What is on your bucket list?

[cbb]

In another thread some were talking about their bucket list so I thought perhaps we could share.

 

When I was little there was a series of books called "You Are There" and were historical fiction. I read the story of the attack at Pearl Harbor and was hooked on history forever more. That was the first place I wanted to visit when we retired and it was awesome.

 

Among other places are Machu Picchu and Easter Island. I figure O can get me there!

[OKCruiseMan]

Drink a Margarita on Margarita Island!

[Paulchili]

In another thread some were talking about their bucket list so I thought perhaps we could share.

 

When I was little there was a series of books called "You Are There" and were historical fiction. I read the story of the attack at Pearl Harbor and was hooked on history forever more. That was the first place I wanted to visit when we retired and it was awesome.

 

Among other places are Machu Picchu and Easter Island. I figure O can get me there!

 

A word of caution about Easter Islands.

We were just there with the Marina for 2 wonderful days. As you probably know, we were lucky to be able to tender - not every ship is. If you want to make sure you get there, do it as a land trip out of Santiago (maybe as an add-on after a BA to Santiago cruise?). Otherwise it is the luck of the draw. It's a long way to cruise and very disappointing if you do not get there.

Good luck with your list :)

PS we were not as lucky at Pitcairn though the Islanders came to us. However, contrary to local legends, the moias cannot walk and won't come to the ship if you can't tender :D

[S O B]

My bucket list: Riviera, Marina, Nautica & Insignia. Destination not important.

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Easter Island has been on my bucket list since I was a kid, but I've kind of given up on seeing it--you never know. I've given up on Antartica and Macchu Pichu too.

 

The Galapagos Islands, Bali, Egypt, New Zealand, Ireland, South Africa, Wales, Prague and Budapest, they're all up there.

 

But I am the type of person who longs to go back and see more of places I have been, and loved. So, my bucket list includes these much-loved places: Scotland, French Polynesia, Portugal, Greece, Istanbul, Norway, Italy, England, Lithuania, Morocco, France, Austria...

[cbb]

Paul,

Thanks so much for the heads up on Easter Island. You're right, I would be very disappointed to get so close by cruise ship and then not be able to tender in.

 

I've already cut and pasted your comment into the old "dump document"--thanks again! c

[PaulMCO]

Having just visited my 82nd country (Galapagos and Machu Piccchu are XXX of the list) - the list grows shorter. Certainly Antarctica is one -- plus Easter Island, Burma and Polynesia are others on my list.

[no fuss travel]

This year we are crossing off 10 places on our bucket list and as fast as we are able to cross them off new ones appear on the list. Next year we will cross several more off the list with what we have already booked, but we still wish to go to: Turkey, Poland, Romania, Black Sea, Adriatic Coast, Eqypt, Portugal, southern France, Northern France, Vietnam, Australia and New Zealand (the parts you can't see from the coast) and .... (the list keeps growing):eek: We know some of our wish list will have to be done by land, but several places can be done by either river cruise or ocean cruise. We will do the longer trips first and then shorter ones. I am starting to see the advantages of retirement now. We both have places we would like to go to that one or the other is not as fussy about, so I guess those spots will be at the very bottom of our joint list.;)

[jpalbny]

A word of caution about Easter Islands...If you want to make sure you get there, do it as a land trip out of Santiago

 

Very wise advice, IMO. If we were docked by Easter Island for 2 days and unable to tender, I think I'd go crazy; I'm afraid that I'd try swimming for it!

 

To add to your advice, note that you can also fly directly to Easter Island from Lima, and from Papeete, in addition to the direct flights from Santiago that you mention. The LIM-IPC flight only operates 2x/week, so you can stay for 3 nights or 4 nights. They have a great sounding all-inclusive resort there (Explora?) which includes numerous fun-sounding activities...

 

Last year, we put together a 2-week dream trip that included 8 nights in the Peruvian Jungle (4 on a river boat, 4 in an ecolodge), and 4 on Easter Island, using Lima as our connection hub. I did have it all mapped out and the timing was pretty good, but we ultimately decided to do something else instead. Easter Island still remains on our bucket list, for sure, and we'll probably combine it with the Peruvian jungle as originally planned.

 

Of the others that have been mentioned - some great choices! We have been lucky enough to visit Egypt, Machu Picchu, and Antarctica in the course of the past few years. They truly are remarkable, and belong on most lists! Go there if at all possible!

[orchestrapal]

My bucket list: Riviera, Marina, Nautica & Insignia. Destination not important.

 

Exactly our' s as well, in good health! :)

[TKS]

Don't we live in amazing times? That we live in a time when travel to the locations of our exotic childhood dreams is really a blessing.

 

I've been to a number of places on my bucket list, but the list seems to grow longer all the time as I meet others who have travelled there.

