We Rode The Buque Francisco From Montevideo!

[GMXam]

This is one nice looking boat. First, it is just a 2 1/2 hour ride between Buenos Aires and Montevideo. We checked the speed at 48 kts (that's about 55mph, almost 89kph). The ride was pretty smooth for us today. Oh, and you get to cover your feet in these prior to boarding so you can do your part to protect the cleanliness of the boat!

There are 4 different classes of ticket to purchase: Economica, Turista, Primera, and Primera Especial. We opted for the Primera since it was the same price as the Turista ticket this weekend; I'm not sure if this is just introductory for now but it would make sense that it is.

Clase Primera offers cozy leather-like seats that recline and have a leg rest. The foot rest felt a little loose. Be sure to check your seat's reclining/locking ability before you get comfortable...our first chair would recline but not lock. There is a fold-down tray table if you have a seat directly in front of you. Beware, though, if you have someone seated in front of you since the tray tables are affected by the seat recline in front of you (and yours affects the table of the person behind you).

 

[GMXam]

The bathrooms were very clean. They had touch-free faucets, filled soap, and working outlets.

 

[GMXam]

Duty Free shop was pretty huge. I rode the Buque Isabel to Colonia on Friday, also a smooth ride, but the Duty Free shop was no where near the size of this one. We found so many goodies that we've seen many an expat post about on this forum. If you are going to Uruguay, take the Buque Francisco and get your shopping for electronics, imported snacks, beauty products, and/or liquors that you cannot find in BA, if, in fact, those are things you truly miss and would pay near-market prices in USD. They appeared to use the official rate of exchange if paying in either pesos AR or pesos URU. Still a deal on some things that we either could not find in BA or were more expensive to buy in BA. Here are some of the things we found that have been mentioned on this forum:

How much would these go for in AR?

I didn't realize they still sold these...

Wha! Look out sucky bras, here come the booby pedestals...

Okay, I know you can find some of these in BA, but these prices seem to be better...

Esteban, are any of these good? I don't know gin...

 

[Girino]

My beloved Gordon's Gin! I so miss you, dear!

 

[scotttswan]

did you get a photo of the whisky selection?

 

[GMXam]

did you get a photo of the whisky selection?

I didn't, but it was quite extensive. You had the lower end all the way to the much higher end. Many boxed edition types, as well.

 

[estebandepraga]

Thanks for the gin photos! wish i was there!

 

[estebandepraga]

Are there ever any deals on the Francisco??

 

[GMXam]

There was last week when I bought my ticket...I haven't checked since I purchased. The fare for Turista was 839 ARS (I'm a resident, for others that may not be citizens or residents, that price will be 30% higher and they do check your ID when you check in at the counter at the port); they were offering Business Class (Clase Primera) for the same price as Turista which would be the only reason I paid for it.

I was told to always buy the Flexible ticket in case of missing my boat for any unforeseen reason. Turista is the lowest priced flexible ticket for this boat.

I believe the price rises as the seats fill since the same ticket for tomorrow was going for $1100 last week and that is the last day to return after this holiday weekend. Today, Clase Primera was maybe only 25% of capacity.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

Uh, those bags that you put on your feet ... those are actually intended as waterproof bags for cash.

B)