Golden Princess Buenos Aires to LA

[Elspethm]

Advice please on shore excursions on this trip. Can you find operators on the day you arrive in port or is it best to book in advance? Also is it better to book excursions with Princess or do your own thing. We 'did our own thing' very successfully in the Carribean and we're never let down

Thanks for any help

[skynight]

Advice please on shore excursions on this trip. Can you find operators on the day you arrive in port or is it best to book in advance? Also is it better to book excursions with Princess or do your own thing. We 'did our own thing' very successfully in the Caribbean and we're never let down

Thanks for any help

We did Rio to Valparaiso in 2012. It's very different from the Caribbean. Other than the Faulklands I don't remember seeing tour operators waiting around like they do in the Caribbean. Most on private group tours had them arranged in advance through the roll call section. I met some passengers that had arranged private tours as opposed to group tours, these were also done in advance. In Montevideo we made the short walk into town center using the main walking route, don't wander. There are pickpockets and also snatch and grabbers on motor bikes. Don't carry any strapped items like purses or cameras. Leave gold jewelery, necklaces, expensive watches, fanny packs, wallets, etc. on the ship. Don't make yourself a target. We went with none of that stuff and felt safe. On tours stay with the group. This is good advice for all the S.A. cities. Princess has a few nice tours in Montevideo.

The Faulklands are safe. Stanley is a walkable town, with one general store and a few bars. When you get off the ship there are private cars there waiting to take you to Gypsy Cove, a 20 min drive, where you can see penguins. There are really no other tour sites in Stanley itself. If you want to see the Emperor Penguins you have to get out of Stanley. They are quite a drive, and there are no roads, it is tracks over fields. Many pre arranged with Patrick's Tour.

We skipped Ushuaia. Argentina would not let us dock because we visited the Faulklands, but most ships do get to visit. They were in their political statement mood that day. In Punta Arenas, also safe, we took a Princess tour to see penguins. Punta Arenas is very small town, we walked around it in less than an hour. In Valparaiso we had arranged a private tour in advance. We also stopped in Buenos Aires where you are boarding. There we took a Princess trip to a ranch and had a steak BBQ, as well as stopping at some sites in B.A.

[Astro Flyer]

Advice please on shore excursions on this trip. Can you find operators on the day you arrive in port or is it best to book in advance? Also is it better to book excursions with Princess or do your own thing. We 'did our own thing' very successfully in the Carribean and we're never let down

Thanks for any help

In March I sailed on the Golden Princess from BA to LA & 'sknight' already shared info on ports & not many tour options at the pier. I would suggest regularly checking your Cruise Personalizer for when tours are available for your cruise. I've seen popular excursions more than double in price before it began. Princess does not require prepayment & allows cancellations up to about 36 hours in advance so if you're interested in a Princess tour I would book it as soon as possible to lock in a lower price. While I've never had a problem, I print the tour & price info just in case there's a problem.

 

Your roll call is the best place for independent tours & one of the highlights of the cruise was viewing glaciers the evening after departing Ushuaia. However it was very cold so bring cold-weather clothing with you. I don't think there are many cruises were you need clothing from the Arctic to the tropics.

Edited June 22, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[long cruiser]

The ships tours are expensive in some of your ports,but they get you back to the ship on time.

long cruiser

[cdngrl]

two private tours that stand out for me:

patrick watts tour in the falklands to see the king penguins (http://www.falklandislands.com/product.php/283/24/adventure_falklands)

private tour in lima to see all the sights with Renato (http://www.taxilimaperu.com/index.html)

both companies understood the need to be back at the ship in plenty of time. both were knowledgable, safe and drove newer vehicles. both were with groups from my cruise critic roll call.

[Pam in CA]

As said, it's very different from the Caribbean. If you want to book a tour in the Falklands, either ship's or independent, you have to book months ahead. The Falklands have limited tour capability and once it's gone, there are no other options other than walking around or possibly finding a cab. To see anything, you would need to hire a 4WD vehicle as there are few paved roads.

