Iguazo and South America Cruises

[TiogaCruiser]

Am considering a cruise to SA, to include Iguazo Falls. (We missed 3 ports when I went, and that's a lot of "unfinished business".....) am considering November, February, or March.

 

So I'm wondering if anyone could share how their Iguazo Falls trip was. Am considering booking with HAL for the whole thing. Did it include both Argentine and Brazil sides? What extras were not included? This would be for 1, so am not even sure a private agency would be a good or available option.)

[lcand1923]

I know what you mean about "unfinished business" since I was on the same cruise as you. I am a solo traveler, too.

 

HOWEVER, I did take the Iguazzu Falls extension with HAL, post cruise. There were about 15 of us on the extension.

 

HAL provided a "group escort" who made certain we got on the plane, checked in, etc. HAL also hired an Iguazzu Falls guide who was FABULOUS. We stayed at the Sheraton on the grounds of the park. The folks who were on the HAL extension had the prime rooms at the Sheraton. (I know this because I was up at sunrise each morning. Everyone was out on their balconies. The HAL folks were on the upper floor, with views of the Falls.)

 

I believe breakfast was included, but you had to purchase lunch and dinner on your own. The food at the Sheraton was quite good. There are three trails in the park. The program with the Falls guide took you on each of the trails. The Falls guide directed us to various lunch spots in the park. The food there was good, too.

 

The Falls guide made the necessary arrangements if you wanted to take the boat ride at the Falls. (I skipped that because I hadn't brought a swim suit with me. I hadn't read about that option.) There was an extra charge for the boat ride.

 

The extension only visited the Argentinian side of the falls. But, we had enough free time so that we could visit the Brazilian side. The Iguazzu Falls guide made the necessary arrangements, as long as you had a Visa for Brazil. She gave us two options -- a taxi driver who would take us to the Brazilian side where we would be on our own or hiring her through her agency.

 

I do not remember the cost differential, but it wasn't that great. I was the only person in the group who had a Brazilian Visa. The other 14 stayed at the Sheraton.

 

I hired her. Her agency provided a car and driver and her services. If other folks in the HAL group had the Brazilian Visas and wanted to go, the agency would have provided a van. I was the only one in the HAL group who had a visa so I had to pay even more than the original quoted price since the cost couldn't be shared.

 

Was it worth the extra expense? YES!

 

As the guide told me, "When you look at the Falls on the Argentinian side, it is as if you are on a Stage looking into the Orchestra Pit. When you look at the Falls on the Brazilian side, you are in the first rows of the Orchestra Section of a theater looking at the Stage."

 

I want to do this cruise again, to visit the ports that were skipped. I also want to return to Iguazzu Falls for that boat ride!

[aliaschief]

We also were on that cruise, as you well know. After Buenes Aires we did Iguazu Falls on our own. We had a guide for Buenes Aires that took us to the airport and we flew up to Iguazu where a guide service drove us to Iguazu Park and dropped us off at the Sheraton. Toured the falls for two days on our own and like previously mentioned enjoyed the Shearaton and dining. Stayed on the Argentina side only as Visa for Brazil was exorbitant at the time.

 

Our hotel in Buenes Aires stored our cruise luggage so we didn't have heavy cumbersome bag drags. All in all we came out cheaper than Hal Side Excursion by doing it on her own. We flew back to Buenes Aires and did another day of touring before flying home.

 

Iguazu Fall is magnificent but it was hot. Eleanor Rooselvelt was quoted when first seeing the many falls, "Poor Niagara"!

 

Take the Boat Ride!

 

It also was fun to see many of our post cruise mates staying at the Sheraton.

 

We also want to do this cruise again. B.

Edited July 13, 2016 by aliaschief

[rafinmd]

I think aliaschief has the right idea doing it before or after the cruise rather than as an extended excursion and missing some ports.

 

My opinion is also that Buenos Airies seems to be the best starting point for the tour. I've had 3 recent South America plans and the 3rd one should turn out to be the charm. I was on the Maasdam in 2015, FTL to Rio. I skipped it that time. This year I was on the Crystal Symphony, BA to Miami. I considered it but by then my 2017 plans were beginning to emerge.

