Jsipes Posted January 9, 2008 #1 Share Posted January 9, 2008 A few things we learned while doing the 30 day Veendam trip: 1. In Manaus the Opera House is free (no admission fee) Also the Evening performances there are free (no admission fee). The ship was selling tours to the Opera, so a couple would spend about 40-50 dollars to ride a bus there,,,,when you could ride in a taxi for $10 US and get in free:mad: :mad: 2. The "Boi Bumba" show in Parentis is spectacular....and free. The ship tours was charging approx $30 per person for the tour, but you could ride there in 12 minutes by pedicab for $5 US. Outrageous that HAL would charge 1200 people for something that is free to begin with. :mad: :mad: The show is put on by the city for tour ship visits 3. If you stop at Boca De Valera (a small Amazon village, be sure to stock up on pencils for the little school there. And candy, sun flower seeds, etc for the village children. The school there needs any supplies for education. Pencils, erasers, paper, etc is greatly appreciated. Don't give money.....they don't even know what US dollars are.... but the children and their teacher appreciate pencils, crayons, chaulk, etc. This was the highlight the cruise:) :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
django Posted January 12, 2008 #2 Share Posted January 12, 2008 Thanks for the advice. Doing the Amazon aboard the Royal Princess Feb. 4/08. All the ports of call you mentioned are on our itinerary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetP2 Posted January 14, 2008 #3 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thank you JSipes for the Amazon River tips...we have not booked a trip yet, but are seriously considering the Amazon cruise with HAL, roundtrip from FLL. When did you take an Amazon River cruise? And which excursions did you do that you would recommend? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetP2 Posted January 14, 2008 #4 Share Posted January 14, 2008 Thank you Jsipes for sharing the Amazon River tips! We have yet to book the cruise, however, the Amazon Exporer in November (year??), on Prinsendam, would be our next dream cruise...we did the repositioning with HAL from FLL to Vancouver last spring...LOVED cruising, LOVED HAL. What other excursions did you do, and recommend? Is the Amazon as hot, humid as Panama (105 degrees) in April? Did you feel safe? Welcomed in all ports of the Amazon? Which side (end) of the ship was your room? Any recommendations as to which side of the ship is best? Hopefully not too many questions! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsipes Posted January 15, 2008 Author #5 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thank you Jsipes for sharing the Amazon River tips! We have yet to book the cruise, however, the Amazon Exporer in November (year??), on Prinsendam, would be our next dream cruise...we did the repositioning with HAL from FLL to Vancouver last spring...LOVED cruising, LOVED HAL. What other excursions did you do, and recommend? Is the Amazon as hot, humid as Panama (105 degrees) in April? Did you feel safe? Welcomed in all ports of the Amazon? Which side (end) of the ship was your room? Any recommendations as to which side of the ship is best? Hopefully not too many questions! :D We felt completely safe in Manaus and the other river towns and villages. We were there in November and there was no rain, very little humidity, and mosquitos were not a problem. I recommend the "joining of the waters tour", where the Negros and Amazon river converge. I also liked the Crocodile tour in the evening. And a absolute must GO TO THE Manaus FIshmarket early in the morning (like 7 am at the latest) It is the most fantastic, bizaar sight...all kinds of wierd fish, most with big teeth. We were told there are over 3000 known species of fish in the Amazon, and it is suspected there are about 100000 yet to be discovered. Anyway, don't miss the fish market. It's about three blocks down the main street (to the right) at the pier in Manaus. Just go out the terminal turn right and start walking. You'll come to a Beautiful old Wrought Iron Entryway about three blocks down the street ( made by Eiffel, same who built Eiffle tower in Paris) Enter th wrought Iron, and you'll be in the "meat market", flies everywhere, etc, just wind through the market and on the other end you'll come to the fish market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsipes Posted January 15, 2008 Author #6 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Thank you Jsipes for sharing the Amazon River tips! We have yet to book the cruise, however, the Amazon Exporer in November (year??), on Prinsendam, would be our next dream cruise...we did the repositioning with HAL from FLL to Vancouver last spring...LOVED cruising, LOVED HAL. What other excursions did you do, and recommend? Is the Amazon as hot, humid as Panama (105 degrees) in April? Did you feel safe? Welcomed in all ports of the Amazon? Which side (end) of the ship was your room? Any recommendations as to which side of the ship is best? I was on Starboard Side, Veendam. Either side is good, just make sure you take Binoculars for each person in your party. It takes about 4 days to go the 1000 miles up the river to Manaus, and there is Jungle Rain Forest on each side. Sometimes shore is a half mile away, so the binoe come in handy. I went on the Pirahna fishing boat in Parentas or Santareem....it was interesting,and I got the trophy for the most Pirahna caught. Then we cooked and ate them. If you are going to do this, your fishing pole is a 4 inch stick with line wound up on it like Huck Finn. I thought they would issue a real fishing pole, but no. Next time I will take a small calapsible pole...DANGER: although we felt comfortable everywhere we went, we were careful not to wear any jewerly ashore, and watched for pick pockets. It is not as dangerous as Rio, but the potential is there in the bigger cities. I was careful, didn't flash money, etc....there are lots of poor people in Manaus. The city is a very huge, vast military complex, and I asked a cab dru=iver Why so many Army here. He stated the city was on the edge of the Frontieria (frontier) and out in the jungle it is dangerous. I guess there are millions of square miles of unexplored jungle in Brazil. Although Manaus is a city of millions, it is completely landlocked by the jungle for hundreds and hundreds of miles 360 degrees. Your'e going to love this cruise, I did. It's a real adventure. Be sure to go up on deck at night when the ship is steaming up the river. Get high up on the front observation deck....and smell the jungle at night. It is amazing, like a million Orchids, etc Also if you stay there in the dark a long time, you can actually see animal eyes reflecting from the dark jungle as the ship plows up the river. On the prominade deck where the lights are you will find many unusual insects flying around and landing, even Bats hang from the rafters, no joke . Your're really in for a adventure. Be sure to take the Digital with lots of space. Hopefully not too many questions! :D I hope you get all this !