South America Cruise Reviews

This expedition cruise aboard the Viking Polaris fulfilled a dream to visit Patagonia. We flew into Buenos Aires and were housed at the Intercontinental Hotel by Viking. My traveling companion and I had booked a spot on a free walking tour of the city to pass the afternoon before check-in. The next morning we were flown by Viking charter to Ushuaia, Argentina, where we boarded the Polaris. It ...

I had never been to South America and this cruise covered a big number of interesting places -- without being too long or having too many "days at sea". We saw a great deal in Chile, Cape Horn, Uraguay and Argentina in 18 days. The food, service, friendliness, quality, entertainment, cleanliness, activities, and facilities were all great! We had to pass on the Falklands due to safety issues, so be ...

We have taken approximately 50 ocean voyages on several different cruise lines, trying each of those lines multiple times in our attempt to develop rounded and fair assessments. We're in our 70s, so some cruise lines - while perfect for families or the younger partying set - don't appeal to us. We have developed a short list of our favorites and longer list of our "never agains". Prior to this ...

This is a journal of our February 27-March 12, 2024, “Exploring the Chilean Fjords” land/expedition package on the Ponant L’Austral. The package includes one night at a 5-star hotel in Buenos Aires, flights and transfers to/from Ushuaia, and 13 nights aboard the L’Austral. We had cruised from Valparaiso to Rio de Janeiro around Cape Horn in 2011 aboard the Star Princess ...

We've talked about an Antarctic cruise for years...we like Ponant, and we are Smithsonian fans, so when the combination came up this seemed a good omen. We were extremely pleased to find superb support, assistance and communications from the Ponant-Smithsonian Journeys representative. She was in touch early and often. We had a couple of glitches and in each case were helped through the ...

While our cruise began with a longer stay in Ushuaia than anticipated, the crew and captain more than made up for the delay. There was a problem with the propulsion system so we had to wait for repairs and a Coast Guard inspection. But we were safe and dry and well fed and in a gorgeous place that most do not get the opportunity to explore. Once we left port the Captain did everything he could to ...

Antarctica was the last continent for me to visit, I received an offer from Swan Hellenic and after some research, booked the trip. It was, simply put, AMAZING, a trip of a lifetime. Everything was top notch from the pre cruise hotel to the ship, the excursions, the food and the staff! The food was terrific, did you ever hear of king crab leg and lobster being served on a buffet, all you can ...

My recent voyage of discovery to Antarctica, South Georgia, and Falkland Islands on Eclipse 1 with my husband (John) is nothing but praise. We were welcomed on board by the Captain. Followed through into the lounge area where we met the Restaurant Manager who remembered us from a previous cruise. We were introduced to many crew. After a welcoming drink and made to feel special, it was time to ...

We always bring our fun so....... Anyway, here are some thoughts on this adventure. Ship is 20 years old and showing her age. Didn't stop the fun. Beds were comfortable, water was hot and toilets flushed. Food in main dining room was excellent - I've always found the upcharge restaurants on HAL to miss the mark - the Pinnacle Grill and Canaletto's just aren't what they should - buffet was ...

We always were interest in a trip to Antarctica. This one fit our schedule and the price was good when the sale opened up. We really lucked out having good weather for our expeditions and the drake passage was smooth both going down and coming back. It was nice to having all the expeditions so well planned and organized. The science discussions and work on the ship was a very nice touch and ...