South America Cruise Reviews

Wonderful cruise lines!!

This is my second time to Antarctica and it was an even better experience than my first time.  Sunny for 2 whole days, sea like glass.  The "expedition team" put on by HAL included a naturalizt who was related to one of Scott's deceased explorers from 1912, and three others associated with the National Science Foundation's Antarctic reserach.  At least 4 hours of lectures every sea day as well as organized bird watching every morning kept the mind active.  To those peple who complain that some of the port cities of Argetina, Chile and Uraguay are run down, I say "duh!"  They are port cities.  They are not St. Thomas.  And to those who spent the days in Antarctica sitting in the hot tub on the Lido deck or pigging out in the buffet, I have to ask why you wasted your money.

This cruise is for those who want to immerse themselves in the wilds of the Soth Atlantic and to travel in the footsteps of the explorers of 100 years ago.  I walked over 10 miles per day on deck, and took over 2000 pictures, mostly south of 60 degrees south.  There were some old fogeys, as on all cruises, but after 2300hrs in the Crow's Nest, there were probably 50 or so people in their 20s and 30s.

This is a cruise of a lifetime - the ship was immaculate, the serving staff attentive as always.  Do it.

Perfect Holiday cruise with visits to all major ports in southern South America and around Cape Horn.

I know in these hard ecomonic times cruise lines have to make cuts; but when you have to resort to making the food in the main dining room just barely passable, that's when I cut bait.  Celebrity had built it's reputation with having one of the best cuisine of the premium lines; but that is no longer so.  What a rude awakening!  We took the 15 night cruise from Fort Lauderdale to Valparaiso, Chile.  We had taken the same cruise 7 years ago and our 5th cruise with Celebrity.  If you order beef, expect to get the cheapest cuts of meat possible. One day I ordered "halibut" and I got served a fish that I would swear was flounder ( so fish is questionable too ). Chicken seemed to be the only fairly safe choice.  Their delicious cold soups are no longer that. You are served tasteless water down messes. Some of their desserts are good, but you better order two, or three right of the bat because you will need a magnifing glass to see them ( particularly the better tasting ones ). So if you want to eat well in a Celebrity cruise ship today, be prepared to pay extra for everything ( which will add to quite a bundle ). You will have to pay for alternative restaurants, gelato at their paying gelateria ( again, forget the water down mess of ice-cream that they serve at the upstairs Ocean Grill restaurant ).  And if you like orange juice, you won't be able to get a good glass of it, even if you pay for it.  The only time I saw them offering fresh orange juice was at the big Brunch that they had one day ( that you had to pay for ) and it was fresh orange juice; but pulpless, water downed and acid.  If your planning to sleep in late and have a wonderful breakfast like we enjoyed on the same cruise seven years ago, you guest it!  Forget it.  The included items for room service are very limited and poorly prepared ( it used to be you could order anything from the menu at no charge ).  The only omelet I could order was a plain omelet, which I ordered and turned out to be this small circular dried-up circular object. Well, enough said. I think you get the picture. There have been other downgrades  as well; but for us, the most noticable one is the present quality of the food in Celebrity cruises today. Very sad.

Hollan American boat was at the same port as Crystal. Holland America used the same land tour operators, but Crystal charges the passenger 2 x the fee. Same itinerary, same bus, same driver, same local guide. Tell them the customers for both boats sit in the same plane on the way home, and we talked!!!

Overall very good cruise. Boat is very nice. Lots of activities. However, some people from the crew have an attitude not directed towards customer satisfaction. This was more prevalent with bartenders and some waiters in the buffet rooms. Also, buffets for breakfast and lunch were always the same. They had lots to choose from, but always same selection. That means that after 9 days, you want some variety.

