'Round The Horn!

[Calliope]

The tours that involve internal flights are out for us, as my wife doesn't like flying. This means Machu Picchu, Nasca Lines, Iguaza Falls and the Antartic over flight will just have to remain a dream.

 

Montevideo - I'd really like to take in the Iguazu Falls and who knows, if we've met some new friends that my wife's comfortable to spend the day with, I might be able to take off on my own for the day!

 

Jack

 

Your quandry is solved if you are traveling west-bound on your cruise. Cunard is only offering the Iguazu Falls tour on the QM2's east-bound return voyage. I just received the shore tour brochure today, and in the fine print it clearly states that neither the trip to the falls nor the tour to Buenos Aires, the two that I am most interested in, will be offered during the west-bound passage.

[jackatsea]

She got 3 incredible shots--from top of cliff, in mid-dive and hitting the water.

 

Eats, has your daughter posted the photos on the Internet? She must have a fast camera, my digital would still be trying to load the second shot way after the diver's splashed down, got dried, changed and on his second drink!

 

I like to try panoramic photography. My best one ever was of Nottingham Cathedral at midday, just as the sun lights up the big cross.

 

http://www.32corners.co.uk/nottingham_cathedral.htm

 

You'll need Java enabled to see the active imaging, but there's also a good still shot.

 

With a bit of luck, I'll be able to shot some better ones from our destination tours or by exploring...

 

Cheers

 

Jack

[jackatsea]

the fine print it clearly states that neither the trip to the falls nor the tour to Buenos Aires, the two that I am most interested in, will be offered during the west-bound passage.

 

My EYES.. I (jack)see it now :rolleyes: !

 

Page 72 marked by ** Eastbound only

 

My plan was to book the flight independantly, if I could get to sloop off on my own. However, looking at the time in port it might not be feasable.

 

Guess it'll have to be "A Day in the Countryside" or similar and then a night on the town.

 

Cheers

 

Jack

[jackatsea]

Double posted last message for some reason??

 

Sorry

 

Jack

[eatsallinsects]

Eats, has your daughter posted the photos on the Internet?

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Jack, no, she has not posted them on the 'net but if you talk "real nice", I might be able to get her to bring them along in January (LOL)!

[eatsallinsects]

OK, all those on the trip from the United States, exactly what do you go through to get the visa for Brazil? My daughter is researching and has come up with $100.00 (for Brazil) plus $10.00 (handling charges for Brazil) plus $39.00 to a service which submits the info for you if you are not dealing directly with a Brazilian Embassy? And you have to send them your passport?

And we have not received "ANY" documents although we got our last payment in last month (November). We are dealing with a TA for this trip and heretofore have dealt with Cunard directly and have always received our documents in a timely fashion. Sure would be nice to see the excursion offerings!

[jimneycrkit]

We haven't received any documents or shore excursions either. Cunard is very slow for the most part on these things. We useda visa service and sent it off on Monday. You have to have it in 30 prior to your cruise or it costs more. Yes you send in your passport as well as a passport photo to the visa service , they then take care of it for you and mail it back to you. Our TA had us contact ZVS visa services. I called them and they emailed me the forms which I then filled out and mailed overnight to them. Our cost was 329.00 for two people which included the fees for the visa 100.00 and then the agency fees and the fed ex shipment back to us.

 

I wish they would send out the excursions faster as it would help with the planning, that is my only complaint with Cunard vs other cruise lines that you can pre-reserve shore excursions and see whats there months in advance.

[eatsallinsects]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH for the visa information!

And I am glad to hear that we are not the only ones to have not received our docs! Edithe in Dallas TEXAS

[eatsallinsects]

We got our docs in snail mail today! Doing the happy dance!

Still no excursion information, though.

[sailsalot]

When you say docs, do you mean the actual tickets, or just the big booklet with your name on the front and the pages about insurance, life on board, etc.? I got the booklet, which does contain the excursion information, but I haven't received specific tickets yet. I am booked as a guarantee, so I don't know if that makes a difference.

[jimneycrkit]

On our crossing we got a precruise doc with hotel and shore excursion info about a month in advance Then we finally got our booklet which is our ticket of sorts about two weeks before. Really late for planning I think. I had wanted to see what they offered so I can see if I want them or do things on our own. Most of the time you need to book on your own way in advance but since I am having a really hard time with this cruise as far as what to do or see in each location I had wanted the shore excursions to give me some ideas and then go from there. The tickets come in a small black binder while the shore excursion thing is a wire bound booklet with your name on it.

[eatsallinsects]

The "docs" we got today by snail mail are our actual tickets with luggage tags. They were sent by Federal Express. They were in the "leather" holder and also a separate card with our embarkation time on it for the various decks. We still have not received the booklet with all the excursion listed.

[jimneycrkit]

You got them backwards then I just got an email form Cunard stating that a photocopy of your DL has to be sent in with your visa application so they know which state you live. Now I have to contact the Visa servcie in the am and fax that in since we just mailed them on Monday to them. Just more hassle. Funny my passport says where I live same as my DL. Brazil is playing games again.

