Finding Shore Excursions At The Pier

[roberts2005]

We are traveling on Celebrity on January 8th, 2006. My wife and I are used to arranging for a tour when we get off the ship. Has any one had experience arranging local tours once you get off the ship. We were able to do this in Caracas but have concerns if this will work in Chile and Argentina. Any comments will be greatly appreciated.

[Host CMLA]

During my SA cruise in 2002 we were able to arrange tours on the pier in Puerto Madryn and Puerto Montt. We probably could have done the same in other ports but didn't. We saw cars for hire with drivers and guides and we negotiated a price for where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. It worked out well.

 

In Puerto Madryn, Argentina we went to the Punta Tombo Penguin Reserve. We hired a car with an English speaking guide and driver. Punta Tombo is about 3 hours away by car. We made it in two hours. Raoul, our driver, drove 160 km an hour on the paved road. We were on the paved road for about 40 minutes. Then you turn onto a dirt and gravel road where we did 100 km an hour for an hour and twenty minutes. FINALLY we made it to Punta Tombo. There are approximately 750,000 Magellanic penguins at this reserve. They’re everywhere and they’re accustomed to humans so it was easy to walk among them. You couldn’t walk two steps without running into a penguin. Before leaving the reserve we stopped at the little gift shop/cafe and bought souvenirs and ate lambs meat empanadas. We were leaving when the ship's tour was just getting there. After we left there, we went to the town of Trelew and to the Paleontology Museum to see the dinosaur bones recovered from the area. Then we went to Puerto Madryn and got a tour of the city. After that, we asked our guide if we could do a little shopping, go to the post office and go to a grocery store to buy sodas and water to bring back to the ship. We had a wonderful day. The guide we had spoke excellent English and we saw everything there was to see.

 

In Puerto Montt, Chile we hired a car on the pier. This trip wasn’t as good as what we had in Puerto Madryn but we did see some great things. First we headed to the Vicente Perez Rosales National Park. We went to the Petrohue Falls. The water plunges over hard volcanic rocks to form gushing cascades. From this spot you can also see the enormous Mt. Orsorno. Mt. Orsorno is the perfectly shaped and incredibly impressive snowcapped volcano. From there we went to Frutillar, founded in 1856 by German settlers, it’s noted for its Alpine and traditional German style architecture. Back in Puerto Montt we went to the local crafts market and did some souvenir shopping.

[earljr]

Re:

On the tour you took in Puerto Madryn ---

 

Was it your experience that most local drivers spoke English?

 

Would you mind telling me what you paid for the tour and approx. the number of hours you were on this tour?

 

We are doing Regal Princess in March, '06 - B.A. to FLL. and I know prices may very well change but at least it would give me some starting point.

 

Thanx - Earl

[Host CMLA]

On the tour you took in Puerto Madryn ---

 

Was it your experience that most local drivers spoke English?

 

Would you mind telling me what you paid for the tour and approx. the number of hours you were on this tour?

Hi Earl. In Puerto Madryn there were three of us and we paid $80 each for the whole day. That included the tip. The guide charged us $60 and we each tipped $20. I think the ship's tour was well over $100 a person. I was on NCL. Our driver spoke little English. Our guide spoke very good English. I can't say if there were many English speaking drivers because we only spoke to a few before deciding. And we decided on who we did because the guide spoke good English. We were in port from 11 AM to 8 PM. We were on the tour for about six hours. We were back while it was still daylight.

 

The main thing I'd focus on when trying to find an independent tour is making sure you have a good car and ask what happens if their car breaks down. If you go to Punto Tumbo, you're going far inland and it would be very bad to break down out there. So make sure you get a reliable car, with air conditioning and see if the guide has a cell phone for emergencies.

[earljr]

Thanks Host Cecilia

 

Info much appreciated

 

Earl

[BCHappyGal]

Dear EArl

 

I am a believer in private tours. I really believe that I get a much better tour for my money!

 

However as each port in South America offered a lot and we had a limited time (only 1 day per port) I did not want to waste any time looking for a tour guide & driver on the dock. Consequently I now do my homework well ahead of my cruise and find and book my guides using the interenet.

 

This works well and I certainly had some great guides in South America. See my review South America Jan 3 - 31, 2005 and I actually list all the tour guides I used. All of my tours were under $100. pp and included all entrance fees and most included lunch.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[aanselm]

It's fairly easy to arrange tours at the port in most the 'circumnavigation' cruise ports. I believe in private tours and often choose that option.

However, I would discourage you from doing so in Puerto Madryn is your goal is to go to see the penguins, even though the Celebrity tour is overpriced.

 

uerto Tomba (or wherever the penguin colony is) is far away, very hot, and time managment is especially important. the time spent haggling at the pier is nto time well spent. If a vehicle breaks down and you do not have a back up, that would spell trouble, especially travelling southward. In that direction, the next port is days away and air connections would be difficult. I did the Celebrity organized tour in Puerto Madryn and the tour company sent along an empty bus 'just in case'. Besides, even if we had been late coming back, with a ship's tour, we would have been taken care of. Finally, the tour guides that Celebrity uses in that port are often university professors on summer break, articulate and knowledgeable.

 

As to the Englsih speaking skills of guides, with tour companies at the pier, no problem. However, with taxi drivers, it's hit or miss. You will be able to tell by speaking with the taxi drivers.

 

Best of luck.

[trishu]

can you tellme what thread your south america trip is on? love to read it

[trishu]

Dear EArl

 

I am a believer in private tours. I really believe that I get a much better tour for my money!

 

However as each port in South America offered a lot and we had a limited time (only 1 day per port) I did not want to waste any time looking for a tour guide & driver on the dock. Consequently I now do my homework well ahead of my cruise and find and book my guides using the interenet.

 

This works well and I certainly had some great guides in South America. See my review South America Jan 3 - 31, 2005 and I actually list all the tour guides I used. All of my tours were under $100. pp and included all entrance fees and most included lunch.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

would love to read about your trip to south america. can you tell me what thread it is on?

[dileep]

would love to read about your trip to south america. can you tell me what thread it is on?

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=141730

[gottago2mexico]

As with all cruises and hotel vacations alike, booking ahead is the way to go. You waste so much of your vacation on things other than vacationing if you don't.