Celebrity advertises their cruises as Luxury cruises and no where in any of their ads do they show children. This ship unlike Royal Caribbean, where there are MANY play areas for children, has only one small play area for about 40 children. We had another 560 that had no place to play. The only rule the ship had was that children under the age of 18 are not allowed in the bars after 1:00 am. There was not one place that adults could have a drink in a quiet area on this ship. The ship was understaffed for the number of guests and the problems that were created. There were always line ups at guest relations due to all the problems on the ship. This is our 13th cruise and the last with Celebrity until they can guarantee a quality cruise - we spent over $10,000 in cruise, flights, and hotel for this trip. We have 6 future cruises which we are now cancelling due to this most recent experience. The problem with this cruise resulted from Celebrity Head Office being financially greedy at this time off year, increasing the cost of the cruise and overselling it - every possible bunk bead must have been sold. Last January we sailed on Celebrity Summit for two weeks, and after one week we extended it another week - because it was the best cruise we had ever been on. On the Summit there was never a line up at guest services - contrary on the Infinity it was 12 people long sometimes.

We  have cruised with HAL before and were really appreciating this company. We were told the Prinsendam is the top of the bill, by far the most beautiful ship with the finest destinations, although you pay the highest rates compared to the other HAL ships, so we had high expectations. Unfortuately these were not met. The ship is pretty old and not meeting todays requirements. For example the airco didn't work properly during the whole cruise in quite a number of cabins and repair seemed impossible. Some nights were so hot, we couldn't sleep at all. The bathroom door made so much noise that we had to place towels in the entrance, which had a bad effect on our already malfunctioning airco and made it even hotter. The ship needs some repair and paint and also the furniture on the decks should be replaced. It is all a little outdated and not well maintained and even sometimes dirty (cockroaches on the Canelito restaurant floor, not during Amazon trip but sailing to Curacao!). The use of the public rooms was very inefficient. The Ocean bar, which is a really small bar, has a dancefloor which is far too small for a proper dance. Events planned over there were overcrowded and many people had to stand during f.i. a raffle. The pool on deck 9 is hardly used. The deck is far too hot without any proper shade. The route to this deck is not logic, since you have to walk through the gym. We really found the entertainment boring. The artists were pretty outdated and did not meet the state of the art enterainment you see on other ships. We were especially disappointed that no local artists were invited to give shows during our passage through the Amazon, as we experienced during our trips on the Pacific and Far East. The entertainment staff did hardly make an effort to make the sea days more funny. For example the actual passing of the equator (at 8.40am, so at a decent time), was not announced at all and there was no fun program about that event. I personally do not like the jumping in the spaghetti pool, but on another ship we met a 'real' Neptunus, which was really nice and easy to realize. We had an amazing cruise, sailing the Amazon but felt pretty disappointed that during the cruising no mention was made of special views or remarkable events, like a really dedicated captain would do. The daily talk was hardly understandable and far from interesting. Oke, we had an interim captain who was actually already retired, but from such an experienced man you may expect more enthusiasm. Since we sailed in really tropic temperatures the evenings were lovely sitting outside. However, there is no sitting outside as the Lido deck, the only place where you can decently sit and may expect some drinks, is closed already at 9 o'clock. Between end of dinner and closing time the ship's staff was using the hot tubs and having fun. That's oke with me, but such a valuable spot as the Lido deck can be used more properly. We think that is a missing chance.

We had the early seating and after finish of our meal there was actually nothing to do. No music, cold, empty bars. If you did not want to visit the show, there was nothing more to do. There is a cinema, however it was never intended to be one, so sitting and watching a movie is only possible on the very first rows, otherwise you will get back ache or a stiff neck and your view will be blocked by the people in front of you.

The good news: the serving staff is excellent, nice and very service minded. Especially a thumbs up for the pastry chef who made excellent dishes. We were not so enthusiastic about the main dishes, but that may be personal. We prefer small, delicte portions above big parts of meat without any vegetables.

Most destinations were interesting, unfortunately the ship gave only little information. Especially the first few harbours were not described and only information was given about the jewelry shops and nothing about its history or points of interests. Later on the information improved. Moreover the excursions were very expensive, compared to the rates you pay when you hire a personal taxi driver on the spot. Organizing it yourself may save you at least 50%.

