anyone been on the Machu Picchu cruise tour?

[Duane T]

Duane,

 

Thanks for the update on your Cruisetour. So glad it is going well. We look forward to ours in 2015. -- only 15 more months to go!! Hope you are able to post more updates on your adventure.

 

One question -- Did you book your air through Princess?

Yes, I used Princess Air with this cruisetour package. It turned out to be almost half the price versus going through Orbitz or Travelocity or even the respective Airlines websites. The low airfare popped up one day and only lasted at that price for 2 days so I booked it as a Refundable/Flexible which was cheaper than the non-refundable...hence I was incented to lock it in too. But I had to check it every day or every other day and prices really fluctuated. I didn't use a Travel Agent so this is where a TA might be helpful.

 

The Princess Air airline selection was American Airlines from Honolulu to Los Angeles and then connected to a LAN airlines from Los Angeles to Lima. I never flew LAN before but they are part of One World so I asked they book my American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer number when I checkedin. The airline review sites had mixed ratings/comments on LAN but we had very good service from check-in all the way to Lima.

[Duane T]

Manchu Picchu Cruisetour 2nd Day ( 12/15/2013). Had our first group meeting with Lima Tours at 9:00 am in hotel lobby. They have provided the revised itinerary to a group of about 20 people. The Lima Tours rep indicated there would be about 66 people on this Princess Cruisetour. He explained how we should tag our checked baggage to make sure the Cusco hotels would recognize our suitcases. He also covered the schedule and a few tips.

 

Then he went over the deletion of the Local Lima City Tour on Friday due conflicting airline flight schedules from Cusco to Lima to Santigo Chile, but we could pay $48 per person and get the tour this afternoon. Then a large contingent of our group demanded the Lima Tour rep contact Princess to provide us a remedy and pay for the same tour being offered this afternoon. The Lima Tour rep called his main office to investigate with Princess. After a 20 minute wait, he got a phone call and 34 of our tour cruise group of 66 people were told we would get our Lima City Tour this afternoon at no cost. I'm not sure to the other 32 people in our group.

 

Tomorrow morning we our day starts at 4:00am to get up and head on to Cusco for 2 nights and then on to Aguas Calientes and Machu Pucchu.

[marjack]

Yes, I used Princess Air with this cruisetour package. It turned out to be almost half the price versus going through Orbitz or Travelocity or even the respective Airlines websites. The low airfare popped up one day and only lasted at that price for 2 days so I booked it as a Refundable/Flexible which was cheaper than the non-refundable...hence I was incented to lock it in too. But I had to check it every day or every other day and prices really fluctuated. I didn't use a Travel Agent so this is where a TA might be helpful.

 

The Princess Air airline selection was American Airlines from Honolulu to Los Angeles and then connected to a LAN airlines from Los Angeles to Lima. I never flew LAN before but they are part of One World so I asked they book my American Airlines AAdvantage frequent flyer number when I checkedin. The airline review sites had mixed ratings/comments on LAN but we had very good service from check-in all the way to Lima.

 

Duane, Thanks for the info. Sorry to hear about the problem regarding the Lima tour. Hope it gets resolved for everyone. Have a safe trip to Cusco. Looking forward to hearing about Machu Picchu.

[windsor26]

We were going to do the MP tour as part of our 29 day SA cruise on the Star this year. I was very worried about acclimatisation to altitude in such a short period and it's alot of money if you get sick. I then started researching and found we could book return airfares and hotel accommodations in the Sacred valley for 6 days for the price of the tour which is what we did. We made it a separate vacation and we had a fantastic time, one of our best vacations to date. Yes we had to pay extra for the site entrance food and train but it was all very affordable and we could absorb the culture and other Inca sites in that time, and no we didn't get sick, I just got very short of breath on stairs - and there's alot of climbing in the sacred valley. Whichever way you decide to do it you will have the most wonderful experience

Terry

 

We did the 5 day trip from Valparaisi to Lima with www dot patagoniashorex dot com who were FANTASTIC Jamie is well known for giving you exactly what you ask for plus more and his cost is 50% less than Princess or any of the other cruise lines. We also purchased AltitudeRx tablets (google it) and took them for the 6 days as suggested and had no problems whatsoever even though we are in mid 70's and my DH has high blood pressure. There were oxygen available if required in all buses, trains and hotels and of course the special tea which was reasonably palatable and definitely helped. HAVE A GREAT TRIP It is truly one to tick off the bucket list

Edited December 16, 2013 by windsor26

[snoopymi]

marjack

 

Nice to hear from someone else who grew up in Michigan. I was born in Flint and have never left growing up in the 50s and 60s like you. You would not believe the changes in Flint and Detroit, but back in the day it was a great place to grow up. We like it now in our quiet little Grand Blanc. We have been here 11 years. We visited Texas last spring and went on a Princess cruise out of Galveston.

