This was our first cruise and first time to south america we stayed in Buenos Aries for 3 days prior to departure,went on hop on hop off bus.. wonderful city full of interesting architectural wonders....buildings, statues.. old and new..the ship had easy embarkation... friendly knowledgeable and helpful staff..stayed in partial porthole cabin it exceeded our expectations for size of cabin and view out of porthole ..dining was great and did not have a disappointing meal in 2 weeks..we had the drink package and dining package ..part of the free at sea promotions..although "free" is a bit of a stretch..$700.00 in gratuities for drink package ...good entertainment..service was friendly and helpful at every turn..a bit unorganized for shore excursions...would have been helpful to have more information on ports of call as well as prior information on excursions.. the tender boats were a bit crowded and unorganized but only needed them at a couple ports our cabin steward Milos did a wonderful job every day and was most friendly and helpful...disembarkation was easy and stress free..not really a trip for young children although there were some onboard...once in a lifetime trip... highly recommend it