Chima Travels: South America
Last year Jen and Heather embarked on an Azamara cruise that took them to Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina. Azamara is an incredible company with premium service and amazing itineraries, and Jen was kind enough to share her thoughts about the trip.
Q. Tell us about your itinerary.
A. Our travel dates were November 28 - December 8, 2019. We flew from Cleveland to Houston then overnight to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and arrived the day before the cruise.
Day 1-2
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
We boarded the Azamara Pursuit. The first night was spent docked in Rio so we could enjoy the city. We took an Azamara guided excursion to the Christ the Redeemer Statue.
I’d always been fascinated by the photos I’ve seen and it was at the top of the list of things to see. It was so beautiful and still on that mountain…very emotional. We set sail that evening.
Day 3
Ilhabela, Brazil
It’s a small fishing village with shopping, old churches, dining, and lovely waterfalls. The island is very small but I appreciate that Azamara has small ships to get to places like Ilhabela that the larger ships can't.
Day 4
Santos, Brazil
It's about 90 minutes from São Paulo. There's not much to do in Santos. Some ventured to São Paulo, but we opted for the pool deck and snacks onboard.
Day 5-6
At Sea
Day 7
Montevideo, Uruguay
The capital city is beautiful and has lots of parks, shopping, outdoor markets, and artists. It's easy to get around and felt very safe. We had our Azamazing Evening in Montevideo at Teatro Solís.
Azamara includes one “Azamazing Evening” with every sailing. I appreciate that it’s included in the cost and is always something spectacular. People love it!
Day 8
Punta del Este, Uruguay
It's an upscale vacation spot for the wealthy. The city's very pretty and has lots of shopping, neat cafes, and restaurants along the water.
Day 9
Buenos Aires, Argentina
We ended our cruise here. Buenos Aires is a multicultural capital city with multiple ethnic and religious groups. It's large and beautiful with a lot of culture and art.
After we disembarked we took a very nice city tour with Azamara that included airport dropoff. The flights back to the states are always late in the evening, so it was quite a wait.
Q. What was the weather like during your trip?
A. We were there from November 28 - December 8 and the weather was in the 70s - 80s during the cruise. Rio and Buenos Aires were very hot because it was the beginning of their summer.
Q. What was your favorite part of the trip?
A. My favorite part was the Christ the Redeemer excursion through Azamara.
Q. Do you have any advice for someone who wants to cruise with Azamara and / or visit South America?
A. My advice is to add on a pre or post-cruise package and go for at least 12 days.
The cruise itself was fantastic. I love Azamara, there's no nickel and diming. Everything is included and it’s not stuffy. Everyone is friendly and you don’t have to dress up if you don’t want to. The dress code is "country club casual".
Excursions are not included in the cost, but meals, drinks, gratuities, and taxes are. There are 2 specialty restaurants called Prime C and Aqualina that are so worth it. As of November 2019, they had a $30 per person upcharge.
If you're interested in cruising with Azamara or visiting South America, let Jen know! No matter where you want to visit in the world, we look forward to creating the perfect vacation for you!
