South America on the Sun-a review.

[Smily05]

Hi Nalla,

 

My boyfriend and I are going on the same cruise on March 1st (we are very looking forward to this trip!).

 

We are not going to take any excursions with the cruise but we are wondering if we have to reserve our tours in advance? Have you seen tours been arranged directly at the port for every destinations?

 

Do you think it is preferable to decide in advance or not?

 

Thanks in advance for your answer.

[neicie]

What a great thought... I thought that you meant a case (of 12). ;)

 

No word from Magdalena yet but I'm sure she'll reply.

 

Cheers, Bruce

LOL I also thought it was a case of wine!

I had an email from Magdalana today asking what we required and how we had heard about the vinyard

[Nalla]

Smily05,

There appeared to be people arranging tours at each port. Whether or not you book in advance probably depends on your comfort level. We did some of both. At the ports where I knew for sure what I wanted to do, I preferred to make advance arrangements so we would not be disappointed and also to save time. But we also like some flexibility, so in some ports we opted to just do our thing.

[Smily05]

Hi again Nalla!

 

Would it be possible to have Marcello contact info for Punta Tombo (Puerto Madryn)?

 

Regards

[grammymummy]

Thank you so much for taking the trouble writing such thorough review; very helpfull for us to make the decission to book this very criuse for March 1.09. Thanks again.

[Nalla]

Smily05,

This from my 6Jan09 entry:

In Puerto Madryn I booked our Punto Tombo tour for 4 through Forestero Tours (Foresterotours.com.ar) ($90 each), but there were lots of tours being arranged at the port. However, I was particularly keen on being among the first at Punto Tombo, so didn't want to leave it to chance.

[iyaa]

Did you get any vaccinations?

 

My husband and I will be taking this cruise on March 29 of this year, and I would appreciate your opinion on the topics listed below.

 

We have read several reviews of the ship and they are conflicting. Perhaps the opinions depend on the number of cruises the reviewer has taken. We have been on several cruises, always with Holland America, and we have nothing but praise for that cruise line.

 

The NCL Sun: how would you rate it in terms of a) food; b) cabin (we have booked a balcony cabin on the Viking deck); c) activities; d) service - was your room service acceptable? Was the dining room staff helpful?

 

Could you please give us the name of the company with which you booked the tango outing? We are hoping to take in this experience the first night, and don’t want to book the same company you did for fear we’ll get the same results.

 

Upon reaching Valparaiso we hope to take a tour of that city and Santiago which would include the drive to the airport (our flight leaves in the evening). Do you have any recommendations regarding these plans?

 

If you could give us the names of the tour companies which you found satisfactory at the ports it would be greatly appreciated. When we cruise we rarely take the ship’s tours due to their high cost.

 

Thank you again for your very informative review.

 

Clo

[Ladysmith_Que]

Did you get any vaccinations?

 

No. We are not heading inland or north. A case might be made for those who are visiting Iguazu Falls but no official requirement has been issued, to my knowledge. National Travel Health link... http://www.nathnac.org/yellow_book/endemic_zone_s_america.htm

 

Cheers, Bruce

[Tchai Latte]

My husband and I will be taking this cruise on March 29 of this year, and I would appreciate your opinion on the topics listed below.

 

Could you please give us the name of the company with which you booked the tango outing? We are hoping to take in this experience the first night, and don’t want to book the same company you did for fear we’ll get the same results.

 

Thank you again for your very informative review.

 

Clo

 

We saw the Tango show at La Ventana a couple of weeks ago. We booked it through our hotel concierge. The show is really nice. Small stage but the performers are all spectacular. It is comparable to the musical Forever Tango here in the US. Cost pp is about USD60 including transfer to and from the Hotel: a glass of water, soda or wine. The show started at 9pm. You can also get dinner with the show. We had an early dinner someplace before we head out to see the show.

