As we really like South America, and despite having done the same cruise on the same ship in reverse 6 years ago, we wanted to do it again. We spent a couple of days in Santiago to get over the 14 hour flight from the UK, where it was very hot (Santiago that is) but interesting. Ships now dock at San Antonio rather than Valparaiso, so it was a long drive to the port, however once there, embarkation was done and dusted within 20 minutes of arriving, our cabin was ready and all our luggage had arrived well before the lifeboat drill.

We had a balcony cabin on the port side towards the rear, figuring most land throughout the voyage would be visible to us. The room was functional, and the walk-in wardrobes on Princess ships are a really good idea. There was plenty of drawer space and shelves too. The bathroom still has an annoying plastic curtain on the shower and was rather small. We didn't spend much time on the balcony on sea days due to the weather.

Virtually all the sea days saw winds of Force 6 or above and some choppy seas, however there was little movement of the ship though it gave added fun to the line dancing classes. Thankfully every port day had lovely sunny weather even Punta Arenas. However, due to the poor weather forecast, the Captain decided he couldn't risk using the tenders so we did some scenic crusing in daylight through the Magellan Strait. Read more