 

The Golden is a large ship with a lot of passengers. I've sailed on the Golden from BA to Santiago and IMO, it's too big with too many passengers for some of the ports. You can take a chance that you can find a tour operator at the pier but with that many passengers, you'd be taking a big gamble.

 

My advice is to book as many ship's tours as you can as soon as possible. They are limited and if sold out, there is not going to be another bus or whatever. You're just reserving them and don't pay until a day or so before the tour. Then, join your roll call and check out tours that people are putting together. The Princess tours would be your "fallback" in case you can't get a seat on a private tour.

 

Personally, my HAL cruise from Rio to Santiago was a much better cruise and port experience due to being on a much smaller ship. But that's me.

Edited June 22, 2014 by Pam in CA

[Gainesville cruiser]

On our two trips around S. America we had no problem finding private tours at the dock, but if you don't know Spanish you may have a problem! Lucky for us, our friend knew enough to tell the driver what we wanted to see.

[caribill]

On our two trips around S. America we had no problem finding private tours at the dock.

 

Was this true in the Falkland Islands also?

[shepp]

Advice please on shore excursions on this trip. Can you find operators on the day you arrive in port or is it best to book in advance? Also is it better to book excursions with Princess or do your own thing. We 'did our own thing' very successfully in the Carribean and we're never let down

Thanks for any help

 

It would be very helpful if you let us know what sorts of port activities you're interested in.

 

In Lima (where we'd been before) we took a taxi into the old town and wandered around. The taxi was about $10 each way, and we saw the same sights the Princess groups we ran into were seeing, only without the regimentation and the crowding. Same for Valparaiso (a lot of which has, sadly, since burned down). In Puerto Madryn, four of us split the cost of a rental car and we drove out to Punto Tomba to see the penguins, which we did in a more leisurely fashion than the group tours at the site. From Puerto Montt, there was a public bus to Puerto Varas and we used our map to wander around and see the German-inspired houses: really fun, and $3 round-trip.

 

Doing that sort of thing depends, of course, on your level of comfort with being an independent traveler, your crime-related anxieties, and your fear of missing the ship. It requires pre-planning, but it's worth it, IMO. In any case, if you're going to hire a tour at the dock, you should know in advance what you want to see and approximately how much it should cost.

 

On the other hand, we pre-booked - long in advance - Patrick Watts' pricey Falklands penguin tour. Best money we ever spent.

 

Oh, and if you have plenty of time in Buenos Aires pre-cruise, go to Iguazu Falls. That was truly amazing. Once again, you can book it yourself for considerably less than a guided tour (or Princess excursion) would cost, and you have the freedom to see things at your own pace.

Edited June 23, 2014 by shepp

[t60]

Was this true in the Falkland Islands also?

 

Limited tour available at the dockside to see the small burrowing penguin colony, We did this as OH couldn´t manage all the rough terrain on PW tour

 

There was nothing available like the Patrick Watts style tour to see the big penguins

 

Sandy in Spain

[as19111]

Ushuaia had many tour booths outside the dock area. I would think you could book something there with little problem...unless you have something very specific in mind. We did the Patrick Watts tour in the Falklands and it was HALF the cost of the exact same tour with Princess. You have to book early with him and waitlist if needed. We got lucky and joined a tour from the waitlist. Montevideo offers free walking tours from the town square. The leather store shuttle drops you off right at the square. Do your research and determine what you really want to see. That ensures you have an idea of time, distance and cost when connecting with someone at the pier.

[4774Papa]

You missed the port that in my opinion was the top of the list for Around the Horn, Ushuaia.

 

I suggest that if anyone books a cruise around the horn that Ushuaia is not to be missed.

[t60]

We also missed Ushuaia on our 1st trip round the Horn in 2012 political unrest as ship hd visited the Falklands. This year we nearly missed it again this time due to bad seas, but we eventually managed to get in although later than expected. Just as a point of interest, you can get your passport stamped with End of the World stamps in the port (2$ charge) as well as at the End of the World post office if you´re out on a trip.

 

Sandy in Spain