highplanesdrifters

Great rock art pics!

What a fabulous trip. Thanks for taking us along and all the hard work that goes in to producing it. What an amazing gift you are giving your children.

IMHO Mid to late October is a tad too early for Antarctica due to weather. Think more ice, which can be limiting. However there will be a lot less penguin guano. The cruise lines are really pushing the shoulder seasons. Our first trip was end of December to January, chicks just starting to hatch. Last trip was end of February into March. Still plenty of penguins left and lots of chick entertainment which we really enjoyed. There was a plethora of guano. Thinking of penguin numbers? They might say half the colony has not arrived yet, or they left for the season. The colonies are huge. So a somewhat normal colony of 30,000 you might have 15,000 or 20,000. Still plenty. Some colonies get into the hundreds of thousands. Crazy. FYI, The Explorer is no longer part of the SS fleet. Spent many happy days on her. I should add, that given the right itinary we would travel on Cloud again. The Wind, we would look harder at other ships. Although we are not big pool lounger types, it is nice to relax and take a dip in the right climate. The pool areas on Cloud and Wind are rather large for the number of people and size of the ship. In the last few years we've take seven expedition cruises. Seabourn Venture and Pursuit ships are head and shoulders above Cloud and Wind. IMHO, the food and expedition programs on Silversea were much better. There are some Endeavor bargains out there, but for the most part more expensive. We are trying Ponant in February. Longtime excellent CC reporter @jpalbnyhas many postings. You might pop on their boards for more options. They are working on catering to the english speaking crowd.

@Fletcher is correct about the Cloud and Wind. They are old and their forward lounge and deck space is lacking. The other problem is their HVAC and plumbing. It would not travel on Wind in a warmer climate, last trip on her we had 4 different cabins due to AC issues. Cloud is notorious for plumbing issues. FWIW, we were on Cloud for the Antarctica/ C2C. Did I miss the dazzling Constellation Lounge on Venture/Pursuit? Yes. Did we suffer? No. Venture, Pursuit, Endeavor are the new dazzling kids on the block. In the end I weigh itinary, vs. Price vs. Ship. Itinary is always first.

1) The cruise is 23 days which would be the longest we've ever done... does it get 'boring' to just always be at different islands in the sun? It really depends on the individual. We were on the ship for 35 days and were never bored. 2) Any sense of the balance between nature (snorkeling, hiking, beaches) vs cultural (village tours, historic relics, tribal dances & customs) on this kind of expedition cruise? Our trip was quite a dynamic mix of the above. This was our first time to PNG, but fifth in the area. After the sixth sing sing we did feel more like theater critics.😃. Nonetheless they were all quite different, interesting and very enjoyable. After the welcome to country and sing sings, hikes, tours, and snorkeling where usually offered. There were often local crafts on offer. Many were by highly skilled artisans. We are headed back for a 40 day in September. It will be more sea days and a less intense schedule. I could float around the South Pacific with a crisp G&T and be perfectly happy. 3) Any other tips or advice? We have recently returned from Antarctica/South Georgia followed by C2C. Our second time to Antarctica and South Georgia. You can check out my trip report on Silversea boards. If I had to choose between South Pacific and Antarctica/South Georgia it would probably be the latter with the caveat that it must include South Georgia. Hanging out with the King penguins is really something. South Pacific is more doing. Antarctica is more seeing. IMHO I feel that there will be more and more limitations placed on a trip to this polar region. Go while you can if it truly interests you. In the end, it's really a personal choice, hot or cold! keep us posted on you decision.

Completely agree, I'd go on an Apex trip in a heartbeat. Some friends on the C2C said they didn't want to go on another trip with Apex because of all the aggressive birders. A small trade off IMHO. Also agree that the Apex team added with respect to their lectures and knowledge. Having much more experience in the area I got the sense that they really pushed exploration. There was no phoning it in. Yes, we had amazing weather. What counts is what the team does with the amazing weather. How many people go to Shag Rocks in South Georgia and hit 4 islands in Tristan? We were spoiled. The other Apex bonus is they are so much fun and socialize quite a bit. I'm still cracking up over the two truths and a lie dinner.🤣

We saw True North quite a bit when we were in the Kimberlys last year. Looked like a fun ship. Did you do a review? If not care to make a few comments? Thanks.

Oh Goodie! Ghan and Raja Ampat. Yes please! Sorry to miss you, we board in September.

Oh my. Glad all are safe and you still managed a nice excursion.

Good to know. Hopefully they will do this again.

Exactly!!!

Just an avid snorkeler here. It is our friends who scuba who are seriously disappointed. I'm trying to think of this trip as a South Pacific vacation as opposed to an "expedition ". I was wondering if that was the case. If so will they offer scuba from local vendors at a charge? Also wondering how many snorkeling events will be sub contracted for a charge.

Just heard Scuba was canceled on our 40 day Guam-Santiago in September. Anyone have any Intel other than the usual Bean Counters taking over?

There were two cruising regulars, gentleman who always wore jean bib overalls. They had formal wear custom made out of black denim, bib overalls and jackets to match. A fascinating pair to travel with. Sadly they are no longer with us.

We all feel your pain.

You're halfway there! Wishing you safe travels with all of your luggage. Look forward to your report. I don't look at it like a repeat......its an ongoing series! 😃

Fair point. I sometimes need coffee so I can make my coffee.🤣 Oh the humanity.

In theory - if you find a hidey hole that you like you could order your coffee to that spot, such as the pool area or if the Obs coffee maker isn't working. FYI, for the Obs lounge coffee maker sometimes it's a simple matter of emptying the tray full of grounds or adjusting the tray.

Silversea Cloud and Wind are long in the tooth. Seabourns Venture and Pursuit are new and fabulous. BUT..... I'm beginning to have concerns about Seabourns ability to execute amazing expeditions. Our February Antarctica C2C trip on Cloud was nothing short of spectacular. Expedition team really pushed to the max. The food and drink were top notch. However our toilet did explode and flood the cabin. The Wind has serious problems with its HVAC. I would not board her on a warm weather itinary. Friends love Endeavour. On our May Norway trip with Seabourn Venture trip I felt the expedition team was short staffed and lacking even though it was headed by Luqui. He was dealt a short hand and did the best he could. There are similar reports on CC for other Seabourn Expedition trips. Food was good, but not as interesting as SS. Service excellent. Is this a trend or are they a few one offs, making them multiple offs? I'd take a better expedition with better food even with an exploding toilet and a lesser ship. In September we are headed on a 40 day South Pacific with Seabourn Pursuit. Let's see if they redeems themselves and learn from their previous mishaps in tropical waters. FYI, we consider ourselves to be insanely lucky to be on any of these trips.

I'll take pleasant with a view any day!

Love it all, keep em coming. My wish for you..... fair winds for calm seas ninety nine bottles of beer quiet balcony

Well, that looks perfect!

My TA tells me it's Russian Roulette with the Silversea (and Seabourn) agents. She sometimes has to call numerous times to get a person who really knows something in order to get what should be the correct answer, fare, or information.

Mini hijack, sorry @RyanJCanada Interesting bit. We were in Arica, Chile a few years ago. Its a beach town and the water is a bit warmer . Why? No answers to be had on the ship. A little research - take a look at the map. Although The Humbolt Current does pass by, the inlet allows the water to heat up enough for some fun. Fascinating place. It is is also a free port for Boliva and a jump off for Atacama Desert. JP, Not sure if you were there on your trip.