 

We booked this cruise in August of 2012 and the time has finally come for our cruise....it actually goes pretty fast. I am glad to hear that the group that is there now is getting some things straightened out and hopefully that carries over to our group.

 

Sally

[snoopymi]

Duane

 

I so look forward to your reports from Peru. Sounds like your group is doing a good job getting things straightened out, especially getting them to give you the tour on Sunday afternoon. That would work for us, so I hope it carries over. At least I know that you got it and we can tell Lima Tours that we want the same if they don't offer it.

 

Wow! I knew things would start early, but 4 am is really early. You will all be ready for the first day at sea on the ship to get some rest. But it is a wonderful opportunity and we are really looking forward to the experience.

 

It will be interesting to see what they do tomorrow as far as seat assignments for the flight.

 

Did you book your Saturday night stay in Lima through Princess? We did and don't know if it includes breakfast. Guess I can ask Princess once they decide to tell us where we are staying. :)

 

Appreciate your reporting so much.....enjoy....sounds like things are going to work out OK.

 

Sally and MIke

[Duane T]

Duane

 

I so look forward to your reports from Peru. Sounds like your group is doing a good job getting things straightened out, especially getting them to give you the tour on Sunday afternoon. That would work for us, so I hope it carries over. At least I know that you got it and we can tell Lima Tours that we want the same if they don't offer it.

 

Wow! I knew things would start early, but 4 am is really early. You will all be ready for the first day at sea on the ship to get some rest. But it is a wonderful opportunity and we are really looking forward to the experience.

 

It will be interesting to see what they do tomorrow as far as seat assignments for the flight.

 

Did you book your Saturday night stay in Lima through Princess? We did and don't know if it includes breakfast. Guess I can ask Princess once they decide to tell us where we are staying. :)

 

Appreciate your reporting so much.....enjoy....sounds like things are going to work out OK.

 

Sally and MIke

Hi Sally.

Yes, I booked the extranight through Princess and it did include the breakfast. But last year in Beijing and before in Copenhagen, I did the same thing and booked an extra night but the breakfast buffet were not included. The buffet here is very nice with both local and more traditional items to select from. This Casa Andina Private Collection hotel is also very near a bunch of tourist friendly markets, a short 15 minute walk to the waterfront (Lacomar Shopping center on cliffs overlooking the ocean) and JF Kennedy Park that has tons of places to eat, shop (think Macy's), arts and crafts (just 5 minute walk from the hotel 3 blocks).

 

I'll let you know how the LAN intra-peru flights go.

 

Having Fun.

Duane

[Duane T]

Hi Sally, the Cruisetour flights from Lima to Cuzco went smoothly. We got our wake up call at 4:30 but we were already up. We had a very small bit to eat at 5:00 AM at the hotel buffet but it did not include hot entree items this morning. Lima Tour had two tour managers getting all our luggage and passengers on the bus to the airport.

 

At Cuzco airport, the tour managers asked us to verify our bags were off the bus. Then we checked in. We asked for seats together and got the seats we wanted. Some people did not ask or checked their boarding tickets and ended apart but there were plenty of empty seats so everyone was accommodated. LAN airlines airlines flight was a short 1 hour 10 minute flight over snow capped Andes and a scenic decent into Cusco. At Cusco baggage claim, the tour managers asked everyone to confirm their checked baggage arrived and then porters took everyone's bags to a truck to be delivered to our Hotel in neighboring Urubamba. We went on our Cusco city tour, Inca ruins, and a local Pisco market. Afterwards, we went to the hotel, got our keys and our suitcases were inside our room.

 

Everything went per the schedule and we enjoyed this initial day adjusting to the Cusco altitude.

Duane

[snoopymi]

Hi Duane

 

Thank you so much for your reports today. We eagerly wait to hear the next report. The trip is now really coming alive for us and we look forward to it more after each of your postings. It is good to know that they are very careful and have you verify your luggage at each step. Did you leave suitcases at the hotel in Lima to pick up on Friday? We plan to pack a suitcase for the cruise to leave in Lima and then pack our usual carry-on bag as our checked luggage on the trip through Peru with a small backpack for our carry-on in Peru. Is this the best plan?

