Flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia on Dec 5 and from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires on Dec 16 are included in your fare. HOWEVER, if you’d prefer to fly directly into Ushuaia, you certainly can. Many guests have expressed to us that they’d rather go directly to Ushuaia and enjoy all Tierra del Fuego has to offer. Please note that no credit will be issued if the included BA-to-Ushuaia or Ushuaia-to-BA flights go unused.

If flying into Buenos Aires, the airport you’ll fly into is EZE (Ezeiza International Airport).

If flying into Ushuaia, you’ll fly into USH (Malvinas Argentinas International Airport).

NOVEMBER 13 UPDATE: Here are the details regarding our group flights…

DEC 5 – Flybondi Flight FO5998 Departs EZE @ 6am / Arrives USH @ 9:40am
DEC 16 – Flybondi Flight FO5999 Departs USH @ 10:30am / Arrives EZE @ 2:15pm

To avoid exorbitant mobile service charges while at sea, we recommend turning your phone to Airplane Mode when we’re not docked. If you don’t, you’ll automatically connect to “Cellular At Sea,” which has truly astounding per-MB rates for data/calls. Even if you’re not actively searching the web, most phones automatically download emails and refresh webpages in the background, and that could easily escalate to hundreds or even thousands of dollars in extra mobile charges from your provider.

The currency of Argentina is the Argentine Peso and it’s a wild ride of a currency.* Although we’ve quoted today’s official rate (as of September 10, 2023), it’s almost irrelevant to quote ANY exchange rate since it fluctuates so wildly.

The Argentine Peso (ARS) exchanges as follows:

1 USD = 350 Argentine Pesos

1 Argentine Peso = 0.002 USD

American Express, MasterCard, and Visa are widely accepted. You’ll find that ATMs are readily available at the airport and a few in the city centers.

*Although there’s an official exchange rate in Argentina, you’ll want to take advantage of Argentina’s “Blue Rate.” As of September 10, 2023, that rate is 720 pesos per 1 USD (over double the value of the official rate). There are a couple ways to get the “Blue Rate”:

• You can exchange USD for Blue Rate Pesos with Buenos Aires’ black market currency exchanges. The larger the US bill, the higher rate you’ll get, but it’s always negotiable. When walking around BA, you’ll hear people saying “Cambio? Cambio?” as you walk by. These are your entry point into this slightly shady underworld. But, if you have your wits about you, you’ll come out well. There’s no easy way to say this, but each and every black market exchanger is trying to cheat you. They’ve mastered the art of slight-of-hand and they’ve come up with countless tricks to give you less than their street “sellers” have promised. As an example, any exchange will involve potentially hundreds of peso bills (usually in the amount of 500 pesos). So if you exchange a $100 US bill at an agreed upon 720 pesos per dollar, you’d expect to get 144 of the 500-peso bills. That’s a lot of bills and the exchangers know this. So, they run a stack of bills through the cleverly-positioned counters on their desk. As they run the bills through, they’re grabbing individual bills from the counter as they pass through. You can’t see them doing this, but they are. So the ONLY way to counter their misdeeds is to physically count the bills they hand you. They’ll become exceedingly annoyed at the fact you’re doing this and say, “I just counted them for you,” but it’s essential you count them manually to ensure they’ve given you the correct amount. What should have been 144 bills, might actually be 120 bills. They’re that good at siphoning off the bills. Of course they’re counting on the fact that you’ve now seen them count it with the machine AND they’ve just handed you an insanely large stack of money. That’s good enough, right? They’re hoping you say, “yes.” But trust us on this one… count the bills yourself by hand right there in front of them and then demand they make up the difference. This can feel a little scary, to be sure, but it’s your right. If they refuse after being “caught,” just walk out and don’t look back. And of course, don’t give them your USD until you’ve gotten your pesos.

• Now, if you’d rather not mess with that, you have an actual safe way to take advantage of the Blue Rate, but it requires you to use a VISA-branded credit card for your purchases. The Argentinian government has officially partnered with VISA to offer tourists the Blue Rate when making purchases on their VISA card within Argentina. This does not apply to American Express or any other credit card companies; VISA has an exclusive deal. To better understand how valuable that Blue Rate is, you could walk into a store and purchase the exact same item twice – once with your American Express and once with your VISA. If the item costs 100,000 pesos, on your American Express, it’ll cost you $285 USD. On your VISA, it’ll cost you $138 USD. See? A TRULY wild ride.

