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MrsTravelBug

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  • Posts

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About Me

  • Location
    Canada
  • Interests
    scrapbooking
  • Favorite Cruise Line(s)
    love them all
  • Favorite Cruise Destination Or Port of Call
    Singapore

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  1. My favourite part of the entire trip was going to Iguazu Falls. We stayed for three nights so we had time to visit both the Argentina and Brazil sides. I have been to over 50 countries and have to say the falls really wowed me. No pictures can do it justice.
  2. FYI if anyone is interested. The March 11 sailing had 1925 guests onboard. Total capacity is 2370. They are expecting full sailings after that.
  3. We went on the Infinity knowing it had maintenance issues. Even with everything that went wrong in our room, we had a wonderful time. When we came back from port it always felt like ‘coming home’. Here is the old girl in Ushuaia:
  4. I knew before we cruised that there were a lot of maintenance issues but hoped they would be resolved before we sailed. Based on reviews I saw, I would have picked another cruise line but our friends from England had a tour package that included this Celebrity sailing. My husband and I each received future cruise certificates for $150 to be used by March 18 2025 for our inconvenience. While we may never use the credits but t was nice to know Celerity recognized they fell short of expectations. When we sailed on the Millie previously are room was in perfect condition.
  5. Soniam, I hope you get to do a South America cruise. It was wonderful. We only spent 2 days in Chile after the cruise and I always felt safe. Our guide was very cautious on our behalf. When he met us at the ship, he suggested that it would be best to leave our luggage in his van. As a precaution, he said it was safer to leave it at the cruise parking lot where there was security and the bus drivers would keep an eye on it. We then conducted our tour using public transportation. He was always reminding me to put my phone away after I took pictures. When I went to use an ATM he suggested I should wait until we could find a bank. I laughed and said I though he and my husband would keep me safe. He explained it was more that the machine could have a hidden camera to capture my pin number etc. Those are things that can happen anywhere and sometimes we all need to be reminded to be careful everywhere.
  6. Before the cruise I heard a lot about the crime rate in South America. While I felt safe, others would remind me to be watchful of my purse and to put my phone out of sight once I took a picture. In Buenos Aires we saw firsthand how quickly a theft could happen. We had a small group tour the morning before embarkation. As the group got on the minibus, a man came up behind the last passenger and tapped his head as if he was going to steal his cap. When the fellow put his hands up to protect his hat, the thief grabbed his wrist and removed his watch in mere seconds. It was unbelievable how fast it all happened. The thief jumped on his bicycle and sped off.
  7. It was amusing because there were LOTS of us that couldn't connect on the first day. Instructions were provided but didn't help. When we went down to the Customer Relations area, there were a lot of staff members walking around showing people how to configure their phones.
  8. I just had the basic WIFI and it was not the best. It cut out a lot and often wouldn't connect. When we were docked the signal was the best
  9. It is an older ship but the public areas were ship shape albeit dated.
  10. My husband and I were on the March 11 to 23 sailing from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. Most of what I have written here was just published in the Celebrity Review section of Cruise Critic. If anyone has any questions I would be happy to try and answer. It has been several years since we have been on a Celebrity cruise. All in all, we had a wonderful trip. There were some negatives. The ship is tired and needs a lot of maintenance. When we arrived in our balcony stateroom, there was a light bulb burned out, a broken drawer in the closet and the safe would not open. After 2 days the bulb was replaced, and new batteries put in the safe. A few days later the bathroom light went out. We called to report it as urgent because we couldn’t see in there. Our cabin steward also reported it. When we got back at the end of the evening, there was still no light in the bathroom. My husband went down to customer service in hopes of getting it taken care of ASAP. He was told no report was on file! The light did get fixed after midnight and a future cruise credit given for the inconvenience. On the second to last night we had no hot water in the shower. We didn't report it because we thought it was 'a one of'. I didn't appreciate my cold shower the next day. Although the cabin had lots of problems it was kept spotless by our steward Marilee. We have sailed on both RCCL and NCL this year. IMO the main dining room food on the Infinity was better than NCL and way better than RCCL. Our waiter Hannah was so much fun we asked for her table every night. Along with her assistant Amalia we felt like like family with all the friendly banter and excellent service they provided. The Argentina Malbec wine was so popular, much to our disappointment, it ran out a few days before the cruise ended. The buffet food was good but it was difficult to find seating especially on sea days. We did spend money on room service one morning before a shore excursion because I knew how hard it would be to find a table. The food arrived hot and I felt it was money well spent. The cruise director Alejandro was among the best. The entertainment was good but not to the standards of NCL or RCCL. We were never bored though and did find lots to do. It only rained once that I remember, but it sure was windy. Punta Arenas was cancelled and replaced with Puerto Montt because of wind and high seas. I'm a seasoned sailor but I got very seasick as did some staff. Puerto Montt has a nice walkway along the waterfront and a huge shopping mall. We didn't have time to research what else to do there. Montevideo was very walkable, very clean and we enjoyed being on our own. Being a Sunday, many shops were closed but there was a Sunday market and places to stop for coffee. Punts Del Este - booked the Punta Del Este Highlights with Shore Excursions Group. There wasn't a lot to see and we wished we just hired a guide at the pier. One couple we talked to took a taxi tour for $50usd total and saw everything we did. Puerto Madryn - booked a small group tour to see the sea lions of Punta Loma with Shore Excursion Group. It turned out to be just the two of us and a guide. We rode in a pickup truck and loved getting to the sealions before the crowds. Ushuaia - took the Celebrity tour, Journey to the Sea Wolves & Penguins. The catamaran was enclosed with lots of outside viewing areas. It was docked very close to the ship so no transfer was needed! Washrooms were available and there was food and beverage service. We really enjoyed the experience and took many photos of penguins and sea lions from the deck. There was a professional photographer on board too. After the boat tour we were able to walk into town to look around. Valparaiso to Santiago. If anyone needs transportation from the pier to the airport, I highly recommend Julio Turismo Chile. Julio met us at the pier and gave us a tour of Valparaiso by bus, funicular and subway. We then drove to Vina del Mar and later stopped for wine tasting on the way to Santiago. Julio was so wonderful to deal with when I first contacted him that had him book a hotel for us for 2 nights instead of trying to find one on our own. We took 2 other tours with him too. One day we went to the Andes and on the last day we had a tour of Santiago before being driven to the airport for our flight home. Julio is great guide and provided many special experiences that we will always remember. As long as you know that the ship is old and pack your patience, you should have a wonderful time.
  11. I am going on a South America cruise (so excited!) with extra days in Brazil and Chile. None of the 4 currencies I need can be bought ahead from the bank. In the past I have had trouble using my RBC debit card to obtain cash when abroad (systems down, private ATMs that won’t accept RBC cards etc). Is it best to take US dollars and exchange it for local currency when I arrive in each country, or can I bring Canadian bills for this? I hate to lose on the exchange buying American to just exchange at my destination and lose money again. I always have some small US bills on hand but not everyone will accept it and small businesses will not accept credit cards. Any information would be appreciated.
  12. Thank you all for the information. We are going to book it!
  13. Is it possible to get a vegetarian meal at Le Petit Chef? We will be on the Infinity on March 11 and checked the menu on the app. The choice is Braised Short Rib of Beef or the option of Cured Salmon. My husband is vegetarian and won't eat either. Should I just drop him off at the buffet?
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