How many days before/after cruise?

[ALadyNCal]

We are doing the 14 day cruise from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso (Santiago).

 

At this point, I am planning to arrive sometime on the 10th and the cruise starts the evening of the 13th. That allows between 48-72 hours to get over traveling and see a bit of Buenos Aires.

 

At the end of the cruise, we would disembark in the morning and have 2 1/2 days to see Santiago or Valparaiso before return home.

 

Is this adequate? I don't think we can fit in Rio or Macchu Pichu...but for exploring Buenos Aires and Valparaiso/Santiago, is this a good timeframe?

 

Thanks

 

NCL Sun 02/2003; Celebrity Millennium 05/2002; Ocean Princess 10/2001; Ocean Princess 8/2001; NCL Sea 7/2000; Ocean Princess 3/2000; Celebrity Mercury 10/1998; Star Princess 3/1996; NCL Dream 8/1995; Azure Seas 2/1991

[gracecarmo]

We were on the Infinity this past Feb./Mar. We came in a day early, and had one overnight. I would recommend that you do at least 3 days in Buenos Aires. The first day, you will be a little tired, and just need to relax with a nice dinner, and get some sleep. The next day you can do a city tour, and see a tango show.

The third day you can shop, and leisurly get to the ship.

We arranged our own hotel, and it was a nice boutique type hotel with a central location.

 

In Santiago, we did not stay overnight, but did have a full day tour of Valpariso highlights, Vina del Mar, and Santiago city tour. It was a Sunday, so there was not a lot of traffic to contend with (we hired a driver w van, for 4 of us). We were then dropped off at the airport for our late flight home. Friends stayed in Santiago for another day, and said that they enjoyed it, and a person could do touring easily.

 

Grace

[Traveling Fools]

Most international flights into BA arrive in the morning. By time you clear formalities and get into the city it is close to noon. We arrived the same day Princess arrived and the hotel lobby was a mad house with pax's from the hotel checking out and pax's from the ship checking in. Some of those checking in were told to return at 3:00---I'm not sure if they booked their rooms through Princess of not, but most of them where not happy campers. We got right into our room and spent the remainder of the day walking around BA.

 

The next morning we flew to Iguazu Falls and returned to BA 2 days later. We spent the next 2 days touring the city and country side. I am convinced that you can book excursions (the same ones sold by companies) directly through your hotel Concierge for less money and headache. Just give the hotel a call a day or two before arrival and let him know what you want to do and when.

 

We shared the van with Grace and her husband on the ride from Valpariso to Santiago. I think most transfers to Santiago include a driving tour through Valpariso and Vina Del Mar. It is adequate.

 

Santiago is an easy town to get around in by yourself. The metro is clean and inexpensive. We spent 1 full day there and found it to be enough.

 

From there we flew to Peru (4 hour flight)where we stayed for 2 weeks. We visited Machu Piccu and were there for 4 days and 3 nights (returned to Lima early on the 4th day). They were FULL days.

 

I recommend both the Falls and MP.

[gracecarmo]

Hi Joe: glad to see that we are both alive and still active on this bb. I lost the thread re our SA trip over on Connections.

 

Where are you off to next year? (or should I say sooner?) We leave in June, for a Riverboat cruise going from Prague to Budapest (land tour), then on the boat from Budapest to the Black Sea.

 

Grace

[shoshona2]

Hi Grace,

 

Nice to see your name appear on this board. Wanted to wish you a great trip! Hubby and I are hopefully going to Asia with Tauck tours (Vietnam and Cambodia) in October if sARS and the bird disease are under control. Then it's Africa for hubby and Tauck's new Russian Tour for both of us in 2005.

[Traveling Fools]

Hi Grace,

 

In Aug we fly to Germany. Doris' Dad turns 90. We will pit stop in the UK and visit friends. One of the couples we will visit wants us to join them in Mexico in late Sept. early Oct. We are seriously thinking of joining them.

 

X still has not posted any Russian cruises for 2005. After speaking with several of our European buddies they say thats the way to go. We are considering looking at Princess for this sometime in May/June 2005.

 

Regards to Tom.