Pro Tip: If you purchase anything at the Duty Free Stores at the Argentine airports, ask to pay in Argentinian Pesos and then use your VISA credit card. The prices in the store are quoted in USD. If you pay in USD, you pay the ticket price. But if you ask to pay in pesos and then use your VISA, you’ll literally pay half. It’s absolutely crazy. One simple request, “Please charge this purchase in pesos” will save you 50%.

Craziness abounds in the world of Argentina’s currency and everything could be different by the time you visit, but keeping these smart tips in mind can make for a VERY lucrative experience with shopping, hotels, dining, etc.

Our Welcome Meetup will take place at Michelangelo Legend, a Buenos Aires icon, located at Balcarce 433 in the San Telmo neighborhood. Argentinian wines, courtesy of Visit Buenos Aires and the Argentina LGBTQ Chamber of Commerce, will be featured.  

What’s made Michelangelo Legend so iconic is that it’s one of Argentina’s major Tango houses. And if you’ve never experienced a Tango Show, it’s a must! As part of our partnership with CCGLAR, Michelangelo Legend is offering all Vacayans who’d like to attend the 7:30pm Tango Show and Dinner, a 30% discount on their tickets. 

To book the dinner show, simply email info@michelangelo.web and let them know you’re with VACAYA and you’d like to book the 7:30pm dinner show for the evening of December 4. They’ll take great care of you!

Included in your fare is a flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia on December 5. Here are the flight details:

Flybondi Flight #FO5998, leaving EZE Airport Terminal A at 6:00am, arriving at USH Airport at 9:40am. 

We recommend checking in by 4:45am at the very latest. Uber or taxis are your best bets from the city center.

Seats on this commercial charter flight have been assigned, keeping roommates together. Once all Vacayans have boarded, if there are open seats around you, feel free to shift.

When we arrive in Ushuaia, collect your luggage from the carousel, place your luggage tags (which you’ll receive on the flight down) on your bag(s), and then hand it over to the Atlas staff. Your luggage will go directly to the ship while you will go on tour.

Our tour starts with a 10-mile drive across the valley and the River Pipo. Then, we’ll arrive at Tierra del Fuego National Park: a 150,000-acre park that extends from the Beagle Channel in the south along the Chilean border to Lago Fagnano in the north.

The forests here contain thousands of stories, from the first natives of the Beagle Channel to the first economic activities that were carried out in this region with the installation of sawmills and mining camps. National Route 3 will take us to the most marvellous panoramic views of Lapataia Bay, Acigami Lake, and Zaratiegui´s Cove, where nature will take your breath away. Welcome to the End of the World! A boxed lunch, consisting of a chicken or veggie sandwich, fruit, and water will be served mid-tour. Around 2:40pm, our tour busses will begin making their way to World Navigator. Please have your passport and credit card (for incidentals) readily available for a speedy check-in.

World Navigator will be docked at Prefectura Naval Argentina St, 470 – Ushuaia. All aboard is 5:30pm and we set sail at 6pm sharp.

NOVEMBER 20 LUGGAGE UPDATE

Let’s start with this… there’s a reason we (Atlas and VACAYA) can’t give you a definitive answer on the excess baggage allowance and we’ll explain below.

The Basics
Every guest is guaranteed one checked piece of luggage weighing up to 23kg (50lbs). In addition, you can bring one carry-on bag weighing up to 10kg (22lbs) and a personal item (like a purse or computer bag). There is no charge for checking any bags.

The Details
When you travel to the bottom of the earth, many of the ship’s provisions must be flown in. On our flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, some of the provisions for our cruise (food, alcohol, supplies, etc.) will also be onboard the flight. While you go on tour in Tierra del Fuego, those provisions will be loaded onto the ship. The final weight of those various provisions has not yet been calculated and won’t be known until just before the flight.

However, in the overall weight calculations for cargo, 23kg per passenger in the hold has been guaranteed for up to 180 guests. It looks like we’ll be sailing with 168 people, which leaves us under our guaranteed luggage weight by 276kg (or 607lbs). That means, without doing any more complicated math, the airline will be able to handle 12 additional bags up to 23kg. Let’s say that everyone checks a first bag that weighs 48lbs instead of 50lbs. Those 2lbs multiplied by 168 guests puts us an additional 336lbs under our restricted weight guarantee, which would allow for more second bags to be checked. A third calculation revolves around the weight of the provisions… if they come in under their guaranteed weight, that opens up more room for additional checked bags, but there’s no guarantee the provisions will be under. If they’re over their allotted weight, that cuts in to the number of additional bags that can be checked.

