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Celebrity Infinity cruise to Antarctica - how long are you there?


stromer
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I have booked the Feb 28, 2017, 14 day Celebrity Infinity from Buenos Aries to Antarctica and am wondering how long are you cruising Antarctica? Are you there the entire time except at sea when going from Gerlache Strait to Elephant Island. It stays light for a long time. All the locations are next to each other. We are there as follows:

Day

7 Schollaert Channel 11:00 AM 01:00 PM 7 Paradise Bay 02:00 PM 04:00 PM 7 Gerlache Strait 05:00 PM 07:00 PM 8 Elephant Island 02:00 PM 06:00 PM

Where does the ship go from 7:00 pm on day 7 to 2:00 pm on day 8. It does not seem that the distance from Gerlache Strait to Elephant Island should take 19 hours to traverse. Any advice from people who have taken this cruise would be appreciated.

Thanks, Rick

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Unless I'm wrong, there is about 300 nautical miles between Gerlache Strait and Elephant Island. At an average speed of 15 knots, that's 20 hours. At an average speed of 20 knots, that's 15 hours. The average speed of a cruise ship is somewhere between 15 and 20 knots. So there you go.

Also, take these timings with a grain of salt (many grains, actually). Cruising is Antarctica is always weather and ice dependant, so the actual journey can be quite different. It should say so on the small prints.

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Have you looked at a map of the peninsula region Stromer ? Its not a med cruise with a port stop every day just a few miles apart. Its a huge region you are traversing.

 

Elephant Island to the start of the Gerlache Strait took us over 2 full days in an small expedition ship (which travels slightly faster than a cruise ship) - including a half day landing at Brown Bluff.

 

As you will not be counting down to actual landings - all your time will be out on the decks admiring the view. The view is there the whole time - not just at the allocated times and location names on your itinerary. The various straits and sounds and bays are all stunning from all directions. The location names in your itinerary are simply a guide for direction.

In Feb its also primo whale spotting time so depending on your captain you may find that the ship pulls up to allow whale pods to pass by etc.

 

Sunset starts well after dinner in Feb and is great colours and lasts a long time so its great for photography.

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  • 2 months later...

I took the Celebrity Infinity sail-by cruise to Antarctica in Feb/2011 and we did not make it past Elephant Island due to heavy winds and high waves. So that was as close to Antarctica as we got........ A lot of very disappointed people, that's for sure, but of course safety is the most important thing, especially when you are in such a remote spot!

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I took the Celebrity Infinity sail-by cruise to Antarctica in Feb/2011 and we did not make it past Elephant Island due to heavy winds and high waves. So that was as close to Antarctica as we got........ A lot of very disappointed people, that's for sure, but of course safety is the most important thing, especially when you are in such a remote spot!

 

I wanted to go on that cruise; but decided to do the one after yours; because I was worried about possibly missing Antarctica. In January we are doing 4 days in Antarctica on the Zaandam. Better odds at getting there.

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I have booked the Feb 28, 2017, 14 day Celebrity Infinity from Buenos Aries to Antarctica and am wondering how long are you cruising Antarctica? Are you there the entire time except at sea when going from Gerlache Strait to Elephant Island. It stays light for a long time. All the locations are next to each other. We are there as follows:

Day

7 Schollaert Channel 11:00 AM 01:00 PM 7 Paradise Bay 02:00 PM 04:00 PM 7 Gerlache Strait 05:00 PM 07:00 PM 8 Elephant Island 02:00 PM 06:00 PM

Where does the ship go from 7:00 pm on day 7 to 2:00 pm on day 8. It does not seem that the distance from Gerlache Strait to Elephant Island should take 19 hours to traverse. Any advice from people who have taken this cruise would be appreciated.

Thanks, Rick

 

Assume you meant to say you have the trip booked for 2018. I did this cruise just this past February and loved it. It ranks as one of the most memorable journeys I've ever taken. Quite honestly, I don't recall the actual sailing length and the amount of time needed between the Strait and Elephant Island. I recall the following morning on Day 8 when our onboard lecturer (Mickey Live) started his commentary about the approach to Elephant Island. Compared to other cruise lines that utilize zodiac landing crafts, Celebrity really does not spend very long in Antarctica. If you'd like a preview of the cruise, you can check out my video of it......

