Review of Regal Princess: Valpariaso-Fort Lauderdale Mar 22 2006

[makai 7]

I finally got around to submitting this, and cruise critic finally got around to posting it.

 

I will be happy to answer any questions. Edinburgher has already posted many details around the ports in other threads.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=18957

[earljr]

Beth --

 

well written, comprehensive review. Nice job --

 

Earl

[Aussie Gal]

makai 7,

 

I have just read your very comprehensive review of the Regal and it is as though you are writing about a completely different ship to the one we were on in January. We did the 17 day cruise from Rio to Valpariso via Antarctica.

 

We did have two different Captains on this cruise, our first Captain was an Englishman, David Perkins who was replaced in Ushuaia by a very personable Captain Hamish Reid.

 

We also had Sammi Baker as our Cruise Director. She was excellent as we had to miss three ports due to the weather so we ended up with over eleven sea days in a row and she managed to rework the schedules so that there was something on offer each day.

 

I found the Regal to be in wonderful condition especially our mini suite which was just so comfortable. I agree with you that I missed the wrap around promenade deck, but we knew this ship did not have that when we booked our cruise.

 

We found the food to be excellent especially in the dining room. We were at a table for eight and had so much fun. We organized beforehand with some of our Roll Call members to be on the same table and it proved to be a great idea.

 

I know it is an older ship, but it is still in very good condition and it rides the seas very well. We were in a force 11 gale going down to Antarctica and I hate to think what it would have been like in one of the newer, bigger ships which are really just floating hotels.

 

I also love the movie theatre on the Regal. We had quite a few lectures in there as we were on a Scientific voyage with a Professor and his graduates from Cambridge. We had lectures both in the lounge and in the movie theatre each day. We also saw some films there as well.

 

The crew were always painting and cleaning the ship. We saw them doing it each time we were in port. They must have varnished our railing on our balcony the day or so before we boarded in Rio because there were specks of paint etc on the green "carpet" of our verandah floor.

 

All in all we had a very enjoyable cruise on the Regal and we came away with many happy memories.

 

Jennie

[edinburgher]

We were also passengers on Regal Princess, Valparaiso to Ft. Lauderdale in March/April 06. There were several CC members onboard and we had a Meet and Mingle, including Makai and Earl (above) As MAKAI has already written an excellent review of Regal Princess and added a link to it above, I thought I would concentrate instead on giving info on only some of the ports of call on this cruise. Others (such as the Panama Canal transit, Aruba) have more info on CC already. Before leaving home, we had searched cruisecritic for info and tips on these particular ports and had found very little. I thought I would add some which I hope might be helpful to others and save them some research time, as most of our info had to be found in guide books and internet searches and these are not very good at giving info on ports and what is or is not available in or near them, such as taxis, public transport etc.

In S. America we did more private tours than we have done elsewhere in the world. We are usually more independent and very rarely take a ships excursion. Our port research and sightseeing was further complicated by the fact that we speak no Spanish. We managed, although pre-cruise communication had been difficult or impossible in some ports.

 

As we travelled directly from Santiago airport to the port at Valparaiso and did not disembark after boarding, we have no info on either place. The drive between them was, however, quite scenic, passing many vineyards and valleys. It’s a nice enough introduction to Chile.

 

[edinburgher]

Coquimbo/La Serena, Chile.

Coquimbo is reasonably close to La Serena (10/15 mins drive) It is the gateway to La Serena, the Limari valley and the Elqui valley. Regal Princess offered excursions to all. The Regal excursion to La Serena was priced at $54pp. We did not know until we boarded that there would also be a Regal shuttle from Coquimbo to La Serena and back. The cost was $5 pp each way. We (2) took a taxi instead. $10. And another back to the ship. With 4 persons it would be cheaper than the shuttle.

 

As it was the day following our arrival in Valparaiso (and we had had a 28 hour journey to get there and were jet lagged) we were reluctant to commit to the full day tours heading up the valleys. The only shorter ships tours were to La Serena, one in the morning, one in the afternoon. Each half day was costing $54 pp.

 

We had taken info and a map from a guide book and knew that La Serena was compact with the main places of interest no more than a five minute walk from each other. We knew if we could get there ourselves we could easily wander on our own. We were also interested in seeing some of the valley, but not for a full day. Our thought was to head up the Elqui valley to Vicuna, and to visit the largest pisco distillery (Capel) on the outskirts of Vicuna.(free tours in English)

 

On the official www.sernatur.cl Tourist Board site, we had found many taxi companies and tour operators based in both Coquimbo and La Serena. We do not speak Spanish. Over a period of approx 4 weeks we sent emails to at least 6 of these, trying to get info on a tour or taxi. We had no response from any of them. It could have been a language problem. All we could conclude was that there were many taxis and tour operators so there was a good chance some might be at the dock.

 

This turned out to be the case. There were many taxis and tour guides at the dock. From an previous CC post we had an approx idea of cost and we were charged only a little more. (inflation?) The taxi prices appeared to be all the same. A man was co-ordinating passengers with taxis and drivers. We joined up with “the MAKAIS” from our Roll Call and the 4 of us paid $25 each, plus tip for approx 4 hours. This was for a taxi, driver speaking only a very few words of English. The tour guides were charging more than this. English speaking. For us, we did not feel the extra cost was worth it so opted for the taxi instead. It may well be that the tours were worth the extra cost. We have no idea. You would need to check at the dock to see whats on offer, length of time etc. We only wanted a morning.

The ride up and down the valley was interesting enough, scenic but not hugely so, as the more scenic route only begins at Vicuna, climbing much higher up. Vicuna itself was a little disappointing. There is very little there. We only spent approx 1/2 hour or so strolling around before heading back to the ship for lunch. The pisco sour is found almost everywhere on this cruise. The Capel pisco distillery tour (on the outskirts of Vicuna.free tours in English approx every ½ hour) was interesting and is followed by a tasting of lots of different pisco mixes. There is a wide selection to choose from. It is mixed with various fruits, nuts, cream etc as well as the straight versions. Its worth trying more than one variety as they are all very different. We waited a few minutes for our tour to begin and in fact went around with a small number of other passengers from the ship who had joined a private minibus tour at the dock. Their tour guide was our distillery guide, we think because her English may have been better than that of the factory guide who also came with us.

