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Hurtigruten Fram Antarctica Cruise


MMDown Under
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I was on that same trip last year, and thinking of going back on the same itinerary probably in a couple of years. It was an absolutely amazing trip (South Georgia was a definite highlight).

You can check out my trip report on my blog (starting here : http://voyageterremer.blogspot.fr/2013/12/rennes-paris-buenos-aires-ushuaia.html, text is both in French and English).

If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer (it was my 3rd trip with Fram, the second in Antarctica). And I wish you a wonderful trip (I'm sure it will be).

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SarniaLo thank you so much for posting your blog. I'm working my way through it as Hurtigruten are one of my choices for our Antarctic cruise (in the planning for the next few years). From what I've already seen the ship is more luxurious than I thought and now I know I have to visit the Falklands and S.Georgia. Need to save, save, save!

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I think it's really, really worth it to include South Georgia in your itinerary. 2 days was actually a bit short but it's difficult to find ships that stay there longer and still have a decent time in Antarctica itself. I didn't quite know what to expect from the Falklands and it was a delightful surprise. Save, save! ;)

Fram is a great ship, not sure I would say "luxurious" (but it depends on your point of comparison I guess) but it's comfortable and very well equiped for this destination (well-built ship, very good crew, wonderful expedition team).

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I was on that same trip last year, and thinking of going back on the same itinerary probably in a couple of years. It was an absolutely amazing trip (South Georgia was a definite highlight).

You can check out my trip report on my blog (starting here : http://voyageterremer.blogspot.fr/2013/12/rennes-paris-buenos-aires-ushuaia.html, text is both in French and English).

If you have any questions I'll be happy to answer (it was my 3rd trip with Fram, the second in Antarctica). And I wish you a wonderful trip (I'm sure it will be).

 

Thank you very much for your response and offer to answer any questions. I enjoyed reading your trip report from last year, especially knowing we will be doing the same trip, at the same time this year.

 

I have wanted to do this cruise for years ever since we did the Norwegian Coastal Voyage and the Captain said they were going to start cruising to Antarctica.

 

My daughter has done a cruise to the same destinations on a small basic expedition ship, so Fram will be luxury for her. I'm looking forward to the observation deck and beautiful observation lounge. But the trade off is more passengers to take turns visiting South Georgia Island and Antarctica. I see there were eight groups of passengers. Did they usually all get a turn of landing, weather permitting?

 

Did you book the kayaking prior to the cruise? How did it work? Did you kayak whilst other passengers were on land? How many times did you kayak?

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Yes (weather permitting of course), all passengers go ashore at each landing. There are "turns" in the order the groups will go ashore. For instance, on the first landing, group 1 will go first (and then 2, 3...). On the second landing, group 2 will go first (and then 3, 4... and 1 will go last) and so on. I found the process very smooth and I never got bored will waiting on board. However I sometimes felt a little rushed ashore this time (but absolutely not the first time when everything was new and magic! :) ).

 

I booked the kayak on the cruise, but I advise you go early after departure to the expedition desk and enquire about it. When the kayak cruises were finally "officially" advertised on board, there already was a lot of people booked. Everybody had a go in the end, but it is hugely weather depending so the earlier you book, the more chance you have. You book (and pay) for one kayak trip only, if you want to do more you have to book (and pay) again. The kayak trips were held during a landing and will last about 2 hours. Kayakers go out first when the landing starts so you might have a chance to go ashore after the trip. My own kayak trip was during the landing at Cuverville and we had the opportunity to do a longer trip since there was a video crew doing a promotional film for Hurtigruten who wanted to take footage. We were asked if we were OK to do a longer trip and not have time ashore and of course everybody agreed. It is really an unique and amazing way to discover this landscape (so quiet, close to the water...) and I didn't want it to end.

Edited by SarniaLo
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Hurtigruten Fram Antarctica Cruise 1 December 2014 - Hurtigruten Fram - Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica, via Falkland and South Georgia Islands - 19 days.

 

Anyone else booked on this cruise?

 

We haven't done that exact cruise: ours was the last of the season so, after South Georgia and then the Falklands, we sailed north to Buenos Aires.

 

However, I can confirm that the trip is absolutely wonderful! Antarctica is amazing in itself but add on South Georgia and the Falklands and I doubt you will find better anywhere on the planet (and we've tried!).

