Celebrity Infinity Ft. Lauderdale to Buenos Aires - Long Review

[ganny3]

I’ll be reviewing a back to back South America cruise on Celebrity Infinity over Christmas and New Years. We are 3 ladies between late 50’s and early 70’s who have cruised before. Like all cruises there have been mixed reviews about the trip. I sometimes think I was on a different cruise from some of the reviewers. We thought the food was good, entertainment was ok, and the cruise director Alejandro was excellent. The Beyond the Podium had some excellent speakers and there were usually 3 different offerings on sea days. The Captain had some minor issues with immigration but we felt he kept us well informed. This was the first South America cruise of the season so we expected some glitches. The weather was everything from hot to cold with several days of light rain. We were able to use the balcony a large portion of the time and I would recommend a balcony. When researching South America I found very little information about private tours so I am writing this review to share some of what I learned.

 

We sailed from Ft. Lauderdale on December 6 with 2 sea days before arriving in Cartagena, Columbia. We chose to take a ship sponsored tour as it seemed an easy way to get us to town and our plan was to stay in the Old Town after the tour. We took the Horse Drawn Carriage tour. I was very disappointed in this tour. The horses looked like they weren’t taken care of and there were so many carriages in a row the horses kept running into the back of the carriage in front of them. It did give us a good overview of Old Town. The streets were very narrow and it was extremely warm. In retrospect I wish we had done a private tour here.

 

The next day we were docked at Colon, Panama. Again we took a ship’s tour that took us by bus to Panama City. This turned out to be an excellent tour. We had a good guide and we were driven all around the city. The drive from Colon to Panama City takes about an hour and a half but the scenery along the way is interesting. There was a lot of traffic so it was nice to not have to worry about being back on the ship in time.

 

December 12 was spent transiting the Panama Canal. What an exciting and interesting day. It takes all day to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific but there is so much to see as you go through the locks. Then as you go through the Gaillard Cut it is amazing to think that they were able to manage to complete it. You can see jungle and red dirt and rocks that they had to cut through. The whole experience is amazing.

 

December 14 we docked in Manta, Ecuador. We had booked a tour with quite a few members of our CC roll call group. The tour was with http://metropolitanmanta.com/. There was some confusion getting everyone arranged in vans. I don’t believe this company normally takes as large a group because towards the end our guide told us the rented vans had to be back by 3. Our guide and driver were very capable. The guide was knowledgeable and we certainly enjoyed the tour. It included an overview of the city and then a trek through the rainforest. Lunch was in a really nice restaurant with good food. It also included a stop in Montecristi to watch them make Panama Hats. I would recommend this company for a smaller group.

 

The following two days were sea days. The Crossing the Equator Party occurred a day late due to the weather. It was certainly interesting to watch as passengers and crews “kissed the fish” and changed from pollywogs to shellbacks. Up to this point we had mostly warm days and you could spend time on the deck or balcony. The sea days also gave us opportunity to see whales and dolphins traveling alongside the ship.

[ganny3]

December 17 we docked in Lima, Peru. This was our first little glitch. On Sunday the Captain announced that we would arrive in Lima on Sunday afternoon instead of Monday morning. The customs and immigrations supposedly wanted to see everyone on the ship face to face. As it turned out they only stamped all of the passports. By arriving on Sunday we were able to leave the ship in time on Monday to meet our private tour guide Renato with http://www.taxilimaperu.com/index.html. What a fun day this was. He took us all over the city with frequent stops to look around and take pictures. Lunch was at a local restaurant with a buffet of local Peruvian foods. A really fun day and I would certainly recommend Renato. There was some confusion locating him when we got off the ship because some tour guides were allowed on the pier, but we had to meet Renato outside the terminal. Setting up this tour was extremely easy as Renato actually called me to find out what we wanted to see and to finalize the tour prior to leaving home.

 

Next stop Chile on December 19. Again a little glitch because the Chile customs and immigrations couldn’t let Peru check us out without them also checking us out. We docked in Arica at 6 in the morning but it was 11:30 before Chile had stamped all our passports and cleared the ship. Our tour was with http://www.sertours.com/home_english.html. Alvan our guide had patiently waited all morning. I had booked this tour along with others from our roll call. We knew the night before docking that we were going to be late so I had emailed the company to let them know. Victor, with the company, had emailed back to say they could shorten the tour and would be waiting for us. As it turned out we were early enough we were able to do the whole tour 7 which was what we had originally booked. Arica is a fascinating place. The tour included a walk through the city close to the port and then driving through the Atacama Desert. High sand dunes with green valleys fed by the run off from the Andes. It included a stop at the Archeological Museum of San Miguel de Azapa to see the mummies. This stop also included a buffet type lunch including fruit that is grown in the Azapa Valley. Sertours was very easy to work with in setting up the tour and I would recommend them.