 

We really dont think its necessary to take an excursion to La Serena. Its a busy, quite modern little town and theres plenty to see and do for 2/3 hours. Very compact. Nothing far from anything else. Dont miss the Archaeological Museum. Its small but they have some good exhibits. Best among these are the mummies and an Easter Island Maui (head). This is apparently the only head which is not on Easter Island. If you think you might never get to Easter island to see the hundreds they have there, at least you can see one! There is a cathedral, and various churches. San Augustine, Santo Domingo La Merced. The market is called La Recova. Its barely 4/5 mins walk from the musum. It is huge. Indoor and outdoor. Its divided into several sections. Coming from the musuem, the tourist market is the first section you reach. There are stall outside and lots more inside. Lots of nice things to buy. Handicrafts, jewellery, etc. Next door is the more "everyday" section, and next door to that a huge modern supermarket selling all sorts of things. We stocked up here on soft drinks, water, wine etc to take back onboard. (We paid the $10 corkage fee for the wine in the dining room. Even with that theres quite a saving on the ships prices) The supermarket was a surprise. Although the tourist market accepts $s, we had no local currency so arrived at the check outs, with some concern as we dont speak any Spanish either. Big surprise. The cash registers accept $s in addition to the local currency. They calculate the rate and it shows on your receipt. No problem. The cashier simply called over a supervisor to oversee the transaction. Its rather a nice little town overall and being compact its easy walking on your own.

We passed a large modern shopping mall on the way back to the ship, also a market, and Coquimbo itself. As we did not go to any of these places I have no info on them. Perhaps someone else will comment on these.

[edinburgher]

Arica, Chile.

Arica is another “closed” port with no traffic (apart from the ships excursion coaches) allowed into the port. No passengers are allowed to walk inside the port. The port authority shuttles passengers between the ship and the port gates in small minibuses throughout the day. It is a free service and a short couple of minutes drive. Outside the port gates, taxis, tour guides and tour companies were waiting. The centre of the town is conveniently located just across the street. There was a small souvenir market set up here by the time we returned from our tour, and there were telephone, internet and email facilities available at very low cost in town..

 

Arica has much to offer. As well as being a small beach resort there are lots of sites of interest in the town and especially outside of town. Unfortunately the sites lie in different directions and our guide told us that tourists will usually spend approx 3 days here. For cruise passengers with only one day here there are difficult decisions to make. We decided to do a private tour here. This area is probably best known for the geoglyphs, petroglyphs and the Chinchorro mummies displayed in the San Miguel de Azapa museum and this is what the majority of tourists travel here to see. We decided to include these in our tour. Based on the arrival and departure times of Regal Princess, here is the itinerary we followed:

1) 8:30 - 9:15 Meeting time. Guide will meet you at the gates where passengers come out. Drive up the Morro – excellent view point. This promontory was of tremendous strategic value during the Pacific War, 1880 (Toilets)

2) 9:15 - 9:45 Fish meal factory, beaches, historical panels, Ex-Alacrán Island and Marina, Ex Custom House (designed by Eiffel), Railroad Station (1906) Arica-La Paz, Casino, University, Chinchorro beach, Las Machas beach, Wateree (boilers of famous fluvial ship which withstood 2 tsunamis) and Bird Sanctuary at mouth of Lluta river on our way to the Lluta valley

3) 10:00 - 10:20 Geoglyphs and Colcas (panels with drawings of animals, people and geometrical figures (1000-1400 A.C.)

4) 10:30 – 11:00Rosario Petroglyphs (1000.1400 A.C.) and Aymara Cocktail

5) 11:10 – 11:30Poconchile (pre Inca town and adobe church 17th C) Toilets

8) 11:30– 12:00Pampa “Quebrada del Diablo” (high plateau) Spectacular view and contrast of green valleys against the desert.

9) 12:00 – 13:00 Town of San Miguel de Azapa – Lunch at restaurant with typical Chilean food, at passenger’s expense, approx US$ 6.00 per dish

Toilets.

10) 13:10 – 13:40 San Miguel de Azapa Arqueological Museum, (Chinchorro Mummies 6000 B.C.), ticket at passenger’s expense US$ 2.00 per person, Toilets

11) 13:50 – 14:00Cerro Sagrado (Sacred Hill) Geoglyphs (1000 – 1400 A.C)

12) 14:15 -14:20Tropilla (Caravan of Llamas) Geoglyphs (1000 – 1400 A.C.)

13) 14:30 – 14:40 Agro (Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market), produces of the valleys and also a great variety of olives

(Optional)

14) 14:50 – 15:10Poblado Artesanal (HandicraftsVillage), replica of an altiplano village

15) 15:20 approx. Arrival to port.

We were never hurried during the day. We were given as much time as we wanted at each stop and by the end of the day were slightly over our estimated time by approx a little under an hour. The driver drove steadily and with great care. The length of the itinerary can seem daunting at first glance, but distances are very short and stops frequent. The minibus seats 8 passengers in a 3-3-2 configuration. With 8 it is full. 6 persons would enjoy more space at little extra cost per person. For a one day stay this itinerary gave us a wonderful, interesting and enjoyable day. I think it would be difficult to beat, especially as we were following a circular route and never more than approx 45 minutes drive from the ship.

