30 Night Andes & Cape Horn Grand Adventure (Los Angeles To Buenos Aires)
Sail date: December 04, 2018
Ship:
Star Princess
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
FANTASTIC TRIP - Staff & crew go above & beyond to ensure you have fun! More than enough to see, eat or do in all categories. If you find fault, you better look at yourself first. ONLY ONE BIG ISSUE: Improved passenger behaviour (it’s a spitting, snorting cultural action) when it comes to hygiene that absolutely needs addressing.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Fast and efficient! Luggage was a cake walk and arrived to our cabin quickly.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
You are what you eat! The buffet and any time dining choices are non-stop, delicious, full of fresh fruit & desserts that come both sugar free OR calories galore. (Someone save me please.)
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Zumba was my favourite, and it was for many passengers ... they need more space to fit everyone or put screens up so you can follow along properly. MANY great lectures on DNA, Glaciers, Artifacts, Spanish classes etc. Couldn't move fast enough to attend everything you wanted when at sea.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
British Invasion and Argentina Tango shows hit home as I love theater/dance. Definitely noticed the younger population from Santiago to BA gave the cruise a more upbeat feeling music wise. I like jazz, blues, classical etc but it was too much from LA to Santiago. I was happy to hear the Latino music to BA and a lo more pop style.
Children's Programs
No kids with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
STAFF I ❤
Russel Buenaventura - State room attendant. Helpful in so many ways who worked around our schedules when tidying up. Thinks ahead and is kind.
Edilina Canton - A fun, happy gal in International Cafe that smiles so bright she's sunshine. Livens up every event by dancing, laughing and smiling while she's working - she made my da
Lynn Hartzenberg - Art SPECIALIST - What a doll - good natured, savvy and interesting beyond her art knowledge.
Billy ?- EFFY JEWELRY sales - LIstens well, compassionate, not pushy ( I love the Tanzanite bracelet she searched & found.) Good woman.
Henry ? - Dining Room steward from LIma, dark glasses and kind eyes. Best smile ever and speedy on both recommendation/delivery of all the great food (Big Hug to this guy).
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Really like the ship design as it's easy to get about once familiar with the layout. As for the common areas - yes the staff did their utmost and it was clean for sure. My beef is with hygiene, the staff need to be GIVEN permission to reprimand bad passenger behavior. At Horizon Court ( breakfast buffet), a passenger in the hand sanitizer line bent foward and snorted his nose all over the sinks. Two crew staff overseeing the disgusting behaviour said NOT A WORD - because this is a paying customer. I was so revolted, I gave that passanger a piece if my mind and said he should do this in the privacy of his room. SUGGESTION - Safety drills are required attendance so include a video that addresses this issue (not just how to sneeze in your elbow, not your hand etc.) After 15 DAYS of the 30 day Andes trip, many passengers were coughing & ill. A sinusitis bacteria had spread so BiG improvements are needed in this area.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Super good beds/pillows (wish I had these at home). Our room was spotless and well maintained with chocolates on the pillow nightly. What's not to love?
Ship tip
Don’t t over pack as there is great stuff to buy onboard and when you stop in the destinations. Still take a big suitcase though!
Great cathedral, water fountain light show and people; however, the horrendous traffic (4 hrs on the bus for what should be 2 hrs) makes this excursion a difficult choice. We went both days to town as Lima is a city we really wanted to explore. But I am not sure I’d do that again .... once was enough.
Not a lot to see, however we were fortunate as we hadn't heard about the Indian temple in this community and we were with a couple who had it on their list. We were so glad as the temple was deceiving ... plain outside but incredible inside! You can miss the park with dinosaurs BUT not the temple.
Take the mountain trip full day excursion to Lago Escondido Worth every penny ... lamb empanadas & wine / hot chocolate / dolce de Lethe home made pastries for lunch - delicioso.
We had calm seas so were very lucky! Pay attention as the Captain as he only does a brief announcement and you can miss the whole event if your having breakfast. There should be a bigger tada made - blow the ship horn or something!
Long waits for tenders to shore (as everyone gets off) so get up early. Super interesting, quaint British town that has great walk destinations. Fish & chips with a beer is a must. Step inside the phone booth, after you visit the churches and do a phtoto bomb at the whole bone arch.
Walk the beach and if you're an ocean lover, check out Ecco Centro! Wandered back along the shoreline and had a seafood pizza and beer ($15. Cnd) at Nautico / Bistro de Mar. It could feed 10 people ... we're still not over it.
Walk till you get to the centre of town because there are soooo many incredible buildings - the architecture will blow your mind. It was Sunday so the streets were quiet, mostly families relaxing and the smell of bbq everywhere.
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