ARBORGUY Posted May 10, 2005 #1 Share Posted May 10, 2005 We are booked on Insignia for this cruise and wonder if anyone else is? This is our first Oceania Cruise. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike35 Posted May 10, 2005 #2 Share Posted May 10, 2005 We are booked on the Insignia that leaves Valparaiso on Jan 3, so our paths will cross. I'll try to share comments on this board from internet cafes in some of the ports (Oceania's internet fees are 95 cents/hour - a bit too steep). As for Oceania, we just got off the Insignia's Istanbul to Athens cruise, and we absolutely loved everything about the ship and Oceania in general. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milzey Posted May 18, 2005 #3 Share Posted May 18, 2005 we are looking at either of the two january south american cruises. Never saled this line before. When we decide we will be in touch. Did you do the 2 for 1 price? incl air? Can you upgrade air? Also we are looking at the vista suite. Anyone tried this suite? regards milzey@aol.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winner Posted May 18, 2005 #4 Share Posted May 18, 2005 Mike: Aren't Oceania's internet fees 95cents a minute? 95cents an hour seems very reasonable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike35 Posted May 19, 2005 #5 Share Posted May 19, 2005 Whoops - did I say 95 cents/hour? I meant per minute - sorry:o:o:p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusanTravels Posted July 3, 2005 #6 Share Posted July 3, 2005 I'm booked and starting to make plans. We leave from Valapariso just after a busy summer holiday weekend. Things are closed in Santiago and booked at the beach. Has anyone else made plans for the few days before we sail? Any suggestions from past cruisers? Thanks, Susan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patlanta Posted July 4, 2005 #7 Share Posted July 4, 2005 We're with you too. Not currently intending to making any plans for Valpariso, trying to get excursions together for Buenos Aires though. Keep us advised and we'll do likewise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikiew Posted July 4, 2005 #8 Share Posted July 4, 2005 We spent over two weeks south of Santiago in Pucon. It is a beautiful resort town, rented a car when we got there, took day trips.........was delightful. It is so far to come back too soon. I recommend this hotel. The Park Lake. Wanted to add, they have great bus service in Chile, so we took the first class sleeper bus...........really nice.........and cheap. It was about $60 http://www.chile-travel.com/hotel-villarrica-park-lake/index.html# NCL Seaward 1981 Caribbean Sitmar Fairwind 1983 Caribbean Holland American 1986 Caribbean Celebrity Zenith 1993 Caribbean Celebrity Zenith 1994 Caribbean RCCL Windstar Windsong 1997 Tahiti NCL Crown 1998 South America NCL Norway 2000 Transatlantic RCCL Legend of the Seas 2001 Australia to Singapore Cunard Caronia 2002 Southampton to Canary Islands Celebrity Zenith 2003 South America Royal Clipper 2004 B to B Deep Caribbean Oceania Regatta 2004 Transatlantic Celebrity Infinity 2005 South America Celebrity Xpedition 2005 Galapagos Upcoming: Clipper Odyssey 2005 New Caledonia to Melbourne Celebrity Summit2006Hawaii Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktalcott Posted July 5, 2005 #9 Share Posted July 5, 2005 they have great bus service in Chile, We took local buses all around Vina del Mar with no problems. In fact it really was a wonderful adventure, and we had lots of support and encouragement from both the passengers and the bus drivers. A couple of things that I wanted to mention about Chile: My experience was that lunch was the main meal, and they were sort of discombobulated when it came to dinner. Lots of places were closed, but there was always some place to eat. We never, ever saw one menu in English. I loved that, I dragged out my Spanish, and away we went. If you are in a place where you want to practice your Spanish, you can't do better than Chile. They don't give a damn about English in much the same way that Americans don't give a damn about non-English languages on our streets. I was sitting in the Lan Chile van that was going to take us from Vina del Mar to the Santiago ($15 vs $75 for a taxi) and someone came up to me and asked me in Spanish what time the van was going to leave for the airport. Now, one look at me, and you know that I'm not Chilean. Bulgarian, maybe if I cound find a eastern European looking ex-weightlifter sort of outfit, but Latino, not on your life. So this guy asks me when the van leaves, in the same sort of way we would ask a taxi driver in NYC where the Golden Gate Bridge is while not giving a damn that he was from Nigeria or Ghana or Nepal or where ever. I loved it. Rick aka Ricardo the Traveler Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted July 5, 2005 #10 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Sounds like the kind of place that sticking with the ship's own shore excursion will be a good idea for many passengers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike35 Posted July 5, 2005 #11 Share Posted July 5, 2005 And for those of us who make an effort to learn a bit about the local language and customs, independent shore excursions with natives are the way we love to go. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john2003 Posted July 5, 2005 #12 Share Posted July 5, 2005 I certainly concur with Rick's comments about the lack of English. We had a couple of minor surprises with meals but got around Valparaiso, Vina and Santiago fine. We took the train from Valparaiso to Vina and back and the bus to Santiago. We really enyoyed Chile and Brazil with our Antarctica cruise but I can see that going independent wouldn't be for everybody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktalcott Posted July 5, 2005 #13 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Sounds like the kind of place that sticking with the ship's own shore excursion will be a good idea for many passengers! I started a thread on our voyage from Buenos Aires to Santiago that talked a bit about shore excursions. It is at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=187305 Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meow! Posted July 5, 2005 #14 Share Posted July 5, 2005 I started a thread on our voyage from Buenos Aires to Santiago that talked a bit about shore excursions. It is at http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=187305 Rick Thank you so much for such a comprehensive, detailed account of your voyage to the tip of South America. Having written a couple of lengthy reports (in parts) ourselves on this cruise critic board, we surely appreciate the amount of work you have put into them, and your perseverance in typing through it. One point I cannot understand, you mentioned that there was a fouteen feet differential in height between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. I thought that "water finds its own level". How is the differential maintained, but currents, or what? Does anyone know? Also, from various reports on this board, it seems that a voyage in South America is a lot more adventurous than say the Mediterranean and Alaska, for example. it will take a lot more stamina to withstand the journey (e.g. very rough seas), and land excursion (no English if you don't take the ship's excursion). It is nice to read the various accounts on this board, it gives a good idea of what these trips will be like! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktalcott Posted July 5, 2005 #15 Share Posted July 5, 2005 you mentioned that there was a fouteen foot differential in height between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. I thought that "water finds its own level". How is the differential maintained, by currents, or what? Does anyone know? I remember the figure from years and years ago, but I don't rmember where I heard it. On the cruise we took through the Panama Canal, I got into a discussion with the canal expert lecturer, who poo-pooed the very idea of height differential between the two oceans, but 5 minustes later, he was talking about how the Suez Canal succeeded as a "big ditch" without locks because the Med and the Red Sea have the same tide schedule. When the Panama Canal was being planned, the idea was to also dig a ditch, but our cruise expert said that never would have worked because the tide schedules were not the same between the two bodies of water. Maybe, that accounts for some of all of the difference in heights. One other thought that I had that is entirely my own is that -- if there is a larger amount of precipitation into the Pacific and its watershed, that might account for some of the height differential. Yes, the oceans would even out, but only if it stopped raining. If you picture more water being poured from a larger, endless bucket into the Pacific and given the size of the opening between the two oceans, maybe the Atlantic never has a chance to catch up and even out. Maybe. Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktalcott Posted July 5, 2005 #16 Share Posted July 5, 2005 Also, from various reports on this board, it seems that a voyage in South America is a lot more adventurous than say the Mediterranean and Alaska, for example. it will take a lot more stamina to withstand the journey (e.g. very rough seas), and land excursion (no English if you don't take the ship's excursion). I never meant to cause any concern about wandering around by yourself or in a private excursion in the Cape Horn crusies. O my goodness, not. Everybody speaks enought English to help you along and show you a good time except for the Falkland Islands where they only speak British. :) Rick PS I once met a Canadian family who used to live underneath the DEW line. The Distant Early Warning radar facilities in Canada that were supposed to wqatch out for Soviet missles coming over the pole to blow us all away. They finally figured out that they were living at the Cold War's ground zero in that those radar stations would be the first things to go in a nuclear exchange. They worried about it so much that they finally decided to move not just somewhere safer, but to the safest English language speaking place in the entire world. I mean, if you're going to move, why not do it right? So, after months of research, they finally packed up their bags and moved to, you guessed it, the Falkland Islands 13 days before the Argentinians invaded. I met them after they moved to San Francisco, which I thought was a prefectly nice compromise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARBORGUY Posted July 29, 2005 Author #17 Share Posted July 29, 2005 Rick... I really enjoyed your GREAT narrative and pictures of the South American cruise! Can you tell me again what camera and model you used for those great pictures? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricktalcott Posted July 29, 2005 #18 Share Posted July 29, 2005 I used an Olympus c-740 which is a digital camera with 3.2 megapixels. I bought it because it has a 10x optical zoom -- about the equivalent of a 310 mm lens on the old film cameras. The 3.2 megapixels is adequate for pictures, but I found that I was often wishing for more. The detail in the shrubbery in landscapes, for example is a bit less than I would wish for, but certainily in a range that I can live with. From what I hear the latest model c-770 is a bit better in this direction. In either case, buy the tube gizmo and a UV filter. Not so much for the UV effect, but as protection for the lens. The camera itself is small enough that it fits into a fanny pack but not into a pocket. I find that I like the fanny pack approach because there is nothing that says "camera" from the fanny pack, so I can leave it in the car if I am out renning around during the day etc. I am also a big believer in Photoshop Elements even though it took me a few on-line lessons to learn how to fix pictures. My wife, the artist, always talks about how pleased she is with her paintings when the colors "sing." Much to my amazement, I found that feeling when adjusting the color specturm of my photographs. Hope this helps, (& thanks for the feedback) Rick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penny0639 Posted August 1, 2005 #19 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Hi: We are booked on this cruise as well. It will be nice to meet you. Penny We are booked on Insignia for this cruise and wonder if anyone else is? This is our first Oceania Cruise.Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ARBORGUY Posted August 1, 2005 Author #20 Share Posted August 1, 2005 Hi Penny, Yes it will nice to meet you! So far I think we're the only two to acknowledge we going. We will be arriving in BA on Sunday prior to the cruise and staying in Santiago two extra days. Hotels are still undecided. Bill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOHEMIO Posted August 18, 2005 #21 Share Posted August 18, 2005 Hi Penny,Yes it will nice to meet you! So far I think we're the only two to acknowledge we going. We will be arriving in BA on Sunday prior to the cruise and staying in Santiago two extra days. Hotels are still undecided. Bill Hi ARBORGUY May be this link http://www.tripadvisor.com/Discount...4291-Chile.html, can be helpful. You can comparated the rates of hotel in Chile. You can find in this site a active forum with enough information about Santiago in Chile. I hope be able to help it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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