marazul

Any recent updates on Ephesus Shuttle? They are also among the lowest priced in the group. Anyone has used them in Istanbul recently? They also offer tours there.

Thanks.

My coupon is taken. Sorry to disappoint a couple of other cruisers.

Thank you all for the offers of coupons. I am being sent one from the USA. Now I need to find out exactly what I do with it!! Karri Bay

Karri,

usually, the easiest thing is for the coupon holder to send it in to SB with your name and booking number. You can then email SB in about a week to make sure they received it. You will get a card in your suite confirming your credit. No need for the coupon holder to mail it to you and for you to mail it back.

BTW, this also benefits the coupon holder in case the recipient decides not to mail it in if his/her plans change. It happens.

Haven't heard from dganett. Maybe he got a referral coupon. If so, I still have one available. Just write to marazul167@gmail.com

of course, our email is dgannett@yahoo.com

 

Thanks,

 

--Dave and Nancy

I just sent you an email, but was blocked by yahoo. If you are still interested, send me a note at marazul167@gmail.com

All's well then.

Happy and healthy travels!

Patti,

I am not saying it is ok for everybody. Just look at my statement: "only your individual health is important" blanket statements about age cutoff are not helpful. The point is if you had walked into the clinic at age 59, they would give you a vaccine, if you walk in a little later, they say you cannot get it because you are over 60. There is no "magic" medical reason for that.

It is also interesting to see that posters such as t60 who lives in Spain did not encounter blanket rules about age. She said "age did not come into it." Could it be because of less likelihood of legal liability? Sometimes it is easier for a clinic that doesn't know you and does not have the facilities to go through an extensive medical history or is afraid the client will not provide a complete medical history to say "you don't have to have it because you are over 60." That's understandable, but you will have to decide whether to go on the trip at all with only a waiver.

The best action is what you probably did, go to your own doctor and ask: "I am traveling to a YF affected area and want to be protected, is there any medical reason why I should not have the YF vaccine?" Side effects are also to be discussed with your doctor. He knows your history and will give you an opinion on how likely you might be to get the side effects based on other vaccinations, illnesses, etc. It all goes back to your individual health, not your age.

There is no magic cut off about turning 60 (or being 60++). It does not give you immunity to YF or makes you allergic to the vaccine! If you had no conditions at age 59 that prevent you from getting it, go ahead and get the vaccine. The 60 cutoff is "old" style medical thinking. No valid reason for it, only your individual health is important.

If you are over 60 and have no contraindication for getting the vaccine, insist on getting it. You will be protected for the next 10 years. Even if you are not going to a high risk area now, you might in the future (Amazon cruise?)

There are two reasons to get the vaccine:

1. To protect yourself from a deadly disease - it doesn't matter whether the country affected requires it for entry or not! It's up to you to protect yourself. The waiver does not protect you. If you cannot have the vaccine don't go to affected areas.

2. For a country to protect its citizens - they can require the vaccine for people who have been to affected countries. So if you have been anywhere in an affected country, you can be denied entry to a second country that requires it for entry. The waiver will allow you entry, but you could have been infected if you went to an affected area!

We sure got off track.

According to the website, there is a 7 am mass in Ollantaytambo. You would have to check out early from your hotel. The driver can wait for you (or go in like a good boy) and then drive you the 5 minutes to the train. I guess it depends on the train schedule.

Tambo del Inka is in Urubamba. And it looks as if church is 8-10 blocks away. Play it by ear. The Easter schedules are not on the website yet. Also, the town of Yucay is very close to Urubamba (a mile or two), that could work too.

Check google maps for both Ollantaytambo and Urubamba. They show the location of the churches, train station, hotel, etc.

I am sure the Princess mosquitoes are the same trained to read the waivers so they don't bite those passengers.

The only problem we are facing is that we will be in MP on Easter Sunday and no opportunity to go to Mass. If you have any suggestions they would be greatly appreciated.

Terri

No shortage of churches around. Would suggest Saturday night mass in Urubamba or Ollantaytambo depending which one is closer to the hotel. They probably have early masses if you don't want to stay up for the vigil. Have the hotel call you a taxi that will pick you up. Too bad you are not in Cusco Saturday night because the cathedral would be magnificent for Easter vigil.

If it works with your schedule, another alternative would be early Easter Sunday mass in Ollantaytambo before you get on the train to MP.

Just found the site for the archdiocese of Cusco and here are all the churches:

http://www.arzobispadodelcusco.org/parroquias.php?idioma=1&idpaquete=3&idsubmenu=6

Click on the "Provincia" menu and pick Urubamba, "Distrito" could be Urubamba or Ollantaytambo. Each church has a button for "H. de Misas" (Horario). I am sure they will all have their Easter schedule posted closer to the date.

