South America-Jan 2009

[diablo]

We are thinking of taking a Celebrity cruise from Valparaiso, around Cape Horn and ending in Buenos Aires. Has anyone taking this trip and if so, what's the weather like and is it a problem for those prone to seasickness???

[Peterfrany]

I suffer from seasickness and this is a question we asked one of our waiters on a celebrity Millenium Med Cruise a couple of years ago. That cruise was so good and we thought an itinerary like the one you mentioned, going round Cape Horn, would be very interesting.

However, we have definitely gone off the idea. The waiter said that it can get really rough and on the one he had done the year before most of the restauraunt staff had even taken to their beds, not to mention the number of passengers!

I suppose you could be lucky and have a relatively calm trip or maybe with some really good motion sickness tablets you could do it.

Good luck with your decision.

[SD Cruiser]

We went around the Horn in late Feb. as part of our 16 day South America Antarctica trip. We were very lucky, and coming from Antarctica, we had the "Drake Lake" effect, barely a ripple, and likewise for rounding the Horn. The Star Princess did two such trips this year, January and our February one. On both trips the Horn was smooth going. I would take a chance, as it is a wonderful trip. I do not know if your itinerary includes Antarctica, but ours included four days of Antarctic cruising, and that was the experience of a lifetime. I would recommend you consider an itinerary that includes this. However, even if you do not do Antarctica, you will love the awesome, breaktaking fjords of Chile, and you will have wonderful opportunities to see penguins at different ports.

If you are prone to seasickness, I recommend investing in an electronic relief band (about $130 or $140). If you cruise a lot, you will get your moneys worth. I swear by mine.

My advice: Take the chance and do it!
Ellie

[Novice Senior]

We did the reverse of the SA trip you're considering in Jan. '07 and loved every minute, even the rough seas as we neared the Horn.

Our window steerage cabin was in the centre of the ship so it was less rocky there and since most days were rather chilly I don't believe we missed much without a balcony, beyond the status.