 

As SarniaLo has explained, landings are well organised and no-one misses out. Fram has offered 'Scenic cruising' and overnight camping on shore, along with the kayaking, on our recent trips though, like everything else in Antarctica, nothing is guaranteed. The advice to enquire as soon as you are able as these 'extras' are often booked up quite quickly. However, the staff are very much passenger orientated so if they are able to organise and extra event to satisfy demand then they will usually do so.

 

You can see a few of our 4,000+ images from the trip at www.spinningweb.net/antarctica/

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  • 1 month later...

The Polarcirkel boats they use are (relatively) easy to get into and out of with steps and rails at the bow and plenty of clearance at the side. There's always at least two staff to help at both the ship end and the landing end of the transfer and they're very aware of individual needs.

 

Suffice to say that on our first Antarctic trip they got a wheelchair-using lady ashore!

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We are booked on the Fran's Realm of the Great Explorers voyage leaving October 31, 2015. Any clothing/equipment suggestions would be much appreciated. Will I need a converter to plug in electronic chargers? Were hair driers provided? We have been to Falkland and have rounded the horn. Antarctia is high on our list of must-see. Anyone else going?

 

Barbara

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We are booked on the Fran's Realm of the Great Explorers voyage leaving October 31, 2015. Any clothing/equipment suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

We did the same trip in reverse in 2012. You *will* enjoy it!

 

Clothing? make sure you have plenty of layers. It can be cold (obviously!), but it can be surprisingly 'warm' so you will need to adjust what you're wearing if you are to remain comfortable. A hat is pretty much essential, as is something to span the clothing gap around your neck. Fingers will get very cold without gloves but gloves can make operating a camera quite difficult so the type of glove with a gap to poke a finger out of is useful, though not always as warm as you might wish! Note that the jackets provided by Hurtigruten are windproof and waterproof but not especially warm. The 'Muck' boots they have for hire are excellent and the hire is good value.

 

Equipment? More than one camera. A lens (camera) with a long focal length; put simply, the longer the better. Extra batteries, extra memory cards (think about how many extra you might need and then add more!). Something on which to back up your images after each landing. I have taken a tripod or a monopod on previous trips but got minimal use out of the tripod and only a little out of the monopod. I wouldn't take the tripod again, I may take the monopod for use on-board as my long lens is heavy and the monopod can help when the wind gets up. A power extension with multiple sockets: you will be using chargers and other devices all at the same time.

 

Hairdryer? Yes, in the toilet. Not for drying hair(!), but make sure the toilet floor heating is turned on (the red light outside the toilet should be lit) as that will not only keep the floor and toilet warm, but will also help dry clothes in there.

 

Hope that helps. Others will no doubt add on!

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We are booked on the Fran's Realm of the Great Explorers voyage leaving October 31, 2015. Any clothing/equipment suggestions would be much appreciated. Will I need a converter to plug in electronic chargers? Were hair driers provided? We have been to Falkland and have rounded the horn. Antarctia is high on our list of must-see. Anyone else going?

 

Barbara

 

Sound advice from Digitl but rather than hire muck boots, if budget permits, I would look at buying Neos Trekker boots. One trip to wild parts of the world is never enough, and these are quite light, good quality, and easy to pack.

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  • 1 month later...
Yes (weather permitting of course), all passengers go ashore at each landing. There are "turns" in the order the groups will go ashore. For instance, on the first landing, group 1 will go first (and then 2, 3...). On the second landing, group 2 will go first (and then 3, 4... and 1 will go last) and so on. I found the process very smooth and I never got bored will waiting on board. However I sometimes felt a little rushed ashore this time (but absolutely not the first time when everything was new and magic! :) ).

 

I booked the kayak on the cruise, but I advise you go early after departure to the expedition desk and enquire about it. When the kayak cruises were finally "officially" advertised on board, there already was a lot of people booked. Everybody had a go in the end, but it is hugely weather depending so the earlier you book, the more chance you have. You book (and pay) for one kayak trip only, if you want to do more you have to book (and pay) again. The kayak trips were held during a landing and will last about 2 hours. Kayakers go out first when the landing starts so you might have a chance to go ashore after the trip. My own kayak trip was during the landing at Cuverville and we had the opportunity to do a longer trip since there was a video crew doing a promotional film for Hurtigruten who wanted to take footage. We were asked if we were OK to do a longer trip and not have time ashore and of course everybody agreed. It is really an unique and amazing way to discover this landscape (so quiet, close to the water...) and I didn't want it to end.

 

We have now returned from our cruise on mv Fram, which exceeded all our expectations. Thanks for your advice re registering for kayaking as soon as you board. As a result, my daughter was first on the list and chose the Antarctica kayak option. This was at Half Moon Island, where Kayak Group A got to kayak all the way around the small island. After the cruise, some of the group floated in their safety suits. This was a cruise highlight for my daughter.

