BA itsself is even less of an attraction. For those brightly colored corrugated metal buildings and street art, Valparaiso has it all over BA. Allow at least a full day before your departure in Valpo. Maybe two.

mlgb

Here is my trip report..sorry its so bird-centric

I departed March 12 using NCL>

http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...march-2016.cfm

You might be interested in looking at the Wings Birding tour writeoup on this route. We wound up using some of the same bird guides. The only one I"d recommend is Birds Chile out of Puerto Varas.http://birdschile.com

http://www.fodors.com/community/crui...march-2016.cfm

susiesan

mlgb: I read your TR on the cruise section of Fodors. Lots of good info there. Did you also post on cruise critic?

Right now I'm leaning toward the Emerald Princess cruise on Feb. 14, 2018 Valpo to BA as the price is $2000 less for similar balcony cabins than on Celebrity Infinity.

I may stay 1 or 2 days extra in both Valpo and BA. I may have to do this to get the award flights to and from. Sometimes you have to travel when there is availability even if it is not a preferred date.

I sent an email to estancia excursions to see what they charge for their tour to see the penguins.

mlgb

I did post on cruise critic but not a lot, I Was late booking that cruise but still found tem. useful Joined aprivate group tour to Punta Tombo as well as found the info on Estancia Excursions there. I was also able to track down the other birdwatcherer from someone else on the board who had been in touch with him earlier and still had his email.

I hear you on those airfares. It seems often the least expensive itineraries are surrounded by the most expensive airfares.

susiesan

I heard back from Estancia Excursions about their penguin tour. They want to be paid in GBP cash 110GBP per person. As an American, this will be a bit difficult to get pounds. I'd have to order them through my bank and pay a hefty fee.

mlgb

Last year there was an option to pay in USD..ask them what the amount will be.. The exchange rate won't be that favorable, but it may be better than ordering GBP through your bank, More importantly, if you aren't able to dock at the Falklands, you won't have to do an exchange back to USD and lose again at the other end.

Instead of ordering through my bank I went to an exchange agency, but with driving downtown, paying for parking and gas, I think I only netted a $5 or $10 saving.

I liked that they didn't require prepayment by credit card or Paypal..because if you don't land in Stanley, there is no hassle with refunds.