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edpacecar Posted January 15, 2008 #7 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Hi, Will be going on Veendam 09/26/08 - 11/01/08 36 night, which goes up and down the Amazon River. Santarem, Boca de valeria, Manaus( 2 days - 1 night) and Parintins Did anyone find any tours guides right off the ship at the piers? Been on over 50 cruises and sometimes tours right at dock are better then on ship. Looking for english guide with car and or river boat cruise with some fishing. Anything on going on your own would help. Thanks a lot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetP2 Posted January 15, 2008 #8 Share Posted January 15, 2008 Wow, sounds fantastic for sure....hmm...not too crazy about flying bugs...but suppose that is part of the jungle experience, eh! Thank you for sharing information from your Amazon River adventure...stay tuned, hopefully one day you'll see our posting AFTER we return from the Amazon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jsipes Posted January 16, 2008 Author #9 Share Posted January 16, 2008 Hi, Will be going on Veendam 09/26/08 - 11/01/08 36 night, which goes up and down the Amazon River. Santarem, Boca de valeria, Manaus( 2 days - 1 night) and Parintins Did anyone find any tours guides right off the ship at the piers? Been on over 50 cruises and sometimes tours right at dock are better then on ship. Looking for english guide with car and or river boat cruise with some fishing. Anything on going on your own would help. Thanks a lot In Manaus at the cab stand area there were local tour hawkers, but I didn't see any in Pantarenas, Santareem. In Boca De Valera there is just a local village, but it is one of the best stops...because you can see the real people of the Amazon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goofer Posted January 20, 2008 #10 Share Posted January 20, 2008 Jsipes: We were in Boca De Valera a year ago next week. I agree with educational materials for the children. They also went crazy over "flip flops". What I don't agree with is candy. How many hundred miles do you think it is to the nearest dentist? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilotdane Posted January 22, 2008 #11 Share Posted January 22, 2008 Thanks for the advice. Doing the Amazon aboard the Royal Princess Feb. 4/08. All the ports of call you mentioned are on our itinerary My parents just got off Royal in Manaus. They loved the cruise but the whole Princess charter flight home really left a bad taste in their mouth. Pack some mini bottles and patience. 1. There was no information available about their charter Princess flight until half way through the cruise. Makes it difficult to plan connecting flights when you don't know when you will arrive. 2. There was a delay with their flight so they ended up leaving 3 hours late. The ships pursor and other staff would not come out of their offices to answer questions or offer assistance. 3. They had to be out of their cabin at 8:00 am but were not taken off the ship until 5:00 pm. The buffet was minimal and the service was definitley down during the awkward time. Crew explained that they did not have the "bugs" worked out yet since it was a new cruise for them... 4. The charter flight made up time in the air and arrived in Miami 45 minutes early without Princess employees to receive them because they were early. 5. My parents purchased the Princess return to Ft. Lauderdale but the charter flight ends in Miami. The trip was to include a bus from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale but when they arrived Princess tried to charge everyone an additional $40 for the transfer. 6. They were out of their cabin at 8:00 am on Monday and did not get to their hotel in Ft. Lauderdale until 5:40 am Tuesday. Basically my folks loved the cruise. The transfer from Manaus to Ft. Lauderdale made them say they would be sailing Holland America next time. ---- An interesting side note: Royal touched bottom off Devils Island and possibly took some damage to a propeller. It took several hours to get the ship underway and it had a vibration (explained as a software problem) but it did not affect their schedule. The ship took on technicians in Santarem so hopefully they will have it worked out quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pilotdane Posted January 22, 2008 #12 Share Posted January 22, 2008 After re-reading my previous post it sounded too negative. I thought I'd better mention that my folks loved the cruise. The crew onboard was wonderful. The food was great, and they loved their shore excursions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MercedMike Posted January 23, 2008 #13 Share Posted January 23, 2008 3. If you stop at Boca De Valera (a small Amazon village, be sure to stock up on pencils for the little school there. And candy, sun flower seeds, etc for the village children. The school there needs any supplies for education. Pencils, erasers, paper, etc is greatly appreciated. Don't give money.....they don't even know what US dollars are.... but the children and their teacher appreciate pencils, crayons, chaulk, etc. This was the highlight the cruise:) :) I certainly agree with bringing school supplies to Boca de Valera. But I have to say that it seemed to me that every kid and adult in the village had a hand out and knew how to say "one dollah"!! Check out our review and pics at http://www.elite.net/~thehalls/royalprincess.html I think in most of these ports I would rather trust the ship's tours than hook up with a local. Have a GREAT cruise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnld Posted January 24, 2008 #14 Share Posted January 24, 2008 We're on the Royal to Manaus on 3/3/08. Taking the "Princess Air" charter flight at 8:30 pm back to MIA. Curious they don't fly you in to FLL. We're doing a morning tour of Manaus, then have a "day room" at the Hotel Tropical in the afternoon, plus xfer to the airport at 6:30 pm. Evening flight really sucks; especially getting in at 2:30 am! Then a 6:15 am flight out of FLL to San Diego. Will be a looong day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edpacecar Posted January 24, 2008 #15 Share Posted January 24, 2008 Would really like to do some fishing even if just for Piranha. Has anyone hired a guide and boat In Manaus or Santarem. We will have 2 days in Manaus. For those who know, do tour hawkers at the pier just do city tours or do they do other tours? Sailing on HAL Veendam 09/26/2008 36 nights Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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