I just returned from an incredible 14-night voyage across South America with my parents and sister. We sailed aboard the Celebrity Equinox at the end of February through early March.
Our itinerary included the following ports of call from Buenos Aires: Montevideo, Stanley, Ushuaia, Cape Horn (scenic cruising), Strait of Magellan (scenic cruising), Punta Arenas, Punta del Este, and Puerto Madryn.
Celebrity also offers itineraries with scenic cruising across Antarctica. We’re hoping to set foot on Antarctica eventually, so we opted for a Patagonia-focused itinerary with more ports.
This was one of the most unique, yet unpredictable, cruises that we have ever taken. We really didn’t know what to expect, as we had never visited this area of the world before. In fact, we had read horror stories about missed ports of call, rough seas, and horrible weather for this itinerary.
Luckily, that wasn’t really the case. We had a phenomenal cruise with mostly amazing weather, aside from a few minor snafus along the Patagonian journey.
If you’re planning a cruise to South America or Patagonia, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve compiled my best tips and advice for anyone looking to cruise to the end of the world, whether on an expedition ship or a larger mainstream vessel.
1. Spend time before or after your cruise in Buenos Aires
Our round-trip sailing began in Buenos Aires, and we were excited to visit Argentina for the first time! We spent two nights at Park Tower Luxury Collection in Buenos Aires and also booked two tours through our travel agent via Viator.
First, we did an Asado Rooftop Experience for an authentic Argentine barbecue with a small group. The evening took place at a local’s home in Palermo on his rooftop, and it was a fantastic experience with plenty of wine and a wide variety of meats.
All in all, the food was phenomenal. We were thankful that we booked the 4 p.m. time slot, as we had just arrived that morning from a long overnight flight. This ended up being the perfect first-day activity.
The second day we booked a full-day private tour with a guide around Buenos Aires. We were able to see the city’s main sights and enjoy a lovely local lunch in La Boca with our guide, Dario. He was absolutely terrific—very knowledgeable, personable, and professional. I would highly recommend arranging a tour with Dario and his company.
And after the cruise, we spent another day in Buenos Aires visiting the Tigre Delta outside of the city. We booked this disembarkation excursion through Celebrity, which allowed us to store our luggage on a coach bus while exploring something different before our late-night flight.
Tigre Delta was a nice experience for the day because we had time to kill, but it’s not a must-do if you’re short on time.
Our flight wasn’t until midnight, but we still needed plenty of time at the Buenos Aires Airport (EZE). I would encourage you to plan ahead with plenty of time because security, immigration, and baggage check were extremely chaotic.
2. Book a starboard balcony if you can
This cruise has a lot of beautiful scenery, similar to what you’d find on a cruise to Alaska, Norway, New Zealand, or Iceland. You won’t want to miss any of the stunning views, so I would recommend booking a balcony cabin with a private veranda.
For this cruise, my sister and I booked a port-side balcony while my parents booked one on the starboard side.
Normally, I would say it doesn’t matter which side you book for a cruise. But in this case, the starboard side had all of the best views throughout our cruise, especially during Cape Horn sailing.
The top deck was packed with guests trying to see the scenery, and some areas had tall glass barriers that made it harder to fully take in the views.
We ended up spending most of the day on their balcony while sailing around Cape Horn. It was a beautiful day, and the best views were from the comfort of our own space. We listened to the onboard naturalist and wildlife specialist on the TV from our cabin; it was perfect!
My parents were also able to see multiple glaciers while going through the Strait of Magellan, whereas we couldn’t see nearly as much. If there was a good view from the ship, it seemed to always be on a starboard side during our cruise.
If I had to book this again, I would definitely prioritize a starboard balcony, at least for this route from Buenos Aires on Celebrity Equinox.
3. Plan for two penguin excursions in case one gets canceled
One of the best tips I read before this cruise was to book two penguin excursions if that’s high on your bucket list. This gives you a backup option if a port is canceled.
And trust me, seeing penguins should be at the top of your list. It was incredible!
For our sailing, we ended up booking two penguin excursions: one in Stanley, Falkland Islands and another to Punta Tombo in Puerto Madryn. We were lucky enough to dock in Stanley, so we were able to see hundreds of penguins at Bluff Cove during our excursion. Passengers who ventured further to Volunteer Point also saw hundreds of penguins, and it looked amazing.
Our backup plan to see penguins was in Puerto Madryn, and we booked the Punta Tombo excursion with Celebrity. This was a much further drive from the port (2.5 hours each way) and made for a longer day.
But, if we hadn’t already seen penguins, this would have been the best place to do it.
Looking back, we could have changed this excursion after already seeing penguins in Stanley, but we still enjoyed seeing a different species in a completely different environment!
