Poconolady

Just a quick note-at the Buenos Aires port- after your number is called and you get cleared to board the ship— you take a flight of stairs ( there is a very small, slow elevator) and then a shuttle bus from the port building out to the ship. They cram the bus full, so If you are carrying on a lot of bags yourself , be prepared to hold it all on your lap as there are no racks or anywhere to put the bags. When you arrive at the ship you walk up the gangplank in order to enter the ship. At the end of the cruise, its the reverse, and no one is in a good mood about it then!!

The exchange rate is automatically applied by the credit card company.when they post to your account. We used our Visa or Mastercard most of the time, only using American Express for our Buenos Aires hotel expenses ( room cost was on points). We were on land in Argentina for 8 days. The blue rate is a pain to constantly keep figuring out. We just gave up and ordered and bought what we wanted, i changed over $200 US at a cambio on Florida St ( easy peasy, it was in a small mall, just walk up to a window, hand over your cash and they hand you back a huge wad of monopoly money bills. No paperwork involved. No street side hawker needed) We used that throughout the whole land and many cruise ports and still had a little left over. Used for taxis, some entrance fees, souvenirs, snacks, lunches and little treats. Food costs are ridiculously low in BA, , whether paid via cc or cash.

I used a travel company called 01;Argentina Travel Agency. pablo@sichitours dot com. Www.01argentina dot com is their website They packaged the whole tour. Air tickets, hotel (1 night falls view room at the Melia Iguazu Resort with breakfast), transfers, one days guide. $500 pp US. Paid in advance by credit card. We left early in the morning the day after disembarking the ship. We spent a night at the Park Sheraton hotel where we left our luggage for the time we were gone. it was a leap of faith using them, but everything worked out fine, the local guide was great and stayed in touch with the airline for changes and escorted us to and from the Iguazu airport. I highly recommend them! The hotel was fantastic and the view was amazing, food was good and very cheap once the blue rate was applied. We spent our second day ( flight back to Buenos Aires did not leave until nighttime) revisiting the falls and hanging out in the beautiful infinity pool. We could have opted to go to the Brazil side but decided to just have a relaxing day at the hotel, swimming, watching toucans in the trees and snoozing and reading in a lounge chair poolside.

Yes, but so much easier to just take the bus. Less luggage handling, etc.

Yes, Cecelia’s presentation was standing room only during the early part of the cruise. Later on, after we lost the satellite feed when leaving Ushuaia(and never re established) ,her daily presentation was one of the very few options on the tv! Btw, the internet reception was very limited through out the cruise.

Yes, we got in the Falklands, and went to Volunteer Point-, thats a day I will remember for the rest of my life! Thousands of King penguins walking, singing, feeding their chicks,. A beach that is the most beautiful stretch of sand that I have ever seen, almost like marble, with more penguins walking along and checking out the waters. Sheep and penguins sharing a hillside with each other. It was a long bumpy ride, but so worth it!! The seas were kind to us that day, tendering was smooth and everyone made it to their excursions. Stanley is a cute, very small town. Good souvenir shop there. Hate to disappoint, but I found few tshirt on this trip! Warm layers are the key, you probably need fewer than you think. Just keep piling on whatever you have! we truly had the Drake Shake. I found that the accupressure wristbands, (they sell them in the ships liquor store) to really help. I wasn’t the least bit nauseous, and as a car sick kind of person, that's saying a lot! Be sure to check out Celia’s daily briefings in the theater, or on your tv, she really is very enlightening and entertaining!

I’m going to be following along, we were on the Jan 14 Infinity sailing of this itinerary. We did a one night Iguazu Falls trip after the cruise- fabulous! It was a wonderful cruise, filled with penguins, icebergs, , bumpy seas and so many wonderful memories! Bon Voyage! (I picked up an unwelcome souvenir somewhere along the line.. I’ve spent the last week laying around recovering from Covid, just a word of warning, be careful, Covid is still hanging around)

We have been changed to disembarking in Rotterdam. Wondering if Celebrity will offer a bus service to Schipol, for a cost, of course. Haven’t booked air yet, this could make a difference in timing of flight.

Take everything that you think you will possibly need, they sell very little in the shops onboard.

What items are currently on the “Always Available” section of the menu, specifically in Blu, but also in other dining rooms? We will be on Infinity, the app does not show these.on the daily menus.

Its probably dependent on the port and the immigration policy. . We have done it several times, in Honolulu, Barcelona, and Amsterdam. With a 10pm sailing time, boarding may not start until sometime in the aftetnoon.

Btw, the pastries, cookies, etc at Cafe al Baccio, are also included for free, even if you are ‘nt buying a coffee or tea. The Tea Forte teas are wonderful, and their Tea Over Ice is just what you are looking for, itcan be made with any of their tea varieties offered. I’m addicted to their Earl Grey over ice, in fact I just ordered a new supply to have here at home. Now, onto making your own tea to have in your room. Bring a water bottle designed for hot beverages and get steaming hot water from Oceanview ( its VERY hot) and then add your sugar and pour over ice. Ice is available at OV, or you can sweet talk your cabin steward and they will leave an ice buckets worth whenever they service your room. If you are really serious, I guess you could bring an old time thermos bottle, it would hold more than current day water bottles. The mini fridge will not hold a lot.

Is there still a requirement to have travel insurance to cover covid to enter Argentina?

We have sailed SV on Apex 3 times, always on deck 11. Love the location, the cabins and the “real” balcony. We had soot issues on the west bound TA, but not on the Greek isles or the Caribbean itineraries. Could have something to do with direction of the wind. Our cabin steward always wiped down the furniture, and we kept a hand towel out there to give the chairs a quick swipe before we sat down.

It should be made as an option. If you want paper, then the cabin steward will deliver as usual. If you want paperless, then get the info online, and they can cut down on the number printed. Should suit everyone. Its logical, so its why it probably won’t be done!

So you need to make reservations for Blu now? Is this new, Blu has always been open seating.

You probably could make the cruise into a “spa resort” type week, but it will cost a fortune, once you add on every spa experience you want. Blu can fulfill your vegan diet needs for breakfast and dinner, and you can certainly find fruits and vegetables galore in the Oceanview buffet for other times. Im not sure about Goop, but would assume it is only available on certain ships for certain sailings. Basically, you can be as healthy as you like on a cruise, but sometimes it takes a lot of effort to do so.