Norwegian Sun Review
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We are a family of four in our early 40's. We have two sons aged 8 and 12. It was their first trip outside of North America. We set off to Buenos Aires from Vancouver, Canada on March 6th. We flew via Toronto on Air Canada and had a great trip down, albeit long. Arriving in Buenos Aires we took a taxi to the apartment that we had rented in Recoletta. We used a company called Buenos Aires Habitat and we were very pleased with them. The apartment was in a lovely area of town, one block away from the Alvear Hotel and three blocks or so from the Cemetery. It was a two bedroom apartment and was bright and airy. The rental company met us as planned and helped us with car services, etc. We were very happy with their professional service. They had left us some lovely snacks and beverages and the apartment was just as described.
The first afternoon we set off for a wander of the neighborhood and to admire the architecture. We then went to Rio Alba (in Palermo)for dinner which was a Parilla that we had read good reviews of on Cruise Critic. The dinner was very nice and the staff firmly advised us that we had ordered far too much food and helped us select an appropriate amount. The next day we had booked a private four hour tour of the city with a guide recommended by another traveler. My husband had been quite concerned about our safety and therefore I had booked the guide as a precaution. He took us around most of the major sights. He was very informative and competent but seemed slightly ruffled that we weren't paying as much attention to all of his details as the kids were our priority. He would have been very well suited to an adult tour. We finished up at the Cemetery and I highly recommend it. Initially I had been puzzled how a Cemetery could be a tourist attraction but once you see it, you will understand. I could have easily spent more time there and even the kids enjoyed it. That afternoon we went to the Zoo to appease the kids. The Zoo was really good despite the fact that in principal I do not believe in zoo's. We had unfortunately chosen to go on a Sunday and it was PACKED. Do go during the week if you have the choice. It is an enormous zoo with practically every animal imaginable. It has some lovely architecture in it and was very reasonably priced. The kids were even free. We finished the day with dinner at a pizza place called Filo that Fodor's had recommended. It is in Retiro and I do not recommend it. While the pizza was good, the staff were indifferent to the point of rudeness.
The next day we took the Buquebus to Colonia. We had booked the tickets prior to our arrival on the Internet. Do book ahead as it is VERY busy. And do arrive an hour in advance, as recommended, as you will need it. The Buquebus in nice and modern. I found the trip to be expensive. I believe we spent over $400 for the four of us to go round trip. Once you arrive in Colonia it is a very pleasant old city, with a more modern one attached to it. It was interesting to see the architecture but I am not sure it was worth the money spent to get there. I must point out that we did not do any museums or anything as it was not worth the hassle with the kids. Also our Spanish is almost nonexistent. People without children might have spent longer looking at museums, etc. The highlight of the day was that we rented a golfcart to get around and it was SO worth it! The funniest part was that the local dogs loved it and chased us round and around for at least two or three miles. Our family was in hysterics giggling and we got some great shots. We drove the golf cart to the beach and spent an hour or two there. It is an unremarkable beach as it is on the river and the water is very brown and not appealing to enter. But the day was gorgeous sunshine and we enjoyed it. We ended up getting restless and went to the ferry terminal to get an earlier return trip. They only had first class space left (which entitled us to slightly nice seats and champagne) so we spent an extra $60 upgrading. I do not think that you need a long time in Colonia and we were definitely ready to leave. That night we had the best dinner of our entire three week trip. We went to a restaurant called Republica in Recoletta. It had received a star from Fodors and it deserved it. We love our food and eat out a lot. It was as good as any meal that I've had in New York, etc. If you enjoy good food, do eat here.
Cabin Review
Owner's Suite with Large Balcony
We were booked in the Owner's Suite and it was great. It was quite large and had ample space for storage. You entered into a front hall with a powder room off of it. We stored all of our luggage here. The living room had a pull-out bed where the kids slept, a table with four chairs and desk, tv, bar area, cappucino machine, dvd and ipod docking station, fridge, etc. The master bedroom was a good size and had a seating area and king bed. The bed was VERY comfortable. There was also a tv and drawer space. There was a sizeable walkin closet with a sitdown vanity and hairdryer that I made good use of. The bathroom was very spacious with an enormous bathtub and full shower and two sinks. It was well equipped with body lotion, shampoo and conditioner and body gel. The cabin was the best part about the cruise as our family does not do well in small spaces. There were three sets of sliding doors leading to a very large deck with a table and four chairs and two chaiselongs (sp??) There was also a private hottub. The views were amazing from the deck. It was windy on the deck during crusing but fine during the sheltered areas like the fjords. We LOVED the deck and rarely went to the public deck facilities. We would fill up the hot-tub with cold water as a private dipping pool. The owner's suite was well worth the money and the only way that I would cruise again.