4. Prepare for cancelled ports and constant unpredictability
I’ve been on over 50 cruises, and I’ve only had canceled ports of call twice before (both with Norwegian Cruise Line). However, the weather across South America and Patagonia can be especially unpredictable. You can experience sunshine, rain, wind, and even sleet in the same day.
We knew cancelled ports might be a possibility, and that was unfortunately the case for us. During our sailing, Punta Arenas was cancelled the morning we were scheduled to dock due to high winds and rough seas. The crew attempted to launch tenders, but it was too dangerous.
However, we were really lucky to dock in the Falkland Islands. This is one of the most commonly cancelled ports on the itinerary, although we did hear from locals that larger ships are often able to dock. Stanley ended up being one of the highlights of our cruise.
We also experienced delays leaving Puerto Madryn due to strong winds. And from what we heard, other Celebrity sailings throughout the season had missed ports and itinerary changes as well.
All that to say….it’s important to stay flexible on this itinerary, and remember that you can’t control the weather.
And, you might even luck out with better weather than you plan for! For example, our sailing at Cape Horn was remarkably beautiful, and the crew mentioned multiple times how lucky we were to have such clear conditions.
5. Expect to spend a lot of time onboard
My family typically prefers port-intensive itineraries with lots of stops. My dad especially doesn’t love sea days with nothing to do, as he gets bored quickly.
However, on this cruise, you will naturally spend a lot of time onboard due to the nature of the itinerary. Some of the most iconic moments, like Cape Horn, are experienced while you’re still on the ship.
Make sure to bring whatever you need to enjoy your time onboard, whether that’s a book, downloaded shows, or something relaxing like cross-stitching. There are also plenty of events taking place on the ship, from movies to trivia, enrichment lectures, dance classes, and more.
Also, if you’re prone to motion sickness, be sure to come prepared with medication or sea bands. The waters in this region can be rough, although we hard really calm seas for most of our itinerary!
6. Things were more expensive than I expected
Before our cruise, my friend told me how Argentina was very affordable when she visited two years ago due to the exchange rate. Sadly, this wasn’t our experience!
The country’s currency is very volatile, so prices can fluctuate significantly. For example, many souvenir t-shirts were priced between $30 and $40, items that would typically cost half that elsewhere! I was really surprised by how expensive everything was, which probably helped me refrain from too much shopping.
Speaking of shopping, we didn’t need much cash and mostly used credit cards or tap-to-pay. U.S. dollars (USD) were widely accepted when needed, but I pretty much used my credit card exclusively and without issue.
7. Book excursions in advance to maximize your time
Because we had never visited these ports before, we booked all of our excursions through Celebrity. While I don’t usually feel the need to book excursions at every port, this itinerary is different. Many of the must-see highlights, including wildlife, landscapes, and remote areas, aren’t located near the port.
Booking excursions with Celebrity also helped us avoid the stress of tender lines, especially since we had three tender ports. Some of the tender lines to go ashore, especially in places like the Falkland Islands, were quite long. We heard that only about 100 people stayed onboard, meaning thousands of passengers were trying to tender at the same time
However, Celebrity’s excursions were very expensive. We spent around $1,200 per person for all of our excursions, with most tours ranging from $200 to $350, even for half-day experiences!
The price is worth it, though. If you want to experience the best of Patagonia, you’ll need to book tours. Moreover, we didn’t see many independent vendors at the ports, and the people who explored on their own often missed out.
For instance, one family told us they only saw one penguin on their own in the Falklands, while we saw hundreds on our excursion! Another couple we met skipped excursions entirely because they were too expensive, but they ended up mostly shopping in port.
Personally, I didn’t travel all the way to South America just to shop (although I did plenty of that, too!). I wanted to see the wildlife and experience the scenery, so booking excursions made the most sense.
Finally, be sure to book excursions in advance to save money. We switched one of our post-cruise excursions onboard, and the price doubled from $70 to $140 per person. The flexibility was nice to change our excursion right on the ship, but it came at a cost.
8. Don’t underestimate the importance of strategic packing
Packing for this cruise was very tough. Buenos Aires and Uruguay were hot, while the southern ports were cold, windy, and rainy. I packed half summer clothes and half winter clothes, along with a mix of outfits for onboard and ashore.
Don’t underestimate how important it is to plan your packing carefully. For instance, I packed a waterproof daypack, and it was a lifesaver. We were able to keep our belongings dry while it poured rain in the Falkland Islands as we went to see the penguins.
There was another rainy day where we used it again, and it was such a relief knowing everything stayed dry.
In addition, pack rain boots, a raincoat, a hat, gloves, and even a scarf. You’ll be spending a lot of time outside taking in the scenery, often in unpredictable conditions, so packing layers is key.
But don’t forget your summer clothes for the warmer ports, you’ll likely need both on the same trip!
