Fattony

Thanks & I appreciate your insights on SA which for us will be our 1st time there. :)

 

Mardi Gras will be a seaday for us so they'll probably have some activities planned to generate additional income from the sale of alcoholic drinks. ;)

Carnival in Buenos Aires http://wander-argentina.com/carnival-in-buenos-aires/ (and it's not just during Carnival week).

How big a deal Carnaval is, and over how many days, varies from place to place. Throughout Brazil, Carniaval covers several days, with many businesses closed for the week, though in some cities the biggest parade is just on Sunday. Tuesday (Mardi Gras being the French term used in New Orleans and some other places) not necessarily the biggest day even in many Brazilian cities. Monday and Tuesday are holidays in Argentina.

Since you'll be on a ship on Tuesday and may want to celebrate Carniaval, you might pack a costume, or make one on board. Something tasteful and restrained. Some ideas at http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/travel/carnival-climaxes-in-rio-20130211-2e7na.html (#6 has a nautical theme, and ideas for men's costumes).

I've still found useful info on Skytrax, but more the individual reviews rather than the star ratings (which would be subjective in any case). Of course, need to read those with a grain of salt, as with reviews on all sites, including Tripadvisor and even this one. I have had reviews published on Skytrax, and never been altered. Of course, my views may not be the same as others.

A quick thanks to Dr__Dawggy for the reminder about LAN. We had booked our flight to Iguazu some months ago. When I read Dr's post about LAN I decided to check our reservation. Sure enough everything had changed! Our original flight from B.A. to Iguazu had been canceled and the return flight was at a different time than originally booked. Of course, LAN had never notified us. Fortunately I was able to call LAN and re-book on another departing flight and reconfirm our reservations. You can be sure I'll check LAN again before we leave on our cruise and even when we arrive in B.A.!

Not being notfied is s.o.p. with many airlines. I had a domestic flight on TAM when I learned about a change in time because I happened to check. Always a good idea. With any airline in the world. Years ago, people were often required to check in and confirm a flight 24 hours in advance. No, often not the case, and people have been surprised upon arrivng at the airport and finding the flight time has changed. Check Flyertalk.com boards and see just how many people complain about not being notified. Right or wrong, the flyer must keep informed.

Even if you "do the falls on your own" you'll likely want to book tours locally, to go to the Argentine side, to maybe take the raft trip below the falls, etc, as some suggest above. Easy to walk from the Hotel das Cataratas to see the falls, but other places you really need transport. When we went, many years ago (and not part of a cruise), we had everything arranged beforehand but it was, of course, local tour outfits who conducted the tours. The hotel can arrange them, I'm sure. Probalby want to contact them in advance.

So far every hotel we are going to in Peru - Cusco, Sacred Valley, restaurant for lunch, and MP has free wiFi. I thought maybe we could find other hotspots.

Hotels and ports (which may cater more to cargo ships than cruise ships anyway) quite different. 3 years ago we relied on LAN cafes, but you may find more free Wi-Fi than in the past. Caveat emptor when using unknown services, of course. Enjoy.

I'd personally be surprised if any ports have free Wi-Fi (at least which would reach the ship), apart from maybe (maybe) Ft. Lauderdale and New York City. You may find free or low-cost WiFi in some restaurants, etc. in some of the ports; at the least you should find LAN cafes in many of the ports (it's what we did when we cruised from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso 3 years ago, in order to avoid the expensive, and slow, Internet service on the ship). I wouldn't expect free many places. If you search with your laptop you may find some unknown services, but be very careful with that (as you would be in airports, etc.).

"Do take radio taxi, don't take radio taxi" isn't a complicated issue. Just a matter of cost. The "radio taxis", which are flat rate taxis, are, as far as I know, usually available just at the airport, unless you specifically phone one. The advantages are that you know the rate in advance and you can pay by credit card (at least at the airport). The disadvantage is that they are more expensive.

From the port, I'd just grab any metered taxi I could. Hard to specify a particular company unless you phone. Aside from making sure the taxi has a meter and that the driver uses it (make sure he turns it on right away), I can't think of any precautions you need to take (when leaving the airport, always get the metered taxis right in front of the terminal; not the gypsy cabs lurking up the road, which may offer lower rates). Note that taxis have a "zone" system, which will show on the meter: "1" (standard rate) during the day at least on weekdays; and "2" at night and on weekends, at least Sundays.

Can anyone help with a reasonable transfer option from the Rio cruise dock to GIG airport on a weekday?

