Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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Quizzical Bob
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Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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1. Prologue

Having done quite a few cruises in local waters we have started to get more adventurous lately and getting disillusioned with P&O we have in the main jumped ship to Princess. Sometime in May last year Mrs QBob had her attention caught by a half page advertisement in The Times by Imagine Cruising offering a cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires going around Cape Horn and more importantly calling at the Falkland Isles amongst other stops. I was rather taken by the option of visiting the Iguazu Falls and of having a stay in Rio de Janeiro. The cruise lasts fourteen nights and operates in both directions with a choice of several dates. One thing led to another and before I knew it we were getting quotations. We chose a January departure from Chile to Argentina, mainly to avoid the dismal winter evenings.

The quote from Imagine Cruising was reasonable but I wasn't too happy with the flights and I wanted an extra couple of nights in Santiago and a bit longer at the end. Eventually I decided that I could do better myself and booked the cruise direct with Princess themselves. Now for the flights and hotels. Princess do flights but they couldn't understand that there are two airports at Iguazu, one on the Argentinian side and one in Brazil, and could only offer a convoluted flight via Rio. Eventually I used British Airways to book flights from London out to Santiago (via Madrid) and back from Rio. They couldn't offer the internal flights so I booked ones from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu on the Aerolineas Argentineas website for £61.70 each and separately from Iguaçu to Rio with LATAM for £71.60 each. If you buy just the flights with BA then you have to pay the full amount immediately but if you add even one night in a hotel then it becomes a holiday and you're covered by ATOL and don't have to pay the full amount until just a few weeks before departure, which helps a lot with the cash flow. I chose two nights in Santiago, three in Iguazu and three in Rio. It would have only been two in Rio but I wanted a direct flight back.

Now we had an itinerary.

Overnight flight via Madrid to Santiago
Two nights in hotel Regal Pacific
Fourteen night cruise round Cape Horn to Buenos Aires
Flight from Buenos Aires to Puerto Iguazu
Three nights in Belmond Das Cataratas
Flight from Iguaçu to Rio
Three nights in Belmond Copacabana Palace in Rio
Overnight flight back to Heathrow

The rest will be somewhat experimental. I shall try to post as many photographs as possible.


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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

#2

Post by Ranchi »

Bona....enjoy.

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Post by Dancing Queen »

I shall look forward to reading this review :thumbup:
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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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Post by GillD46 »

Looking forward to this.
Gill


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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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2. Getting there

Our flights out are on Sunday 14th January overnight. Our booking was for a guaranteed BF grade balcony cabin but it wasn't until the Monday before that I received the cabin allocation and was pleased to have an 'upgrade' to a BD grade on C deck. Emerald Princess is the same class as Ventura and also has a similar walkway up around the bow on the promenade deck. We once had a balcony cabin on D deck on Ventura which was very good but on Emerald Princess this desk is all given over to mini suites so we were happy. Early on at 04:58 Friday 12th January I get an email from Princess with a 'Moveover Offer'. If we would like to move from our balcony to an inside cabin they will give us "A 2,030 USD per person refundable Onboard credit (1,500 GBP per person)". Effectively we would have the cruise for free. After a few moments discussion we decide that this is not the sort of cruise that we wanted and we don't take up the offer. Our daughter thinks we are mad.

We had over eight months to prepare our packing for this yet somehow it all comes down to the last few hours. I have a car booked for 13:10 to take us to Heathrow even though it only takes an hour to get there and the flight is not until 17:10 but there is not point sitting at home twiddling your fingers when you can do that at the airport. We sit in an airport lounge until our flight is ready and everything goes smoothly with a flight time of 2h20. The aircraft is an A320 operated by Iberia. There is a choice of several flights a day to Madrid and I had allowed for a wait between flights of just over three hours in case of problems.

Madrid airport late on a Sunday night is rather quiet and it is easy to spot all the other couples on the same flight to the same cruise. The age, the white hair, the Marks & Spencer outfits are unmistakably British. We pass the time with a very nice meal in a very nice restaurant on the concourse. Jamon Iberico and a goat's cheese salad followed by paella for two all washed down by a bottle of Albarino white wine. MQB likes paella and it is always for a minimum of two so i have to have it too. I'm good like that.

