We just completed a 15 day cruise in South America from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso. We were two couples; my wife and I had an Owners Suite and our friends were in a Penthouse Suite. These suites not only come with a list of perks such as free liquor and internet but also with VIP status. We have only sailed on Silversea up to now but have never received a level of attention like we did on this cruise.

Our butler was fabulous and while we did not need to interact with him everyday, he was always available and was charming. Our steward not only took great care of our suite but also left amazing towel animals as a surprise each evening. But it was our Concierge, Zahira, who was truly amazing. She always knew where we were and what we were doing. She proactively took care of things before we even thought of it and guided us through the entire experience. 15 nights is a long cruise and she took care of everything! There was a big problem at the end of the cruise - a cargo ship was at out dock and would not move so 2000 people and their luggage had to transfer by tender. The VIPs and their luggage got there first - a full 5 hours before the last group made it. We were truly lucky.

Of course, there is a much greater diversity of rooms than we experienced on Silversea so a wider range of folks socioeconomically. That said, it was except for the VIP perks, it was as democratic a community as could be and incredibly diverse in terms of nationalities. The only thing I could call a hassle was that on some mornings, the mass of people they had to engineer off the ship for excursions became a bit crazy. But in the end, it all worked. Read more