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Here is the link for the January 4 sailing of the Silver Explorer to South Georgia and Antarctica (the sailing during which the bridge was damaged and the Captain injured along with 3 other crew members) from one of the expedition leaders, Claudia Holgate:

http://holgate.co.za/blog/wordpress/

Claudia is an environmental management professional and one of the ship's resident ornithologists (as well as an EMT!).

Ummmm cos it just took me 11 full months to sort just over 10,000 - narrowing down for online photo albums, then narrowing down even further for photo books ! :p

 

Plus making a slideshow to play on the big TV screen for when I just want to gaze at them, and selecting a few choice ones to print for my workstation at work to make my co workers jealous !

 

Looking forward to my next trip as I cannot imagine how many I will take on that one ! Its increasing with each trip!

I look forward to hearing about your trip on the Sea Adventurer! We seemed to follow your ship for a couple of days on this trip!

Fabulous and detailed !! Thanks for posting. Detail like that is always great for the newbies as it gives them a real idea of what to expect.

 

Glad you had a great time - now have fun sorting through the photos !

How did you guess what I was doing?! :)

Shawnino -- I read your report - thanks! Our LAN charters were not so surly. We had snack service on the way and lunch on the return and the attendants were nice. Didn't feel packed in as there were exit rows we could switch seats for extra leg room. Our ship staff was likewise excellent and addressed you by name within a few days. They do work really hard. Our expedition team included 2 ornithologists, a geologist, a marine biologist, a glaciologist, an Antarctic historian and a fisheries expert. A few of the expedition team spoke different languages so they could cater to a group of Germans and a larger group from Brazil. We guessed that over 20 countries were represented by the passengers. We didn't interact much with the ship's officers and the bridge was closed more often than it was open. Speaking of switching hats, our head chef enjoyed driving the zodiacs as well. With respect to food, maybe we had more options, but the joke at our table was not to order the chocolate mousse if it wiggled like jello even if it was made with Valrhona chocolate! Our weather was very pleasant, in the 30's (F) for most of the trip with a few locations that were very windy (Stanley and West Point Island). I'm hoping that others will post their experiences from their voyages so I can continue to comparison shop.... I hear you. South Georgia Island. I wanted to go but time did not allow and this voyage worked into our schedule.

I thought I would post my trip report here. We returned from a 12 day trip aboard the Silver Explorer. Maybe others could do the same to make it easier to compare Antarctic trips on other cruise lines!

Here is a recap of our trip:

December 23, 2012: Bags needed to be outside the door of our hotel room by 4:30a. Continental breakfast was provided by Silver Sea in the lobby of the Park Tower at 4:45a. Free wifi was available in the lobby but seemed to be limited to one device once you registered with your name and room #. Shuttles left the hotel for AEP starting @ 5:30 (there were two buses from the Park Tower). AEP was a short 10-15 minute drive from the hotel, where we claimed our bags and were given our plane tickets and checked in with LAN. The plane left at 7:30a for the 3.5 hour flight to USH. On board, a small box of snacks (cookies, chips) were served with beverages. On arrival to USH, any carry on bags were checked for fruits/vegetables and then you were able to claim your checked luggage. Carry on luggage could be placed with your checked luggage for delivery to the ship or you could place your carry in the luggage hold of the bus you would be transported in. We left for the Patagonia Mia Restaurant, arriving around noon. Lunch of empanadas, potatoes and salad and lamb was served. Leaving the restaurant, we arrived at the ship by 2:30p. Check in was quick and bags were in the room upon arrival. Our parkas were on board and could be exchanged for a different size if needed via the room butler. Ship to Shore was also on board to exchange boots ordered. Everyone needed to be on board by 4:30p, so there was not a lot of time to leave the ship and explore Ushuaia. The mandatory lifeboat drill was held at 5:00p and you were taken out to the life boat areas (so if it’s chilly, dress warm!). Sailaway at 6p with cocktails followed by staff introductions at 6:30p. Change of itinerary was announced for the Falklands as heavy winds were expected on the 26th. New Island and Westpoint Island would be visited on the 25th and Stanley would be visited on the 26th. Visit to Stanley would be shortened to cross the Drake and arrive in Antarctica early. Dinner service started at 7p. The transit through the Beagle Channel took about 4 hours – about 3.5 hours into the transit, small islands where Magellanic penguins and South American Sea lions could be spotted in the distance.

December 24, 2012: Lazy sea day. Very few early risers enjoying buffet breakfast. No wind so birding was not as good, but easy to see Black browed Albatross and Cape petrels following the ship’s wake. A few Southern Giant Albatrosses were spotted as well. The morning lecture on albatrosses was followed by birding on the sun deck. Late morning, there was a briefing on the Zodiacs followed by a briefing on New Island and Westpoint Island. Also excursion options for Stanley were given – either a nature hike or city walking tour, for which you would need to give your preference for. The passenger list for the 4 zodiac groups was posted. After buffet lunch, we toured the bridge and enjoyed beverages on the sun deck. Afternoon lecture was given on the history of the Falkland Islands. Afternoon tea was followed by a photography workshop. This evening we will have the Welcome Cocktail Party and Welcome Dinner.

