Flying to Santiago Chile

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JFK to Santiago

The second leg of our flight to Santiago, Chile departed JFK at 9 PM.  Once airborn, total flight time was 10 hours and 10 minutes.  The plane was a Boeing 767 operated by LATAM Airlines, a OneWorld alliance airline.  We had economy seats and had selected two seats in the second section.  The configuration was two seats on each side with three in the middle.  When we had selected our seats at check-in, there had been plenty of open seating in the middle, so we figured we'd be able to recline once we were airborne.   Those seats had filled up quickly but I was fortunate to have the flight attendant reseat me in a row to myself, so that I could lie flat and get some sleep on the long flight.

There were two meals served during the flight.  Dinner choices included a pasta dish and BBQ chicken with rice.   I slept through that meal but my husband had the chicken.  Breakfast was a choice of ham and cheese sandwich or eggs.  We both had the sandwich.


Arriving in Santiago

Once we arrived in Chile the first thing we needed to do was check in with a Princess Cruises representative, who gave us a sticker which we'd need for transfer to the pier.  Then we needed to clear immigration.  We hadn't been given any form, so we hoped that we just needed our passports.  Passports were all we needed to get through customs.  They stamp your passport and another slip of paper.   We thought they would collect that along the way, but they did not. Make sure you don't lose that paper because you'll need it on your cruise ship.

After clearing immigration, we headed to pickup our luggage.  We had checked two bags, a regular size suitcase and a soft-sided roller bag.  Our suitcase was the only bag still on the carousel by the time we got there.  We asked a LATAM agent if there were more bags, but there weren't any more.  We told them we were missing one bag and they said to wait about 10 minutes while they checked.  We looked at various piles of suitcases that were standing around as well as the other carousels, but didn't find our bag.   After 15 minutes or so, we went to the counter and filed a missing luggage claim.  We showed them
our itinerary and gave them necessary information including the description of the bag, the claim

check number, contact information, and our ship name.  We also informed Princess Cruises local representative.

Heading to Valparaiso

Crown Princess was actually embarking from Valparaiso which is 1.5 hours away.  We dropped off our luggage which would be sent via truck.  We kept our backpack and canvas bag, filled with cameras, medicines, and other personal items we wouldn't check, and got on a bus for the trip. It was a scenic trip.  We made one stop for restrooms and refreshments, if desired.

We'll describe the check-in process in another post.


Related Albums:

JFK to SCL
Transfer to Valparaiso

Note:  we will be adding to these albums as we continue our journey.

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Diary of South America Voyage

Journey to Southern South America 

Having cruised for 30+ years, our cruise selections are driven primarily by destination and secondly by cruise ship. We love exploring new destinations from our bucket list as well as revisiting some of our favorites. Exploring new ships, including older ships we've never sailed on before, is also quite enjoyable. Of course, we love to share with our readers so that they can discover the world that awaits them.


 
Quest to see Penguins 

Those of you who have followed me here or on Twitter, know that I love Penguins. That's what this trip is all about - having the opportunity to see multitudes of penguins in their natural surroundings.

This trip wasn't only about penguins. We arrived in Santiago, Chile on January 18, 2017.  For the next 14 days, we explored South America including the countries of Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, and the Falkland Islands.  We saw Amalia Glacier, Glacier Alley, Fjords, Cape Horn and many other magnificent sites along the way.

Having sailed the seas for more than 30 years, it's hard to narrow the list down to one trip as the "best", but this trip certainly is among the top contenders.

Come along with us as we provide a day by day diary of our voyage to South America - Cape Horn.

