The cruise with Oceania from Lima to Buenos Aires showed what an array of overprices and rip-offs they could envision. As a single traveller, I had to pay the same amount as two people thereby paying double for all my meals - assuming they consider their food to be as exceptional as they advertise (not what I would say), this is an unethical, dishonest charge of $2000 or more. Their hotel bookings, for those who make the mistake of using them are far more than the actual cost. The Marriot in Lima was just over $200 per night, they originally wanted $872, later $446. Their transfer from the hotel to the port was $119 per person. The Mercedes taxi from the hotel was $59. Obviously the shore excursions are highly overpriced as there is a 25% discount if you take 7 or more tours.

As to the quality, food was sometimes good to very good, never exceptional and often fair or not so fair. Many of the buffet items were half warm. Service was sometimes good, sometimes fair, although reports from other passengers said the lunch and breakfast service in the dining room was terrible quite often.

Some of the shore excursions were questionable. They had scheduled some tours to return after departure from port and had to reschedule. They offered sea kayaking on the Magellan Strait, however the captain had to be in port by 6 AM or it would be too windy to dock- you are going out in the ocean in a kayak in these conditions??? Similarly, the trip to the Falkland Islands was cancelled as gale force winds would not allow taking people ashore. This seems to be common occurrence so why is it on the schedule? Read more