Thoughts on the Orion buyout?

[Shawnino]

Not up on the Lindblad site yet, but a new ship with new itineraries... Micronesia, Spice Islands, more emphasis on PNG...

thoughts?

[parischris]

Not up on the Lindblad site yet, but a new ship with new itineraries... Micronesia, Spice Islands, more emphasis on PNG...

thoughts?

 

Good and bad...probably good for Orion (the Orion II was a bad choice of ship that they dispensed with after a season), but bad if the Macquarie Island to Ross Sea Antarctic expeditions fall by the wayside!

[Shawnino]

Parischris you read my mind

...but...

would Lindblad pay a premium for an ice-capable ship and then not take her to the ice? All the chitchat is about the tropical itineraries, but that won't be 12 mo./yr., will it?

[parischris]

Parischris you read my mind

...but...

would Lindblad pay a premium for an ice-capable ship and then not take her to the ice? All the chitchat is about the tropical itineraries, but that won't be 12 mo./yr., will it?

 

Orion's late 2014/15 Southern Hemisphere summer itineraries have her cruising the South Georgia routes usually plied by the Explorer. She normally departed Hobart for Antarctica, but now looks like she'll be based out of Ushuaia.

 

It's a shame after next summer she now longer seems to be working the Hobart/Macquarie Island/Ross Sea route, but probably makes sense under US ownership to have her in Argentina under existing supply agreements.

 

It means that to get to Macquarie Island, the only ship looks like the Spirit of Enderby. By the look of her, she doesn't have stabilisers and has a lot of shared bathrooms, which would put me off :-)

[Shawnino]

Yes--Spirit of Enderby's shared facilities are a non-starter for my better half too.

 

Where do you see Orion's schedule that far out?

 

Edit--found it on the Orion site.

 

It's just my own personal preference but if Lindblad are going to have two ships in the area, I wish they'd do one trip that was So. Georgia in serious depth... instead of five days, more like 15.

 

I'd be very interested in Ross Sea but I live in Nova Scotia... very very far away just to embark.

[hrprof]

Have picked up a rumor that Orion will head for the Antarctic in 2014 and will join the Explorer possibly to split the South Georgia - Continent itineraries between them. Which will do what is not clear. Also suggests an interesting crossing from Australia to Ushuaia.

 

The most recent NG Expeditions brochure arrived yesterday - it covers Lindblad exclusively including Orion detail - makes no mention of its future beyond established South Pacific itineraries.

[Shawnino]

hrprof: Orion website showing future departures to the ice from Ushuaia.

[hrprof]

Shawn

 

Lindblad site now showing 2015 itineraries to S. Georgia on Orion and Explorer.

[Shawnino]

Thanks, Ted!

[hrprof]

Well, couldn't wait - booked a return to Antarctic - S Georgia on Orion for JANUARY 2015! OMG! - talk about looking down the road! Am really curious to try Orion. South Pacific didn't attract us - spent a lot of time there during our 35 year dive travel period. Liveaboard dive boats were very different!

 

I valued your comments on Iceland. We have long wanted to get there. I compared rates for Iceland to other Lindblad arctic itineraries and didn't find much difference - Svalbard and Iceland - 16K each, Greenland - 25K. I suspect this is much higher than "cruise" cruises.

 

Speaking of "cruise" cruises, we head for French Polynesia next month for a cruise on Paul Gauguin - 11 days in Society and Cook islands. If you've not been there, you should check it out.

 

I should tell you that your review of "down south" inspired us to return!

 

Ted

[MMDown Under]

Orion's late 2014/15 Southern Hemisphere summer itineraries have her cruising the South Georgia routes usually plied by the Explorer. She normally departed Hobart for Antarctica, but now looks like she'll be based out of Ushuaia.

 

It's a shame after next summer she now longer seems to be working the Hobart/Macquarie Island/Ross Sea route, but probably makes sense under US ownership to have her in Argentina under existing supply agreements.

