Aggie83

That is my preference, as it does appear that the exchange rate will be more favorable than prepaying in US dollars. BTW, per the FAQ, if you book via the website, the 5% discount on excursions is applied at the end. The page listing excursions doesn't show the pricing with the discount. Appreciate the insight.

Did you book your excursions prior to the cruise or while on board? Any advantage of one over the other?

From personal experience, yes. My experience is that the dryers tend to run quite hot. Therefore, keep an eye it.

The machines on the Island take tokens. Token machines are in the laundry room. You use your Medallion to purchase the tokens. As of January on the Island, the cost is $3/token. Both the washer and dryer cost 1 token.

FYI - The Island installed brand new washers and dryers in January. They were very nice. I found that the dryers ran quite hot and that the lowest heat setting was perfect for me.

You don't need to have her Medallion to order/pick up the drinks for the two of you. However, if you are approaching the 15 drink limit on your account, then start ordering via the other Medallion.

I add it at time of booking with the TA. That way the gift card value from the TA reflects the package cost and adds to the annual membership rebate. Not so if I were to purchase on board.

That's a bummer. Maybe check back in the Fall and see if they are back to doing tours.

Psst, wait until they find out the tracking capabilities of their cell phone and how that is used by corporate America.

This has replaced the hotel-like card. One of the benefits is that it unlocks your cabin door as you approach. No more fishing around for it in your pocket or purse.

In Dec 2022 my DH and I did the Santiago to BA route (included Antartica). We stayed several nights in Santiago before heading to San Antonio to board the ship. We thoroughly enjoyed Santiago. We did a tour to the Andes which included a stop at a vineyard. To get to the ship, we took a private shuttle via Viator to SA. Original plan was to do a wine vineyard tour on the way to the ship. However, that fell through because no one else signed up. The tour operator refunded some of the tour price and changed it to a private shuttle to the ship. The shuttle picked us up at our hotel. Due to winds, the Punta Arenas port was closed. We ended up spending more time in Ushuaia due to the missed port. We missed Port Stanley because of the wind as well. We fly out of DFW, and almost exclusively on AA. I found that airfare from DFW to SCL was much less (both $-wise and miles redemption) than it was from BA(EZE) to DFW. We redeemed miles for Business Class to SCL and paid for Premium Economy from EZE to DFW. This December we are doing the Antartica cruise as round trip from BA. Airfare (miles or $) for DFW-EZE-DFW is quite high. I jumped on my flights at the 300 day mark, when AA releases it schedules. So far that has been the best pricing. I would agree with the post that thought you would have more scenic cruising from Santiago to BA. Depending on how long you will be in Montevideo, you may be able to do a shore excursion to Punta del Este if you are interested.

"That neck of the woods?" This island is off the west coast of Africa. And why make a derogatory comment about their Coast Guard?

To your point on confidentiality:

Yes, you are correct. My post wasn't about calls my cell carrier would treat as international calls. The OP was not asking about international calls, which is what I responded to.

I called the US when I was on the Sapphire. I also used the hotel WiFi in Santiago to call the US. No charges were incurred for either call.