 

We got altitude medication from our doctor to start taking on Saturday as we fly to Peru. We have heard so many warnings and want to be sure we feel OK. Hope you are adjusting easily to the altitude. Did you take the medication?

 

It is wonderful that you are enjoying the trip and we look forward to doing the same exactly 4 weeks from now. Again, we really appreciate you filling in all the details and answering our questions. Enjoy tomorrow and we look forward to hearing more.

 

Thanks, Sally and Mike

[Duane T]

Hi Duane

 

Thank you so much for your reports today. We eagerly wait to hear the next report. The trip is now really coming alive for us and we look forward to it more after each of your postings. It is good to know that they are very careful and have you verify your luggage at each step. Did you leave suitcases at the hotel in Lima to pick up on Friday? We plan to pack a suitcase for the cruise to leave in Lima and then pack our usual carry-on bag as our checked luggage on the trip through Peru with a small backpack for our carry-on in Peru. Is this the best plan?

 

We got altitude medication from our doctor to start taking on Saturday as we fly to Peru. We have heard so many warnings and want to be sure we feel OK. Hope you are adjusting easily to the altitude. Did you take the medication?

 

It is wonderful that you are enjoying the trip and we look forward to doing the same exactly 4 weeks from now. Again, we really appreciate you filling in all the details and answering our questions. Enjoy tomorrow and we look forward to hearing more.

 

Thanks, Sally and Mike

 

We did not leave a bag at Lima but Lima Tours did have the porters collect bags with a tag to identify them as going to the Airport this Friday when we fly back from Cusco and connect on to Santiago. They will give you a set of Pompoms to attach to you bags going to Cusco. Most on our group just brought a carrying on roller board wit a backpack or large tote.

 

Altitude was an issue for one or two but the guides were always watching everyone for any problems so you should be ok.

[snoopymi]

Hi Duane

 

Thanks for the morning update. Everything seems to be coming together. Glad to hear you are having fun! Are you traveling in large buses or the smaller vans? Tomorrow is the big day--Machu Picchu! Hope you have good weather and have a wonderful time. We will be thinking about you.

 

Sally and Mike

[Duane T]

Hi Duane

 

Thanks for the morning update. Everything seems to be coming together. Glad to hear you are having fun! Are you traveling in large buses or the smaller vans? Tomorrow is the big day--Machu Picchu! Hope you have good weather and have a wonderful time. We will be thinking about you.

 

Sally and Mike

 

Hi Sally and Mike,

We've used different buses for different segments but what we seen so far.

Lima- full size with a bathroom. The city tour was only 3.5 hours and each stop had restroom facilities our tour guide would point out.

 

Cusco to Urubamba. We had a several mini buses pick us up at Cusco Airport primarily because the locations we went to narrow (roads, village streets) and are the way they were built 500-600 years ago.

 

Urubamba-Chincheros-Ollatamtambo. Same mini-bus.

 

Chincheros is at 12000 feet elevation. Our guide paced the group very slowly. Favorite dinner topic was how the latest altitude medicines were working. Some mentioned the tried the local coco candy that tastes like green tea did help. I didn't try it... Not sure I trust the label but our guide did hand it out to some guy and claims it works.

 

I'll let you know how the train ride to Aguas Calientes and our first day at Machu Picchu goes.

 

Duane

[Duane T]

Day started off with good weather at Urubamba. The Urumbamba (Tambo del Del Inka Hotel) was really first rate and Lima Tours had constantly provided details on what would occur at check-in and check-out). Since we will stay overnight at the town nearest Machu Picchu (Aqua

Calientes), we were told to only bring an overnight bag. Most brought backpacks and/or large totes (about 90%). A few brought rollerboards but I understand some passengers had special medical needs that required a bag or suitcase bigger than a backpack. Our regular luggage was collected that morning and will be sent to tomorrow night's hotel in Cusco (Hotel Libertor Cuscso).

 

We all boarded the shuttle from the Urubamba hotel at 7:45 am and went straight to the Ollantaytambo Train Station. We recevied our train tickets with seat assignments. There was enough space underneath our seats to hold our backpacks and each carriage had a small luggage area for the larger baggage. The 1.5 hour train ride was on the Vistadome (alot of info on Youtube if you want a preview..but the actual signts were more spetacular.

 

On arriving at Aquas Calientes train station, a hotel rep coordinated with Lima Tours to have larger bulking overnight bags tagged and taken straight to the hotel (Sumaq Machu Picchu) where they were waiting in our room when we checked in later that afternoon.

