First, we were not tortured nor were we mis-treated but this cruise to South America was errr......just ok. The itinerary was fantastic but the onboard experience and the ship were just.... meh. We are Elite so boarding was fast and easy. We had made our own arrangements at the ARC Hotel in the Recolleta and it was very nice and conveniently located . First day was in port in Buenos Aires and we took an excursion to an Estancia and it was very nice. We sailed and awoke the next morning in beautiful Uruguay. We missed two ports on the itinerary due to winds and weather - Falkland Islands and Punta Arenas (the closed disembarcation at 11:00 am due to very high winds. We were so glad we had planned an afternoon excursion and thus had a sleep in. We are so glad we did not go ashore as the return tender trip, as related by those whom made the trip, was awful and everyone got sick. All of the ports were worthwhile, beautiful and relatively unspoiled. My favorite was Porto Montt, Chile - we will be going back. The glacier cruise by was incredible and the sail through the channel along side multiple glaciers was unbelievably beautiful.

The ship is tired and showing signs of age although spotless. The food in the MDR was ok but was more along the line of food service vs. fine dining. Our MDR staff (fixed seating) was not good - they were distracted and the waiter and asst. waiter did not work well together or communicate effectively. Our waiter was distracted most nights and only attempted to make a connection the 3rd from last night - too late. Sabatini's was excellent, everything else was frankly mediocre. The menu has been drastically reduced and there were evenings where nothing really looked very interesting.

Weather was not condusive to outdoor activities; however, we had one day at the beginning of the trip in the Sanctuary and it was wonderful. Room steward was personable and efficient. Front desk staff was horrible. The young man staffing the Elite/Suite line on the first day was snarky, condescending, and rude. The rest were barely competent. Mostly staff was proficient but not particularly friendly or engaging. Entertainment was poor and amateurish with the exception of guest vocalists - they were great! Read more