safarigal7072

Cool Cruiser -- I am curious as to what model Sony cam that you settled on. Is it a dedicated video camera? I am trying to decide whether or not to get a really good DSLR camera that also shoots video, or a dedicated video camcorder (which seem to be a dying breed). How do you like your Sony?

I'm not Perfectly Perth, but I am an avid amateur photographer, and I used one pole in Antarctica. It was sufficient when needed on slippery surfaces.

Thanks, for your input!

Yep agree re collapsible hiking poles. I carry a couple as a matter of course for all landings because I get wobbly and unbalanced on pebbly shores - of which there are far more than fully snow/ice covered ones.

Do you find that two poles are better than one for walking on uneven or slippery surfaces? My husband is an avid photographer, and I'd imagine two poles would be difficult to maneuver along with a camera.

Okay. Thanks. We are getting an early booking discount, too, and my husband tells me it is a 20% deposit, not 25%. Of course, we will also have trip insurance. So I guess this is not unreasonable.

The ship is Hebridean Sky and the cruise line is Polar Latitudes. You may be right about Polar Latitudes setting the deposit. We haven't signed a contract yet, but I'll have to ask our agent about that.

The agent we have been working with is requiring a 25% non-refundable deposit to book a 22-day Antarctic cruise 18 months out. This seems extravagant. Does anyone know what is the norm? she is giving us a discount, but we still stand to lose a lot of money if we should have to cancel.

You have a tough decision to make, with probably no wrong answer. :)

 

Which would be "better" of course is really subjective and probably depends in large measure on what you would prefer to see. Four years ago, we traveled with Nat Geo (on the Explorer) on their Antarctica trip in late January/early February. (We were not on the longer trip so I can't comment on that.) Lots of activity in the penguin rookeries! Chicks had hatched, they were demanding to be fed by their parents, they were running around, some had fledged, etc. (You said you aren't interested in whales, but they were incredible. Humpbacks, minkes, killer whales. And lots of seals of course.)

 

But just as amazing was the ice. We loved zodiac cruising around the icebergs, it was simply spectacular.

 

I think it would be incredible to be in Antarctica early in the season when it's more pristine, but I think only you can decide what would be more interesting to you.

 

I have a very detailed photo journal of our trip at this link, in case you find it useful:

 

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

 

Happy to answer other questions if I can.

 

 

 

 

 

(photos by turtles06)

Turtles06 -- Thanks so much for your reply and the link to your wonderful site! Haven't read through all of it yet, but we have enjoyed the photos. We will, of course, be reading your full diary, as I'm sure there will be tons of useful info. After a lot of quick research, at this point we are leaning towards a trip on the Hebridean Sky through Polar Lattitudes. My husband has talked me into letting go of Nat Geo because it is so much more expensive than all the other tours. The Hebridean appears to be a very nice ship, with only 114 passengers, and it does the same itinerary we want -- Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands. So now our choices are early November (departs on November 3, 2018) or very late December (departs on December 31). The December trip has two less days. I think we are still leaning towards November.

No, South Georgia was part of our December trip, so we were there during the first week of December.

 

Sea ice isn't a problem that far north, so that wouldn't impact landings. The only seasonal issue I know of that would is the fur seal mating season, which begins in late November. We encountered a lot of male fur seals guarding their harems, and we had to be very observant and stick to carefully curated routes. However, we didn't miss any landings due to the seal presence.

 

The Shackleton hike may be impacted by remaining snow early in the season if that's a concern. However, the hike (like everything else) is extremely weather-dependent, so it's not a guarantee in any season.

We're not too worried about the fur seal mating season, as we will be hitting South Georgia and the Falklands early in the trip, at the beginning of November. No guarantees on anything, I realize. We learned that in twenty years of travel to Africa to photograph the wildlife there. Thanks again for your followup reply.

We did this trip from mid Jan to Feb. Lots of chicks, aggressive fur seals and passive elephant seals. That was on the Hapag Lloyd vessel Bremen.

Back in November this year on Noble Caledonias Island Sky. Bit more luxury!

