Amazon cruise

[BTO]

I just booked our first cruise on Oceania, March 2024, Buenos Aires to Miami and would like input from people who have done a similar cruise, especially the Amazon portion.   Wondering what shore excursions are like for the ports on the river and if I should consider using Oceania’s excursions only.  We know it will be hot, humid, rainy and have mosquitoes, but we been to Africa on safari in the rainy season and don’t think the weather will bother us.  We hope that the flora and fauna will make up for the weather and bugs.

[Hibiscus13]

We sailed the up the Amazon with Oceania on Sirena - San Diego to Rio.  We did the Oceania excursions just because it seemed easier than planning in what I thought would be remote ports.  The excursions were pretty good, some better than others, as usual.  Some ports better than others, as usual.

[Jamietravelstheworld]

@BTO, I believe I am on the same cruise as you, but am boarding in Santiago, Chile on February 14, 2024. Will be on the Marina. I'm curious to hear the responses and I noticed that several of the Amazon ports do not have excursions listed.

[Flatbush Flyer]

1 hour ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

@BTO, I believe I am on the same cruise as you, but am boarding in Santiago, Chile on February 14, 2024. Will be on the Marina. I'm curious to hear the responses and I noticed that several of the Amazon ports do not have excursions listed.

You’re a year out now. All excursions may not yet be secured.

[LHT28]

2 hours ago, Jamietravelstheworld said:

@BTO, I believe I am on the same cruise as you, but am boarding in Santiago, Chile on February 14, 2024. Will be on the Marina. I'm curious to hear the responses and I noticed that several of the Amazon ports do not have excursions listed.

Check the cruises for this year & the same ports  to see what is on offer  may just be too early for your sailing to have excursions listed

[janecambridge]

Just back from  Amazon on Marina. 
Snippet: 
In Recife we got the courtesy bus to town to visit the Pernambuco prison that is now a market. It is highly recommended to get off bus, look and get back on. We were told to not walk away. One or two did (of course!). 2 people had necklaces ripped from their necks. 

Find a roll call for your trip. We all used Dobrazilright.They are 5 star and came highly recommended. They were very good. At all times we were kept up to date via email. The tours sounded better than Oceania’s and  far less travellers with each guide. The all day Manaus tour was the highlight. 18 of us on a large boat going deep into Amazon country. We swam with the dolphins and they are all wild, not confined. The first day of Rio was exceptionally good with Lucas. 
We did not have yellow fever jabs or malaria tabs. We took a lot  of mosquito repellent and only used it the first day. 
Be aware that Marina does not stock up properly down the Amazon so after a few days fresh items were limited or non existent, especially at breakfast. 

Passengers are asked to limit water use and the launderettes are closed for 3 days. 
We ended up tendering  in Manaus both days instead of docking. We were very late  for everything the first day there. 

Oh and we ran aground ! 
 

[aussietwo]

We did a whole day private excursion in Manaus which is possible if you are overnighting there.   “Meeting of the waters with pink dolphins interaction and Indian ritual”. The pink dolphins were amazing and the whole tour we felt gave us a real Amazon experience.  Google and you will find several tours.   Thought the tours on offer from Oceania were a bit “Ho Hum” although there was an Oceania tour that did a similar tour which actually stayed off board overnight but it was BIG $$$.  

[BTO]

Great information.  Thanks.  Would love to hear the story of running aground @janecambridge.  I am taking the O’Life with shore excursions, but maybe I need to reconsider it.

 

[kreastman]

We also did San Diego to Rio on Sirena (December 2017). Did almost all private tours since we found a fellow cruiser on our roll call who was researching and organizing them. They all were very good, we thought, and much less expensive than the equivalent O tours.

 

Regarding mosquitos, we came well prepared but never saw a single one.

 

When some of us were walking around Manaus on our own, one person had an expensive necklace ripped off and stolen right on a busy street, so best not to wear jewelry off the ship.

 

[janecambridge]

1 hour ago, BTO said:

Great information.  Thanks.  Would love to hear the story of running aground @janecambridge.  

