mcmarya

Pointe du bout is worth going to. There is an area of coves where the water is calm and there is snorkeling around the rocks. There are not any facilities, however.

Doing the planning Machu Picchu on your own is difficult since you have to organize a lot of tickets--Machu Picchu, train, flights from Lima--as well as hotels. Then there is ground transportation at several points. Some of the websites are not as foreign tourist friendly as they could be. Iguazu Falls is much easier since you really only have to book flights and a hotel. Ground transportation is pretty easy to manage at either end, too. We had someone help us with Machu Picchu but had no difficulty arranging Iguazu Falls ourselves. Either way, you will save a bunch over what the cruise line will charge and you can plan your own itinerary instead of being at the mercy of what they have arranged. In addition, for less money, you can have a much more personal experience.

Hopefully someone will report on the current situation there before you need to make a final decision. Maybe things will be improved by then. The current situation is actually worse than when tenders were necessary. When we've been anchored there previously tenders started early and ended late.

You may have trouble meeting your tour at 5:30 am. How early you can leave the port facility will depend entirely on what arrangements have been made by NCL. We were there last November when 2 ships were docked. Our small ship had shuttles running starting at 7 am and we had no issues leaving the port fairly early--of course we were bussed to another location for further transport. The larger ship's passengers had to wait until all of the tours had departed before independently touring passengers could get out of the port area. Many missed their arranged tours. Unless some major construction has occurred since then, no private vehicles/taxis will be able to enter the port area. If so, you are at the mercy of the shuttle bus setup.

Another issue beginning in October is the need for a visa for Brazil.

One popular thing to do in Puntarenas is a boat tour on the Tarcoles River where there are crocodiles and lots of birds. There are usually tour operators at the pier if you don't sign up for something in advance.

The path along the water is actually quite nice and the rest of the way is quite safe.

I would recommend Antigua over Guatemala City. The route is quite scenic passing volcanos and little towns. Antigua is a fascinating place with interesting buildings and ruins. Many cruise lines have an "Antigua on Your Own" tour which provides transportation and you can explore on your own.

There are lots of places to eat in Antigua, though I have no personal recommendations. Many seem to have lovely courtyards. Even the McDonalds has a nice outdoor eating area (didn't eat there, just looked inside).

It looks like around 70 miles. You need to allow plenty of time due to the arrangements at the port of San Antonio and the distance to Santiago. The airport is also around 70 miles if you go directly there. Either way, I would allow at least 90 minutes for the trip.

Dropping luggage at your hotel is a great strategy since the luggage allowance going to IGR is pretty small. Even if it were not strictly enforced, I would not want to have to lug it along. Exchanging money in BA is probably easier, as well. AEP is quite close to the cruise port and taxis are pretty cheap. Be sure to allow enough time to cross the border. And, beginning 10/1/23, Brazil visas will be required.

One of the frequent HAL lecturers, Jim McParland, also does stargazing sessions. Since I think he is part of the Antarctic team, he may well be on board for your cruise.

There is a shopping area at the port with some of the stores that are found in Antigua such as the Jade Factory. When we have stopped there in the past there was a sort of fashion show. The last time we needed internet there (several years ago), it was available for a price and also with purchase at a bar. Up the coast a bit is Playa Puerto San Jose and the beach town of Puerto San Jose. I've never been there so have no idea what it's like. Otherwise, there is nothing to do close by. Most people take a tour to Antigua which is about 90 minutes away and highly recommended. Due to the distance and the possibility of traffic backups on some of the 2 lane roads due to accidents or construction, the safest way to go is on a ship's tour.

I think you may have that backwards. Basseterre, the city, is located on Basse Terre island which is green and mountainous. It is the location of the Soufriere volcano which you can hike. When we were there a few years ago, there were young women who were studying tourism in school. They were not allowed to receive payment for their services but would do tours where you just paid the taxi driver. That's how we did the volcano hike but there were other options. Who knows what is available these days but the volcano hike was doable for senior citizens like us but not easy.

I got lucky on our trip last September. The first ferry to Hamilton was not terribly crowded. As we were getting on, I mentioned to the ferry employee out front that I wish I could get the 15 tickets. He told me not to pay, that he would take me inside in Hamilton to buy the tickets, which he did. It is unfortunate that they don't sell them at the Dockyard.