The aircraft is and A330 operated by Iberia. This has 2-4-2 seating so I had prebooked seats by a window. The flight over was long and tedious but less than the scheduled 13hours and somehow we survived it. The geology underneath was very interesting. I missed the Amazon because it was still dark but the Paraguayan Pampas appeared at dawn. Very flat and agriculture everywhere. A good view of the foothills of the Andes which looked very dry and dusty, being in the rain shadow of the mountains. Lots of red and multicoloured earth. I was a bit disappointed with the Andes themselves, not as high as those further north in Peru and Ecuador but there was some snow on the tops. It was fascinating to look at the small roads and tracks winding through the hills, hills which were well over 10,000 feet high.

Over the Andes we turn south to make our approach and find beneath us a complete carpet of low-lying cloud. We drop through to an overcast but bright sky and land smoothly at about 09:30 on Monday morning. Apparently because we are early there is no gate ready for us and we have to wait 10 or 15 minutes on the apron. An American Airlines plane arrived at the same time so immigration was slow but we've had a lot worse.

I have a transfer booked and it's with some relief that we see our name on the board and the driver Juan waiting for us. Our hotel is on the other side of town but this is our first time in South America and everything is new to us. I had requested an early checkin and our room is ready for us when we arrive just after 11:00. Wonderful news

(Now let's try this some image posting)
https://photos.app.goo.gl/7ZRRUCrsovKyrPcU2
https://photos.app.goo.gl/o49QHs10VySuflvi1
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Bl2qaghGijhjhdWu2

Image
Last edited by Quizzical Bob on 20 Feb 2018, 16:47, edited 3 times in total.

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Dennis The Menace
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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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Post by Dennis The Menace »

Really enjoying it so far Robert, looking forward to reading some more 😀

Thanks for taking the time to do this.

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GillD46
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Post by GillD46 »

South America is so very different from anywhere else we found. Looking forward to more.
Gill


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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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Post by Quizzical Bob »

Some photos from Santiago.

View from hotel room. A curious mixture of established residential and new high-rise business buildings.We were in Las Condes district which is away from the town centre but on the Metro line at 'Manquehue', pronounced 'manky way'

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Not a bad hotel. Reasonably priced and booked through BA. Very friendly people.
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Quite a pleasant area around the hotel.
Image

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Jan Rosser
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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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Post by Jan Rosser »

Enjoying your reports especially with the photos - thanks for posting - looking forward to more :thumbup:
Janis

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Manoverboard
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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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Post by Manoverboard »

We had Rio to Santiago, with 3 added days in each, booked in 2013 on Adonia but P&O axed all four of the Argentinian Ports ... we, in turn, axed the holiday so will read your report with great interest.

ps ... I cook a very tasty Paella for Mobietta and I but there is always more than enough for four :lol:
Keep smiling, it's good for your well being


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Re: Quizzical Bob goes Round the Horn

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Post by Quizzical Bob »

Manoverboard wrote: 21 Feb 2018, 14:13
We had Rio to Santiago, with 3 added days in each, booked in 2013 on Adonia but P&O axed all four of the Argentinian Ports ... we, in turn, axed the holiday so will read your report with great interest.

ps ... I cook a very tasty Paella for Mobietta and I but there is always more than enough for four :lol:
There are political problems with ships that are perceived to be British callling at the Falklands. The Argentines get upset about them. That's one of the reasons that we chose Princess, which is seen as an American line.

Thanks for the offer. There might be a bit too much rice in it for me :shock:

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Mervyn and Trish
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Post by Mervyn and Trish »

Sounds like an interesting trip


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3. Santiago - Monday 15th January

Once comfortably established in our room the hotel doorman casually mentions that the Pope is visiting Chile and will be arriving that evening in Santiago and that as a popular gesture the President has declared that the following day (Tuesday) will be a national holiday so that the hundreds of thousands who wanted to attend an open air mass in a park in the city could safely take the day off work with a clear conscience. Consequently we should expect that Santiago would be effectively shut for the day. Fortunately I was ahead of His Holiness on this occasion and had previously booked a full day wine-tasting tour for the Tuesday. Knowing that we had a transfer to join the ship in San Antonio booked for early afternoon on the Wednesday that only left the Monday afternoon for the delights of central Santiago.

