Prinsendam Review
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It's been 2 1/2 years since I did a long cruise with Holland America and overall the experience was very good. I've read other reviews of the Prinsendam which talked about its age and the breakdowns - while it is certainly an older vessel, the engineering crew was on top of everything and when things stopped working, they were on it right away. After our cruise, the ship was heading to the Mediterranean and then off to dry dock, so by next year, I am sure many of the issues certain passengers were annoyed with will be resolved.
Like some, I was unimpressed with the shore excursions and plan to do quite a bit of private touring on my next cruise. Brad, our "location guide" was extremely knowledgeable and his presentations were fun and informative - when I did go off on my own, it was to places he suggested and they never did disappoint me. The tour descriptions, on the other hand, were very uneven and after about the 4th bus tour to the local cathedral and plaza des armes, it didn't seem worth the cost. If I'd been 20 years younger and able to be more adventurous physically, that might have changed some things.
Overall, I can say I am glad I did it, South America is off my bucket list and if you have a chance to do the southern Chile, southern Argentina, Antarctica and the Falkland Islands portion, it's well worth it (they do have ships just sailing that part, so I would say do that and skip the Amazon). Kudos to Captain Tim!
Cabin Review
Neptune Deluxe Verandah Suite
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
Arrived late in the day and went straight to the ship - embarkation was a breeze as I was the only one in the place.
Puerto Limon
This was a combination of bus, train and cruising the canals and we got to see a lot of wildlife - the pace was very good and the tour guide informative.
Fuerte Amador (Balboa)
I took a cruise here - rainforest canopy tram. It was fun, but I think the place we went needs a bit more improvement.
Lima
Lots of time on the bus, not much time doing anything particularly interesting.
Puerto Montt
The scenery was incredibly beautiful - this is a place you would want to visit again and for a longer time.
Punta Arenas
Some good information about Punta Arenas, interesting cemetery and museum.
Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego)
Ushuaia is a small town, so with a multitude of tours going on and a limited number of places to go, everything was a bit crowded with tourists. I loved the area - very beautiful - the tour was interesting although the train cars were built for tiny people, not large north Americans.
Stanley
I loved Stanley and would visit again. The four-wheeler drive out to the Rockhopper penguin colony was a bit hair raising, but I was assured that our drivers were very experienced so I just closed my eyes a bit and it was fine. Walking around town afterwards was a joy - sad we were there for such a short time.
Montevideo
Lots of time on the bus. Saw all the "important" places.
Buenos Aires
Lots of time on the Bus, saw "important" sites.
Barbados
This consisted of a drive over the ridge to the east side of the island and stops for pictures and a tour of a private botanical garden. The drive was pretty hair-raising what with the steepness of the terrain, narrowness of the roads and driving on the left side of the road in the British manner. I was glad to get back to the pier area and go shopping.
St. Thomas
I was scheduled to go for a tram ride and panoramic view tour, but it rained heavily all the day we were in port, so that was out. A bit disappointed since I wasn't interested in shopping, so stayed on the ship.