 

There seems to be a good way from the airport to the cruise dock but not so much the other way around?:confused:

What "good way" are you talking about? There's the Real bus, which goes through downtown, including by the downtown bus station, on the way from the airport to Copacabana/Ipanema, but not all that close to the cruise dock as I recall. For me, the only feasible option for either direction is taxi. Fare shouldn't be very high. It could take 20 mins. in very light traffic, but could also take much more. And check-in lines at the airport can be long. I would guess that there will be plenty of taxis waiting when a cruise ship docks (it is not an area you want to walk from to find a local bus). I assume your flight is out of the international airport (GIG) and not the downtown commuter airport (SDU). I think you'd be pushing it. What happens if you miss your flight? Is your Portuguese good enough for you to try to get the airline to put you another flight "de graça" (for free) if you miss the one you're booked on?

BTW, if you have lots of bags, you might consider storing some at the airport. Weight limits for domestic flights are very low.

You can see most of the sites in Rio quite easily on your own (using taxi or Metro) or just a regular tour (Grayline-type) booked through your hotel. What do you want to see? For example, for Pao de Açucar (Sugarloaf), you can take a taxi to the station. Then you get in line and take the first car up to the midway station, then walk over to the second one to go to the stop. You'd do exactly the same thing if you were with a guide. Lots of taxis waiting when you return. For Corcovado, you can easily take a taxi to the small train at the base (a hotel can give you the exact wording). Then you take a train to the top (be sure to ask for "meia" or "idoso" fare if you are over 60), and go to the top. There is a pass that can give you discounts at many of Rio's attractions (we heard about it as we were about to depart). I'm sure your hotel would know or you could do a Web search.

Getting from the airport to your hotel is also easy using a taxi (assuming you don't want to take the Real bus). If you don't want to have to shell out money at the end of the ride based on the meter, you could always pay a bit extra for a "radio taxi" (pre-paid, flat rate) taxi you book in the airport (you'll see some booths just after Customs and again in the main terminal hallway).

We spent our wedding night in 1999 at the Santa Barbara Inn. I would imagine there must be a plaque or something there by now, but I'd get there early to avoid the crowds. It is a nice town. Just plan on relaxing, walking along the beach, seeing the mission. Why worry about it? You can certainly find Web sites with the city's attractions, in addition to whatever the cruiseline provides. Hope you get some nice views of the Channel Islands on the way.

Betterbidding.com has been doing this for quite a while, with the results listed by area (no need to scroll down a long list of areas all over the world). They also have lists of hotels, by number of stars, that people have gotten on both Priceline and Hotwire. For Hotwire they are "pinned" by the amenities listed on the Hotwire site. If you find a hotel on Hotwire that's not clearly one of those on the list, you can write in and you'll get a response opining what hotel it might be. There's no guarantee, of course, since the two services can change the hotels they use, but I find the site useful.

Formal is a Tux or Dark Suit. If you prefer to wear anything else, then try but be prepared to be turned away by the Matre'd :o. Princess is a classier cruise line then Carnival or RCI or NCL. There are other choices on Formal Night, if you prefer to not dress appropriately, Horizon Court, Pizza Bar or Room Service. The specialty restaurants have the same dress code on Formal Night as the MDR.

This was NOT our experience on our two Princess Cruises (around the Horn, and Alaska, in 2008 and 2009). We had anytime dining. There was a wide range of dress. There were several people in tuxes and long dresses, but I don't think it was a majority. Some wore suits, some shirt, slacks and blazer, and some men didn't even wear a tie. I saw no one turned away. If you're really concerned, call the cruise line. There are some, especially who have cruised for years, who are saddened by the lack of stiff enforcement of formal night. You can rent a tux through the cruise line, but it isn't cheap, and you need to do it beforehand.

I'm not sure about "don't worry, you can't predict the weather, just go and have a good time" attitude (sometimes paired with "you'll be fine") being right for everyone (it is definitely right for some). If you're definitely going, and aren't flexible on dates, and will accept the possibility (not probability) of bad weather, and will accept the probability of hot weather, you can at least do some research to plan your trip. You can certainly find Web sites, books, etc. that show when hurricanes most often occur and where. I saw one site that said, for example, that in July hurricane formation shifts to the Lesser Antilles (I don't know if it's true). I'd do some research and looks at average temps in various places you're considering visiting, as well as odds on bad weather, then decide for yourself. What one person considers acceptably hot another would consider oppressive (and vice versa). Personally, I'd rather go someplace like Alaska or New England or northern Europe in July, but that's me.