The focus is on Patagonia, specifically Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan; beyond which lies Tierra del Fuego. But to get there and back, we passed through Santiago and Puerto Montt, twice. And from Santiago, naturally, we did want to miss Valparaíso, a place I've always wanted to see.
but... "If one passengers wants the radio off, it has to be switched off" I dare you - we saw over six (6) movies on one (1) trip, volume getting louder and louder (all were ripped-off DVDs)
For one thing, both in Chile and Argentina there's this incredibly filthy habit of discarding used toilet paper not in the toilet but in a waste basket next to it. As often as not, without a lid. Phoooey! You can only hope some poor person collects them on a more than daily base. They say it clogs their drains. Maybe. Even on a ship? The better places did not have such a sign.
A very good thing is, they are metricand they do not use the stupid Yankee-gringo AM-PM format but civilizedly spell it out (goes at least for Argentina, Chile and Colombia)
We flew TACA for the first time in our lives. Not only did we get a good deal, the service was upfront: fast, snappy and good. TACA has the best safety record in South America. That may not be saying much, but it's also one of the best all over the world.
As regards hotels, you may be forced to stay in the cheapest sort of lodging. We were sorry when we had done so. For just a few dollars more, you will always get much better deals qua value per dollar. We could easily believe the horror stories of people burnt in death-traps, or girls getting bedbugs.
