South America Cape Horn on Emerald Princess February 28, 2018

This is a review of our 14 day cruise on Emerald Princess from Buenos Aires to San Antonio. We also had three nights in Buenos Aires before the cruise and ten days in Peru after the cruise.

 

We are a couple in our 50's and love to travel, usually for a month each year. While we have travelled a fair bit throughout Europe and Northern America this was our first trip to South America.

 

So to get things started we flew from Sydney to Santiago non-stop and after a couple of hours in transit flew on to Buenos Aires. As the flight went over the Andes we had a great view of the snow covered peaks.

 

On arrival at Buenos Aires we went to Taxi Ezeiza which has a booth just to the left after you exit the arrivals hall and after you pass through the transport vestibule. We were given the choice of paying for the taxi ride to the city centre in USD or Argentina Pesos. The cost was 42USD or 780ARS. The taxi ride to our hotel took 40 minutes.

 

We stayed at Park Silver Obelisco Hotel which was right at the obelisk. The room was small but clean and comfortable. The location was great as there were many restaurants nearby, a supermarket around the corner and within walking distance of many tourist sites.

 

After checking in we went out for dinner getting the first of many close looks at the obelisk.

 

We also walked past the Teatro Colon and a Tango Theatre before having a light dinner at an outdoor bar/restaurant where they had live music and a couple got up from one of the tables and did the tango.

 

 

 

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Edited March 28, 2018 by PurpleTraveller

Following along....we’re on the Star Princess 1/31/2019 sailing

Following along....we’re on the Star Princess 1/31/2019 sailing

Welcome, I hope you enjoy the review.

 

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Buenos Aires

 

We decided to use the Hop On Hop Off Bus for the day so that we could get the bus to the furthest parts of the city that we wished to visit and then walk to the areas closer to our hotel the following day. We walked to the HOHO Bus office and bought 24 hour tickets for 670ARS.

 

We hopped on the 9.20am Red/Blue bus. The bus weaves its way through the city, past Plaza De Mayo which is currently undergoing renovation and is a construction site. We went past the Ministry of Health building and saw the pictures of Eva Peron on two sides of the building.

 

 

 

We continued on to La Boca to see the brightly coloured buildings.

 

 

 

 

 

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We hopped back onto another bus and went to Palermo where we got off and had a picnic lunch in a park. After lunch we hopped onto a Green line bus and did the Green line route along the riverfront past the Fisherman's Club and Pier.

 

 

We also went past the Monument of the Spanish.

 

 

We changed back to the Red/Blue line and went to Recoleta Cemetery. Recoleta Cemetery is like no other I have ever been to. We spent a couple of hours there wandering around and marvelling at the ornate statues and mausoleums and of course we visited Eva Peron's tomb.

 

 

 

 

 

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Sorry about the photo of the Monument being the wrong way. Cruise Critic has changed its app regarding photo posting so I am using Tapatalk for the first time and just discovered that they do not rotate portrait photos.

 

After finishing at the cemetery we hopped onto another Red/Blue line Bus and did most of the route again to enjoy the city. We managed to go past the Casa Rosada the offices of the President on the Plaza de Mayo.

 

 

We finally got off the bus at the closest stop to our hotel near the Teatro Colon and walked past the obelisk on our way to the hotel.

 

 

Later we went out to dinner and went past the obelisk and Teatro Colon lit up as well as a Tango Theatre.

 

 

 

 

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Nice photos! Following along.

 

 

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Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing.

We are going Santiago to Buenos Aires next year so are avid readers of your review. I have heard about distraction crime in BA, squirting things and offering to clean up. Did you have any experience of that?

 

Thanks

We are going Santiago to Buenos Aires next year so are avid readers of your review. I have heard about distraction crime in BA, squirting things and offering to clean up. Did you have any experience of that?

 

Thanks

 

We did Santiago to Buenos Aires on Emerald Princess in January 2018. We had a fantastic time. Weather was kind. Recommend it and would love to repeat the trip.

 

Had read about the 'distraction crime' but experienced none. We used the same attitude we use in other big cities/ towns. Just be alert !! No flashy jewellery..although I did NOT remove what I usually wear. Some people recommend removing ALL jewellery including wedding rings and earrings!!

 

Asked a policeman for directions into town. He asked his friend to walk part of the way with us and point us in right direction. By gesture, the friend told us to keep a tight hold of our bags !

 

Hop On/Off bus is good for orientation. (Both Santiago and B.A.)

 

Stayed in Santiago two days prior to cruise and B.A. three days post trip. In B.A. saw several people sleeping on street but they didn't bother or approach us.( no more than you see on street in Cardiff!) Saw a policemen gently tap a homeless man sleeping outside a restaurant where we had lunch...no violence. Many police on streets.