 

Thanks also to digiti and peterscot for your advice.

Edited by MMDown Under
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Hi MM Downunder, we are Aussies and have also booked this trip for Feb 2016, will you do a full review on the CC site for Hurtigruten or can you share some thoughts of your trip here. We've travelled with Hurtigruten before and loved them, but would love to hear your thoughts on this extraordinary trip, cheers and have a very happy year.

Wendy and David

 

 

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Hi MM Downunder, we are Aussies and have also booked this trip for Feb 2016, will you do a full review on the CC site for Hurtigruten or can you share some thoughts of your trip here. We've travelled with Hurtigruten before and loved them, but would love to hear your thoughts on this extraordinary trip, cheers and have a very happy year.

Wendy and David

 

 

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Trip Report - MV Fram 1 - 19 Dec. 2014, Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica.

I am a senior, who cruised to Antarctica, for the first time, with my adult daughter, who had already cruised, on a small ship, on the same itinerary. This itinerary therefore was non negotiable, with the addition of the availability of kayaking.

Landings -

I won't describe the landings, other to say that each one, in its own way, exceeded our expectations. We had 3 landings in the Falkland Islands, a half day each in West Point and Carcass Islands and a full day in Stanley, the Capital.

South Georgia Island -

Salisbury Plain - each boatload had a 45 min tender trip, when conditions made landing impossible.

Fortuna Bay and Stomness (2 hours each)

Grytviken and St Andrew

Antarctica -

Arctowski and Half Moon Island

Whalers Bay and Mikkelsen Harbour

Cuverville and Almirante Brown

Port Lockroy and Peterman Island

Passengers where allocated a group for the tender boats and there were 8 groups. Groups took turns, so, if you were first in the morning, you were last in the afternoon. Our group was English and French Speaking. There were 17 nationalities on our cruise, with German just being the largest, closely followed by an English Speaking group from Hong Kong.

 

As a senior, one of my concerns was that I would want to go to the toilet whilst on land. This didn't happen. However, passengers could go back to the ship early whenever they wished. We always seemed to be close to the last group going back.

Everyone could put their name down on a list for a tour of the bridge (free), overnight camping, kayaking, polar cirkel boat rides, and hiking (additional charge). Excellent advice given to us was to put your name down on boarding. Only overnight camping was by ballot.

We were very fortunate with good weather, and smooth seas, with the heaviest winds being "moderate".

Many passengers wore patches, so they didn't get seasick. These patches aren't sold in Australia. We brought medication, which is to be used only if you are seasick, to stop you being seasick. However, we didn't need to use any medication.

Ship - Mv Fram

My daughter and I had both previously cruised with Norwegian Coastal Voyage (Hurtigruten), so we trusted the seamanship of Norwegian captains and knew the advantages of a large indoor observation lounge and an outdoor promenade deck, with outdoor terrace at the front of the ship, as well as floor to ceiling glass in the dining room.

Mv Fram, which was a purpose expedition ship built in 2007, met all these requirements.

There were two centre lifts and 2 central staircases from decks 2 to 7. 1 staircase 7 - 8.

Deck 8 had saunas, full showers and powerful hairdryer, for those like me who have thick hair.

Deck 7 had two outdoor jacuzzis, a gym, a library, and a large observation lounge, with floor to ceiling windows. In fact the windows continued over part of the ceiling, to enhance viewing.

Deck 6 - all cabins.

Deck 5 had 3/4 outdoor promenade deck, with an outdoor front terrace at

the bow. Deck 4 had a beautiful dining room, with floor to ceiling glass windows, at the aft. You could access a small back balcony from the restaurant, to take photographs. There was an arcade, with comfortable chairs for looking out, outside the restaurant. In the lobby, there were big comfortable lounge chairs, with a flickering artificial fire place. There was a small internet area. Behind the Expedition/Reception Desk were a small shop, plus 24/7 tea and coffee, cakes and biscuits, as well as jugs of water and ice. At the front, there were two lecture halls. One was used for the German guests, as this cruise was conducted in two languages, English and German.

Deck 2 was the Muck Room, where the muck boots were kept on poles, with your cabin number. Life jackets were kept in a big bin. Safety suits were hung up in this room. There were places to sit to put on and take off your boots. There were wooden "things", with a "V" in the middle", which helped with the removal of the boots. Hire of muck boots cost 120K.

