I've taken many cruises on small ships to the very large ones. Husband & I are contemplating a 14 day cruise leaving from Santiago, Chile..sailing around Cape Horn and ending in Buenos Aires. Has anyone here taken this cruise? How are the ship's accomodations. I've heard mixed reviews. The trip will probably be sometime Dec.of this year. Is that a good time to sail these destinations...I'm worried about rough seas as this is a smaller ship. Also how were the land tours if any at the ports of call. Any input would be appreciated.

I have not done this itinerary on the Crown, but have done it on the Norwegian Dream a couple of years ago. The ship is secondary to the itinerary and you will love it. Nancy Norris wrote a MEGA review of the cruise located at:

http://www.cruisereviews.com/NorwegianCruiseLine/NorwegianDream4.htm

December is an excellent time to go and you will experience hot weather that goes to cold and then hot again. I would easily spend a couple extra days in Buenos Aires, as it is a wonderful city.

There was a group of us on the cruise and we did our won thing in all of the ports, which worked out pretty well. Be sure to make your way to Punta Tombo penguin reserve, as this is the major attraction on this cruise and well worth the hassle to get there.

Have a great cruise!

Tom

Thanks Tom for your reply. I read Nancy's wonderful review of the trip and it gave me a very good insite as to what to expect. The itinary sounds very exciting and its a part of the world not many get to see. We usually don't like to take the ship's excursions and as you mentioned we will be able to do our own tour. If all goes well we will be booking this trip soon. Thanks again for your input.

Have a great cruise! Let us know if you have any questions about the ports.

Tom

I sailed this itinerary on the Crown back in 2000, which was before NCL introduced Freestyle cruising. This cruise still ranks as one of my all-time favorites, mainly because of the itinerary - great ports, people, scenery, animals (especially the penguins!). But don't get me wrong - I also enjoyed the Crown. It's a smaller ship, so don't expect the wide range of alternative dining venues that would be found on a larger ship like the Dawn or Star. But I enjoyed the intimacy of the ship and the smaller passenger capacity. It seemed that all the service personnel ended up knowing most of the passengers, especially since this is a longer cruise. I found the cabin to be unusually roomy - the bathroom even had a tub (and this was an inside cabin). I can't speak to how Freestyle dining has affected the overall experience on this ship, but usually it doesn't work quite as well on ships that weren't specifically designed for it.