December 25, 2012: New Island: Nature reserve. We arrive early with the first zodiacs leaving at 7:30a. Wet landing. We were met by a guide for a short, easy hike across the island to a colony of blue eyed shags, black browed albatross and rockhopper penguins. Chicks for all three were present. You are left to wander back to the zodiac landing site on your own. About 3 hours were available to enjoy the sights and sounds! Between the two landings today, this one was our favorite because access to the animals was much better. Lecture on penguins late this morning. Westpoint Island: Dry landing with the first group arriving at 2:30p, where again you are met by one of the expedition staff for the 1.2 mile easy hike across the island to colony of black browed albatross and rockhopper penguins. If the walk is too long, range rovers were available to shuttle people across. More difficult site to “sit and enjoy” as we were following a trail among the Tussac grass. There was a small meadow on the other side of the grass where penguins can be observed bathing in a freshwater stream. After hiking the 25 minutes back to the landing site, we were treated to tea and very nice spread of cookies and cakes at the home of one of the residents. At 6:45p, we had a recap and briefing. The wind started picking up, which slowed our transit to Stanley with a delay in the arrival time. Casual Christmas dinner. Christmas panettone still finds its way to the cabins (I actually thought it was better than some of the desserts!).

December 26, 2012: Rough seas with 60 mph winds. We had two lectures this morning during our wait to enter Stanley Harbor. The first was on fisheries, the second on geology. We find the lectures well done and informative. The captain holds the ship in Port William, just outside of the narrows to Stanley Harbor hoping the winds will subside. After lunch, the winds calm somewhat, allowing the ship to enter the harbor. This is a short zodiac ride to the pier where buses await to take you on the city tour or nature hike. The nature trek is a 3 mile hike along the bluffs and beaches on the north side of the harbor. Due to the winds, birding was difficult, but we did spot night herons, crested duck, South American terns, Falkland flightless steamer ducks and chicks, Falkland thrush. The magellanic penguins were seen along the beach and nesting in their burrows. At the end of the one way hiking route, the bus comes to take you back to town, where we did have some time for tea and scones or shopping at the store all things penguin. Back on board it was nice to have drinks and appetizers. The seas become rough again once we exit Stanley harbor and Port William. Dinner has been fine, nothing spectacular as others have noted before. The kitchen is very accommodating of special requests such as chicken breast and pasta or a side of steamed vegetables. A few of the guests shorten dinner to return to the comfort of their rooms. Very casual dress -- with quite a few passengers sporting jeans and t-shirts.

December 27, 2012: Sea day. The morning presents with calmer seas compared to the evening. It was nice to sleep in and take advantage of the free laundry. The morning lecture was on the weather and climate of the southern ocean. It was followed by a cooking demonstration. In the afternoon, lectures on governing Antarctica and ice seals will be presented. Both breakfast and lunch are buffet style, with plenty of tables available whenever you walk in. In addition to the buffet, breakfast features an omelet station and another made to order hot dish (e.g.: pancakes, waffles, sticky buns). There is also a breakfast menu at the table to order from. Lunch features a pasta station and burger and hot dogs are available in the dining room as well if the grill cannot be open on deck. Blankets and hot drinks are available on deck 6 aft for keeping toasty while enjoying the scenery. The Venetian society has a cocktail reception for newbies tonight. About our rooms – we have 420 and 422. 422 is centrally located and we do not feel the sway as much as if you were in the dining room. We are close to the gym, laundry and dining rooms. Quick trip to the stairways for disembarkation. 422 is quiet with movement of the ship (420 seems to have more “squeaks”). Downside to 422 – more engine noise (but has not impacted sleep) and twice we noticed a diesel smell (short duration). I think the location of the room and its relative proximity to everything outweighs the engine noise. I also think the engine noise may be worse on deck 3. There is one 110 v outlet in the bathroom that we used for charging our apple products. There is also an outlet on the desk which a computer adapter can be plugged into (you need to unplug the desk lamp). Otherwise, the outlets are a European 220v rounded two prong (type C or “europlug”).

