HighPockets64

As you can see by scrolling up in the thread, I also was one who appreciated and took advantage of the information in this review. A few added notes...

 

We did this route in December 2015. Flew to FLL, boarded the next afternoon. After 1-2 sea days we had a wonderful day in Cartagena. No tour, just four of us taking a cab, negotiating a $20/hr rate. We started on the hill by the monastery, then most of our time in the old city. Our taxi driver turned out to be a very knowledgable guide. Manta was similar; we took the shuttle to the square, found a taxi, again negotiated a $20/hr rate. We wanted to go to see the hats, he took us first to see the fish market. Great views! Then to Montecristo with a brief stop along the way to meet and visit with his family. I was/am disappointed with there quality of the $50 hat I bought. Lima was similar, we took a cab, spent the day working our way through a short list of places I wanted to visit, mostly in the colonial section. In Arica we joined a group organized by a CC member, went up the road almost to the Bolivian border, beautiful lake, mountain views, wildlife. Plenty of time to appreciate it all doing it in a small group. We saw 7-8 large Celebrity chartered buses passing through, barely giving their people time to get off the bus before calling "time is up!" The altitude on this trip can be a problem for some; three of 12 on our trip had moderate to severe reaction. In Valparaiso we went to our hotel on disembarking, met Juan Victor of Perro Tours, spent the day with him on a walking tour of the older section of the city (where the walls are a panoply of murals). Next day we walked on our own. Following day we went to Santiago (with Juan Victor and one of his drivers) with a wine tasting and lunch stop along the way, then an introduction to Santiago. Day after that we flew to Easter Island for 4 days, it was a worthwhile trip but next time I would search out a better guide with a smaller group. (Can't go into several of the Park areas without a licensed guide, so you need to hire someone somehow.) Back in Santiago for a few days, then home for New Year's Eve. All in all a very good trip, highly recommended, especially if you are able to spend time in Chile after the cruise.

 

Stan

Thanks for the additional info. We are traveling with 2 other couples. We only have one day in Santiago area and we fly out that night. We figured there wouldn't be very much open on Christmas day but I do wish we could have added on a couple nights in Santiago before flying home. New to cruising so still figuring it out.

Wow, what a terrific review of your trip and to share it with all cruisers....I'm just so impressed with your writing skills and giving your time to this project. I'm especially grateful because we are taking this trip in Dec. but in reverse, departing FL and arriving Valparaiso. And since this is our second ever cruise(newbies) I appreciate all the info on what to see and do in the ports. I will be studying your postings to figure out what we will do. Again, thanks so much.

Patsy Bushdorf