I was on a 33-day cruise from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires, Argentina starting Dec. 2, 2022. We sailed along the Pacific Coast with stops in Cabo San Lucas; Puntarenas, Costa Rica; Lima, Peru for 2 days; skipped Pisco, Peru due to the coup in Lima; stopped in Coquimbo and Santiago, Chile; skipped Punta Arenas, Chile due to high seas and win and, sailed alternatively through the Strait of Magellan and the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia. we lingered almost 18 hours at anchor in the Ushuaia harbor because the seas were too rough to bring the ship into the pier. Late at night we were finally able to get to the pier. The next evening we couldn't leave Ushuaia because the winds were again too strong for us to push away from the pier without damaging the ship, Finally we crossed the Drake Passage on the way to Elephant Island, which was shrouded in fog. So the captain opted to go full steam ahead to the Antarctic Peninsula where we saw magnificent, spectacular scenery for two days. The captain then doubled back to the sites we missed, including Deception Island, King George III Island, Admiralty Bay, and on to Elephant Island. Captain Todd McBain was masterful in finding openings for us in between severe weather systems and getting us to the most beautiful sites in Antarctica. He faced challenges from high winds and seas and found windows of opportunity in going through straits and channels. He contacted two research bases of scientists and offered them free vegetables and (for the Chilean camp) 14 pizzas and for a research camp with four women (British or US?) the vegetables and cheese they requested. He said it was the first pizza delivery ever in Antarctica. Match that Domino's!! The scientists said no other ships had asked them if they needed supplies and appreciated his offers. We then skipped our stop in the Falklands due to high seas and wind. Both Punta Arenas and the Falklands required us to use tenders, which could not operate with the high winds. We sailed on to Montevideo and disembarked in Buenos Aires.

Overall the trip was fantastic. The food was mediocre but the staff were excellent. Sapphire's cabins are smaller than those I've had on Holland America and Norwegian. I had a balcony cabin but there was no love seat or comfy chair to sit in to read or watch tv. I definitely recommend the port side cabins for the best viewing on the itinerary.