South American Cruise?

Question

First of all, thanks to all whom responded. We are not actually going on the cruise until December of 2008. First, thanks to the last poster that mentioned the VISA requirements; we have only just started the planning and will actually be booking this cruise on a Southern Caribbean cruise. For cruises like this, we always get travel insurance since there is a greater possibility for the unexpected. Thanks for the tips regarding clothes; we heard that this cruise will be like a mix of Europe and Alaska. As far as specific concerns about this trip, I am a little concerned about Sao Paulo, Brazil. We are planning on flying in a day early in case of flight problems; however, our research has indicated that touring once we arrive may be problematic. Would love to hear more about this from someone with first hand experience with this city. Are there any tours from the cruiseline that can't be missed while we are down there? Thanks a ton for the help.

Answer 1

We are doing about the same cruise but in reverse order from what you listed.  It has been an experience getting ready.

First of all you will need a VISA to enter Brazil from the cruise ship; it is required.  The price of the VISA varies depending upon the country that you are a citizen of but if you are a US citizen its $130.00 per person payable by a US Postal Service Money Order only.  In addition there is a $10 processing fee and you must submit the VISA application for each person in a separate envelope and include in it a self addressed and postage paid Express Mail envelope for return of your passport and VISA.  You cannot apply until at least 90 days before your cruise and your application must be sent to the Brazilian Consulate Office that services the US state where you live.  The good news is that it only took about 2 weeks for us to get our VISA's.  I hope that you have done this already; or you had one of those passport/visa services do it for you.

Here's a link for the Brazilian Consulate:  http://www.travisa.com/brazil/brazilvisa...

Surprise, you will not need a VISA for Chile, but there is a tourist tax that is collected when you first enter the country.  For US citizens the tax is $100 per person, payable at the port of entry in cash or credit card.

No other VISA's are required.  

I suggest buying travel insurance because there are a lot of places where something could go wrong, first the flight there, then the cruise ports at both ends are about an hour or two away from the airports.  We bought cruise insurance through a company that we have used before called Travelux.  We prefer them to the cruise line insurance because they cover more and in the past when we filed a claim they paid promptly.

http://www.travelex.com/us/personal/trav...

You can also do a comparison of insurances at this site:

http://www.insuremytrip.com/p/myquotecal...

I don't know when you are going, but we will go March 21 and we were told by people who had done the cruise before that it can get very chilly, especially at night and so take warm clothes.  We are packing for a fall weather cruise (kinda like Alaska), taking sweaters and hoodies as well as a light jacket; long sleeves, long pants.  Yes we'll take shorts and swim wear form the ship's pools and hot tubs and the gym, but also being prepared if its cold.

We looked very carefully at the excursions offered and noted that some were not very appealing.  So we skipped excursions in a couple stops and booked the "overview type' city tour excursions for the most part.  In short, there were not a lot of good excursions and some even said the roads and transportation was not real reliable.  My advice is just be careful what you book.

Answer 2

That's pretty much the cruise we are taking next year. Gosh, I hope you love it. I would bet you are not a first time cruiser. The previous answer had great tips, so I'll just say bon voage

Answer 3

Can you say a little more about what you want to know?

This is a general "Know Before You Go" guide that has a packing checklist, advice on how to stay healthy onboard, avoid getting sea sick, etc:

http://www.cruisesavvy.com/savvyguide/kn...

Some additional South America specific advice: Book your shore excursions through the cruise line.  Unlike ports in North America or the US/British Virgin Islands, South American ports don't have very good regulation so it's hard to know if the buses are up to spec, if they'll run off with your money, etc.

If you're on Holland America Line, Celebrity, or Azamara be sure to dine in the specialty restaurants -- both are superb and 100% worth the additional charge. (I wasn't so impressed with Princess.)

Feel free to expand on your question!

All the best,

PJ