On Board temperature on the Prince Albert in the Antarctic

[Skeezics]

Busy packing for our Antarctic trip....just a question. At what temperature is the ship kept? Is it necessary to dress warmly in the evening, or will light weight clothing be okay.....hopefully it is not really uncomfortably warm on board. Any input appreciated. Thanks, Barb

[msrieski]

We just got back from the November PAII cruise. It was incredible, truly the experience of a lifetime. I am generally cold and I was comfortable during the day in a light top, sweater and jeans. At night I took a wrap as the dining room seemed colder in the evening. I would not call it overly warm or cold. Thinking back on what others were wearing, most guests looked comfortable wearing a light sweater over a shirt or top.

 

Most guests dressed up a little more for dinner and there weren't many jeans at dinner. There were a few sportcoats most nights with more the night of the captain's farewell party. I wore a knit dress to dinner several times and I didn't feel overdressed. There was a wide range of 'dress-up' in the evening.

[jpalbny]

We just got back from the November PAII cruise. It was incredible, truly the experience of a lifetime. I am generally cold and I was comfortable during the day in a light top, sweater and jeans. At night I took a wrap as the dining room seemed colder in the evening. I would not call it overly warm or cold. Thinking back on what others were wearing, most guests looked comfortable wearing a light sweater over a shirt or top.

 

Most guests dressed up a little more for dinner and there weren't many jeans at dinner. There were a few sportcoats most nights with more the night of the captain's farewell party. I wore a knit dress to dinner several times and I didn't feel overdressed. There was a wide range of 'dress-up' in the evening.

 

That sounds almost exactly like our experience last year.

[scapel]

Busy packing for our Antarctic trip....just a question. At what temperature is the ship kept? Is it necessary to dress warmly in the evening, or will light weight clothing be okay.....hopefully it is not really uncomfortably warm on board. Any input appreciated. Thanks, Barb

Our temp was 70 deg on the ship and I would open a window if I was too hot.

I’m not sure about the mechanics of your Antarctic cruise, but just a few comments. If you do Zodiac landings, I found that a pair of sole inserts inside the boots made them very comfortable. (recommended from a previous Antarctic cruiser) I wore two pair of socks and if you do be sure try on the boots with your insert soles in and two pair of socks so they are comfortable.

I wore a pair of long silks, blue jeans and over that and the pants from a rain suit. That gave plenty of warmth and wind and water protection. The rain suit goes outside the boots.

Do not wear the down filled bottoms. I forget why the guide said not to. I think because of getting wet.

For the top I had a silk under shirt, a long sleeve shirt and a down filled (North Face Jacket).

The hood I put on over a baseball cap. Baseball cap helps with glare and keeping the hood from falling over your eyes. Tie a string on the cap and put it around your neck in case a blast of air hits you and blows the cap off. (Lost a cap in the Rhine River).

Eyes—You will need some sort of sunglasses. Do not do what I did. I wore my prescription automatic dimming glasses. With the white and the cold (cold makes them dim also) they got so dark, I couldn’t see. It would be better to have regular glasses (not auto dimming) and maybe snow goggles over that. At least they wouldn’t get darker and darker until you couldn’t see. I not only couldn’t see the LCD screen on the camera, I couldn’t see through the view finder. When I got back inside aboard I had to take the glasses off to walk to my cabin because I couldn’t see. I would put on my back up glasses then, until the others accommodated.

Nose-Definitely need nose sun screen and any other exposed sensitive areas.

If you are going to walk through the ice, snow poles (don’t go down in the ice) would probably help. I was just weak and wore out walking. Others didn’t use them and did fine. Nordic sticks are no good.

Gloves- Glove liners were good and also some sort of attachment to the outer gloves if you take them off to manipulate the camera. Either around your neck or clipped to your jacket so you don't loose them. While running in the Zodiac the outer gloves help to keep the hands warm.

[Maracamama]

Agree with all the above. It is actually comfortable in the public areas with just a sweater or sweatshirt. I also took my warm fleece slippers/booties and wore them all day on board.

 

For landings we wore thermals, t-shirt, sweater, parka. I wore tights, thermals, jeans and waterproof pants on the legs. 1 pair of thick socks. This was all more than enough. FYI they sell the waterproof pants on board for $29 (I think, they were cheap anyway).

 

Yes, regular sunglasses with a cord so you don't lose them on some of those wild Zodiac rides!

 

I did not take my own Wellies, too heavy. They have more than enough boots on board for everyone. They also have walking sticks, but only a few, you have to ask for them.

 

I'll be happy to answer any questions. We were on board for 7 weeks, from Costa Rica to Antartica. The crew is like family now! They were just sterling. The best service we have ever had. The food fantastic.

Enjoy, lucky people!