Winery Tours

[JoAnneV]

Is it possible to do tours to wineries from Buenos Aires or any of the other Argentine ports on a Buenos Aires to Santiago cruise?

[Clay Clayton]

We did a GREAT winery tour in Montevideo. We visited the Viña Varela Zarranz winery. Magdelena arranged for transportation from the Port to the winery, we had a wonderful short tour, a great tasting - we did their middle option that included meat pies, and then transporation back to the City Center where some of us left the van and walked back to the port and others were dropped at the port. The total cost for us was right at US$40 per person. I know that for me and for most of the group I put together (16 Cruisecritics in total) it was one of the highlights of our SA adventure. You can get more info by emailing Magdalena at:

info@varelazarranz.com

We also did a tasting at one of the many wineries in the central valley between Santiago and Valparisio. Ours was arranged by our transportation guide but I am sure you can do it on your own also.

Have a great trip....its a wonderful cruise!

[JoAnneV]

Thank you for the information - it helps a lot. We're looking forward to the cruise.

[dileep]

Lots of choices in Santiago. We stopped at Veramonte between Valparaiso and Santiago and also had a 3 hour tour of Concha y Toro just outside Santiago.

[JoAnneV]

We're doing the Machu Picchu cruise tour after the cruise, so I'm not sure we're going to have any flexibility to do anything on our own. I need to find out more about that as we get closer.

 

Thank you!

[JoAnneV]

Clay,

 

This is off topic, but you list both Celebrity and NCL in cruises that you have taken. How do they compare? NCL seems to have some really interesting ports that Celebrity doesn't have. We have really liked our Celebrity cruises. Thanks!

[Clay Clayton]

I haven't been on Celebrity since 2006 so not sure what changes if any they may have made. In many ways, they are very different from NCL, the most obvious being Freestyle dining. On NCL, you don't have assigned dining times or seating, and there are no required formal night or semi formal nights. I enjoy not having to dress up, especially on a trip where you are in ports all day. Not having to rush back onboard, shower, dress to make your seating time is a really good thing IMHO. Food wise, Celebrity is probably a step above in the MDR and way ahead in the Specialty Restaurant...but it is also significantly more expensive as I recall than those on NCL. X's ships are a little more upscale decor wise - NCL has lots of bright colors and such. I am pretty frugal and usually NCL is signifcantly cheaper than Celebrity but I would certainly cruise Celebrity again depending on their price and the iteniary. If NCL's ports appeal to you more, then I say try them out.

 

For a comparative review of X vs NCL, look up my NCL Sun Review from January of 2005 - at that point we had sailed Summit in Alaska in August of 2004 and then on NCL on New Years day.

[JoAnneV]

Thanks again!

[nerves]

We are traveling on Celebrity Inifinity from Valpo>BA and will be in Monteviedo 12/31. I emailed Magdalena and she is a bit iffy about having a tour that day - even an early one. She said if others were interested from our cruise, to let her know, perhaps they would do one. Based on the posts, I hope she does! Thanks!

 

Marcy

College Station, TX

[polySeraph]

We are traveling on Celebrity Inifinity from Valpo>BA and will be in Monteviedo 12/31. I emailed Magdalena and she is a bit iffy about having a tour that day - even an early one. She said if others were interested from our cruise, to let her know, perhaps they would do one. Based on the posts, I hope she does! Thanks!

 

Why don't you try emailing Liz at Real English Tours? You can find more info on their services here. I arranged a city highlights and wine tasting for a group of 10 when we visited Montevideo last March. We had a wonderful time. We visited the Bodega Bouza winery (You can learn more about the winery here) and it was simply charming. We tasted generous portions of several credible wines and had a fabulous spread of breads, cheeses and meats between tastings.

 

You can contact Liz through the Contact page on their web site. Best wishes for a wonderful day!

[nerves]

Thanks so much for the tip, Polyseraph. I have sent Liz an email....although I think I will also post to the board about getting Magdalenas tour also - can never have too many options on a trip like this!:)

[travelberlin]

Thanks so much for the tip, Polyseraph. I have sent Liz an email....although I think I will also post to the board about getting Magdalenas tour also - can never have too many options on a trip like this!:)

New years eve is a big thing in South America and probably everywhere else. Even if Magdalena decides to do the tour, it is not for sure that the wineries or places which are suppossed to be visited will open their doors on that day. We are also going to be at Celebrity Infinity from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires and we are iterested in wine tours and sightseeing. If you wish you can let us now what you find out and we might join you.

[Clay Clayton]

For clarification, Magdalena as far as far as I know, works directly for the Via Zarela winery. So if she agrees to have a tour on NYE, it will be fine. When we were there, it was just her second, (Magdelana was unfortunately for us - on vacation), and two helpers who set up the tasting. In the winery itself, we only saw one or two people as it was the weekend when we were there. It was still a great day.