 

lApproaching the mouth of Amazon during the day and we had a sudden jolt and came to a halt. Electric off and water too. (Probably half hour). Eventually we saw gallons of water being pumped out, presumably to lighten the load. Apparently we hit  a sandbank. I do wonder how man walked on the moon but a captain couldn’t see a sandbank. 

[Twiga]

We were on the Regatta in November 2016.  We took the ship's excursion to The Boi Bumba show in Parintins.  It is a fabulous Rio-type carnival dance and song show.  Book it early as it will sell out!  Do not miss it!! 

 

If you stop at Boca da Valeria, be sure to get off the ship. It is a wonderful tiny village.  The children greet you at the ship and take you by the hand into the village.  Other children have pets (sloths and birds) along the path or are dressed in costumes.  For $1 you can photograph the children and pets and hold the pets. You can also take a boat ride for $5. 

 

We bought school supplies at home, put them in gift bags, and gave them to the children.  Some passengers bring soccer balls.  The crew donates lots of clothes.  All of the gifts and money are then pooled and shared by the villagers.  It is a truly wonderful experience!

[janecambridge]

We saw villagers holding monkeys, sloths, snakes etc.They too wanted money for a photo. Fortunately no one on our tour wanted to pay them. It encourages more animals to be removed from the rainforest. It was quite distressing seeing these beautiful wild animals tied up. 

[BTO]

@Twigs, love the idea of bringing helpful items for the village school.  We did that when we were in Zambia and Tanzania.  

[redraider1966]

54 minutes ago, Twiga said:

We were on the Regatta in November 2016.  We took the ship's excursion to The Boi Bumba show in Parintins.  It is a fabulous Rio-type carnival dance and song show.  Book it early as it will sell out!  Do not miss it!! 

 

 

We did an Amazon cruise on HAL's Prinsendam in 2009.  Admittedly, a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but we can second this review of the Boi Bumba show in Parintins.

[redraider1966]

12 hours ago, janecambridge said:

 

Passengers are asked to limit water use and the launderettes are closed for 3 days. 

 

On our aforementioned Amazon cruise on HAL's Prinsendam, we too were asked to conserve water and not to request that our stateroom's towel complement be changed on the customary daily basis.

[LHT28]

49 minutes ago, redraider1966 said:

On our aforementioned Amazon cruise on HAL's Prinsendam, we too were asked to conserve water and not to request that our stateroom's towel complement be changed on the customary daily basis.

Probably  they cannot make  enough fresh water   in the river part of the voyage

In the ocean it would be a lot easier 

JMO

[shepherd really]

32 minutes ago, LHT28 said:

Probably  they cannot make  enough fresh water   in the river part of the voyage

In the ocean it would be a lot easier 

JMO

No, a ship can make as much potable water from freshwater as from seawater. The problem is they cannot discharge the used water back into a river, so they are limited by the amount of treated water they can store onboard until they are either at sea or at a discharge facility.    

 

They can't pump out the purified poop in ports per pollution protocols. 

[PaulMCO]

Just be careful with any of the Oceania tour descriptions that are published on the web site that you use to book.  They are INACCURATE and contain items that were closed after/during COVID.  Oceania has never updated these.   Example - the zoo and animal rescue was closed.  Rubber plantation was also closed.

 

Recommend also Do Brazil Right for your tours.  We did one group tour and one private day tour in Rio.  Rio was the one of the best tours of our cruise, great when you can easily say lets skip Copacabana and can we visit a flea market and a supermarket to buy some coffee... Was not more expensive than what Oceania was charging ($400 versus $550).  We ran into the O Crowd at the Christ statue and lunch. 

[DrHemlock]

4 hours ago, Twiga said:

If you stop at Boca da Valeria, be sure to get off the ship. It is a wonderful tiny village.  The children greet you at the ship and take you by the hand into the village. 

Boca de Valeria is a stage set, no different than what you see on the back-lot tour at Universal Studios.  Yes, it's worth a visit because the kids are cute and they do appreciate all those gifts and supplies.  But they don't live there, and the schoolhouse contains only set dressing.  