So, in summary, while Flybondi will be able to take some additional second bags, they won’t be able to take a second bag from everyone. At some point, once the maximum weight has been reached (factoring out all the guaranteed 23kg spots for guests who haven’t yet checked in for the flight), they will cut off the luggage check of second bags. Meaning, if you have two checked bags and get caught on the wrong side of that checked baggage cut-off, your second bag will be denied. This is complicated immeasurably by the fact that EZE Terminal A does not have a large luggage storage facility (there’s one, MyPodCapsule.com, but their storage facilities for large bags is small, only allowing for 11 large bags in total and the cost to store bags there is an exorbitant $25 per day).

Our Recommendation
Do your absolute best to pack wisely and keep your one checked bag at 23kg or less. Yes, we recognize that can be tough, but expedition travel isn’t like your typical vacation – don’t worry about “options” for shirts or pants or undies. No one will judge you if you wear the same shirt multiple times. With expedition travel, sometimes you have to make difficult choices, and here lies one of your challenges. You’ll likely want to consider wearing heavier objects on the flight (boots and heavy coats, if you’re bringing them) instead of packing them in your checked bag. That’ll help. We also recommend taking advantage of the ship’s laundry services (pack for 7 days but do laundry at the mid-point of our journey).

If you’re attempting to check a second bag (which could be denied), we recommend packing it extremely carefully with items that are NOT essential. If you end up not being able to check it, you don’t want to lose important items (or be faced with a complete re-pack of your items at 4:30 in the morning as you scramble to store your second bag, hoping storage space is still available to you; that is extremely stressful.)

If you’re spending time in Buenos Aires after the cruise, you might want to consider arranging storage of your second bag with non-essential items with your post-cruise hotel. That’s a guaranteed winner of a solution: not bringing a second bag to the airport and not being disappointed and left scrambling the morning of our flight.

We have faith in all of you that you can handle this challenge. We’ve attempted to lay this complicated bit of logistics out as succinctly and transparently as possible. If you have any questions on this topic beyond what we’ve laid out here, we’ll do our best to answer them, but please note, there’s simply no way for us to guarantee you’ll get a second bag onboard the flight.

Food Onboard Our Flight
Complimentary food will be available on our flight. The meal consists of a Ham & Cheese or Veggie Sandwich, a salty or sweet snack, and soft drinks, coffee, and tea.

Included in your fare is a flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires on December 16. Here are the flight details:

Flybondi Flight #FO5999, leaving USH Airport at 10:30am, arriving at EZE Airport at 2:15pm. You can check an extra bag, but there’s a cost; we’re still waiting for that number.

Group transfers from World Navigator to USH Airport are included. Our transfer time and details will be discussed onboard World Navigator.

All emails to our Booked Guests are available here:

November 20, 2024 – Luggage Details

November 14, 2024 – Details for Dec 4 and 5

November 7, 2024 – 27 Days To Go! Join the Dec 4 Welcome Meetup Guest List

October 23, 2024 – 42 Days To Go! December 4 Welcome Meetup Details

September 17, 2024 – LAST CALL for Iguazú Falls Excursions

September 5, 2024 – Important Information Needed

July 4, 2024 – Post-Cruise Iguazú Falls Update – The Tour is CONFIRMED

July 1, 2024 – Post-Cruise Iguazú Falls Option

May 28, 2024 – Tours in Buenos Aires + Recommended Hotels + Flight Discounts

The TRUE stars of any journey to Antarctica are undoubtedly the members of our Expedition Team. We’ll introduce you to all of our naturalists, zoologists, botanists, and climatologists on Night 1, but we’re also thrilled to have some of our favorite star performers along for the journey, as well. 

To learn more about each, simply click on their photo.

Atlas has provided us with a perfect summary of everything you’ll need to know about your expedition to Antarctica, including:

• General Guidelines
• Safety Precautions
• Wildlife
• Pests
• Equipment/Clothing Decontamination
• Reducing Waste

Your daily treks on the continent are included. In addition, Atlas Ocean Voyages will offer several other opportunities to you – from kayaking to camping. Those extras can be purchased onboard.

You have pre-paid basic gratuities. However, if someone goes above and beyond for you, you are more than welcome to offer them a few dollars (or more if appropriate) as an extended note of appreciation and grace. Collectively, those small thank yous add up and can make all the difference in the lives of these hard-working crew members.

