We are a well travelled New Zealand couple in our 60s. We did the HAL “sail by” to Antarctica over Christmas 2015 and were wowed by the scenery & wildlife, so decided to do an expedition cruise to see it closer up.
Our expedition cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica (22 nights with Hurtigruten December 2018/January 2019) was three times the cost of our drive by on HAL, a 21 night cruise from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires. So it was a big investment.
Hurtigruten’s pre cruise experience was a frustration. It was impossible to get information from them and anything you told them obviously went into a black hole. Our travelling companion, who lives in Australia, was sent the optional pre and post cruise excursions, but we had to request them. We asked about getting time in Ushuaia on embarkation day and were told there are 2 flights from BUE to USH, but that flights are not assigned until the night before at the hotel and we would have to talk to the Hurtigruten representative at the precruise hotel in Buenos Aires. We got there too late in the day to talk to them. And anyway, the flights are assigned well before that. The people who had booked optional Hurtigruten excursions in Ushuaia on embarkation day were the ones put on the early flight and those people had to get up at 1.30am in order to catch this first charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. They had not been told the timing prior to reaching the hotel in Buenos Aires. It would be simple for Hurtigruten to explain this procedure to all passengers, whether they are doing optional Hurtigruten excursions in Ushuaia, or if they want extra time in Ushuaia.
Extremely compact, but the bed was comfortable enough and we had everything we needed. Did the job!
Interesting wander around the town and some good souvenir shops
Very interesting town. Plenty to see for such a small town. Our second visit here and enjoyed it.