[jeanne7860]

Can you please give me the name and email address of the tour operator to the winery in Montevideo. We are leaving March 1st on The Sun. Any suggestions as to what type of clothing to bring..Winter or Summer. Thanks for the great posting. Any informtion on any other tours will be greatly appreciated. The only concern I have is the tenders. We were just cruising the Panama Canal on Celebrity and if you did not have a ship tour..you did not

get off the ship until very late. Thanks again

[tinybabynurse]

thank you for your review - it is so helpful to read reviews from folks who have just returned. Can youtell me about the weather in Ushuaia - was it cold - how cold - how did you dress there? Also - how was the weather when you went to Punta Tombo? I am packing now for our trip and don't know if I have enough or too much cold weather clothing packed. Also - on your sea days - were any of them warm enough to sit out on the deck in a bathing suit? Would really help with my packing if you could advise me here!

[Tchai Latte]

We are leaving March 1st on The Sun. Any suggestions as to what type of clothing to bring..Winter or Summer. Thanks for the great posting. Any informtion on any other tours will be greatly appreciated. The only concern I have is the tenders. We were just cruising the Panama Canal on Celebrity and if you did not have a ship tour..you did not

get off the ship until very late. Thanks again

 

 

Bring both winter (waterproof) & summer clothing. We were there Dec 21- Jan 4. We used winter clothing from Puerto Chacabuco up to Falklands. The rest of the ports we wore our summer clothings. We booked all our tours through NCL. The tours are pricey but you get the benefit of getting off the ship whenever. In some tours we were escorted from the stardust lounge (meeting place) to the tour busses or tender/catamaran. No need to get the special pass. At Falkland, we were late 30 minutes in getting to the shore due to the long line to the tender and rough seas. The tour bus waited for us. Of course not all NCL tours are great. The train ride tour was soso according to people we spoke with. The Falkland rockhopper penguin tour that we took is not worth it. I heard better reviews of penquin tour at Punta Tombo. The city tour at Buenos Aires after disembarcation is so convenient. You are escorted by the NCL crew from the ship on to the tour bus. No need to go to the terminal to retrieve/id your luggage and all that hassle. I enjoyed that tour. The lunch was in a nice restaurant with linens and all the wine you can drink (it's the wine LOL). You'll enjoy this cruise especially if you are a nature lover. Have fun.

[dixielee84]

Hey y'all!

My husband and I are also on this cruise and would love to learn anything we can regarding the ship and the cruise itself. We have cruised quite a bit but not to South America. This is the first time we have used Cruise Critic website and found that by accident. I hope I'm doing this right. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

[Ladysmith_Que]

Hi all,

 

Hey y'all!

My husband and I are also on this cruise and would love to learn anything we can regarding the ship and the cruise itself. We have cruised quite a bit but not to South America. This is the first time we have used Cruise Critic website and found that by accident. I hope I'm doing this right. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

 

Hi dixielee84,

 

While this is another great source of information, we who are on your cruise are located at the

'Roll Call'...http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=885752

 

Come on over and get involved with those of us who are your cruisemates!

 

Cheers, Bruce

[debsjc]

Tchai Latte - I notice you mentioned Puerto Chacabuco, could I ask if you took a tour there, and if you enjoyed it?

 

Thanks :)

[litlady]

Thank you so much for your review. I appreciate your attention to detail. I am going on this cruise Feb 1.

Did you notice if there were tours available at the pier for 1) Tierra Del Fuego,

2)Punta Arena - Otoway Sound 3) Puerto Madryn Punto Tombo or Punto Loma?

Can I get the contact info for your tour in Montevideo? I too, do not want to pay ships prices for tours. I can speak very little spanish...may be hard to get cabs..so I was hoping there would be tours on the pier.

 

We also are going on the Feb 1 trip. Wondering if you booked a trip to Punta Tombo penguin reserve yet? We recently signed on the cruise, so are rushing to get tour info... Can't wait.

[S&B]

Sun cruisers:

We have private tours in Puerto Madryn and Puerto Montt. Did you have a difficult time getting off the ship early or did they make you wait until the last. Any suggestions on how to get off early?

 

Thanks.