 

December 21 we docked in Coquimbo. We chose not to take a tour this day but took a taxi to La Serena to The Plaza de Armas. It was a short walk from the plaza to churches and other beautiful buildings. Because it was close to Christmas there was a large market set up in the plaza. This area is also known for its beaches and the Elqui Valley which is the hub of Chile’s winemaking.

 

December 22 we arrived in Valparaiso, Chile and the end of the first leg of the cruise. I had originally arranged a private tour with John Gottlieb at http://www.chiletouring.cl/2/index.php/en/ . A few days prior to leaving home I received an email from him stating due to health problems he would have to cancel and he recommended http://www.private-guides.com/guide-in-chile/hector-chile-1239/index.php . Hector was very prompt in answering emails and setting up a tour for me. This was the only tour that required the full amount be paid at the time of booking, but it was easy to pay using Western Union. He was very helpful in getting this arranged as I had not used Western Union online before. There were 3 ships in port so all of the tour guides were pushed to their limits. He arranged our tour with Maria and she was excellent. Immediately she recognized what we wanted to see and she tailored the tour just for us. Lunch was at a local restaurant and she helped us order so we could try new foods, but have some idea of what we were getting. We saw the entire city with so much information about the history of the city. It was a wonderful day.

 

"review of the second leg to follow in a few days"

[Gig103]

Thanks so much for this! I'm booked for the 2013 tour (not the back-to-back like you!). I have a few questions if you don't mind:

Did the ship excursion in Colon take you to Miraflores for the viewing platform?

Did you find a lot of entertainment on the sea days?

Were there naturalists and lecturers on board talking about the Canal and the life in the area?

[DiamondDiva]

Thanks for all the info so far. We are doing this in March 2014 in the opposite direction, so the help is needed.

 

Looking foward to the rest of the trip!

[SkystheLimit]

Great information. Thanks for taking the time to write this. Look forward to the remainder.

[ganny3]

Thanks so much for this! I'm booked for the 2013 tour (not the back-to-back like you!). I have a few questions if you don't mind:

Did the ship excursion in Colon take you to Miraflores for the viewing platform?

Did you find a lot of entertainment on the sea days?

Were there naturalists and lecturers on board talking about the Canal and the life in the area?

 

Our particular tour did not take us to Miraflores for the viewing platform. Our tour was strictly of Panama City. I believe they offered excursions that did take you to the viewing platform.

 

There were always activities on sea days. I'm a reader so I prefer a quiet corner to read and watch the sea so I can't really comment on the activities.

 

The Beyond the Podium lectures were excellent I thought. There was a husband wife from the Smithsonian who had spent time in Panama at the large biology research station, a gentleman who was a cultural anthropologist and had spent time in Chile and Argentina, as well as a gentleman with interesting seafaring facts. There was a naturalist onboard for the Panama Canal transit.

[ganny3]

The start of the second leg brought a large number of extended Latino families so the flavor of the cruise changed quite a bit. They enjoy life to its fullest so there was a lot more activity on the ship. Alejandro, the cruise director, switched effortlessly from English to Spanish to English so it wasn’t like you had to wait for everything to be said in multiple different languages. It was actually quite interesting. The ship was decorated for Christmas and there were a lot of Christmas activities…..caroling by the officers, Santa Claus was onboard, the crew had made Christmas decorations out of recycled materials, MDR had a traditional Christmas meal as a selection.

 

First stop on December 24 Puerto Montt, Chile. Our private tour here was with http://www.enaturchile.com/enatur_english/index.html . Victor was very responsive to all of my emails and the tour guide was Carlos. This tour included some time walking in the city and then driving to view the Andean lakes. There was a lot of driving but the views were incredible. We saw the Osomo volcano, Petrohue Falls, and Emerald Lake. Lunch was in Puerto Montt, but Carlos didn’t go with us to the restaurant so ordering was a guess. The restaurant had an open fire grill so you could show the waiter what you wanted or look around and see the seafood that other people were eating. I wouldn’t say Carlos was the best guide but certainly he was knowledgeable and we saw everything we had expected to see.

 

The 25th and 26th of December were spent cruising through the Chilean Fjords and the Strait of Magellan. The balcony really came in handy for this. This was very much like cruising the inside passage on an Alaska cruise. Glaciers and mountains and beautiful vistas right off the ship. Land on both sides. You do miss some since you are cruising both day and night and the largest glacier was passed at 4:30 in the morning, but these are two really nice days.

