pmacher61
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Posts posted by pmacher61
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Ola everyone.If you have already booked for a tango show always pay in Arg pesos cash. at around 9 pesos to the Dollar it is a very good deal!
Hmm...the blue (easily available) exchange rate is now about 16 pesos to the USD, not 9. No one trades USD for the official rate.
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1300 pesos (about $80) for a 7 course tasting menu including wines sounds like a pretty good deal to me, especially on NY eve. If you want to celebrate with NY festivities, the luxury hotel dinner/ dance/ parties will run considerably more, but still a bargain compared to No Am/European pricings. Check the web sites of the top hotels. Hey, you only live once.
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If you are looking for an alternative to a typical Argentine parrilla, (my new go to parrilla is El Estrebe), you could do worse than Centro Vasco Francais. http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/restaurantes/Centro-Vasco-Frances-82. Not French or Italian, but great seafood. The shrimps ajillo and mariscos/zarzuela dishes are fab. The tortillas (espanol) are also fab. The clams ala Vasco are fab. You get the idea? (Disregard the low marks on http://www.guiaoleo.com
- I smell a rat).
The prix fix meal deal at Tomo I (about $40-45 pp) comes with 3 flights of wine and is easily priced at half or 1/3 what you would pay in No America/
Europe for the same meal.
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Last couple of tango shows I've attended within the past year were in Tango Porteno on Cerritos http://www.tangoporteno.com.ar/eng/index.html# and one of the shows offered at Centro Cultural Borges in Galleria Pacifico. Both were excellent, very strong dancers (many obviously had ballet training). Without the dinner package option these shows are very reasonably priced (US$15-20). Caveat: there are several different shows at the Borges center depending on the day of the week. I believe the one I saw was entitled Bien de Tango. It was the only one that had a large cast of dancers and singers. http://www.ccborges.org.ar/indexi.htm
Madero Tango in Puerto Madero was also good especially on the weekends when headliners like Raul Lavie perform. Drink package is about $US 25.
http://www.maderotango.com/en/
Occasionally, Torquato Tasso on Ave Defensa has interesting shows, more oriented to music and singing than dancing. http://torquatotasso.com.ar
At any of these 4 venues, one can enjoy a fabulous tango show without the paying the high prices of the typical tourist tango dinner show.
In all cases, when a dinner package is offered, one should opt out and buy the show (with drink) only. It's hard to screw up a steak, but dining out at one of the many good restaurants near these tango venues will result in a better evening's experience. Just don't miss the curtain.
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Dr Dawg is a knowledgeable and well mannered fellow, but if I am not mistaken (and I often am), I think he has made one slight misstatement. Grass fed animals are typically put in feed lots about 30 days prior to being trucked to Mataderos for sale and butchering. In those 30 days the animal fattens up almost a kg/day so that the weight and price is that much higher at auction. That was how grass fed cows were "finished" until 15 years ago. I don't know if things have changed.
And, yes, fewer animals are raised on grass these days. They are shipped to feed lots at an early age soon after they don't need mama.
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Could anyone please inform me of the average taxi or remise fare from Buenos Aires cruise terminal to a city center hotel?
35 - 45 pesos via the taxi meter - less than 3 usd
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Since when does a long taxi ride, to/from airport or otherwise, merit any tip? This is news to me... and to my Portena girlfriend who says no tip is standard. Now, if I have bags and the driver has not driven like a cowboy and helps me load/unload the bags I might give him a dollar or two extra.
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Yes, there is just one fronting on Av Ramon San Castillo....near the Sheraton.
The taxi mafia still exists but its easier to avoid their fixed illegal overcharges by hailing a passing cab. Or insisting on the use of the meter.
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... And we feel th MSC Divina cruise was our best ever especially considering the price we paid!
While it isn´t always true, when it comes to cruise ships price is a reliable guide. Low price gets you low quality so I would suggest you try to balance price against the measure of quality offered.