This is a review of our 14 day cruise on Emerald Princess from Buenos Aires to San Antonio. We also had three nights in Buenos Aires before the cruise and ten days in Peru after the cruise.

 

We are a couple in our 50's and love to travel, usually for a month each year. While we have travelled a fair bit throughout Europe and Northern America this was our first trip to South America.

 

So to get things started we flew from Sydney to Santiago non-stop and after a couple of hours in transit flew on to Buenos Aires. As the flight went over the Andes we had a great view of the snow covered peaks.

 

 

 

On arrival at Buenos Aires we went to Taxi Ezeiza which has a booth just to the left after you exit the arrivals hall and after you pass through the transport vestibule. We were given the choice of paying for the taxi ride to the city centre in USD or Argentina Pesos. The cost was 42USD or 780ARS. The taxi ride to our hotel took 40 minutes.

 

We stayed at Park Silver Obelisco Hotel which was right at the obelisk. The room was small but clean and comfortable. The location was great as there were many restaurants nearby, a supermarket around the corner and within walking distance of many tourist sites.

 

After checking in we went out for dinner getting the first of many close looks at the obelisk.

 

We also walked past the Teatro Colon and a Tango Theatre before having a light dinner at an outdoor bar/restaurant where they had live music and a couple got up from one of the tables and did the tango.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your review and photographs. Lovely to recall our trip from January 2018.

Following! We are scheduled on the Star for 1/3/2019.

Enjoying your review and pictures. We are doing this itinerary in 2019. Thanks for sharing.

Nice photos! Following along.

 

 

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Thanks, hope you enjoy.

 

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Awesome pics. Thanks for sharing.

Thank you. I hope you keep enjoying them.

 

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We are going Santiago to Buenos Aires next year so are avid readers of your review. I have heard about distraction crime in BA, squirting things and offering to clean up. Did you have any experience of that?

 

Thanks

I too had heard the stories about distraction crime and pickpocketing in Buenos Aires. We did not see any signs of this or any other type of crime while there and never felt unsafe or uncomfortable. We did take sensible precautions and did not carry bags, wear jewellery and left valuables in the hotel safe. It may be that we were left alone as they could see we had very little to take but we also saw many tourists with large cameras hanging around their necks, bags dangling from their shoulders and mobile phones and wallets in back pockets who would have been much easier targets. We also met an English man on the cruise who had his wallet stolen within an hour of going into the city centre. When he went to the police station to report the theft there were four other tourists there also reporting thefts. So, take sensible precautions, be aware of your surroundings and be alert. We would happily go back to Buenos Aires with no qualms.

 

 

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This is a review of our 14 day cruise on Emerald Princess from Buenos Aires to San Antonio. We also had three nights in Buenos Aires before the cruise and ten days in Peru after the cruise.

 

We are a couple in our 50's and love to travel, usually for a month each year. While we have travelled a fair bit throughout Europe and Northern America this was our first trip to South America.

 

So to get things started we flew from Sydney to Santiago non-stop and after a couple of hours in transit flew on to Buenos Aires. As the flight went over the Andes we had a great view of the snow covered peaks.

 

 

 

On arrival at Buenos Aires we went to Taxi Ezeiza which has a booth just to the left after you exit the arrivals hall and after you pass through the transport vestibule. We were given the choice of paying for the taxi ride to the city centre in USD or Argentina Pesos. The cost was 42USD or 780ARS. The taxi ride to our hotel took 40 minutes.

 

We stayed at Park Silver Obelisco Hotel which was right at the obelisk. The room was small but clean and comfortable. The location was great as there were many restaurants nearby, a supermarket around the corner and within walking distance of many tourist sites.

 

After checking in we went out for dinner getting the first of many close looks at the obelisk.

 

We also walked past the Teatro Colon and a Tango Theatre before having a light dinner at an outdoor bar/restaurant where they had live music and a couple got up from one of the tables and did the tango.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for your review and photographs. Lovely to recall our trip from January 2018.

Thank you. I hope you had a great time on your cruise.

 

Sent from my A1601 using Forums mobile app

Following! We are scheduled on the Star for 1/3/2019.

Welcome and hope you have a wonderful time on your cruise.

 

Sent from my A1601 using Forums mobile app

Enjoying your review and pictures. We are doing this itinerary in 2019. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks. This is a great itinerary so you should have a great cruise.

