Up next in 10
I cruised around the base of South America for 14 nights on Holland America Oosterdam, and in this video, I explore all the things I wish I had been told me before going that would have meant I was better prepared and got even more from the trip.
For bonus & exclusive content (including videos, articles, eBooks and more) become a channel member or patron:
---------------------------------------------------
* Patreon Patron: https://www.patreon.com/tipsfortravellers
* YouTube Channel Member: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC_qE-Obs2ocdmPXY0TIU-cw/join
Check out my cruise-themed T-shirts and products:
---------------------------------------------------
* T-Shirts: http://bit.ly/TFTStore
* Mugs, notebooks, hoodies etc: https://www.teepublic.com/stores/tipsfortravellers?ref_id=22354
My social media:
---------------------------------------------------
* Blog: https://www.tipsfortravellers.com
* Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/garybembridge
* Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/tipsfortravellers
* Instagram: http://www.instgram.com/garybembridge
* LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bembridge
ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.
#cruisetips #CruisingTips #SouthAmerica
00:00 Start
00:59 Not the Caribbean?
01:29 Port Challenges
02:44 Missing Ports
03:16 Sightseeing Issues
06:31 Booking issues
07:14 Cost Issues
07:36 Long days?
08:05 Sea Day Issues
10:37 Weather Issues
13:19 Money issues
Show More Show Less View Video Transcript
0:00
most passengers were really fretting
0:02
about cruising around Cape Horn at the
0:04
base of South America it's where the
0:06
Pacific and Atlantic smashed together
0:08
and is renowned for being one of the
0:10
roughest most treacherous parts of the
0:13
world to cruise in I was apprehensive
0:15
too as on my last trip there it was
0:18
really rough although this time as we
0:20
arrived the wind suddenly died down the
0:23
sea calmed and the sun came out this was
0:26
typical of so many aspects of my cruise
0:29
around South America this constant
0:31
unpredictability threw up so many things
0:33
that I had neither expected nor prepared
0:37
for as you will find out if you're new
0:40
here welcome aboard I'm Gary bembridge
0:41
now I had booked myself on a two-week
0:44
cruise from valparaisio Chile around the
0:48
Cape Horn ending in Buenos Aires via the
0:51
Falkland Islands on Holland America
0:52
Amsterdam and that in itself caused the
0:56
first big kind of misunderstanding
0:58
because the trip was with a mainstream
1:00
Cruise Line Hull in America and on the
1:03
ship type that usually sells in popular
1:05
cruising regions like the Caribbean
1:07
Alaska and the Mediterranean I
1:09
approached the trip initially as if it
1:11
was just a regular trip to a busy
1:14
popular Cruise region but it is not it
1:17
was different and it needed a unique
1:20
approach one that was closer to an
1:22
expedition rather than a regular Ocean
1:24
Cruise as I came to appreciate and you
1:27
will see I knew it would be a long and
1:29
tricky Journey flying from the UK to
1:31
join the cruise but once there I found
1:33
the ports were not as slick resourced
1:36
convenient nor run as smoothly as in the
1:39
big cruising regions like the Caribbean
1:41
Mediterranean Alaska from Santiago where
1:44
I flew into to Valparaiso the
1:46
embarkation Port was a good hour and a
1:49
half away now the cruise Passenger
1:52
Terminal for check-in was really hard to
1:54
find because the ship stock some
1:56
distance away deep within the freight
1:58
area and my transfer there really
2:00
struggled to find where we had to check
2:02
in now once there it was chaotic they
2:05
were not really used to dealing with
2:06
cruise ships regularly the port agents
2:09
seemed ill-prepared luggage Handover was
2:11
messy they were late opening the
2:13
check-in and they didn't organize it
2:15
properly it really was a mess now
2:17
talking to other people that I know who
2:20
selled other other South American ports
2:22
they've always had the same experience
2:24
so be ready now during the trip I found
2:27
the ports were mixed inability to deal
2:30
with us and those we could dock in were
2:33
working container ports including in the
2:35
big cities of Montevideo and even Buenos
2:38
Aires in other ports we had to Tender in
2:41
and in some literally was just a shed
2:43
like Porto chambuco for example another
2:46
thing anyone thinking of doing this
2:48
itinerary needs to appreciate is while
2:50