December 28, 2012: Sea day. So far, the Drake has been calm with a gentle rolling. We are able to see more Black browed albatross, Southern petrels, Cape petrels and Antarctic prions following the ship. Of the two guide books that we have taken along, I favor Lowen’s Antarctic Wildlife. I like the layout of the book featuring wildlife by area and the color photographs to confirm sightings. Our morning lectures are on glaciers and, later, on the environmental issues facing Antarctica. Internet access is available – currently $.50/minute or packages of 100 minutes for $45, 250 minutes for $85 or 1000 minutes for $250. Only one device can be logged in at a time for a cabin. We had time to enjoy the hot tubs before taking our outdoor clothing for a “bio-security” check. The afternoon features a NOVA/National Geographic video on “extreme ice”. Later we will have our destination briefing – our first stops on the peninsula will be at Barrientos, Aitcho Islands in the morning followed by Deception Island in the afternoon. The sea ice will prevent us from visiting Elephant Island. Our first sightings: Iceberg (8 miles away), humpback whales.

December 29, 2012: Early arrival to Barrientos, Aitcho Islands. Two groups leave for shore at 6:15am for two hours, second two groups leave at 7:45a. Guided walk across island among Gentoo and Chinstrap penguin colonies. Skuas and great northern petrel spotted along with snowy sheathbills. Penguin chicks are hatching. Guide says this is her favorite time in Antarctica, with newborn penguins and it is not as smelly as later months. We are back on board by 9:45a, humpback whales are spotted in the distance. Briefing and recap as we move on to Deception Island. Deception Island – three levels of activity are offered. A strenuous hike to Bailey’s head to see the largest chinstrap colony in the area, a moderate hike to Neptune’s window or beach browsing with a history recap from our expedition historian, Alex. We chose the 5 mile out and back hike to Bailey’s head. The hike is over snow fields and gravel/volcanic sand which takes a good hour and a half to reach the colony. Once there we are rewarded with a vast chinstrap rookery. We arrive in time to see a skua successful in plucking an unlucky chick from its nest. On the way back, we enjoy the opportunity to slide down a snowfield on our way back to the beach. With the walk, we still have time to enjoy a “polar plunge” and observe chinstrap and gentoo penguins along with an isolated lions mane jellyfish and a seastar along the shore.

December 30, 2012. The busy day. Up early in the morning to watch the ship sail through the Gerlache Straight to the Neumayer Channel on the way to Port Lockeroy on Goudier Island. We were rewarded with Minke whales, penguins and a humpback whale. Today’s first stop will be Port Lockeroy, where we visit the museum and send postcards with an Antarctica cancellation (stamps were $1 and they have postcards there as well). If you have something of your own you wish to "stamp" with a Port Lockeroy stamper, they have one in their "lounge" area of the museum. The British research station is surrounded by gentoo penguins and sheathbills are present. Highlight of the visit – a short zodiac ride to watch the penguins bathing and playing around an small iceberg. Next stop – the Lemaire channel. In the channel, we follow the Sea Adventurer (Quark) and cross paths with the Bremen (Hapag Lloyd), which apparently had a medical emergency and is making a beeline for King George Island (?). We are fortunate to have clearing skies that provide some sunlight or the passage. We marvel at the steep cliffs that flank the narrow channel and watch an iceberg roll as we sail by. We make a quick right turn to Pleaneau Island and the iceberg “graveyard”, where we are treated to a 1.5 hour zodiac ride to view icebergs, crabeater seals, leopard seals, gentoo penguins, adelie penguins, Antarctic shags, and Antarctic terns. One of the leopard seals made several 3 to 5 minute dives, but surfaced in the same area to check out the zodiacs. Others were treated to a leopard seal attempting to "bite" the zodiac. A large roar heralded the movement of an iceberg revealing a large portion of the ice that was just moments before under water. Little to no wind, which makes the zodiac ride quite pleasant. Our day is not done, as we head to Petermann Island for an evening tour. 2 groups leave before dinner, 2 after dinner. This will be our southernmost landing on the Antarctic peninsula. A short zodiac ride takes us to a rocky landing from where we are guided to a colony of Adelie penguins. The Adelie chicks are larger in comparison to the Gentoo chicks we saw earlier in the week since the Adelie are found more southern and have a shorter breeding season. Gentoo penguins and Antarctic shags are also nesting here. After observing the Adelies, we take a short hike for a great sunset photo opportunity and the chance to climb a small hill for sliding down. We head north through the Lemaire Channel after dinner, with great sunset colors that light up the sky and contrast with the steep cliffs.

December 31, 2012, We cruise the Ferguson Channel early in the morning on our way to Paradise Bay. Two groups are taken on a zodiac cruise, while the other two groups have the opportunity to explore the Argentinian Base Brown, our first continental landing, surrounded by gentoo penguins. A climb up a hill offers views of the bay, icebergs and the zodiacs below. The hill is another area to “slide” down. No whales are spotted in the bay and only one leopard seal is spotted briefly. The waters of the bay are calm giving the opportunity for some great scenic photos. On the way to our next destination, Cuverville Island, we make a detour back to the Gerlache Straight for whale watching. We are rewarded with several Humpback whale sightings including calves. Fins and flukes are up for photos! At Cuverville Island, we take a hike up the slope of the mountain for another breathtaking view of the icy waters below. We spot seals and enjoy the sounds of the large gentoo rookery below. Afterwards, we are taken on a short zodiac ride where we observed a leopard seal (and two surprised chinstrap penguins who decided to take a rest on the same piece of ice -- needless to say, they did not stay long), a colony of nesting arctic terns, and a crabeater seal. Couldn’t be a better way to spend New Year’s Eve! The evening’s celebrations in the dining room included a raffle for a $250,$500 and $1000 cruise credit.

