Stellar Service and Safety, Disappointing Itinearary
Viking Jupiter Cruise Review to South America
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 106
17 Night South America & Chilean Fjords (Santiago To Buenos Aires)
Sail date: January 25, 2022
Ship: Viking Jupiter
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: 3000
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
This cruise itinerary was drastically changed. Instead of round Cape Horn and traveling to the Falklands, Uruguay, and Argentina; we went to Cape Horn and returned to Santiago. Viking made the decision about one week prior to the cruise setting sail. They gave everyone the option to cancel which most people did. Unfortunately, we were already in Chile doing a private pre-cruise excursion when the emailed itinerary change arrived. The trip went from 4 countries to 1 with only 3 port stops outside of embarkation/debarkation. If at home, we would have cancelled. The silver lining was very few passengers on board (123 out of 930 with 450 crew). Kudos to Viking for continuing to run the cruise despite losing revenue to do so. Also, kudos to Viking for their safety protocols. After the first day of quarantine on board the ship, I don't believe there were any additional positive Covid cases. Viking kept us in a bubble which means we were not allowed to visit towns independently, eat outside of a Viking excursion, or shop. This was another disappointment, but it kept all of us healthy. We saw other cruise lines pull into ports and not be allowed to dock because they had so many Covid cases on board. Those passengers were stranded on the ships with nowhere to go. They lingered at anchor for I don't know how many days awaiting to pass quarantine. At present, Viking is the only cruise line still sailing in South America due to all the government restrictions. Despite the disappointing itinerary, Viking did a marvelous job making our sea days interesting and informative.Embarkation
There were some issues the border/port authority regarding our paperwork, and the Viking staff was there immediately with several staff that assisted in sorting out the issue. When we then progressed to the Viking check in area, it seemed that many staff were learning at the same time how to process the paperwork. This was fine as we were the first to embark. However, we had completed paperwork and uploaded documents in order to expedite the check in process. All of this was ignored and check in progressed as if none of this had been done. This added 5-10 minutes to the check in process. Again since we were first, this was fine, but if we had been waiting in line, this pace of this process would be very frustrating.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
All of the restaurants had high quality fresh food and unparalleled service. We ate in Manfredi's four times and The Chef's Table 6 times (each time the menu changed). The other evenings we ate in The Restaurant. For lunch and breakfast we rotated between The World Buffet, The Pool Grill, and Mamsen's. Each venue had something different and special to offer. My only suggestion would be for Manfredi's to have more variety in the menu from day to day.
Onboard Activities
Viking provided four different speakers who are specialists in a variety of subject areas. We had a historian, a wildlife biologist, a former CIA agent, and someone retired from NASA. The quality and variety of the lectures was wonderful. Viking also providing twice daily watercolor lessons/activities which I enjoyed. We enjoyed and participated in the daily tea twice. We have done this on previous Viking Cruises. I think the variety and quality of the sandwiches is not quite as good as on former cruises. The Cruise Director also organized both crew and passenger talent shows, three varieties of dance lessons, (line, jazz, and tango), and a really fun version of Top Chef using teams of crew and passengers teaming together. The cruise director and the crew did a marvelous job giving us choices and keeping us busy with a cruise that involved far more sea days and fewer ports than anticipated.
Entertainment
We only went to one stage show: tango dancers from Buenos Aires who were outstanding. They later even volunteered to teach passengers which was beyond their contract. The musicians that played in the common areas were always wonderful and responsive to their audience. Unfortunately for them, because of the small number of passengers (only 123 our of 930), they were often playing to only a few individuals. This did not seem to effect their efforts or quality.
Service and Staff
With 450 staff to 123 passengers, we were well attended to! The staff consistently wore their masks and made every effort to please the passengers. Our cabin steward was always asking us if we needed anything special and how he could make us happy. He was able to get my husband's watch band repaired, and a hole in his pants repaired by ship's tailors. One waiter noticed that I preferred a specific wine and made it available to me regardless of which restaurant we were eating in. Another waiter noticed that I am left handed and placed my silverware on the serving plates on the left. I am a vegetarian and had registered as such. Each evening I was provided a menu for the restaurant where we had reservations the next night. I was able to pre-choose my menu and make modifications and requests.
Ship Quality
I don't think it is possible to have a cleaner ship. We often watched the staff cleaning vents, nooks and cranies, railings, table legs and pedestals that had no obvious dirt. The design of the ship makes it feel very open and focuses on the outside environment on the bow. There are many areas available to socialize and play games or enjoy beverages or exercise.
Cabin / Stateroom
Our cabin was upgraded from a smaller suite on the bow to a larger suite (4121) on the stern. We have been in both and both are superior. The suite in the bow has more inside space with a nice dining table which is large enough to have another couple to dinner. It has a single side balcony which is a bit larger than standard rooms. The suite in the stern has a smaller inside table but a much larger balcony more like a small deck. We really enjoyed the balcony on sunny days, but it was difficult to have another couple join us for dinner as we had planned pre-cruise. The cabin like everything else was super clean. The cabin steward stressed when there was bad weather and he was unable to clean our balcony. The bathroom is large and includes both a shower and a tub with a view and a TV. The closet is a walkin closet, but the closet in the upgraded suite is smaller than the one in the bow. Either way, there was plenty of space to unpack and have all clothing and shoes stored.
Ship tip
The cake's at Mamsen's are the best dessert on the ship.
Thumbs up
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Ports of call
Valparaiso is not an attractive port. The pretty buildings have been obscured by large modern buildings that do not fit with the original character. Like many places in Chile graffiti is a problem and makes the city look dirty. The Funk Museum has a really nice small wing dedicated to Rapa Nui (Easter Island). The upstairs of the museum is about flora and fauna and is outdated and in poor shape. Vina del Mar which is billed as the nicer area of Valparaiso is not much nicer. Santiago is over an hour away from this port.
This is an industrial port. There didn't seem to be much to see in the town. We went to the Falls which are small but pretty in color and had lunch in another town about 45 minutes from port. This town was on a lake and obviously a local tourist destination. It was a mix of quaint and tacky.
We were abler to visit the Amalia Glacier and another even more beautiful glacier that was not on the itinerary, The Hyatt. Both were awesome and different from each other.
The town itself is again industrial. We spent no time in the town but loved our excursion to see the penguins and sea lions! We also kayaked in the Straights of Magellan and saw Peale's dolphins. However, we were told that dolphin sighings so close to shore are unusual.
We got extremely lucky with the weather and were able to see Cape Horn and the memorial statue on the island. We were told this is a very rare occurrence with it normally being enshrouded in clouds. The cruise director made it a very special event with a passenger choir performance, poem readings about the area, and a champagne toast. We also all received nice certificates for rounding The Horn.
Disembarkation
Well planned, on time, and great support helping us locate our independent connection.