Infinity 2009 Dec. 5 Fort Lauderdale-Valparaíso &/or Dec. 20 Valparaíso-Buenos Aires

[Malmö]

Hej!

As no one has yet set up a thread, we thought we should start one. :confused:

 

We are sailing on the Celebrity Infinity on

2009 Dec. 5 from

Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., USA to Valparaíso, Chile

and on

2009 Dec. 20 from

Valparaíso, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 

We wish this thread to be for anyone who is sailing on EITHER or BOTH of these cruises. :D

 

Philipp' & Scott :cool:

[Doonan]

Hi Guys .. We did this last year for the 28 days .. the things we saw along the way were just fantastic. Fell in love with Chile and the Argentine .. worth every cent.

 

We do the tours so we see everything and always try and find a local restaurant for lunch to try the food and wine/beer .. the fish along the coast was out of this world and the steak in Uruguy and BA wow!.

 

At thn end we rented an apartment in Buenos Aires for 8 nights .. it made a fantastic end to the trip .. great city.

 

We had a great crowd of guys on the first 14 days and few on the second part .. The ship was great.

 

Have a god trip .. sorry but we will be in some other part of the globe this year.

 

Carlos & Neil

[Malmö]

Hi Guys .. We did this last year for the 28 days .. the things we saw along the way were just fantastic. We do the tours so we see everything and

At thn end we rented an apartment in Buenos Aires for 8 nights .. it made a fantastic end to the trip .. great city.

Carlos & Neil

 

Hello, Carlo & Neil!

 

Thanks for chiming in. I found your threads from your cruise, and was surprised at how little response there was here.

 

I hope you will return here and post tidbits of tips & tricks, do's & don't's.

 

Did you take the ship's trip to Machu Pichu, and if so, what can you say about this? We thought it rather expensive, and it looked difficult. Not sure if it is worth the trip from the ship. :confused:

 

On our cruise to South America 2007, we ended up in Buenos Aires and stayed at Hotel Axel. :rolleyes:

The local meats were lovely, except for the harm to the cholesterol levels! :eek:

 

Philipp' & Scott

[Doonan]

Hello Philipp' & Scott

 

Sorry my delay ... per your thread ..

 

You are right we did not get a lot of responce on Cruise Critic. But on board FOD for the first part a great crowd around 20 and on the scond part about 8.

 

So these are our thoughts on the tours:

Cartagena - Did the ships Deluxe Cartagena & Fortress - it was a very good ... but if I did it again I would get off in the old town and make my own way back to the ship .. they end with a waste of time shopping bit.

 

Manta - Did the ships Manta Highlights and Montecriste Tour (ot the best) for the Panama Hats but turns out these are in a car park with a demonstration how they make the hats and a heap of stall selling them. It's an easy place to see on your own with the old town one en and the other the beach area .. both a must and at the beach they have lots of restaurants (had a good seafood lunch).

 

Lima - did the Lima Highlights Tour - this was very good with the old and the newer coastal part. The ship docks in Callao and they suggest it a bit dangerous. If you could a private tour that does the same as the coach tour but for a little longer would be great.

 

Arica - this a different world. We did the City & Geoglyphs Tour. It was good with the museum. mummies of 5000 years old, the memoral to the Pacific War they had with Bolivia. It's a nice place to wander around after the tour.

 

La Serenna (Port Coquimbo) Did Historic Downtown and Beaches Tour - Good and the visit to Serenna is a must, We then had a bit of time in the port town .. lots of nice places for lunch.

 

Valapraiso (We booked a number of tours that were cancelled) but did Vina del Mar and Museums Tour in the end ... it was great with a drive all along the coast .. in fact would like a holiday in Vina del Mar.

 

La Serenna (second visit) This time we stayed in Coquimbo on our own .. walked up the hill to explore the Church with its Large Cross (you can go up in to the Cross) and around the town .. had a very good day and lunch .. geat seafood along the Chile coast).

 

Puerto Montt .. the town is small but the area has a lo to see. We booked a private tour with GV TOURS about 8 hours. Visited two Country Towns, Saw the lake overlooked by Mt Osborne, Lama, Lunch, Rapids ... very good tour and value. (GV Tours are on the net).

 

Punta Arena .. We did Otway Sound Tour and the Penquins .. it was very good and we saw lots of them. then returned for a walk aound the town and lunch. (Found a great restaurant on the web La Marmita - very good and its also on the web).

 

Ushuaia .. Close to the docking of the ship you can book boats out to the Beagle Chanel .. you see Sealions, Birds and the lighthouse .. very good and then spent the afternoon walking around the town and a had another great lunch.

 

Puerto Madryn .. We did Otway previously to see the Penquins as from here its a very long tour to see the. We did the Punta Loma, Paleontonogical, Welsh Tea in Gaiman Tour .. It was great and well worth while .. great weksh tea and choir ..and at the end we had time to walk around the town.