 

I have a Crystal Serenity cruise BA to Rio March 3-14, followed a week later by the Zaandam BA to San Diego. In the week between cruises I plan to fly back to BA the day I disembark. After a night in a BA hotel I plan a 4-night tour with Viatour which will be round trip from BA and then return to the same BA hotel before boarding the Zaandam. I hope to leave some excess baggage at my BA hotel while I'm at Iguazu.

 

While the Zaandam voyage has a significant transportation purpose, I am eagerly looking forward to repeating the itinerary.

 

Roy

[TiogaCruiser]

Thank you all.

I'm looking at pre-cruise for 2-3 nights. HAL is a bit pricey, but not sure if I can do much better privately as a solo. And want to go BsAs to Valpo this time and focus on some of the missing pieces. I noted the east to west itinerary has a longer call in to Stanley- IF it happens. Want to get to Volunteer Point when the penguins are there. Anyone know their usual season there?

 

We're hoping for Antarctica in the next couple of years (this time with DH, who should start accruing more vacation next year.):D

[bernie5]

Thanks to all of you for the fabulous info on the Falls. This helps so much with my Antarctica plans.

[TiogaCruiser]

A few more questions:

 

About how many hotels are there near the Falls? It looks like Sheraton is walking distance? And how far is the other (Brazilian) side?

 

Roy, was there an option to sign up for the Brazilian day, or was that taken care of once you were there? And how did you pay- cash? Credit card? Prepay through HaaL account? Assuming not shipboard account, as that wouldn't have been set up yet? And did you need pesos, or were $ accepted.

(Was food at the Sheraton expensive? (At Sheraton Santiago, buffet lunch (Parilla) was $79!:eek:)

[TiogaCruiser]

Thanks to all of you for the fabulous info on the Falls. This helps so much with my Antarctica plans.

 

Ahhhhh, Antarctica.....:D you won't regret it.

[JJPacer]

We found a local travel agent who provided a small break on the room price of the Sheridan (which is the only hotel inside the falls) and included transportation to and from the airport, breakfast at the Sheridan, and an English speaking guide to the falls. The total price we paid for the travel agent tour was a significant savings compared to the cruise line price. The guide was useful in calling ahead and getting us reservations for the boat ride. A must do. And in helping us get on the right train to Devils Throat. You will want a rain poncho when visiting Devils Throat and on the boat ride. You will get wet. We did not do the Brazilian side, because the visa fee was more than we cared to spend for a couple of hours. We told the travel agent what flight times we wanted to fly to Iguazu and return to Buenos Aires. he was very cooperative in getting us what we wanted. We too left the majority of our luggage at the hotel in Buenos Aires. We also paid for a full moon tour of the falls through the travel agent. However, it was cloudy while we were there, and the tour was cancelled. When we checked in at the Sheridan, all the full moon tours were booked. We were happy we had it booked through the travel agent. We had no trouble at all getting a refund for the full moon tour from the TA. What wasn't included in our tour price was the entrance fee to the Iguazu Park, lunch and dinner, & a tip for the guide. There's a bus that goes to the town of Iguazu. You get on very close to the Sheridan. I don't remember what they charged for the bus ride. It was an minimal amount. We took the bus to town and had a delicious lunch, and did a little shopping for things we needed. The bus system was very convenient and on time. We showed our receipt for our entrance fee to the park, for which we already paid, and passed through easily when returning. We went to Iguazu prior to our cruise. It was a must do visit, and by doing it through a local TA we saved a significant amount of money. We booked early because the Sheridan booked up quickly. I suggest you do the same. Here's a tip...sit on the right side of the plan, facing the front of the plane, and have your camera ready. When you fly over the falls, you can get an areal view of the falls. Reverse sides for the flight out of Iguazu. The falls come up quickly as you leave, so have your camera ready. We spent 2 nights at the falls, which we thought was the perfect amount of time.

