Dushi

On 4/3/2023 at 10:30 AM, Nitemare said:

The grocery stores there (Bonus, Netto, etc) have GREAT candy selections at very reasonable prices.

In 2019, I purchased a reusable yellow nylon bag from a Bonus Supermarket and filled it with 5 bags of chocolate covered licorice.  I grew up eating salty Dutch licorice so it was an unusual taste sensation.  I liked it, hubby did not.

I recall that chocolate covered "non-salty licorice" is also available, for those who think the salty licorice is too "adventurous".

Marlenecook-

We plan on taking the bus to South Station and then the T to Cambridge during our port day next week.

(1) Does the bus accept dollar bills? The fare is $1.70 pp.

(2) Since we plan to transfer to the T, do we pay the higher T fare ($2.40 pp) on the bus and then ask for a "paper or transfer ticket" from the driver? 

Thanks.

12 hours ago, njhorseman said:

 

I'd say that the public restroom doors being kept open is the clue that there is noro on the ship. I've seen that more than once.

The doors to many of the indoor public restrooms (as opposed to the public restrooms on the pool deck) were left open during the May 1 Joy sailing as well.  

The same “gastro” notification was in our Freestyle Dailies on the last two days.  We noticed an increasing number of people who skipped the washing stations in the Buffet and Observation Lounge later on in the week.

During peak times (usually weekends, holidays or when cruise ships are in port), you should pre-order/pre-purchase your tickets and select the time that you want to appear.

My visit was during the non-cruise season, on a weekday -  I chose my entry 30 minutes after the museum opening time. I was fortunate in that there was no line.  Once you are inside, you can stay as long as you wish (up until closing time).  The "virtual" karaoke with ABBA is hilarious if you happen to catch enthusiastic fans "on stage". 

After exiting the aquarium, cross the bridge with the big chain links towards the Dive Shop. Make a left, keep walking past the Lion's Dive Resort, you will reach Mambo Beach.

Sea Aquarium Beach is sort of part of Mambo Beach. The beach area is really one long continuous stretch of beach with different names.

Taxis are available from the Lions Dive Resort or from the Mambo Beach drop-off area. If none are present, you can probably ask one of the restaurants or shops to call one for you.

I concur with Silverdo. For our upcoming trip in August, I booked on Costco after comparing rates using various search engines. We are paying $760 for 4 nights which includes daily buffet breakfast for two, round trip airport transfers with lei greeting and a room with a kitchenette. You can choose one King bed or two Queens. We will probably rent a car for one day to visit Hanauma Bay and my favorite shave ice place on the North Shore. It may be worth signing up for a one year Costco membership.

As for Pearl Harbor, there are so many different ticketing options nowadays compared to the first time we visited.

I have to look into Cruise Junky's $32 Catamaran cruise suggestion. Sounds like a great deal. Did you have to go to the Sheraton in person to book the trip?

dancecj-

NCL charging $2500 for a 4 night stay is high. However, some hotels can cost upwards of $500 a night.

Heard from the website. The response was that they do not have my records and that I probably used a different website. Now I'll have to do some research to find out exactly which website I used.

In short, do not use the website unless you are sure this is the one you originally paid the fee with as you are asked for your name and birthday. Lesson learned.

As American citizens, we paid the reciprocity fee for our trip in 2013 on-line. We are booked for a return trip in 2016 and cannot find a copy of the physical receipt that is printed out after payment is processed. The stamp in our unexpired passports is the Entry stamp that does not explicitly state that we paid the fee (one would think it is obvious we paid the fee since we have proof that we entered the country).

I checked on-line and fund the website where we originally made payment.

http://www.visatoargentina.com/retrieve-visa/

If you click on the "Retrieve Visa" tab at the top, you input your details to get a copy via e-mail. I will let you know if it works.

The middle of the "FAQs" section/tab has some helpful info.

Q: What happens if I can’t find the email with my Reciprocity Fee?

A: If you purchased the Reciprocity Fee with visatoargentina.com, you are in luck. We store your Reciprocity Fee and can send it to you within one business day. Please go to Retrieve Visa and complete the form so we resend you the visa. This is a complementary service we provide and is extremely useful since some visas are valid for 10 years

Q: What happens if I have the Reciprocity Fee stamp in my old, expired passport?

A: As long as the Reciprocity Fee is valid and you have the expired passport, you can present that at Immigration Control. Please make sure the Reciprocity Fee Stamp is not the entry stamp into Argentina.

Too much documentation is always better than too little when traveling. :-)

We were there during the 3rd week in May, no problems. The buses were able to ascend easily from Aguas Calientes to the top of MP.

Got back a few days ago.

Many 'guides for-hire" at the entrance of MP. Luckily the rule of enforcing visitors to be with a guide has not yet been implemented. It's so much nicer to explore the site at our own pace.

Glad to see you enjoyed your trip Martha.