 

Punta Del Este .. Did our own thing .. as you get off the ship look for the local tour office or a person as come ashore .. they have a map with a set walking tour .. it was great and took us to both sides of the town and different seas.

 

Montevideo .. Great place .. we did the Highlighs Tour which was well worth it as it took us to the outskirts and along the beaches etc .. then we had time to walk around on our own .. again go tp the local tour office and get the free walking tour map .. we also did this and in a backstreet found a fantastic restaurant and had my first steak .. wow.

 

Then on to BA.

 

Every moment of th trip was worthwhile with the changes in landscape (Make sure you have some warm cloths). On the ship we had a cabin on the back of the ship .. this was not planned but turnd out a plus .. as in the fiords and channels for many hours .. we could sit on the balcony and see both sides (I understand it was windy on the balconies on the sides).

 

I fogot Cape Horne .. I think this is a 'miff' with the stories of wild seas .. I was looking forward to big waves and lots of excitment .. what did we get .. a millpond with not a ripple.

 

Hope that helps in your planning .. We will always remeber the cruise as it was so different from sunshine and sand to snow peaks and cold .. (we even had snow in the channel leading to Ushuaia. As you can see we tried quite a lot pf the local food .. it was good plus the wines of Chile and Argentina very good.

 

We will be going back to Chile and Argentina

 

Neil

[Malmö]

:confused:

Hello Philipp' & Scott

Sorry my delay ... per your thread ..

You are right we did not get a lot of responce on Cruise Critic. But on board FOD for the first part a great crowd around 20 and on the scond part about 8.

So these are our thoughts on the tours:

We will always remeber the cruise as it was so different from sunshine and sand to snow peaks and cold

We will be going back to Chile and Argentina

Neil

 

Thank you for all your useful information. We have saved it, and will re-read it as the time gets closer, and we do more serious planning.

 

Was there a problem with children on the cruise? On the non-gay site, someone posted that this was a popular and cheap cruise for South Americans to take their undisciplined, spoiled children on, and that they run wild, while the parents shout at anyone trying to exert control over them. :eek:

 

What was your experience? :(

[Doonan]

:confused:

 

Thank you for all your useful information. We have saved it, and will re-read it as the time gets closer, and we do more serious planning.

 

Was there a problem with children on the cruise? On the non-gay site, someone posted that this was a popular and cheap cruise for South Americans to take their undisciplined, spoiled children on, and that they run wild, while the parents shout at anyone trying to exert control over them. :eek:

 

What was your experience? :(

 

Hello Guys

 

The first 14 days from Ft Lauderdale .. not a problem and very nice people.

 

The last 14 days ... we had a great time because we did not let them worry us ... but it changed. A lot of South

Americans were aboard and the percentage were charming and interesting.

 

To answer the question - some of the kids were a pain and some of the parents were a little lacking in manners.

 

To explain .. I have spent a lot of time in Asia .. they are similar .. they do not know a line has an end .. they just push to the front and some let the kids do whatever they like.

 

I found a remedy when they walked towards me and thought I would get out of the way ... I just stopped and stood still and they had no choice but to walk around me.

 

The biggest problem I had with the second part of the cruise was the feeling that Celebrity lost control .. or maybe just gave in. Example dinner at a set time .. they turned up anytime they liked. The health pool (sign states no children on own) the kids took it over.

 

That said .. the things we saw and the experience of the trip made it worth while .. I would do the trip again.

 

Neil

[Malmö]

Hello Guys

 

The last 14 days ... we had a great time because we did not let them worry us ... but it changed. A lot of South

Americans were aboard and the percentage were charming and interesting.

 

To answer the question - some of the kids were a pain and some of the parents were a little lacking in manners.

 

The biggest problem I had with the second part of the cruise was the feeling that Celebrity lost control .. or maybe just gave in. Example dinner at a set time .. they turned up anytime they liked. The health pool (sign states no children on own) the kids took it over.

 

Neil

 

Thanks for your advice. We have been on a cruise where the children were just as uncontrolled in the adult pool. Someone complained repeatedly, and the ship eventually got it under control. We had a similar experience on Costa.

Hopefully the ship has gotten control by the time we are on it.

 

Did your cruise have any stops in Panama, or only for those on excursions? It is a little hard to decipher.

 

Philipp' & Scott :cool:

[Doonan]

Thanks for your advice. We have been on a cruise where the children were just as uncontrolled in the adult pool. Someone complained repeatedly, and the ship eventually got it under control. We had a similar experience on Costa.

Hopefully the ship has gotten control by the time we are on it.

 

Did your cruise have any stops in Panama, or only for those on excursions? It is a little hard to decipher.

 

Philipp' & Scott :cool:

 

Hello Philipp & Scott

 

Based on our experience .. this was a great cruise and sure you will have a great time .. the things one see's are just great ... worth every cent.

 

Panama .. the ship did not offer any tours just the transit (which was great and our first time .. previous

we had just the first locks and the lake).

 

The original itinerary had tours from Gatan and a pickup from the pacific end ... but they changed the itinerary.