 

Now if I can only live to about 150 years old, and my health and my money hold out. . .:rolleyes:

[cbb]

jpalbny--i see you went to the Galapagos on Celebrity X. Would you recommend Celebrity for these islands and what month did you go?

 

We would love to take a little one with us when child is about 8-10. c

[jpalbny]

jpalbny--i see you went to the Galapagos on Celebrity X. Would you recommend Celebrity for these islands and what month did you go?

 

We would love to take a little one with us when child is about 8-10. c

 

Yes, X did a really nice job. We were there in November. We'd go back in a second, though now that SS is traveling there, it might be a tough choice between the two, and we'd probably go with SS.

 

Check out the monster thread on the X roll calls - entitled "Xpedition - Anyone recently back? PART 2" for more details than you could ever imagine about the trip. X is well-organized and hosts a great expedition!

[cbb]

jpalbny--

thanks for the thumbs up on Celebrity X (smoking policy really matters to us) and I've read previously (on the thread you suggested) that Celebrity does a nice job having naturalists with the kids onboard.

[rodjung]

 

...... Among other places are Machu Picchu and Easter Island. I figure O can get me there!

 

Machu Picchu is on our list also. That's one of the reasons we booked the Regatta leaving from Lima on Feb. 3, 2114. It's the only sailing that I could find with that itinerary.

 

Oceania wants a cool $4,000 extra to escort my wife and I to the Inca ruins from Lima. We're hoping to do it much cheaper -- and we also want to add Lake Titticaca.

 

Being retired, we have no problem tacking on more days at the beginning and end of our cruise.

 

Any suggestions?

[jpalbny]

Machu Picchu is on our list also. That's one of the reasons we booked the Regatta leaving from Lima on Feb. 3, 2114. It's the only sailing that I could find with that itinerary.

 

Oceania wants a cool $4,000 extra to escort my wife and I to the Inca ruins from Lima. We're hoping to do it much cheaper -- and we also want to add Lake Titticaca.

 

Being retired, we have no problem tacking on more days at the beginning and end of our cruise.

 

Any suggestions?

 

Yes, you can arrange it all (Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu) on your own, pretty much by e-mail and the web. We did this for our Nov 2011 Galapagos cruise; it's not too difficult. The ships' tours usually only give you one day in MP which ends up being 2-3 hours; that's a travesty IMO.

 

I don't want to take this thread OT with all of the gory details about how you book everything; if you're interested in how we did it, contact me through my gmail address which is jphafnermd. I have a long e-mail response that I've shared with others, so it will be easy to cut and paste to send to you.

[rodjung]

Thanks, J.P. and Chris, for the offer of advise for Machu Picchu touring arrangements. I' ll be sending you an e-mail very soon.

 

I ordered a "South American Handbook" from Amazon based on rave reviews from Amazon and their readers. I decided to send it back for a refund. It's a fat book with hardcover and it has too much information, all detailed in tiny print. The book appears to be designed for backpackers, certainly not for seniors and cruise travelers.

[GITC]

Yes, you can arrange it all (Cusco, Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu) on your own, pretty much by e-mail and the web. We did this for our Nov 2011 Galapagos cruise; it's not too difficult. The ships' tours usually only give you one day in MP which ends up being 2-3 hours; that's a travesty IMO.

 

I don't want to take this thread OT with all of the gory details about how you book everything; if you're interested in how we did it, contact me through my gmail address which is jphafnermd. I have a long e-mail response that I've shared with others, so it will be easy to cut and paste to send to you.

I am also interested in these details for Machu Pichu as we'll be there in about three and a half months. Please look for an email from me as well and TIA. :)

[no fuss travel]

The advice we received was to do the Sacred Valley first, then Machu Pichu and last Cusco. The reason for this is that you will adjust to the elevation easier this way as Cuzco is the highest elevation. We are doing that in the fall when we go.

[cbb]

If you look at many of the tours to MP, it seems that they take you first to Cusco, then to the Sacred Valley, then MP, then back to Cusco and back to Lima or Quito. Everything I've read says exactly what you said to do, which is Cusco last.

 

Perhaps jpalbny could share his knowledge with us regardless of whether it sends us OT. Since I started the thread I will declare "I want the info without loading up jpalbny's email box!" (if you don't mind sharing)

 

I figure sharing info is what CC does best! c

[Paulchili]

jpalbny--i see you went to the Galapagos on Celebrity X. Would you recommend Celebrity for these islands and what month did you go?

 

We would love to take a little one with us when child is about 8-10. c

 

cbb,

Like JP, we too did the Celebrity X trip to Galapagos and loved it. In addition to this, they offer a post cruise extension to MP in grand style on the Orient Express train and upscale accommodations in Cusco. Thus you can kill 2 birds with one stone :) (just don't kill any boobies :D).

