Need Help for Pre and Post Cruise Itinerary – January 2019

Our group of 10 (college friends from many years ago) will be on South America cruise on Celebrity Eclipse (Jan 6-20, 2019) from San Antonio to Buenos Aires. We have never been to that part of the world. We will fly from different parts of the world to Santiago, Chile. Some will arrive on Jan 4 late morning and other will arrive on Jan 5 late morning.

Pre-cruise

Tentatively I plan to book a hotel in Santiago near airport for one to two nights (Jan 4 & 5). For people arrive on Jan 4 maybe we can do a city tour on Jan 5. SouthExcursions has a 6 hour tour/transfer (from Santiago to Valparaiso to San Antonio). I incline to book this tour for our group on Jan 6 leaving at 8 AM and arrive at port around 2 PM for check-in. I hope to get a van just for our group.

1. Is it better to get a hotel near the airport or in the city for our intended purpose?

2. Do you have any recommendation for a good mid-range hotel?

3. Do you have any other tour companies to recommend beside SouthExcursions?

Post-cruise

We would like to visit Iguazu Falls post cruise. Tentatively, I plan to book a flight late morning on Jan 20 from BA to IGA (Argentina side). Stay 2 nights in a hotel in Argentina side. I don’t intend to visit Brazil side since it is too much trouble/cost to get a visa. From what I read so far, the actual visit inside Iguazu Falls National Park seems doable by ourselves; i.e., no need to do guided tour. We probably still need airport transfer. I plan to flight back to BA on Jan 22 in the afternoon and stay overnight in BA. Most of our flight back from BA will be around 9 to 10 PM on Jan 23. I would like to get a tango show/dinner on Jan 22 and hire a tour/van on Jan 23 for a day tour for BA and transfer to airport.

1. Does the post cruise schedule look reasonable/doable? Any suggestion or input?

2. Should I work with a tour/travel company for this post cruise part of the trip? Do you have any company to recommend?

3. Is there any advantage (cost wise and convenience) to have the tour/travel company to book the flight from BA to IGA and the hotel in Iguazu Falls and in BA?

4. Do you have any recommendation for a hotel in BA?

5. Do you have any recommendation for a tango show/dinner?

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

Our group of 10 (college friends from many years ago) will be on South America cruise on Celebrity Eclipse (Jan 6-20, 2019) from San Antonio to Buenos Aires. We have never been to that part of the world. We will fly from different parts of the world to Santiago, Chile. Some will arrive on Jan 4 late morning and other will arrive on Jan 5 late morning.

 

Pre-cruise

Tentatively I plan to book a hotel in Santiago near airport for one to two nights (Jan 4 & 5). For people arrive on Jan 4 maybe we can do a city tour on Jan 5. SouthExcursions has a 6 hour tour/transfer (from Santiago to Valparaiso to San Antonio). I incline to book this tour for our group on Jan 6 leaving at 8 AM and arrive at port around 2 PM for check-in. I hope to get a van just for our group.

 

1. Is it better to get a hotel near the airport or in the city for our intended purpose?

2. Do you have any recommendation for a good mid-range hotel?

3. Do you have any other tour companies to recommend beside SouthExcursions?

 

Post-cruise

We would like to visit Iguazu Falls post cruise. Tentatively, I plan to book a flight late morning on Jan 20 from BA to IGA (Argentina side). Stay 2 nights in a hotel in Argentina side. I don’t intend to visit Brazil side since it is too much trouble/cost to get a visa. From what I read so far, the actual visit inside Iguazu Falls National Park seems doable by ourselves; i.e., no need to do guided tour. We probably still need airport transfer. I plan to flight back to BA on Jan 22 in the afternoon and stay overnight in BA. Most of our flight back from BA will be around 9 to 10 PM on Jan 23. I would like to get a tango show/dinner on Jan 22 and hire a tour/van on Jan 23 for a day tour for BA and transfer to airport.

 

1. Does the post cruise schedule look reasonable/doable? Any suggestion or input?

2. Should I work with a tour/travel company for this post cruise part of the trip? Do you have any company to recommend?

3. Is there any advantage (cost wise and convenience) to have the tour/travel company to book the flight from BA to IGA and the hotel in Iguazu Falls and in BA?

4. Do you have any recommendation for a hotel in BA?

5. Do you have any recommendation for a tango show/dinner?

 

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

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Thank you so much for the new visa info. Can you provide a link?

Google VFS Global

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I can only comment on the Iguazu Falls portion. It’s a not to miss. Your timeline makes sense.