We still had a little time before lunch so I ventured outside on a reconnaissance mission to see if I could get some bottles of water and a few nibbles to satisfy the evening munchies. A little corner shop only did large flagons of water and I ended up in a supermarket called 'Lider'. I ought a couple of bottles and some crisps and also some Dove deodorant because she couldn't remember packing hers and I wasn't going to risk holding my nose for the next three weeks or so. By the time I returned she had found it anyway.

There were quite a few cafes and fast-food places near the hotel including Burger King and Dominos Pizza but we don't see the point of going halfway round the world just to eat in the same sort of joint that we could find back home so we had lunch in the pavement cafe associated with the hotel restaurant. I had a hamburger and she had a pizza.

Once nicely fed and watered we were up for a trip into the city for a quick shoofty. This involved taking the Metro. They don't take cash and you need to buy a 'BIP' smartcard which you load up with smartdosh. Most Metro stations have a ticket office (Boleteria) and it was straightforward to buy a card preloaded with four trips. It only took twenty minutes or so to get into the city centre and we soon popped up out of the ground into the bustle and noise of a strange city. Mrs QB wasn't up to walking too far and the sun was beginning to break through so it was getting warmer. I had thought of going to the fish and fruit market but the day was getting on and it was quite a distance and probably past its busiest hours so we wandered towards the main town square. This was in the process of being cordoned of for the visit of Pope and all around were street sellers busy gluing plastic Vatican flags to giant drinking straws in the hope and expectation of making a peso or two. Somehow I resisted the temptation to buy some.

Architecturally the city itself was not all that interesting, at least not what we saw. Built up, unstructured, quite closed in and noisy, but at least we can say that we have been there and it was cheap to do so. Dinner that night in the hotel restaurant. It had a sort of Italian theme but is really Chilean. We had a couple of Pisco Sours in the bar as a gift of the hotel. This is a nice aperitif made from Aguardiente (literally fire-water) and lime juice and sugar. Then a couple of mojitos. The television coverage was all about the Pope arriving at the airport. I wonder if he managed to get an window seat.

Dinner was a weird salad for me of palm tree hearts with lettuce and shells and cheese and whelks and things followed by fillet steak washed down with a glass of local red wine whose name I still cannot remember. She had the set menu with a starter that I forgot to notice and can't remember what it was followed by a mushroom risotto that was 'delicious' and afterwards a modest coconut froth and strawberry ice cream dessert that we had a long wait for. An early night and soon snoring ready for our trip out at nine the next morning.

ps Pisco Sours are delicious.

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Post by Gill W »

I'm enjoying your reports so far, will look forward to more
Gill


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4. Santiago - Tuesday 16th January

We had not been to South America before, unless you count a day spent in the visitors terminal in Cartagena, and weren't at all sure what to expect when we got there. I was fairly confident that it would be a modern, friendly society but Mrs QB was expecting dirt roads, adobe houses with corrugated iron rooves and people with wooly hats standing on street corners and playing the pan pipes. My plan therefore was to find a good local guide who could take us out into the countryside and maybe show us some vineyards and scenery. After some research I settled upon Chile Wine Trails which is a business owned and operated by Kylie Sherriff, an Australian girl originally from Melbourne but who has now been living in Santiago for several years. She has perfect reviews on TripAdvisor and they are well deserved.

She offers a choice of several tours and before leaving home we had chosen the 'Perfect Pique' option because it didn't involve too much travelling. I wanted to see something of the foothills of the Andes and also to have grilled meat for lunch. The white wines would have been good to taste but these are grown in the cooler coastal region and we would be travelling that way the following day anyway. The more easterly vineyards are predominantly red wines but we can drink those too.

Kylie arrives early before nine. One of the advantages of the Pope's visit is that there is hardly any traffic. The weather is perfect. Clear blue skies and 28 degrees. First stop is the Santa Rita boutique hotel and vineyard less than an hour away. We pass a few gauchos in horseback wearing the iconic gaucho hats. I want one and if I can find one in my size I am going to have one. I never do.

The setting and scenery are wonderful. After a quick look round the grounds we are told that the local Andean Museum is open (free) and not expecting a lot we venture inside. This was formed from a private collection of artefacts and was unexpectedly very interesting with many archaeological exhibits dating back hundreds of years and some impressive examples of Inca (?) gold jewellery. By the time we emerge our wines samples are ready. We work our way through these in the very pleasant gardens.

