GeorgeCharlie

May be best to hire a local guide to show you around, while at the same time offering an increased level of security. When we were in BA in the fall of 2022 we used a small independent operator and found him to be an excellent guide - along with having very competitive rates. His name is Tomás Hughes and his website is http://www.bonaventuratrips.com/

Hi Dianne & welcome to Cruise Critic🤠 From what I can tell the Cruise Terminal is still under construction, which means things are likely disorganized. I suggest you try to find out from you tour operator as to what their experiences have been regarding picking up people at the cruise terminal. They're the ones on the ground and therefore should have the most current knowledge. Also try checking out the Panama Canal Ports-of-Call board, which usually have other people commenting on this port. Such as -

If you want to see King Penguins, then the Falkland Islands is your only choice. I did a review of the South American cruise we did in 2022 and you can see our comments regarding the Falkland Islands starting a post #148.

We were there in the fall of 2022 onboard the Oosterdam and the ship provided a shuttle bus into Pisco.😎 You can see a bit more of what it looks like from the cruise review we did, starting at post #70.

The statues are called The Two Snobs (French: Les deux snobs) and are part of a 2013 private-owned art installation of typical Canadian humour - in depicting the cultural discords between the English and French Canadians. A bronze plate anchored beside each character states the storyline in both languages: "A dashing looking English man, holding his pug, gives a superior stare at Notre-Dame Basilica, symbol of the religious influence on French Canadians. 210 feet away to the northern corner of the edifice, a woman in Chanel style suit, poodle against her, shoots an offended look to the Bank of Montreal’s head office, symbol of English power. With their masters oblivious to each other, the two dogs on the alert already sniffed out the opportunity to unite. The inspiration for this work was from the Commedia dell’arte and Two Solitudes from novelist Hugh MacLennan, these two snobs set up an ironically touching scene of the cultural distance between English and French Canadians."

It looks like it's on a 56-day tales of the South Pacific cruise and then a 17-day Circle Hawaii cruise.

Have a look at this posting from 2017.

When we were in Buenos Aires in Dec/22, we used Tomás Hughes with Bonaventura Trips. He picked us up at the port for a short tour and then dropped us off at EZE. Tomás is a very knowledgeable and friendly guide. He was flexible in regards to an itinerary, very reasonably priced, and overall an excellent guide. If we are ever back in Buenos Aires, we would certainly use him again.🤠 His website is here.

I'm not a naval person, but I recently read an article on the difficulties the US was having with their Littoral Combat Ships. If you look closely, you can make out the number 4 on it's bow, which indicates it is likely the Independence-class USS Coronado. The USS Coronado was commissioned in 2014 and decommissioned in 2022.

Besides the ones already mentioned, we had always had the Falkland Islands as a must-see port - with the understanding that the chances of getting ashore is only about 1-in-3! Coincidently, at this time last year, we were are the start of a SA cruise from Miami to Buenos Aires, where we sailed down the western side of SA. If you're interested in our comments of ports on that cruise, have a look at the review we did.

Interesting Remembrance Day article in todays paper with a Netherlands connection. Grateful Dutch retiree photographs every Canadian soldier's gravestone | Edmonton Journal

Have a look at this hotel info site, it offers a number of options regarding long term parking - i.e. Courtyard by Marriott hotel offers extended parking at $35/week. 26 Hotels near Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port with 'Free' Shuttle 2023/24 (allcruisehotels.com)

Thanks and we also had an enjoyable visit to Edinburgh while on a cruise in 2019.🤠

We were in the Falkland Islands last Dec and I also have some mobility issues in having to wear heavy braces on both knees. Even so, I found walking around Volunteer Point not all that bad. From the vehicle parking area it is likely only a couple hundred feet to the Gentoo colony and maybe thousand feet to the King colony. The walking is mainly on level ground, but you are definitely limited the using a cane. Although, getting out there in the 4x4's can be a challenge!! We did a review to our cruise and you can see some of our pictures starting at post #148, with the Volunteer Point review starting at post #162.

We got some Peruvian currency before we left home and found it handy in paying for meals and small item purchases. Didn't try using US$, so I don't know how that would work out.

Have a great cruise😎🤠

Yes, that's likely the terminal building.

For HAL, ship had a shuttle running to/from the cruise terminal and our tour guide was waiting for us (holding a sign) outside the terminal. It would think Princess would be doing the same. Picture taken from inside the shuttle bus.

Callao is the port for Lima and the areas around it, including overnight tours to Machu Picchu. We were there last fall, also on the Oosterdam. You can see our comments on the area, starting at post #52 of the review we did of that cruise.

We took a tour of the Valparaiso area last December and the first stop was at the Fish Market. Besides lots of birds looking for scraps, there was also some sea lions - including this big fellow, who seemed to have his own table😉 A short video clip of the big fellow at his table.

The water provided under the Signature Beverage Package is in 355ml "pop" cans. The 500ml screw top metal bottles cost an extra $5.50/each.

When we were in San Antonio last fall, we used San Antonio Tours for a tour - but they also do straight transfers. Their website is: HOME | Puerto San Antonio Tours

We were on a cruise last fall, which allowed for a side trip to Machu Picchu and, as I also have to wear braces on both knees, I enquired about the same thing as you are. What I was told was that use of a walking pole is randomly enforced, but if you have one stick with rubber tip you probably would not be bothered by anyone. If you are elderly/disabled, they are going to allow them. Another option if you just need it for stability is a collapsible cane, which is what I use while travelling and is less likely to raise eyebrows. In the end, we decided not to take the side trip.

Late last fall we did our first SA cruise, it was 31 days from Miami to Buenos Aires. Other then Peru, we found most of the countries interesting and safe to visit. We did a review of the cruise and you can find our impressions of our stops in Ecuador starting at Post #34 and Chile starting at Post #76.

Last fall we were on Oosterdam's 31-day inaugural South American cruise and we did a review of our experiences. Although it does not answer some of your questions (direction of travel, best month, etc.) it may give you some ideas of what the port tours are like. The San Antonio (Santiago) to Buenos Aries portion of the cruise starts at Post #84.