Looking for feedback on Rio to Buenos Aires cruise on Voyager

[CAHW]

This will be our first cruise on Regent and I’ve been combing the forum here for tips and insight.  Thank you for those handy bits of advice already submitted.    
 

More specifically, has anyone done the Rio to Buenos Aires cruise?  We’re going in Jan 2024 and especially interested in hearing recommendations for excursions.  Thanks! 

Edited September 18, 2023 by CAHW

[boblerm]

I did the BA to Rio last March, and did a review of it.  For way more info about the cruise that you are likely to want to see, it is here.

 

 

We did a pre cruise in BA, which begins on post # 15.

 

 

The port reviews begin in post # 50.

[CAHW]

Thanks so much! 

[CAHW]

@boblerm I loved your detailed report!  And especially the all the port information.  You confirmed what I had thought about a few of them - why is that a stop?  Our cruise is a few days shorter - here is the itinerary below. We might just stay in the boat in Santos or go to the beach.  It’ll be our first trip to South America so even getting to hit Rio, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires will be a treat! 

1 - Rio de Janeiro

2 - Ilha Grande

3 - Santos

4 - Itajai

5 - day at sea

6 - Montevideo

7 - Buenos Aires

8 - Buenos Aires 

[DeepFreeze63]

10 hours ago, CAHW said:

@boblerm I loved your detailed report!  And especially the all the port information.  You confirmed what I had thought about a few of them - why is that a stop?  Our cruise is a few days shorter - here is the itinerary below. We might just stay in the boat in Santos or go to the beach.  It’ll be our first trip to South America so even getting to hit Rio, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires will be a treat! 

1 - Rio de Janeiro

2 - Ilha Grande

3 - Santos

4 - Itajai

5 - day at sea

6 - Montevideo

7 - Buenos Aires

8 - Buenos Aires 

YES ! It will. Consider staying in BsAs a couple of extra days, Terriffic weekend fairs near graveyard where Evita is entombed (Friday afternoon and all Saturday) and near Pink Palace on Sunday.

Igazu Fall is spectacular (easily done on one's own from domestic airport); stay on grounds.

[PhD-iva]

4 hours ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

Terriffic weekend fairs near graveyard where Evita is entombed (Friday afternoon and all Saturday) and near Pink Palace on Sunday.

Evita is buried in La Recoleta Cemetery; the Recoleta neighborhood is my favorite to wander around. The seat of government w the President’s office is better translated as the Pink House.
Everyone, do be careful- am reading reports of tourists being targeted for petty thefts, especially your iPhones.

Edited September 19, 2023 by PhD-iva
Edit

[dabear]

4 hours ago, DeepFreeze63 said:

YES ! It will. Consider staying in BsAs a couple of extra days, Terriffic weekend fairs near graveyard where Evita is entombed (Friday afternoon and all Saturday) and near Pink Palace on Sunday.

Igazu Fall is spectacular (easily done on one's own from domestic airport); stay on grounds.

we also did this cruise & flew in a few days earlier to BA . This permitted us to fly to Iguazu Falls for the day & returned to BA at night. We arranged for a private guide to pick us up at the airport, tour with us around the park (which he knew shortcuts to save time, etc. & we had a wonderful time). while we were satisfied doing it in one day & & saw only the Argentina side, some posters say you should stay overnight & see the Brazil side as well. Personal choice as we wanted to spend more time in BA.

[samiam99]

On 9/19/2023 at 5:16 AM, DeepFreeze63 said:

YES ! It will. Consider staying in BsAs a couple of extra days, Terriffic weekend fairs near graveyard where Evita is entombed (Friday afternoon and all Saturday) and near Pink Palace on Sunday.

Igazu Fall is spectacular (easily done on one's own from domestic airport); stay on grounds.

We stayed in Recoleta neighborhood, and if you're comfortable carrying cash you can get some fantastic deals. I had hotel front dest request blue dollar exchange to be done at hotel and you receive over twice the official exchange by doing so. Example if you use a credit card the official exchange is around 35000 pesos for 100 u.s. dollars, but the blue exchange will give you over 78000 pesos, over twice the spending power. We were getting an excellent steak dinner with wine and desert for around 20 u.s. dollars for 2 people. They take crisp no tear or dog eared dollars in 100 dollar increments.

P.S. the dollars are the same its just the name for black market exchange which is an accepted and practiced openly there. You will see them on the streets but I recommend doing it at the safety of you hotel.

[RELS]

16 minutes ago, samiam99 said:

I had hotel front des[k] request blue dollar exchange to be done at hotel

 

You can do that?!? Best advice ever!

 

What hotel was it? Regent is putting us at the Sofitel Buenos Aires in the Recoleta neighborhood for the Iguazu Falls post-tour in January.

[samiam99]

1 hour ago, RELS said:

 

You can do that?!? Best advice ever!

 

What hotel was it? Regent is putting us at the Sofitel Buenos Aires in the Recoleta neighborhood for the Iguazu Falls post-tour in January.

we stayed at Recoleta Grand Hotel, but my guess is the hotel you have booked will also do that.