 

We were fortunate that the weather was great. Cloudy at first but the sun came out later. Mild Temperature (about 69 degrees F). The guided tour was great and they made arrangements for a easy walking touLima Tours was very educational and Lima Tours arrange a speical tour for individuals who had a hard time walking up/down steps. I'll leave the details of the tour for another separate Trip Advisor report, but we were completely satisfied.

 

We have another chance to see the sunrise at Machu Pichuu tomorrow morning and do a more relaxing independent exploring on our own, or they offerred a more challenging hike.

 

Checked off one more bucket list site to see.

[snoopymi]

Hello Duane

 

Thanks again for all the great information. It is especially nice to know about the luggage situation ahead of time. We actually have started to put things out to pack. We will be gone to our daughter's home in Washington DC for a week over Christmas, so it will be time to go before we know it.

 

Glad you are very satisfied with Lima Tours and how things are going. It is GREAT you were lucky and had good weather for Machu Picchu. Hope it is good in the morning for sunrise. Have a wonderful day. We look forward to hearing all about it.

 

How is the food variety?

 

Sally and Mike

[Duane T]

Those going this morning caught the 5:30 am bus from the hotel to the top. The weather was good and no crowds so it is a good time to get another set of pictures.

 

You'll get a wide selection of food to eat. Seafood was all great. Besides beef, chicken and pork, you'll also get to try Guinea pig, llama, and lamb with a huge variety of potatoes, yams, beans, other veggies. I'll spend a few months after this burning off these calories. At this hotel, they arranged for a Pisco sour (local drink) and ceviche (fresh fish) appetizer before dinner. It was fun tasting these drinks dishes .

 

We headed back to Cusco shortly and do some shopping.

[snoopymi]

Hi Duane

 

Thanks for the latest update. We will definitely be on that 5:30 am bus to get more pictures. :)

 

Also good to know they have a large variety of food and some special foods for tasting.

 

So pleased to hear you are enjoying it all!

 

Sally and Mike

[marjack]

Duane,

Thanks for your daily logs. it sounds like you are having an incredible time. I am glad to hear that the guides paced the walking at Machu Picchu. I know this will be the trip of a lifetime for us (only 15 more months to go). Continue to enjoy your wonderful adventure, and if you have the time, keep posting. I know we are all loving your updates..

[santos949]

We did Machu Picchu in January of 2012 as a part of our Princess cruise. Whether you do it with Princess or alone or with a tour guide, I can only recommend that you DO IT!!!! My husband and I have traveled the world, and MP will always remain a favorite of ours. The site is breath-taking. FYI, we are in our mid-sixties.

[marjack]

We did Machu Picchu in January of 2012 as a part of our Princess cruise. Whether you do it with Princess or alone or with a tour guide, I can only recommend that you DO IT!!!! My husband and I have traveled the world, and MP will always remain a favorite of ours. The site is breath-taking. FYI, we are in our mid-sixties.

 

Santos, I am in my 60's and my husband is in his 70's, and we are glad to hear you loved it. We figured we better do it while we are still "young".

[Duane T]

Machu Picchu was fantastic but we're still excited about what's to follow. The return trip to cusco was well planned and organized by Lima Tours. After the train ride from Aguas Calientes, a minibuses met us and we went to lunch at a very nice local restaurant where we were entertained by a local Peruvian duet (very soothing new age type of music). My wife likes this music so we got an autograph and group picture taken.

 

The drive to Cusco was very scenic and went by fast (1.5hours). Here we checked into a very nice hotel in central Cusco. Again, bags were waiting I'm the room. Only had a few hours to shop but ask the concierge about walking to the inka craft market. 100's of vendors and they will haggle since the know you can easily get same crafts at the other 99 or so kiosks selling same/similar items.

 

This morning got up at 4:30 to fly to Lima and then on to Santiago. Top: when checking in at cusco, make sure you get the boarding passes all the way to Santiago or you'll have to check in again...which most did anyway since this is where you are reunited with any luggage you left in Lima before heading to cusco/Machu Picchu 3 days ago.

 

Santiago was clear and warm. Americans, Canadians, Australian, Mexicans and Albanians have to pay the reciprocity fee after getting off the plane. Look for the signs and pay BEFORE going to immigration. A lot did not see the sign and had to double back. This caused a delay getting to the JW Marriott in downtown Santiago. Checking was a bit chaotic...we had extremely faster checking in ALL of our Peru hotels.

 

We're having out farewell dinner now. The two Lima Tour managers who guided us all the way here did an excellent job patiently talking and helping anyone with problems ranging from lost reservations, lost and found, helping a few that had a hard time walking, misplaced luggage, and just about any issue you brought to them.