Edited July 14, 2016 by JJPacer

[rafinmd]

I haven't done it yet. I will next March.

 

Roy

[john2003]

Definitely worth doing. We did it in 2001 so our experience is dated we flew into the Brazilian side and then went by taxi to the Sheraton on the Argentinean side for our second night. The experiences are very different. If u only do one stay at the Sheraton.

We took the overnight bus to Rio as that is where our cruise started. It was a bit of an adventure. Not sure how it would be today.

[rafinmd]

John2003, when I was on the Crystal Symphony (BA-Miami) there was a lady on my trivia team who does not fly. She had taken a segment of QM2's World cruise NY to Rio and crossed South America mostly by overnight bus, starting with Rio to Iguazu.

 

She was very positive about the experience in 2016, although she had to make a connection in (I think) Sao Paulo. It was her enthusiasm about the experience that led me to book the Viatour tour from BA that uses overnight buses. I wouldn't have done it on my own but look forward to it with the support of a tour company.

 

Still seems like a great adventure.

 

Roy

[TiogaCruiser]

I haven't done it yet. I will next March.

 

Roy

 

Oops- I was reading over a rushed lunch break and got the wrong person. Thanks for replying. :).

 

Iancal, was there an option to sign up for the Brazilian day once you got there, or was that taken care of once you were there? And how did you pay- cash? Credit card? Prepay through HAL account? Assuming not shipboard account, as that wouldn't have been set up yet? And did you need pesos, or were $ accepted.

 

IF I do this, want to go to both sides. :D

[john2003]

Rafinmd. We also changed in Sao Paulo and also another smaller town as the direct Leito bus to SP was not bookable. At that time tbe bus company had to keep unreserved seats in case government officials needed to travel at the last minute. We were advised to buy new tickets at each stop in case the bus was late. Apparently they would not honour the ticket on the next bus.

Buying tickets was a little difficult as they spoke no English. We found the information desk staff were wonderful. Also learnt to have Mastercard as well as Visa as several timds Visa although accepted didnt work.

[TiogaCruiser]

Any other advice?:D

[lcand1923]

I took the Iguazzu Post Cruise Extension offered by HAL. About 15 folks on my cruise also took the extension. HAL provided a Group Guide to get us from BA to airport, from the Iguazzu airport to the Sheraton and to the meeting point where we picked up our Iguazzu Park guide. HAL provided the admission tickets to the Argentinian side of the falls as part of the package.

 

The Iguazzu Park guide explained the "Iguazzu Program" to us. We would do three walks in the park -- two on the first day and one on the second. On the second day we would have some "free time". The Iguazzu Park guide could arrange for a Boat Ride to the falls and a visit to the Brazillian side of the falls.

 

To go to the Brazillian side of the falls you would have to have a Visa for Brazil. This Visa had to be obtained prior to leaving the US. Brazil had also instituted a Reciprocity Fee on the previous day (literally, the day before we arrived!). She would help us obtain the proper credential for this using the hotel computer. (I used my credit card for this.)

 

I didn't take the boat ride but believe you paid cash. For the visit to the Brazilian Side of the falls, I paid cash (Argentinian Pesos). I had to purchase an admission ticket for the Brazilian Side of the falls, too. This could be purchased via credit card or cash. I did not have Brazillian Pesos, so I put it on my Credit Card.

 

The HAL post cruise extension included two nights in Iguazzu and one night in BA. After we flew from Iguazzu to BA, the Group Guide took us on a tour of BA before we checked into the Sheraton in BA for one night. The Sheraton in BA is very near a nice shopping center with a great Food Court. (I remember a Burger King and a Subway and a good Ice Cream stand.)

 

I think the HAL pre-cruise extension for Iguazzu is set up just about the same.

 

I think that answers your questions, TiogaCruiser. If I missed anything, please let me know.

