D. B. Posted April 26 #1 Share Posted April 26 Last week at the end of my 13 night Valparaiso, Chile to Buenos Aires cruise on Eclipse I did a 2 night (Post Cruise) Celebrity City Stay excursion to the Iguazu Falls. This was my first experience with one of these multi day excursions offered by Celebrity. It was operated by a Tour company and was all inclusive right up to the Tour Director taking me to the Buenos Aires (International) airport after the tour in a private car and driver and guiding me all the way to the Security checkpoint. I had looked into booking my own Iguazu Falls tour pre covid but that was cancelled like so much travel in 2020. When I was offered a Celebrity City Stays tour at first I thought the price was high But as a solo traveler with an age that starts with an 8 I decided having all the details taken care of was worth it. I do not speak Spanish or Portuguese and didn't want to stress over the details. My Experience with this Excursion was All Positive and so well organized and carried out that I would recommend it to others. We were met at the Ship by a Tour guide who stayed with us the Entire Excursion and handled Everything expertly. All Busses we traveled on the entire time were Newer, Clean and Modern and our luggage was taken care of at all times after we arrived at Iguazu. The trip started out with a Bus ride to Buenos Aires Domestic Airport for a flight (1Hour 45 Min.) to Iguazu for our group of 14 guests. The Buenos Aires (Domestic) and Iguazu airports were clean and modern and our flight was on a modern aircraft of a domestic airline. We were met at Iguazu by a Local Tour Guide who was an excellent English speaker and he stayed with us at all times while in Iguazu. Because one side of the Falls is in Brazil and the other side is in Argentina we made multiple crossings of their borders and Our local guide knew all the photocalls involved. Turned out he had lived for some time in New Zealand and worked on a Cruise Ship and was well travel himself! I won't go into details about our experience, but our hotels, meals and bus were all Excellent in My estimation. This excursion requires a Lot of (Miles) walking over different surfaces and is not for those with limited mobility. To see and experience as much as possible the guide needed to keep to a schedule, but we were never rushed. Or April Weather was Perfect and the water level was high enough to provide a good appreciation of the falls. The weather (temperature, humidity) and water level can be different at different seasons so best to do your research in advance. The Falls are definitely one of the Wonders of Nature and are most impressive for the Length of the tip over point (2-3 Miles wide) and volume of water falling 3 different steps. D.B. 5 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 81Zoomie Posted April 26 #2 Share Posted April 26 Thanks for the info on the falls and the excursion. We are considering a land/cruise option that includes a trip to the falls. This was very helpful. Thank you 😁. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted April 26 #3 Share Posted April 26 2 hours ago, 81Zoomie said: Thanks for the info on the falls and the excursion. We are considering a land/cruise option that includes a trip to the falls. This was very helpful. Thank you 😁. we did the Falls as a private tour pre cruise sharing with one other couple who we met on the CC Roll Call. We had a private guide for 2 days as it's imperative that you see the Falls from both sides - Brazil for the Panoramic Views and Argentine for the close ups standing right above the Falls. Our Guide enabled us to bi pass all the lines at the Border Crossing even getting one Official to come out to our vehicle to save us from getting soaked - the bus group ahead of us were all made to alight to have their documents checked. Ideally you want a huge rainstorm the night before your visit as this can increase the volume of water by several hundred percent. the pics will give you some idea of the views - look closely at the first pic and near the top you can just make out where the people on the Argentine side are standing above the Falls. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare 81Zoomie Posted April 26 #4 Share Posted April 26 2 hours ago, the penguins said: we did the Falls as a private tour pre cruise sharing with one other couple who we met on the CC Roll Call. We had a private guide for 2 days as it's imperative that you see the Falls from both sides - Brazil for the Panoramic Views and Argentine for the close ups standing right above the Falls. Our Guide enabled us to bi pass all the lines at the Border Crossing even getting one Official to come out to our vehicle to save us from getting soaked - the bus group ahead of us were all made to alight to have their documents checked. Ideally you want a huge rainstorm the night before your visit as this can increase the volume of water by several hundred percent. the pics will give you some idea of the views - look closely at the first pic and near the top you can just make out where the people on the Argentine side are standing above the Falls. Which company did you use and how did you get to the falls? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arubamoose Posted April 26 #5 Share Posted April 26 We did Tours by Locals. Our Tour guide was lilian.sierich@thefriend.com She picked us up at our hotel and she had a driver who took us around. We did both side of the falls. She spoke impeccable English and got us around without waiting. She was fun. We had a blast! Did a high speed boat ride to the falls. Thrilling. We stayed two nights at the Viale Tower Hotel. Rooms were decent. Rooftop bar was awesome for sunset. Walking distance to some good restaurants. We took a flight on LAN from IGR to Buenos Aires to meet our cruise. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrk2cruise Posted April 26 #6 Share Posted April 26 We also did this tour using Tours by Locals guide and making our own flight arrangements. Our guide was Francis Almeida Barros. I highly recommend staying in the park at the Gran Meliá Iguazú. Of course you have to visit the Brazil side as well as I think those are the better overall views. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Jim_Iain Posted April 27 #7 Share Posted April 27 6 hours ago, the penguins said: we did the Falls as a private tour pre cruise sharing with one other couple who we met on the CC Roll Call. We had a private guide for 2 days as it's imperative that you see the Falls from both sides - Brazil for the Panoramic Views and Argentine for the close ups standing right above the Falls. Our Guide enabled us to bi pass all the lines at the Border Crossing even getting one Official to come out to our vehicle to save us from getting soaked - the bus group ahead of us were all made to alight to have their documents checked. Ideally you want a huge rainstorm the night before your visit as this can increase the volume of water by several hundred percent. the pics will give you some idea of the views - look closely at the first pic and near the top you can just make out where the people on the Argentine side are standing above the Falls. We will be doing the same on our own in November 2025. Little too early to start planning bu may ping you when I get closer for details. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisegirlppp Posted April 27 #8 Share Posted April 27 Really appreciate the very valuable information in these posts. We missed a trip to the Falls when we were in BA for a prior cruise and now want to return and include the Falls but the planning seemed a bit overwhelming. Thanks to the these posts I feel like and now I have some ideas that would make it a feasible for people who's age begins with a 7! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrk2cruise Posted April 27 #9 Share Posted April 27 View from a falls view room at Gran Meliá Iguazú. The favorable exchange rate makes it more affordable than first glance. Another from the ground floor restaurant Guide got us to Brazil side before others arrived. Had the whole walkway to ourselves. 1 hr later it was wall to wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted April 27 #10 Share Posted April 27 1 hour ago, cruisegirlppp said: Really appreciate the very valuable information in these posts. We missed a trip to the Falls when we were in BA for a prior cruise and now want to return and include the Falls but the planning seemed a bit overwhelming. Thanks to the these posts I feel like and now I have some ideas that would make it a feasible for people who's age begins with a 7! 14 hours ago, wrk2cruise said: We also did this tour using Tours by Locals guide and making our own flight arrangements. Our guide was Francis Almeida Barros. I highly recommend staying in the park at the Gran Meliá Iguazú. Of course you have to visit the Brazil side as well as I think those are the better overall views. same guide - highly recommended 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted April 27 #11 Share Posted April 27 1 hour ago, cruisegirlppp said: Really appreciate the very valuable information in these posts. We missed a trip to the Falls when we were in BA for a prior cruise and now want to return and include the Falls but the planning seemed a bit overwhelming. Thanks to the these posts I feel like and now I have some ideas that would make it a feasible for people who's age begins with a 7! see Post 3 - last pic - this was one day before the Boss's 71st Birthday and 2 days before our Golden Wedding Anniversary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare foodsvcmgr Posted April 27 #12 Share Posted April 27 I went to Iguazu prior to my Celebrity Eclipse cruise in January. Booked independently through Ripio Turismo in Buenos Aires, all arrangements were well handled at half the price Celebrity was charging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the penguins Posted April 27 #13 Share Posted April 27 13 hours ago, Jim_Iain said: We will be doing the same on our own in November 2025. Little too early to start planning bu may ping you when I get closer for details. Hi