[neicie]

On previous cruises with NCL we have never had any trouble getting off early for private tours. No, they don't make you wait till last, they want to keep all their passengers happy:)

[jegk1]

Now, here's the rest of the story.

As we cruised the Beagle Channel, the weather turned gray and blustery. DF went out and joined the throng to be “baptized a Fuegan,” but I enjoyed the view from inside. I took photos of the glaciers through the windows and they came out just fine. We finally went in Le Bistro and stood by the windows there for a better view. Our next two at-sea days were slightly rougher than earlier and I took one Scopace tablet which prevented seasickness and allowed me to continue to gorge myself at dinner, while gazing out at the waves. I am very susceptible to motion sickness, so this was almost miraculous. (Scopace is the tablet form of Scopolamine and suits me better because you take it only when you need it, while the patch is giving you a steady dose. Both are by prescription.) Because of an emergency at sea, we had to go back to the Magellan Strait to the aid of a ship in distress. Getting back on schedule caused us to miss the port of Chacabuco. Of course we hated to miss a port, but I didn’t hear any grumbling because we all recognized that, had it been our ship in distress, we would have been grateful for the aid. We did not have a tour booked for Puerto Chacabuco, so there were no complications. I didn’t particularly enjoy another day at sea because those are a little boring to me. On the first night of the cruise I had won a bottle of champagne in the casino, so on our 3rd sea day in a row, I invited some friends to help drink it and that brightened the day.

We never had a problem getting our tender tickets and were off as early as we chose. We were on the first tender at Puerto Montt where we had booked a private tour. Our guide, Gail, was there to meet us and we hurried away from the crowd because we had a busy day planned. The weather was overcast with sprinkles. We had requested a zip line on the volcano, so he took us there first. It was an interesting drive as he pointed out all the sights. The road up to the lodge was a tight switchback and we went up near the snow line to a restaurant. By then the sprinkle was a steady drizzle, but we were game anyway. However, the operator explained that it is too dangerous to zipline in the rain and it was shut down until better weather. That was the only event we had had to cancel for the entire trip, so we just moved forward. He took us to Lake Esmerelda and drove right up to the water. We were early and were the only people there. Then down to Petrohue Falls. It was very crowded there and it was insipid after having been at Iguazu. (DF warns that you shoul keep some coins in your pocket there in case you have to use the restroom, because you must give some money in order to get tissue.) After a little more sight seeing we went to lunch at a restaurant he uses for his tours and it was nice. The meat was grilled over an open fire in the back. We had also requested horseback riding, so we did that after lunch at a stable right beside the restaurant. Two young men accompanied us and we rode through the area to Lake Llanquihue, where we rode along the beach and let the horses drink from the lake. The day was gray and there were waves on the lake, but it was warm and the rain had stopped after we descended the volcano. We enjoyed our ride, then Gail took us to Puerto Veras for a tour and we got out to walk around a little. I had wanted to get smoked salmon to take home, so he drove us down towards the port to the place and I got what I wanted. Then he took us up to the craft market and the tour ended. We shopped a little and took the tender back to the ship. We had had a full day and Gail was very solicitous to ensure that we saw and did all we wanted.

