Rio Olympics 2016- Are you going?

[infinity]

I have a pretty good bunch of tickets through the public offer via Co Sports.

Have QF 27 SYD/SCL booked on the way over and QF28 back

Will sort the internal flights soon when invenory releases for LAN/TAM using QF points or Avianca using SQ points.

Who else is going and what's your story?

 

[cove]

My eldest son is planning to be there Infiniti. He seems to have been doing quite well with his language skills.

 

[infinity]

Cove I understand there is more than one language spoken on Copacaban beach. Not necessarily Portuguese ( tks Cove)

 

[cove]

Portuguese is the main language in Brazil. My son says you need to dress down in Brazil for safety. I don't plan to go there.

 

[Himeno]

It's sport. I'd rather put up with my family.

 

[blakinho]

Hello, I'm Noel's son if that means anything to anyone, I assume Cove is Noel, forgive my ignorance haha.

I'd recommend Brazil but there are real dangers, 99.999% of people there are lovely but you need to be cautious about the other 0.001% who want to steal your **** or kidnap you. But it's pretty basic stuff, stay in groups and crowded areas, dress casually and weather appropriately, and keep a close eye on your belongings and drinks. It's not for everyone, but for certain types of tourists it's well worth it.

I speak Portuguese and I'd say don't go learning Spanish with the idea it'll help you in Brazil. A non fluent level of Spanish with an Australian accent would be less helpful than just speaking English anyway. I always get told Portuguese and Spanish people understand each other, but that's definitely not my experience. Many people in Rio speak English, especially in hotels and tourist areas. Other parts of Brazil not so much.

Of those going, anyone planning on using an organised tour/travel group? I'm tossing up that vs doing my own thing.

 

[kpc]

I went to Rio in 2005....we stayed in the main tourist areas, kept our valuables in the hotel safe and only carried enough cash for what we needed that day, went out in pairs, and didn't go anywhere dodgy looking at night, and felt comfortable.... we stayed at the Copacabana Palace and were approached by many friendly local women, and one even made it briefly into my hotel room but that is another story for another day!

 

[cove]

Son of cove has done his first post! Welcome to AFF blakinho.

 

[infinity]

Of those going, anyone planning on using an organised tour/travel group? I'm tossing up that vs doing my own thing.[/QUOTE]



I have been to several olympics ( Summer & Winter) and always do my own thing.

Get set on your long haul flights and domestic connections.

I'll look at accommodation about a week out.

Be flexible, they normally dump what accommodation is unbooked at really cheap prices

More fun that way

 

[blakinho]

Yeah I may well do that. I wanna follow the Olyroos around if they qualify though, which may require planning. Regarding the girl story, I'd be very surprised if as a gringo in Brazil a girl didn't want into your room, especially at that hotel, I've seen that place!

 

[Boca68]

I have been to Brazil a couple of times. Amazing place. Rio is not really a favourtie, although it is quite a beautiful city to look at. Especially from the air flying into SDU on a beautiful sunny afternoon. Probably the most spectacular landing approach I've experienced. Stunning!

When Rio was announced as host, I said to myself, what the! Its a choatic city on the ground. I thought about going, but other plans have taken precedence. Rio itself, I never felt threatened. Some areas obviously I would not go to. Most Favelas and some of streets just behind the main tourist areas. Copacabana, Ipanema are obvious, but areas like Sta Helena are stunning.

If you are going to Brazil, do the Olympic thing, but spend some time outside Rio. Sao Luis is a fav. Recife and Salvador are brilliant. Head to Iguazu Falls, which is amazing. The city itself is not the safest or endearing place in the world, but worth suffering just for the falls. Manaus on the Amazon is a crazy hive of activity set in a quite spectacular setting. Porto Alegre is also worth it, if only to experience a totally different Brazil.

Olympics or not, just go!

Oh! remember to get your visa first! And I've found Brazilian immigration can be kind of abrupt. But, just be polite, yes sir, no sir is the right approach.

 

[blakinho]

Agree about Porto Alegre, and Gramado which is nearby. Very different, bit chilly but worth it. Amazing people. Haven't done many of the rest, and whether I do within the next year will depend on whether the Olyroos and Matildas wanna come to the party.

 

[mel-world]

Many thanks for all the recommendations. Please keep them coming. I will be working at the Games on the TV coverage. It will be my 12 Olympics since '84. As usual, I'll be using the opportunity to visit more of the country (or in this case, some of the continent) after the Games end so any ideas are most appreciated. [Somehow, after 6 weeks in Russia, I never wanted to see the area around Sochi after the Winter Olympics ended there so headed for Turkey instead and loved it.]

I agree with an earlier poster; if you want to attend either make your arrangements early or very late regarding accommodation. If some of the over-priced spectator packages or sponsor arrangements do not fill up of fall over, there are often excellent rooms coming on-line at the last minute - usually direct from the hotel. Ground arrangements and tickets can either be plentiful or impossible to get so waiting is often worthwhile as well.

If you love sport, there is nothing better than attending an Olympics once in your life and, if the World Cup is anything to go by, Brazil will be a major celebration from the Opening to the Closing Ceremony.

 

[Mars2atk]

I'm excited to join this convo! I finally managed to secure tickets to the Opening Ceremony. My friends and I have been planning to do these Olympics since we were teens, we all turn 30 next year, so it was a fitting way to celebrate leaving our 20s and 15+ years of friendship.

We were a little concerned about not being able to find hotel accommodation until we found out that the IOC has first dibs to all of them, so we'll probably just wait til a little closer to the games to sort it out. We only plan to fly into Rio the day before our ticketed events, then fly out the day after. I imagine Rio to be rather chaotic and overpriced during the games, so we only really plan to visit the large statue and Copacabana beach. We'll be exploring other parts of SA while everyone is at the games.

 

[blakinho]

There's absolutely zero reason to worry about not being able to find accommodation if price is no object. In terms of getting the best deal others know more than me. But my brother and I booked six nights in a 5 star hotel on Copacabana Beach during the heart of the World Cup, on the day we checked in, after our initial accommodation plans turned out to be stinkers. Olympics will be a breeze compared to the World Cup.

For those of you wanting to see and experience much of Brazil, can't stress enough how much of a good time you'll have. Easy for me to say not having the language barrier, but my mates who don't speak a word would tell you the same. Just be a little bit smart about things, as a gringo you are a target for robbery and kidnapping, but precautions can keep you out of any such situations.

 

[animusmh12]

I certainly wish I was going in some ways and not in others. I have a few friends on the Sailing team as well as the fact they use some of my products. They will hopefully once again show that Sailing is a fantastic sport for Australia in the medal tally. They have just got back from the test event with plenty of stories to tell. The coaches have done some video blogs etc which show the conditions over there at the moment for the team.

 

[cove]

Went looking at how to get to the 2016 Olympics and the Qantas Frequent Flyer seats to Santiago are long gone it seems. I guess I can use Aquire to get a discount on a cash ticket but I thought I should ask if anyone can figure out a way of getting there on points/miles.
We have AA miles, Qantas points Velocity points and an Asia miles account I could activate with Citibank points.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[mel-world]

Went looking at how to get to the 2016 Olympics and the Qantas Frequent Flyer seats to Santiago are long gone it seems. I guess I can use Aquire to get a discount on a cash ticket but I thought I should ask if anyone can figure out a way of getting there on points/miles.
We have AA miles, Qantas points Velocity points and an Asia miles account I could activate with Citibank points.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.

I am more aligned to Star Alliance than One-world but Rio will not be an easy place to get to from Australia, especially if you want to use points. I have a revenue ticket to/from Rio with NZ via AKL into EZE then a short hop on EK to Rio. I have a J Class ticket (someone else is paying) but the flights around the Games dates tripled from the introductory fares NZ were offering once they launch the service in December. I liked this option as it is quick and missed a transfer in SYD always a big bonus for me.

Given the number of media, supporters, athletes and officials going to Rio at this time, the three direct options on Air New Zealand, Qantas or Lan Chile will be at a premium so a longer journey will likely be required. Previously, I would have recommended going via LAX but you have to go through US immigration just to transfer and the connections are normally not the bes. So why not try Emirates as a one-stop via DXB if possible. Two 14 hour sectors (if you can get the non-stop from Australia) but probably the best option for a redemption. (Not that I think this is likely given the popularity of the Olympics). Another option is SQ (using VA miles) but that would be a multi-stop itinerary as they fly into San Paulo. Otherwise any number of airlines via Europe.

I did think of one more possible itinerary when planning the trip - QF to Jo'burg then South African Airways to San Paulo. Saves some flight time, (especially from Perth) but never got around to looking at the specifics or the connection times.

Good luck with the search.

 

[kpc]

Went looking at how to get to the 2016 Olympics and the Qantas Frequent Flyer seats to Santiago are long gone it seems. I guess I can use Aquire to get a discount on a cash ticket but I thought I should ask if anyone can figure out a way of getting there on points/miles.
We have AA miles, Qantas points Velocity points and an Asia miles account I could activate with Citibank points.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Options (of the top of my head):
Syd-Scl-Gig (QF / LA)...will need to ask QF to release award seats as Plat
Syd-Lax / Dfw-Gig (QF / AA)...will probably need to ask QF to release award seats as Plat
Syd-Jnb-Gru (QF / SA)...make own way from Gru to Gig
Syd-Sin-Bcn-Gru (SQ)...make own way from Gru to Gig

From Lax / Dfw, may be able to use Avianca miles to Gig...

OR: Buy revenue ticket

 

[chocolate radiation man]

It took 3 attempts for my brain to clear the cookies that kept seeing the title as Rio Tinto - LOL - sorry... carry on...