Name: Sandra McCray
Email: smccray@bellsouth.net
Age: 46
Occupation: Court Reporter
NumberOfCruises: 3
TravelAgent: No
Ship: Princess-Royal
SailingDate: 12/27/97
Itinerary: Buenos Aires to Santiago
FoodDiningRoom: 95
CruiseDirector: 82
CabinComfort: 98
FoodRoomService:
CruiseStaff: 94
CabinAmenities: 98
FoodLidoDeck: 80
DiningRoomService: 100
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 96
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 89
DeckService:
ShoreExcValue: 82
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 94
PrivateIsland:
GoodForFamilies:
LoungeService:
TenderService: 75
GoodForSeniors: 100
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 90
WheelchairAccess: 70
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 95
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside:
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 92
AirSeaProgram: 82
MedicalFacilities: 80
ShipCleanliness: 98
EmbarkDisembark: 78
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 89
Stabilization: 92
ShopsOnBoard: 84
SpaceRatio: 95
OverallCruiseValue: 85
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 18 Jan 1998
Time: 16:18:04
Remote Name: 207.53.20.87
Remote User:

Comments

This is a cruise everyone should take once, but once is probably enough. Conversely, after a recent Mediterranean cruise, I
was ready to do it again immediately. The overall scenery (glaciers, fjords, snow-capped mountains, wildlife) was
breathtaking, but some ports of call were disappointing. Our cruise began in Buenos Aires. Most passengers arrived on the
morning of embarkation day, and Princess shuttled everyone to a ballroom of a local hotel to wait for hours (with only juice
and water) before being taken to the ship around midafternoon (the ship sailed at 5 p.m.). Consequently, there was no time
at all to see Buenos Aires. Passengers would have to do some type of pre-cruise stay to see that city. Had the embarkation
been handled more quickly, most passengers would have had the afternoon to at least get a look at the city.

The next port, Montevideo (Uruguay), was disappointing, so it could have been skipped in favor of an overnight in Buenos
Aires. We were in Montevideo on a Sunday, and everything was closed. It did not appear to offer much for any day of the
week, however.

Another port that seemed a complete waste of time was Puerto Chacabuco, Chile. There were no tours offered, and the
town was not worth seeing, especially since tenders and buses were needed to get passengers into town. Princess' tender
service was very poor in Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. Passengers had to line up and wait for over an hour in extremely
windy, cold conditions to board a return tender to the ship.

A lot of passengers had an opportunity to test the ship's medical services, as a bug was circulating among probably 80
percent of those onboard. The ship's doctor diagnosed it as bronchitis and dispensed lots of antibiotics and the British
version of Tylenol. The medical personnel seemed adequate, but long waits were necessary as the office was open only
three hours a day. My bill for one visit and medication was $127; my traveling companion's was $139. I am told the
Princess insurance (which we both bought) will reimburse us, however.

The disembarkation in Santiago was handled much better than the embarkation in Buenos Aires, though I did hear tales of
people who paid for tours but were denied access to those tours. Most passengers had late night flights out of Santiago,
and Princess offered the choice of going straight to the airport or to the convention center (with free shuttle service to
shopping areas), or an option to pay $74 for a tour of the city with lunch. I took the tour, which was interesting. Lunch,
however, was in an unairconditioned restaurant courtyard, where there was absolutely no air circulating. Most of the tour
buses were not air conditioned. It was summer in Santiago, with temperatures approaching 90. After the tours, passengers
were brought to the convention center to await shuttles to the airport. We were provided a very good dinner while we
waited. They brought us to the airport two hours before our flights, which ended up not being early enough because we had
to wait in line for over an hour to check in with our airlines.

The Royal Princess is a wonderful ship, with superb dinners and service. The breakfast buffets were also terrific, but I was
disappointed in lunches (both the buffets and in the dining room). The slow elevators can also be annoying, especially when
they arrive without room for more passengers (as they often did). The entertainment was impressive, and the movies in the
theater were good. Probably the best thing about the cruise was the naturalist, Brent Nixon, provided by Princess to lecture
on the various forms of wildlife we would be seeing. His presentations were extremely entertaining and informative. For
some reason, Princess did not replay his talks on the in-room television system.

I will long remember the spectacular scenery. Overall, it was a cruise I am glad I took, but not one that I want to take again.
I prefer a cruise with fewer days at sea (there were five full days and parts of others at sea).

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