From Lima we flew over to Manaus and sailed the Amazon to Miami (killing another bird :D)

[cbb]

Paul,

I so totally want to do this trip, BUT, am concerned about taking the various shots needed to go to the Amazon. I usually have significant reactions to shots/meds so am leery about getting what is needed to go to the Amazon.

 

However, I am pretty pumped about going to G Isl and MPichu and the whole train experience is on the "must" list. Of course, I've taken your advice and put it in the old dump document.

 

What month did you go, did you have any problems at Cusco and did they take you there first?

 

Thanks for the encouragement and boobies should not fear me. Definitely going to do this! c

[jpalbny]

The advice we received was to do the Sacred Valley first, then Machu Pichu and last Cusco. The reason for this is that you will adjust to the elevation easier this way as Cuzco is the highest elevation. We are doing that in the fall when we go.

 

According to Google Earth, Aguas Calientes is 7000, MP 8000, Sacred valley (Ollantaytambo) 9000, and Cusco 11,900.

 

There are many who advocate this approach. We didn't do it that way due to timing, but from an altitude perspective, it certainly makes sense. We are lucky in that we don't seem prone to altitude sickness; we've gone from sea level to 14,000 without symptoms. Cusco, therefore, is child's play... :) If you're prone to altitude sickness, though, this makes great sense.

 

It is also more convenient to get to MP via train from Ollantaytambo - it's a shorter trip, and more trains go there daily. We will probably spend more time in SV should we go back to this area - SV is gorgeous, and we only had a day tour here. There are numerous cool sites to explore in this region, and there's a nice hotel in Urubamba (Rio Sagrado) that we'd love to visit...

 

One of the reasons we didn't do it that way was that we would have had to fly from Lima to Cusco, and then spend more time traveling on the ground to our hotel. Though it's not terribly far, we found it made more sense to get to Cusco, check in to a hotel, and take it easy exploring the architecture and museums in Cusco that afternoon.

 

I'll post my other info including websites shortly.

[jpalbny]

Enjoy MP whichever way you choose to go, but do go, as it's phenomenal! All of our Peru pictures are under the Celebrity Xpedition Galapagos heading in our signature - pics1 is Peru. There are probably a few pictures of hotels, trains, etc mixed in there.

 

Note: we did this as a pre-cruise extension before our Galapagos cruise, which departed from Quito. We flew into Lima first and spent 2 nights, but then flew from Cusco to Quito which limited us to only one particular departure from Cusco. If you’re boing to and from Lima, the air travel is simpler, and you have a lot of options for flights between Lima and Cusco.

 

I have not tested all of the links in the past few months. Hopefully, they all work. This trip was amazing...

 

We flew in and out of Lima to our international destination. I booked internal air (LIM-CUZ and CUZ-UIO via LIM) separately with LAN. They are stupidly expensive, but it beats walking. There is no reliable, or even remotely fast, ground transport between Lima and Cusco. The Celebrity package is appealing, but for us the reason not to do it was the inadequate amount of time at MP itself. You only have a few hours there which is just not enough!

 

We did 2 nights in Lima, 2 nights in Cusco, 1 night at MP, then 1 night in Cusco. The last night in Cusco was just an overnight stay; no time that evening or the next morning for anything other than arrival and departure. We did that so as to spend more time in MP, and very glad we did so… We took the vistadome train from Cusco to MP which left very early, and we took the Hiram Bingham train from MP back to Cusco because it left MP fairly late, so we ended up spending more than 50% of each day at the MP site. I can’t see how you’d go all the way there without spending more than a few hours….

 

Let me know if you have any more specific questions, or want more details that I’ve omitted. The websites can be clunky, but with perseverance, I was able to book everything online.

 

 

------------------------------

 

It was not that difficult though it can be a touch anxiety-provoking to plan such a trip via the internet in a very different part of the world…

 

 

I’d suggest booking the hardest parts first, then allowing the rest to fall into place based on those dates. Machu Picchu entry tickets and train tickets, tend to sell out first. Make sure that there’s a place for you to stay at Machu Picchu if you’re planning to overnight there. I've heard that MP hotels can book up a year in advance, in high season... That said, we booked Nov 2011 in June 2011 - but we did have to have some flexibility in dates; luckily, as one of the dates we were considering was actually already sold out.

 

The MP site entry tickets are booked here: http://www.machupicchu.gob.pe/ There is a handy instruction guide to navigating the site (it’s clunky) here:

http://www.machupicchutickets.com/

 

 

I found a lot of other useful nuts and bolts information about MP and the surrounding area here: http://www.andeantravelweb.com/peru/destinations/machupicchu/index.html This is a good site to browse, and get an idea of your transportation options in the Cusco/SV/MP region.