my cruise was 14 days it was only
2:53
scheduled to call into seven ports so
2:56
roughly half of the days are sea days
2:58
now on this trip my ports were due to be
3:01
Porter Mont Puerto chabuka Punta Arenas
3:04
in Chile Port Stanley Montevideo and
3:08
Juanes Aries however as I learned
3:10
successfully calling into all ports
3:12
every trip is unpredictable we were the
3:16
only cruise out of the seven operated in
3:19
that season by Holland America that got
3:21
into all scheduled ports this is largely
3:24
due to Wind and Sea conditions with both
3:27
Stanley in the Falkland Islands having
3:29
one of the highest risks of all the day
3:31
before and after us for example other
3:34
cruise ships could not get in now I'll
3:36
come to see days later as there are some
3:38
specific quirks to understand here too
3:40
but more about the ports first now those
3:44
passengers used to the Caribbean
3:46
Mediterranean or Alaska cruises had
3:48
assumed that self-touring and exploring
3:51
was going to be easy appealing and the
3:53
thing to do like in those regions but it
3:55
was not and I saw many people miss out
3:58
on several fronts me included now first
4:02
except for the big cities of Montevideo
4:04
and Buenos Aires the best and musty
4:07
sites are not close by the ports so not
4:10
only did an Excursion get me to those
4:12
but it also removed the stress of
4:14
traveling independently an hour or two
4:16
hours away from a foreign Port where I
4:19
didn't speak the language and therefore
4:21
was constantly having to worry about
4:23
getting back in time for departure it
4:25
removed that stress my best support
4:27
experiences were where I went on the
4:31
Cruise Line tours for example the tour
4:33
in Porto Mont Chile Lake todos Los
4:37
Santos with a beautiful Lake Cruise
4:39
overlooked by a snow-capped volcano and
4:42
a Petra Hawaii Falls and Rapids in
4:45
ushire as the town itself is not
4:47
particularly interesting taking the
4:49
train to the end of the world to tour
4:50
deep into the Tierra del Fuego National
4:53
Park amazing
4:55
and in Port Stanley in the Falklands the
4:58
tour that took me well over an hour out
5:01
of the small town to roam at the bluff
5:03
Cove penguin reserve and hear all about
5:05
the war that had been fought in the
5:07
lands around it again amazing however in
5:10
Porto chabuko I decided to self-explore
5:14
bad choice it was a tiny little town
5:16
with the only attraction actually being
5:18
some tents with local handicrafts I
5:21
missed out on the beautiful Patagonian
5:23
scenery the Aiken Del Sur private Park
5:25
kayaking horseback riding all a few
5:28
hours away in puta Arenas a big city
5:31
with varied architecture if you didn't
5:34
go to tournament exploring some small
5:35
museums like the Naval Museum the
5:38
magdalenus museum now while those people
5:40
on tours were out seeing penguins that
5:43
were tracking through beautiful
5:44
landscapes for example in Monteverde on
5:46
Buenos Aires it was absolutely easier
5:48
and rewarding to self-explore in
5:50
Montevideo literally across the road was
5:52
the carnival Museum there was a
5:54
beautiful Food Hall A 25-minute Walk To
5:57
Independence Square in Buenos Aires I
5:59
got the Hop On Hop of bus right from the
6:01
port I got off to visit ever perron's
6:03
tomb in the massive Recoleta Cemetery
6:06
got to see the column theater The
6:08
Enormous Obelisk at Plaza del Maya I
6:11
wandered around the remarkable florianus
6:14
Gloriana much easier and simpler but
6:17
mostly more than any other region I've
6:19
cruised in I felt excursions were key to
6:22
getting the most of this itinerary if
6:24
you don't like Cruise Line ones make
6:26
sure instead you pre-book Alternatives
6:29
there is limited capacity in most ports
6:32
and I had very wisely booked excursions
6:35
way ahead now those who waited until
6:37
they're on board found most of them were
6:40
actually sold out I met many people who
6:43
were really disappointed because they
6:45
did not get to see what they've actually
6:46
come on the trip to see be it the best
6:49
penguin colonies in the Falklands or
6:51
that volcano I mentioned near Porto Mont
6:53
and in most ports there were not any or
6:57
many independent options Dockside as an
6:59
Alternatives unlike the Caribbean
7:00
Mediterranean Alaska they were not a
7:03
stream of independent tour operators
7:05
right there at the port with lots of
7:06
options it was mostly taxi drivers who
7:09
would offer some sort of deal to take
7:11
you around the site I also found
7:13