14 Day South America - Cape Horn

	Port	Blog Posts	Photo Albums
Jan 17	Travel Chicago - Santiago, Chile	Beginning Adventure to Chile Flying to Santiago Chile	ORD to JFK JFK to SCL
Jan 18	Transfer: Airport To Ship Santiago (Valparaiso) Check In 1:00pm-5:00pm	Crown Princess Embarkation Crown Princess Welcome Dinner Oh Happy Days	Transfer to Valparaiso Crown Princess Embarkation Welcome Dinner
Jan 19	At Sea	Chocolate Journeys
Jan 20	Puerto Montt, Chile Tender Required	3 Must See Sites in Puerto Montt	Puerto Montt Puerto Varas German Settlers Museum Frutillar
Jan 21	At Sea
Jan 22	Amalia Glacier  Scenic Cruising	Cruising Amalia Glacier	Amalia Glacier
Jan 23	Punta Arenas, Chile Tender Required	Penguins of Punta Arenas Punta Arenas City Tour	Punta Arenas Penguins Patagonia Institute Salesian Museum City Cemetery La Cruz Hill Plaza Munoz Gamero
Jan 24	Ushuaia, Argentina	Cruising Glacier Alley Beagle Channel Wildlife Cruise	Glacier Alley Beagle Channel
Jan 25	Cape Horn Scenic Cruising	Cruising Around Cape Horn	Cape Horn
Jan 26	Falkland Islands (Stanley) Tender Required	Penguins of Falkland Islands	Bluff Cove Rookery
Jan 27	At Sea	Experience The Salty Dog	Salty Dog Gastropub
Jan 28	Puerto Madryn, Argentina Tender Required	Penguins at Punta Tombo	Punta Tombo
Jan 29	At Sea
Jan 30	Montevideo. Uruguay	3 Prominent Sites of Montevideo Montevideo Pier and Markets	Plaza Independencia Centenario Soccer Stadium Legislative Palace Montevideo City Tour Montevideo Harbor Montevideo Market
Jan 31	Buenos Aires, Argentina Overnight	Tigre Delta River Cruise	San Isidtro Tigre River Buenos Aires Port
Feb 1	Buenos Aires, Argentina Transfer: Ship To Airport	Explore City of Buenos Aires La Recoleta Cemetery Buenos Aires Metropolitan Cathedral La Boca Shopping	Metropolitan Cathedral La Recoleta Cemetery Debark Tour
Feb 2	Travel Buenos Aires - Chicago	Argentine Precious Stone	Inca Rose Gems

New Star Princess 2011 Itineraries

Rio de Janeiro - Courtesy Princess Cruises

 Exotics 2010-2011

Princess Cruises announced some additional sailings for Star Princess.   The added sailings are in the Exotics and Caribbean markets.

New exciting itineraries to radiant South America

• 29-day Cape Horn & Brazilian Grand Adventure (February 23) sailing from Santiago, around the southernmost tip of South America to Ft. Lauderdale
• 15-day Brazilian Adventure (March 9) staying overnight in Rio de Janeiro before sailing to Ft. Lauderdale

Closer look at 29-day Brazilian Grand Adventure

Sail onboard Star Princess® for a 29-day adventure around the southernmost tip of stunning South America before traversing the sun-swept Caribbean en route to Ft. Lauderdale. From Buenos Aires, you’ll sail around historic Cape Horn before setting sail for points north, including Salvador and Recife in Brazil and the sunny splendors of Barbados and Antigua.

Time permitting, I'd suggest arriving in Buenos Aires early so you can explore the capital and largest city in Argentina.   We looked at this city in a past post: Where is Chris - Featured Destination Sept 09

Once the cruise adventure begins, you'll have the opportunity to sail where explorers have gone before - around the tip of Cape Horn and the Strait of Magellan.  Your voyage includes an overnight stay in Rio, ideal for experiencing the nightlife of one of the world’s most exciting cities. 

Departing Rio, your voyage begins the journey north towards Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.   This will be a cruise adventure you'll remember for many years to come. 

Additional voyages in the Caribbean

• 10-day Southern Caribbean Medley (March 24, April 13)
• 10-day Eastern Caribbean Voyager (April 3 & 23)

 Learn more about these and other Princess Cruises.

Galapagos - Charles Darwin Research Center (Day 9)

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Day 9 (Saturday, Sept. 6th) finds the Celebrity Xpedition anchored at Puerto Ayora, the largest town in the Galapagos. It is located on Santa Cruz Island, the second-largest island in the Galapagos and hub for tourists.

 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of the Galapagos National Park and the Charles Darwin Foundation

 In 1959 (the centenary year of Darwin's publication "The Origin of the Species"), the Ecuadorian government declared all the islands, except areas already colonized, as a national park. In the same year, the Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) was founded with a primary objective of ensuring the conservation of the unique Galapagos ecosystems and to promote the scientific studies necessary to fulfill its conservation functions.

We took a short bus ride through the small town of Port Ayora, arriving at the entrance of the Charles Darwin Research Station. It was quite a walk to the actual start of the research station from where the bus dropped us off. The path was patio blocks at first but then changed to a dirt trail. We were concerned because one of the passengers in our group was on crutches and we didn't think she'd be able to make the walk. We were happy to see her waiting for us at the end of the path - there is
vehicle access for handicapped and official vehicles.
 
One of the naturalists took us inside the tortoise conservation building where we saw displays on tortoise exploitation, conservation, and ecology. She also explained the captive breeding program which began in 1962. Since that time many tortoises have been repatriated to their original islands. Wardens of the Galapagos National Park Service collect eggs and hatchlings from tortoise nests on Pinzon, Santiago, San Cristobal, and Santa Cruz Islands and bring them to the center for protection and rearing.

Eggs from the nests of Espanola tortoises at the center are also gathered. Eggs are placed in incubators. The hatching process usually takes about 3 days. After an incubation of about 4 months, a tortoise finally breaks free of its eggshell. A yolk sac attached to its stomach provides nourishment to the hatchling in its first few weeks of life. Upon emerging from the egg, hatchlings are kept in dark boxes for two to four weeks, which simulates the time spent in the natural nest chamber. Each tortoise is given a colored identification number. The colors represent each tortoise's "home island". Baby tortoises are weighted, and measured for length and girth. The hatchlings are then moved to outdoor corrals, where they live and grow for up to two years. You can see these corrals in the photos above.

  Lonesome George - rarest creature in the world Lonesome George is the last known individual of the Pinta Island Tortoise, one of eleven subspecies of Galapagos tortoise native to the Galapagos Islands. He has been labelled the rarest creature in the world, and is a potent symbol for conservation efforts in the Galapagos and internationally. It is thought that he was named after a character played by American actor George Gobel.

 George was first seen on the island of Pinta on 1 December 1971 by American snail biologist Joseph Vagvolgyi. The island's vegetation had been decimated by introduced feral goats, and the indigenous tortoise population had been reduced to a single individual. He was relocated for his safety to the Charles Darwin Research Station. George is estimated to be 60–90 years of age, and is in good health, however efforts to get him to mate with two females of a different subspecies from Wolf Island have failed. Research continues to date, and it is hoped that a pure Pinta tortoise lives among the 2,000 tortoises on Isabela. Will George's subspecies become extinct? Hopefully not, but regardless of what happens to this one animal, let him always remind us that the fate of all living things on Earth is in human hands.

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Galapagos - Santiago (Day 8 Morning)

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Day 8 (Friday, September 5th). Our day began as usual with breakfast in Darwin's Restaurant. The morning excursions began at 8 AM with a Wet landing at James Bay on Santiago Island. This was the high intensity activity. The medium intensity activity consisted of a short Zodiac ride and wet landing at James Bay.

Santiago Island is the fourth largest island found in the Archipelago. In the 1930s a group of people attempted to colonize this island. "The Enchanted Islands" was a book published in 1947 detailing their experiences on the island.

View our albums:  Galapagos - Santiago Island        Galapgos - Snorkeling (Santiago)


Both the high and low activities returned to the landing beach for swimming and snorkeling. Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling well and decided to stay onboard the Xpedition. My husband went and had a marvelous time both on the Zodiac and snorkeling.

He joined another couple so that he didn't snorkel alone. It is always best to be with at least one other swimmer while in the water. The fish and other marine life were plentiful along the reef which was an easy swim from the beach.

The highlight for him was the sea turtle that swam right up to him while he was snorkeling. He got pictures of the sea turtle approaching and swimming away from him. At one point he also heard a bull (sea lion) nearby but by the time he turned, it was gone. Apparently he had gotten close enough to the sea lion and it let him know.

If you haven't snorkeled before don't worry. The various snorkeling activities that take place from the beaches are not hard. If you get tired, you can easily get back to an area where you can stand up and rest. I would stay away from the advanced snorkeling if you are a beginner. We have snorkeled quite a lot over the year, but I still consider myself to be a novice and was quite comfortable with the various snorkeling activities we did in the Galapagos.

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