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Three species of penguins nest here-Chinstrap, Adelie, and Gentoo which you might be able to see with really strong binoculars. I landed in Santiago, Chile in the early morning and took an airport taxi to my hotel in Valparaiso where we were scheduled to board the ship. It was about a 90 minute drive and cost about $140 which I paid for in cash with US dollars once I reached my destination. Before we reached Antarctica, Captain Todd gave a navigational presentation explaining what his scenic cruising goal was for our 4 days in the Antarctic Peninsula for our specific cruise. We were also given a map that showed where and when we would be each day. Besides ice, the other common obstacle was the weather, highly variable weather.
Depart from ship for a flight from Punta Arenas to the Antarctic Peninsula
Our show was on the stage inside the museum which was made to look like one of the local neighborhood stages. As the afternoon progressed, it got quite windy and a little more overcast. The winds were giving the tender boats a hard time as they slowly motored their way back to the Sapphire Princess. There was a line waiting to get onto the tender boats, but eventually, we all got on board and the ship was able to sail on, though a little later than originally scheduled. In fact, during the breeding season I was told there are 300 penguins for each person on the island. From the deck of the ship, it was quite hard to get a sense of how large the peaks and glaciers were.
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Cruises to Antarctica include highlights such as the South Shetland Islands, Antarctic Peninsula and a number of peak-filled islands. Indulge in a feast for the senses on an epic South America cruise with Princess®. Feel the rhythm of more than a thousand years of history and culture while savoring an incredible variety of regional cuisine. Marvel at captivating views of the legendary Amalia Glacier, make friends with the famous Falkland Island penguins and sail to the very bottom of the world with our all-new Antarctica cruise itineraries. Spectacular monuments, stunning natural beauty and one-of-a-kind experiences from ship to shore will both inspire and surprise you. Enjoy the adventure and excitement of a South America cruise and come back new®.
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Visit to the Villa Las Estrellas on King George Island
Find Sapphire Princess Cruises to Antarctica (with Prices) - Cruise Critic
Find Sapphire Princess Cruises to Antarctica (with Prices).
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See even more with late-night stays in San Francisco, San Diego, Victoria, Vancouver, B.C. Majestic Princess, with capacity for 3,560 guests, will operate the longest itinerary in the line’s South America cruise roster, with the 51-day South America Grand Adventure. Additional scenic cruising will feature Deception Island, the Neumayer Channel, South Shetland Islands, and Admiralty Bay. One of the most mysterious and magical regions of the world, South America is a feast for the senses. Take in its romantic cultures and alluring history, warm to the smiles of its friendly locals, savor fine wines and robust cuisine and dance to the music of the tango on a Princess South America cruise.
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If you are interested in a Princess Antarctica and South America cruise similar to the one I did on the Sapphire Princess, please visit the Princess cruises website. I booked this cruise expecting to cross Antarctica from my bucket list. I think there will be at least one more trip to the white continent for me in the future.
10 of 21 Princess Antarctica Cruise Reviews
The ultimate goal was Isla Martillo, or Hammer Island, which was home to both Magellanic and Gentoo penguin colonies. Once we reached the island, the boat pulled up very close to shore and we got very good close up views of the many, many penguins that had made this broad beach their home. The tour boat was docked at the same pier as our ship which made it very convenient. We cruised east along the Beagle Channel for about 5 hours, doing photo stops at some of the rock outcroppings that were home to imperial cormorants and sea lions. Because of the delay with embarkation and setting out from Valparaiso, the captain had announced on day 1 that we would be skipping the planned stop in Punta Arenas.
What Is A Princess Cruise to Antarctica Really Like?
We also sped up so that we could reach Ushuaia early in the morning in order to avoid the high winds that were predicted for the afternoon on the day of our arrival in Ushuaia. Note that the cruise terminal in Valparaiso is not located at the pier where the ship is docked (the pier and harbor are primarily designed for cargo ships). After going through the Princess check in process at the cruise terminal building, a shuttle bus took us to the ship’s boarding area.
2026 New Cruise Itineraries
Besides being the easiest part of Antarctica to reach, we were told that the Antarctic peninsula also has the prettiest scenery. It is dotted with islands, bays, fjords, and scenic channels, all waiting to be explored. From what I saw, I think I would agree that it was stunningly beautiful. It’s important to grasp just how large Antarctica is – twice the size of the continent of Australia. Yet despite its size, the majority of the tours to the white continent really only touch a small portion of the Antarctic peninsula, the finger that pokes out from the main land mass, trying to hold hands with Cape Horn.
Princess had a number of excursions to see the various penguin colonies. There are also many penguin tour options that you can book on your own. However, I booked my cruise late, and all the organized tours were fully booked.
Experience Buenos Aires, a world-famous city for dancing, dining, and rich colonial history, on your next cruise to South America. One of the great cities of the world, Buenos Aires blends European elegance, cowboy culture and the sultry sounds of the tango. See Belle Époque palaces and visit Recoleta Cemetery before departing for such storied ports as Puerto Madryn and Ushuaia. With incredible weather, delicious fare and some stupendous attractions, you will find that Fort Lauderdale’s Port Everglades is one of the most attractive ports in the entire US.
On your Antarctica cruise, observe whales, penguins, sea lions and albatross as your ship sails past towering blue icebergs. Onboard Antarctic cruises, naturalists offer lectures and lead sightseeing excursions. Antarctic cruises typically depart from South American ports like Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands and Buenos Aires or Ushuaia in Argentina, and cruise the Drake Passage.
In addition, for this cruise, the staff on the bridge was quadrupled relative to a warm water (and weather) cruise. All these extra bodies were there to provide more eyes to keep a lookout as we sailed. Increased tourism didn’t start till the late 1980’s, and since its discovery only about 1 million people have seen Antarctica – that’s about 0.01% of the total world population. Currently about 50,000 people visit each year through a variety of travel programs.
Other featured itineraries include a 14 or 15-day Cape Horn and Strait of Magellan voyage aboard the Majestic Princess, sailing on December 19, 2024. The Sapphire Princess will sail reverse itineraries on February 7 and 21, 2024 and March 7, 2025. Due to the previous day’s delay and challenging weather conditions, the Sapphire Princess needed this day to refuel and stock up the ship. We had a “sea day” while docked in San Antonio and I used it to familiarize myself with the ship’s amenities and to enjoy the warm weather on deck while I still could. In the middle of the night the ship finally set sail, but only to the nearby port of San Antonio, Chile. I understand that my boarding experience in Valparaiso was quite an exception and that this type of weather event was very unusual.
Set sail on an amazing voyage around the legendary Cape Horn, embodying the determined spirit of the sailors who made the historic voyage in years past aboard small clipper ships. Along the way, your cruise highlights will include an encounter with the icy wonder that is the Amalia Glacier, and abundant wildlife. After embarking from Santiago or Buenos Aires, you’ll visit a plethora of unforgettable ports. The scenic cruising around Cape Horn was also cancelled due to high winds. Because of the weather, a local pilot could not get on and off the ship safely and the ship was not allowed to do this sailing without the experience of the local pilot on board.
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