For lunch we were taken to a family owned and run restaurant in San Miguel de Azapa, very close to the museum. It was called LA PICA DEL MUERTITO. We got the impression that this company use this restaurant for many of their clients. Apart from the washroom/bathrooms which were fairly basic, this is a charming and immaculately clean restaurant. We were served complimentary local pisco and mango cocktails. The guide and driver had pre-ordered our meal. This turned out to be still warm bread, locally produced olives, and relishes made from locally grown tomatoes and cucumbers. This was followed by the highlight of the meal. It was new to all of us. It was fantastically good and our only disappointment was that the portions were too large to finish. It was called Pastel de Choclo. Several of us wrote down the name, and after we returned home, the owner kindly forwarded a recipe. It was one of the best meals we have ever enjoyed. The bill for lunch came to $80 for 10 persons. This included lunches and soft drinks for the driver and guide, tips for the restaurant staff, and soft drinks, beers and a bottle of wine. The 8 of us paid $10 each. If you book a private tour with any company in Arica, do make sure that it is to this restaurant that you are taken, and that the Pastel de Choclo is ordered. As a bonus, not one of us suffered any ill effects!

The practicalities.

Total cost for the day was $50 per person. This included everything, transport, guide, museum entry fee, lunches, and tips for the driver and guide at the end of the day. We thought it excellent value for money especially when compared with the ships excursion costs.

We had found a post by a CC member describing a tour she and her group had arranged here and the name of the company she used. As we did not want exactly the same tour we sent her itinerary to the company she recommended and asked if they could advise or make suggestions of other highlights we could include. Unfortunately we received no response from them. I had also sent the same email to a company selected from the official Chilean Tourist Board site. www.sernatur.cl. As far as we are aware, the official Chilean Tourist Board SERNATUR are required to check that official tour operators registered with them are licensed, insured, safety checked etc.

I chose this company in part based on the information they had on the sernatur site. There was also a link to their own company website and both had info in both English and Spanish. As we do not speak Spanish and had had some difficulty arranging tours in some S. American ports because of this, it was a relief to be able to correspond with someone who speaks extremely good English. I was sent back suggestions for the day, based on our ships time in port. We did not suggest any changes as we thought it was a really well planned mix of history, culture, scenery and other things of interest. There was still a degree of flexibility within it depending on how people felt on the day, and had the ship arrived in late it could have been adjusted to allow for less time. We could also add to it if we wanted to. The cost was quoted as $20 per hour for only 2 passengers, $30 per hour for 3 to 8 passengers. This was for a minibus seating up to 8, driver and guide) Lunch (estimated at $6-$8pp) and museum entry fee ($2pp) were extras. .

 

It’s a small family owned and run business. As the owner herself was not in Arica on the day we were there, her daughter took her place as our guide. As usual though, the owners brother was our driver. Both driver and guide spoke very good English. The owner had put much thought into the arrangements and we had several little surprises during our day with them. I do not want to describe these as its nice to be surprised. They had also prepared hand outs for everyone which included photos and descriptions of what we would see and do. This was very useful when it came to editing photos at home. The owner was also extremely efficient with arrangements and keeping in contact. We had even been sent contact details for 2 referees. In common with most tour operators they will make suggestions for any itinerary or will follow whatever itinerary you personally chose, but we feel that the one we followed would be difficult to beat.

 

[edinburgher]

San Martin, Peru

Many of the Regal Princess passengers disembarked here for the side trip to Machu Pichu. This is a port in an area which at first glance (looking at the ships excursions here) does not seem to offer much for those planning on staying in the area. We read up on it before leaving and discovered that the Paracas National Park is right on the doorstep. Quite a lot of info about it can also be found on the internet. It covers both land and sea, including the port itself.

 

The sea part is the Ilas Ballestas described as a "mini Gallapagos". It is indeed. The trip we took out to the Ilas Ballestas was memorable for all the right reasons. Boats cannot land there but go in very close to the islands and cut their engines so that you see an incredible amount of sea and bird life. There is also lots of guano so its a bit smelly! Guano is only collected every 5 or so years, so as not to cause disturbance. This was one of our best trips EVER. We saw thousands of sea lions and seals, including many babies, and millions of birds including one…only one… solitary penguin. I guess the rest were hiding from us.

 

Back at the wharf, our taxi driver met up with us again and we took a short detour into Pisco town stopping at the fish market along the way. In Pisco we had a short walk around the centre with him, looking at the main sites of interest and spent around 45 mins there. There is not a great deal to see in the town itself, but its worth a short amount of time. We then continued on to the land part of the Paracas National Reserve (actually off the road back to the ship) and it was stunning. Yellow sand on the land side in various tones of yellow and grey, some like dunes, but bordering the sea with red sand, cliffs, rock formations, crashing waves and again lots of birdlife. The colour contrasts are amazing. You can also arrange to dune buggy here or off road drive. In a normal taxi it can be a bumpy ride in some parts of it. Before returning to the ship we stopped for a quick look around the small but excellent Julio Tello museum (with toilets!) on the edge of the reserve. It is very interesting and they have some mummies there too. There is a walkway from here to a raised lookout stand used for watching the hundreds of flamingos which are there for much of the year. We were unlucky in that when we were there the flamingos had already migrated.

 

It was an amazing day, one of the best we enjoyed in any port. Nature at its most beautiful. Back onboard, we were astonished to find that many passengers only took the shuttle bus into Pisco and back again.

The practicalities.

Because of our lack of Spanish this had been another frustrating port as far as pre- arranging things went. Most of the tour operators are Pisco (and Paracas) based. They leave from there very early in the morning, and do a tour of the islands and the park before returning to Pisco. This is not really feasable for cruise passengers based at San Martin. We took their names from guide books and the internet. The only one who responded (and whose English was just about decipherable) was the one we arranged to meet at the ship and of course they did not turn up. They were Amigos adventures. We also contacted the Hotel Paracas (reputedly one of the best in the area) who show their own tours, prices etc on their website in both Spanish and English. Despite 3 emails over a period of time, we never heard back from the hotel. If you speak Spanish you might fare better than us

We waited for our pre-arranged driver and guide from 0700 beside the ship for 30 minutes, then one of the taxi drivers who was waiting for customers phoned the contact number I had. I spoke with the agent. "unfortunately they could no longer meet us". We then agreed a price with the taxi driver. For 2 persons, all in, it was $90 (plus $10 tip) It was a little less than the agent had quoted us, but we suspect was "a little more" than normal as we had seen in guide books how little the tours cost from Pisco. There were quite a number of taxis at the dock shortly after 0700 and it may be better to do some hard negotiating here.