I booked BsAs & Iguazu through 01argentina who subbed to Carocol for the Iguazu portion. Custom package included all hotels, transfers, tours and flights for a very reasonable cost. As others have said, you don’t need a tour for the Argentine side. If you stay in town you will need transportation to and from the park. (I stayed at the Melia so I walked to the trail.)

Some options you might consider:

Pre Cruise in Santiago - IBIS Hotel in Estacion Central is cheap, but clean, modern, and comfortable. I'm pretty picky when it comes to hotels, and I had no problem at all with this hotel. Best of all, you can take a TurBus from the airport to Alameda Bus Terminal, which is literally a few feet from the hotel. Cost is around $3 US, and these are large modern coaches. TurBus has a kiosk right outside the arrival terminal.

This will put you in the city as opposed to way out at the airport, which will make it much easier for any tour of Santiago you plan to take. The IBIS is also only a block from a metro station, so you could tour on your own if you wanted, or easily get to a starting point for a tour.

You've also got the option of taking a bus from Alameda to Valparaiso for about $10 US. Again, modern motor coaches. You could then arrange a tour starting in Valparaiso and ending in San Antonio, which might be cheaper than one that includes the long trip from Santiago.

Post Cruise - I agree with you 100% that there is no need for a tour guide for Iguazu Falls.

You will need an airport transfer to and from your hotel. It's around a 30 minute ride from downtown to the airport. There are taxis readily available, but you might be able to do better arranging something in advance if you'll have a group of people because those taxis were not cheap.

I would find a hotel downtown if possible. We stayed a couple of miles away and had to take a taxi in for dinner each night. Lots of good restaurants in Puerto Iguazu. I can personally vouch for La Dama Juana - excellent food and pretty cheap. You might also consider The Argentine Experience if you're looking for a memorable meal. Read the reviews on Trip Advisor. Sadly, it was not open the nights we were there because I absolutely wanted to eat there. This might even substitute for your Tango Show/dinner in BA if you don't find anything to your liking. Just be sure to make reservations because they apparently fill up well in advance.

If you stay downtown, there is local bus service to and from Iguazu Falls for a couple of dollars. Buses run regularly and drop you off right at the Falls.

Assuming you have some time to research options, I would not waste my money hiring a company to book your flights and hotel. It's very easy to do all of that yourself.

Thank you all so much for the very helpful info. Now I know that Brazil has this new e-visa that is much cheaper and easier to get. We may consider to do the both sides of the Iguazu Falls. So my revised plan for the falls is following:

1. Take mid-morning flight on Jan 20 (after debarkation from the cruise) from BA to IGR. Transfer to hotel and drop luggage (may be too early to check-in). Do the AR side of the falls (walking trail, boat ride, etc).

2. On the second day (Jan 21) hire a van (for 10 people) and do a day trip to Brazil side of the falls. I will feel much better if I can pre-arrange this. Can anyone recommend any company to arrange this day drip?

3. On third day take an afternoon flight back to BA. Hopefully we can still have half day to do additional touring on AR side of the falls.

Can you comment if this plan is reasonable and doable?

Thanks again!

Just my 2 cents.... I think a full day for the Argentine side would be better, if you can swing it. Can you do another night? There is sufficient on the Argentine side to merit a full day. The last train to Devils Throat is around 4:00 if I recall correctly. With just the first afternoon (and some of the day you leave) you might leave having missed some. And if you end up with an inclement day, or your plane is delayed, there isn’t contingency time. You could do half day Brazil and half Argentina side too, if you can’t swing another night.

The day I flew in, the flight after me was delayed due to a lightning strike on the tower at Iguazu and they spent the afternoon at AEP, getting to the hotel at Iguazu around 9:00p. My flight went out at 9:30, and it was worth the extra $100. My agent had originally booked me for that 11:30 flight. That first afternoon I hiked the lower circuit and some of the upper circuit, and just missed the train. I DID spend much of that time soaking in the sights (pun intended) and doing video.

Adding- Brazilian side is well worth it. I paid the full visa cost and have no regrets. It really completes the “set”.

Here are some of my plans for a similar cruise:

1) Hotel Plaza San Francisco in Santiago, Chile

2) The German Pirate-private tour/transfer to San Antonio

3) Ships hotel/transfers post cruise - The Brick- Buenos Aires

Other:

Patrick Watts- private tour- Stanley to /volunteer Point.

Links and info can be found in the Roll Call for Star Princess- Feb. 14, 2019.

hope this helps.