We had one more day at sea and then the cruise was over. We had planned to take our luggage off ourselves, but that is not permitted in Chile, but we easily got color tags for the first-off luggage. The whole process would have been extremely smooth for us except that DF and I got separated near the exit and both waited for the other, but in different places. The disembarkation walkway was very unusual; it was steep, disjointed, and painted with sand paint for traction, but a lot of people had trouble negotiating it. A coordinator called back to the reception and found that DF had also exited, so I went forward and we met at the baggage. I had arranged a private tour of Valparaiso, Vina del Mar, and Santiago, but was unable to find our guide. The company who arranged my Iguazu trip, had also arranged a tour for us and that guide found us. He let me use his phone to call the one I had booked. We eventually found our other guide outside the first port area, beyond a fence. We decided to go with that one because I had arranged more activities, even though I had unknowingly prepaid the other one. We got underway about 2 hours later than planned so we had to cut the Vina del Mar tour and race through the Valparaiso one. I was annoyed because of the delay, but also because the owner, with whom I had directly arranged the tour, increased our price (fuel surcharge) at the last minute, and did not provide the “English speaking guide from London,” when I declined to allow him to add some strangers to our private tour. Our guide, Jose Antonio, had been recruited that very morning to take us for the day. He was very nice and had okay English. He did everything he could to salvage the day and it did turn out beautifully, thanks to him. We had to hurry because we had arranged some wine tastings in the Casa Blanca region. We went to Vin Mar, Indomita, and La Morida. The weather was gorgeous and the settings were picturesque. However, the wineries were comparatively new (about 6 years old), impersonal (assembly line type tour), and seemed set up more for bus tours. We couldn’t help but compare them to our experience at Varela Zarranz in Uruguay and, despite the beautiful setting, they came up wanting. Next, we toured the high spots of Santiago and spent about an hour at the Dominicas artisan market and up to San Cristobal for the panorama view of the city. Jose Antonio also took us to a supermarket where we bought food for our dinner at the airport that night. He dropped us at the Santiago airport at 8:15 pm for our return flight and we enjoyed our dinner before boarding. Thanks to Jose Antonio, our final day of the trip was a success (nonetheless, I cannot recommend the tour company who enlisted him).

 

Conclusion: It was a great trip and left me wanting to see more of South America. The most outstanding parts to me were Iguazu and Varela Zarranz Winery in Uruguay. I arranged all our tours directly with the operators and not through the ship. I will be glad to give contact information when requested. We got very personal service at a fraction of the ship’s excursion prices. All of the tours were outstanding (with the exception of the snafu in Valparaiso). We are both experienced cruisers and give the NCL Sun high marks and booked 2 more cruises while onboard. (See my comments under ships ratings.)

 

Nalla, I enjoyed your review! We are sailing in Dec and would appreciate your guides' email addresses for Magdalena in Montevideo and for Gail in Puerto Montt. I can be reached @jegk1@comcast.net. I too try to book guides ahead!

Thanks!

Elaine

[lud86]

Hello Nalla,

 

I m just wondering if the excursion can be choose directly on the pier...I m doing the cruise alone, and it s difficult to find a public tour, or too many answers with differents prices...You can give me sone help on this...May be it`s different on each port...Thanks in advance...

 

Ludovic

[tahoe782]

Hello Nalla

I am wondering about pick up in BA for the Dos Hermanos tour you took.

Did you arrange your own transportion?

Thanks

Aleeta

[Northbay]

Hello Nalla,

 

I m just wondering if the excursion can be choose directly on the pier...I m doing the cruise alone, and it s difficult to find a public tour, or too many answers with differents prices...You can give me sone help on this...May be it`s different on each port...Thanks in advance...

 

Ludovic

Lud86. We're on the same cruise with you. Email me at liz underscore atkinson@hotmail.com. When you physically type the underscore in, you do not need any spaces between liz and the last name.

We're from Canada also.

 

HI NALLA: I've enjoyed reading your journal and also appreciated the advice you have given us in booking private tours. Could you please give me the name of the company you used for booking your Iguazu trip? I'm trying to book that now before we leave. My email address is liz underscore atkinson@hotmail.com. This would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[karen327]

Were you able to see very much from your cabin window?

 

Could you find a public place to view the glacers, etc. that wasn't crowded? Was there somewhere public where you could view, then find a closeby inside location to warm up at before going back out? Or how good was the view from an inside location?

 

How long was the scenic part of the cruise, glacers, etc.

 

How much of the cruise were you able to see the shoreline. We are thinking of booking SA on the NCL Sun and save money with an inside room so would appreciate your help.

[calenita]

Thinking of doing this same cruise but out of Santiago going to BA. Were there many children and teens on board? We are thinking of going as a family and it would be nice if there were other kids for them to hang out with. Some of the reviews seem to imply it will be all latin american families - which would not bother me, but I don't know how that would work with kids club and teen club activities. Thanks.