HELP LAND EXCURSIONS I am totally confused

[dbohn4]

Hi there,

 

I need help! I have so many Emails and offers from people now and don´t know what to book and what is a good price. It would help me if you could give me a list what you do/did and how much it was and if it was worth it!

 

BA

Montevideo

Punta del Este

Puerto Madryn

Ushuaia

Punta Arenas

Puerto Montt

 

Transfers from Sao Paulo to Santos and Valparaiso to Santiago as well how much should I pay?

 

We are 2 to 6 people!

 

I am running out of time because my cruise starts on the 13th of March!!!

 

I am pleased for every help, links and offers you can give me!

 

Danny from Germany

[Wotan758]

Hi there,

 

I need help!

 

Transfers from Sao Paulo to Santos

 

Please refer to the thread http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=928042

 

Wotan

[Peregrina651]

step one -- eliminate any company that requires a deposit or asks for a credit card number. There are enough companies out there that don't ask for deposits or credit cards and enough stories of problems from folks who made a deposit and then had the port cancel because of weather.

 

step 2 -- from the companies that are left, search both cruise critic and tripadvisor for reviews and comments. Include searching the roll calls on CC because there is a lot of information exchanged on the roll calls. Don't depend on replies here; you will waste too much valuable time.

 

final thought -- there was not a port we visited where we could not find plenty of taxis waiting at the port to take us wherever we wanted to go. In Punta Arenas, we were even able to walk off the ship and arrange for a van We paid $300; a translator/guide would have been extra but we had Spanish speakers in our group and did not need one.

 

You should pay about half of what the ship is charging for any tour that you book on your own.

[dbohn4]

Thank you for that great information. I saw tourismo nuevo mundo but they want my card as a deposit. they offer really good prices! i was about to book something with them!

[Peregrina651]

Read the cancellation policy.

 

If you haven't made a deposit and you haven't given a credit card, you can cancel at any time with no penalty. There are plenty of reputable people willing to do business on a handshake so why get involved with deposits, cancellation policies and sharing your credit card numbers.

[ricki]

We had a private guide for a walking/taxi tour of Buenos Aires that I think speaks German. He did a wonderful job! Please email me if you want his contact information.

 

Ricki@aol.com

[ricki]

P.S. He did not require any kind of deposit!

 

Ricki

[kiwi4]

Hi Danny, we are on the Radiance leaving 13th March I have been keeping a eye on your threads, is it possibe to join your excursions, there are two of us. I too am very confused as to book anything on advance or wait - I think arranging with a few people at the ports will be the cheaper option.

We live in New Zealand and we are not very experienced travellers!!! I have read that the bus trip from Sao Paulo to Santos is nice. When are you heading to Santos, we are staying in Sao Paulo at the Tryp Guarulhos on the 12th March and are looking to get to Val on the morning of the 13th March - maybe we can share the costs.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards Yvette

[dbohn4]

Hey, please write me your email adress to d.chalupsky@gmx.de and I will give you all the information I have about the excursions. I found A LOT! And yes, we are still looking for sharing partners!

 

We are coming in Sao Paulo around 7h in the morning of the 13th and we want to go to Santos after that BUT I want to make a tour with some sightseeing while I never be there again (probably)! If you´d like to share we would be happy! But certainly I still have no good offer for that. I am waiting for some answers so!

 

All right, just give me a quick email!

 

PS: Are you signed in the gallery?

[owl61]

There is a roll call for this cruise. Transportation from the SP airport to Santos is discussed there recently and someone is trying to organize a 10 passenger van that will be considerably cheaper than the ship excursion. See:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=601900&page=13

You will find other people who might want to organize pvt tours. Maybe a group could be formed with one city assigned to each member to share the load.

p.s. Sign up for the Meet & Mingle cocktail party on board if you have not already done so.

[julieanne]

Hi there,

 

I need help! I have so many Emails and offers from people now and don´t know what to book and what is a good price. It would help me if you could give me a list what you do/did and how much it was and if it was worth it!

 

BA

Montevideo

Punta del Este

Puerto Madryn

Ushuaia

Punta Arenas

Puerto Montt

 

Transfers from Sao Paulo to Santos and Valparaiso to Santiago as well how much should I pay?

 

We are 2 to 6 people!

 

I am running out of time because my cruise starts on the 13th of March!!!

 

I am pleased for every help, links and offers you can give me!

 

Danny from Germany

We took a tour in Santiago/Valparaiso with Enatur Chile. There were 8 of us. It was $80 per person. They were excellent and you can also "design your own tour". In Puerto Madryn, we got a tour right at the pier to Puerto Piramides, large van, guide and driver for $65 per person for about 5-6 hours. In Ushuaia, we also were able to get a van guide and driver for $40 per person. Cabs for two people are $25 per person but the guide usually speaks only spanish. Punta Arenas, we used soloexpediciones.com for a boat tour to Magdalena Island (you can purchase Seno Otway penguin tours at the pier for $25 per person). It takes 45 minutes to reach the island by small boat, 2-2.5 by ferry that the cruise lines use. This was $76 per person. In Puerto Montt, we did take a ships horseback riding tour which I am sure can be bought independently from El Colote stables. If you have any other questions, I would be happy to try and help, please e-mail me at jmndsgn at hotmail dot com.

[dbohn4]

Thanks for all the information. Do you think it is not bad if I am not booking everything before I go?

[travlof10]

We were in Buenos Aires for a few days before our recent cruise (CAPE HORN!!!) and had a wonderful concierge service that arranged everything for a cost of about $25 dollars per day - it was a great deal and you get low prices on shows etc. I believe Mary (or Maggie) was our guide- she was from the US and ofcourse translated for us. Her contact is info@baculturalconcierge.com . We didnt contact her in advance - about 3 days before we landed we got in touch with her and she planned it all. I suggest going to the Fair in San Telmo if you are there on a sunday- and also try to go to some art workshops or smaller museums - they were really fascinating for us.

[debsjc]

I'm not sure if this information is too late for you, but we would highly recommend a private tour with Carlos Galindo for Puerto Montt.

His email is galindotour@hotmail.com and he replies very quickly.

[dbohn4]

thanks a lot! we booked him! I am glad you liked him!