Be sure to get to El Chaco in good enough time to book onto a boat. They are very popular. We were there about 0750, having been delayed waiting for our original guide and driver. All the boats are there, little promenade, cafes, restaurants, toilets etc. The only business there is the boat trips. They are highly regulated. You MUST go on one of these official boats at a set time. All names are taken, also our passport numbers, the boats are in good repair, lifejackets (also in good repair) must be worn, and each boat has a guide who explains the sea and wildlife. Its a bumpy ride out, windy so dont wear a hat or if you do, tie it on. You will pass the ship. The other passengers on your boat will take pictures of it. Next is the famous Candelabro on the hillside. Photo stop. then the islands, then back to the wharf. The boats all leave at 08-15. Theres a second sailing a little after 10-00 but only if sea conditions allow but its not at all guaranteed. If sea conditions are poor the 08-15 sailings are delayed until they improve. We were lucky. Conditions were good. However the sea was much rougher on the return trip. It takes approx 2 hours total. You should go for the 08-15 otherwise you might not get at all.

 

The actual cost? P35 (local) which is equivalent to approx US$11 per person. Add the cost of taxi from and back to the ship shared by 2/3/4 of you, and its way less expensive than any ships excursion. I THINK the taxi is $10 each way, not per person, per trip. Difficult to say as our taxi driver gave us a price to include the taxi transfers, islands, Pisco and the Reserve. He dropped us at the boats, picking us up on our return to head for Pisco and on to the Reserve before returning us to the ship.

If you go into the land section of the Reserve, you will be taken to wherever your driver takes you, not necessarily the best spots. It is a big reserve. Try to read up on the reserve before leaving to have some idea of the highlights, and to make sure you go there, otherwise make it clear to the driver that you want to see the most scenic bits. There are no clearly defined roads, just tracks. There were other vehicles and tourists but very few.

Regal charged $89 per person for the boat trip alone. I do not think they offered tours of the land part of the Reserve. This may be due to the terrain being unsuitable. We do not know.

 

The Paracas Peninsula is well worth the time and I hope this encourages some of you to take this trip. We enjoyed this trip a lot.

[edinburgher]

LIMA, Peru

 

The port for Lima is CALLAO. It is a good 40/45 mins drive from Lima city centre depending on traffic. Its a closed port which means no unofficial traffic in, and no pedestrian walking in the port area. It is a huge port and we were docked some distance from the main gates. There were some taxis at the gangway and private guides and drivers who had prearranged passenger tours and had the right paperwork to enter the docks in order to meet them. There was a large selection of shops/stalls right next to the ship including some upmarket shops outside and an indoor market. A word of caution. Based on what we read on cruisecritic, we had agreed that the tour company would have the driver and guide meet us at the port gates. We had thought there was a shuttle from ship to gate. There was not. And as its forbidden to walk in the port, one of the port officials kindly drove us in his car from the ship to the port gates. We explained the problem to our guide and she contacted the office. At some point during the day, the travel agent had arranged the official paperwork necessary for the driver to enter the dock and return us to the ship, also to pick us up there next day and drop us off again.

 

So, please be aware that there may or may not be a ship to gate shuttle. If arranging a private tour make sure they know to arrange the paperwork to pick you up at the ship, not the gate.

Sadly, pickpocketing is a major problem in Lima.

Its advisable to leave all jewellery on the ship and carry min cash/c cards etc in neck pocket or money belt. Also advised to keep tight hold of cameras.

We also left our watches onboard on day 1. You see some people wearing watches but not many. Locals wear cheap coloured plastic watches (like kids watches) and cheap "fun" type jewellery. When we were lunching and had to check the time for our meeting with guide and driver, none of the people dining around us was wearing a watch. We asked the waiter, and as he did not wear a watch either he had to go inside to check the time!! Better safe than sorry.

Although Lima may not be the safest city in S. America, it has an awful lot of things to see and they are miles apart. It has some of the best museums in S. America. It is also a huge city and VERY spread out. The infrastructure is not good for getting around. I don’t think local buses would appeal to many cruise passengers. Taxis are used. They are mostly 5 seaters (including driver) It is warm there and many of the taxis are not air conditioned, many drivers will not speak english and the roads are extremely congested with long delays. Expect delays. We heard that some of those who took taxis at the port paid either $15 or $20 per hour per taxi. It may seem reasonable at the time, but it can be extremely uncomfortable sitting in one of these in the heat, less so if you are 2 persons plus driver, more so if you are 4.

The Regal shuttle bus from Callao to the Marriott Hotel beside Larcomar shopping centre in the upmarket Miraflores area was $5 pp each way. Coincidentally we ended up here for lunch. As we only had an hour for lunch and needed a rest, we only got a quick impression of the centre. There were only a few shops, although several attractive bars and restaurants. The location is stunning with wonderful views. Whilst there, I did overhear some passengers saying how disappointed they were with the small selection of shops, and also how expensive these particular shops were. There is nothing else in the immediate vicinity, apart from the Parque del Amour and its not an easily walkable distance. If you dont want to catch a glimpse of the beach, corniche, sea etc and shop or have a drink or meal, you would need to try to find a taxi to take you elsewhere from here. The shuttle bus might not therefore be your best option.

If you really want to do some independant sightseeing in Lima it might be better to take a taxi from the ship and have the driver drop you of in the main Square which is called Plaza Major. This is where Limas grandest buildings and Cathedral are located. There is much to see here and within a couple of blocks in all directions from the square. You could easily spend several hours here. I think it took approx 30/40 mins to get here from the ship. It depends on the traffic.