And a final point of disappointment. We are 3-star mariners but the benefits are lousy. If we compare that to our status with Cunard, where we have real discounts (like a huge discount on internet!) we feel HAL does not really appreciate its repeating guests. Because we had some work to do, we have our own company, we bought an internet plan, which we renewed some time later. The day after our renewal it appeared you could get a special discount on renewal in the shape of free minutes. I was just too early and missed these costly minutes. Some issue another cruise company will nicely settle afterwards (as we experienced before)

Sorry about this not so favorabe review. We may continue sailing with HAL if the trip is interesting, but since this voyage we will definitely reconsider other companies.

From the beginning you could feel and enjoy the 5* service of the ship.the suite was perfec arrange to welcome us. The food is superb. They take care of all your needs. There is always a smile and friendliness in a the crew members. You get spoild

Finally getting to the Galapagos islands ended a long desire to see the unusual array of birds and animals that we had heard so much about.  We spent considerable time examining and evaluating various cruise options and based on a desire for some luxury as well as an experienced ship and crew we selected the Celebrity Xpedition, a cruise line that we had not used previously.  We also liked the inclusion of two days in Quito before and after the cruise.  From the very first excursion to an island we knew our desire to visit the Galapagos was correct and now fulfilled.  Every excursion brought new and wonderful sightings made all the more appreciated by the wonderful naturalists that accompanied us and provided amazing knowledge.

A major negative aspect of sailing on the Celebrity Xpedition that absolutely every conversation we had with fellow cruisers verified was the poor quality of the food.  Time and time again there were dishes that had little taste or suffered in other ways.  It became common practice to taste a dish, decide it was not worth eating, and then order another dish or try something else from the buffet table.  An enormous amount of food ended up as waste.  We found it fascinating that our waiter at the first dinner advised us to skip meat and chicken dishes because they were frozen and would not satisfy us.

There were no problems or surprises with our stateroom.  Though relatively small it was well designed and quite pleasant and satisfactory, with the odd feature that one person has to sleep adjacent to a wall and get into and out of bed in a strange way.

This ship rocks considerably, sometimes even when anchored.  A bridge tour provided an explanation.  The stabilizers are just too small and the ship is somewhat top-heavy because an upper deck was recently added to provide some suites.  The routine rock and rolling was far worse than previous cruises on Seabourn and Regent ships.

As we knew the ship was small with just under 100 possible passengers we did not expect a lot of things which we have enjoyed on previous cruises.  But we really appreciate the single musician that often played at cocktail times and in the evenings; he is quite a talent.  The simple "shows" offered by crew and some passengers were also pretty good.  The daily briefings on the next day's excursions by the naturalist cruise director were both informative and enjoyable.  A special treat was the bridge tour where we learned how much Celebrity does on this ship to protect the environment and provide safety to all on board.

Don't miss or stay away advice for excursions?  Everyone who goes on this type of Galapagos cruise should absolutely go on every excursion, because every one offered some unique nature watching experience.

The ship’s doctor was kept very busy, because at least 20 percent of the passengers became sick, some with digestive problems and others with upper respiratory issues, and still others had injuries because of some very difficult walking conditions on shore.

On the plus side, we were glad that we selected a Galapagos cruise that included days in Quito, because Ecuador is a unique and most beautiful country with some of the most gorgeous people on the planet.  But the disappointing food on the ship was a real negative.

