What’s It Like to Take a South America Cruise?

Scenes from a Family South America Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

While visiting our family in Brazil, my sister-in-law suggested we take a family trip on a South America cruise. We decided on a cruise for the convenience that it provides while traveling with kids (my 2 kids and her 2 kids), plus the destinations–36 hours in Buenos Aires and two stops in Uruguay–were ones we were all interested in. If you’ve been wondering what a South America cruise is like, you’ll love seeing the highlights of our cruise to Argentina and Uruguay:

Here’s our South America cruise itinerary: a 6-day cruise leaving from the port city of Santos, Brazil, south to Rio de la Plata with stops in Buenos Aires and Punta del Este and Montevideo, Uruguay. Here are the highlights from the cruising part of the trip…unfortunately, there were lowlights, too: I got sick and a couple of the port stops were too rushed.

A cruise definitely ended up being a convenient option because there were 12 (!) of us: my husband, kids and I; my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and their 2 girls; my other sister-in-law; my mother-in-law; and my brother-in-law’s elderly parents, ages 76 and 85. The MSC cruise ship was huge but there were many things for us to do, and our kids loved it.

It was a rainy, foggy day leaving Santos, but we were still able to see the green morros that line the coast. Then it was time to explore the ship and take in the sunset.

Scenes from a Family South America Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

The next day we were at sea the whole day.

Scenes from a Family South America Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness Scenes from a Family South America Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

It’s windy on the top levels of the boat, but the best views by far are from up there. (I still can’t believe how big my nieces have gotten!)

Scenes from a Family South America Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness  Scenes from a Family Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

And the next morning we arrived in Punta del Este, a small city on the coast of Uruguay. The city has kilometers and kilometers of nice beach, some cute historic buildings (among the many apartment buildings and mansions of the rich who vacation here), and the Taller de Casapueblo Museum.

South America cruise | This Is My Happiness

Scenes from a Family Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

The next morning I was up early to enjoy some views as we approached Buenos Aires, and I learned that morning may be the best time to wander the boat–in some cases, I was the only one around, which is really saying something when there are more than 2000 passengers!

South America cruise | This Is My Happiness

Scenes from a Family Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

We spent almost two full days docked at Buenos Aires. Here’s a peek at what we saw while there, but two days was definitely not enough!

Scenes from a Family Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

Scenes from a Family Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

And then it was back the way we came with a stop in Montevideo. I was so tired from running around Buenos Aires, and the stop in Montevideo was so short that I didn’t get to see the city. We then passed by the lighthouse and cityscape of Punta del Este one more time as we made our way back out to the Atlantic.

Scenes from a Family South America Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

My gorgeous sister-in-law and Noah enjoying the sunset before going to the theater:

Scenes from a 3-generation South America Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

South America cruise | This Is My Happiness

One unexpected detail…my kids LOVED the theater on the ship. It actually made us decide to take them to more theater productions back home this year.

Scenes from a Family Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

And then it was time for another long day at sea before arriving back in Santos.

South America cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

South America cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

Scenes from a Family Cruise from Brazil to Argentina and Uruguay | This Is My Happiness

Have you been on a cruise? I’d love to hear about your experience.

P.S. tips for choosing a cruise and 36 hours in Buenos Aires

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5 Comments

  1. says: Cindy

    Gorgeous photos! It’s fun to see them in advance of hearing about the cruise from you in person. 🙂

    I have been on a cruise – to Alaska. I, too, loved the convenience of it. No shopping, cooking, or other “life” distractions. I got to see a lot of Alaska from the ocean that would be hard to access from land, and we made 5 port stops. One main purpose of my cruise was to work on a book without distractions, and it was very good for that! However, I haven’t felt a desire to cruise again. I like the flexibility of traveling by land – and the ability to see much more in the course of most days.

    Welcome home!

    1. says: Jenna

      Yes, definitely convenient! And I love the idea that there is so much to look at on an Alaskan cruise.

  2. says: Traveolani

    I can’t wait to read with more details! A cruise in South America is in my wish list too.
    We have been on a cruise one, in the Caribbean in February 2015 and we lived it. The only two cons were the short time at each island and that I was seasick. But I would definitely do it again!

      1. says: Jenna

        No problem! I read a bit more about your cruise experiences. I agree that seasickness can be a real problem. We brought Dramamine and it really helped.

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