Journey mini-review Santos 11/29: Expectations exceeded

[owl61]

We have 3 couples going on the Journey in March. We are interested in going to the beach one day and Blum*** the next. Can you tell me whether there was a van for 6+ people available and what the price might be? Thank you. Stan

 

Here is an excerpt from a post in tripadvisor ( state of Santa Catarina where Itajai is located). You might want to discuss your needs with this cab driver:

Just returned from a cruise that docked in Itajai. It was the first of 44 ships expected this season. While Itajai is trying hard, most of the attractions are a bus tour, flight or cab ride away. We happened on a wonderful taxi driver in the cab line named Claudio. He is a local but speaks perfect english, a rarity for cab drivers here. Moreover he is a very nice young man who tried hard to make our trip to Blumenau a great experience. He charges regular cab rates (they are posted at the pier in both $ and local currency) but is happy to include some extras like a city tour or extra waiting time. Like most, his cab is nice, clean and well maintained -but small. 4 persons would be a streach unless 3 are really thin.He would love to have some advance bookings. You can contact him at taxi_claudio@hotmail.com

 

Driving from Itajai to Blumenau is not that difficult so it may be doable to rent a minivan. I could not find car rental agencies in Itajai or vicinity on line, but maybe this cab driver knows of a resource. Also, it's not inconceivable that you could ask him to rent a van for the day for your Blumenau excursion. The additional cost of a 6/8 pax van for one day plus his time might work out okay. Figure $100 plus the cost of the van.

For day 2 the beaches are so close you really can use 2 cabs to get there.

[oceanpath]

I would disagree with the comment that Azamara can get to Oceania's level soon. I base this on the fact that Oceania's greatest feature is the incredible food preparation and presentation in all courses. At the moment, the Journey only equals that in the soup course. The main items are very average by cruise line standards, with much repetition, excessive portions, plates covered with carbohydrates and very slow and inconsistent service. The service can be fixed, but without all new chefs (except the soup chef) it can never rise to Oceania standards. Average chef's will always turn out average meals.

And they need new beds that do not sag 3 inches in the middle. First and foremost, they are a hotel.

[MMastell]

We have 3 couples going on the Journey in March. We are interested in going to the beach one day and Blum*** the next. Can you tell me whether there was a van for 6+ people available and what the price might be? Thank you. Stan

 

There is a Locasul car rental agency just south of the taxi stand. It is less than a three block walk from the port entrance.

 

We did a 24 hour car rental. It was Volkswagen Go that would have accommodated four people. The total cost was $49.86. Driving was relatively easy from Itajai to Iguacu and we did a morning trip, on the second day to the beaches, even though it was a rainy day. We parked, overnight, right in front of the port. Parking was free.

 

If you are not accustomed to a manual transmission you should be careful. Very few vehicles have automatic transmissions.

 

Take care,

Mike