"Live" Sapphire Princess, 32 Days, Buenos Aires to LA, 3/5/23 to 4/6/23

[milolii]

We had issues, so that why I asked the question.  Thanks though, that tells me the seats are still in use. 

Edited March 2, 2023 by milolii

[LACruiser88]

10 hours ago, milolii said:

Thanks for the updates.  We booked the Jan. 20, 2024, Santiago to Buenos Aires while on board the Royal this week.  
 

Did the DFW to EZE AA flight have any rear facing Biz class seats?  We were moved (at the gate) to 2 of those last year.  Most annoying. 
 

Thanks for the tour guide recommendation. 
 

Looks like you are enjoying your trip. 

Yes, the DFW to EZE did have some rear facing biz seats.  Ours were not, 2D and 2F.

[LACruiser88]

11 hours ago, waltd said:

I was amazed how nice the Food Hall was. We ate there for a few lunches.

Yes, calling it a Food Hall does not do it justice.  It reminds us of Eataly venues.  Very high end food, wine and service.

[LACruiser88]

19 hours ago, waltd said:

When you get a chance would love to hear more about your hotel.  We stayed down the street at the hotel used  by Princess.  Across from the Mall.   Great location.    Would love another recommendation as we would like to go back.

Thanks

Joe

Here are a few photos of our room.  The 3 mirrored doors are nice.  One is the bathroom door, the other two are closet/shelves.  There is also a safe in the closet and a mini fridge under the TV.  The room has very high ceilings and crown molding.

[LACruiser88]

Another tip:  The currency exchange at the Money Exchange casas has been 365 pesos to one USD.  On our credit card charges via Amex the exchange has been 198 pesos to one USD.

 

So, to really benefit from the best exchange rate you need to pay in cash.  Also, if you take a cab make sure it is one with the meter in the upper right hand corner of the windshield.  

 

There are "bandit" cabs that look just like the "good" cabs with no meters and will overcharge tourists.  Today we took a "good" cab for about a 20 min ride.  The fare was 585 pesos, less than $2.

 

 

Edited March 2, 2023 by LACruiser88

[vickie_bernie]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

Another tip:  The currency exchange at the Money Exchange casas has been 365 pesos to one USD.  On our credit card charges via Amex the exchange has been 198 pesos to one USD.

 

So, to really benefit from the best exchange rate you need to pay in cash.  Also, if you take a cab make sure it is one with the meter in the upper right hand corner of the windshield.  

 

There are "bandit" cabs that look just like the "good" cabs with no meters and will overcharge tourists.  Today we took a "good" cab for about a 20 min ride.  The fare was 585 pesos, less than $2.

 

 

 

Great tios.

 

Blue dollar rate can be anywhere from 350 to 375.  Lower rate especially in Ushuaia. Also better rate if you a 100 dollar bill as opposed to a 50 dollar bill.  Bills should be in great condition too,

 

Note credit cards initially charge the bank rate and month or so later adjust and credit you to a better rate,  not as good as the blue dollar but pretty close,  

 

BA also has uber which if you have data is helpful. 

 

Vickie

[loge23]

2 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Here are a few photos of our room.  The 3 mirrored doors are nice.  One is the bathroom door, the other two are closet/shelves.  There is also a safe in the closet and a mini fridge under the TV.  The room has very high ceilings and crown molding.

 

Whoa! Be careful getting in and out of that!!

[LACruiser88]

53 minutes ago, loge23 said:

 

Whoa! Be careful getting in and out of that!!

It's about the same as getting in and out of the tub on the ship.

[voljeep]

35 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

It's about the same as getting in and out of the tub on the ship.

no grab rail ... and which is why we don't do mini's on Princess - shower/tub combo

[LACruiser88]

 

Tonight we went to an amazing Tango Dinner show arranged by Sebastián from viptoursba.com at Cafe de los Angelitos, in the Congresso neighborhood.  Everything was exceptional from the dinner, to the non-stop flowing wine and performances.  This included pickup/drop off at our hotel. 

 

Thank you Sebastián for the front row seats!

 

@vickie_bernie you will have a great time Sunday night!

[LACruiser88]

If you are near the Recoleta Cemetery (where Evita is buried) there is a great traditional and historic bar restaurant "La Biela" (more like an old fashioned coffee shop) that has been around since 1950.  It is right across from the entrance to the cemetery.

 

We have had lunch there twice and REALLY enjoyed not only the food but also the environment, which is mostly local Argentinians.

 

Photo is of my Imperial Lager mug, muy rica!

Edited March 3, 2023 by LACruiser88

[ginepaul]

On 3/2/2023 at 9:27 AM, LACruiser88 said:

Another tip:  The currency exchange at the Money Exchange casas has been 365 pesos to one USD.  On our credit card charges via Amex the exchange has been 198 pesos to one USD.

