Thoughts, impressions, and observations for the World Cruise.

[island lady]

23 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Do you have additional port stops after Pisco before you get  to Lima?

 

No.  Tomorrow is Pisco...where the large group going to Machu Picchu is leaving the ship early.  Then we are in Lima the next day, doing an overnight, with the group rejoining us just before we leave on Tuesday around noon.  

[orville99]

48 minutes ago, island lady said:

 

No.  Tomorrow is Pisco...where the large group going to Machu Picchu is leaving the ship early.  Then we are in Lima the next day, doing an overnight, with the group rejoining us just before we leave on Tuesday around noon.  

Overnight in Lima should be fun. Enjoy😇🍗🍹🎻🥂

 

We leave on Friday on Adventure for our annual Super Bowl B2B⛴️🏈

Edited January 27 by orville99

[island lady]

17 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Overnight in Lima should be fun. Enjoy😇🍗🍹🎻🥂

 

We leave on Friday on Adventure for our annual Super Bowl B2B⛴️🏈

 

Thanks!   Yaaaah!!...have a fantabulous time on Adventure.  Another of my favorite class of ships.  🥰

[sjb317]

1 hour ago, island lady said:

 

No.  Tomorrow is Pisco...where the large group going to Machu Picchu is leaving the ship early.  Then we are in Lima the next day, doing an overnight, with the group rejoining us just before we leave on Tuesday around noon.  

I read on another site that Machu Pichu is closed due to riots so tours may be cancelled.

 

Sherri🙂

Edited January 27 by sjb317

[orville99]

8 minutes ago, sjb317 said:

I read on another site that Machu Pichu is closed due to riots so tours may be cancelled.

 

Sherri🙂

Directly from the official Machu Picchu website 

Is Machu Picchu Open?

Yes, Machu Picchu is indeed open during 2024 according to the Ministry of Culture and It is operating at 100% capacity. However, we highly recommend booking your tickets well in advance due to the high demand. As of now, tickets are sold out until the middle of September. Please note that the popular circuits 1 and 2 are already sold out, with only circuit 3 and 4 currently available. This circuits are the mountains.

 

Machu Picchu on February

 

Is Machu Picchu closed in February?

The short answer to all of these questions is NO. Machu Picchu is currently open to the public, and it will remain open throughout the year. The closure of Machu Picchu reflects only the fact that at some point a natural event occurs that threatens its infrastructure. It is only the Inca Trail that will be temporarily closed in February

 

[sjb317]

https://pe.usembassy.gov/demonstration-alert-u-s-embassy-lima-peru-january-26-2024/#:~:text=On%20January%2025%2C%20local%20organizations,been%20suspended%20until%20further%20notice

[pstone1]

1 hour ago, orville99 said:

Directly from the official Machu Picchu website 

Is Machu Picchu Open?

Yes, Machu Picchu is indeed open during 2024 according to the Ministry of Culture and It is operating at 100% capacity. However, we highly recommend booking your tickets well in advance due to the high demand. As of now, tickets are sold out until the middle of September. Please note that the popular circuits 1 and 2 are already sold out, with only circuit 3 and 4 currently available. This circuits are the mountains.

 

Machu Picchu on February

 

Is Machu Picchu closed in February?

The short answer to all of these questions is NO. Machu Picchu is currently open to the public, and it will remain open throughout the year. The closure of Machu Picchu reflects only the fact that at some point a natural event occurs that threatens its infrastructure. It is only the Inca Trail that will be temporarily closed in February

 

We got a notification from the State Department this morning alerting us that it was closed.  We are not part of the group that’s going.  Haven’t heard anything about that onboard, so who knows!

 

[delmom18]

Oh no!  If I was traveling around the world I'd be so upset not to get to Machu Picchu!  I'm sorry for any of you missing this once in a lifetime stop.

 

I wonder how RC will reimburse full cruisers for this missed excursion.  

[orville99]

26 minutes ago, pstone1 said:

We got a notification from the State Department this morning alerting us that it was closed.  We are not part of the group that’s going.  Haven’t heard anything about that onboard, so who knows!

 

I would imagine that the tour will be modified rather than cancelled. There is quite a bit going on both before and after the part that is experiencing the issues (although that bit is the focal point of the excursion).

[orville99]

1 minute ago, delmom18 said:

Oh no!  If I was traveling around the world I'd be so upset not to get to Machu Picchu!  I'm sorry for any of you missing this once in a lifetime stop.

 

I wonder how RC will reimburse full cruisers for this missed excursion.  

Considering that someone on board stated that the shore excursions desk was selling the excursion at $5,000 per person, that would be a 7 figure hit to their revenue stream.😱

[pstone1]

24 minutes ago, orville99 said:

I would imagine that the tour will be modified rather than cancelled. There is quite a bit going on both before and after the part that is experiencing the issues (although that bit is the focal point of the excursion).

Read on FB that a decision will be made by RC tomorrow.  From the posts I read, it sounded like many folks would like to fly to Cusco before a final decision is made.  I’m sure RC is trying to figure out the best way to handle it.

[CSHS1979]

On 1/25/2024 at 3:13 PM, island lady said:

 

OK...so who are you calling boring??  

 

The Silver Sea discussion. Nothing to do with fantastic trip we are on. Really annoyed to have outsiders drone on about what a crappy ship this is. Maybe this site isn't for me

[Hoopster95]

45 minutes ago, delmom18 said:

Oh no!  If I was traveling around the world I'd be so upset not to get to Machu Picchu! 