We had decided to take a private tour here and arranged this before leaving home. We were overnighting so had one and a half days. The ships tours were surprisingly expensive here (at least in our opinion) it was difficult not to have some overlap with the various excursions on offer, and with the way they were scheduled it simply was not possible to see everything we wanted to. We found a couple of references to private tours here on CC. We contacted one of the companies together with another 3, all recommended in guide books. We sent details of everything we would like to see and do in Lima to all 4 asking them to work out the actual itinerary (depending on opening times etc) and send us quotes based on 2/4/6 persons. All 4 did this. Itineraries were almost identical. Prices varied, not by a huge amount, but a fair amount all the same. One company in particular was extremely quick to respond and was in fact less expensive than the others for the same itinerary. They were in fact very efficient throughout the process, responding to enquiries almost by return. They were recommended by all three guidebooks we read. As we speak no Spanish at all, it was good to find that our contact there spoke excellent English. We were very happy with the service they gave us, also the guide and driver. Prices will vary depending on what your itinerary is. Its simply a case of you deciding what you want to see and do, either in the city or outside. Looking at Lima tour operators websites you will see many offer full and half day tours at fixed times, some from a fixed point, some with hotel pick up. I dont think this is really practical from the ship, in part because of the distance to Callao and also the potential traffic delays. Suggest you do as we did and decide where you want to visit, whether in or out of the city, then email tour operators/travel agents with ship port times and your wish list, and ask them to make up an itinerary for you which fits in with your timings, and to quote for 2/4/6 persons as there was quite a significant difference in price if you were more than 2. You might find others on your Roll Call. We didn’t, as we wanted city highlights and 4 museums. They were Gold, Rafael Larco, National, and Archaeolical and Anthropolgy. It was too many museums for others, but was what we wanted to do. You could also consider going out of town to the Patchacamac ruins. You would need a taxi or private tour for this. You would get some ideas from looking at the tours the ship will offer and guide books.

 

 

The price was quite high for 2 persons, very good value for 4 and less expensive for 6 than the ships tours would have been for one and a half days. All entrances were included as was lunch. We were expecting a car as we were only 2, in fact we had an extremely comfortable minibus for approx 6 or 8 persons. This was an "upmarket" minibus. Seating more like armchairs, fully air conditioned etc. Not in any way basic. We paid the tour in cash at the travel agency office in Lima city centre. Its so central we were passing it anyway. I should probably mention that our itinerary was very comprehensive and a wee bit daunting, even to us! Not sure if we will ever return, we wanted to see as much as possible. Although tiring we managed this and were very satisfied. We were supposed to tour for 12/13 hours split between the two days. We actually overran by approx 2 hours overall due to traffic delays. We were not charged extra for this. When we calculated our private tour cost on a per person hourly basis to compare with the taxi prices, we discovered that we had paid not much more. We got so much more value for our money. We certainly saw many guides with tourists, especially in the museums which are scattered across this huge city. Our guide told us that apart from backpackers, most tourists will stay only in the city centre or have a guide and driver.

After leaving Callao and arriving in the city centre, we began our walking tour at the Gran Hotel Bolivar before strolling through pedestrian streets (couple of blocks) to the Plaza Mayor. From here we visited Santa Domingo church, San Francisco Monastery, San Pedro church, the catacombs, and strolled around the streets surrounding the square, with our guide pointing out various things of interest along the way. We watched some of the dancing, changing of the guard. You could easily spend longer in this area. The changing of the guard takes place here at 12-30. This is a disappointment as tourists are kept on the opposite side of street on the square, with traffic and railings between where you are allowed to stand and the ceremony itself. Colourful uniforms, brass band etc. You see very little so its only worth a brief stay here. Armed soldiers with riot shields kept us in our places!

 

It was the run up to the national elections and there were a huge number of armed soldiers and police here. The town authorities are trying to make this area safer for tourists and have tourist police based here. Our guide told us that the extra police we saw are drafted in to supplement the tourist police numbers when a cruise ship is in port. She also told us that the music and dance displays in this square are also usually arranged if a cruise ship is in town. They had bands, and people dressed in costumes from different regions in Chile, also representing different periods of time in hisory. There were dance displays. There were horse drawn carriage rides etc. We spent somewhere between 3 and 4 hours (walking) sightseeing in this area on day 1 before lunch. We enjoyed an excellent lunch and drink in the Miraflores area, in a restaurant in the ultra modern Larcomar shopping centre close to where the Regal shuttle bus dropped off and picked up at the Marriot Hotel. The restaurant is called Mangos. Super trendy, immaculate, very modern, fabulous setting, perched on the edge of the cliff with wonderful views across the corniche and the sea. We were initially a little disappointed to be told we were going to a buffet lunch. This buffet was magnificent. Extraordinary. Fabulous choice of dishes, both Peruvian and international. Theres a choice of a/c indoor seating, terrace and cliffside under parasols. We tried little bits of lots of things as it was all beautifully presented. We had been told we could have everything we wanted and could return to the buffet as much as we wanted. That was included in our tour price, as were 2 Pisco sours to drink. However, it looked to us as if you could also have the option of buying one or two dishes and paying for them. We some some other diners doing this. It was a great choice of venue.

Lunch was followed by the Parque del Amour (kiss statue) and 2 museums in that outlying area. As we travelled to the museums we passed through some of Limas most expensive residential and business areas. (Miraflores, San Isidro) They used to be in the city centre (hence the wonderful buildings and churches) but relocated as crime took over the central area. The morning of Day 2 was spent visiting 2 more museums before returning to the ship. We had a little over an hour to browse the dockside shops and market before boarding for sailaway.

[edinburgher]

Manta, Ecuador.

Manta has little to offer, even in the surrounding area. We had been warned once again about theft etc. The port is a working port with many fishing boats. Because of this there is a barrier a short distance from the ship. Taxis and tour operators wait behind it.