 

December 27 we were docked in Punta Arenas. We didn’t take a tour here but took a cab from the dock to Plaza Munoz Gamero. The plaza is well kept with a large statue of Magellan in the center of the square. After spending time wandering around the plaza we took a cab to the Municipal Cemetery. It is much like the Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires. Punta Arenas is the southernmost city in South America. Although Ushuaia, Argentina is more southern it is part of a archipelago.

 

December 28 we tendered in Ushuaia, Argentina. Our tour here was with Gerardo gerardo_ush@hotmail.com . Booking the tour with him had been easy by email and he was waiting for us at the dock. Our tour started with Tierra del Fuego during which time we made several stops to walk along the lakes with the mountains in the background. Then to the other side of Ushuaia to the lakes district. This was a beautiful drive through the Andes. A very good tour.

 

The morning of the 29th started very early as we passed around Cape Horn. It was a little foggy but the seas were smooth and it wasn’t very cold. When we reached Hoom Island, home to the Chile Naval station and the memorial with the sculpture of the albatross, the captain stationed the ship first from port side and then starboard so everyone had an opportunity to get a good view of the memorial. The balcony was very good for viewing.

[ganny3]

December 31 we docked at Puerto Madryn, Argentina and this brought us our long awaited penguin tour. I had booked the tour for a group of 12 from our roll call. We booked http://www.forasterotour.com.ar/# and they delivered. It was a comfortable bus like van for the long ride to Punta Tombo. I had been a little anxious because all the descriptions of the tour speak of a two hour ride over dusty roads. It was close to two hours and it was raining off and on, but you are on a good highway except for the last twenty or so miles. The ride went quickly with lots of interesting scenery along the way and the guide had lots of good information to share. It is so worth the ride though. Even though it was windy and wet and cold it was a wonderful experience. These are Magellanic Penguins who live in burrows. The colony is huge and you walk on a path with boardwalks over portions of the colony. Penguins of course have the right of way on the paths and they check you out just like you are checking them out. Lots of downy covered chicks. Lunch is a sandwich you eat on the bus on the way back. The tour says you visit Gaiman , a Welsh town, for tea on the way back if time allows. I suspect for the cruise people there is never time to visit Gaiman. It is a long day with a lot of riding for the hour and a half with the penguins, but I felt it was well worth it.

 

There was a big party on New Years Eve with falling balloons and champagne at midnight. All I will say is it’s the first time I’ve been to a New Years Eve party with 2200 people. New Years day they served the brunch in the MDR with ice sculptors. The brunch now takes the place of the midnight buffet. I’m sure there were a lot of people who were glad there were two sea days coming up.

 

January 3 we tendered in Punta Del Este, Uruguay. Again we didn’t plan a tour here. This is a big beach resort city. We walked around town and there are some interesting buildings as well as a long street with a lot of shopping. It is very much a resort town.

 

January 4 we docked in Montevideo, Uruguay. Out tour was with Marta msmtaiz@gmail.com . Marta spent the day sharing her city with us and it was a very good tour. We saw all of the town with good descriptions of everything we were seeing. There were plenty of photo ops. Lunch was the best meal we had in South America. She took us to a local Parrilla in her neighborhood and ordered family style for us. The open fire grill was in the front so the restaurant smelled delicious as soon as we entered. The owner served us some of all of the meats including steak, ribs, pork. It was so good. And of course we couldn’t skip dessert. I tried the flan with the sweet dulce de leche and the others shared a cake that was out of this world. One of the best days of our trip.

 

We were docked in Buenos Aires on the 5th but didn’t disembark until the 6th. I like the idea of having a day in the city and coming back to the ship. We took a tour with Private Tours http://www.privatetours.com.ar/ing/home.htm . I made all the arrangements with Carlos. This tour required a partial payment ahead of time. Carlos and the tour guide Laura met us in the terminal. Once Carlos was sure we were settled in for the tour he left us with Laura. This tour included driving through San Isidro to the train station to take the train to Tigre. Here we boarded a boat that took us through the Parana Delta Islands. Back at the docks we were back in the car for a trip to the flea market. I believe the flea market is only open on weekends.

