November 24 South America Cruise

[dibel]

Hi All,

 

We're booked for the November 24 cruise from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires and will arrive in Santiago on the 23rd. I have a few questions that I hope someone may be able to assist with.

 

1. Hotel suggestions that are convenient for limited sight seeing prior to embarkation?

 

2. Transfer to the cruise seems to be a bit of distance from Santiago. It appears that HA offers the transfer option but wonder if that is the best option or if someone has another recommendation.

 

3. HA uses the Sheraton hotel in Santiago. Has anyone stayed here and if so, how did you find it? I generally try to find more unique boutique type hotels but maybe the Sheraton would be easiest?

 

Thanks to anyone who can assist here.

[2ptu/000]

Hopefully, others will come on and add to my comments as we have only done one South American cruise and disembarked in Santiago. You are correct Santiago is quite a ways from where you get on the ship. We always do our own precruise hotel and use cabs to get to hotel and pier but this might be an exception. It might be easier to stay in a HAL hotel and use their transportation. I would suggest that you look up the hotel and see what you can book it for on your own and then just buy the hotel to ship transfer. If that isn't an on line option, HAL will have a desk at the hotel and you can buy it there.

[boulders]

We used South Excursions for our transfer from Valparaiso to Santiago. They were very good.

[dibel]

Do you recall the cost for the transfer?

[TiogaCruiser]

I stayed there with HALs package precruise. It was nice. Room was small but I really didn't care. Was able to check in at noon as a smoking room was available ( and I was too tried to wait for a nonsmoking room).

 

The staff all spoke excellent English which was good because I was really struggling with the chilean dialect and accent. The hotel is a ways from other food venues but there was a HOHO bus that stopped there which I did not take. The food was very expensive (tourist hotel). The All you can eat parilla buffet was $79 US for lunch. I ended up in the bistro/ coffee shop and got fish soup for $20/bowl. Breakfast was included in the stay. HAL offered some shorex the day prior to embarkation from the hotel. I think the hotel and transfer package was $300 (solo). The transfer to Valpo was about 90 minutes and we had a guide who pointed out the sights so it was a tour of sorts. All the buses made a stop at a small store ( where many of us got wine).

[Vict0riann]

Have you checked your roll call? You may find some good advice there, or people to share transfers with.

[RuthC]

I had a lot of trouble finding a reliable, trustworthy, transfer service, so I opted to take the HAL transfer from the airport to the pier.

 

I arrived the day before and used the hotel shuttle to a nearby hotel. As I was very tired, and had toured Santiago before, I was happy just resting all day.

The next morning I took the shuttle back to the airport, made my way to the arrivals area, and met up with the HAL reps. They didn't know I hadn't just flown in. ;)

 

Sometimes you can't book the HAL hotel on your own and book the transfer at the hotel. Do check into this before you commit to that plan.

[triplestar]

Thanks for info re Southexcursions we are staying for 2 nights in Santiago pre cruise. I have not yet looked into transfers .We are staying at a small hotel In Providence no idea what it will be like.

[TiogaCruiser]

When I met the first of many HAL reps at the airport (at the escalator) she checked me off her list and pointed me to the Reciprocity booth. The next rep also crossed me off and directed me to the next step. There were almost a breadcrumb trail of HAL reps are the airport all the way to where they collected me to go to the van. ( Being overseas for the first time and alone I felt very taken care of.....)

[boulders]

Our South Excursions transfer was $45 pp for Valparaiso to SCL. We added a stop at the Fonck museum which was an additional $15 pp for a total of $60 pp. There were 4 of us and it was a private transfer.

[dibel]

Is there any merit to skipping Santiago by going directly from the airport to Valpariso and booking a hotel in Valpariso that is in proximity to the cruise port?