sparklerod

Safe Travelers Explorer. My friend turned me onto it. You might have to get a quote from insubuy.com We are still on the fence about purchasing. It's about $1,100 for the plan. However I did purchase HTH Worldwide for $149 total which covers us for quarantine if needed since my health insurance does not cover quarantine and we were told we needed that for Argentina Government. We travel on the 24th and feel if Atlas cancels this voyage we will fight for a 100% refund as they are not providing services that we paid for. Our other Antarctica Expedition was canceled from another cruise line and they gave us a 100% refund.

Yes less than 24 hrs in Argentina so I assume we do not need the PCR test nor the insurance.

what if you do not have the insurance from Atlas?Does the AON still count?

Yes that is correct the Dagio in 2017 I sailed and it was not good the ship. Sailed on the Cello in 2013?

On 1/6/2019 at 7:24 PM, sparklerod said:

I am also interested in this cruise for November of this year. However, it is on an old ship, the same as yours, Amacello. My last AMA was also on an older ship and not pleasant. The AMADuoro really showed wear and tear and we ha to move our cabin because there was an awful odor coming through the ventilation system. As the AMAcello is older can you give me an idea on how worn this ship is? I find it hard to believe that it is 11 years old now and that it still has not been dry-docked. I also read on other reviews that the wines were not local of the region and just awful.

 

 

Well this is 2019 so it will be 11 years old. I just found out though AMA that they don't refresh ship while during the winter. I find this very disappointing as the reviews of the ship were not great. So frustrating to decide!!! Thanks for the input.

I am also interested in this cruise fir November of this year. However, it is on an old ship, the same as yours, Amacello. My last AMA was also on an older ship and not pleasant. The AMADuoro really showed wear and tear and we ha to move our cabin because there was an awful odor coming through the ventilation system. As the AMAcello is older can you give me an idea on how worn this ship is? I find it hard to believe that it is 11 years old now and that it still has not been dry-docked. I also read on other reviews that the wines were not local of the region and just awful.

This will be my first ever Viking Ocean Cruise (Viking period). Can anyone tell me if they were able to use their OBC for their tips? On previous cruise lines I was able to use my OBC. We have a generous amount and will not use it as everything is included. We are not spa or bar people and taking included excursions. We are also not shoppers. Also on other cruises I was able to take a cash advance from my onboard account. Has anyone experienced this? I was NOW just told I couldn't use my OBC and would've cancelled my trip before it was too late!!!

Not sure what I was thinking booking a new cruise with Azamara. Had a horrible experience with ChoiceAir couldn't get out to catch flights & they would not accommodate us so we missed our first cruise port. Other passengers that booked their own air from the same town as us were able to get out dealing direct with the airlines. We tried & tried even our cruise agent and got nowhere with any compensation from Azamara. And yet passengers who were on another cruise that got sick from a pre cruise hotel that they booked on their own were compensated with huge discounts etc. from Azamara even though they did not book hotel from them. I just found this out after booking my present cruise. This will be our 3rd journey. Thanks for letting me vent! I hope I won't be disappointed in my decision after such a horrible nightmare.

A few comments and descriptions before our wonderful trip recedes into fuzzy memory...

 

Legalities

Argentina reciprocity fee, do *not* toss your printed receipt after checking in for your flight to Argentina - you will need it to clear Argentine immigration at the airport and we needed it twice again when checking in for our cruise - once to show and once to hand over with our passport. Argentina didn't care much about customs (in or out). Falklands requested no food brought ashore. Chile actually inspected bags as we left the ship at most ports (for agricultural products).

 

Very easy to get a remis or car service at the Buenos Aires airport, there are kiosks where they give you a fixed price and then take you out to a driver. Was very smooth, no waiting. Bonus: to get to the cruise ship terminal from the airport, the most direct route takes you down 9 de Julio (the "widest street").

 

Thanks to CC recommendation, we ate a very good lunch in Buenos Aires at Cabana las Lilas - quite convenient to the cruise ship terminal (short cab ride or looong walk), wonderful food (focused on beef from Argentina), serves continuously from noon, takes credit cards, great wine list. You can eat outside under an awning and enjoy a view of Puerto Madero.

 

Punta del Este

We actually missed stopping - there was quite a storm and no chance of tendering safely. Not the stop we expected to miss, but the only one we did.

 

Puerto Madryn

Thanks to CC recommendation we used Sentir Patagonia for a Punto Tomba excursion. It was excellent - shared modern mini-bus with great guide. We signed up as 4 and were in a bus with a total of 14 or so. Very well organized.

Roads are modern & totally paved except for the last 10 miles or so, which is a very wide & well-graded gravel road. Driver was in a hurry on the way down so we could beat the big tour buses (we did, even with a bathroom stop). Much more leisurely on the way back. Highly recommend, you see *lots* of penguins, many up close. If you have mobility issues, this would be less exciting as the path is mostly dirt or gravel and although there are a few penguins right at the parking lot, most are up the (short if no issues) hill and down to the water.

Those we talked to who went on the cruise lines' Gaiman outing were underwhelmed - most of the Welsh community has either mixed in with the locals or returned to Wales. Downtown Puerto Madryn is right at the end of the pier. *keep an eye out entering or leaving the bay - there was an entire pod of Right Whales on our way out!* There were independent taxis/volunteer tour operators at the city end of the pier.