January 1, 2013. En route to Brown Bluff, we sail through the Antarctic Sound, famous for its tabular icebergs. Two groups are able to go ashore first with the second two groups landing later. We are treated to nesting Adelie and Gentoo penguins and chicks and also see nesting snowy petrels in the cliffs above. A hike on the glacier is also offered for everyone as it is an easy hike. Some people opt to stay and watch the penguins – our last chance to enjoy their company. On the return to the ship, the zodiac takes a detour along the ice, where we are met by ship staff with champagne to toast the new year. More tabular icebergs are seen as we make our way to the Drake and back to Ushuaia. Our historian on board gives a great lecture on the “Heroic Era” of Antarctic exploration.

January 2, 2013: A quiet and gray Drake crossing. Visibility isn’t great for any whale sightings but the seas remain relatively calm. We are entertained with lectures on krill, the Antarctic environment and fisheries. Tonight will be the Captain’s farewell party and we are invited to dine with one of the expedition staff. Quizzing him on different ships and itineraries (along with the other expedition staff), they pretty much say that this is their favorite time to visit Antarctica (second being late January). The consensus is that the weather is nicer, chicks are hatching and the smell of the colonies is not overpowering. In late January, the chicks are larger and more whales can be seen. With respect to ships, they say that all the ships have similar itineraries, so you would not be “missing” anything by taking one ship over another. They say that Silversea is the “cushiest” and compared with Le Boreal and the L’Austral, the Explorer has a better reinforced hull and would not hesitate going through ice as the Ponant ships might. The Ponant ships are larger, carrying 200 passengers, so landings will be a bit more “crowded”. He said in comparison, the Ponant ships are of course newer with a swimming pool and larger exercise room, but staterooms tend to be smaller. We enjoyed the smaller group and did not have too much difficulty with either the exercise room (3 machines) or the laundry (two washers and two dryers). The seas for us remain calm for smooth sailing through the evening.

January 3, 2013. Sunshine! We have made good time through the Drake with land in view mid morning. We should be back in Ushuaia by afternoon. The morning’s talk is on expedition cruise planning and future itineraries. The aft deck is sunny and warm with good birding opportunities of albatross, shags and petrels. The ornithologist expedition leaders are on deck taking photos. We are disappointed that on such a nice calm day, the hot tubs remain dry. Most people take advantage of the sun to enjoy lunch on deck. We have a lecture on Patagonia. Laundry has been done and we are packed for disembarkation. Bags are wanted outside the staterooms by 11:30p. Later in the afternoon, we have the video recap and are greeted with cocktails... why? Because it's auction time for the map of our sailing -- goes for $4000. We arrive in Ushuaia and are dockside by 7p. We go ashore after dinner, but most of the shops are closed for the evening. Le Boreal joins us at the dock.

January 4, 2013. 36 hours in transit. Breakfast is available in the dining room from 7 to 8:45a. Disembarkation at 9a to waiting buses. You have the chance to say a final farewell to the expedition staff at the end of the gangway. We board our bus, which takes us out of the pier area to a parking lot where we can get off the bus for an hour and a half of shopping in town. We leave for the airport at 10:45a (originally they had said we would leave at 10:15a). When we arrive at USH, what do we find? Long lines to go through "security" to the gates as Le Boreal has also disembarked their passengers. Fortunately, Silversea has taken care of the exit tax for USH -- the Boreal passengers had to take care of it on their own (one couple waited to get to the security check, were told they had to pay the tax and get back in the long line, again!). Our 12:30p flight is delayed and we do not arrive to AEP until 6 (supposed to be 4p). Waiting for Silversea to collect everyone and leave for EZE: 7p. What time to we arrive at EZE? 8p. By the time we arrive, some of the passengers are late for flights and are not allowed to proceed with ticketing. I'm not sure how easy it was to find the Silversea rep, so before you get off the bus, ask how you can get in touch with them should there be any problems with your flight. By the time we go through customs and security, we have maybe 20 minutes at the gate before they start the boarding process for a 10:30p departure. Of course, weather decided to be bad with a thunder and lightening storm that kept us on the plane at the gate for over 2 hours. Which meant Dallas would be yet another scramble... But we did make it home and the the Antarctic portion of the trip was absolutely wonderful!