LIVE from Pursuit, Buenos Aires - Rio, Feb 25-Mar 7

[asnaleah]

My first Azamara “live from”, so excited to board Saturday!! DH and I fly tomorrow from Chicago to Buenos Aires to begin our adventure. Staying at the Alvear Palace hotel, tours booked, all packed - CARRY ON only, woo hoo! So happy to have self-laundry on board. 
 

We are planning to bring some Argentinian wines on board, but I hear the wine selection has improved on Pursuit. We will decide if the ultimate package is worthwhile once we get a look at the ever elusive wine list. I will keep you posted. 
 

So happy and grateful to be able to take this cruise! More later…

 

Erin

[Silkroad]

We're looking at South American itineraries on a few lines. We've not sailed Azamara, so I can't wait to follow your wonderful adventure!

[Grandma Cruising]

We’re interested too as we join Pursuit when you leave her, 7 March. We’re doing the transatlantic from Rio to Lisbon.

[asnaleah]

We considered adding the Rio-Lisbon leg, but by the time we made up our minds, it was sold out. 

[Grandma Cruising]

30 minutes ago, asnaleah said:

We considered adding the Rio-Lisbon leg, but by the time we made up our minds, it was sold out. 

Yes, it seems to be full! 

[cavaaller]

So excited to read a live from! Thank you for taking the time to do this!

[takemewithyou]

Following along to hear about Pursuit.  Will be onboard. Mid June.

Thanks for doing the live report! 😀

[Oslo Dutch]

Thank you for sharing!  We will join the Pursuit in April in Civitavecchia. Look forward to read about your experiences.

[travelberlin]

4 hours ago, asnaleah said:

My first Azamara “live from”, so excited to board Saturday!! DH and I fly tomorrow from Chicago to Buenos Aires to begin our adventure. Staying at the Alvear Palace hotel, tours booked, all packed - CARRY ON only, woo hoo! So happy to have self-laundry on board. 
 

We are planning to bring some Argentinian wines on board, but I hear the wine selection has improved on Pursuit. We will decide if the ultimate package is worthwhile once we get a look at the ever elusive wine list. I will keep you posted. 
 

So happy and grateful to be able to take this cruise! More later…

 

Erin

Great 👍 have a wonderful voyage. I have written a review of my Azamara Pursuit voyage and it is published on Cruise Critic under Azamara reviews, if you still want to read one experience before your trip.

Ivi

[Jim_Iain]

Really look forward to you Live Post.    Really want to learn more about Azamara.

[Azulann]

Thank you for starting your live report of your cruise. Looking forward to your adventure.

[Ayden]

Very interested in your live report.

 

We will follow along and wish you well on this fabulous adventure.  Thanks for sharing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[aliaschief]

Thanks for taking us along on your Azamara Pursuit cruise. Bon Voyage!🛳🍾

[peanut head]

Happy cruising and thank you for sharing. I’ve always been interested in Azamara  and this may be an interesting read. Enjoy. 

[Sunrise913]

Glad we are sharing this cruise with you! Can't wait, leaving today for Buenos Aires.

Edited February 21, 2023 by Sunrise913

[clochette]

looking forward to following you, thinking about trying Azamara

[WatchHill]

We will be boarding the Pursuit on 23 March, flying from Boston on 20 March to Lisbon. 

 

Just printed all our cruise docs and luggage tags. 

 

Darcy

[kimberlydrzymala]

Happy to follow along on your journey. Thanks for doing this!

 

[asnaleah]

Travel Day! At ORD in the lovely Flagship Lounge. This is the most quiet I have ever seen this airport. Lounge is nearly empty. More for me!

[trk_koa]

We had a fabulous dinner at the steak house located inside the Alvear Palace hotel January 6. Lovely hotel also.  It’s where Azamara put us up on the last night of our pre-cruise land tour. 

[cruzzzinma]

Loved our South American and Antartica B2B cruises on the Pursuit in 2020 days before the pandemic. Have a wonderful time!

[travelberlin]

There is a good Argentinian steak house called Santos Manjares in the Paraguay Street in Buenos Aires. Good prices, good food. 
Ivi

 

 

[uktog]

Anyone from the UK care to chip in how is Buenos Aires for British guests.  Our cruise to Antarctica next year starts/finishes there and we have to think about days pre cruise in particular.  We have done all the tourist spots so do not need long but as a cruiser who likes contingencies, we will want to arrive well ahead "just in case" flights go wrong.  Last time we stayed in BA in 2014 we experienced a lot of unprovoked hostility to British travellers even though we never raised the "small island" issue or mentioned Margaret Thatcher (!).  In 2019 we flew home direct from the ship so weren't "mixing around" as much.  Just curious

 

And really looking forward to reading this live from

[federalexpress]

Just got back from BA. Can't say I noticed much hostility though the Falklands is still a surprisingly sensitive topic. But it really is only a distraction to the more serious issue of an economy in meltdown. I came across quite a lot of down in the mouth natives. Anyone not in the dollar economy, and paid in pesos, is pretty much living hand to mouth given it is impossible to save.

 

For tourists, the big issue is of course currency. Just before my trip, the government changed the rules to allow card purchases to be transacted at what I would call the real market rate (Blue dollar) rather than the laughable official rate, which is roughly half. Hence my hotel cost halved from c£300 a night to £150. This makes BA very affordable, even for high end places and avoids the need to carry vast amounts of pesos from Western Union that won't fit in your wallet. But things might change before now and next winter given how unstable the country is, so google before you go, you might still need some Western Union cash.

 

That hotel incidentally was the Palladio M Gallery. It's not as flashy as the Alvear Palace but the service was exceptional, the concierge especially so (he sorted our outings). The larger rooms are very comfortable and because it is a newish hotel, it's in a good state of repair (that currency crisis also has the effect of limiting the ability to procure materials for repairs/renewals). If you do stay there, the in house restaurant was surprisingly good and if you want a change from classic steak houses, there is a lovely small restaurant around the corner called Resto SCA (in the Society of Architects building).

 

I think it is fair to say that the economic crisis made me feel a little less safe than, for example, Montevideo which struck me as a much more prosperous place. So I think you do have to be careful not to stray too far from the beaten track.

[mchell810]

4 hours ago, travelberlin said:

There is a good Argentinian steak house called Santos Manjares in the Paraguay Street in Buenos Aires. Good prices, good food. 
Ivi

 

 

 

I love Trapiche wines!  Looks like yo had a lovely meal.