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Nat Geo or Polar Latitudes (Hebridean Sky/Island Sky) for Antarctica?


Smokeyham
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Any thoughts about the differences between these two companies offering trips to Antarctica? We know we want to see the Falklands, so would be opting for the longer trip (just not Antarctica).

 

Just looking at pictures on the websites, I am getting the sense that the Polar Latitudes ships are a little more luxurious, and the NatGeo ships, while still extremely nice, are more focused on the expedition end of things.

 

Your thoughts?

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All the ships are very very focussed on the expedition end of things - that is the main goal of every expedition team in the region.

 

Don't focus on the vessel - focus on the destination. You will spend very little time in your cabin - its there for showering, sleeping and dressing. The experience is all outside the cabin and off the ship.

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All the ships are very very focussed on the expedition end of things - that is the main goal of every expedition team in the region.

 

Don't focus on the vessel - focus on the destination. You will spend very little time in your cabin - its there for showering, sleeping and dressing. The experience is all outside the cabin and off the ship.

 

Thanks for the view point. For us, the ship is very much part of the experience, especially since there will be a couple of "sea days" as cross Drake's passage. The ambiance on board, the food, etc. all are important aspects of the experience for us.

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Thanks for the view point. For us, the ship is very much part of the experience, especially since there will be a couple of "sea days" as cross Drake's passage. The ambiance on board, the food, etc. all are important aspects of the experience for us.

 

I hope you don't think of the "sea days" of the Drake Passage as you might the sea days on a transatlantic crossing or other mainstream cruise. :)

 

You'll really want to to be out on deck (assuming you aren't too seasick) for hours on end watching the wandering albatross and other magnificent birds that will be following along.

 

enhance

 

Or on the bridge, marveling at the power of the Drake. Truly about the outside.

 

enhance

 

 

We had a fantastic trip to Antarctica with Lindblad/Nat Geo. In case it's of help to you, my detailed photo journal is here:

 

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

 

I can't say I recall what we ate, but I sure recall what we saw and experienced. :)

 

(photos by turtles06)

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Agree with Turtle - you wont be tucked away in your cabin on the sea days. You will be out on the decks viewing or in the lecture theatre learning.

And the "ambiance" wont be in your cabin either - it will be out in the bar or lounge with your fellow passengers all excited about the destination.

 

I have been 4 times - twice on an extremely spartan old icebreaker (less than 100 pax), twice on two different small expedition ships that would be considered "slightly posh" (less than 114 pax). The level of "poshness" had utterly no bearing on the trip. The food was great on all 4 trips. The mix of passengers was interesting on all 4 trips. The beds were all comfy and the showers were all hot. The lectures, scenery, wildlife, shore landings etc were mind-blowing.

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A trip to Antarctica is an expedition, not a cruise. As mentioned above, there are no "sea days." There are simply days with no landings, when the focus is on lectures and bird- (and possibly whale-) watching. Depending on the behavior of the Drake (and your reaction to it), you may not even be able to really enjoy the ship on those days.

 

The National Geographic ships are already at the high-end of luxury, so if you're concerned that they won't be nice enough for you to enjoy the trip, what are your expectations for this trip? Traveling to a place like Antarctica, the "expedition end of things" is precisely what you want to optimize. The reason to visit is the nature, the geology, and the history. Having the most knowledgeable and experienced expedition team with the best equipment (NatGeo's remote submarine sounds incredible!) is going to enhance those aspects much more than nicer interior decoration.

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Hebridean Sky and Island Sky are sister ships at the very top end of the luxury class, both owned by Noble Caledonia, who also run their own Antarctica trips. In fact I will be on Island Sky this November doing FI, SG then the peninsular. Check out the NC web site for full details of both ships and their expedition trips. They can carry more but are limiting passenger numbers to 100 to make the landings easier.

 

 

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Hebridean Sky and Island Sky are sister ships at the very top end of the luxury class, both owned by Noble Caledonia, who also run their own Antarctica trips. In fact I will be on Island Sky this November doing FI, SG then the peninsular. Check out the NC web site for full details of both ships and their expedition trips. They can carry more but are limiting passenger numbers to 100 to make the landings easier.

 

Thanks so much! That is helpful information.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hi Smokey,

PerfectlyPerth speaks the truth. Choose your preferred itinerary and you can’t go wrong. We sailed the Hebridean Sky to Antarctica back when she was still the Corinthian II, and the experience was fantastic. So much so that we are currently booked on Polar Latitudes’ November trip to the Falklands, SG and the peninsula. Everything about that ship is wonderful and if the current expedition team is just half as knowledgable, brilliant and fun as our last voyage we’ll be in for a treat.

You will hardly use your cabin, but having a nice refuge, decent grub and good wine is important to us and I understand Hebridean just underwent a major refresh. Regardless of the ship you choose, prepare yourself for an experience you will never forget and will long to repeat. It’s really easy to catch the Ice-Virus.

Happy travels!

