Valley Girl of VA

I'm doing it in a few weeks. We decided to do 2 nights in Santiago where we fly into. Then we hired a driver to take us on a tour of the vineyards in the Casablanca Valley and then to drop us off at Vina del Mar. There is a public bus that will take you to San Antonio. There were enough of us that I rented a small bus that will take us. Santiago and Val/Vina are about equal distance to San Antonio.

Is there a place on the Emerald where we can leave notes or messages for members of a large group?

What do I need to do when I first board the Emerald - I'm a Princess newbie. I have heard it is the time to make reservations with the Crab Shack but where do I do that? Purser's Desk or is there someone there from the restaurants that I should do it with?

What happens at the Spa on Embarkation Day? Do they have Give Aways or special deals?

Does Emerald have special 2 for 1 drinks daily?

What is trivia like? Is it low keyed like on Celebrity or is it a huge thing like on HAL?

Thanks for your help.

I told you what I know about the pesos on our roll call but wanted to comment about the use of ATMs. There's an ATM in the casino that can be used to get USD. However the fees are high. And if you buy foreign currency from Passenger Services, their charges are high as well. Princess knows it has a captive audience and charge accordingly.

I'm just concerned that I have the $20 AR for when we get off the ship in Ushuaia and get on the small ship where we have to pay the port charges in AR pesos. Just don't think I have time to run to the ATM in Ushuaia. IF I'm just getting $40 total in AR, I think the fees wouldn't be that high and it could be tolerable for that one purpose. Thanks for your help!

Hi - I'm new to sailing on Princess and taking my cruise in a few weeks. Does the ship have an ATM? Also, I'll be sailing in South America. Will I be able to purchase Argentinian pesos on board? Tried to purchase some at my bank but their third party company who sells it to them does not sell Argentina pesos. Looking at options to purchase some.

I'm going on my cruise next month. From what I read, it was suggested that we walk out of the port area and then get a cab - prices much more reasonable.

None is needed. The only problem we had was taking the subway in Budapest to the Central Market. I had a picture ofd the market and a man stood by the subway board and held up his fingers telling me when to get off and then motioned "up". The younger people have learned English - for the older ones, it was not allowed. You'll be fine, trust me.

I appreciate that one does not need clean clothes for every single day of one's trip.

 

However, clothing required will be dependent on the type of holiday, the area being visited, the time of year, and the dress code of the hotel and/or cruise ship.

Required jackets, and an evening suit, for formal nights, are bulky.

 

Admittedly, a river cruise ship will be far more informal, but cruising from Budapest to Amsterdam over Christmas/New Year will require heavy duty clothing/ footwear for trips ashore.

I am headed to the southern tip of South America and will need some warmth. I was able to purchase a jacket with 850 Downtek fill and keeps me warm with light activity to 25 degrees. More moderate activity to -25 degrees. The best part is that it rolls up and fits inside it's own pocket. That is what I would be looking for. Here in the US, you can find them online with LL Bean store. Get some thermal underwear as well

We are booked into the Crowne Plaza. It appeared to be in a good location, close to the subway, walking distance to many attractions and close to restaurants.

dance lessons - yes

if you are not going to Antarctica, then make sure to go see Torres del Paine...it wont dissapoint

Which tour operator did you use when you went to Torres del Paine?

Thank you

Jane

I stayed at the Radisson near Tivoli and the train station. I thought it was a great location. Around the corner and up the street a little was a small grocery store where we purchased yogurt, fruit. At the bakery across the train station we bought pastries. City was very walkable. We joined a free walking tour of the city and tip the guide if you think they were helpful and worthwhile. We actually left the group at the Nyhavn Harbor area. Check out the different prices for the harbor tours - there was a big difference and you all see the same things. As something different to do, take the train to Helsingor for Kronberg Castle - the inspiration for Hamlet. It's about an hour away. Also, visit Hillerod, another beautiful castle. A fun option is to take the train over the Oresund Bridge to Malmo, Sweden. I think it took less than 30 minutes to do it.

