dh & i have taken the plunge and booked ourselves on a 12 day south america cruise on the holland veendam ship.

the cruise starts in buenos aires and ends in valparaiso.

we plan to be in buenos aires for a couple of days (i know, not enough time) before the cruise and spend a day in valparaiso and 2 days in santiago.
is there any advise you can give us with regard to the cruise and off shore trips?

i have gathered quite a bit of info on places to stay and things to do in b.a. and santiago through the various posts.
scarlett had posted some great hotel ideas in b.a.

what about santiago? any recommendations?

thanks

Have you checked out cruisecritic.com? You will get loads of information there. Look for your Roll Call (your ship and date of sailing for other passengers on your cruise. Many will share great tips. Also, go to Ports to find out about each of your stops. Much more than I can mention...
Have a wonderful time planning and then cruising!

andeesue,
thanks so much for your response.

i was starting to feel neglected.

You'll have time in BA to do an estancia (Pampas) tour. Also make sure you catch a tango show. You can also do these in Montevideo, if you go there. And leave time for shopping, though we found better prices in Chile. Check out Argentine and Chilean wines, if you're into that.

Abranz, do not attempt to bring wine from Chile/Argentina.

SFGlenn's advice is good, and the wines are great and inexpensive. When you are in San Francisco, stop on Polk btwn Sacramento and California. They have the best selection of imported wines.

You can do it now, bring the wine home, and when you're back from the cruise, you have instant souvenirs for everybody

I forgot the name of the store! It's Spencer and somebody else, former Bargain Bank.

sdglenn,
the estancia tour sounds like fun. do you have any recommendations for the tango show?
we are totally into wines and love both argentinian and chilean wines.
we are hoping to get a wine tour between valparaiso and santiago.

dayenu,
you crack me up.
i will get my wine at the store you suggest and pretend it is from so. america.
it'll give me more $$ to spend on myself. haha

Sorry, it's been so many years, I really don't remember who we did our tango show with (this particular trip was arranged via a travel agent and did not include a cruise). We did find more local flavor, however, in an evening show (as opposed to mid-afternoon), though you get much better steak just about anywhere else (if supper is included). I guess I'd just skip the meal next time.

By the way, if your cruise hits Montevideo, we did a winery tour there and had a great time. And plenty of great wine, too.

ALERT: "Temps" registered today to promote his/her personal business

Looks like the editors took care of it.