cruise departing from Rio de Janeiro in 2026-2027

Reviews: L'Austral

Guest user2026-03-02

A once-in-a-lifetime experience: a Spring Festival Antarctic trip! 17 days is considered the "basic" Antarctic itinerary, already dreamlike enough for those not into adventure. Personally, I feel a trip to Antarctica isn't complete without experiencing the Drake Passage, and thankfully, both the outbound and return journeys encountered relatively "gentle" 4-5 meter waves, which I managed without seasickness medication. This was my first time on an Antarctic cruise, so I can't make direct comparisons, but Pontopiles' cruise ships, in terms of both facilities and service, lived up to the hype on Ctrip, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu. Led by a handsome captain, we experienced a wealth of polar scenery and activities. Unlimited Wi-Fi on board was a big plus. Because the trip was quite far, I opted for a group tour. Ctrip and the travel agency, LaMeiTu, handled almost everything. Before the trip, they helped with visas, booked flights, and reminded us of important information. From the airport, LaMeiTu's tour leader, Hao Zhipeng, became our nanny, guide, photographer, translator, and more. Before the trip, I mentioned to the travel agency that we would be celebrating our wedding anniversary and birthday, not expecting much. However, our guide, Hao, specially brought supplies from China to decorate our room on the cruise ship. We celebrated our anniversary and birthday on board and even received a congratulatory letter from the captain – a very pleasant surprise and meaningful experience. Latino Travel is reliable.

From Ctrip.com

Reviews: MSC Virtuosa

Guest user2025-07-03

The cruise ship was large and luxurious, with excellent room and dining services, a wide variety of dishes, and overall good arrangements. The downside was that most of the recreational facilities were chargeable; the only free options were table tennis, swimming, and the hot tub, which were very crowded. Additionally, I hope Ctrip can provide a floor plan of the cruise ship and a map of the cabins to make choosing a room easier.

From Ctrip.com

Reviews: MSC Divina

Guest user2026-08-01

The table service at the Black Cab restaurant, handled by Vinecent, was poor. Two male servers (one wearing glasses) constantly stared at passengers while they ate, making us feel uncomfortable. They also gossiped about passengers behind their backs. During dinner on July 27th, they spoke about us behind our backs in what sounded like their native language, and then relayed this to the male servers at other tables, causing them to observe us closely. We felt deeply insulted and treated differently. On July 29th, my son wanted his steak cooked better and said "Excuse me." His voice was quite childish, and the male server wearing glasses imitated my child in a female voice, making exaggerated gestures, which was extremely insulting and disrespectful to passengers. This attracted the attention of other diners, and we felt extremely embarrassed. Only the female servers in this area provided relatively good service, but one time she served the wrong dessert; we ordered a fresh fruit plate, but she served us a mousse cake. We filed a formal complaint with the cruise company.

From Ctrip.com

Reviews: Costa Serena

Guest user2026-02-27

My first cruise experience 🛳️ was generally quite good. 1. Accommodation: I chose a triple ocean-view room. Each person had their own single bed, the bedding was comfortable, and the room was cleaned promptly. I slept well every night. 2. Dining: The first day of boarding involved a long processing time, especially during the holidays when things were very slow. After boarding, I had a quick dinner in a long queue. The food was very average. We ate on the 9th floor, and the dishes were placed far away; I had to stretch my arm to reach them. My first meal was a poor experience. Later, we ate on the 3rd floor. Breakfast and lunch were buffets, but the selection was limited and the taste was average. Dinner was à la carte, mainly Western food, which was a good experience. Each dish was carefully plated and presented, and the taste was good. I felt treated with care. 3. Entertainment: The ship offered a variety of entertainment options. A daily newspaper was sent out and placed in the mailbox outside the room, clearly showing the day's activities. The ship's performances were excellent and worth seeing. 4. Itinerary: The Sabah experience was the best. There was a welcoming ceremony upon disembarking, making the disembarkation process very smooth. The Nha Trang docking experience was the worst. It docked at Anna Marina, requiring shuttle boats to ferry guests ashore, which was extremely inefficient. With over a thousand passengers, only 2-3 small boats were deployed. Some guests didn't disembark until noon, and could only briefly look around the shore. Chen My Port in Vietnam is very far from the city center, docking at 2 PM, leaving little time for shore excursions. 5. Onboard Expenses: It's best to carry cash (USD, RMB) and a linked credit card; otherwise, the front desk always has long queues. Overall Experience: Overall, it's still quite good, a top choice for leisure travel during the Spring Festival. Doing your research beforehand can save you a lot of trouble.

From Ctrip.com

Reviews: MSC Splendida

Guest user2026-04-10

Our first cruise trip with our family of five was fantastic! First and foremost, a huge thank you to our tour guide, Li Zheng. We'd always traveled independently before, so this was our first time on a group tour. Li Zheng was incredibly kind and patient, with a vast knowledge of everything from astronomy to geography. Listening to her explain various aspects of European history was far more interesting than any history class we'd ever attended. When we met other Chinese tour guides at the hotel, they were nothing compared to her! Even my mom said she'd definitely book a tour with Li Zheng next time. The second pleasant surprise was that we were given an extra room on the cruise. We were supposed to be three people sharing a room, but when we got our tickets, we discovered one of us had a single room, so the room wasn't cramped at all. The only downside was that the beds on the cruise were quite small, which wasn't ideal for us accustomed to the large beds in Chinese dorms. The two days of land travel were quite a lot of driving; European traffic is terrible. It would have been perfect if we had done the land travel first and then gone on the ship. In short, thank you, Li Zheng! 5 stars!

From Ctrip.com

Reviews: MSC Musica

Anonymous user2026-08-31

MSC Cruises offers great value for money, and the food was excellent, especially the watermelon—sweet, juicy, and loved by the whole family. You could choose the main dining room or the buffet; we even ate at the main restaurant first and then went to the buffet, and everyone gained weight! The only slight regret was that Spain and Italy were too hot, so we didn't disembark in Ibiza. In Rome, we visited the Grand Lisboa Museum and joined an English-language guided tour, which allowed us to use a fast track from the Grand Lisboa Museum to St. Peter's Basilica. Everyone got a good rest on the cruise, and after disembarking, we continued our Paris and London trip. Almost all communication on the cruise was in English, so we didn't participate in many of the onboard entertainment activities. Seeing most people dressed in white on White Night was a truly wonderful atmosphere. Our main goal was to rest and relax on the cruise, so good food and sleep were our primary objectives, and we were very satisfied with the cruise.

From Ctrip.com