Rare azbirdmom Posted January 29 #226 Share Posted January 29 13 minutes ago, Mary loves to travel said: It’s surprising how many ships show up as being here! My understanding is that times in each location are carefully choreographed, so we all feel we’re the only ones here. I don’t know how schedules are coordinated or by whom, but it’s been great. Mary When we were there in 2020 we only saw one boat - a sailboat of all things. Didn't see a single ship. Oh wait, I forgot the motorized raft with the pirate flag on which a few people stationed at the Polish research outpost rode on to visit us and give us an overview of what life is like at the bottom of the world. Our captain said that they were bribed with pizza and fresh fruit and vegetables, something they can't get down there. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvre Posted January 29 #227 Share Posted January 29 (edited) 11 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said: Thanks! You’re going to have a great time!! And I guess that means I can put my flannel shirts away once we get to BA! 😂 Right now it’s around 33F down here cruising along the South Shetland Islands. I erroneously mentioned earlier that it was 26.6F because I made the mistake of getting it from the Princess App. When I checked Windy, it pretty much said it stays around 33-36F this time of year down here. Thanks for taking the time to share with us your unbelievable cruise. We are booked on the Sapphire for February 7th, 2025, for your exact 2nd part of cruise and will be following along. We have a PHS but it is not aft, it's Caribe mid ship as no aft’s were available. Thanks again. Debbie and Richard Edited January 29 by gvre 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carnevale Posted January 29 #228 Share Posted January 29 Ken, I am wondering if you have had a chance to hear any of the music in the Wheelhouse or Piazza? We are boarding Sapphire on Feb 5 so expect some of them will still be on board. Any standouts for you that we should make sure we hear? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare HaveDogWillTravel Posted January 29 #229 Share Posted January 29 On 1/22/2024 at 5:25 AM, LaRu60 said: @HaveDogWillTravel - love the map, where/how did you get it? I was on the Sapphire Dec 1, 2023 to Jan 4 2024 LA to Ba with 4 days in Antartica. Everyone on the ship got them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #230 Share Posted January 29 5 hours ago, Carnevale said: Ken, I am wondering if you have had a chance to hear any of the music in the Wheelhouse or Piazza? We are boarding Sapphire on Feb 5 so expect some of them will still be on board. Any standouts for you that we should make sure we hear? We have not. We pretty much eat, go to the theater show, game show, and then back to our cabin to chill and see what there is to see outside. Maybe someone else on the ship that is following this thread has a better insight of the music scene around the ship. Sorry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #231 Share Posted January 29 Woke up this morning at about 5 am just to see what there was to see, as we weren’t scheduled to arrive at Charlotte Bay until around 6:30 am. This is Brabant Island in the background. Woke up again at 7 am to our alarm, and the ships had already gone into Charlotte Bay and just turned around. Perfect timing! 😁 Whale! 😁 At first we thought this was a log. But there are no trees in Antarctica. It was another whale just hanging out! 😂 These next few pictures were taken while we were eating breakfast in Sabatinis. These were taken as we were exiting Charlotte Bay on our way to Wilhelmina Bay next door. 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary loves to travel Posted January 29 #232 Share Posted January 29 5 hours ago, Carnevale said: Ken, I am wondering if you have had a chance to hear any of the music in the Wheelhouse or Piazza? We are boarding Sapphire on Feb 5 so expect some of them will still be on board. Any standouts for you that we should make sure we hear? 11 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said: We have not. We pretty much eat, go to the theater show, game show, and then back to our cabin to chill and see what there is to see outside. Maybe someone else on the ship that is following this thread has a better insight of the music scene around the ship. Sorry. We’re not much more active “club hoppers” than Ken 😂. But we did hear the Supersonics one evening in the Piazza, and also went to Club Fusion when they were having an “oldies” night with music from the 50’s and 60’s. They’re very good & it was a fun time. Mary 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary loves to travel Posted January 29 #233 Share Posted January 29 Ken, loving your photos! One thing the naturalist mentioned about the “log behavior” is that’s how the whales sleep; one part of their brain focuses on breathing, the rest sleeps, and they just float along looking like big logs 😊 Mary 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #234 Share Posted January 29 Our continued morning trek through Wilhelmina Bay was awesome, and we saw more Humpback whales! 😁 Two Humpback whales, a mother and her calf. Another Humpback whale just roaming around looking for something tasty to eat. Even saw its fluke! 😁 As you can see, we saw quite a few Humpback whales this morning! 😁 Another mother with her calf. And now we are off to cruise to Port Lockroy, which is a bay forming a natural harbor on the north-western shore of Wiencke Island in the Palmer Archipelago to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula. 14 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #235 Share Posted January 29 (edited) 13 hours ago, stonepebble said: I agree.... I don't know if you saw it....but way back I asked you if you saw other ships while you were cruising around Antarctica? There are soooo many ships down there! So other than in port...where I'm sure you are seeing other ships...do you see them when you are sailing around Paradise Bay? Elephant Island? Chris We saw one yacht this morning, the Scenic Eclipse 2, as we were cruising through the Charlotte Bay. But most of the small vessels are in small coves and waterways. Places the Sapphire can’t even get close to. Edited January 29 by Ken the cruiser 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonepebble Posted January 29 #236 Share Posted January 29 Pictures are just fabulous! Thank you for taking the time to share them with us! The more I read, the more I see, the more excited I am! Chris 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #237 Share Posted January 29 (edited) 2 hours ago, stonepebble said: Pictures are just fabulous! Thank you for taking the time to share them with us! The more I read, the more I see, the more excited I am! Chris Thanks! I knew as soon as I commented on how few of vessels we’ve seen so far, that would change. So far today, as we cruise along the Gerlache Strait, we’ve seen 5 vessels so far! 