To visit Antarctica, all guests are required to complete a Health Declaration. You’ll want to print this out at home and carry it with you to South America. You’ll complete it within 12 hours of boarding World Navigator. You can download the questionnaire HERE. 

Please Note: there will also be forms available at the pier for those who cannot print it in advance.

Standard drinks are included for all guests. That’s house spirits, beer, select wines by the glass, sodas, juices, bottled waters, and specialty coffee drinks/teas.

Wines by the bottle are available for purchase from any of the bars or from your sommelier in the main restaurant.

Laundry services are available aboard World Navigator.

You’ll find laundry pricing, bags, and slips inside your stateroom. During your entire cruise, your room attendant will be available for laundry and ironing services, which will be completed within 48-72 hours.

Lost & Found is located at Reception on Deck 4 mid-ship. If you’re missing anything, be sure to check there first. And of course if you find anything, be sure to turn it into Reception so they can get it back to its owner with haste.

World Navigator has a medical center onboard, located on Deck 4 mid-ship. Basic care and limited emergency services are available. 

For each of our adventures together, VACAYA hosts an Official Facebook Group. This group is your chance to connect with other Antarctic cruisers before we meet each other in-person. You can join the group HERE.

The parties on our Luxe cruises are certainly more of the cocktail variety, but if you’d like to throw on a costume and dance, by all means… you do you. We’ll keep the themes super simple since most guests will be traveling from across the globe to get to Antarctica and this is a long trip, with specific (and varying) clothing requirements.

You can count on at least two themed nights:

THIS IS ME
Our signature Night 1 cocktail party brings all our guests together for the very first time. This is your chance to meet, mix, and mingle with fellow travelers. Wear a little somethin’ somethin’ to let us know where you’re from.

BATHROBE NIGHT
In one of our favorite VACAYA Luxe traditions, you’ll throw on your bathrobe (the one from your room) at 6pm and wear it all night long – to pre-dinner drinks, to dinner, to the show, and to our after-party! Bring accessories for your robe… people have been taking this night to the next level!

We’ve partnered with gay owned and operated Lunfarda Travel for your post-cruise tour needs in Buenos Aires, including an exclusive overnight excursion to the amazing Iguazú Falls. For more information and to book, go HERE. If you have any questions about any of the experiences, you can email the owner of Lunfarda Travel, Mariana, directly at mariana@lunfardatravel.com.

We’ve partnered with gay owned and operated Lunfarda Travel for all your pre-cruise tour needs, including an exclusive overnight excursion to the amazing Iguazú Falls. Go HERE to explore and book these fantastic adventures. And if you have any questions about any of the experiences, you can email the owner of Lunfarda Travel, Mariana, directly at mariana@lunfardatravel.com.

PLEASE NOTE THAT NO PRE- OR POST-CRUISE HOTEL IS INCLUDED IN YOUR FARE; these must be booked by each individual traveler/couple. 

We are now featuring an all-new way to book our recommended hotels in each of our host cities. For Buenos Aires or Ushuaia, our recommended pre-cruise and post-cruise hotels are:

• Buenos Aires: Faena Buenos Aires (luxury – superbly gay and infinitely Argentinian), Four Seasons Buenos Aires (luxury), InterContinental Buenos Aires (mid-level), and NH Collection Jousten (economy).
• Ushuaia: Arakur (luxury)

You can book our recommended hotels in Buenos Aires using THIS SPECIAL LINK.

You can book our recommended hotel in Ushuaia using THIS SPECIAL LINK.

By booking through our links, you are automatically identified as a VACAYA guest by each of our recommended hotels.

Your onboard magnetic card (we point out it’s magnetic to warn against placing it too close to your mobile phone, which could erase the information), which will be handed to you upon boarding is your room key. It’s also your onboard charge card and you’ll be asked for it to make onboard purchases. Whenever you leave the ship or re-board it in our ports of call, you’ll show your card to Security when leaving/returning.

When you board, you’ll want to register a credit card with Reception to cover any onboard purchases. You’ll receive a final invoice in your room on the last evening of your cruise. Assuming all of the charges are correct (and if not, be sure to speak with Reception), your card on file with Atlas will be automatically charged the morning of disembarkation. If you’d prefer to pay cash to close out your account, you will need to do that on our last night before they charge your card the following morning.