 

Machu Pichu is not viable as a cruise ship excursion. I bet many will regret having only a few hours there considering the length of travel and expense.

 

41 minutes ago, orville99 said:

Considering that someone on board stated that the shore excursions desk was selling the excursion at $5,000 per person, that would be a 7 figure hit to their revenue stream.😱

 

Yes, the bean counters in Miami are probably pi$$ed!!! I feel that the strikers are doing cruisers a favor. I did 7 days from Cusco with Kensington Tours ( a luxury land tour company like SilverSea/Regent would be to cruising) for the quoted price $5000 per person. Not to be mean, however $5000 for this limited experience to truly one of the 7 wonders of the world is way too much money.

Edited January 27 by Hoopster95

[CSHS1979]

On 1/26/2024 at 3:07 PM, pstone1 said:

We wanted to see the Cathedral de San Marcos, which was designed by Alexandre Gustavo Eiffel, the same engineer as the Eiffel Tower. The Cathedral was pre-fabricated in Paris, and shipped around the world to be assembled on site.  The entire church is made from stamped and molded cast iron with paint!  We had no idea the church steps would be a major Carnival viewing point!

 

We toured the other Chilean metal church in Coquimbo. Our guide said to make sure we visited this one as well. This was a lot bigger

[CSHS1979]

On 1/26/2024 at 3:28 PM, pstone1 said:

Right at the Port entrance, there is the Naval Base, headquartered in a white building.  Nearby is a statue of a Naval Officer with his sword pointed to the sky!  The Headland, El Morro de Arica towers over everything!  You can’t miss the huge Chilean flag.

 

 

 

John found this statue at the base of the rock

[pstone1]

Just now, CSHS1979 said:

 

We toured the other Chilean metal church in Coquimbo. Our guide said to make sure we visited this one as well. This was a lot bigger

We were sad we didn’t choose a tour that included Coquimbo!  There were many more interesting sites (to us) in that area vs La Serena.  We’ll just have to have a do-over, and visit again in the future!  😉

[Mike07]

2 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

 Again, not to be mean, but $5000 for this extremely limited experience to truly one of the 7 wonders of the world that everyone should see in their lifetime is not a cruise ship excursion.

 

 

 

Completely agree from both a financial cost, time spent, and what the excursion actually entails. I've had similar experiences on other cruise lines where I've been to "the thing" and I look at what the cruise line wants for said thing... and either time is too limited or costs are too high for what it actually entails. I've also been barked at for commenting here that "hey, that cost is obscene" and then CCers tell me they don't mind spending more or the peace of mind... so on and so forth. I sort of get it, but it's their money, not mine. I guess I should appreciate them for pumping up c-suite bonus packages and helping to reduce my cruise fare?

 

 

[pstone1]

1 minute ago, CSHS1979 said:

 

John found this statue at the base of the rock

I wondered exactly where that was!  We just didn’t walk far enough in that direction!

[CSHS1979]

6 hours ago, pstone1 said:

Beautiful moon!  We sat out watching sailaway for a long time too, in fact we missed the “Late Night” (9:30 - cracked me up) Adult Comedian who we heard was funny!  If he performs again, we’ll have to try harder to get there!

 

Caught this as we left the comic

 

Shot with John's S23 ultra

 

[CSHS1979]

1 hour ago, pstone1 said:

We got a notification from the State Department this morning alerting us that it was closed.  We are not part of the group that’s going.  Haven’t heard anything about that onboard, so who knows!

 

 

Delivered this morning. Tour is still on, for now. We collected our passports this afternoon

 

Edited January 27 by CSHS1979

[CSHS1979]

13 minutes ago, Hoopster95 said:

 

Machu Pichu is not viable as a cruise ship excursion. I bet many will regret having only a few hours there considering the length of travel and expense.

 

 

Yes, the bean counters in Miami are probably pi$$ed!!! I feel that the strikers are doing cruisers a favor. I did 7 days from Cusco with Kensington Tours ( a luxury land tour company like SilverSea/Regent would be to cruising) for the quoted price $5000 per person. Not to be mean, however $5000 for this limited experience to truly one of the 7 wonders of the world is way too much money.

 

At one point, MP tour was around $1800. As I recall. I guess price went up as it got closer to departure. Dynamic Pricing. 

 

I know someone on it now. They left from La Serena. They were taking train today

[Arzeena]

If you get to go ( and I wish you do!), I hope you enjoy it a lot! looking forward to see your MP pictures Laura and John.

[pstone1]

I really hope everyone gets to go too!  We were booked and cancelled on a private tour to MP last March due to civil unrest.  It was very disappointing.

 

Friends of ours just got home from their trip to MP, and they said the beauty was overwhelming.  I too can’t wait to see the excellent photos!

[orville99]

56 minutes ago, CSHS1979 said:

Really annoyed to have outsiders drone on about what a crappy ship this is.

I spent the entire month preceding your boarding sailing on Serenade, and watched (and documented) the mad scramble by crew to cover/patch/hide all the warts so you wouldn't notice them. I'm glad you haven't seen or experienced what I saw and experienced that entire month. 

[island lady]

Not sure about the Machu Picchu...but I am bummed about the phone message I just got from shore excursions desk.  "Due to a lack of participation, your tour in Lima the "Taste of Lima" tour is cancelled".  Whaaat??  They cancel this tour two days prior,  that I booked over a year ago, that I am sure they knew exactly how many had booked...they just now cancel it??!!  Not happy.  This was an all day "foodie" tour I was looking forward to.  Crap.