So we should see more ice and snow, and the springtime rituals. But no Chicks. I am hoping to see more whales, especially humpbacks as they are my favourite.

 

 

 

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Thanks for your reply. I'll be interested to hear how you liked going in November when you return from your trip this year. I'm wondering if it's harder to navigate on land with the potential for a lot of snow on the ground. My husband is 72, and in reasonably good health, (walks every morning), but his balance isn't great and I am mildly concerned about him slipping and falling on ice and snow in November. Hope you'll get back to me after your trip. All said, we're still leaning toward the November trip.

i have done all of nov, dec, feb and march - plus beginning and end of jan. There is no "bad" time to go. There is a lot more to it - the entire destination - than just penguin chicks.

 

I get the impression when people are referring to "pristine" landscapes they have images of acres of pure white ice. And yep - you will potentially see that - but no where near a penguin colony! Those little dudes are chock full of poop and it comes out constantly. Nothing pristine about it!

 

Fi and sgi are some of the most spectacular geography you will ever experience - very photo/video intensive days. For sgi the first few weeks of dec are serious fur seal coverage and you do have to be wary and very careful on shore.

 

In nov on sgi the beaches will be covered in tens of thousands of elephant seals and they are fabulous to watch and capture on film. The big males fighting, the young weaners being all snuggly like kittens. By feb the weaners are gone and only a few big males left. So for me nov is more spectacular for the sheer numbers. Same with the amount of kings - way more in nov than feb.

perfectly perth -- thank you for your reply. Sounds like you've done it all! Since i made this post, we have since found a small ship antarctica cruise that comes highly recommended and that is less expensive than nat geo (the hebridean sky). Its extended trip starts in early november (november 3) or there is one that starts at the very end of december. So now we are looking at those two possibilities. I suspect we'll see more wildlife in the late december/january trip and maybe get on land more than we would in november, but we're still leaning towards the november trip because of the chance for more pristine ice landscapes and less tourists. Ironically, even the nat geo person we spoke to said that the guides tend to prefer november. I understand what you are saying about the penguins. But surely in november there will be some opportunities to capture penguins on snow...

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply! If I might ask one followup question -- did you go to South Georgia on your November trip? If you did, what was that like at that time of year? Were your landings limited there?

My husband and I are doing research on which would give us the best experience -- early November or mid-February for the 24-day trip to Antarctica, Falkland Islands and South Georgia offered by Nat Geo. My husband and I are avid photography buffs (he does stills, I shoot video), and we love both spectacular scenery AND wildlife (have done many safaris to Africa, but this Antarctica trip will be a once-in-a-lifetime trip to that part of the world, so we just get one shot at it). We are trying to decide if November is better because it's more pristine, even if it's a little colder, or February is better because of penguin chick activity. We're not so much interested in whales. We'd love to hear from those who have experienced one or the other, or both. We wish Nat Geo offered the extended trip in December or January since we hear that those are the best months, but apparently they only do the shorter version of their trip (just Antarctica) in those months. We're pretty set on doing Nat Geo's trip and not another cruise line, as we like their smaller Orion ship. Also, we are now in our early 70s and just feel more comfortable doing it with Nat Geo.

Thanks, Tutles06. Of course, you are right. We are doing our main research on which would be the better month for our needs and expectations specifically -- early November or mid-February for the 24 day trip to Antarctica, Falkland Islands and South Georgia. My husband and I are amateur photography buffs (he does stills, I shoot video), and love spectacular scenery AND wildlife (have done many trips to Africa). We are trying to decide if November is better because it's more pristine, even if a little colder, or February is better because of penguin chick activity. We're not so much interested in whales. Any suggestions? Or are we simply overthinking this? Ideally, we wish Nat Geo offered the extended trip in December or January, but apparently they only do the shorter version of their trip (just Antarctica) in those months. We're pretty set on doing Nat Geo and not another cruise line. We like the smaller Orion ship, and we are in our early 70s and feel more comfortable with Nat Geo.

Does anyone know if the Drake is rougher in certain months? We are considering a 23-day Nat Geo excursion (our first to Antarctica), but haven't decided whether or not to do it November or February, which are the only two choices.