ALL GUESTS ARE NOW WELCOME, REGARDLESS OF THEIR COVID-19 VACCINATION STATUS. NO PRE-CRUISE TESTING IS REQUIRED. 

Check your Daily Program for the location of World Navigator’s designated smoking section. 

And of course NEVER throw cigarette butts overboard. They can easily get sucked into the ship’s ventilation system and cause a fire.

The Spa’s beauticians and massage therapists are at your service on Deck 4 and offer a wide range of treatments that can be booked once onboard. The Spa is typically open 9am to 8pm, but that could change slightly depending on our time ashore. Check your Daily Program (delivered to your stateroom each night with the following day’s schedule) for exact times.

World Navigator’s Fitness Center, also on Deck 4, is open 24 hours a day and contains several cardio machines and free weights for your use. 

VACAYA is all about connections. To help strengthen the bonds between our guests, we’re creating a “This Is Me” Community Board where pictures and fun facts of each of our guests will be featured. We’re hoping this new board will be a welcome addition to your VACAYA Luxe experience.

While participation is certainly not compulsory, we hope each of you will choose to join us. If you’d like to be included, please send the following to us prior to Friday, November 8, 2024:

• The trip you’re traveling on
• A Photo of you as an Individual or as a Couple (the orientation of the pics will be portrait, so think about that as you choose the best pic). Be sure the photo you choose is a clear face pic and no larger than 5MB.
• Your Name (or Names if a couple. Please indicate who’s who in the pic.)
• Your Hometown
• Your Relationship Status
• Occupation
• Family Info (children, pets, etc.)
• Interest/Hobbies
• Social Media Handle

You can send your photo and the above information to V Team Member Jen at jen@myvacaya.com. Simply click on that pink link to connect with Jen.

Please note that we won’t be able to add anyone to the board after the deadline. Shortly after November 8, 2024, the information we’ve received will be laid out by a graphic designer and the boards completed. Also, each This Is Me board is independent from past boards. So even if you’ve sent in your information for a past cruise, it won’t carry forward to this one. So, you’ll need to send it in again.

This Community Board will be posted in the ship’s Lobby on Deck 4.

Here is an example of what your entry will look like on the board:

Atlas Ocean Voyages’ ships have a state-of-the-art sewage treatment plant onboard, which helps preserve the pristine waters through which we sail. To assure it can properly do its job, we need your full cooperation.

• Only use the biodegradable toilet tissue provided.
• Do not flush facial tissues, sanitary wipes, feminine hygiene products, condoms, cigarettes (you shouldn’t be smoking in your bathroom anyway), or any other materials, as they can affect the entire system and may cause embarrassing backups in your room AND in your neighbors’ rooms.
• Keep the toilet lid closed when not in use, and be careful not to drop towels, wash cloths, or personal grooming articles (including floss and Q-tips) into the toilet while flushing.

In today’s ever-shifting world, it’s imperative to protect your hard-earned vacation dollars. You can do that by insuring your investment. VACAYA partners with Travel Guard.

If you ever need to make an adjustment to your Travel Guard policy (for example, if your travel dates have shifted or you’ve added to your travel plans beyond our cruise), you can submit a policy modification request via Travel Guard’s online modification form. Modification requests must be submitted prior to your travel dates. Through this form, you can also change or add any pre- or post-cruise travel days or add additional trip costs (flights, hotel, etc.). Adding coverage for other items beyond your cruise (if that’s all that was covered in your original policy) may incur additional premium costs.

If you have questions, we encourage you to visit Travel Guard’s Resource Center, where you’ll find answers to many frequently asked questions. You can also speak with a licensed Travel Guard insurance agent by calling 800.826.5248.

A NOTE ABOUT TRIP INTERRUPTION INSURANCE
If you’ve not purchased trip interruption insurance (that helps defray costs of hotel accommodations in case of a positive test result at the end of the trip), there’s still time to add it to your existing policy or originate a policy with most travel insurance carriers. Although we can’t consult on insurance, we are pointing out that these policies offer peace of mind for a reasonable price.

Warm (to hot) in Buenos Aires. Chilly in Ushuaia. Cold in Antarctica. 

Unlimited complimentary Starlink WiFi on one device. Please note that there may be times when satellite coverage drops entirely (this happens at the bottom of the world). So, we ask for your understanding when/if this occurs.

Thanks to everyone who attended our November 10 Zoom Meetup. Great questions all around. For those who missed it, you can view/download the recording of the Meetup HERE.