 

So, to really benefit from the best exchange rate you need to pay in cash.  Also, if you take a cab make sure it is one with the meter in the upper right hand corner of the windshield.  

 

There are "bandit" cabs that look just like the "good" cabs with no meters and will overcharge tourists.  Today we took a "good" cab for about a 20 min ride.  The fare was 585 pesos, less than $2.

 

 

Hi,

we are a couple from Canada and are on the road for a while. Last year on Nov 2 Argentinia brought out a new law regarding the currency exchange rates. Currently there are around 10 different currency exchange rates for different purposes.

when you look up exchange rate to Argentinia you will get the official exchange rate from the bank which is as indicated somewhere around 190 pesos. When you change in an exchange office or buy in a store with American Dollars you can get somewhere from 360-380 Pesos.

The government was very concerned as tourists carried a lot of cash around in their pockets which increased tourists being robbed. As well a lot of the stores when you pay in cash don't pay taxes for it - this is way you often get a cheaper rate when you pay in cash.

As of last Nov 2, 2022 foreign credit cards get a own exchange rate which is normally a few pesos more than the 360-380 pesos you can get.  We were a bit curious too as it makes a huge difference. 

As we are renting an apartment in Recoleta when we went the first time in the grocery store we paid with Visa. If I would have used the official exchange rate our bill would have come out to 67 CAD (sorry we have Canadian Dollars not US) the charge on our Visa was 33 CAD which is a way better exchange rate (even if we would have changed US$) You only have to check as some places charge you a Credit card fee.

Also if you pay in US$ - some places only accept the 50 or 100 $ bills.

Have fun in Buenos Aires

See you all on the ship

 

 

[LACruiser88]

Today we spent our last day in Buenos Aires sightseeing with Sebastián (viptoursba.com).  Tomorrow we will board the Sapphire Princess.

[LACruiser88]

The following was posted by @vickie_bernie, the onboard destination expert, on FB earlier today:

 

"My views and comments do not reflect or represent Princess.  

 

When you wake to the Captain's announcement coming into the cabin you know it is important. Last night we left Montevideo and travelled up the River Plata to Buenos Aries. The river is not wide, ships can't pass each other. As we followed a container ship the Everlively which ended up running aground!

 

So we, along with other ships have had to drop anchor and wait. Captain can not confirm when things will begin to move, it really depends on things, maybe even waiting for the tides. Once cleared it will take 3 hrs to get into Buenos Aires. We will be one of the first ships to proceed once cleared. Everyone will loose their day in BA.

 

However I am thankful this is not a disembarkation day. That would of been a logistical nightmare. We had an overnight with guests leaving tomorrow. We have also been asked to limit our use of water (like showers) as we can not discharge grey water in the river. Oh the joys of sailing in these challenging waters of South America.

 

#destinationexpertvickie #cruisingprincesscruiselinewithvickie

[t&atravel]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

The following was posted by @vickie_bernie, the onboard destination expert, on FB earlier today:

 

"My views and comments do not reflect or represent Princess.  

 

When you wake to the Captain's announcement coming into the cabin you know it is important. Last night we left Montevideo and travelled up the River Plata to Buenos Aries. The river is not wide, ships can't pass each other. As we followed a container ship the Everlively which ended up running aground!

 

So we, along with other ships have had to drop anchor and wait. Captain can not confirm when things will begin to move, it really depends on things, maybe even waiting for the tides. Once cleared it will take 3 hrs to get into Buenos Aires. We will be one of the first ships to proceed once cleared. Everyone will loose their day in BA.

 

However I am thankful this is not a disembarkation day. That would of been a logistical nightmare. We had an overnight with guests leaving tomorrow. We have also been asked to limit our use of water (like showers) as we can not discharge grey water in the river. Oh the joys of sailing in these challenging waters of South America.

 

#destinationexpertvickie #cruisingprincesscruiselinewithvickie

This happened back in 2019 as well.  My sister was on board sailing from FLL, we were boarding in BA after a land tour.  They did make into BA in time for some short tours as they were ahead in the cue, but it was a bit of a mess for embarkation.  Everyone boarding of course had arrived by the time the ship came in.  The terminal was packed and the aircon went out!  Yikes. It was an adventure to be sure.  
 

[LACruiser88]

@vickie_bernie  Just posted the below update on FB.  Btw, It is 6:11 pm here in BA.

 

"The Ever Lively has been cleared. We will be making our way to Buenos Aires tonight or the very early hours of the morning."

 

 

Edited March 4, 2023 by LACruiser88

[LACruiser88]

@vickie_bernie Just posted that they are currently docking, local time 9:15 pm.  Disembarkation/Embarkation tomorrow will be as previously scheduled.

