jmlh

Another vote for Many Peclat. He speaks perfect English ( part of his education was in the U.S.) and delivers a very thorough tour. A very good day.

The Falkland Islands was our favorite stop on our South America cruise. We toured with Patrick Watts and had an extremely interesting day! Stanley had been on my bucket list for some time and I was not disappointed. I hope that others will also have the same opportunity!!

Peelboy, many thanks for your Hong Kong recommendations. We plan to visit post cruise for 3 nights/4 days at the end of February 2016.

Your idea of a walk from the Peak is very interesting. Approximately how long would this take? Also, you mention floating restaurants. Is that where we should have dinner or lunch? If so, should reservations be made?

Cheung Chau Island was on our list of 'to sees'. Is it easily walkable?

We are staying at the Renaissance in Wan Chai. Any other touring or restaurant suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Jan

I would also highly recommend tours provide by Dennis Purtov ( http://www.puertomontt-excursions.com) A large Holland America group that I was with in Dec. 2014 used him for a private tour and we were all very satisfied.

Another vote for Dennis Purtov. We toured with him in February 2014 and had an excellent day.

Jan

Thanks everyone for the excellent advice. We will be in Bali and thought it would be nice to relax at a beach front hotel for the night.

We did overnight in Bali (Was an excellent idea!!). We informed Guest Relations & gave them our contact number. They thanked us for keeping them informed.

In Montevideo we did a wine tour with Ryan Hamilton (http://www.thewine-experience.com) (ryan@thewine-experience.com). Was a very relaxing day that we really enjoyed.

In Sao Paulo we toured with Around SP (http://www.aroundsp.com) or(info@aroundsp.com). We were just discussing this tour yesterday and the fact that we were really glad that we had visited this city. This tour was not inexpensive but the guide we had was excellent. We did an overnight here before we went to Rio (we arrived by plane, not ship).

Sounds like you have a great cruise coming up.

We are doing an overnight during our November cruise. We will be doing a guided tour, so I asked the tour company for opinions on the various hotels that appealed to me from Trip Advisor. They suggested the Silom or (where we will book) the Eastin Grand Sathorn. Prices for the Eastin Grand Sathorn are about USD 125

Thanks for your input. I did find a good price for the Eastin Grand Sathorn & so booked it. Although we did want to stay on the river, the hotels were much more expensive and of course we will be spending time on the river during the day. Transportation to/from this hotel appears to be very good.

Does your tour company pick you up from the ship or will you use ship transportation to get into Bangkok?

Really appreciate all your responses as we are continuing to look. It appears that the river is a great location. However, price is a factor as we do not want to go over $200 Canadian as this is an extra night.

Thanks for all your responses. It is always great to hear from others who have experienced a city and... we do not want to make a mistake in hotel location. The Sheraton does look nice - will have to keep an eye on prices.

On our cruise next February, we are considering taking the Celebrity transportation in/out of Bangkok and doing an overnight on our own. For those who have done this previously, where would you stay? We are looking at the Eastin Grand Sathorn (Silom-Sathorn), The Renaissance (Siam Square-Ratchaprasong) and Casa Nithra (Old Town - Khao San). The first two have access to the BTS but the old town location is in close proximity to places we want to visit such as the Grand Palace. In addition, we would like to do an evening dinner cruise. Obviously our time will be limited so we want to utilize it appropriately.

We are just in the initial planning stages so all information & suggestions gratefully accepted!!

I would agree with the above post. Last year, DH & I spent a couple of days in Rio and really enjoyed the experience. Wonderful restaurants, beautiful beaches and exceptional scenery.

After leaving Rio, we flew to Iguazu Falls (which one should not miss) and then to Buenos Aires. While we had an enjoyable time in Buenos Aires, I must say that I preferred Rio. However, whichever city you choose you will have a great time!!

I think we will overnight in Bangkok. Does anyone have any recommendations for hotels? Would you recommend touring on our own or hiring a guide?

From Valparaiso we used Mario Gahona (mrgahona@gmail.com). Had a good day visiting very nice wineries in a very scenic part of the world. Mario was very easy to work with & we enjoyed the day.

I would also go with the cruise that stops at the Falklands. The excursion with Patrick Watts was incredible - perhaps our best ever! However, there is no guarantee that you will stop there due to weather considerations.

DH & I did Rio pre-cruise this last winter and really enjoyed our time there. We made very good use of time by hiring a driver/guide for one day and were incredibly fortunate that it was a sunny and clear day (amazing for going to see the Christ statue).

Iguazu Falls was also a highlight for us. If you can work it into your plans it is very worthwhile.

Thanks so much for your responses. I think that a lot of research will be required for this holiday and the more information I receive the better the plan will be.

I am thinking 4 nights & 3 full days. Is this about right?

bcvncanada,

DH & I are planning to go to Siem Reap pre cruise from Singapore so were happy to read your report. Would you share the name of your hotel? How far in advance did you book the Silk Air tickets? Do you feel it is necessary to book a driver in advance or just rely on the hotel? In your opinion, which sites are not to be missed?

Thanks for any and all information.

Many thanks for an excellent review. We are booked for September 2016 and are very much looking forward to this adventure!

We also did Iguazu on our own this past February. We booked our own flights - first from Rio to Iguazu on the Brazilian side. Here a driver from our B & B picked us and took us to the B & B on the Argentinian side. The same driver even drove us to dinner & returned us!

The next morning our same driver took us to the falls on the Argentine side and picked us up at the Sheraton at a predetermined time. We had a wonderful day hiking the trails at our own pace. The falls are just spectacular!!

The following morning the driver picked up ourselves (& our luggage) and drove us back to the Brazil side where we visited the Bird Park (highly recommended) and then we did the Brazil side of the falls. Wonderful.

We were then driven back to the airport in Argentina to catch our plane to Buenos Aires where we began our cruise.

Enjoy!! This was one of the highlights of our entire South America holiday.

Thanks to all for passing on your personal experiences. It is so helpful to read reviews and hear from you who have completed this adventure!

Jan

Thanks for your responses. It appears that November may be the best choice for us. Lots of planning ahead!

Jan

We are in the initial stages of planning a trip to Machu Picchu and are wondering which month is the best to visit weather and crowd wise. We may also combine this holiday with a cruise in the Galapagos but we understand that there is really no bad time to do this!

Thanks in advance for any insight from those of you who have completed this holiday.

Jan

Thanks so much for all the information you have provided. It is much appreciated! We are not going in 2014 but hopefully in 2015 so lots of time for planning.

Jan

hallasm,

Thanks so much for your review. We are planning a trip to the Galapagos & November works for us. It appears that you had good weather and saw lots of animals. We are also planning on booking on Celebrity. Would be interested in knowing which sites you visited after you left the ship.

Jan

We are going to book but would like advice on which month/itinerary is best. Considering doing the tour that includes Machu Picchu.

We have a 1 pm flight so should be fine if we walk off the ship with our luggage. My question to those of you with experience at this port is are there always taxis available or should we book a car/shuttle? If we book in advance, which company do you recommend?