Good chance to practice your Spanish.

I know you are into textiles. How did you miss some of the great weavers there?? And the wood carvers are some of the best I have found worldwide-even better than the ones in Bali and Indonesia. I order between 400-500 2.5 feet high and 3.5 feet long full size Harley's from some expert woodcarvers outside Otavalo every year

 

Exquisitely detailed with all the handlebars, individual lights, kickstands, etc. I take some pre-orders with pictures for those who want a mantle piece that looks like THEIR bike. But even the "standard" ones are HUGE sellers at both the Laughlin River Run and Sturgis. I won't even tell you what I get for them but I pay $200 each for them in Ecuador for the standards and no more than $400 for the customs. What I make funds almost a years worth of "fun travel" in style even after shipping expenses, booth rental (which is pricey, particularly in Sturgis), help to sell the things (I'm too old to put up with the nonsense at Sturgis anymore), etc. etc.

I did see some wonderful weavers. And generally enjoyed the other market towns also. I was balancing the time for someone with one day there who might just be going to the stalls in the plaza and not much else. One of the friends we were traveling with is a textiles expert and docent at a museum and we saw some wonderful stuff in Ecuador and Peru. Brought back some lovely table runners and sweaters that she helped me pick out.

Love your idea of the Harley sculptures. Wow!

Terri - it does say something about ship excursion prices when you can do a better excursion with A&K for less than half the price! Double wow!

Happy new year and travels to both.

Greatam,

Since we are going to Machu Picchu on our own and not on the same days as HAL, we will be returning to Guayaquil in the afternoon. No opportunity for Quito.

Not knowing your itinerary this may be out of line. Why not fly back to Quito and rejoin the cruise at the next port? IMO, Otavalo is not worth the trip. The mountain areas around Quito are. Quito itself is more than worth a full day of sightseeing. Wonderful history and architecture in the old city.

There is a lot of wishful thinking on this board about YF requirements. Glad to see you are protecting yourself and covering all eventualities. And also going to MP on your own. You are doing it it right.

We have met most of the Seabourn Maitre'ds and all have been wonderful, and never ever looking for a tip, apart, sadly, from the one recently on Quest, who is not really up to the job, described accurately by Digtexas.

Did the SB maitre d' on the Quest look for a tip or was he just "not wonderful?"

As I said in my previous post, at this point Princess has not required the YF inoculation. If they do, we will get it.

It is not up to Princess to require it. It is up to Ecuador to decide who they let in and what are the conditions for entry. Don't rely on the cruise line's negligence in not giving you the right info. Play it smart. GET THE VACCINATION!

And this question has been done to death. Why isn't it a sticky? It is vital for the health and purse of the cruisers! You could get really sick or you could lose a lot of $ when denied entry to a country.

While I'm waiting out hurricane Irene, I figured I would look up a few more scary things. Look at the State Department's warnings about the Guayaquil taxis:

http://www.travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1106.html#crime

Click on "crime" and scroll down to "secuestro express" (kidnap express).

Here is a quote:

"Due to the seriousness of the taxi situation in Guayaquil, all personnel working for the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Ecuador have been prohibited from riding in taxis hailed off the street in Guayaquil, even yellow taxis. In addition, local buses, and other forms of public transportation are also expressly off-limits to U.S. diplomatic personnel in Guayaquil. As an alternative, employees have been told to use their personal vehicles or to call one of the vetted taxi services listed on the U.S. Consulate General’s website. "

Here is a link to the taxi services listed by the US Consulate in Guayaquil:

http://guayaquil.usconsulate.gov/media/pdf/taxi-services.pdf

And a few safety tips:

http://guayaquil.usconsulate.gov/media/pdf/taxi-services.pdf

Just what I need to hear. We are leaving our ship in Lima and rejoining 3 days later in Guayaquil and will need a driver to bring us from the airport to the ship with ideally a short tour first.

I didn't realize those were your plans. Just be glad you heard about it. BowieMeMe may be able to put you in touch with her guide. If not, make arrangements with the ship to be picked up. Another suggestion would be to call the main hotels and ask for a driver. There is a Hilton in the center of town. As Barbara said, the hotels might also recommend a tour guide who will pick you up.

The US Consulate's website might also have recommendations. Just do not pick up a cab at the airport. You might get an honest one, but why would you chance it.

[And Barbara, glad to see you are going to Easter Island!!!!!]

There is a new cruise port in Guayaquil, but my understanding is that the ships run a shuttle bus into town. The Malecon is quite nice and safe. So is the area around the Catherdral and Iguana Park (a couple of blocks from the Malecon). At the southern end of the Malecon, there is a market designed by Eiffel which is very interesting. However, DO NOT take a taxi!!! Your risk of getting robbed is extremely high. Look up the US Consulate website for full warnings on the taxi situation. Use the ship's transportation and you will be fine.

We visited friends in Guayaquil last year and they will not take taxis. They call them the "kidnap express."

And Guayaquil's weather report is: hot and muggy, always.

I wanted to let you know that I did go ahead and book the Santuary Lodge. But, I decided to spend the last night in Cuzco at a new hotel that is $120.0 with tax for a Deluxe room, breakfast, and airport drop-off included.

Good deal. You will really enjoy the Lodge and the savings in Cusco will balance out the expense.

Actually, booking direct right now is cheaper as it is about $900.00 ($825.00 plus tax). Was that about the same last year?

Sounds about right. We booked at that price and then lucked out with the Expedia offer that brought it down to just under $800 including the tax. IMO, you should book it and just be careful of the deadline to cancel without notice. We would have gone at the original price and, after we saw it, we would have still been happy we did it. After all the expenses for the trip another $200 were a drop in the bucket.

The published rates start at $1,025.00 before tax. My DH does not drink.

 

The Inkaterra has no availability on our dates.

Sorry about that. We got ours for around $800. It is worth it to keep on checking so you can swap out of whatever reservations you end up making elsewhere if a good deal comes along.

Good luck.

Forgot. There is very nice entertainment at dinner time with Andean musicians. Ask at what time they start so you get to the dining room on time.

The all inclusive price for the room probably comes out close to even with paying for extra meals and beverages for two people. Don't forget, it is an Orient Express hotel with quality and prices to match. And there are no other options up there.

We actually use Hotels (dot) com which is part of the Expedia group. There are rooms available, but not at the price I had hoped.

 

Isn't it cool when you can remember the exact date of a trip that you loved?

 

So, you booked direct? It appears that the Lodge only offers the full board/meal plan. Does that mean lunch the first day, dinner, and breakfast on check-out? Does it include drinks (such as bottled water) at other times besides meal times. Is the lunch the buffet lunch that costs approx $25.00 if booked on its own? How expensive is the restaurant if one is able to reserve the room without the meal plan?

 

What did you do with your stuff when you had to check-out hours before your train, etc? The Vista train also has a promo which includes lunch at the Santuary Lodge (well our dates are not our yet, so don't know if it will still be available)

I booked direct. Then Expedia had a special offer for about 20% less for the week we were there and I took it, of course. (It was just after the floods so they had extra capacity.) The advantage of booking directly is that you can cancel without penalty up to a month (?) prior to arrival. In that way, you can get a special offer if you find it elsewhere, such as hotels or booking dot com. If not, you have your room guaranteed. And it is truly special to stay at the mountain top. I would go for the full plan. We considered that to be the "big" splurge for the trip. And I recall the date because one of us was having a "big" birthday.

The Lodge is truly all inclusive. First night meal including nice wines. All drinks (alcoholic and non) and snacks at any time. (They make really good coca sours. We had them served in the garden after sightseeing.) Lunch, except that you are served in the dining room and order from the menu, not the buffet lunch served on the "day tripper" side. Breakfast (huge) on checkout. I don't recall prices on the menu because everything was included, although we invited our guide to lunch with us in the dining room and I am sure we were charged something.

And the concierge will hold your stuff until you are ready to leave, or until you check in if you get there early.

Thank you so much for your help! The only thing that is not working out the way that I want is the Sanctuary Lodge. On every date that I have checked for the past few months (except the one that I want) they have had availability at $550.00/$600.00 w/tax(Breakfast Buffet only), which is what I wanted to do. So, now I do not know where to stay near MP.

Jade,

try calling the Sanctuary Lodge directly. The number is on their website. Also, try booking it through Expedia or one of the other travel websites. Many times, tour companies like A&K book a block of rooms that may or may not be fully used. If you decide to book elsewhere, make sure you can cancel it because a room at Sanctuary can become available as rooms are released. Don't give up. The same thing happened to us a year ago. (Actually, I just noticed we were there a year ago today!)

M

Lars and Terry,

we are going early enough that we should be able to take the boat tour - we hope. If not, all of us will be puffin-less!

Thanks for your replies. We will alll enjoy different areas that day.

marazul