SS CLOUD FEB.....Machu Pichu

[e.h. beach bum]

Contemplating the Cloud in Feb., 2013 to South America, Santiago to Ft. Lauderdale. Am especially interested in the side trip to Machu Pichu. Anyone going or has gone? Be very interested in hearing your opinions and advice re: the Cloud and the ports, especially machu Pichu

[RachelG]

Machu pichu is great. We did this on a 2 week land trip to Peru, and it was the highlight. I would definitely go again, but I do not think this is the type of excursion best done from a cruise ship. For one thing, you would be going from sea level to a very high altitude with no time at all to acclimate. That is a recipe for not enjoying yourself due to just being exhausted from the lack of oxygen to perhaps developing altitude sickness. Machu Pichu is all about hiking, so not much fun if you are suffering from lack of oxygen. Much better to do as a part of a land trip and also spend some time in Cuzco and the sacred valley, both very interesting and totally different.

[duct tape]

We did it from the Shadow. Got off in Lima flew up and stayed a few days, flew back and picked up the ship elsewhere. It is truly one of those bucket list goodies. There is a medication that prevents altitude sickness, Diamox, used for glaucoma. It was very effective for those who took it. Some, like me, who are allergic to the ingredient, not so good at altitude but I still would not have missed it! Cusco is the problem, not the actual site which is below 8500 ft.

[Stumblefoot]

Diamox, used for glaucoma. It was very effective for those who took it.

 

I agree. Diamox is indeed a great little pill. We've recommended it to family & friends who visit us in the Rockies and it works like a charm. For those that typically get headaches or nauseated at altitude, I highly recommend it.

[Wellseasoned]

As a physician and veteran of this trip from a SS ship, I also recommend Diamox (acetazolamide) to help prevent high altitude sickness, unless, as Duct Tape pointed out, you are allergic. Acetazolamide is a sulfonamide, so if you are allergic to sulfa drugs, DON'T take it!

 

Because the altitude change is so quick and drastic from sea level to Cuzco, you should begin taking the acetazolamide 24 hours before the flight, 125 mg twice a day, continuing through the first two to three days at the high altitude. Side effects include tingling in the fingers and tongue, funny taste of things like carbonated drinks, maybe some blurred vision. Of course, check all of this with your own doctor before taking anything.

 

The hotels in Cuzco supply coca tea, but this doesn't work as well, and many of those who drank it on our trip from the Whisper in 2004 had much difficulty sleeping. We slept like babies because the acetazolamide makes it easier to breathe, particularly at night.

 

I'll also emphasize what Duct Tape pointed out: Cuzco is the real problem. Machu Picchu is at considerably lower altitude. And it is definitely a bucket list trip!

[duct tape]

Wellseasoned, thanx for the clarity. I also forgot to mention that the hotels supply oxygen tanks on demand!

[e.h. beach bum]

Thanks everyone for the advice, especially the Dr. inasmuch as I am allergig to sulfa.

[Emtbsam]

We took the pills and had an oxygenated room at the Monasterio which cost only a bit more than a regular room. Neither one of us had any problem at all with the altitude in Cusco.

[Skeezics]

e.h.

 

 

See that you live in Florida. The best solution is fly direct to Lima, spend a day touring and eating (wonderful food in Lima), then fly to Cusco. If you stay at the Monasterio Hotel in Cusco, they have oxygen-enriched rooms, which will help you. As others have stated, Machu Picchu is not a problem. If you wish to stay at the Sanctuary at Machu Picchu, the entire trip depends upon when you can book a room.....Our entire trip was built around availability at the Sanctuary. Of course, you will want to take the Hiram Bingham to Aguas Caliente; therefore that is another factor to consider for availability. Think you would miss so much on an excursion from the ship.....unless it was an add on at the end or beginning of your cruise. We made this a ten day trip from LAX six years ago....we still talk about our experience and dream of Pisco Sours.

[jpalbny]

Having done MP on our own last year, my opinion of this in-cruise add-on is that it's far too short and I would not choose this option. Yes, you'll get to SEE Cusco and MP, but (a) there is so much more in the area that you miss entirely, and (b) doing MP in one day, back and forth from Cuzco on the bus/train combo, really shortchanges you.

 

The HB train doesn't even arrive at MP until afternoon, and it's a brutally LONG trip from Cusco when you do the hybrid bus-train combination - it's slightly better when you take the train directly from Poroy (20' from Cusco) but that service is suspended until at least April 2013. It makes it a 4 hour trip - each way - painful! You will probably sleep for most of the ride, and you'll miss some incredible scenery as the bus/train passes through the Sacred Valley.

 

You may end up with 3 hours at the MP site; likely less. It's enough so that you can say that you've been there, but for us, much of the charm of MP was wandering around on our own. You will not have much of a chance to do this, as there just isn't enough time. Not to mention the fact that you will be dead tired from not sleeping well in Cusco the night before, and still sleepy from the painfully long bus/train ride all morning. You will not get to climb Huayna Picchu or walk part of the Inca Trail for an overview of MP. For us, that would be a complete dealbreaker.

 

The risk of altitude sickness is real, as pointed out by Wellseasoned. We took no meds when we were there last November and just drank coca tea; luckily didn't have a problem. Altitude sickness is impossible to predict - unless you've had it before - in which case you'll get it again. Everyone has a different threshold and you either get it, or you don't. Being "in shape" offers zero protection (and some believe that it actually increases your risk of altitude sickness).

 

Cusco is definitely the problem, as it's almost 11000 ft vs MP which is 8500. But, unless you have more than a week to spare, you don't have time to acclimate properly no matter what you do. One night at Arequipa (~7600 feet) won't cut it before you get to Cusco.

 

So, two better options: (1) take a week or 10 days, do a leisurely tour starting in Sacred Valley with day trips to Pisac, Ollentaytambo, and a ton of other sites that I can't remember off the top of my head. Move on to MP for at least one overnight (Aquas Callientes vs. the MP Sanctuary Lodge), and finish in Cusco for a night or two. Then fly from Cusco to Valparaiso for your cruise. (2) Do a shorter version of the above - minimum suggested time is 5 days; we did 4 and wanted more. Start in Sacred Valley, do a day trip to Cusco to see it, but sleep at the lower elevation in SV. You could conceivably do a day trip to MP from SV, or an overnight trip from SV to MP. Fly out of Cusco to meet your ship.

 

Note that I didn't include Lima in these itineraries, as you'll have 2 days there while you're on the cruise. Spend a day in Miraflores wandering along the cliffs, and another day in the Colonial part of Lima.

 

Or, just do the ship's tour if you can live with the limitations - they may be less important to you than they would be to me, but understand them up front. You'll miss some of Lima that way, which isn't the end of the world...

[duct tape]

There is always next time!

[RachelG]

Totally agree with JP and Chris' suggestions. This is just not an excursion from a ship. It is a full trip in its own right.