 

The only excursions offered by Regal were to Quito $525 pp and to nearby Montecristi with a stop at a tagua nut factory to watch the nuts being carved into models of birds, fish etc. $49 pp.

 

Montecristi is the centre of the panama hat industry. Villages weave the hats in their village homes, bringing them to Montecristi to be finished off and sold.

 

We had been warned that there is limited transport here and the ship morning tour had a waitlist for Montecristi. One of the people on our Roll Call arranged (with some difficulty) a private minibus tour. It was only slightly less expensive. Some of our Roll call took the remaining seats. It was then discovered that Regal had put on additional trips in the afternoon, same cost as morning at $49pp.

 

We had decided that we would not do any of the tours as Montecristi is quite close to Manta. We intended to try for a taxi at the dock instead.

 

As it turned out, this was not necessary. Once onboard we discovered that Regal were offering a free continous shuttle from the ship to the handicraft market. We decided to take this instead. The shuttle operated throughout the day. It had only 2 stops, one at a hotel we could see from the ship, the other the market. The hotel was the Oro Verde, I think 4 or 5 stars. People could pay to use the facilities there, telephone, email, beach access, swimming pool etc. The handicraft market was a "closed" outdoor market. It had been specially set up for Regal passengers so that we could shop in peace and relaxed without worrying about theft. The only non tourists there were the stall holders. The shuttle buses entered through the manned gates. No other access was allowed. Taxis had to wait outside.

 

We were not sorry to have missed an excursion to Montecristi. There was a huge selection of ladies and gents panama hats for sale. All shapes and styles, many colours. One of the stallholders was sitting weaving a hat so we saw that. The tagua nut carvings were also on sale, but as each carver has his/her own style and design ideas there was a huge selection to choose from. Some of the stallholders were carving. Some had brought the huge nuts with them to show from where the carvings originated. Same with shells used for jewellery. Although we may not have seen as much as those who took the tours, we saw enough to please us. The market had lots of things to choose from. It was an excellent shopping stop. We did most of our souvenir shopping here.

 

Ecuador produces bananas, tuna and roses, most of the roses being exported to Europe. We had read on CC how inexpensive they were. After returning to the ship for lunch we decided to go out again, this time stopping at the hotel stop (it did not stop here on the return journeys) to phone home or email, and to visit the new shopping centre just a few hundred metres from the hotel. You can see it clearly. Its a 2/3 minute walk. The shopping centre was so new that parts of it were still under construction and not all the units were occupied. It is designed to look like a village. A huge a/c supermarket occupied one side of it. Modern and well stocked, it sold a selection of flowers as well as the usual supermarket items. I bought a dozen long stemmed roses and gypsophila here for $1-22 inc local tax. Incredibly cheap. They lasted days and looked lovely in the cabin. Others bought them too. Be quick to ask your cabin steward to find you a vase...there was a run on them. On the corner opposite the shopping centre (right on the corner of the street you walk up from the hotel) is a place where you can email and make tel. calls. We called home from here. I have no idea if it was cheaper than the hotel or not as we did not go into the hotel. Despite the abundance of bananas in Ecuador, Regal actually ran out of them and no more were seen for the rest of the cruise.

 

Back at the ship we watched fish being unloaded from the fishing boats docked

[edinburgher]

.........alongside the ship!

 

Sorry these posts are so long. It may be too much/too long for some but I included the kind of information which I thought others might find helpful.

[DonahCBrown]

Arica, Chile.

Arica is another “closed” port with no traffic (apart from the ships excursion coaches) allowed into the port. No passengers are allowed to walk inside the port. The port authority shuttles passengers between the ship and the port gates in small minibuses throughout the day. It is a free service and a short couple of minutes drive. Outside the port gates, taxis, tour guides and tour companies were waiting. The centre of the town is conveniently located just across the street. There was a small souvenir market set up here by the time we returned from our tour, and there were telephone, internet and email facilities available at very low cost in town..

 

Arica has much to offer. As well as being a small beach resort there are lots of sites of interest in the town and especially outside of town. Unfortunately the sites lie in different directions and our guide told us that tourists will usually spend approx 3 days here. For cruise passengers with only one day here there are difficult decisions to make. We decided to do a private tour here. This area is probably best known for the geoglyphs, petroglyphs and the Chinchorro mummies displayed in the San Miguel de Azapa museum and this is what the majority of tourists travel here to see. We decided to include these in our tour. Based on the arrival and departure times of Regal Princess, here is the itinerary we followed:

1) 8:30 - 9:15 Meeting time. Guide will meet you at the gates where passengers come out. Drive up the Morro – excellent view point. This promontory was of tremendous strategic value during the Pacific War, 1880 (Toilets)

2) 9:15 - 9:45 Fish meal factory, beaches, historical panels, Ex-Alacrán Island and Marina, Ex Custom House (designed by Eiffel), Railroad Station (1906) Arica-La Paz, Casino, University, Chinchorro beach, Las Machas beach, Wateree (boilers of famous fluvial ship which withstood 2 tsunamis) and Bird Sanctuary at mouth of Lluta river on our way to the Lluta valley

3) 10:00 - 10:20 Geoglyphs and Colcas (panels with drawings of animals, people and geometrical figures (1000-1400 A.C.)

4) 10:30 – 11:00Rosario Petroglyphs (1000.1400 A.C.) and Aymara Cocktail

5) 11:10 – 11:30Poconchile (pre Inca town and adobe church 17th C) Toilets

8) 11:30– 12:00Pampa “Quebrada del Diablo” (high plateau) Spectacular view and contrast of green valleys against the desert.

9) 12:00 – 13:00 Town of San Miguel de Azapa – Lunch at restaurant with typical Chilean food, at passenger’s expense, approx US$ 6.00 per dish

Toilets.