Each group waited in the tender lobby, to be swiped out to go down stairs to the tender deck and tender pit, which was outside the ship. Two people helped passengers onto the polar cirkel boats from this tender pit.

There were 3 places where you walked through brushes and disinfectant to clean your boots. This made going from the ship to the polar cirkel an easy seamless process, from either side of the tender pit.

My daughter never used the lifts and I only used them twice from deck 2, after a couple of extra energetic landing days.

We were seated at a circular table with four other Aussies, at the back of the ship, so had spectacular aft views, especially when we cruised through the ice of the Lemaire Channel twice. We only sat at this table for served dinners at night, otherwise it was free seating.

Food -

I enjoyed the food, which included soups, selection of salads, hot meals (meat and fish) with vegetables, plus Norwegian style food - pickled fish (3 types), salmon, herrings, sardines, caviar, prawns, mussels, etc. Plus a selection of deserts, two icecreams, cheese and biscuits. Buffet Breakfast was same every day, but you could order an omelette or fried eggs and bacon, etc. Mv Fram University and Entertainment -

When we were at sea, there were a couple of interesting lectures by members of the Expedition Team every day, on a wide variety of subjects, such as birds, penguins, seals, ice, rocks, climate change, history, etc. In the afternoon and at night, the entertainment was a pianist in the observation lounge. One night there was a concert by members of the crew.

End of Part 1

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Part 2

Water -

Paying for water on Hurtigruten is a contentious issue. Mineral Water was NOK192pp in carafe bottles, for the whole voyage or NOK12pp per glass. This water can only be enjoyed inside the restaurant. I saw more than one guest fill his drink bottle with this leftover water. However, what we called tap water was always available at all meals and self service, in jugs, with ice, in the Bistro free of charge.

Cabin -

We were very happy with our inside 4 berth cabin at the aft of deck 5. It sat on its own, surrounded by outside cabins and aft cabins with balconies. We loved its location, handy for quick visits to the promenade deck outside, on both sides, without having to get fully dressed in appropriate layers. It was roomy enough for 2 people, but I would not have liked to have shared it with 4 adults. We had 2 full length wardrobes each. However, there were no drawers. There was a big shelf under the TV, with another shelf underneath. I just kept all my things in their travel packing containers in there. There was space underneath, with a strap across, to keep our 3 empty suitcases. I left fold up jumpers on the bottom of one wardrobes, shoes in the other and had more than ample big wooden hangers to hang clothes in the wardrobes.

There was no room to store anything under the beds. During the day, one was pushed up against the wall, whilst the other was converted to a sofa.

There was a desk with a big mirror and a heavy chair. On the left, there were four small shelves, which we found handy for storing stuff, which we used every day. On the right, there was a plastic paperholder, where we kept one set of the daily briefing sheets.

Surprises -

No pen or paper

(Ask at reception and they will give you a pen and some paper)

No tissues

Bathroom -

Small, but functional

Good shower, which could be handheld, always had hot water.

shower caps provided

No bathmat

(We used one of the handtowels as a bathmat each day.)

Weak hair dryer

(I used the powerful one upstairs in the sauna room.)

No separate soap, shampoo, conditioner, etc., only wall Hair and Body Soap (Preven's Paris). As only a tiny amount came out at a time, despite getting room steward to try to adjust flow, we used our own.

Loved the heated floor, which made clothes drying, in a short period, a breeze.

On left of the big mirror, there were two small shelves and on the right there were two glass holders, with plastic cups. Underneath, there was one big metal shelf.

In the shower, there was a small pull out clothes line.

(We took three stretch pegless clotheslines, which we strung along one bathroom wall) and did our own washing daily.)

In addition, to your own toiletries, take lots of sunblock, moisturiser and lip balm.

Clothes -

Layers were the secret to keeping warm and cosy, and being able to peel clothes off, when necessary. On a couple of occasions, I wore summer tops and thongs inside, as it was hot in the observation lounge, in full sun. i wished I took another evening top, as passengers did change to dressy casual, in the evening, on mv Fram. However, I made do, with the use of pretty knitted scarves, over a black top, which transform an outfit.

Clothes and things, which I loved on this trip -

Silk underwear (bottom layer)

lightweight merino tops and neck gaiter

Macpac Pukaki Pants (water resistant, not waterproof)

(When I fell into a bog to my thighs, above my boots, these pants did not let any water in.)

warm hats/beanies which covered my ears (take two in case you loose one, as beanies are expensive on board)

leather gloves, which I already owned, which enabled me to take photos. (Old waterproof snow mittens proved useless.)

collapsible walking sticks (we used one each)

Things Fram could do much better -

Paperwork.