We leave for Cusco on Thursday and will be in MP on Saturday. Another CC post said that the authorities were planning to institute a rule requiring everyone to be led by an official tour guide in MP. During your recent stay, was that rule in place yet?

merela-

I totally agree with you. We spent 9 days in Taipei earlier this month and did nearly everything you listed. We even braved the crowds on Ching Ming weekend and took the Ping Xi Rail Line to Ping Xi and Shifen. Managed to visit 4 different night markets as well. I also like the fact that on a short MRT ride away, you are in the mountains and can enjoy the open spaces unlike Hong Kong which seems overly congested at all times.

Given the chance, I would definitely go back and head south next time.

Flew on Eva last week, non-stop in Economy class R/T from JFK to Taipei. I was pleased with the service and the flight attendants do try to speak in English. The air on-board is a bit cool but I prefer it over dry, warm conditions, at least they provide warm blankets. The one thing I was surprised at is that no overnight kit is provided (i.e. slippers, toothbrush, face wipe, etc) even though the flight was 15 hours. Drinks and snacks are kept in the rear galley between mealtimes.

I am happy to see that there are so many opportunities to snorkel. Hubby is PADI certified though he won't mind bobbing on the surface of the water with me. We have 3mm neoprene shorties but they are heavy, I'll look for a 1.5mm shorty because the buoyancy makes me feel more secure. Snorkeling with a life jacket is uncomfortable.

I would probably take advantage of the opportunity to step ashore in the evenings if the opportunity arises. A 16 passenger boat will be such a different experience than the usual mass market cruises we take with thousands of other people. No evening entertainment and round-the-clock meals :( Something tells me that the daytime sights will be more than sufficient.

We are heading to Taipei in the coming weekend. Anything specific that you'd like me to look into?

Great review dinojay2. We wired our final payment to Happy Gringo today and will be sailing on the Floreana in late May after we visit Machu Picchu. Similar sized boat as the Eden, so we will be bringing extra Bonine for the extra movement we'll feel in the upper deck cabins.

What did you do in the evenings? Were you exhausted enough to not care after dinner? How much time is normally spent ashore? I'm sure that bathrooms are non-existent on the islands.

I admit that it's probably best for the preservation of the ruins but we have a tendency to go off in different directions to look for that special photo. Being herded together as a group and forcing limits on our time at each site will not be conducive. I often will backtrack somewhere to take a picture of the same site from a different angle or if the clouds clear up. I should applaud the actions of the preservation committee but cannot help myself by saying "bummer". We're heading there during the 3rd week in May, the regulations are likely to be in place by then.

We spent a week at Breckenridge. In Utah we spent most of our time at Wolf Creek and Alta.

Based on everyone's suggestions, we'll ask our physician to prescribe the meds and start taking them before we travel. We're heading to sea level (Galapagos) after Peru, then to Quito, Ecuador for a few days (over 9,000 ft above sea level). Wondering if I can safely switch between the altitude meds and the seasickness pills. Another questions for our doctor. Just to be safe, we'll also drink coca tea during our stay.

greatam-

We'll have to look for those bottle holders during our Peruvan travels. My friend and I will be shopping for alpaca scarves and gloves - is there anything we should look for to make sure the items are indeed alpaca? What is considered to be a reasonable retail price for those items? My friend's husband is great at haggling so we want an idea of what the target price should be.

That's a lot of great information. Thanks everyone.

We used to ski in Vermont, New Hampshire, Colorado and Utah. We did not feel altitude sickness symptoms those times but our last trip to a location 10,000+ feet above sea level was 15 years ago. We are concerned that as we age, our bodies will become more susceptible to the altitude.

DuanT

Llama and guinea pig? Hubby had kangaroo in Australia so he would definitely try the local meats. Thanks for the tips and what to eat.

Our good friend planned the entire itinerary for our upcoming MP and Galapagos trip in May. We head to Cusco first and were wondering if we should take some altitude pills beforehand. Coca Tea seems to be a local remedy but not sure if it makes sense to get sick first.

We were a group of 4 travelers, two have SLRs. If you have a camera, you will look like a tourist. Just stay away from certain areas - we visited La Boca in the daytime so there were no problems but we did take a taxi going there from San Telmo and then returning back to the hotel since the Metro is not that close. However, the taxis may try to cheat you. It is safer to have your hotel or restaurant call one for you. Just put the SLR in a tote bag or backpack once you are done taking pictures.

Thanks for the wonderful website you set up. We will be on one of those small 16 passenger boats in late May 2014. Rooms have twin bunk beds and are nowhere as luxurious as NatGeo or Celebrity, but we have private bathrooms. I hope the waters will be relatively calm or I'll be on seasickness meds 24/7.

We are sailing the "Western" itinerary and more than half of our stops are "wet landings". From your experience, what is the best type of footwear for those occasions? We have the "Teva" sandals, are those okay for the more volcanic islands? Did you have any problems with mosquitos?

We are looking forward to our visit of Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley in May.

What's a couple of rocks when it comes to finally seeing one of the most awesome historical sites in the world?

Wish we could have met up Rondelle. Make sure you check the weather before you go. Cappadoccia seems to be the coldest town we'll be visiting as the nighttime temps are forecasted to be in the mid 30F. Have a great time.

Rondelle-

We'll be on Rock Valley's Blue Tour on Oct 5; the Green Tour on Oct 6. Do those dates & tours match the ones you booked?