Keep in mind January is high season and very hot and humid. There will be crowds at Iguazu on both sides and line ups. Kids have their long summer break in January in Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay etc. Book hotels early or they will be full. It can take a couple of hours to get through the border from Argentina to Brazil depending on the day and then you have to line up to take the transport to the Falls either the train or the shuttle buses, there can be hundreds of people waiting. We did a full day each side .

Definitely factor into your plans that your flights in and out of Iguazu may be delayed as TiogaCruiser mentioned. Our early afternoon flight out of AEP was 2-3 hours late in leaving.

I also agree that your half day on the Argentine side is probably too short. You won't get to Iguazu until noon at the earliest, then an hour to collect luggage, get to the hotel, and dump luggage, then 30 minutes back to the falls. So you're getting to the falls at 1:30, not having eaten lunch. Eat lunch, and you've cut another 30 minutes or so off your time.

I will also bet that you're not going to want to tour the falls the morning of your flight back to BA. Nothing like being hot and sweaty and catching a flight. Plus, what are you going to do with your luggage that last day while you're at the falls? If you leave it at the hotel, you're going to have to allow extra time to backtrack from the Falls to Puerto Iguazu to pick it up before going to the airport.

If you are truly set on doing both sides of the falls, I would suggest doing part of the Argentine side on day 1 and then finishing it the next morning before traveling to the Brazilian side. I've never been to that side, but I understand that the trails are much shorter, so it does not take a full day to see it all. Then, you won't be scrambling around on day 3 trying to tour and still make your flight. In fact, that might free you up to catch a morning flight and still have time to do something in BA in the afternoon.

For the Brazil visa, the price is right. As to being easier ... that depends. It is a whole lot easier than in the past when you had to go to an embassy. But the web sight is a bit tricky. You have to submit photos in the right size and color. That took me while but I finally got the visa. You have to be patient. I followed their instructions. My wife's was accepted on the first try. I did the exact same thing for mine and I got about 10 reject e mails before I figured out how to do it.

I imagine you can do the falls on your own. I did it through a TA and I am glad I did. He took care of all the transfers, flights, hotels, a private guided tour of the park. I did not have to do anything. The TA knew the best hotel for my budget, location, restaurants and the best time to fly.

I would agree that with one day just stay on the Argentine side. But that includes a boat ride into the falls. That is not to be missed. Hint the locals wore bathing suits under their clothes. We should have done that in that we were soaked!!

Don't sell BA short. It is one of the great cities of the world.

If you are staying in Santiago for two nights, I recommend staying in the city.

Our Around the Horn cruise was one of our favorites. Make sure you spend enough time in Buenos Aires.

Here is my detailed review of our cruise/trip.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=248878

Have a great trip!

While in Santiago, I highly recommend Bocanariz - a wine bar with lots of choices by the glass (or taste) from all over Chile. Plus great food and a staff that is traveler-friendly (everyone seemed to speak 4 languages when we were there). Like a wine & food tour at a single table :)

This is all assuming it hasn't changed in the last 4+ years lol - TripAdvisor suggests it is still as I fondly remember it. Conveniently they had longer opening hours than some other places (we stopped there on our way to the airport in the mid-afternoon).

In Chile, make sure that you try some crab stuffed empanadas. They are fantastic.

Thanks for the IBIS reminder. I have stayed there in Bogota, Medellin and London and always happy with them.

If you are from the US, Australia, Japan, or Canada, you can get a Brazilian e-visa for $44.24. We just did it; they came in 3 days.

 

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Wangy26 - Regarding your question on aTango show/dinner.

Conde Nast Traveler had an article in May of this year that gave 10 suggestions for all types of tango club, show, lesson options.

You can Google it.

My wife and I liked the descriptions of a few of them and will probably choose Cafe de los Angelitos when we are in BA in Dec.

Have fun and safe travels.

Wangy26 - Regarding your question on aTango show/dinner.

Conde Nast Traveler had an article in May of this year that gave 10 suggestions for all types of tango club, show, lesson options.

You can Google it.

My wife and I liked the descriptions of a few of them and will probably choose Cafe de los Angelitos when we are in BA in Dec.

 

Have fun and safe travels.

I did this one with HAL as part of an airport transfer. It was a matinee with dinner (at lunch). The food was outstanding- best steak ever- and coffee (espresso) and dulce de leche dessert.

The show was a review of tango through the years. Costuming was fabulous. It started with ladies wearing Edwardian whites- cut correctly for the period. (I’m into that type of thing).