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Views to the foothills
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The tasting garden
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https://chilewinetrails.com/tours/pirque-with-lunch/

Part two follows...

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Post by anneed »

This is excellent - I think you take the prize for best cruise report ever on this site. The photo's really make everything come alive. Looking forward to the next instalment!


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Post by Quizzical Bob »

anneed wrote: 21 Feb 2018, 16:59
This is excellent - I think you take the prize for best cruise report ever on this site. The photo's really make everything come alive. Looking forward to the next instalment!
Thanks Anne. Coming from a journalist that means a lot to me :)

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Post by GillD46 »

The garden is beautiful.
Gill


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Post by Quizzical Bob »

GillD46 wrote: 21 Feb 2018, 18:53
The garden is beautiful.
Even better with a few glasses of wine ;)

http://www.santarita.com/international/
Last edited by Quizzical Bob on 21 Feb 2018, 19:03, edited 1 time in total.

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GillD46
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Post by GillD46 »

Quizzical Bob wrote: 21 Feb 2018, 19:02
GillD46 wrote: 21 Feb 2018, 18:53
The garden is beautiful.
Even better with a few glasses of wine ;)

http://www.santarita.com/international/
My husband would say the same.
Gill

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Post by Ray B »

Very good read and the photos add to the story, keep it coming Bob.
Don't worry, be happy


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4. Part 2 - Santiago - Tuesday 16th January

Onward and into the hills for our next winery 'Haras de Pirque'. There is another couple from Cheshire waiting there who have made their own way. They want to try the chardonnays but that's not my favourite grape. The vineyard insists on showing us their production facilities of which they are justifiably proud. Built into the hillside they operate entirely on a gravity system. We don't want to spend too long there and once you've seen one stainless steel fermentation tank or wooden wine vat made from smoked French oak staves lovingly transported across the Andes by armadillo you've probably seen them all. In the tasting room we try three reds and a cadge a taste of a couple of whites. Spectacular views outside north up the valley and across to the Andes with wonderful clean air.

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Time for lunch. We drive past the vast Concha y Toro complex. These are responsible for the Caillero del Diablo range of wines as commonly found in Tescos and all good wine merchants. Only 800m down the road is our restaurant is 'El Manso Toro' where we take lunch in the gaden under the trees, very civilised. After a starter of a cheese and prawn empañada I had a steak and various salads, she had tasty chicken with the same. There was also a fish option but the waiter said it would be his third choice. Special mention must got to the celery and avocado salad which was 'delicious' according to my personal salad expert and who am I to disagree? A couple of Pisco Sours and more glasses of wine and we have now have a another very civilised an pleasant memory.

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4. Part 3 - Santiago - Tuesday 16th January
Artwork at the restaurant reminds us that Easter Island is part of Chile.
Image

Enough time left for us to call in at a small wine store next to the road on the William Fevre estate. Three more wine samples follow. I'd love to buy some bottles but am concerned about getting them on board the ship. We return to the hotel after a memorable day somewhat dehydrated and thirsty. I say 'memorable' but to be honest the details of which wines we had tasted are rather blurred. We skipped dinner that evening.

The next day would be embarkation and for the transfer to San Antonio I had again used Kylie and Chile Wine Trails. She had originally suggested 14:30 but that was a little late for my liking so we agreed to bring it forward and we retired to our room in anticipation. I briefly consider a visit to the bar for 'one last' pisco sour but wiser judgment prevails.

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Post by GillD46 »

We didn’t get to the west coast of South America, just from Buenos Aires up the coast and the Amazon. From your photos, the Pacific side looks lovely.
Gill


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Post by Quizzical Bob »

GillD46 wrote: 22 Feb 2018, 15:30
We didn’t get to the west coast of South America, just from Buenos Aires up the coast and the Amazon. From your photos, the Pacific side looks lovely.
Indeed it was, we were very impressed with Chile. Politically stable, a strong currency and plenty of room to live and breath. I should mention the fruit which was unbelievable/ Large, fresh, plump and pineapples the size of traffic bollards. Delicious eggs for breakfast too.

Mrs QB has a friend whose husband came from Chile originally. He was born in Punta Arenas and brought up in Santiago and we had previously dismissed Chile as a backward country on the other side of the world. Not any more.

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