pdmlynek

That is correct. 35 L bag is about the top limit for a carryon backpack, and is plenty for anything that you'll need on a cruise.

No. A wheeled carryon is just a gimmick. Unless you are physically challenged, A wheeled carryon works great for dragging on smooth surface only. If you want to run up some stairs, climb a ladder, jump over a puddle, run through a crowd, etc. a wheeled luggage or a wheeled carryon will just slow you down. Instead, use a backpack. A backpack is much more handy, much easier to travel with than a wheeled luggage.

I agree. Take a look at people who go back packing. They just have one bag. They carry a sleeping bag, insulite pad, and a tent. When you go on a cruise, you do nt need to bring a tent, or sleeping bag, or an insulate pad. You don't need to bring food, stove, fuel, cooking utensils, cups, bowls, eating utensils, water purifier, dish soap, etc. You do not need to bring a shovel, rope, ground cloths, etc. No towels, no soap, shampoo, no toilet paper, etc. You don't need to bring almost anything on a cruise. Everything, from a place to sleep, what you eat and drink, what is cooked for you, what is cleaned up for you, is provided for you. Just exactly how do people manage to bring so much more stuff on a cruise? I agree with @Ilovesailaway: just travel with a carryon.

Thank you very much for this. You have no idea how helpful this is to those of us considering going to Antarctica!

I've heard of that as well. Typically, in a travelogue by someone who happened to be in Ushuaia at the time. I am not sure how good of a strategy that is. We've done walk on a ferry in Greece pre-internet, but with limited sailings, is it a good idea to hang around Ushuaia for a few weeks hoping for a suitable opening? However, I've noticed that prices of some Antarctica cruises drop at the last minute. If one's job allows one to take a vacation instantly, it might be worthwhile to buy last minute cruises, even accounting for increased airfares.

Is there a reason to go through the US office? Can't one simply book through the Norwegian site?

You probably know the stock answer to this common question, but it might be worth repeating to newbies: Princess and Holland America are considered the most experienced cruise lines in Alaska. They have the most ships, most itineraries in Alaska.

I do not deny that there may be some people on cruises that wear dry suits when kayaking, and who have been life guards in the Olympics. Such people who have no issue getting out of a kayak, self rescuing, etc. Such people are way above average in their experience. You may be in the top 10%. The issue is with the average person, who weighs 100 kg, who has a tough time getting into a kayak. And now consider the bottom 10%. People who have never been in a kayak. Who have no idea how to paddle. Who are careless. Who are uncoordinated. Etc. Such people would easily die if a sea kayak were to overturn.

I am not misunderstanding kayaking. I did both sea kayaking and white water kayaking. I've led kayaking trips. I know both types. Because I know kayaking, I also know that although sea kayaks are more stable, does not mean that people accidently do not flip over. Considering how foolish many people on cruises behave, I would think that there would be many people who flip over than what you hear about.

Isn't a requirement for HAL to be at least 60? 😄😄

Some people want to get off the ship early on disembarkation point for the same reason as in any other port: they want to go sightseeing. We typically sightsee after disembarkation and the flight home, if there is time.

Some people may have to. They may have several connection to make, and the early flight is the only one that will get them home, or to the next destination in a reasonable time, or at reasonable cost.

My vacation starts when I leave home. I enjoy the embarkation city, sightsee, and try to get on board relatively late. Why be stuck on a ship, instead of sightseeing?

You don't take a vacation day to travel home? Do you take a sick day or a personal day? Or does your shift start late in the day enough so you can fly back and clock in for the shift on the same day as the disembarkation day?

Thank you! I appreciate your helpful comment. This part of cruising is just so foreign to me.

Two quick questions: (1) The bottle that supplies the nitrogen just contains compressed nitrogen, right? It is not a reaction product of chemical reaction like sodium azide in airbags, right? (2) Why is the compressed gas nitrogen or CO2? Why not just use air? What is the advantage of N2 or CO2? After all, air is mostly N2 anyway. Is it to combat moisture?

OK, now, I undertand you. Thank you for your helpful disussion!🙂

Thank you for your detailed and helpful answer.

I guess that I am not using the terminology correctly. Aren't the liferafts inflate, as you write, in 60 seconds, just automatically inflated? Further, doesn't SOLAS require hydrostatic release and automatic inflation of liferafts if a ship sinks? Or am I not understanding you?

😄 😄 Thanks! I knew that volcanoes in Antarctica exist, and that on geological scale highly active vocanic activity has resulted in increasing the velocity of ice sheets which in turn has increased the ocean levels, but wow, that's a lot of volcanoes all over the continent! Also, it is concerning that there are so many volcanoes around the Antarctic Peninsula. Several years ago I've read the evacuation plans for some station on Deception Island, and for most events there was a contingency plan, but for some, it read like: "yeah, if this event happens, there is nothing that can be done, and you'll 100% die." Scary reading.

This itinerary surprises me in as well. The majority of ships visiting Antarctica spend some time in visiting South Shetland Islands, yet this itinerary seems to bypass them except for the out of the way Elephant Island. Surely it would have been much easier to visit some of the central South Shetlands. Given the out of way location and the extreme difficulty in landing, can you think of any reason why the cruise line would choose to visit Elephant Island?

Wow, this itinerary sounds wonderful!

Thank you! Your explanation makes sense. I appreciate it. I had no idea that the visitors are concentrated in just a few spots. I just thought that the ships navigators take the ship along the favorite islands, and given the weather and time, will land at any suitable landing spot. I did not realize that there were land routes that are used over and over. So is there some sort of a list of approved or prefered landing sites, or do captains land where ever they want? I'd like to see which landing sites are more popular and which are less popular.

Thank you for the explanation. I'll be intrested in reading the final report on this tragedy when it comes out.

Did you ever buy these tickets? Do you have any comments if you did?