[LACruiser88]

Well, we finally made it onboard!  Today we experienced our worst embarkation ever!  We arrived at the terminal at 11:20 and got into a line outside the terminal to drop off our bags.

 

The bag drop off line took about 20 minutes.  We were given a red priority card with the letter "C" and were allowed into a waiting area that was a sea of people!  Two ships were using the same terminal, ours and a Regent ship.

 

We were told that the Sapphire was having a computer issue and no one had yet boarded.  There was no separate waiting area for suites or Elites.

 

After a while they started calling priority letters.  They started with the letter P, followed by A and B.

 

There was a mass of Elites and Platinums jamming the "gate" claiming that they had not been given a priority card.  What a freak'n mess!

 

They finally called C and D and we proceeded to a check-in line to verify Medallion info and passports.  We then went into another room for an Immigration passport inspection.

 

Then into another room to collect our passports.  We will have our passports returned at the end of this 14 day segment.

 

The saga continues, we then went down stairs to the outdoors to get onto a bus that finally took us to the ship!  During this whole time the inside of the terminal was around 90 degrees and very humid.

 

The process took us 90 minutes.  I made it to our cabin ready for a cold shower!

 

There were no dining rooms open for lunch.  So, we had a salad and shared a pizza at Alfredo's.

[LACruiser88]

I forgot to add that at no time did they ask about your arrival time or if you were in the green lane.

 

Since the start-up this has been our experience.  Maybe someday they'll care about your arrival time???

[loge23]

Wow, rough start!

Had a similar experience boarding in Barcelona last fall.

Shake it off, relax, and have a great time!

[mrspaper]

On 2/26/2023 at 2:15 PM, Mary loves to travel said:

Following along from Silicon Valley!   We'll be on the Sapphire for the Antarctic leg, San Antonio to BA, next Jan.

Looks like you have an amazing trip ahead of you.

 

Mary

Hi Mary Loves to Travel. We are on this cruise too, but only first leg

[Mary loves to travel]

1 minute ago, mrspaper said:

Hi Mary Loves to Travel. We are on this cruise too, but only first leg

Hello there!

 

how fun 🙂     Share all your tips & tricks that you learn.

Hope to see you on another cruise soon,

Mary

 

[mrspaper]

On 3/2/2023 at 2:27 PM, LACruiser88 said:

Another tip:  The currency exchange at the Money Exchange casas has been 365 pesos to one USD.  On our credit card charges via Amex the exchange has been 198 pesos to one USD.

 

So, to really benefit from the best exchange rate you need to pay in cash.  Also, if you take a cab make sure it is one with the meter in the upper right hand corner of the windshield.  

 

There are "bandit" cabs that look just like the "good" cabs with no meters and will overcharge tourists.  Today we took a "good" cab for about a 20 min ride.  The fare was 585 pesos, less than $2.

 

 

I was told not to use Amex in Argentina, however Visa has good exchange rate. I also found some places charged less money if you paid with USD

[mrspaper]

2 hours ago, LACruiser88 said:

Well, we finally made it onboard!  Today we experienced our worst embarkation ever!  We arrived at the terminal at 11:20 and got into a line outside the terminal to drop off our bags.

 

The bag drop off line took about 20 minutes.  We were given a red priority card with the letter "C" and were allowed into a waiting area that was a sea of people!  Two ships were using the same terminal, ours and a Regent ship.

 

We were told that the Sapphire was having a computer issue and no one had yet boarded.  There was no separate waiting area for suites or Elites.

 

After a while they started calling priority letters.  They started with the letter P, followed by A and B.

 

There was a mass of Elites and Platinums jamming the "gate" claiming that they had not been given a priority card.  What a freak'n mess!

 

They finally called C and D and we proceeded to a check-in line to verify Medallion info and passports.  We then went into another room for an Immigration passport inspection.

 

Then into another room to collect our passports.  We will have our passports returned at the end of this 14 day segment.

 

The saga continues, we then went down stairs to the outdoors to get onto a bus that finally took us to the ship!  During this whole time the inside of the terminal was around 90 degrees and very humid.

 

The process took us 90 minutes.  I made it to our cabin ready for a cold shower!

 

There were no dining rooms open for lunch.  So, we had a salad and shared a pizza at Alfredo's.

We are elite. Was outside about an hour for luggage drop. When we got inside we were given priority to board. Entire process about 1 1/2 hrs. Very horrible.  I felt badly for those sitting in the terminal, actually standing. Process horrendous. They need to learn from Celebity, where we walk on in just minutes

[LACruiser88]

Here is the passenger count for this cruise:

 

Blue-           700

Gold-           308

Ruby-          222

Platinum-   520

Elite-            347

 

        Total-   2,097

 

There are approx 1,700 passengers staying on for the b2b to Los Angeles.