probably due to less infrastructure and
7:15
options the excursions were expensive I
7:19
totted up a bill of just over one
7:22
thousand two hundred dollars for the
7:23
excursions that I went on and as I
7:24
mentioned I didn't go in every single
7:26
port way more per tour than other
7:28
regions I found many people on board
7:30
were shocked by how much they had to
7:33
spend on those chores I guess another
7:35
factor in the price is many excursions
7:37
are longer than in other regions and
7:40
involve multiple forms of Transport for
7:42
example coming back to the Puerto Mont
7:44
Lake enforce store I mentioned it was a
7:46
seminar Excursion because it was an hour
7:49
and a half to get there an hour and a
7:50
half back at a boat trip it had lunch
7:52
included so it's longer and just so much
7:54
more cost involved the tours also by the
7:56
way make for a long and tiring day
7:58
because they are long tours but what was
8:00
the surprise is the sea days were tiring
8:03
too as I mentioned roughly half the trip
8:05
was C days now if you do one that
8:07
includes Antarctic Scenic cruising that
8:09
will mean even more sea days now this
8:11
threw up some challenges of its own
8:14
first while I was comfortable with the
8:16
line I'd Chosen and I knew what to
8:17
expect
8:18
I spoke to others not used to you know
8:22
on America they wanted much more
8:24
entertainment on sea days there were
8:26
much more going on the evenings than
8:27
Holland America as a line office Holland
8:30
America and looking at the other lines
8:31
doing these itineraries they actually
8:33
focus on two key things immersing guests
8:37
into the region and Scenic cruising on
8:40
sea days it's not about programs packed
8:43
with other activities even on sea days
8:45
there are very few lines that do this
8:47
itinerary and it seems to mostly be the
8:50
more classic premium luxury lines like
8:52
Holland America princess and Viking
8:55
they're catering for adults they're on
8:57
ships without lots of bells and whistles
8:58
that they send down there the focus is
9:01
very much on the destination it's not
9:03
about varied onboard activities and you
9:06
need to bear that in mind that's why on
9:08
all the sea days the main activity were
9:10
really detailed poor talks given by
9:12
Kevin the cruise and travel director he
9:14
was an Argentinian he knew the region
9:16
Imports in depth they were amazing
9:18
really detailed talks packed out the
9:21
other activity was actually just taking
9:23
in and watching the incredible scenery
9:25
you might be in the crow's nest out on
9:27
the deck and even on some days we're
9:29
allowed onto the bow of the ship it was
9:31
open for sightseeing it also by the way
9:33
meant that many of the sea days were
9:35
early starts there weren't days to relax
9:37
and lie and slowly get up I was up
9:40
between 6am and 7 00 am on most sea days
9:43
to see things like the beautiful Amalia
9:46
Glacier in the Sacramento Channel Chile
9:48
at the five glaciers in Glacier alley in
9:51
the Beagle Channel
9:53
but it was also the case even when
9:55
cruising through the Chilean fjords
9:57
itself you know looking at the sights
9:58
the mountains looking for dolphins or
10:01
whales that popped up at various times
10:02
and of course again as I mentioned we
10:04
had that Cape Horn sea day viewing so
10:07
the sea day experience is a key part of
10:09
the trip now if you want a cruise to be
10:12
entertained and lots of activities on
10:13
sea days this is not what this region is
10:16
about it's about immersion and it's
10:18
about spending time out looking at the
10:20
sites it was overall a tiring trip
10:23
versus other regions I've been on
10:24
because in addition to the early sea day
10:26
starts many excursions were early starts
10:29
too I had for example one meeting at 6
10:32
15 a.m in the morning the other thing
10:35
that threw me and other guests way more
10:37
than I expected and was at times a
10:39
challenge was the weather it was
10:42
unpredictable
10:43
colder and wetter than I had thought it
10:46
would be even though I'd actually
10:47
checked all the temperatures and weather
10:50
before I went now while cruising here
10:52
happens in their summer the volatility
10:54
impacted the trip in a couple of ways
10:56
now as it was summer you know I think of
10:59
South America as being really hot in
11:00
summer now before I went for example
11:02
many people asked me if I booked the
11:04
retreat this is that paid for area on
11:06
America small Cabanas Sun lounges you
11:09
