The Delfin III had good sized cabins and bathrooms that had all the amenities one could expect of a river cruise. There are only 20 cabins on board and the crew to guest ratio is almost 1:1. Staff on board was exceptional and extremely attentive. On our sailing we had only 4 English speaking guests and the rest were from Lima. In particular we had one large family celebrating the life of a lost loved one. I loved watching the family of play in the pool or playing chess in the lounge. The patriarch had loved the jungle and thus was the perfect place to celebrate his life. The lounge area is where we would meet at night to discuss the next days activities. During the day we had a little pool and sun deck. There were also various classes or activates offered in the afternoon, The lounge was also where we were treated to unlimited pisco sours. While I speak no Spanish our fellow guests wanted to learn more about us, so she invited us for a drink at the bar. The bartender translated back and forth for us over pisco sours questions of what does your family eat at home, to how many children do you have. The same questions we had as we were just beginning to learn about Peru. The one thing about river cruises, regardless if they are in Europe, South East Asia, Africa or South America is that those on board crave making connections with other like minded travelers. The food on board the Delfin was wonderful and represented foods readily available in the Amazon. We had fish, beef tenderloin, chicken and even pork. Food was exceptional as the Delfin is affiliated with Relais and Chateaux. Each time we sat down for lunch or dinner there was another delicious dish. Our maitre d eager explained each of the dishes we ate at meals. He was also an excellent singer and guitar player as we learned on our last full day on board. Visiting the Amazon in Peru is a bit like an African safari, except much of the wildlife you will see will be in the form of birds. I am not a birder, but by day two I was actively searching for the Macaws, hawks and king fishers. You hear the Macaws before you see them, so you have to use your ears as well as your eyes. Ah but to see those beautiful birds in the wild is a sight most won’t see. By day 2 we had also started to spot monkeys (there are over 13 different varieties in the Peruvian Amazon) sloths, bats, rats and Caiman (medium size crocodiles). We went fishing for piranha and had breakfast in the jungle. Read Less

The Delfin III was better than I expected - accommodations, food, service. - Cabin. Our cabin was quite large (unlike other small ship cruises I have been on), with a huge well supplied bathroom, king bed & enough room for us to store our clothes & luggage. The floor to ceiling window was great. The A/C worked very well & we needed it. - Service. The guides were very knowledgeable, helpful & friendly. The dining room was excellent. I was glad that there was a medic on board because I had intestinal issues that he helped me with. - Food. We enjoyed our meals - lots of variety & good quality. I like that they used locally sourced food. - Programs. The on-ship programs were not very interesting to me. - Excursions. Most of the excursions were on a skiff. I enjoyed the early morning one with breakfast served on the skiff. My favorite was the jungle hike - I wish we had more of these. The guides were particularly helpful on the hike. We also went to a local village which was somewhat interesting. Read Less

I gave this a 5 star rating based upon the experience that we had in the middle of nowhere, in the Amazon. Not a 5 star experience for a mainline cruise nor standard river cruise but this was nothing like that. Prior to the cruise we spent 6 nights in a jungle lodge. I strongly suggest doing both as we did. The Defin 3 is a very pretty boat and the staff are spectacular. Rooms are large with huge windows overlooking the river. The air conditioning quite strong and it was a relief after our time in the jungle. Unlike at the lodge the Delfin trip is almost exclusively on the rivers. While we did do one 3 hour jungle walk/hike, everything else in a skiff exploring along the waterways. The guides were extremely knowledgeable and willing to assist with any questions that we could ask. Food on board, for most, was great. Breakfast buffet was perfect. Lunch and dinner were served at the table and there really was not any option. They did ask if you had any specific requests but they were not great in following up. I personally don't eat most vegetables and it was tough to get pasta, potatoes or anything else to go with the main dish. If you did not like the main dish you were pretty much out of luck. It would be better if they posted the menu in the morning so that there would be an opportunity to ask for something different. The other strange thing is that they seem to try and be a 5 start ship. At meals the waiters wear white gloves, hold their hand behind their back as they serve, etc. They are trying to mimic a very upscale restaurant. In most cases they do accomplish this but it would be far better if they embraced the "rustic" adventure travel area that they are in and skip trying to impress. Food presentations were fantastic and photo worthy. There are few enrichment/entertainment activities. One couple on board were PhD in two various marine science disciplines. They did a great talk on river dolphins but some other talks, like this one, would have been great. Very happy we did this cruise and would recommend it highly. If you are expecting a jungle experience you really need to combine the cruise with a real jungle lodge. Read Less