Buenos Aires to Santiago with Stays, 4 March 2020 (20 nights)

• ms Zaandam
• Holland America Line
• 09 Dec 2018

The fabric and layout of the ship was really good. This however was spoilt by other aspects of the cruise. The food wasn't startling and lacked variety. Service in the dining room was slow and the food was only tepid on arrival. Very little food in the lido was on a help yourself basis. Drinks were expensive with a 15% service charge on top. The excursions were also expensive and when tendering was in process it took up to 2 hours before independent travellers could disembark. The onboard activities were limited with one person delivering the majority of lectures. The house shows were however good as was the cabin service. With no laundrette on board you had to use their laundering service. Unfortunately this seemed to sum up he firms attitude of squeezing as much as it could out of people. A prime example of that was you had to pay for coffee if you wanted it at the end of your meal in the dining room.

• ms Zaandam
• Holland America Line
• 24 Nov 2018

Thank you Iglu and HAL and all hotels and transfer's the trip was a fantastic experience. AWESOME is a word that these days is used all to frequently however in this case it is most appropriate. The captain of Zaandam sailed 20 miles off cause to sail by an Ice berg we tendered in the Falklands on remembrance Sunday and treated to a service and parade on a lovely sunny day that will live in our memory's for ever. All the ports were Iconic and rounding cape horn to eventually cruise to see a Glaser. Once again our most grateful thanks for the best cruise ever and our 32nd so we have many comparisons.

• ms Zaandam
• Holland America Line
• 04 Apr 2016

We recently returned from a cruise around South America with a 2 night stay in Buenos Aires and a 2 night stay in Santiago at the end - all arranged by Iglu. From the moment we set off from Heathrow the whole holiday went superbly. We flew with British Airways and Iberia via Madrid to Buenos Aires and on our return Journey we flew via Sao Paulo with LAN and British Airways. All flights were good with plenty of time for transfers. Our hotel in Buenos Aires was very central within easy walking distance of many of the sights. The hotel in Santiago ( the Park Plaza ) was excellent although not central. It was in a very nice area with the stop for the hop on hop off tourist bus just outside. All our transfers were on time and in clean comfortable cars. Embarkation went very smoothly and our cabin was ready even at midday. The service was excellent in all areas without it being too familiar. We loved the Zaandam because we felt it looked like a real ship rather than a tall floating hotel. The food was very good in both the Lido and the more formal Rotterdam restaurant with plenty of choice. The range of activities provided on board was very good although we felt that there should have been one or two guest speakers talking about the area. There were plenty of quizzes, cooking demonstrations, tango lessons, a digital workshop and plenty more. The weather was superb so we were able to visit all ports. The port excursions were well organised and there was never any queuing to get off the ship. We enjoyed all ports, particularly the Falklands where we visited Bluff Cove and the penguins. The scenic cruising was wonderful. The bow was opened up and hot pea and ham soup was served on deck. The captain and his crew contributed greatly to our enjoyment. They tried very hard to ensure that we saw everything. The holiday could not have been better and we would definitely travel with Iglu and Holland America again.