Royal Upgrading to Medalian

Royal Princess Cruise Review to South America

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 15
Helpful Votes: 163

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5
Royal Princess

49 Night South America Grand Adventure (Ft. Lauderdale To Los Angeles)

Sail date: February 02, 2019

Ship: Royal Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

The on-board internet is light years ahead of previous Princess offerings. Download speed has more than doubled. Upload files are limited in size. Had a special on full-time internet (1/2 price) instead of incremental-log-off-log-on. Much better way to buy internet if it is priced reasonably. Our cruise was only 33 days and we got off at San Antonio, Chili.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5
With 33 days, there were a lots of repeat shows--so we didn't go to the repeats. Entertainers rotated on and off the ship throughout.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Everyone on the crew were very professional and courteous. They attempted to meet our every need. The free laundry for the Elite passengers was delayed some because there were so many of us on the voyage.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
Excellent steward--Adjusted to our onboard schedule and the room was always prepared and ready.

Ship tip

For the stage shows in the Princess Theater, the most desired performance was the 7:30 PM one. Get there early to get a seat. It was filled for most every performance.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

3 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

4 out of 5

St. John's, Antigua

4 out of 5

Bridgetown, Barbados

4 out of 5

Port of Spain

4 out of 5

Fortaleza, Brazil

4 out of 5

Salvador De Bahia, Brazil

4 out of 5

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

3 out of 5
Long lines on excursions--took all day to see just two areas: Sugar Loaf and Christ the Redeemer

Montevideo, Uruguay

3 out of 5

Buenos Aires, Argentina

4 out of 5
Beautiful city--it truly is the Paris of South America--ship was several hours late arriving and lost a full day of sight-seeing.

Puerto Madryn, Argentina Did not visit port

High winds would not allow docking. Sailed into the bay and turned around and left.

Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

4 out of 5
Pristine natural islands. Great people, very hospitable.

Cruise Cape Horn

2 out of 5
Scenic Cruising of Cape Horn--not a port of call. Sailed around the Horn. Arrived late due to weather en route--high seas required slowing down. Late evening arrival--visibility reduced due to light and clouds.

Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, Argentina

4 out of 5
Good port--took train to the end of the world. Good excursion.

Punta Arenas, Chile

3 out of 5
Toured a sheep ranch for the day. The luncheon was not very appealing--nor tasted that great. Interesting tour. Not worth the entire day.

Cruise Amalia Glacier

4 out of 5
Arrived late due to departing Punta Arenas an hour late--late excursion return from Antarctica. Weather was somewhat marginal--rain and low clouds.

Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

4 out of 5
Visited a beautiful falls in a privately owned park and took a short hike. Beautiful scenery.

Puerto Montt, Chile

5 out of 5
Beautiful area. Rich in Central European culture. Lunch on the excursion was excellent.

San Antonio, Chile

4 out of 5
Some distance between the port and Santiago. We had an excursion to the wine country and a driving tour of the city. Excellent.

Coquimbo (La Serena), Chile Did not visit port

Not on our itenerary.

General San Martin (Pisco), Peru Did not visit port

Not on our itenerary.

Callao (Lima), Peru Did not visit port

Not on our itenerary.

Puntarenas, Costa Rica Did not visit port

Not on our itenerary.

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua Did not visit port

Not on our itenerary.

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico Did not visit port

Not on our itenerary.

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California Did not visit port

Not on our itenerary.

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
Since we were on an excursion w/Airport drop-off, everything went beautifully.

Traveler Photos

Cape Horn at Dusk From Sugar Loaf
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5 Comments

RetiredRay    5 years ago

Yes Linlee, they were using it.

Linlee14    5 years ago

Is the Medallion working on the Royal yet?

binro01    5 years ago

We are looking forward to our first Princess cruise in 3 weeks. Thanks for the review.

rowena44    5 years ago

My dream cruise....Antarctica...thanks for the review.

RetiredRay    5 years ago

Nice review, looking forward to boarding in 212 days for the Sea of Cortez.

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