 

Transfers with LAN to and from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia.

We had inexpensive private accommodation in BA prior to and after the cruise. Why couldn't we just phone Fram's representative at BA to check in and receive flight details? No boarding passes were given. Told 2.40 am

departure from accommodation for 4.40 am flight, although we were staying close to the domestic airport. Arranged for taxi to be booked by our host for 3.00 am and were through check in by 3.25 am! Return flight details from U to BA were only given on board, at the last minute. This doesn't work in real life, as we had to advise our busy hosts our estimated time of arrival, so they could meet us at the unit in BA with a key. I had to just guess and look up the morning LAN flight from U to BA and told our host this time, apologising in advance if I was wrong, saying I would confirm on arrival at BA Domestic Airport. This situation was totally unsatisfactory, especially when we don't speak Spanish. General Comments -

The larger number of passengers on MV Fram was never a problem for us. We were never waiting around for our turn for tender landings. In fact, we were always at the tail end of our group, but did get quicker towards the end putting on all the layers, in our cabin, then muckboots and lifejackets in the muckroom.

Interesting Passengers from 17 countries added to the atmosphere on the cruise.

Reception - Best Reception on any ship on which I've cruised. Nothing was ever too much trouble. Always greeted with a smile.

 

Cleanliness - Ship was always kept spotless.

Expedition Team - All members worked well together to enhance this unique travel expedition to Antarctica.

 

My greatest joy was just staying in one spot and letting the wildlife come to me. They are very curious, so you don't have to wait long. One special moment was when a penquin walked along the full length of a long beach

with us. I gave up, long before he did, to look at fascinating building ruins, but my daughter stayed enchanted on the beach. Weather -

Did I mention we had smooth seas, light to moderate winds and good weather overall?

I think the reason everyone enjoys their once in a lifetime trip to Antarctica so much, is that most passengers put a lot of time into research and choose a ship and itinerary which most meets their needs.

I am happy to answer any questions on our cruise, which exceeded all our expectations, and highly recommend Hurtigruten's MV Fram.

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Hi MM Downunder, we are Aussies and have also booked this trip for Feb 2016, will you do a full review on the CC site for Hurtigruten or can you share some thoughts of your trip here. We've travelled with Hurtigruten before and loved them, but would love to hear your thoughts on this extraordinary trip, cheers and have a very happy year.

Wendy and David

 

 

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You are going to have a wonderful cruise in February, 2016, Wendy and David. The cruise exceeded our expectations.

 

I did a review under Reviews then lost it, so have put it under this thread.

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Thank you MMDownunder,

What a fabulous review, that answered lots of questions for us. Did you do the pre boarding excursion to Tierra Del Fuego? We thought we might just to help facilitate luggage/airport transfers and we'd love to see the National Park anyway. Had others done it and thought it was worthwhile??

Again thx so much and as I think of questions I will certainly ask. Many many thanks Wendy and David

 

 

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Thank you MMDownunder,

What a fabulous review, that answered lots of questions for us. Did you do the pre boarding excursion to Tierra Del Fuego? We thought we might just to help facilitate luggage/airport transfers and we'd love to see the National Park anyway. Had others done it and thought it was worthwhile??

Again thx so much and as I think of questions I will certainly ask. Many many thanks Wendy and David

 

 

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No, because I hadn't been to Ushuaia before. Those who didn't do the National Park tour were taken on a short bus tour of Ushuaia, then collected later from the town to be taken to the ship. Hurtigruten looked after our luggage, inc hand luggage (but I took out my camera and Ipad). I think it would be better to do the National Park tour prior to the cruise, rather than after. You'd need to be prepared for cold or wet weather, as you don't get your Hurtigruten parka until after you board the ship.

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I know that not everyone agrees with me, but we have done the National Park tour twice and were underwhelmed both times. Being driven around in a coach with 40+ others with, consequently, no opportunity to influence where and for how long we stop isn't the way we prefer to take tours like that. Add in that the scenery, in our opinion, isn't particularly outstanding, we will be doing something different next time.

 

That said, the tour is a little more interesting than walking the cold and damp streets of Ushuaia with most of the shops closed!

 

The rest of the trip more than makes up for this!!

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Did you do the pre boarding excursion to Tierra Del Fuego? We thought we might just to help facilitate luggage/airport transfers

 

Whatever you do, Hurtigruten take care of the luggage you don't want to handle yourself all the way from the airport to boarding.

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