[TiogaCruiser]

Well, I'm booked. And have tentatively booked the HAL pre-cruise also. Have another week or so to determine if i want to go with a private agency or stay with HAL. (I want the option to purchase cancel for any reason insurance if i do opt for the private agency, but the HAL platinum plan + additional medical and evacuation makes financial sense for me if i go all HAL.)

 

So a few more questions, if you don't mind. :)

 

Are 2 nights enough, or, if those of you who have gone were to do it again, would you book 3 nights instead of the 2 (and therefore go with a private agency). Did you walk away saying "Wow, I'm glad i saw it (and would love to stay longer) or "gee, i only saw part of it....)

 

Any other things i should be aware of?

[TiogaCruiser]

Anyone? :D

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Definitely book at least 2 nights. We did the Falls at the Sheraton as a pre-cruise with Princess and we only stayed one night which was NOT enough time.

[Groningen]

Anyone? :D

 

I say a minimum of 2 nights, which is what I did 20 years ago. This time we'll do 3 nights so we have plenty of time and can really enjoy the tropical environment, the birds etc. Not decided on Brazil yet, but at least we'll have time to go there (don't need visa, as we have Dutch passports).

[lcand1923]

Glad you've booked, Tiogacruiser.

 

I think I've talked more about these falls than anything else I've seen.

 

My only regret is skipping the boat ride, so pack your bathing suit.

 

If you go with HAL, the two nights are enough. Just be a bit on the rested side when you start the extension because the days will be full, especially if you take the boat ride and go to the Brazilian side.

 

I have a difficult time justifying a third night other than some time to visit the town and relax by the pool.

[ncgolferette]

Does HAL usually offer this excursion pre cruise for cruises beginning in Buenos Aires? Planning on a cruise from BA to FLL in 2018 and wondering if it will likely be offered.

[TiogaCruiser]

Does HAL usually offer this excursion pre cruise for cruises beginning in Buenos Aires? Planning on a cruise from BA to FLL in 2018 and wondering if it will likely be offered.

 

I believe so, and cannot check if it is up for 2018 as am on my iPhone. Go to the HAL site on a real system. Plan a cruise, South America, ports, at the bottom of the page, choose pre or post tours. (The names you are looking for may be a little different as I don't have it in front of me.)

 

HAL is offering pick up and city tour from EZE & hotel in BsAs day 1, fly to IGR- 2 nights at Sheraton, return flight and transfer to ship on boarding day. (It's not cheap.):eek:

[TiogaCruiser]

Glad you've booked, Tiogacruiser.

 

I think I've talked more about these falls than anything else I've seen.

 

My only regret is skipping the boat ride, so pack your bathing suit.

 

If you go with HAL, the two nights are enough. Just be a bit on the rested side when you start the extension because the days will be full, especially if you take the boat ride and go to the Brazilian side.

 

I have a difficult time justifying a third night other than some time to visit the town and relax by the pool.

 

Thank you. I'm leaning now to staying with HAL. The agency I have a quote from is including a hotel near La Boca. Not sure I want to stay there solo: not sure I want to do solo away from HAL. I have no interest in sitting by a pool or seeing the town. Any extra time would be spent at the Falls. (They are within walking distance from the hotel. Right?)

 

I learned last trip my friends were wise in having a glass of wine on the flight to SA. I skipped, was awake for the whole flight and quite sleep deprived the first days in Santiago.:eek:

[TiogaCruiser]

So i am booked and we are less than 50 days out now!:D

I have my Brazilian Visa in hand and getting ready to order my foreign currency, and finalize the details. Its looking like we have a total of 3 people now with the desire to do Brazil and the proper visas.:D If the guide doesn't offer the option separately, we can do it ourselves.

 

So a few more questions please, Iancand1923 or anyone who has done this via HAL pre/post cruise):?

 

1) Did you receive a receipt your entrance fee to the Argentine side, (presumably paid via HAL), so you didnt have to repay the entrance fee? (Did you have to ask for it, or was it given to you?)

 

2) Regarding the intra-precruise tour flights: Did you know in advance what they were, and have to check in in advance, or did HAL do it all for you, and you just found out about the flight plans when you arrived?