10) 13:10 – 13:40 San Miguel de Azapa Arqueological Museum, (Chinchorro Mummies 6000 B.C.), ticket at passenger’s expense US$ 2.00 per person, Toilets

11) 13:50 – 14:00Cerro Sagrado (Sacred Hill) Geoglyphs (1000 – 1400 A.C)

12) 14:15 -14:20Tropilla (Caravan of Llamas) Geoglyphs (1000 – 1400 A.C.)

13) 14:30 – 14:40 Agro (Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market), produces of the valleys and also a great variety of olives

(Optional)

14) 14:50 – 15:10Poblado Artesanal (HandicraftsVillage), replica of an altiplano village

15) 15:20 approx. Arrival to port.

We were never hurried during the day. We were given as much time as we wanted at each stop and by the end of the day were slightly over our estimated time by approx a little under an hour. The driver drove steadily and with great care. The length of the itinerary can seem daunting at first glance, but distances are very short and stops frequent. The minibus seats 8 passengers in a 3-3-2 configuration. With 8 it is full. 6 persons would enjoy more space at little extra cost per person. For a one day stay this itinerary gave us a wonderful, interesting and enjoyable day. I think it would be difficult to beat, especially as we were following a circular route and never more than approx 45 minutes drive from the ship.

For lunch we were taken to a family owned and run restaurant in San Miguel de Azapa, very close to the museum. It was called LA PICA DEL MUERTITO. We got the impression that this company use this restaurant for many of their clients. Apart from the washroom/bathrooms which were fairly basic, this is a charming and immaculately clean restaurant. We were served complimentary local pisco and mango cocktails. The guide and driver had pre-ordered our meal. This turned out to be still warm bread, locally produced olives, and relishes made from locally grown tomatoes and cucumbers. This was followed by the highlight of the meal. It was new to all of us. It was fantastically good and our only disappointment was that the portions were too large to finish. It was called Pastel de Choclo. Several of us wrote down the name, and after we returned home, the owner kindly forwarded a recipe. It was one of the best meals we have ever enjoyed. The bill for lunch came to $80 for 10 persons. This included lunches and soft drinks for the driver and guide, tips for the restaurant staff, and soft drinks, beers and a bottle of wine. The 8 of us paid $10 each. If you book a private tour with any company in Arica, do make sure that it is to this restaurant that you are taken, and that the Pastel de Choclo is ordered. As a bonus, not one of us suffered any ill effects!

The practicalities.

Total cost for the day was $50 per person. This included everything, transport, guide, museum entry fee, lunches, and tips for the driver and guide at the end of the day. We thought it excellent value for money especially when compared with the ships excursion costs.

We had found a post by a CC member describing a tour she and her group had arranged here and the name of the company she used. As we did not want exactly the same tour we sent her itinerary to the company she recommended and asked if they could advise or make suggestions of other highlights we could include. Unfortunately we received no response from them. I had also sent the same email to a company selected from the official Chilean Tourist Board site. www.sernatur.cl. As far as we are aware, the official Chilean Tourist Board SERNATUR are required to check that official tour operators registered with them are licensed, insured, safety checked etc.

I chose this company in part based on the information they had on the sernatur site. There was also a link to their own company website and both had info in both English and Spanish. As we do not speak Spanish and had had some difficulty arranging tours in some S. American ports because of this, it was a relief to be able to correspond with someone who speaks extremely good English. I was sent back suggestions for the day, based on our ships time in port. We did not suggest any changes as we thought it was a really well planned mix of history, culture, scenery and other things of interest. There was still a degree of flexibility within it depending on how people felt on the day, and had the ship arrived in late it could have been adjusted to allow for less time. We could also add to it if we wanted to. The cost was quoted as $20 per hour for only 2 passengers, $30 per hour for 3 to 8 passengers. This was for a minibus seating up to 8, driver and guide) Lunch (estimated at $6-$8pp) and museum entry fee ($2pp) were extras. .

 

It’s a small family owned and run business. As the owner herself was not in Arica on the day we were there, her daughter took her place as our guide. As usual though, the owners brother was our driver. Both driver and guide spoke very good English. The owner had put much thought into the arrangements and we had several little surprises during our day with them. I do not want to describe these as its nice to be surprised. They had also prepared hand outs for everyone which included photos and descriptions of what we would see and do. This was very useful when it came to editing photos at home. The owner was also extremely efficient with arrangements and keeping in contact. We had even been sent contact details for 2 referees. In common with most tour operators they will make suggestions for any itinerary or will follow whatever itinerary you personally chose, but we feel that the one we followed would be difficult to beat.

 

 

Thanks so much for this, and your other South America port reviews. We did this exact same tour, with the same tour operator, and everything was simply fantastic! Never would have found this tour without your help and we really enjoyed it. Had a great group, wonderful tour, and printed out all your reviews and used them for all our port excursions. All the information is still relevant and accurate. Thank you thank you thank you!

[Diana68]

Edinburgher, I've read your wonderful review from your South American trip. I was wondering if you could share your tour guide contact information, especially for Arica. There are a few of us on our roll call who would love to take this tour. We will be on the 4/13/ 08 NCL Dream, and will be visiting COQUIMBO, IQUIQUE, ARICA, and CALLAO. There isn't a lot of information available for these ports, so we appreciate your review, and all of the info that you can give us. Thank you.

 

 

I first posted to your current roll call, since I wasn't sure if you would find this here. Thank you for redirecting me.

[edinburgher]

According to my understanding of the CC rules, I can now add the contact information as it has been requested.

 

For Arica, our contact was Joanne:

 

http://www.andeanduncantours.com/

joanneduncan3@lycos.com

http://andeanduncantour.blogspot.com/2007/01/welcome-to-arica-city-of-everlasting.html

They are listed on the official Sernatur site.

http://www.sernatur.cl/internacional/?lang=2

Here is the link for Lima.

http://ferturperu.tripod.com/ Fertur They were guidebook recommended. We dealt only with the LIMA 1 office in the city centre, just off the main square. Our contact here was Jenny Erquinigo. She speaks excellent English. Send her a list of what all you want to visit and she will send an itinerary based around opening hours and ships arrival and departure time.

