FYI: I got off the Grimaldi ship with my BMW 1200 a couple of days ago.

Everything went great, on the whole.

Some minor issues:
1. The trip should have been 30 July to early September.
The ship only left Hamburg 09 August, arrived in Buenos Aires 16 September.
(Well, they say from the start that there might be delays. Feight has priority over passengers.)
2. Food was plenty. Alas, it was not always tasty. I guess I just had bad luck with the sicilian chef. I often had some of the crews Indian curry instaed. The officers and crew were very friendly and helpful though.

Positive:
1. Very quiet trip across the Atlantic. Seasickness wasn't even remotely an issue.
2. The delay was mostly due to longer than expected time in the harbours. Therefore I could take my bike out for day rides in Tilbury, Antwerp and Le Havre. I went to Canterbury, Bruges and Rouen. Great!
3. There is a big problem with theft in the African ports of Dakar, Conakry and Freetown. The crew was on high alert and the bikes were safely locked up in a small compartment after we had left Europe.
4. Customs procedures in Buenos Aires were a breeze: The 2 necessary forms were already filled in, I just had to sign them and off I went to the harbour gate were I got my passport stamped. No-one wanted to look at the bike or the documents. All was done in 5 minutes and I could into town.

__________________
“It’s just a walk in the park!”
“You mean people are going to mug us and steal all our money and kick us viciously in the ribs?” Terry Prachett

Total damage?

About € 2300, 1950 for the inside cabin (single, no window, otherwise fine) and all meals, 350 for the bike.

__________________
“It’s just a walk in the park!”
“You mean people are going to mug us and steal all our money and kick us viciously in the ribs?” Terry Prachett

I should probably post the link to my photos here too:

2010c_Hamburg to BsAs pictures by frankinasia - Photobucket

__________________
“It’s just a walk in the park!”
“You mean people are going to mug us and steal all our money and kick us viciously in the ribs?” Terry Prachett

Ok this is just to compare with the container+plane option.

Total damage last year from Antwerrp to Buenos Aires (shared container)

260 (shipping) + 570 (port charges) + 500 (plane ticket) = 1330 €

This is while sharing cost with another person. Alone, the option would have cost 1160+1140+500= 2800 €, more expensive and much more stressful than the "ferry" option.

Don't forget that I had 35 days accommodation and food on the ship and visited a dozend ports on the way for free. Of course you need to have that extra months time, but then you save a month living expenses. That's 1000 € right there :-) Well, I still had to pay extra for and cigarettes ;-)

Alas, to get you and your bike back to Europe, Grimaldi is probably not an option. They state on their website that they only take people on bord in BsAs that have done the trip from Europe to BsAs with them. But you can always try to call them or, better, contact Mr. Grabowski at Hamburg-Süd Travel Agency in Germany:
Bjoern.Grabowski[at]hamburgsued-reiseagentur.de

__________________
“It’s just a walk in the park!”
“You mean people are going to mug us and steal all our money and kick us viciously in the ribs?” Terry Prachett

Hi MekongFrank,

can you clarify a few things for me

1) Did you have to pay $850 custom clearance charges in Argentinia when you landed. I have been told that this is a standard charge.

2) you cabin fees was for the cabin, if you travel with 2 people is the cabin charge the same or per person.

thanks heaps for your info, we have ridden fron Australia to Spain and are currently looking for a way to south america

Simon

1) No. All custom charges were included.
2) If two people share a cabin (they have to book together) the price per person drops a couple of 100 €.

Note: Grimaldi has about 3 ships per month, each ship has 6 passenger cabins, can carry up to 12 passengers. They fill up quickly so book well in advance, especially if travelling in the high season. When I tried to book in August 2009, all cabins were full till the end of 2009, so I postponed my trip for a year. I finally booked in October 2009 for 30 July 2010. At the time of booking you have to make a 25% downpayment, the rest is due 4 weeks before the travelling date. And expect a delay of a week or two. The departures are rarely on time due to harbour capacity or readyness of cargo, etc. Cargo always has priority over passengers.

__________________
“It’s just a walk in the park!”
“You mean people are going to mug us and steal all our money and kick us viciously in the ribs?” Terry Prachett

The first time I sailed with Grimaldi was Bs As to Tilbury in '04, even though I hadn't used them on the way out. That time I dealt directly with the head office in Naples by 'phone and e-mail but this is no longer an option.

Coming back in '08 I booked through their Bs As agent, J E Turner at Reconquista 336. They were very helpful. Once you've sailed with Grimaldi twice you can join the Grimaldi Freighterclub which gets you (but not the bike) a 5% discount.

I was the only passenger on my first trip, but early booking is now essential as popularity has snowballed. I've already booked for October '11.

Regards, Mick

Thanks for those responses looks like Grimaldi is out of the equation for this trip, but I'll see if they have a late cancellation for December

Simon

Can anybody help with info for a crossing from UK to New York, not had any luck so far other than Cunard but that's posing a problem for the motorcycles!

Cheers
Pete

__________________
Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand 2016
Buenos Aires to NYC 2012-2013: www.facebook.com/curryhunt
India and back 2009-2010:

Pete, try PM'ing Maja (Mike), he's in South Africa at the mo but checks in now and then to organise the next piss up... He's shipped from NY to UK on a ro-ro before so I'd ask him for more details.

Try:
American Roll-on Roll-off Carrier or
Sevices in the Wallenius Network - LinesMarine.Web

__________________
Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
www.argentina-alaska.blogspot.com
My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...

Nice one Mike, cheers (can't see a list of members anywhere, how do I contact :-/)

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Vietnam, Cambodia & Thailand 2016
Buenos Aires to NYC 2012-2013: www.facebook.com/curryhunt
India and back 2009-2010:

Hello there,

thank you Mekongfrank for the information on Grimaldi Lines. We could have been on the same boat, but I messed up my reservation and I did not know that I could not board the ship in Dakar. So this is the way I am doing it now:

- booked two tickets with Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines in April 2010. Barcelona to Santos (Brazil) sailing end of November 2010 - 510 Euros each, cheapest Cabin no window - 16 days on sea (or in ports)

- tried to get the bike on board, but did not succed. Maybe I did not try hard enough.

- found a group of Germans sharing a container to Valparaiso, so could take the bike to Munich and they put it into the container. Costs are aproximatly 550 Euros plus around 90 Euros customs.

- getting down to Barcelona was 80 Euros, travelling from Brazil to Valpariso will be another 150 Euros - maybe even 200 Euros

I am in Brazil now (muito legal !!!) and I will have to wait a month for the bike to arrive in Valparaiso. But I have good friends here and the is cold ...

Apr. total costs 510 + 550 + 90 + 80 + 150 = 1380 Euros

I would say Grimaldi Lines to BsAs would have been the better option. Anyway I am here now and I enjoy every minute.

Saludos de Sao Paulo
Mika

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hubb/search.php space on the right for member search

__________________
Mike


www.singapore-scotland.blogspot.com
www.argentina-alaska.blogspot.com
My little Vid: India/Pakistan

BMW R1150GS
Suzuki DR650 SE: Ride it like ya stole it. Oh, somebody just did...