 

Catching the bus from Aguas Calientes to the MP site itself is a bit chaotic – though if you take the Hiram Bingham you don’t have to worry about that. We did the Vistadome train one way and the HB back – so we had to find our own way up on the bus when we arrived. The bus tickets are sold in a booth that’s tucked away behind a mass of people and the buses themselves. Took a few minutes!

 

 

The train tickets are booked online via PeruRail. Their site is here: https://www.perurail.com/en/ We took the cheaper Vistadome train from Cusco to AC, and the more luxurious Hiram Bingham train back. The Vistadome was just fine; didn't feel cheated out of taking the HB both ways, and was glad for the nice windows on the Vistadome during the day. The HB coming home was nice, because it was already dark outside.

 

 

The only other question you have to figure out is whether you want to make MP a day trip or spend a night there. I highly recommend spending a night there; the MP Sanctuary Lodge is very nice but very expensive. There are cheaper options in the town of Aguas Calientes, but then you have to line up for the bus there and back. The MP Sanctuary Lodge is literally at the entrance gate of MP, and their room rates include all meals and just about every beverage except for premium wines and spirits. The food was great and the included wine selections were more than adequate. The rooms are adequate, not fancy, but for me that was fine because we just wanted to sleep there. Their wireless internet was pretty good, and fast enough to upload pics.

 

 

If you do want to stay at MP Sanctuary they will book up well in advance so make sure they’re available before booking your other tickets. We booked in June 2011 for Nov 2011, and some dates were already sold out.

 

 

Note: MP tickets are completely nonrefundable and non-exchangeable / non-changeable once purchased, and you have to put your name and passport number on them when purchased. They do check your passport against the name on the ticket at the entry gate. The ticket is good for a calendar day, not 24 hours, but keep your ticket after entry, because you can go in and out multiple times in the same day. This makes the Sanctuary Lodge even more convenient, because you can go to the ruins at 6AM, spend a few hours before the crowds arrive, have a late breakfast, return for more, have a nice relaxing lunch, and go back at the end of the day once the crowds start dispersing at 3PM or so.

 

 

Perurail tickets are changeable, with a 10% penalty, but only within one month of travel. Again, you have to put your name and passport number on them and they’re not transferable. I was able to exchange them more than a month from travel by canceling the old ones for a refund, and booking the new ones separately, which is pretty silly that they made me do that rather than just exchanging them, but whatever…

 

 

Cuzco and Sacred Valley – we stayed at the Monasterio Hotel and used the Orient-Express agency for private tours. The Monasterio is amazing. Website: http://www.monasteriohotel.com In Lima, we really liked the Miraflores Park Hotel for its location and elegance -http://www.miraflorespark.com

 

 

If you are booking it’s a good idea to check the individual hotel’s website, and also check the Leading Hotels of the World website http://www.lhw.com/ and see who’s offering a cheaper rate – all 3 of the hotels I’ve mentioned are members of LHW, and Monasterio’s rate was significantly cheaper on LHW’s website.

 

 

I bought a multi-city itinerary on LAN from Lima-Cuzco and then Cuzco-Quito via Orbitz.com. Their rates were similar to LAN’s website. you have a lot more options for the return flight CUZ-LIM if that's all you're doing. Have heard that afternoon flights in and out of CUZ are frequently canceled due to fog.

 

 

Lastly, I use Tripit.com to keep track of my itineraries. Otherwise, it can get insane trying to keep all of this stuff straight!

[PaulMCO]

Paul,

I so totally want to do this trip, BUT, am concerned about taking the various shots needed to go to the Amazon. I usually have significant reactions to shots/meds so am leery about getting what is needed to go to the Amazon.

 

However, I am pretty pumped about going to G Isl and MPichu and the whole train experience is on the "must" list. Of course, I've taken your advice and put it in the old dump document.

 

What month did you go, did you have any problems at Cusco and did they take you there first?

 

Thanks for the encouragement and boobies should not fear me. Definitely going to do this! c

 

We just got back from the Celebrity Expedition.

Definitely a bucket list thing -- we did the MP tour with Celebrity too -- though many people say do it on your own cheaper -- it was very well organized and first class all the way. Three nights in Cusco gets you used to the altitude and allows you time to see the city and some of the Sacred Valley sites. It also gets you a trip on the Hiram Bingham Orient express train for a great lunch and evening dinner with entertainment.

 

I had Altitude issues despite the Diamox. DW did not. Diamox side effects definitely to consider too.

 

As it turns out we were the only couple on the Celebrity tour -- that meant a fully escorted PRIVATE tour for two. Escort from Lima the whole trip plus local guides in Cusco and MP. The next weeks tour had 13 people :) -- so our good luck.

 

Weather was OK despite the rainy season. Avoid February as that is the worse of the rainy season.