[Diana68]

Thank you Edinburgher!

 

I hope that you have a great trip.:D

[edinburgher]

Apologies. I think this e-mail address is the regular one:

joanneduncan@gmail.com

[Diana68]

Thank you edinburgher!

I have gotten ahold of both Joanne and Jenny, and have my tours booked. I am looking forward to both of these days and want to thank you again for your help. :D

[GailG]

Hello

I am trying to get in touch with Jenny for a day tour in LIMA

what was offered to you?

thanks

GG

[Diana68]

Hello

I am trying to get in touch with Jenny for a day tour in LIMA

what was offered to you?

thanks

GG

 

Jenny asked what we would like to see, and I asked for the Pachacamac ruins and Gold Museum. You could pick other things to see based on your interests. This is what she came up with.

April 19th

07.30 AM Pick you up from Callao`s port

08.00 AM Excursion to Pachacamac ruins

12.00 Turistic lunch in a good restaurant

13.00 Visit to Gold Museum

16.00 Transfer to Callao`s port

 

PRICE PER PERSON : US$90.00 FROM 2 TO 08 PEOPLE If you are more so the price will be US$5.00 less.

The cost include : private transportation, english speaking guide, turistic lunch, entrance fee, and transfers

 

[Diana68]

Well, we are back from our trip, and thanks to you, Edinburgher, we had some great tours. In Lima Jenny set us up with Elisa Paredes Olivera elhi_olivera@yahoo.es as our guide for the day. Wonderful!

In Arica we ended up having about 30 Cruise Critic members join our tour, so we needed Joanne to set up 4 vans! Our vans guide for the day was Alvaro Huanca Burgoa <andrew21o@hotmail.com> . He is a student at the university, who will be an english teacher, and his english was great, and he really taught us a lot about the history and heritage of the Chilean people. Absolutly perfect day!

I have loaded my pictures on to my webshots page. You can click on the link in my signature to view them if you are interested. :D

[edinburgher]

Diana, thanks for the link to your pics....I really enjoyed them and they brought back some lovely memories. I think you must also have had a wonderful trip.:)

 

Pleased the info was helpful and that you enjoyed tours so much, so if you noticed anything different from my 06 info (such as pricing, lack of tours at docks, more tours than expected etc )please update the info for others as the 06 info may be a little out of date now. EG up-to-date tour costs for any of these ports might be useful for those booked for 09.

[Diana68]

Hi Edinburgher,

Surprisingly, your review is still very much up to date. I didn't notice any changes. Post #18 of this thread has the cost info for Lima.

 

Our Arica tour was very similar to yours, here's the info:

The cost of the tour for each van is 50 usd per hour,per van, and you divide the cost between the people who are taking the tour. The guide will meet you outside the dock gates at 8:30 a.m.

The tour lasts 7 hours we will be back approx 3:30 p.m.

 

Itinerary & time table of the places we shall visit: (NCL Dream, April 17)

 

1) 8:30 –a.m. 8:50 Meeting time. Guide will meet you at the gates where passengers come out. You will walk to Saint Mark´s Cathedral through the main square and pass by the Governor´s house . The guide will point out the Ex Custom House and the Railroad Station from Arica to La Paz, Bolivia.

 

2) 9:00 - 9:45 Drive towards El Morro by the coastline passing by the Ex Alacrán Island (Scorpion Island), Marina, famous international surfing site (Ola del Gringo), El Laucho Beach, La Lisera Beach, Historical Panels, Fish Meal Factory and up to El Morro an excellent view point and famous promontory of tremendous strategic value during the Pacific War (1880) where the Chileans won Arica from Peru. Once we come down we shall go by the Casino, the University, the Military Regiment, Chinchorro beach, Las Machas beach, Wateree (boilers of famous fluvial ship which withstood 2 tsunamis) and Bird Sanctuary at mouth of Lluta river on our way to the Lluta valley.

Toilets at El Morro

 

3) 10:15 - 10:30 Geoglyphs and Colcas (panels with drawings of animals, people and geometrical figures (1000-1400 A.C.)

 

4) 10:45 – 11:05 Visit to a farm where we will sample fresh pasteurized goat cheese and shall have an Aymara Cocktail

Toilets

 

5) 11:10 – 11:30 Poconchile (pre Inca town and adobe church 17th C) Toilets

 

8) 11:30– 12:00 Pampa “Quebrada del Diablo” (high plateau) Spectacular view and contrast of green valleys against the desert.

 

9) 12:00 – 13:00 Town of San Miguel de Azapa – Lunch at restaurant with typical Chilean food, US$ 10.00 per person and it will include a welcoming drink (mangosour) , the Hors d´oeuvres, kneaded yeast bread, main course (corn and beef casserole and also other choices) , 1 drink (beer, wine or soft drink) and dessert.

Toilets.

 

10) 13:10 – 13:40 San Miguel de Azapa Arqueological Museum, (Chinchorro Mummies 6000 B.C.), ticket at passenger’s expense US$ 3.00 per person, Toilets

 

11) 13:50 – 14:00 Cerro Sagrado (Sacred Hill) Geoglyphs (1000 – 1400 A.C)

 

12) 14:15 -14:20 Tropilla (Caravan of Llamas) Geoglyphs (1000 –1400 A.C.)

 

13) 14:30 – 14:40 Agro (Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Market), produces of the valleys and also a great variety of olives. (Optional)

 

14) 14:50 – 15:10 Poblado Artesanal (Handicrafts Village), replica of an altiplano village

 

15) 15:30 approx. Arrival to port.

[ERR]

.........alongside the ship!

 

Sorry these posts are so long. It may be too much/too long for some but I included the kind of information which I thought others might find helpful.

I don't know if you will read this, but your descriptions of the South American ports are excellent. I would like to get the names of your tour companies in Lima and Arica. Could you email them to me? My email is cpa1014239@aol.com. Thank you, Elaine