 

Getting ready for the final tour and boarding the Golden Princess.

[snoopymi]

Hi Duane

 

Thank you, thank you--we cannot say it enough for your postings. You have done so much to make our trip more enjoyable. With the lack of information from Princess, we had no idea what to expect, and were a little nervous about the trip. Now you have enjoyed a terrific week and set our minds at ease and we can't wait for our tour in 3 weeks.

 

Glad to hear there is a farewell dinner, as that is not mentioned in itinerary, which we thought was strange. Thanks for all the tips and suggestions-- you have been super!

 

Don't want to miss any of your great commentary, so are you going to continue to write while on the ship? If so, where will you post?

 

Enjoy the tour tomorrow and get settled in on the ship with all your stuff at last. :)

 

Mele Kalikimaka

Sally and Mike

[caribill]

 

Santiago was clear and warm. Americans, Canadians, Australian, Mexicans and Albanians have to pay the reciprocity fee after getting off the plane. Look for the signs and pay BEFORE going to immigration. A lot did not see the sign and had to double back.

 

The two Lima Tour managers who guided us all the way here did an excellent job.

 

I am surprised that the tour managers did not let everybody know about when and where to pay the reciprocity fee.

[Moviegirlnyorlando]

In fall 2012 we were in Cozumel to St Genovese Mayan site just because it was 2012 and to say we were there before it was about to all go down ,cites a tiny ruin though compared to others, lol I would love to go to machu pichu. After you go please write reviews

[Set-to-Sail]

Thanks for taking us along on this cruisetour. Your descriptions have helped with so many things we wondered about. We are booked on the same trip March 9, 2014. Any words of advice about how clothing/appropriate footwear, hats etc for the Cusco/MP portion - You also mention a Peruvean Andean Immigration Card -- is this issued when you land in Lima ?

[Duane T]

Final Day of the Princess Machu Picchu Cruise Tour 07A was in Santiago Chile. The Santiago Hotel (JW Marriott) was in a great location next to a major shopping mall and grocery supermarket so you can stock up any items you might want to get before going to the ship the next morning. The hotel is first rate although check-in was not as well organized as any of the Peruvian hotels. Looks like they were busy processing inbound/outbond from a Celebrity cruise as well as Princess so only half our group had rooms ready when we arrived (last names A-N were ready, but everyone else had to wait).

 

The final day of the cruise tour included a full size bus ride (with bathroom) for the city tour around Santiago city, a restop to buy/get a snack/lunch, and a photo stop (on a highway overpass…no facilities) in Casablanca valley know for their vineyards. We arrived in Valpariso harbor around 3:00 PM and we checked-in for the cruise in a warehouse area near the harbor, then boarded a bus and taken to the ship about 5 minutes away. Once onboard, we found our suitcases in our cabin (although some mentioned their checked baggage wasn’t delivered till 7:00 PM that night).

 

So with the Cruisetour portion of our trip completed, I have to grade the Princess and Lima Tour teams separately;

 

Princess: Grade C-. The phone reps/back off accounting and land tours group had very little knowledge of service and billing details for this cruise and cruise tour which is a definite downgrade from previous European and Asian trips I had taken with Princess. I can’t really fault the reps since they work off of scripts or direction from back-office “support” groups. But After 10+ calls (pre-cruise) to Princess phone reps, I never got a full accounting of charges that occurred in the week just prior to my trip or answers on my Rio post-cruise hotel and Disembark tours (which they essentially passed the buck and told me to work out any descrepancies while on board the Golden Princess). I give an updated Princess rating when the cruise is finished.

 

Lima Tours: Grade A-.

Lima Tours had two Tour Managers (for our group of 66 people) with you 24x7 from your initial Lima Peru Hotel briefing (or in our case since we arrived at the Lima airport a day early) all the way to checking in to your ship at the dock. On top of that, they had local tour guides narrating the history, culture, food, and tour highlights. They did not always have the answers to why there were differences between the Princess-Cruisetour itineraries, but they did try to find out answers. If you had needed help with finding lost or misplaced things (cameras, coats, luggage, etc), they would follow-up with the appropriate hotel, transport/airport, until resolved or accounted for. Princess can learn a lot on customer service from the vendors they use (I’ve also had great experiences with Asian and European tour operators used by Princess).

 

Something is definitely off (for the worse) with Princess itself so far, we’ll see how the cruise portion goes before I give a final readout.

 

But that’s it for my Machu Picchu Cruisetour commentaries. Hope it helps those readers going on future cruise tours to Machu Picchu on Princess.