[eatsallinsects]

You got them backwards then I just got an email form Cunard stating that a photocopy of your DL has to be sent in with your visa application so they know which state you live. Now I have to contact the Visa servcie in the am and fax that in since we just mailed them on Monday to them. Just more hassle. Funny my passport says where I live same as my DL. Brazil is playing games again.

-----------------------------------------

Thanks for the "heads up" about sending copy of drivers' license. I just checked my passport and it shows what state I was born in but NOT what state I live in now.

[jimneycrkit]

Just found out that our precruise stuff and shore excursion booklet was mailed to the wrong person and then sent back and have been sitting on someones desk for weeks. Wow what great service. They are still saying we need a yellow fever shot. Have to get a note from the doctor now.

[jimneycrkit]

Just found out that our precruise stuff and shore excursion booklet was mailed to the wrong person and then sent back and have been sitting on someones desk for weeks. Wow what great service. They are still saying we need a yellow fever shot. Have to get a note from the doctor now.

[eatsallinsects]

Just found out that our precruise stuff and shore excursion booklet was mailed to the wrong person and then sent back and have been sitting on someones desk for weeks. Wow what great service. They are still saying we need a yellow fever shot. Have to get a note from the doctor now.

-------------------------------------

WHO IS "THEY"?

[jimneycrkit]

Cunard says we need them I am just getting notes from Doctors at this point

[eatsallinsects]

Cunard says we need them I am just getting notes from Doctors at this point

-------------------

Will you be on the east-bound section of the trip? From LA to back around the Horn?

[jimneycrkit]

We board in Fl and go to LA not the other way around which we would then We are not coming from from of the countries that Barzil wants you have one for After the Caribbean islands Brazil is our first stop so this makes no sense at all

[eatsallinsects]

We board in Fl and go to LA not the other way around which we would then We are not coming from from of the countries that Barzil wants you have one for After the Caribbean islands Brazil is our first stop so this makes no sense at all

--------------------------------------------------

I definitely agree with you that it seems to make no sense, at all!

We did receive 2 more pieces of snail mail yesterday from our TA. The excursion booklet and the booklet with the visa application form in it, HOWEVER, the name on the booklet is my daughter's name but was mailed to me! Anyway, I saw at a quick glance, before my daughter took it home, that there are several forms in the booklet for a visa application so guess we don't have to make copies; just fill out and send in?

Sure will be glad when this is all squared away and we get to board the ship with no problems! Edith in Dallas TEXAS

[jimneycrkit]

We got our books and the forms are the same as ZVS sent us so I guess you can just use those. Just remember the DL issue as It doesn't say that as they are older since this new rule was issued this passed Monday.I think Cunard may be having people do the Yellow Fever thing because they can't keep track of all the people and who is going where If you are going to Iguzzu falls or somewhere else that might be, but the cities themselves we are going to are not on the list. My mom and I are are not going there or in the jungle. They make it sound like you have to have it for the visa but that is not the case in fact they don't even ask for it

[jimneycrkit]

While reading through the voyage info book I came across a weird thing. First off we are getting on the ship in Fl not New York The voyage number for the New York to LA isM603A on the visa forms My leg on the visa form itself says M603B on page 23. If you read the vaccination area it says none needed for this leg. On the New york page 19 voyage M603A it says you have to have the yellow fever shot. This is really weird. Then if you look at the cover of the book it has the dates wrong for my voyage. it is the most confusing thing I have ever seen

[travel-to-go]

While reading through the voyage info book I came across a weird thing. First off we are getting on the ship in Fl not New York The voyage number for the New York to LA isM603A on the visa forms My leg on the visa form itself says M603B on page 23. If you read the vaccination area it says none needed for this leg. On the New york page 19 voyage M603A it says you have to have the yellow fever shot. This is really weird. Then if you look at the cover of the book it has the dates wrong for my voyage. it is the most confusing thing I have ever seen

 

Maybe this goes along with the misprinting the tickets? The group number was changed on ALL of Cunard docs this year, it seams- or at least lately. I am picking up my tickets tomorrow (one of the ladies who works at my agency office one day a week brought them home last night. I'll pick them up from her tommorrow.) My agency never wrote a lot of Cunard-mostly just mine! Maybe because the owner is a Carnival fanatic (no accounting for taste!)

The friend said every booking we've done lately on Cunard they've double sent the docs. I told her what I knew from here!

Anyone have any more insight into this whole routine? Is it the change to Princess' booking engine? Have there been actual changes in Cunard that didn't get corrected in some docs?

[jimneycrkit]

Our docs had us correctly on the right cruise but sent us the boarding times for New York at 1 pm. Funny we get on in FL and the ships leaves at 11 am. I called Cunard and was told be there at 8 am. As far as the yellow fever thing is Cunard says now they actually aren't requiring it on this sailing but were but it was for Ecuador if you go into Iguzza falls I told him we were only going to be in the cities shopping and he said then we don't need it but to keep checking the CDC site as it might change. He said we should carry a note from the doctor but really even that is not needed in case it changed while we were on board. My visa service confirmed it also saying that there is no Yellow fever requirement into Ecuador or Brazil for us as the cities we are going to are not on the list.