😂 Edited January 29 by Ken the cruiser 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #238 Share Posted January 29 This afternoon we cruised the Gerlache Strait headed towards Port Lockroy. Here are some of the sites we saw, with no shortage of icebergs. However, not a lot of visible wildlife on this leg. But the scenery was awesome! 😁 Then it was time to turn west out of the Gerlache Strait. Unofficially, we made it to latitude 64 degrees 58.8 minutes South, or more specifically we were within 109 km of making it to the Antarctic Circle. 😁 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
that Posted January 29 #239 Share Posted January 29 Just spectacular oh thank you! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stonepebble Posted January 29 #240 Share Posted January 29 I want some of whatever you are having! You have just had fabulous weather! So happy for you! The photos just keep getting better! Chris 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PurpleTraveller Posted January 29 #241 Share Posted January 29 I have been following you on your journey and enjoying every moment. Thank you so much for taking the time to share your experience and your wonderful photos. I have been considering an Antarctic cruise and after seeing your amazing photos I am even more keen to go on one. Thank you once again. 😊 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #242 Share Posted January 29 (edited) We then headed down the Neumayer Channel for Port Lockroy where the only Antarctica Post Office is. For more information about it, click on this link. https://www.antarcticaguide.com/blog/port-lockroy-antarcticas-post-office-and-museum Here is some of the scenery we passed along the way. I thought this iceberg looked like it had the head of a lion with a body full of feathers! 😂 This was the view from our balcony while anchored for 4 hours at Port Lockroy. 😁 From here we head to Deception Island with a scheduled arrival around Noon tomorrow, if I heard the announcement correctly. Edited January 29 by Ken the cruiser 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
that Posted January 29 #243 Share Posted January 29 Wow Wow Wow the wonder of Each photo more incredible than the last oh thank you 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 29 Author #244 Share Posted January 29 2 minutes ago, that said: Wow Wow Wow the wonder of Each photo more incredible than the last oh thank you You are too kind. We are definitely having a great time and couldn’t ask for better weather! 😁 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
that Posted January 29 #245 Share Posted January 29 @Ken the cruiser ! just the facts! so impressive many thanks 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 30 Author #246 Share Posted January 30 (edited) After dinner tonight, we headed back to the cabin until it was time to go watch the evening show, which was an encore performance by singer Alex Yost. Afterwards we headed to watch the Mind Duel Officers vs Guests Game Show. BTW this is what the scenery looked like from our balcony when we first arrived at 4:30 pm. It’s now 9:30 pm and we’re just leaving. The weather can definitely change here in a hurry as it’s now snowing! 😂 Edited January 30 by Ken the cruiser 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ken the cruiser Posted January 30 Author #247 Share Posted January 30 (edited) Day 11 - Jan 30 - Day 4 cruising in Antarctic waters (Deception Island) Edited January 30 by Ken the cruiser 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare dickinson Posted January 30 #248 Share Posted January 30 Awesome!!!!! Thank you for taking us along. 🙂 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hpeabody Posted January 30 #249 Share Posted January 30 AAAAAAAAAAmazing Photos. Thank you! I am booked in December for this "cruise by" in Antarctica on the Sapphire. This thread has been great to get me excited and educated. I would like to ask a question if I may. In your opinion where are the best places around the ship for the best viewing. Obviously you are finding some great views. My balcony cabin is on Caribe/Deck 10 a little bit aft of mid ship, starboard side. Any secrets you can share? I have currently being shipped to me a Lands' End Hooded Down Wanderweight Ultralight Packable Jacket. I am hoping this is a wise choice to hopefully keep me from freezing. What are people doing to keep warm? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tillys mom Posted January 30 #250 Share Posted January 30 1 hour ago, hpeabody said: AAAAAAAAAAmazing Photos. Thank you! I am booked in December for this "cruise by" in Antarctica on the Sapphire. This thread has been great to get me excited and educated. I would like to ask a question if I may. In your opinion where are the best places around the ship for the best viewing. Obviously you are finding some great views. My balcony cabin is on Caribe/Deck 10 a little bit aft of mid ship, starboard side. Any secrets you can share? I have currently being shipped to me a Lands' End Hooded Down Wanderweight Ultralight Packable Jacket. I am hoping this is a wise choice to hopefully keep me from freezing. What are people doing to keep warm? Hi Holly! I just ordered a Land’s End Expedition Winter Down Parka that I hope will keep me warm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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