This was our third trip with Seadream. Before I get to more comments, I think that it is important to realize that SD is very different than a traditional cruise and quite different from most other luxury lines. It lacks many of the amenities of larger ships many of which we also enjoy.
But, it also offers a level of relaxed intimacy and service that few can match.
The recent remodel has ...
Chose this cruise for the experience of up close viewing of the glaciers. Riding on the zodiacs and the Special Operations Boat was great fun. The science staff was informative on the area and explained what is happening to the world glaciers. The staff was great and helpful in making this expedition cruise enjoyable.
All the glaciers were different. The foul weather boots and pants were great ...
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 ...
This was one (if not the) best trips I have ever taken. The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection did not just meet my expectations, it exceeded them in every single way. This experience is everything a traditional cruise isn't...elevated, intimate and highly personalized. The fare includes everything (all meals, beverages, alcohol and gratuity) and the rooms are brilliantly designed. We booked one of ...
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 ...
This was our first Viking Cruise but we have been on may others. We heard Viking was very good and a good value, we would now agree. Our goal was to see the Northern Lights, I know they don't control that but even if we hadn't seen them ( which we did 5 nights) we would of been very happy witht the cruise. The ship was spotless and beautiful, the crew was friendly beyond belief. Everyone had a ...
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 ...
Regent really delivers luxury and at a high level. Naturally, there are occasional blips but this inevitable and does not take any from the overall experience.
The service culture is evident. Management is visible and engaged in daily operations. I had not observed this on other cruise lines. The service staff is well trained, some are working on their english but all are clearly guest ...
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 ...