I thought I took a picture of the price list but apparently I no longer have it. I remember from last year that it was reasonable if that is any help.

Jane

deleted, duplicate posting

It came within a day or less through an email. Please make a copy and carry it with you. My airline didn't have a copy of mine (bug they did for my husband). It was easy to fix that problem since I had a paper copy with me

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The best "attraction" in Salem IMO is the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM).

Second: House of Seven Gables.

Third: General architecture in town.

I agree with this. As a native from the North Shore, this is where I would send visitors.

I read an article in the local paper the other day about tourism issues in Brazil. It said they were possibly going to make it easier for tourists to visit the country. I would love it if they did away with the visa requirement for US citizens. There is a fairly long list of countries who's citizens don't need a visa for Brazil

The US requires a visa for the Brazilian citizens for $160 like they require of us. It is a case of tit for tat.

Prepare your itinerary. Day 1 [such-and-such date] ArriveBA, Date X BA to Puerto Iguazu via Aerolinas Vuelo #xxxx, Hotel stay at abcXyz, Date X+y ground transport to Brazil, Date X+Y+1 Vuelo #xxxx from abc to xyzzy. Attach this itinerary and copies of your hotel booking receipts, your air confirmations. Send this in with your Visa application. You will be fine. They do not require you to arrive and depart via air or to arrive/depart via cruise. That probably is just the way most people travel to/from Brazil and thus is the assumption made when putting the form together. They don't care how you get there, how you leave. They just want to know your itinerary.

Thanks. That is what I was going to do and wanted to make sure I was doing it correctly.

I have a question about the visa. We plan on flying from Buenos Aires to Iguarzu Falls on the Argentina side. We have a reservation there. The next day we intend to take a cab/bus/private driver to the Brazilian side and fly out from the Brazilian airport. I therefore have no incoming flight to Brazil but rather the thought of land travel to Brazil. Wondering if that will be sufficient with a copy of my hotel reservation? Any thoughts. Thank you for your help.

We have driven many times and prefer to stay at a hotel the night before and get free parking. The only thing we had to pay for, other than our room, was the short cab ride back to the hotel after the cruise

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Chengkp75. This post is a little late. I take exception with your statement that the CDC is the parent organization of the USPHS. My husband retired from OHS with 31 years of service and he had never heard of that either. The Surgeon General does not report to CDC but instead to Asst Secty of Health. Commissioned officers of PHS can be assigned to CDC as well as a few other agencies as my husband was. It is just another health agency, like PHS is, under HHS.

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We will be flying into Santiago and wonder how many days we should stay there as well as Valparaiso. What tours did you do in Santiago and which ones in Val[araiso. Hubby wants to get into the Andes and I'd like a winery or two, sampling food and seeing some sites. There will be about 12 of us give or take 3 more. One woman has some mobility issues so walking distances is a problem.

Thanks

Jane

I have cruised AMA and Avalon, in fact I cruise AMA last year on the cruise you are writing about and I thought it was wonderful. I have posted about in on my blog. I have not cruised Gate 1 but a Facebook friend did cruise them this fall and was very disappointed - she thought it was rather barebones. We had bicycles on our ship that we could take out and ride around when we were in port as well as escorted bicycle excursion that my husband went on. She did not have them and thought that would have been good on her cruise. I'm sure others who have cruised with Gate 1 will give you their two cents worth.

God luck with your decision.

Jane

The trains are easy. They are in the lower level of the terminal and it takes about 30 minutes from the airport to Antwerp. I purchased my tickets in advance at trainline.eu They may not be available until 90 days before travel time

I did that itinerary on another line. I have cruised on. The Equinox. Look at the deck plans and book one of the staterooms on the bump out for a larger balcony. Even among those some are two times larger and others are three times larger

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A card that will pay for all fees is the Charles Schwab debit card. Just open a brokerage account, and from what I've been told, you can have a zero balance, then you can get a card. Charles Schwab has offices in Australia.

I was on the AMA Dagio on the Rhone in September. This season will be her last. Don't know if it will be another ship or if they are not doing the Rhone - I just don't know