It is a 90-minute video but provides a nice overview of the entire journey. I strongly recommend watching it in HD mode.

 

Best wishes for an amazing journey!!

Edited by three4rd
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We are on the Infinity 21st January sailing and I will be blogging during the cruise that is if the internet allows. If you want to get a flavour check out my posts around that time.

 

Wishing you smooth sailing and a wonderful trip!! We got so lucky, having had "Drake lake" for both crossings. Our weather was simply amazing....50+ degrees in Port Stanley! And yet had our ship been there the day before, they told us that we would not even have been able to come into port due to bad storms. Totally unpredictable how things are going to be as you approach Cape Horn and beyond.

Edited by three4rd
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I took the Celebrity Infinity sail-by cruise to Antarctica in Feb/2011 and we did not make it past Elephant Island due to heavy winds and high waves. So that was as close to Antarctica as we got........ A lot of very disappointed people, that's for sure, but of course safety is the most important thing, especially when you are in such a remote spot!

 

I remember reading about your trip...so very sorry to hear that it was such bad weather. Prior to booking this cruise for just this past February, I researched and checked out how it went for each year. Wasn't 2011 the first time Celebrity did this trip? I know the one year they tried 2 or 3 times to get all the way down to Antarctica. I was so worried about heavy seas and the possibility of getting severe motion sickness, but as it turned out we had smooth sailing.

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Can I gently suggest that anyone considering a cruise ship visit to Antarctica researches the expedition ship options?

 

Generally a much better chance of getting there (and longer there when you do), landings included and the cost isn't a huge amount more (consider saving for a further year if it's too much}.

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Can I gently suggest that anyone considering a cruise ship visit to Antarctica researches the expedition ship options?

 

Generally a much better chance of getting there (and longer there when you do), landings included and the cost isn't a huge amount more (consider saving for a further year if it's too much}.

 

Have to agree. I did the "drive-by" and really enjoyed it, but undoubtedly the in-depth expeditionary trip is surely the best way to experience Antarctica. For me, the Celebrity trip was a good fit since it also visited ports in South America (have not been there before).

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I can't see the point of a sail-by cruise. If you go all the way down to Antarctica the least you can do is be on a ship that allows you to land. People say 100 passengers is the best size, though you can comfortably and confidently go up to something like Seabourn Quest with 450 pax.

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I can't see the point of a sail-by cruise. If you go all the way down to Antarctica the least you can do is be on a ship that allows you to land. People say 100 passengers is the best size, though you can comfortably and confidently go up to something like Seabourn Quest with 450 pax.

 

Unfortunately everyone isn’t physically able to do an expedition cruise. This way my wife can go to Antarctica.

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I can't see the point of a sail-by cruise. If you go all the way down to Antarctica the least you can do is be on a ship that allows you to land. People say 100 passengers is the best size, though you can comfortably and confidently go up to something like Seabourn Quest with 450 pax.

I get what you're saying but for us the drive-by just seemed a good fit. We really didn't have a whole lot of interest in the whole zodiac exploration idea. I'm sure it's a great experience, but we just didn't feel we needed that. The overall itinerary just seemed right for us.

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The "drive by" is also very enjoyable! We did the trip with HAL's Zaandam over Christmas 2015 and it was a fantastic trip - the views in Antarctica were amazing. I think our only disappointment was not getting up very close to the wildlife. I would happily do another drive by, but we have decided to go the expedition way next time, and have booked on the Fram for December 2018/January 2019. We decided if we did not do it soon we would never make it!

But it is definitely a hugely dearer option. This coming expedition cruise is costing 3 times what the drive by cost us - and we have certainly not chosen one of the dearer options!

I can understand people going for the drive by option, and it is not a "wrong" decision. My husband is still not sure about the expedition - I am just hoping that we get brilliant weather so that we are again blown away by the scenery! He will not be happy if we miss a lot due to weather, but that is the chance you take down there.

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