There are also regular-size buses in Curacao but they don't run that often, hence the minivans taking up the slack. You can find the official bus schedules here with Punda being the routes going to the southeast of town and the Otrabanda routes going to the northwest: https://autobusbedrijf.com/en/route-information The bus drivers accepted USD last time we were there and we gave the driver $3 for 2 people to cover the fare. If you don't mind some extra walking, you can actually go to the Tugboat snorkeling site by bus. The 6a bus route that goes to Mambo Beach continues on to Caracasbai. If you get off at the roundabout at "The Pier" restaurant, you can then walk down Caracasbaaiweg past Fort Beekenburg to Tugboat Beach. It's around a mile but has interesting scenery. The Fort has been open when we've gone and you can explore that as well. Everyone takes the bus in Aruba and it's a great way to get to Arashi or Boca Catalina for snorkeling. Can you tell I like to snorkel? I also love to take public transportation as we travel.

Taxis are very expensive so you might want to try to arrange a tour in advance. If you haven't been to Antigua before, there are many interesting sites to see.

A just OK beach is right by where the tenders dock in downtown in front of the King K Courtyard. All beaches are free for all and there is a public shower facility on the pier. If you don't end up renting a vehicle, there is a Kona Trolley that has a limited route but goes as far as Kahalu'u Beach Park, a great snorkeling spot. Haven't used the trolley before but may try it in December. Traffic really is bad in town.

There are USB outlets but no US power outlets by the bed on the Quest--I think 2 on one side and one on the other side with the phone. These are pretty slow charging. There is one US outlet and one European at the shelf under the mirror by the bathroom (see photo) and one at the bottom of the cabinet next to the table as I mentioned above. The Anker power strip mentioned above would probably not work with the latter since there is very little clearance. The photo shows that the other outlet has a little more clearance so it might be OK there. I did not take a photo of the outlet near the table but it is very close to the floor and the wall next to it. I think the Sojourn and Oddysey have the same outlets as the Quest. Sounds like they included more outlets on the newer ships.

Not sure if this was mentioned earlier, but on the Quest (so probably also the Sojourn) there is a regular US outlet at the bottom of the cabinet next to the table next to the wall. That allows plugging in a laptop if using at the table. It took us awhile to notice it since it is sort of hidden. The only other outlet is at the mirror/shelf next to the bathroom. You have to be careful bringing extension cords, etc. since it is important that they not be surge protected. As long as they are not and are UL listed you should be fine bringing onboard. The outlet by the table has very little clearance so any cord that goes down or to the side of the plug will not work due to the close quarters.

If your trip begins and/or ends in Buenos Aires, there is no reason to book the very expensive cruise line tour. With the "blue rate" available, everything is pretty cheap these days even when you use a US credit card--VISA and Mastercard seem to use the MEP rate which is not as good as the blue rate but much better than the official exchange rate. Staying on the Argentina side will be the best value as a result. Transportation is easy--taxis, Ubers, and even buses can get you to both sides of the falls. I definitely recommend seeing both the Argentina and Brazil side if possible since they are quite different. Brazil visas will be required again I think beginning in October so that might influence your options. Depending on your style of travel, the trip can be very inexpensive but even the best accommodations should be cheaper when doing your own booking Definitely plan on staying at least one night. Flights can be canceled or late quite often for various reasons. We ran into this with one of ours. Fortunately we were not trying to do a one day trip. Hope you have a great trip!

The price was 7 Euros or $8 US last week.

Totally agree with your assessment of the cast on the Quest--they are amazing. We were on the Quest for 4 weeks in November/December with the same group but now that we are back on the Quest, we love to see the shows again since they are even better (if that's possible) now.

There are other outlets there, as well. Some are the European kind with 2 round pins. It may depend on the age of the hotel.

There can be quite a bit of walking and standing in line. The walking may depend somewhat on the plane's gate, but I think there will be a fairly long walk for everyone. Then, there has been a long line at immigration both times we have arrived. Then, it is a bit of a walk to get luggage, get it scanned, then to get to where rides are available. I would advise anyone with mobility issues to get a wheelchair. You also will probably be whisked to the front of the line so win/win.