Help please (Lima, Peru advice needed)

[Mauzac]

We've booked a last minute SB cruise leaving in a few weeks.  SB have arranged our air travel but are unable to help with hotels because it's too late.

 

Quest will be docked in Lima Peru (Callao area).  We arrive 5pm the night before embarkation and have arranged our own transport from airport to a hotel we have booked ourselves.   Next morning, we will arrange a taxi from the small hotel to the Port.  As I understand it, it's a very rough area, and one of the biggest shipping ports in Peru.  Has anyone been here and can offer advice as to how we actually get to the Quest?  Will we just be able to sail through with all our paperwork or should I be contacting SB for assistance with this?  I just imagine it's a working port and might be tricky actually getting to the ship.

 

Any help gratefully received.  

Edited October 16, 2018 by Mauzac

[Wendy The Wanderer]

We booked a private guide, including transport from our ship to our hotel.  We used Peruvian Local Friend,  <peruvianlocalfriend@gmail.com>. 

They were very reliable and good.  Yes, it is a bad area, or at least a bustling, non-touristy area of Lima.  But as long as you book a reliable driver from your hotel to Callao you should be fine.  Your Seabourn documents should give a location where the ship is going to be docked.  The port is indeed huge, like a city itself.  And getting to or from it is an adventure, for sure.

If Seabourn is offering transfers for a charge, I might go for it, but if you're staying in a small hotel, it might be difficult.  What area of Lima are you staying in?  

[Mauzac]

Thank you for your reply.  Much appreciated. 

 

We are staying in a small hotel in the Callao area, from what I gather from googlemaps, it's not that far from the Port, and they are picking us up from the airport which is 15 minutes away.  

I will contact Peruvianlocalfriend and book a taxi for transport to the Port, and also I'm thinking of contacting SB themselves for a bit of advice but in the UK you often don't get anywhere with that! 

 

 

 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 10/16/2018 at 5:46 PM, Mauzac said:

Thank you for your reply.  Much appreciated. 

 

We are staying in a small hotel in the Callao area, from what I gather from googlemaps, it's not that far from the Port, and they are picking us up from the airport which is 15 minutes away.  

I will contact Peruvianlocalfriend and book a taxi for transport to the Port, and also I'm thinking of contacting SB themselves for a bit of advice but in the UK you often don't get anywhere with that! 

If you are just arriving and spending the night, and don't want to try to see Lima at all, perhaps that will be fine.  At least you won't have to worry about the horrendous traffic problems driving across Lima from other districts.   Have you asked your hotel for advice about a driver?  Just out of interest, would you name the hotel?  

On 10/16/2018 at 5:46 PM, Mauzac said:

 

 

 

 

[Mauzac]

Hi Wendy... I booked the hotel from booking.com and it had excellent reviews. It's called La Quilla .  We only want somewhere to lay our heads down as it were so it's nothing posh, just small and family owned ... the owner is picking us up from the Airport and although I put in a message about the next morning, I haven't heard anything.

 

I also contacted Peruvianlocalfriend a couple of days ago but haven't had a response.  However, Taxidatum do runs from hotels to the Port, so I will contact them too   

[Wendy The Wanderer]

If your hotel can pick you up from the hotel it's likely they can take you to the port, or arrange a reliable cab for you.  It'll be interesting to hear about your experience there!  It's quite the port!

[Keith1010]

The immediate area by the port is not just bad it is awful in terms of violence.  Even the police avoid it.

 

When you do get to the port you will be dropped off right at the gate and will need to take a shuttle that runs from the gate to the ship as it is a large/industrial port.

 

Keith

[Mauzac]

8 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

If your hotel can pick you up from the hotel it's likely they can take you to the port, or arrange a reliable cab for you.  It'll be interesting to hear about your experience there!  It's quite the port!

Thanks Wendy, yes I think that's the way to go.  I'm sure the hotel can help us with a taxi, I'll let you know how we get on!

 

13 minutes ago, Keith1010 said:

The immediate area by the port is not just bad it is awful in terms of violence.  Even the police avoid it.

 

When you do get to the port you will be dropped off right at the gate and will need to take a shuttle that runs from the gate to the ship as it is a large/industrial port.

 

Keith

That sounds quite intimidating!  I'm waiting to hear from SB which part of the port the Quest will be docked at, hopefully it'll all work out.  

[Keith1010]

Oh I am sure it will all work out.

I just wanted to emphasize that the area near the port is one that has a lot of issues.

 

The port can accommodate multiple ships.  I am not sure if they would know in advance the precise location but when you enter the port the ships can be clearly seen.  There will be shuttles that take guests between the gate where you will be dropped off and the ship.

 

The port schedule does not go out to November 19 which I believe is when you arrive but if you check this one in a couple of weeks it should show you if you are the only ship in port that day or others.

 

https://www.cma-cgm.com/ebusiness/schedules/port/detail?POLDescription=CALLAO %3B PE %3B PECLL

 

I looked it up on another site and it only shows your ship but I prefer to use the official port sites when possible.

 

Either way once inside the terminal it is easy to see the ship.

 

Keith

[Mauzac]

Oh, that's really helpful, thanks Keith.

 

I will look it up nearer the time and if we can see the ships once inside fairly easily, that makes it easier as I imagined it being miles away!

 

I really appreciate the info  as I'm a bit of an organiser and don't like to leave things to chance!  

[Keith1010]

Mauzac..you are very welcome.

 

Keith

[DCYukon]

I am also trying to find out a bit more through my travel agent.  My local guide in Lima  tells me that other cruise lines have shuttles to/from various parts of town but Seabourn does not appear to have this.  Of course, he also mentioned that the area around Callao is also pretty iffy and that we should definitely get there before dark (preferably well before, so he too can get out of that area before nightfall).  Keith - your info is enormously helpful.  Hopefully, it will all work out.  The info I received from Seabourn today says that the Pier Terminal is APM Terminals Callao (ultimately owned by Maersk, I believe, rather than CMA CGM, but the terminal website appears to be riddled with malware and is not terribly helpful in any language).  APM Terminals is just the name of the company that runs the port, not any particular place at the port.  I know this is usually a fairly busy cargo port with few or no cruise ships docked at most times.