Jim and Iain - glad you are enjoying your Transpacific - a route we did on Solstice's maiden crossing to celebrate our retirement. I have used the e mail link on your original post to send you some notes I did in response to an earlier enquiry. Please don't hesitate to email if you have any queries. Geoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuestionEverything Posted April 27 #14 Share Posted April 27 On 4/26/2024 at 1:11 PM, D. B. said: Last week at the end of my 13 night Valparaiso, Chile to Buenos Aires cruise on Eclipse I did a 2 night (Post Cruise) Celebrity City Stay excursion to the Iguazu Falls. This was my first experience with one of these multi day excursions offered by Celebrity. It was operated by a Tour company and was all inclusive right up to the Tour Director taking me to the Buenos Aires (International) airport after the tour in a private car and driver and guiding me all the way to the Security checkpoint. I had looked into booking my own Iguazu Falls tour pre covid but that was cancelled like so much travel in 2020. When I was offered a Celebrity City Stays tour at first I thought the price was high But as a solo traveler with an age that starts with an 8 I decided having all the details taken care of was worth it. I do not speak Spanish or Portuguese and didn't want to stress over the details. My Experience with this Excursion was All Positive and so well organized and carried out that I would recommend it to others. We were met at the Ship by a Tour guide who stayed with us the Entire Excursion and handled Everything expertly. All Busses we traveled on the entire time were Newer, Clean and Modern and our luggage was taken care of at all times after we arrived at Iguazu. The trip started out with a Bus ride to Buenos Aires Domestic Airport for a flight (1Hour 45 Min.) to Iguazu for our group of 14 guests. The Buenos Aires (Domestic) and Iguazu airports were clean and modern and our flight was on a modern aircraft of a domestic airline. We were met at Iguazu by a Local Tour Guide who was an excellent English speaker and he stayed with us at all times while in Iguazu. Because one side of the Falls is in Brazil and the other side is in Argentina we made multiple crossings of their borders and Our local guide knew all the photocalls involved. Turned out he had lived for some time in New Zealand and worked on a Cruise Ship and was well travel himself! I won't go into details about our experience, but our hotels, meals and bus were all Excellent in My estimation. This excursion requires a Lot of (Miles) walking over different surfaces and is not for those with limited mobility. To see and experience as much as possible the guide needed to keep to a schedule, but we were never rushed. Or April Weather was Perfect and the water level was high enough to provide a good appreciation of the falls. The weather (temperature, humidity) and water level can be different at different seasons so best to do your research in advance. The Falls are definitely one of the Wonders of Nature and are most impressive for the Length of the tip over point (2-3 Miles wide) and volume of water falling 3 different steps. D.B. Hi D. B. Hope you are well. Did this most amazing geology venue in 2015 in January, their summer. I was so hot there were nurses parked along various walkways with blood pressure machines! Ig Falls is the most amazing physical geography experience. As Elinor Roosevelt said "Poor Niagara"! Well worth the extra time and expense. For Everyone - check, you might need a yellow fever shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. B. Posted April 27 Author #15 Share Posted April 27 44 minutes ago, foodsvcmgr said: I went to Iguazu prior to my Celebrity Eclipse cruise in January. Booked independently through Ripio Turismo in Buenos Aires, all arrangements were well handled at half the price Celebrity was charging. I'm glad that my opening post has generated Options for those who want to visit the Falls. How you do it is a personal decision but Going There is a Must See experience. D. B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D. B. Posted April 27 Author #16 Share Posted April 27 3 minutes ago, QuestionEverything said: Hi D. B. Hope you are well. Did this most amazing geology venue in 2015 in January, their summer. I was so hot there were nurses parked along various walkways with blood pressure machines! Ig Falls is the most amazing physical geography experience. As Elinor Roosevelt said "Poor Niagara"! Well worth the extra time and expense. For Everyone - check, you might need a yellow fever shot. South America has a possibility of Dengue Fever spread by Mosquitos. There is No preventive vaccine or Cure so Bring repellant and cover up . My guide was good at helping us at being prepared. Do Not let this keep you from going as the chance is very slight that you will be infected. Your odds of getting it are probably right up there with the odds of winning the Mega Millions lottery?🤔 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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