 

Stanley/Falklands

We didn't do a formal tour. Very informative interpretive signs throughout downtown Stanley for DIY walkers. Even though we were in port on Sunday, most shops (including stamp desk at Post Office) were open - although rental car agencies were closed. We took a shared van out to Gypsy Cove, was US$20pp. Not as many penguins or as many close as at Punto Tomba, but shorter walk and fun to see a few up close and lots far below on the white sandy beaches. Those who went to Bluff Cove thought it was a looong drive for a short photo opportunity. The main settlement is right at the tender dock. There were some taxis and last-minute tour opportunities at the tender pier, would be more limited on a larger ship (we were 1,200 passengers).

 

Ushuaia

Didn't do a formal tour. Thanks to CC recommendation ate lunch at Restaurant Kaupe which was incredible. French cooking method meets fresh Patagonian ingredients, plus a great view. And a very good wine list, we enjoyed a 1990 (ish, spouse will remember exact vintage) Cabernet from Mendoza that was very good (pricey, but there were many other choices on the list). Short but steep walk from pier. You can get a meal for much less right downtown, but if you like fine dining this was hard to beat! Taxi stand and tour kiosks at the city end of the pier.

 

Punta Arenas

We were scheduled to tender 4km from downtown but ended up at the downtown tender port - just 4 blocks from the main square, so no taxi required. Not our favorite port, although pleasant enough for strolling and the local history folks have labelled many buildings of interest (sign languages vary depending on why the building was famous - we saw some 100% spanish, some spanish & english, some spanish & french) including some related to Shackelton.

 

A few restaurants, some open dinner only. The overlook is a nice walk uphill, close to the central square. My folks did a half-day tour that included some of the local museums, which they said were excellent. Otway Sound penguin tour was a long drive to a relatively long walk to a distant view of not many penguins according to those who went. Plenty of taxis/taxi tours at the ship terminal.

 

Laguna San Rafael - we didn't do the pricey ship's tour to the glacier, those who did were happy, they saw lots of ice (but few animals).

 

Puerto Chacabuco

We stayed onboard, the day was warm and the views from the pool of the surrounding mountains were great. Very small town, my folks enjoyed a walk around and said the flowers were great. Folks who went on the scenic tour (river, waterfall, Coyhaique) enjoyed it very much.

 

Puerto Montt

Great handcrafts market just to the left from the tender pier. Some stalls have mostly mass-produced stuff (some from Chile, some from China), but many are owned by artisans selling their own products. The guy who runs the lapis boutique with many old instruments as decoration makes his own stuff from a personal cache of lapis (he says the last Chilean lapis mine closed down 19 yrs ago). Ask to see his rings, he has drawers of them each unique. Or go see him in Vegas, he goes to the gem show there!

 

Just past the artisan stalls is the fish market, you can get a bowl of sea urchin roe for US$5 at some restaurants there (a *big* bowl). Would suggest getting a sampler platter - a bit spendier but where else can you get multiple ceviches, sea urchin roe, barnacles (a real delicacy, think lobster crossed with fois gras), local salmon & hake, 2 kinds of crab... Will post the exact restaurant (there are a lot of them, mostly tiny - 12 to 16 seats) when I unpack fully, I know we kept their card. Lots of taxi tour touts when we first disembarked, very few when we wandered back.

 

Valparaiso

We basically took a cab to Hertz in Vina del Mar and drove out of town toward wineries and the Colchagua Valley where we spent 2 nights post-cruise. Great view from the ship at dock of the colorful houses, steep hills and funiculars. Very reminiscent of Lisbon imo. There is a car service agency desk as you exit the ship terminal.

 

Weather - we left Buenos Aires Dec 2 and arrived Valparaiso Dec 16. Was not as rainy as I feared, but we may have been lucky. If you want to spend a lot of time on deck or exploring ashore, layers are your friend! I wore a pair of thermal leggings under my pants on the plane on the way down. Those, some wool socks, a merino turtleneck plus a down vest and rain shell kept me very comfy without adding too much to my luggage.

 

Wind may have been our biggest foe, if we had been in the Falklands 1 day later we would not have stopped as winds hit 50+mph. Most of this itinerary is relatively protected, but we did notice the waves when in open sea (1 of us out of 4 got a bit queasy, but accupressure bands handled it well). Our departure from Ushuaia was delayed about 4 hrs as winds pinned us *to* the dock (meant we hit Glacier Alley in the dark, oh well). That meant a delayed arrival to Punta Arenas...As we didn't have specific tours planned, this actually wasn't too much of a hassle. Do highly recommend booking earliest tour of the day if going through your cruise line - when destination services had to get creative, the later tours fared worse.

 

All in all...Those are most of the particulars I can remember that might be helpful. We (and my 85yo folks, who are highly functioning) had a wonderful time. Penguins, incredible scenery, great food & wine...good stuff!

How much was the car service?

Cruising, we are New Yorkers, very excited to finally go to South America. Is anyone looking to join our private tours? We are avid cruisers and find this is the best way to see anything!!! You can find my post on the roll call for Azamara ... can't wait .... please join us, no hassles, waiting in line with others, etc.

Traveling from buenos Aires to Rio January 28rh looking for others to join our private city our. We are very energetic and like to keep moving without others holding us up. Please respond if interested and will send itinerary.