j2ink

Thanks for the great review. We are booked on the same cruise on June 21. Did you have two or three formal nights? Do you recall which days they were?

Okay, thanks for the information. I've been on many cruises on several cruise lines, but I've never brought any wine on board. Can this carry-on wine be consumed anywhere on the ship, like at dinner, or only in a cabin?

Is this an RCI policy that is effective for all embarkation ports?

We used Lima Cabs a few years ago for a 10 hour tour for three people, including waiting time while we had lunch and dinner. The service was great, and the tour was very interesting. I recommended the service to a friend last year, and he also highly recommends them.

http://www.limacabs.com/

Okay, thanks for all the good information.

I'm planning to be in Iguazu Falls and Rio in August. One of my original questions was whether the mosquitoes were worse in the summer than in the winter. It seems as though the weather is warm enough so there wouldn't be much variation, especially in Rio, but I don't know, so that's why I asked.

Regarding the age of the information in the BBC news story, I suppose you could argue that it covers the past summer, but April 2015 was only three weeks ago, so there probably is no more recent information available.

Okay, thanks for the information. I also hate to have deet smeared all over myself, and that's why I asked the question.

For what it's worth, the BBC news article is only two weeks old, and it includes information from January to April of 2015. I think it was distributed in the states as an alert by a travel service.

A recent BBC news article indicated that the number of dengue fever cases in Brazil (746,000 cases) has increased 235% this year, with more than 50% occurring in Sao Paulo. I tried to find more information about this problem, and how much risk it posed to tourists in Rio and Iguazu Falls, but there is very little that I could find. I’m not sure if it is due to the fear that it will hurt tourism or if the BBC is overstating the problem.

I did a search of the CC website, and I was somewhat surprised that I didn’t find any posts concerning dengue fever – about the possible risks or that any tourists had become ill with it. Does anyone know the current status of this problem in Rio and Iguazu Falls? Is it a problem in tourist areas? Is it a problem all year?

I’ve traveled to yellow fever and malaria zones, so I’m not being paranoid – I’m just trying to determine if I need to have deet on my exposed skin the entire time in Brazil.

BBC News article on May 5

Brazil has registered nearly 746,000 cases of the mosquito-borne disease dengue fever this year with nine states experiencing an epidemic, the health ministry has announced. At 368 cases per 100,000 residents it amounts to an epidemic by World Health Organisation standards, but officials say the outbreak is not nationwide. Relaxed prevention and an increase in home water storage have been blamed. More than half of the cases were in Sao Paulo. The number of cases there - the most populous state - has tripled since last year. Nationwide there have been 235% more cases than in the same period (from January to 18 April) last year.

Okay, thanks for all the advice. I think some of the posters have gone far beyond my specific question regarding cameras. I'm not a newbie -- I just have a new DSLR. I've been to over 60 countries and on about 15 cruises. I always book my own tours, either ahead of time or with local taxi drivers. So, the fact that I'm concerned about drawing unneeded attention and possible risk to myself by carrying a $3,000 camera/lens doesn't mean I should stay at home worrying that a tree might fall on my house. These types of responses are really non sequiturs, since my question related only to DSLR cameras, not general safety concerns while traveling.

I've read many of the hundreds of postings about safety in these two cities, but most of the information is about general safety, and many indicate tourists should not flash around big, expensive cameras.

My concern is that many DSLR cameras look pretty much alike, even though they can range in price from $600 to several thousand dollars, and a lens can add an additional $400 to $2,000 or more to the value.

So does that mean that every DSLR camera is at risk of being stolen? I realize the whole safety-thing can be hit and miss. Some posters said they have used their DSLR cameras without problems, but it could be that they were just lucky. Some people said they kept DSLRs in bags and only took them out when they were actually taking a photo, but this doesn't seem like it adds much safety if someone is sizing you up for a robbery. One poster said he bought a carry-strap with wire in it so it couldn't be cut with a knife, but I'm wondering if that would work, or if it would just piss off the thief who would then hit you over the head, or worse.

So, what is the bottom line? If I am careful about where and when I go is the benefit of carrying around a DSLR worth the risk, or should I leave the DSLR at home (or on the ship) and use a point-and-shoot camera in these two big cities?

Thanks for the information. I'll plan to bring at least enough dollars to exchange for the hotels in Argentina. It certainly seems like there is little risk in exchanging dollars at one of the better known blue peso exchanges and using the pesos to pay the bills.

I've read all about the blue peso rate of exchange in Argentina, and I'd like to take advantage of paying my hotel bill in pesos. Will this strategy work with the large American chain hotels? Even if they have quoted the hotel rates in US$? Or will this only work with the locally owned hotels?

I'm also planning to go to Iguazu Falls, and I'd like to use pesos for the hotel there.

I'm also wondering if there is some way to pay for the airfare in pesos.

Both suites 9205 and 9206 are located at the very front of the ship. They are oddly shaped, and they wrap around the two front corners of the ship. I was wondering if these suites and/or balconies were larger than a normal-sized suite. As it turned out suite 9206 did not seem larger than normal, and the balcony did not wrap around the cabin. The balcony was definitely smaller than normal--probably the size of a standard sized cabin. Instead of the balcony wrapping around the suite, there was a porthole looking onto an observation deck on the front of the ship. Since I enjoy the balconies, I don't believe I would book either of these suites with small balconies again.

The only problem that we had, was trying to communicate with the taxi driver in Tanggu. We finally got our point across. So, if you are going to do this, have someone on the ship write the name of the station on a piece of paper for you.

 

chloe kitty

Take this precaution seriously. The taxi drivers cannot speak English, and most of them cannot even understand destination names written in English. It is best if you have all of your destinations written in Chinese characters, including the name of your hotel.

Regarding the train, each car in the high-speed trains has quite a bit of room for luggage at the rear of each car. (This is an open space--no lifting-- simply roll your luggage into the space, and then find your seat.) We had quite a bit of luggage, and had no problem. If you can roll your luggage, yourself, you shouldn't have a problem finding a place for it on the train.

We just returned from a cruise on the Classica, and there was a pasta station in the buffet line. However, most days there was also a pasta bar in the Alfresco Cafe on the outside back of the ship. This pasta was made to order, and was better than the pasta from the buffet line.

On other Costa cruises, the pasta bar was in the lounge at the top of the ship or, on the larger ships, they were located in the areas where ice cream and pizza were served.

As for finding them, if they aren't in the daily program, you can try asking one of the crew, or you'll just need to find them by walking around during the time lunch is served. Good luck.

I just tried the search, and for some reason it doesn't work. Go to the second page of this forum, and you will find at least two threads relating to the X-1 package.

It's an unlimited drink package that can only be used at mealtimes. Do a search on this board, and you will find a huge number of posts about the X-1 package.

I've been on four Costa cruises, and on each cruise a different pasta was served somewhere on the ship each day during the lunch hours. Most of the time it was prepared fresh in one of the lounges as the passengers lined up to be served, and most of the time it was very good. As I recall, this "pasta bar" was not listed in the daily news letters.