Firstly Ineed to mention that we are usually adventure travellers exploring Countries independendantly and spending several days in each area. However , never having been to South America this Itinerary appealed to us. So we decided to give cruising a shot. We spent six days in Chile prior to boarding The Infinity, and highly recommend extra time before this cruise to recouver from long flights and actually get a feel for the country. We were booked on Concierge Class and the boarding "nightmares " we had read about were non existant. from check in to boarding took about 40 minutes. The Infinity is a lovely ship we were very impressed with all the amenities and public rooms. Our cabin on deck 8 was very nicely appointed and quite large ,with a decent sized balcony which was a great breakfast spot. Bathroom also was bigger than expected. We ate dinner mostly at the Trellis Resturant and the food was excellant with plenty of choice ,the service also excellant and by the second day both Rafael our waiter and Metin his assistant knew we liked extra vegetables and no dessert , they were the best. We really did not enjoy going to the buffet, and tried to avoid peak times for lunch , nothing wrong with the food , but some of the people were so rude and pushed in that is made for a very unpleasant experience. Breakfast we usually got room service which was perfect. We did have one meal at SS United States which was a gift, food was ok but there was no atmosphere also the waiter abandoned us before the meal was over. For us not worth the extra $ We did enjoy a lot of the activities offered on sea days .The new Zumba Classes were great and also Latin Dance classes were a lot of fun. The gym was well equiped and we never had to wait long for any machine. We prefered the quiet bars like Michaels for our after dinner entertainment, but did enjoy the few variety shows we saw in the main theater.Also Fusion was a great dance band. We booked all private tours and a horseback ride in La Serena which were excellant and cheaper in most cases than the Ship Excursions . We only took a ship excursion in Arica so we could experience the high Andes.and a native village in Panama. The Panama Canal was great, we had read a book on the building of the Canal so were pretty well informed plus the documentary shown in the main theater was interesting. The customs in Ft Lauderdale was slow but again all went like clockwork with luggage where it was supposed to be and we were out within an hour. We have no complaints about The Infinity, the staff were great the trip for us quite luxurious. There was plenty to keep you occupied and actually 15 days went by pretty quickly, it was so nice to only unpack once too. However we both got sick, luckily not at the same time so that dampened our enthusiasm and travelling with 2000 people just isnt for us.Also spending 6-8 hours in port is just not enough, though of course we knew that going in. Maybe in 6-10 years we might cruise again and it could well be Celebrity.By then we will be older and ready to be pampered .

The Veendam is an older ship. It's mid size. The good thing about this is there are no long lines at the restaurants, ports of call etc. on the other hand, only One show per night. The cleaningness of this ship is impressive. The staff is very friendly. The food is also very good. Three days at ship can be taxing but its the only way to go so far and the scenery is spectacular.

The Veendam is an excellent shup, but Holland America has cut the quality of it customer service. They are now nickle & dimeing you for everything, Eating at the different resturants now cost you $10.00 extra per person, it used to be free. Special coffee drinks after dinner now cast extra.The number of dining & room stewards has been reduced, and it shows!

 We haven't left for the cruise yet, but I'm all ready upset at Holland America for changing their policy without any notification. We have cruised with Holland America in the past and have enjoyed the fact that we could bring wine on board at embarkation or purchased in port. This is one of the reasons we booked with Holland America again. I verified that this was the policy when we booked the cruise last year.

Note: The itinerary is wrong - we haven't sailed yet, but no way to put that in. (29 day Panama Canal cruise Feb. 2014)

I happened to come across a facts page when I was looking for something else that changed this policy. Now we can bring on board only  one bottle of wine each at embarkation and none purchased in ports of call. I don't know how we can make two bottles last for a twenty nine day cruise. Oh, - I know!! We can buy the wine packages from Holland America at $30.00 - $45.00 per bottle plus a 15% service "fee". How convenient. Must buy the package before you go or you're SOL.

There was no notification or warning  about this. Imagine what would have been the scene if we had tried to get on the ship with four or five bottles of wine? It was just by chance that I found out about it. I've neen screwed by businesses before and probably will be again, but never by the same one twice. I'll post an update when the cruise is over. Hate to start out on such a sour note.

Good Speakers and topics. It was hard to keep up with all the activities offered in the cruise. Excellent Vacation! Smoking area in the pass through open deck is bad for people having allergy to the smoking.

I should carry it out myself, but I can not figure out how Celebrity could not handle my luggage for less than 300 ft moving. Food is not as good as other cruises, while the service were good.

Overall a poor experience. Wife contracted a kidney infection 10days into the cruise. We did not eat or swim ashore so ship is what we expect as the culprit. Unfortunately our last carnival cruise ...

Desk Serveses represenatives were NOT helpfull resolving my issue from Bording to desimbarcation.

The ship was beautiful! The dinning areas were great. The one thing that is really missing is in the activities part. There are no activities directed to teenagers between the ages 18 and 21. If you are younger than 18, you cannot be in the bar and if you are older than 18, then you cannot join the teenage club and their activities. I believe that is the one thing that the Pacific Princess Cruise is missing.

The captain kept us informed of the various changing situations. All the support staff are excellent.