Amazon?

[BoatsandTrains]

We are considering the 32 day Amazon Explorer Cruise this Nov-Dec.   Looking to get impressions from anyone who has done it.  Thanks!

[colbe]

 

[Loreto]

On 2/3/2020 at 3:36 PM, BoatsandTrains said:

We are considering the 32 day Amazon Explorer Cruise this Nov-Dec.   Looking to get impressions from anyone who has done it.  Thanks!

We did this itinerary in Nov. 2012 on the Prinsendam and took it again last November to celebrate our 50th wedding Anniversary.  I appreciated all the work Btimmer did organizing our meet and greet and his live reports!  We sailed this time in a Neptune Suite and basked in the wonderful service from the concierges in the Neptune Lounge.  Upon arriving home DH and I decided that we would take this cruise again.  We went for the Amazon and Devil's Island, not the Caribbean.  Comparing the 2 cruises, the Prinsendam was far superior with outstanding enrichment highlighting the River experience.  Everyday we received a new word to learn to pronounce in Portuguese prior to entering the Amazon.  Last year enrichment was a big disappointment: talks about Rio and language lessons after we left Brazil.

 

We were excited just to be back on the river!  The 7 hours stuck on the submerged sandbar and the schedule change gave us a full day cruising on the river, and it was amazing to see so much of the river in daylight.  Most of the river cruising is done at night.  Missing Boca da Valeria was a huge disappointment, but we are glad we saw it the first cruise.  We were pleased with all the HAL excursions we took (different from the first time.)  I did a 3 hour hike in the jungle, we visited a village up the Rio Negro and toured a rubber plantation.  We were pleased to visit a fish market again, and see the Opera house in Belem.   Devil's Island was again a fascinating stop, with lots of moneys this time.  Everyday was an adventure, and sometimes things didn't go as planned.  We would have liked more time on the river and less of the Caribbean ports.

 

We sweated like never before, but thanks to insect repellent  and sunscreen we never suffered.  You don't need a Brazil Visa if you are from the US and we were never asked for our Yellow Fever certificate, though I would get it.  I would recommend this cruise if you have the chance to take it! 

 

Karen

[Essiesmom]

I love the Amazon and would like to cruise there again.  My last visit was in 1999 on (the original) Royal Princess.  It was my third visit, the only one on a cruise.  EM

[ski ww]

We did it on the Maasdam, 2 years ago and loved it. It had been on our bucket list for many years. It is so different from your normal Caribbean cruise. The high light was spending the evening watching the Carnival in Rio. 

[HamOp]

My first thought upon reading the title of your thread, was that big on line shopping site.

Hey, maybe travel will be their next big thing!