This is a review of our 14-day South American cruise aboard Celebrity's Infinity from Valparaiso, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Our embarkation day was February 1, 2004. My wife (40), daughter (2) and I (39) were on cabin 9164 (cat CC). This was our ninth cruise, third on Celebrity, and second aboard the Infinity.

SUMMARY This cruise has to rate near the top when compared to all the other cruises we have taken. The itinerary was excellent, providing a balance between ports and days at sea. The scenery encountered during our passage through the Chilean fjords and the Strait of Magellan was truly spectacular, and made our balcony cabin a wise investment. The weather was great with only one day of rain during the whole trip. We used local tour operators during our cruise, rather than taking the ship excursions in all ports except the Falkland Islands. More on the individual tour operators down below. THE TRIP January 27: Our flight from Orlando to Santiago, Chile (via Miami) was on LAN Chile. We had a great overnight arriving in Santiago early the next morning.

January 28: Santiago. Please note that you must pay an entry fee of $100 when arriving by plane in Chile. This amount must be paid before passing Chilean customs. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel. The Hotel Carrera, once the best hotel in Santiago, had been sold and was to be closed at the end of February. That made our 2-night stay a little surreal, as furniture auctions were been held every day. However, the service was fine and we had a pleasant stay in the hotel. We arranged a city tour with SportsTour Chile, and had great full day tour with our guide. Read more