We flew into Santiago via Buenos Aires from Washington DC and stayed at the Hotel Orly. A really good way to start the trip. Nice accommodations, good area, sidewalk cafe. The next day, we took a tour of Santiago, Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso (using AboutChile) which was excellent, and were dropped at our hotel (Grand Gervasoni Valparaiso). The hotel was not the best choice (no elevator, steep 15 steps up to the room, but comfortable accommodations with a view.

Embarkation was quick and easy. Quickly we found the service attitude of the ship personnel and settled into our lanai cabin (which opened onto the promenade walking track on the 6th deck -- what a great idea!! Really nice to have the access to the outside to see the scenery (and the daylight in the room was really wonderful).

Our tour was breathtaking, and we were particularly impressed with the Captain who went out of his way to explain his decisions and to interact with the passengers. It is clear his personal style influences the entire culture of the ship and truly adds to the experience. Read more