MZ

 

ps. Turtles, really nice albatross :)

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Hi Smokey,

....Regardless of the ship you choose, prepare yourself for an experience you will never forget and will long to repeat. It’s really easy to catch the Ice-Virus.

 

Thanks so much. It looks like an incredible trip!

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  • 3 months later...

Just back. Island Sky is down there until March having been chartered by Quark.

Fantastic trip. Island Sky has a shallow draft and we got thrown around a bit crossing the Drake. She has been ice strengthened but they are being careful around thick ice. But gosh we had a great trip and saw some never to be forgotten sights. The specialists on board were all top class. Boots and parka free. No renting nonsense here. Enjoy.

 

 

 

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Greetings all,

For those interested in Hebridean Sky, please note that my trip impressions are colored by good fortune. We had nearly perfect weather the entire 3 weeks, a gentle Drake passage and the most delightful expedition staff imaginable.

 

Our trip was beyond fantastic. Of course, so early in the season, we saw no chicks. Our compensation was a South Georgia teeming with Oakum boys. The courting and mating behaviors were mesmerizing. The Black browed albatross, the Kings, all the penguin species in fact, were busy, busy at it. The elephant seals were abundant and frisky, but boy, do they ever stink.

 

This trip was truly an expedition and not for the faint of heart. Our expedition leader Brandon Harvey, regularly woke us up at 5am for a pre-breakfast landing. This resulted in our having 3 landings a day on most days. It was FABULOUS. We were very grateful we’d booked a week in Ushuaia upon disembarkation, allowing us to hike and bird in Tierra Del Fuego N.P. AND get some needed rest.

 

The trip started in Puerto Madryn, rather than round trip Ushuaia, and we loved that portion. The Peninsula Valdes is a must see and those Southern Right whales… astonishingly close to shore.

 

The Hebridean Sky, as operated by Polar Latitudes is a wonderful, luxurious ship we’d sail again in a heartbeat. A good many of our fellow travelers were repeat visitors to Antarctica and knew exactly what they wanted to experience. The kayakers had 8 excellent opportunities to go ‘yakking and they were all pretty thrilled. The hearty hikers got to recreate the “Shackleton Walk” and we even had a wedding! It was really quite a special trip.

 

At one point our ship had to change course a bit to go around a piece of the Larsen ice shelf that measured 26 x12 MILES ! That’s a pretty big ice cube. If you long to see Antarctica, go soon. Things are changing down there.

Happy Holidays!

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  • 2 weeks later...
Thanks for the view point. For us, the ship is very much part of the experience, especially since there will be a couple of "sea days" as cross Drake's passage. The ambiance on board, the food, etc. all are important aspects of the experience for us.

 

You might want to consider Silversea. We are booked on the Silver Cloud. Leaving in 7 weeks! Luxurious ship all recently updated/remodeled, great cabins and food, butlers, and a team of naturalists on board with brand new zodiacs. There is also a photography studio on the ship. Email me with specific questions.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Warning on Silversea. Although the Galapagos was awesome their ship, crew, food was nothing I hope to experience again. They use the same ship to Antarctica. Read their reviews carefully. Many poor. I would avoid.

 

Can you give us specifics about what specifically you found disappointing?

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I believe Silversea have about 500 passengers so going ashore becomes 5 groups, so not much time ashore and fewer landings. If you want a better Antarctic experience look for ships with max 200 passengers. Then while one group are ashore the rest do zodiac cruising.

 

 

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Warning on Silversea. Although the Galapagos was awesome their ship, crew, food was nothing I hope to experience again. They use the same ship to Antarctica. Read their reviews carefully. Many poor. I would avoid.

 

They do not use the same ship in the Galapagos. They use the Silver Galapagos in the Galapagos. Up until this year they used the Silver Explorer in Antarctica. Then there is the Silver Cloud, the newly refurbished ship that has been transformed into an expedition ship. So far reviews are excellent. We are scheduled to go in 4 weeks. The maximum number of passengers on the Cloud in Antarctica is 200. On the Explorer it is 100.

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I believe Silversea have about 500 passengers so going ashore becomes 5 groups, so not much time ashore and fewer landings. If you want a better Antarctic experience look for ships with max 200 passengers. Then while one group are ashore the rest do zodiac cruising.

 

 

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Silver Cloud has a maximum of 200 passengers in Antarctica. Silver Explorer has a maximum of 100 passengers in Antarctica. The Cloud has undergone a multi-million dollar transformation and has brand new Zodiac boats.

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  • 2 weeks later...

When planning check out the ship. What do I mean. Well how good is it in the ice. Any ship with a bulbous bow is unlikely to be crunching through the ice. Island Sky has been ice strengthened but will avoid going through ice. We didn’t hear any ice against the hull. On Bremen, Hapag Lloyd, we spent a whole morning crashing through to get to an iced in Argentinian base. Very exciting. Then the ice closed behind us and we crashed through again to get out. We couldn’t get to Port Lockroy this time. I bet we would if we had been on Bremen. On ms Expedition in the Arctic we went through lots of ice. So check this out. It makes a big difference in the places which become available for landings.

 

 

 

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