 

Joe

[shoshona2]

Hi Joe,

 

If I read your post correctly, you were thinking of taking the Princess to the Baltics and Russia. My cousins are taking the Grand Princess next month and there were some serious problems with the itinerary. They dock an hour outside of Stockholm and you have to tender to shore and take a shuttle or train into Stockholm. The other thing I didn't like was that in St. Petersburg, if you had a private guide, you couldn't get off the ship until all the people taking a Princess sponsored tour got off and they were talking about a two hour wait to see St. Petersburg. We took the Regatta last August and did not have either of the above problems. I suggest you really wait for the Constellation to post their itinerary.

 

Sheila

[Traveling Fools]

Hi Shelia,

 

Thanks for the feed back. That kind of information is useful.

 

Joe

[gracecarmo]

Hi Sheila and Joe:

Re the Russia/Baltics cruises: I wonder if the problems that the Grand is having is due to the size of the ship? (tendering in Stockholm).

When we did that tour years ago, we went on the Song of Norway, a smaller ship, that could navigate easily down the river into St.Pete, and dock easily at the other ports.

We loved that itinerary, and really would do it again someday.

 

We are trying to do all the rivers in Europe, on much smaller boats, but seeing many of the towns inland. Next year, it's the Summit for a B2B in the Carib. for a nice winter R&R.

 

Grace

[ALadyNCal]

I am still hoping for feedback about how long to spend pre and post cruise in South America

 

Celebrity Infinity 02/2005!; NCL Sun 02/2003; Celebrity Millennium 05/2002; Ocean Princess 10/2001; Ocean Princess 8/2001; NCL Sea 7/2000; Ocean Princess 3/2000; Celebrity Mercury 10/1998; Star Princess 3/1996; NCL Dream 8/1995; Azure Seas 2/1991

[Brahmama]

LadyinCal,

We are doing the same thing in reverse on 18th January. Since we are doing a deviation we definitely will stay at least one night going (in our case we want to stay in Valparaiso for the color and history - but not a very good choice for lodgin). Disembarking in BsAs, we will spend 3 or 4 nights there.

 

Our rationale - so far down there (and so many $$$$ to get that far) that we want to see enough of the things we have read about just in case we don't get back!

 

In the case of Val - we can stay 2 nights and transfer down in a van for about $125 - no food

or tours, but still it's cheaper than the ship transfer which would be $140 JUST for the transfer.

 

What do you think is going to work for you?

 

Carol

[ALadyNCal]

While I try and decide....I am looking at arriving sometime on 2/10 and the cruise departs out of Buenos Aires the evening of 2/13 (2 days to sight see). At the end, the cruise disembarks 2/27 a.m. in Valparaiso and I am looking at a departure the evening of 3/1 (2 days to sight see).

 

I am trying to do a bunch of reading in the next 1 1/2 weeks to make sure these are the airfare arrangements that I want to commit to -- or if I should extend it somehow.

 

Celebrity Infinity 02/2005!; NCL Sun 02/2003; Celebrity Millennium 05/2002; Ocean Princess 10/2001; Ocean Princess 8/2001; NCL Sea 7/2000; Ocean Princess 3/2000; Celebrity Mercury 10/1998; Star Princess 3/1996; NCL Dream 8/1995; Azure Seas 2/1991

[Traveling Fools]

If all you are doing are pre/post in BA and Santiago, then 2 days in each is OK. Check to see if the day you arrive in Val is a Sunday. If so and you want to do a wine tour, book through the ship. Also, museums in Santiago are closed on Mondays.

[Splinter]

You can do a 1-2 day trip to Iguassu Falls from BA....highly recommended. We had friends who did it in one day (Argentina side only) and others who did two days and saw both sides. Both arranged their trips very successfully through www.southstartours.com

 

HA Constitution 1986

NCL Skyward 1988

Crystal Harmony 1992

Dawn Princess 1994

HA Independence 1995

Celebrity Zenith 1997

Grand Princess 1999

Regal Princess 2000

Crystal Harmony 2000

HAL Ryndam 2001

HAL Statendam 2003

RCI Vision of the Seas 2003

HAL Ryndam 2004