I have lived in So Am most of the last 15 years and travelled extensively. I have been on 2 horrible MSC cruises and about 80 cruises on almost all lines over the last 25 years. I think my 2 MSC cruises were the worst of all I have been on, but you should not rely on ny one person´s opinion. To get a good insight into how others have rated the Divina check out the member reviews links on this site. Explore the reviews and especially the mathematical grades each has received calculated by averaging out many (577) Divina reviews. Look at the all time cruisers choice poll results for Divina and MSC.
Do not buy just because price is low. You might get a much better value by paying a little more.
http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberpoll_all.cfm?rating=Overall&sort=Highest
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I have not stayed at the hotel, but the restaurant is pretty authentic.
http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/restaurantes/Restaurant-del-Hotel-Club-Frances-8272
And more...
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What happened?
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The per diem cost expenditure for food for each line is supposedly a closely guarded secret. Does anyone have the actual numbers for MSC and others?
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if you can acquire pesos at the "blue" rate for your USD, you can save by paying your hotel bill in pesos. The hotel will calculate the number of pesos required to pay by multiplying a USD quoted price by a number close to the official exchange rate (about 9) whereas you should be able to get over 12 for your USD.
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Really old news. I e been booked on one of the Med sailings on her since last year.
Who knows why they changed their minds. Suspect some of the unbelievably low fares they've been offering in the US to fill her may be the reason. They can command much higher rates in Europe. I'm sure they intended to keep a ship all year round in the US, but a business can't just blindly stick to a plan if it is not working and they're not getting the revenue they had hoped for.
I agree that any business must adapt to changes in the market that affect bottom line, but I wonder what was the cost of cancelling the contract with port of Miami, assuming there was such a contract. Was any public statement made explaining the change of port strategy?
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Hailing an independent cab is doable notwithstanding the presence of the Argentine taxicab driver mafia barbarians. Just walk up a bit away from the cruise ship line. Cabs travel on the street fronting the terminal with great regularity. Not all are intimidated from stopping. I have ported from BA terminal 4 times in the last year and was able to hail a cab without too much difficulty.
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The alternative to paying off the mafia is to simply walk across the street and hail a street cab. Pay $5-7 in pesos (65-85 pesos or so) to anywhere in the Recoleta, bags included.
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We will be arriving to the Buenos Aires cruise port and would like to know what are our options to get from the port to our BA hotel upon arrival? We appreciate to learn about any experiences/suggestions that can help us out with this part of our travel planning.
thanks!
There is an ever-present taxi mafia that will overcharge, but depending exactly where your hotel is, you can expect to pay $10 - 15. Maybe 20 if you are located in Palermo.
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I am a US expat who lived full time in Rio from 2002-2013. I have also maintained a residence in Bs As since 2007 (where I have lived pretty much full time since 2013). I know both places well.
Rio is a beach town. There are some live music venues, but not much outside the samba school scene, especially for someone who speaks no Portugues. Now that the Brasilian real ($R) has dropped from 1.6 to 2.6 per USD, Rio restaurants, cabs, and clubs are more reasonably priced. Up until 2013 Rio was quite pricey.
Bs As has a lot more live theater, museums, music clubs (including tango), and a whole lot better restaurant scene. BA is a bargain if you take advantage of the black market exchange rate for US dollars (which is easy to do even for the most unsophisticated tourist).
The weather in Jan and Feb in Bs As can be uncomfortably muggy. The weather in Rio during the summer can be hot, but there's the beach and at night it is comfortable.
If you are not a beach person, go to Bs As. There is more to see and do. Bring cash and pay for everything with Arg pesos acquired after you arrive. That includes the hotels you book in advance using a credit card. Get a credit back on the card and pay in pesos. Save 40%.
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A couple of weeks ago I was charged 400 pesos for a pvt remise from Taxi Ezesia (in center of terminal lobby , not in the secure area) for the standard ride to downtown. That is about $30 USD at the common blue rate of exchange (see http://www.ambito.com). If you pay in USD cash and pay 40, you are overpaying. Of course, if you have no access to buy pesos at the blue rate before arrival at EZE, your options are limited.