 

It means that to get to Macquarie Island, the only ship looks like the Spirit of Enderby. By the look of her, she doesn't have stabilisers and has a lot of shared bathrooms, which would put me off :-)

 

How does the cruise to Macquarie Island and Ross Sea compare with South Georgia, Antarctica and Falklands? Apart from the short flight to Dunedin?:)

 

PS I'm cruising to 4 ports of call in Iceland this year.

[parischris]

How does the cruise to Macquarie Island and Ross Sea compare with South Georgia, Antarctica and Falklands? Apart from the short flight to Dunedin?:)

 

PS I'm cruising to 4 ports of call in Iceland this year.

 

Very different I think. Macquarie Island is notoriously difficult to land at if the weather is bad. The Ross Sea would be magic for the emperors, but lacks the huge wildlife populations found on South Georgia.

 

If you're off the coast of Iceland between mid-July and early August, wave to me! I'll either be on Le Boreal in the Western Fjords or driving past on land :-)

[MMDown Under]

Very different I think. Macquarie Island is notoriously difficult to land at if the weather is bad. The Ross Sea would be magic for the emperors, but lacks the huge wildlife populations found on South Georgia.

 

If you're off the coast of Iceland between mid-July and early August, wave to me! I'll either be on Le Boreal in the Western Fjords or driving past on land :-)

 

Thanks.

 

Sounds like you have another great trip planned. I will look out for your brilliant photography.

 

Will be in Iceland from 6-9/7 on Ocean Princess (cruise 1-15/7), so our paths won't cross!

[Fletcher]

I sailed on the Orion from Auckland up to Melanesia, PNG and across to Cairns. A great trip and a wonderful ship. The Lindblad buy-out is interesting - when we were on Orion the captain and the expedition team HATED and DREADED that Ross Sea trip. But it seems that Orion will be trawling the South Pacific, right across to Easter Island and Pitcairn. I think that was Orion's big mistake - they never ventured into the Pacific, not even as far as Fiji, and just kept their itineraries within easy reach of Australia.

 

For me, the trip that would get me back on Orion would be some sort of ultimate Micronesian thrash to include Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru, Tokelau etc.

[Shawnino]

Fletch: Please expound on "HATED and DREADED".

[Fletcher]

Fletch: Please expound on "HATED and DREADED".

 

Happy to. The endless days at sea. The probability of terrible weather. I understand many cruises never even get ashore due to the weather. The captain, expedition leader and many staff all said that was their least favourite route. Huge seas going there, huge seas coming back, a lot of sick and unhappy people. Of course, you could be lucky . . .

 

At the same time, the selfsame crew all said this was the 'real' Antarctica and sneered at the wimps who did the peninsula from South America.

 

Personally, I'm a warm weather guy. I've seen penguins in the Falklands and that's far enough south for me.

[Shawnino]

Thanks.

 

I'm a peninsula wimp :) Was thinking about trying to do the Ross Sea someday but your secondhand notes have rather talked me out of it. NZ is far, far away for starters, and the possibility of zero landings would absolutely crush me. I understand missing the occasional landing, but getting shut out would be unacceptable.

[5waldos]

(3rd try)

 

Micronesia? Hm....must check this out immediately.

 

Wow- they are visiting some of the most remote untouched islands in the world- beautiful, NO tourists, remote- I am very jealous. But the $20,000 price tag for 22 days is not insignificant. We have visited them but on a field ship- 2 semi-working toilets, a 7x10 ft cabin, bring your own food. What a wonderful opportunity, although I worry that the islands will never be the same. So I guess I do have somewhat mixed feelings.

[hrprof]

Thanks.

 

I'm a peninsula wimp :) Was thinking about trying to do the Ross Sea someday but your secondhand notes have rather talked me out of it. NZ is far, far away for starters, and the possibility of zero landings would absolutely crush me. I understand missing the occasional landing, but getting shut out would be unacceptable.

 

Shawn

 

I'm with you on that one!

 

Ted