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Back in 2019 we booked a cruise to visit Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands to sail from Ushuaia in February 2021. In mid 2020 we moved it to January 2022 and we then moved the booking to the January 2023 departure when that was released since it seemed that we would be unlikely to be able to leave Australia by January 2022. Even though the borders have now opened this week some of the Antarctica cruise companies have cancelled the 2022/2023 season while several companies are operating this season with restrictions like having to travel on charter flights from MIA to USH and not spend any time away from the passenger group so being unable to spend time in places like Buenos Aires and Ushuaia before or after the cruise, and several other companies are planning to run cruises from Chile. This is not how we would like to travel.
We are booked with G Adventures and they have not released their 2023/2024 itineraries yet. We are still trying to decide whether to move our booking to early 2024 or keep our January 2023 booking. Everything is still so unknown on how travel will go in Argentina and Chile in the coming year, although the situation will hopefully improve over the next 14 months. Even when the new itineraries are released I think we'll wait and see how travel goes in South America in the next few months before making a decision.
Before Covid shut everything down we were planning to book to fly SYD-AKL-EZE with NZ rather than through SCL with QF or LA since I thought that would save a transit through Chile. We would like to book in J but before Covid I wasn't seeing many J Classic Rewards released for SYD-SCL with QF or LA using QFF points so realise that we are likeley to have to purchase J seats. I have plenty of points in Amex Ascent Premium that could be used to transfer to SQ if I thought that there could be a chance to book Star Alliance airlines but don't know if award flights would be released for travel to EZE or SCL.
I've been thinking that while in South America in January/February we could fly to Europe after the Antarctica cruise to visit Switzerland in Winter. I would be interested if anyone has any idea of how much more a ticket flying say SYD-EZE-ZRH-SYD in J would have cost, whether as a multi city or RTW, before Covid compared with just booking SYD to EZE return, whether through SCL or AKL, with any airline or airline alliance. We will also have to fly AEP or EZE to USH so hopefully we may be able to include those flights on the same ticket. Of course we have no idea yet how ticket prices are likely to be over the next couple of years compared with 2019 and earlier, and I would think probably higher than before.
We are booked with G Adventures and they have not released their 2023/2024 itineraries yet. We are still trying to decide whether to move our booking to early 2024 or keep our January 2023 booking. Everything is still so unknown on how travel will go in Argentina and Chile in the coming year, although the situation will hopefully improve over the next 14 months. Even when the new itineraries are released I think we'll wait and see how travel goes in South America in the next few months before making a decision.
Before Covid shut everything down we were planning to book to fly SYD-AKL-EZE with NZ rather than through SCL with QF or LA since I thought that would save a transit through Chile. We would like to book in J but before Covid I wasn't seeing many J Classic Rewards released for SYD-SCL with QF or LA using QFF points so realise that we are likeley to have to purchase J seats. I have plenty of points in Amex Ascent Premium that could be used to transfer to SQ if I thought that there could be a chance to book Star Alliance airlines but don't know if award flights would be released for travel to EZE or SCL.
I've been thinking that while in South America in January/February we could fly to Europe after the Antarctica cruise to visit Switzerland in Winter. I would be interested if anyone has any idea of how much more a ticket flying say SYD-EZE-ZRH-SYD in J would have cost, whether as a multi city or RTW, before Covid compared with just booking SYD to EZE return, whether through SCL or AKL, with any airline or airline alliance. We will also have to fly AEP or EZE to USH so hopefully we may be able to include those flights on the same ticket. Of course we have no idea yet how ticket prices are likely to be over the next couple of years compared with 2019 and earlier, and I would think probably higher than before.