If you offer to pay with a credit card you remove the incentive for the recipient to receive your valuable USD cash...in which case they may offer you more than the official exchange rate per USD, however, the EZE cab companies are so used to this that they probably make no allowances if you pay with USD cash. They will insist upon the official rate. Cab drivers or others in the terminal may gladly pay you 12 per USD - the price today for small bills is 13+. Tipping cabbies is neither required nor expected. There may be a charge for large bags.
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I've been reading a bit about this Blue Dollar, etc., and I must admit that I'm a bit confused. We are cruising out of BA next month and have about three days there before sailing. Most of our tours (private) are already paid for, but one wants payment at the end of the tour. The price was quoted in USD. I've read that most places/guides accept USD, so I guess there won't be an issue there. I'm also assuming that for the tours which have already been paid, we will be able to tip our guides in USD as well. What about restaurants, however? Do they prefer USD or should we exchange for pesos? We would typically pay by credit card, specifically ones that do not have any international transaction fees - any issue there?
You don't seem to have comprehended the issue. Paying with a credit card will cost 60% more than if you exchanged USD when in BA. Of course, the choice is yours as long as you comprehend the issue.
p.s. It would be illegal for any merchant to insist upon payment in USD even if the contract specified such. You always have the legal right to pay in legal tender of the country, pesos, and converted from USD at the official rate. Of course, that might be a little unfair to the vendor, because chances are the price he would have quoted in pesos would be the USD price x the blue rate. Maybe, or maybe the vendor is just a greedy SOB who is willing to take advantage of the ignorance of tourists.
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The prices in the duty free shops (at EZE) are expressed in USD, however one can pay in pesos and the price in pesos for an item is calculated by converted the USD price at the lower official exchange rate. This makes for great bargains. In fact, travelers might want to load up on pesos for some serious duty free shopping when exiting ARG.
For example, a bottle of old, single malt scotch that may retail normally for 100 USD may be priced at 80 USD in duty free. The cost in pesos is 80 x 8.62 (today's official exchange rate) = 689.2 pesos. In order to acquire 689.2 pesos one needs to exchange approx. 51.08 USD (689.2 divided by the easily obtained blue rate of 13.5 = 51.08).
See http://www.ambito.com, a site which I think publishes a slightly more accurate blue rate quotation. The rate is published at 11 am when the market opens. It fluctuates throughout the day.
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In addition to the often-difficult-to-fathom pricing variations driven by:
a) TAs offering cabins from their specially priced group rates; and
b) the line and/or TAs' offering special promos combining 1 or all 3 of the 1- 2-3 promo; and
c) space/location distinctions between various classes of ship; and
d) personal preferences re spa, upgraded toiletries and shower heads, etc;
there are additional considerations when it comes to choosing Aqua class.
In order to fine tune the cost benefit analysis of buying up to Aqua/Blu, one needs to be mindful of the existence of perks that come with one's frequent cruiser status as well as the specialty dining alternatives. For example, on my last cruise, Elite+ had a separate dining room for breakfast (as well as free drinks in the evening). Though not as complete a menu as Blu, the Elite+ breakfast area is far superior to the MDR or buffet. It is an excellent alternative for those who prefer a quiet/read the daily newsletter space with great personal service and an extremely elaborate continental breakfast. I can live without eggs and lox/bacon every day.
The specialty restaurant package pricing may also be a factor in whether one wants to upgrade. I admittedly have not eaten in Blu so can only project that it is somewhat similar to the Samsara class on Costa (though the latter is likely not as upscale). Nevertheless, I would have to believe one eats as well or likely better in the specialty restaurants (Murano, Silk, Tuscan Grill etc depending on class). The discounted cost of a specialty restaurant package providing for upscale dining on many, if not most, nights may further marginalize the benefit of Aqua/Blu.
In any case, what is beyond dispute and all the number crunching is that cruising is a fun way to spend your money. Living well is the best revenge.
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$30- for 5 suitcases and 2 totes full of crap... i wouldn't call it caving :p
cheap at half the price! might even throw in a tip :D
Not when the legally mandated price is $6. That is about the fare with 7 suitcases for a taxi from pier to Sheraton.
Argentine Currency Change
in South America
Posted
I believe that the reciprocity fee is always assessed in USD. Expect to see $160 per.