Look around with a gimlet eye.  Do you see any actual village life going on while you're there, other than people focusing on you in order to sell souvenirs?  Any locals buying things in the "store"?  Look into some of the other buildings, including my favorite: the alleged watering hole whose business sign simply says, "Bar."  Do they resemble the buildings with advertising signs and ramshackle roofs and old cars that you've seen on shore from your balcony while cruising up-or down-river?  No.  They're empty shells just like in an old western movie town.  

We went ashore on our own, walked to the end of the "village" and kept walking out of curiosity.  About a half-mile into the woods, we found the real village where the people actually live and work and play and hang laundry, etc..  The rest is strictly for show when the cruisers hit town.  

[aussietwo]

BTO - I notice that you are new to posting on Cruise Critic - welcome.  I am wondering if you know about the Roll Calls area where you can chat to people who are doing the same cruise as yourself.  Also it is good to read other Roll Calls for cruises with a similar itinerary.  For example check out this Roll Call.   There are lots of private tours info on there. Marina - Amazon Holiday - December 18, 2022 to January 8, 2023

[Bongomauka]

We went on the Amazon cruise on the Marina early 2019 at the same time Covid was wrecking havoc on cruises in Asia. We got back just when Covid was deemed a pandemic. We had an amazing time. Definitely do the Boi Bomba. That was amazing. Get in front of the line to get off the boat and into the venue and pick a seat either near the front for being right in the thick of things or walk up a level or two and get into the aisle seats to see more of the whole stage. Boca de Valeria was very sad. The kids were adorable but the “pets” were tragic. Sloths with their sharp claws wrapped up in duct tape on leashes made me so uncomfortable. But the money we bring is so necessary for their survival. We were torn as what to do. The pink dolphin excursions were also disconcerting as they come to be fed even though they are “free” and seem to be exploited by the operators and tour companies. But again the money is a much needed infusion of hard currency. Have a great time and know that you are helping with the economy  which hopefully helps with stopping deforestation of the Amazon.  

[Twiga]

21 hours ago, DrHemlock said:

Boca de Valeria is a stage set, no different than what you see on the back-lot tour at Universal Studios.  Yes, it's worth a visit because the kids are cute and they do appreciate all those gifts and supplies.  But they don't live there, and the schoolhouse contains only set dressing.  

Look around with a gimlet eye.  Do you see any actual village life going on while you're there, other than people focusing on you in order to sell souvenirs?  Any locals buying things in the "store"?  Look into some of the other buildings, including my favorite: the alleged watering hole whose business sign simply says, "Bar."  Do they resemble the buildings with advertising signs and ramshackle roofs and old cars that you've seen on shore from your balcony while cruising up-or down-river?  No.  They're empty shells just like in an old western movie town.  

We went ashore on our own, walked to the end of the "village" and kept walking out of curiosity.  About a half-mile into the woods, we found the real village where the people actually live and work and play and hang laundry, etc..  The rest is strictly for show when the cruisers hit town.  

Yes, it is true that the town you see is not where the villagers live.  It is a convenient place for us to meet the villagers, who come from many villages, to meet the ship.

[BTO]

@Bongomaukathat is the best way to look at things when visiting countries that are very poor.  People do what they have to in order to survive.  

[ORV]

2 hours ago, Bongomauka said:

We went on the Amazon cruise on the Marina early 2019 at the same time Covid was wrecking havoc on cruises in Asia. We got back just when Covid was deemed a pandemic. We had an amazing time. Definitely do the Boi Bomba. That was amazing. Get in front of the line to get off the boat and into the venue and pick a seat either near the front for being right in the thick of things or walk up a level or two and get into the aisle seats to see more of the whole stage. Boca de Valeria was very sad. The kids were adorable but the “pets” were tragic. Sloths with their sharp claws wrapped up in duct tape on leashes made me so uncomfortable. But the money we bring is so necessary for their survival. We were torn as what to do. The pink dolphin excursions were also disconcerting as they come to be fed even though they are “free” and seem to be exploited by the operators and tour companies. But again the money is a much needed infusion of hard currency. Have a great time and know that you are helping with the economy  which hopefully helps with stopping deforestation of the Amazon.  

I think you mean early 2020. 

[Bongomauka]

Oops you’re right ORV. The Covid lost years have thrown a wrench in my mental calendar.