 

If they have a tour .. we did one another time to Panama City which we found interesting with the old and new city.

 

One nive thing on Infinity the spa area is very nice .. and the great thing it's free as most ships I find I have to pay for this .. (mind you I guess that keeps the kids out).

 

Any questions .. keep them coming

 

Neil

[Malmö]

One nive thing on Infinity the spa area is very nice .. and the great thing it's free as most ships I find I have to pay for this .. (mind you I guess that keeps the kids out).

Any questions .. keep them coming

Neil

 

Hello, Neil,

Thanks for the tips. If we keep this conversation up, by the time everyone joins this thread (hopefully!), we will have had an answer for all their questions! :D

Did the spa have good ærobics, such as spinning? These cruises can cause damage to one's weight, and I hope to try to offset this. Though on our cruise Australia to New Zealand, I came back 0,157 stone less! :)

 

From what I can guess, there are more ports than Panamá where the ship does not stop. Along the Chilean and Argentine coasts, it looks like it just cruises by. Especially in the far south. Comments? :confused:

[Doonan]

Hello Philipp & Scott

 

I only used the Solarium as I found the wam water and laying in the bubbles was calming and the spa nice .. ralaxing and would meet up with a few other FOD in the afternoon and tell our stories of the day ... then off to costails and dinner.

 

Did not use the gym as my friend is in to Yoga and finds a corner in the gym to do it and I walk around the deck a number of times to do a couple of miles.

 

The ship visits lots of ports .. guess it must pass some but you get a good sampling of interesting places.

 

The only one we visited twice was La Serenna (Port Coquimbo) which worked out well, the first time we did a tour to La Serenna (very good) and the second visit we explored Coquimbo on our owned and walk up to the Cross, it stands over the port (you can do in to the cross to the top with fantastic views). Advise though we walked, it is a long way and suggest a cab. Also the streets at the top are quiet and some people could feel a little afraid (though we spoke with a few people and they were real nice as we got lost).

 

When you get down to the Fiords and the Beagle Channel the views are out of this world. We had a cabin on the back (stern) of the ship and just sat out on the balcony as we could see both sides in our coats and hats etc .. looking at the snow caps (even snowed for a few minutes) and taking the most wonderfull pictures.

 

Ushuaia .. we loved .. very simple and as far as we were concerned the boat out to see the lighthouse and the other small islands with birds and sea lions was just something else.

 

We both like to do something different each year but with this trip we have both said .. we would like to do it again.

 

Just booked a river cruise in Europe for next year .. so that will be different Amsterdam to Budapest and sounds exciting.

 

As you say the food can be a problem .. the weight bit I worry about when I get home .. no way am I missing those great meals each day.

 

By the way in case you wonder we did not need any visa for this trip or jabs .. but we are not US passport so could be different.

 

Any questions keep them coming

 

Cheers

 

Neil

[Malmö]

Hello Philipp' & Scott

Lima - did the Lima Highlights Tour - this was very good with the old and the newer coastal part. The ship docks in Callao and they suggest it a bit dangerous. If you could a private tour that does the same as the coach tour but for a little longer would be great.

 

Hope that helps in your planning .. We will always remeber the cruise as it was so different from sunshine and sand to snow peaks and cold .. (we even had snow in the channel leading to Ushuaia. As you can see we tried quite a lot pf the local food .. it was good plus the wines of Chile and Argentina very good.

We will be going back to Chile and Argentina

Neil

 

Hello, Neil (and anyone else out there joining us!),

 

Tell us more about Callao to Lima. I read on a cruisecritic thread that Lima is an hour and a half away from the port. And that the port does not allow unauthorized people in, and that Callao is not the place to wander around. What was your experience?

And what was the best, as well as the worst of Lima?

We read there is an Indian market there.

 

Thanks, and you should be joining us! :D

 

Philipp' & Scott

[Doonan]

Hello, Neil (and anyone else out there joining us!),

 

Tell us more about Callao to Lima. I read on a cruisecritic thread that Lima is an hour and a half away from the port. And that the port does not allow unauthorized people in, and that Callao is not the place to wander around. What was your experience?

And what was the best, as well as the worst of Lima?

We read there is an Indian market there.

 

Thanks, and you should be joining us! :D

 

Philipp' & Scott

 

Hello Guys .. You are correct better not to wander areound Callao and the dock is closed to unathorized people. 2 of the guys on our cruise were walking in the area and the police stopped them and drove them back to the ship.

 

Lima however is well worth a visit. We did the tour of the city and then the beach area ... it was excellent. At no time did we see of feel we had anything to worry about.

 

Wich we could join you but we are off in a few days time on a trip with HAL from Lax to Ft Lauderdale through the canal again.

 

Any questions ... sorry will not be able to answer before the end of October.

 

Have fun

 

Neil:cool:

[Malmö]

Hope we find the missing gay folk on this cruise on board. You can always leave a message here, as we will check to the very end. :cool: