South America Cruise Reviews

The South American cruise was amazing. Some of the places were interesting to view however one or two stops I would pass over (Punto Arenas, Ushuaia and Santiago Chile). The staff was friendly and accommodating. The only draw back is that not sufficient vegetarian choices especially when the dining room was closed for lunch. The scenic cruise is great panoramic view.  We were well rested despite the itinerary stops.

Excellent staff and ship!

This was a great cruise experience.  I would recommend this cruise highly to anyone.  The days at sea will filled with activities and also relaxation. The food was delicious and entertainment was great. When the ship was at port, the hours were long, so we got to explore so much of each stop.  We met some great people aboard the ship and Celebrity had good staff members to make the experience memorable.  Seeing central america, the Panama canal and south America was a once in a lifetime experience and I wish I was still on the cruise.  

The ship is beautiful, caring staff, atvthe timexwe travelled the weather was hit and miss.  Great entertainment, cozy clean cabin..we had a great time!

Generally the communication about activities and procedures was very poor, and there many many older confused souls wandering the decks and public areas.  This started with the company website before the cruise.

The food was mediocre.  The tours were overpriced and the ports of call were irrational.  Why would you stop in Colon, Panama which is too dangerous to leave the immediate port area according to most guide books.  The answer is clear.  It was an opportunity to sell tour packages for outrageous prices.

I will not consider Celebrity Cruise line in the future, and wish they would stop sending me emails.

We were so impressed with everything about this cruise that we booked two more cruises while onboard and have already decided to add a third.  The food, staff, entertainment, and fellow passengers were even better than we had expected.

I broke my hip less than two months before the ship sailed, and I was put in a handicapped cabin and treat with the ultimate in TLC wherever we went.  The recumbent bike resistance pool were ideal for my recovery.  In fact, we wish we were still onboard!

This was one of the best experiences of our lives, and we can't wait for a repeat performance.  We know it will be even better without a broken bone.

Overall we had a terrific cruise on the Star Princess from Los Angeles to Santiago, Chile.  We had exceptional service from our Room Steward and Dining Room Servers.  The only thing that was lacking was the organization of the Shore Excursions.  Strange that this would be so disorganized given that cruises have multiple shore excursions on all their cruises.  The staff would blame delays on all outside factors such as immigration policy of the port-of-call, traffic in the harbor or the port limiting the number of buses allowed into the port.  We believed these excuses initially, only to discover from other passengers or our own observations that these excuses were lies.  If the staff is going to lie about the causes for delays and disorganization, they need to come up with better lies in the future, lies that can't be uncovered by the passengers.  The passengers aren't quite as stupid as they think.  This reflects poorly on the Captain of the Star Princess.

Enjoyed the cruise. Nice weather,food was o.k. Liked some of the entertainment very much,like the puppet show,singer and dancer show and the piano show.

The lecture talk with Dr.James were very interesting and informative. Enjoy the arts and craft class also.

Outstanding adventure. It is not cliche in this instance to be considered a trip of a lifetime. As experienced travelers, the two of us tend to expect the promotion to far exceed the experience. In this case the Galapagos Islands, as seen from the Xpedition, is a correct use of "awesome."  I would have enjoyed a second week back-to-back for the outer loop but my sweetheart was satisfied with the one week.  We also are satisfied with the cooler temps and wildlife options during November.

We tend to avoid the herd and travel independently. But we are glad we opted for the 11 day package beginning and ending in the airport in Quito. The Galapagos restrictions and requirements are extensive and cumbersome. It was worth the cost to avoid navigating all of those contingencies. 

We likewise enjoyed the morning tour of Quito, lunch, and afternoon at the Equator. The Marriott is truly 5 star as well. 

Each day on the Xpedition includes two or three excursion options. A 1-3 mile hike, a Zodiac (Panga) ride, beach/swim snorkel or deep water snorkel. You need to do all of them to experience the full beauty and diversity of the Islands and wildlife. Bring a prescription dive mask if needed and a "dry top" snorkel. Celebrity provides gear including short wet suits. In November we found the water cool but did not need the wetsuits. With the 44 pound weight limit for the one suitcase, use their fins. Bring sunscreen and bug wipes. I am glad I brought hiking boots, water shoes and another pair of loafers. 

We could have worn shorts and short sleeves but opted for added sun/bug protection of long sleeves on the Islands. You may need a light rain jacket. 

Laundry came back same day even if you did not check the one day option. It is relatively inexpensive as hotels/cruises go but we chose to wash items ourselves. They dried rapidly on the deck or in front of the fan. The newly added room 500 suite is reviewed below. 

The usual Elite priviledges do not apply. We chose to eat in the suite each evening, ordering from the dining room menu. Food overall was excellent. Our Southern Sweet tooth would have preferred different desert options but the chocolate souffle was delicious.

We thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and recommend it without hesitation. 

The cruise around the southern tip of South America was truly an unforgettable experience. The ports of call were each unique, and introduced us to a variety of cultures, geography, temperatures, wildlife, cuisine, and people. The guest lecturer on board the Norwegian Sun gave very interesting talks on each port as well as the wildlife and birds we might encounter. The lecturer also gave pointers on how to prepare to be safe in each port.

The other cruise guests were interesting to meet and get to know on the long journey. 

Highlights including seeing glaciers, volcanos, whales, porpoises, albatrosses, and penguins. We even got to watch a penguin hatch out of it's egg! (at about 3 feet away from us)

 The staff on the ship all made us feel valued and important. They were attentive, helpful, and friendly.

I would definitely recommend this cruise and this cruise line!

FOUR THINGS:

1)  TRIVIA GIVES US PINS FOR SOME OTHER CRUISE AS A PRIZE, AND THEN, YOU RUN OUT OF THEM?  CHEAP....CHEAP...CHEAP

2)  WHO NEEDS YOUR CELEBRATION OF FORMER CRUISERS?  NOTHING TO IT.

3) WE HEARD THAT YOU WANT TO GET RID OF THE LIBRARY....NO!!!!  NO!!!!

4)  YOUR TOUR EXCURSIONS ARE TOO, TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT YOU GET.  BUT, WE KNOW THAT YOU WANT MONEY, SO WE TOOK OUR CHANCES ON THEM.  THE GUATEMALA ANTIGUA ONE WAS VERY, VERY GOOD, EXCEPT STOPPING AT THE JADE STORE WHERE WE WERE PRESSURED.

After 20+ cruises of varying duration and a variety of cruise lines, this ranks as the best or at least tie with the best overall experience.  The ship and crew were outstanding and the food was above the HAL fare we have had on previous adventures.  While HAL food is always very good, this ship was just outstanding.  We plan to sail on the Amsterdam again soon.

FOUR THINGS:

1)  TRIVIA GIVES US PINS FOR SOME OTHER CRUISE AS A PRIZE, AND THEN, YOU RUN OUT OF THEM?  CHEAP....CHEAP...CHEAP

2)  WHO NEEDS YOUR CELEBRATION OF FORMER CRUISERS?  NOTHING TO IT.

3) WE HEARD THAT YOU WANT TO GET RID OF THE LIBRARY....NO!!!!  NO!!!!

4)  YOUR TOUR EXCURSIONS ARE TOO, TOO EXPENSIVE FOR WHAT YOU GET.  BUT, WE KNOW THAT YOU WANT MONEY, SO WE TOOK OUR CHANCES ON THEM.  THE GUATEMALA ANTIGUA ONE WAS VERY, VERY GOOD, EXCEPT STOPPING AT THE JADE STORE WHERE WE WERE PRESSURED.

The Norwegian Sun, although 15 years old, is a good ship and small. The crew was very nice and pleasant. The cruise business would not exist without the Filipinos and Indonesians. They are very humble and hard-working. 

This repositioning cruise left San Diego on Nov. 4, 2015 ending in Valparaiso, Chile on Nov. 21. We had wonderful weather except for heavy winds after Arica which made the last three days unpleasant as the Sun was rocking hard.

The only thing that was wrong with this cruise was the ports selected. Except for El Callao, the port of Lima, Puntarenas in Costa Rica where you enter the spectacular Gulf of Nicoya, and Arica, Chile, the remaining ports were presumably chosen only because the port charges were cheap. 

In Mexico we did not dock at Acapulco but at a little town Huatulco, and then at Puerto Chiapas, where they had a nice welcoming band but there is no town, this is an industrial port where they have a small area for tourists and souvenir shops. In Guatemala, the same happened at Puerto Quetzal, a port for cargo, no town nearby. But the worst was Salaverry in Peru, a real ghost town. The comedian on the ship, Fred, even joked about its bustling streets. There were other interesting ports on the way, Guayaquil for example but I guess Frank del Rio, the Norwegian CEO was looking to save money. Apart from worthless ports a nice cruise. Lots of Chinese, older Chinese people that tend not to respect the lines at the buffett and were everywhere on the ship. The Americans were mostly people who should already be at a nursing home.

We were very satisfied and enjoyed our first seabourn cruise with Journey, that we booked this Quest cruise,  I noticed the service was not what we were expecting, i.e . it takes awhile for a server to refill a drink, or catch the attention of a server, in restaurant.  other than that, we love the on board entertainment and activity , staff, Jan and ashley, they are so nice and took the time to talk to us or everybody else on board.

our suite and cabin attendant raquel is very good , friendly and accomodating to our needs.

We had been on Seaboard (Odyssey) before so knew the Seaboard experience would be good. The food and service onboard is wonderful.

We also really enjoyed the lectures, learning a lot about the ports, as well as astronomy and geology.

Itinerary is one of our highest priorities when we book, and this Caribbean/South American cruise did not disappoint. We would have traded one of the days in Manaus and a beach resort island for more time in Rio.

This is a once in a lifetime experience that shouldn't be missed!  Everything was included and perfect!  You will never have a chance to experience nature as it was meant to be seen anywhere else.  This is one place that hasn't been commercialized in any way.  The ship was great but now they are putting it in dry dock in a few weeks to totally refurbish it so it can only get better.  We were in a cabin without a balcony for our first time ever and I thought it would feel small in the room.  The room was perfect.  We had a window and didn't miss the balcony at all.  The staff was awesome.  

The Celebrity Xpedition was an exceptional cruise with a great itinerary and overall amazing experience of the Galapagos natural ecosystem, of the land, the geological transformation, of the range of life-forms in the water, the birds and land-animals.

There are two areas of improvement recommended:

1. No smoking should be enforced.  We were in the Penthouse Suite but a neighboring suite (602) had heavy smokers and their smoking was not curbed by the staff.  

2. Some of the "naturalists" were not very knowledgeable and also were rude or unfriendly - very unlike normal Celebrity experience.  Their boss was also grumpy, possibly unsuited for the job.

We loved the staff, dance and language classes, shuffleboard/mini golf, gym, food choices, kids' club, and itinerary.  The one bad part was when we were told we had to pay reciprocity fees for Argentina as we were getting on the ship, $640 for my family of 4.  We would have liked and/or Royal Caribbean to have told us that BEFORE we were embarking. 

Excelente experiencia a bordo de un como crucero con una muy buena atención a bordo, gente muy amable y colaboradora. De todas maneras lo volveríamos a hacer.

My son and I took this wonderfully relaxing trip up the west coast of South America, Central America and Mexico because we liked the thought of 10 days at sea and 7 ports.  It was all we expected and more.  We had the best Cabin Steward I've had in almost 40 cruises.  Getting around the ship was a quick to learn experience.  We bought a ring - for me - at Facets - and a watch - for him - as special reminders of this "ideal" trip.  No grouchy people on this ship except a few of the "senior oriental passengers".  Hey, that was THEIR problem!!!  I'm a "senior of 78" and just went right on enjoying!!!... We do have a conversation going with Princess about some excess casino charges, but it's being taken care of I hope.  The casino is not run by Princess but franchised and we felt it important to let Princess know there might be a problem in that regard.  We would go on that trip again, loving the ports, making a few friends in those ports. After 17 days on board, we cannot picture going back to a "measly" 7 day cruise!  LOL