 

We booked the post cruise tour to Iguazu Falls with Celebrity. Once we were off the ship and with the tour company this tour was very organized and well run. The problems were initially with Celebrity. We were unable to get clear instructions as to how to handle our luggage on the day of disembarkation. Guest relations had little to no information about the post cruise tour and Captain’s Club was not any help either. We knew we could only take one small suitcase with us to the falls and they would store the other suitcases until we returned to Buenos Aires. We put our luggage out at midnight with green tags and expected to find it in the terminal the next morning, and be able to say which suitcase to take and which one to store. The tour company had expected we would have the suitcase we wanted to take to the falls in our possession and so they had loaded our entire luggage in the terminal onto a truck for storage. This delayed the start of the tour as they had to unload the truck to locate the luggage we intended to take to the falls. One of my travel companion’s luggage was lost and she had to make the trip to the falls without any luggage. It was quite an adventure. We were the first trip of the season so I had expected some glitches along the way. Finally after much ado we were on our way.

 

We flew to Iguazu and stayed at the Iguazu Grand Resort Spa and Casino. I was a little disappointed that we weren’t staying at the Sheraton inside the park but it actually worked out well. I have to say that we had a very good group we were traveling with and made some good friends on this part of the trip. The hotel was nice with beautiful grounds and it was a restful day prior to the long day spent at the falls. I have some mobility problems and knew that I would never be able to keep up with the group so I spoke with our tour guide before he left us at the hotel. The park has wheelchairs available and I was able to make arrangements for the tour company to provide someone to push me. I also saw a park person pushing someone and I believe you can rent a wheelchair at the park and have someone in your party push it. This enabled me to be able to see all of the falls except taking the boat ride under the falls.

 

January 7 was falls day and it was a full and exhausting day but so worth it. Iguazu Falls is like Niagara on steroids. I saw monkeys, iguanas, coatimundis, and of course the falls themselves. Pictures don’t begin to do them justice. It is the sound as well as watching the water as it cascades down. There is a lot of walking and if you take the boat trip there are a lot of stairs down and a lot of stairs back up at the end. My travel companions took the boat trip and are still talking about it.

 

January 8 we flew back to Buenos Aires and stayed at the NH Tango hotel. The hotel was ok and is next door to the tango theater so it makes it very convenient to go to the tango show and dinner. It was a very good tango show and gave you some history into the tango in Argentina.

 

All good things have an ending. January 9 the transfer to the airport included a very extensive tour of Buenos Aires. We left the hotel around 11 and weren’t dropped off at the airport until about 6. This included lunch at a buffet that every cruise line uses, and there were multiple cruises in town. We were herded in and there were long lines for the food. While the food was good, this was the only thing I didn’t like about the post cruise tour. Buenos Aires airport was a zoo as it got closer to night since a large portion of the flights leave after 8.

 

I hope there is some information that will be helpful to you as you plan your cruise. It is nice to be able to give back to CC since I have gained so much knowledge over the years from these boards.

[Salmac]

Thanks for the review. Could you share a bit about the ship. How was the food and service. How were the speakers and entertainment? Is the ship looking good? Did you go to any speciality restaurants, if so how was your experience? Appreciate your time. We are doing the reverse of your trip in March. Do you have the name of your restaurant in Montevideo? Thanks again

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[ganny3]

Thanks for the review. Could you share a bit about the ship. How was the food and service. How were the speakers and entertainment? Is the ship looking good? Did you go to any speciality restaurants, if so how was your experience? Appreciate your time. We are doing the reverse of your trip in March. Do you have the name of your restaurant in Montevideo? Thanks again

 

Service on the ship was good. Room steward was excellent without being intrusive. Bed was comfortable. Service in MDR was very good. Menu was somewhat repetitive but this gave me an opportunity to try some foods I might not have otherwise. Service at Cafe al Bacio was good. Crew in the Oceanview were helpful. I use a cane and they were always available to help with getting my tray to a table.

 

We had one meal in the United States and it was beyond excellent. I ate in Bistro on 5 several times and it is one of my favorite places on the ship.

 

Beyond the Podium had excellent speakers. A husband and wife duo from the Smithsonian and a cultural anthropologist. Another speaker that was interesting with lots of cruising and sea tidbits and trivia. The husband and wife got off in Valparaiso and a British gentleman who had lots of interesting programs on the penguins and birds of South America.

 

Singers and dancers had a lot of energy. Entertainment was a little different but I though good with not a lot of repeats on the B2B. Excellent pianist and a violin maestro. Also had a dance group of gaucho's that were excellent. Our overnight in Buenos Aires had an Argentina folklorico group that I enjoyed. Good comedian.

 

The restaurant was Bar Rover. Luckily I had taken a picture of the outside. Just a little neighborhood Parrillada but very good.

Barbara

[Salmac]

Thanks again