lay about in the sun you have lunch
11:11
there now I'd done that on my Mexican
11:13
Christmas cruise but I didn't book The
11:16
Retreat because I looked at the way that
11:18
I knew was going to be cold for periods
11:20
of the trip it was going to be like five
11:21
degrees Celsius 41 degrees Fahrenheit
11:23
many days in fact what I found is the
11:26
retreat was totally closed the lounges
11:28
and the tables were securely lashed down
11:31
because the winds would have literally
11:32
swept them away
11:34
though despite that chilliness it was
11:37
actually then 30 degrees Celsius 86
11:39
degrees Fahrenheit in San Diego when I
11:41
flew in and Montevideo and Buenos Aires
11:42
at the end of the trip were up to 35
11:44
degrees Celsius 95 degrees Fahrenheit so
11:47
that huge range of temperatures means a
11:49
big suitcase in fact what's close to do
11:51
with rain cold and incredibly hot days
11:53
you need to be ready for the variety but
11:55
what I hadn't preempted nor had many
11:57
people was the impact of the wind the
12:00
wind created swells and for much of the
12:03
trip the sea was much rougher than I
12:06
expected now people were expecting Cape
12:08
Horn as I mentioned to be bumpy
12:10
but it was bumpy from the minute we left
12:12
Valparaiso and it stayed bumpy for most
12:15
of the trip the open decks were
12:17
frequently closed due to the wind
12:19
including even on Cape Horn Scenic
12:21
cruising day that now that bumpiness of
12:24
the sea the swells meant that Production
12:26
shows were even canceled on two of the
12:29
nights
12:30
winds also impacted excursions in Punta
12:32
Arenas I'd booked actually a boat
12:34
Excursion to Magdalena Island to see a
12:38
very famous penguin Colony now we
12:40
arrived actually at the boat to find the
12:42
Harbor Master had abruptly closed all
12:45
scholarship activity going out to things
12:47
like the islands due to the wind now as
12:50
I mentioned wind and weather did not
12:52
stop us getting into any ports but in
12:55
some we were warned to listen out for
12:57
the ship's horn calling us back before
12:59
scheduled all the board time now the
13:01
captain actually did this in Port
13:02
Stanley because the wind was Rising it
13:04
was making tendering rough and more
13:06
difficult and we actually left over an
13:08
hour before schedule it did rain much
13:11
more than I expected both on the sea
13:13
days and when we were out on tours I was
13:15
really glad I packed a good raincoat
13:17
another thing that threw some was
13:19
currency and money partly as we went to
13:21
three different countries Chile the
13:23
Falkland Islands and Argentina and of
13:25
course all have their own currencies and
13:27
the US dollar which I'm used to being
13:29
easily accepted in many places the
13:31
Caribbean even parts of Asia was not
13:33
accepted widely here now most stall
13:36
holders shops taxis and so on expected
13:38
to be paid in local currency and quite a
13:41
few surprisingly didn't take kind of
13:42
credit or debit cards now I hadn't
13:45
wanted to take varying currencies and
13:47
have some left over so I arrived with
13:49
none planning to get some on the ship
13:51
but I found once on the ship while they
13:53
did change the Chilean currency not at
13:56
very good rates they didn't do
13:57
Argentinian currency because that's very
14:00
complicated it's all different exchange
14:01
rates as I discovered and they didn't do
14:03
the Falkland pound so with hindsight
14:05
what I wish I'd thought through more is
14:08
in each board what I would need money
14:09
for so I was better prepared with
14:11
currency and brought that along but now
14:14
thinking about and taking everything
14:15
into account
14:16
am I actually glad that I went on this
14:19
trip the history Landscapes glaciers
14:22
volcanoes Penguins the culture in those
14:24
big cities will stay with me for years
14:27
and years and years so absolutely yes
14:29
this was an amazing trip now will I do
14:31
this itinerary again probably not it was
14:34
definitely a once in a lifetime
14:35
experience so if you're going like me
14:38
make sure you make the most of it as it
14:40
is incredible now if you want to know
14:42
about other incredible cruises I think
14:44
you should do watch this video of the
14:46
best 11 I have done around the world see
14:49
you over there
#Travel & Transportation
#Cruises & Charters
#Specialty Travel
#Tourist Destinations
#Beaches & Islands
#Adventure Travel
#Guided Tours & Escorted Vacations
#Travel Guides & Travelogues
#Transportation