Amazon River, Brazil (up to Manaus)

[TayanaLorna]

Viking did two years cruising up the Amazon River to Manaus, Brazil in 2019 and 2020 until Covid shut down.  I am interested to hear about your experiences on those cruises.  Pros and cons, favorite excursions or sightseeing etc.  We are especially interested in hearing from anyone who traveled further up the Rio Negro or Rio Solimoes or did any extra sightseeing in and around Manaus.  We booked a February 2023 cruise and are having a hard time finding any reviews or live reports from Vikings previous cruises there.  Thank you!

[Jim Avery]

15 minutes ago, TayanaLorna said:

Viking did two years cruising up the Amazon River to Manaus, Brazil in 2019 and 2020 until Covid shut down.  I am interested to hear about your experiences on those cruises.  Pros and cons, favorite excursions or sightseeing etc.  We are especially interested in hearing from anyone who traveled further up the Rio Negro or Rio Solimoes or did any extra sightseeing in and around Manaus.  We booked a February 2023 cruise and are having a hard time finding any reviews or live reports from Vikings previous cruises there.  Thank you!

I covered our two weeks or so up the Amazon to Manaus on my 2019 WC thread.  I am sure you can find it back there a page or twelve.

[TayanaLorna]

1 hour ago, Jim Avery said:

I covered our two weeks or so up the Amazon to Manaus on my 2019 WC thread.  I am sure you can find it back there a page or twelve.

Thank you.  Will look for it.  Was that on the Sun?

[H2Otstr]

I am interested in this info, too. 

[deec]

We did this cruise in 2018.  It was new so many things may have changed since then.   I should have done more research so it was MY fault that I was disappointed in the itinerary not the ship or the staff..  We had done an Amazon River cruise in Peru from Iquitos on a small riverboat.  We pulled along the side of the river at night.  Explored villages and monkey islands...found sloths in trees and piranhas while fishing.  We swam with the pink dolphins.

 

Some of these experiences were available in Brazil  but just not the same intimacy.

 

We had a great time on the ship itself but the ports were not great. The excursions were good ...be prepared for 3rd world bus..ie not air-conditioning and maybe? the windows would open.  The Carnival show at Parintins was great.  Manaus was very interesting!

 

We had to ration water while in the Amazon and could not do laundry although you could have it "done." It was only for a few days.  The insects were amazing ....they covered deck two every morning and were enormous and so very different from each other. Moths the size of saucers!

 

We had a great time just not what I had expected.  Amazonas is huge and the cruise really did put that in perspective for me!  The stop at Devil's Island supposedly needed a Yellow Fever vaccine, fortunately we had one for Africa, but NO ONEever checked.

Edited May 15, 2022 by deec

[Jim Avery]

Yes, first half of the Ultimate WC. London to LA.

[Jim Avery]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2691518-ultimate-world-cruise-245-days-and-all-the-parts-ongoing-review-questions-opinion/#comments

 

 

See if this works.

[TayanaLorna]

17 hours ago, Jim Avery said:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2691518-ultimate-world-cruise-245-days-and-all-the-parts-ongoing-review-questions-opinion/#comments

 

 

See if this works.

Yes it works.  Thank you!

[TayanaLorna]

18 hours ago, deec said:

We did this cruise in 2018.  It was new so many things may have changed since then.   I should have done more research so it was MY fault that I was disappointed in the itinerary not the ship or the staff..  We had done an Amazon River cruise in Peru from Iquitos on a small riverboat.  We pulled along the side of the river at night.  Explored villages and monkey islands...found sloths in trees and piranhas while fishing.  We swam with the pink dolphins.

 

Some of these experiences were available in Brazil  but just not the same intimacy.

 

We had a great time on the ship itself but the ports were not great. The excursions were good ...be prepared for 3rd world bus..ie not air-conditioning and maybe? the windows would open.  The Carnival show at Parintins was great.  Manaus was very interesting!

 

We had to ration water while in the Amazon and could not do laundry although you could have it "done." It was only for a few days.  The insects were amazing ....they covered deck two every morning and were enormous and so very different from each other. Moths the size of saucers!

 

We had a great time just not what I had expected.  Amazonas is huge and the cruise really did put that in perspective for me!  The stop at Devil's Island supposedly needed a Yellow Fever vaccine, fortunately we had one for Africa, but NO ONEever checked.

Thank you D.  Some good info and tips.  I do lots of research.  Starting already for our February 2023 cruise.  What struck me is that we arrive in Manaus at Noon on March 2 and disembark in the AM on March 3.  Only time for 1 excursion in Manaus or one further up the Amazon.  Certainly not enough time at probably the best part of the river.  Looking at either taking a small ship cruise for 3 nights up the Rios Negro and Solimoes or staying in Manaus 2 nights and day tripping from there.

[deec]

I think a small cruise ship would be amazing!  We saw some and I remember commenting that it would have been a better choice.  We did not disembark in Manaus we went  back to San Juan.  i do remember being told not to wander around Manaus by ourselves especially at night.

[talana]

My wife and I are booked on the Feb 19 cruise from San Juan, PR to Manaus (arriving Manaus on March 3), then going on 5 day trip further up the river (Rio Negro) on Acqua which we booked through Vanessa at Rainforest Cruises.

[Jim Avery]

54 minutes ago, deec said:

I think a small cruise ship would be amazing!  We saw some and I remember commenting that it would have been a better choice.  We did not disembark in Manaus we went  back to San Juan.  i do remember being told not to wander around Manaus by ourselves especially at night.

right you are Dee.  On the Ultimate WC a couple of guys got robbed right outside the port gates.  In daylight.  And a crewman was robbed by a "Taxi" and they even took his clothes.  S.A. in general has lots of this type crime but Manaus takes it to a new level.  We walked about two blocks from the port and immediately turned back.  Next day we took a boat upriver to see the pink dolphins.  Very good fun trip.  In all glad to see the Amazon in the rear view mirror..... So to speak..🍸

[TayanaLorna]

17 hours ago, talana said:

My wife and I are booked on the Feb 19 cruise from San Juan, PR to Manaus (arriving Manaus on March 3), then going on 5 day trip further up the river (Rio Negro) on Acqua which we booked through Vanessa at Rainforest Cruises.

@talana Have you joined the February 19 CC Roll Call.  We are on the same cruise.  Have looked at Iberostar's 3-day cruise boarding same day we get off Viking.  Will look at Acqua also.