 

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The next day we planned to walk around the city but we started by hopping on the first Red/Blue HOHO Bus of the day at 9am as we still had 20 minutes left on our 24 hour tickets. We got the bus to stop five near Plaza Dorrego which meant we could save our legs by getting the bus to our furthest point and then have a leisurely walk through the city. As it was still early the streets were quiet which made pleasant walking.

 

We passed Plaza Dorrego and walked down Av Defensa. The San Telmo area has many cobblestone streets and there are many antique stores along Av Defensa, some of which we went in to. Our first stop was at Mercado San Telmo an old fruit and vegetable market.

 

 

We also popped into Pharmacia de la Estrella an old pharmacy with wood counters and lovely murals on the ceiling. We then stopped at the Santo Domingo Convent which has the mausoleum of the Argentine national hero Manuel Belgrano in the front courtyard. Manuel Belgrano took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and was also the creator of the Argentine flag.

 

 

We came to Plaza de Mayo and visited the Metropolitan Cathedral and the tomb of General Jose de San Martin one of Argentina's most revered heroes. General Jose de San Martin was one of the leaders of Argentina's struggle for independence from the Spanish empire.

 

 

 

 

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We then walked down Florida Street which is a pedestrian mall with many shops. It was quite crowded and busy with the money changers constantly calling out "Cambio, cambio, cambio".

 

We ended up at Plaza San Martin, a lovely park where we had a picnic lunch.

 

 

 

There is a statue of General Jose de San Martin in the park.

 

 

After lunch we walked to the El Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookshop which is in a coverted theatre which originally opened in 1919.

 

 

We then walked back to the hotel through Plaza Lavalle. There we saw Palace of Justice and also the rear of the Teatro Colon.

 

 

 

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Wednesday February 28 - Embarkation Day.

This morning we went for a short walk to the Plaza del Congreso. The park was having a lot of work done on the gardens. We saw the Palace of Congress and also the Monument to the Two Congresses which was inaugurated in 1914 and celebrates a century of the 1816 declaration of independence.

 

 

 

We then returned to the hotel and checked out.

 

Just before we get to the cruise part of this review I want to note that while we saw no crime and had no experience of street crime, if you are in Buenos Aires please take sensible precautions and be alert as we met a man on the ship who had been robbed of his wallet within an hour of arriving in the city. When at the police station to report the theft there were four other tourists also reporting thefts. Also be aware that the footpaths of Buenos Aires are not in good repair so be careful and observant when walking. These two photos are of footpaths on main streets in Buenos Aires.

 

 

 

We got the hotel to call for a taxi for us to get to the port. It came very quickly and it took 30 minutes to get to the port as it had to take a longer route due to one way streets and congestion near the port. It cost 200ARS.

 

It took about 20 minutes to check in and our passports were kept. We did not get our passports back until the end of the cruise and when we were in Chile we were given a photocopy of our passport and a Chilean Customs Declaration form which we had to complete for each person, to carry with us whenever we were off the ship.

 

Once on board we went to our cabin E219, an obstructed oceanview. We had the same cabin on our last cruise in the Baltics on Crown Princess and were very happy with the location, layout and view from the window.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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We settled in, had some lunch and after unpacking went to explore the ship. As we had been on Crown Princess less than a year before it was easy to find our way around.

 

 

 

 

 

The port is an industrial working port.

 

 

It was a bit strange to be on board but not sailing as we had an overnight in Buenos Aires. We had dinner then watched "The Mountain Between Us" at MUTS.

 

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Thursday March 1 - Buenos Aires

 

We had a leisurely start today as we were not planning on much - just a walk to Puerto Madero. We got the port bus to the port terminal which took less than five minutes. We then exited the terminal building and got the free shuttle mini bus to HStern a jewellery store across the road from Plaza San Martin at the northern end of Florida Street, which took about 15 minutes.

 

We then walked to Puerto Madero which is the old waterfront and has now been done up. There are old brick warehouses, many old cranes and a couple of old ships. It was a pleasure to stroll around. We walked over the Women's Bridge which is a rotating footbridge which allows larger ships to pass.

 

 

We walked past the Presidente Sarmiento which was built in 1897.

 

 

We also saw the Uruguay which was built in 1874.

 

 

As the day wore on it became quite warm so we walked back to HStern and after collecting our free gift - a charm of the Buenos Aires symbol, we got the free shuttle bus back to the port terminal. We then got the port shuttle bus to the ship where we had a late lunch.

 

Muster was at 4.15pm and then sail away was at 6pm. It was great to be onboard and having our first sail away of the cruise.

 

 

Dinner was at the Michelangelo Dining Room where we shared a table with four other lovely couples.

 

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Your photos brought back great memories (esp. my favorite, La Boca). Thanks for posting them and your review!