Our group of 10 (college friends from many years ago) will be on South America cruise on Celebrity Eclipse (Jan 6-20, 2019) from San Antonio to Buenos Aires. We have never been to that part of the world. We will fly from different parts of the world to Santiago, Chile. Some will arrive on Jan 4 late morning and other will arrive on Jan 5 late morning.

 

Pre-cruise

Tentatively I plan to book a hotel in Santiago near airport for one to two nights (Jan 4 & 5). For people arrive on Jan 4 maybe we can do a city tour on Jan 5. SouthExcursions has a 6 hour tour/transfer (from Santiago to Valparaiso to San Antonio). I incline to book this tour for our group on Jan 6 leaving at 8 AM and arrive at port around 2 PM for check-in. I hope to get a van just for our group.

 

1. Is it better to get a hotel near the airport or in the city for our intended purpose?

2. Do you have any recommendation for a good mid-range hotel?

3. Do you have any other tour companies to recommend beside SouthExcursions?

 

Post-cruise

We would like to visit Iguazu Falls post cruise. Tentatively, I plan to book a flight late morning on Jan 20 from BA to IGA (Argentina side). Stay 2 nights in a hotel in Argentina side. I don’t intend to visit Brazil side since it is too much trouble/cost to get a visa. From what I read so far, the actual visit inside Iguazu Falls National Park seems doable by ourselves; i.e., no need to do guided tour. We probably still need airport transfer. I plan to flight back to BA on Jan 22 in the afternoon and stay overnight in BA. Most of our flight back from BA will be around 9 to 10 PM on Jan 23. I would like to get a tango show/dinner on Jan 22 and hire a tour/van on Jan 23 for a day tour for BA and transfer to airport.

 

1. Does the post cruise schedule look reasonable/doable? Any suggestion or input?

2. Should I work with a tour/travel company for this post cruise part of the trip? Do you have any company to recommend?

3. Is there any advantage (cost wise and convenience) to have the tour/travel company to book the flight from BA to IGA and the hotel in Iguazu Falls and in BA?

4. Do you have any recommendation for a hotel in BA?

5. Do you have any recommendation for a tango show/dinner?

 

Your help will be greatly appreciated!

Enjoy your trip! My TA booked my own trip to Iguazu Falls after my cruise ended in Buenos Aires....could have done it with the cruise company, but it was fine. I would recommend getting to Iguazu Falls early in the morning and leave the afternoon of the day you want to leave. I stayed at the Sheraton in the Park and am so glad I did....didn't have to worry about getting to and from the falls. Book a room with the falls view and you can see the steam from the falls from your room! From the Sheraton you simply walk right onto the trails (upper and lower falls) and can also get on the visitor small train to the park visitor center (where there is an ATM--no ATM at the Sheraton). The falls are incredible and you can easily walk the paths above the falls, but the paths down to the river and lower falls are hilly. Incredible! At the small airport when you land, there is a set price for all taxis to the Sheraton, and the hotel can arrange a taxi for you back to the airport. When entering the park to get to the Sheraton, the taxi will stop at the entrance to the park and you have to pay the entrance fee (one time). Fabulous trip!!!!!!!!!!!!

We did Ig. on our own - allow yourself enough time for disembarking and getting to airport- it’s not too far but BA port was a little crazy last time we were there, with long lines for taxis- so have transport pre booked.

Holiday inn express Puerto Madero In Buenos Aires used to have a luggage storage- we took cab from ship, dropped our big luggage there, then flew to Ig. with just small bags. Then on return picked up bags and stayed there the night before flying back home.

Definitely one full day to do Arg. Side of falls. We stayed in town and took the first bus out in the morning and got back to hotel around 6pm. after a non stop day.

An amazing day. I even swam at the small beach on the island under the falls so wear a swim suit!

Also plastic bags to protect phones, cameras etc- you will get wet from the spray!

Take bug spray !

Keep an eye out for toucans in the trees, and avoid the monkeys!

Enjoy!!

Wangy26: You started this thread three months ago, so I'm assuming that you've already booked your flights. We're planning a similar post-cruise itinerary for January 2020 doing the following: fly from BA to the Argentine side of Iguazu Falls after getting off the ship, then spending a day and a half on the Argentine side, then go to the Brazil side on the second night, stay over, and fly home from the Brazil side on the third night. We're doing it this way because from what we've seen, flights from Brazil (Sao Paulo or Rio) to Miami, where we live, are generally less-expensive than flights from BA to Miami.

Anyway, I'm just throwing it out there that once you get to the Falls, you don't have to fly back through B.A.