Atlas Antarctica Questions

[Madadam1979]

Hello!  I’m deciding between the Atlas 9 night cruise on the World Traveller leaving December 20 or the 12 night cruise leaving December 16 on the World Navigator.  The shorter Atlas itinerary includes the South Shetland Islands, but the longer one doesn't appear to do so (although it does cross the Antarctic Circle).  We're very excited about seeing the penguins and other wildlife — would it be recommended to do the itinerary with the South Shetland Islands stop for more of this experience?  
 

Also, thoughts on room 529 which is midship with a Veranda vs other options?  
 

Thanks!

[skrink]

I sailed on World Navigator in cabin 619, a B1 Veranda smack dab midship.  South Shetland Islands may be listed on the itinerary, but it’s always “Captain’s Choice” according to weather and other conditions.  We did not stop there which was fine with me because TBH, the only thing I remember about them is that after we passed through them, the GOOD stuff started showing up - icebergs, LOTS of penguins, seals, and water in more shades of blue than you’ll ever see again.

 

I absolutely recommend a midship veranda.  Midship makes the Drake a wee bit easier and the veranda because you won’t want to miss a minute of the action while in your cabin.  A Juliet cabin might be just fine for some folks.  

 

If it were me, I’d go with the longer cruise only because 9 days seemed far too short, especially after traveling so far to get there and spending four of those nine days in the Drake.  I still enjoyed every moment, seasickness and all.

[ridethetide]

6 hours ago, Madadam1979 said:

Hello!  I’m deciding between the Atlas 9 night cruise on the World Traveller leaving December 20 or the 12 night cruise leaving December 16 on the World Navigator.  The shorter Atlas itinerary includes the South Shetland Islands, but the longer one doesn't appear to do so (although it does cross the Antarctic Circle).  We're very excited about seeing the penguins and other wildlife — would it be recommended to do the itinerary with the South Shetland Islands stop for more of this experience?  
 

Also, thoughts on room 529 which is midship with a Veranda vs other options?  
 

Thanks!

I stayed in room 529 on the World Traveller on an 11-night Antarctic Circle cruise in early January. I loved the room. We had some amazing weather and I actually spent quite a bit of time out on the balcony. I would opt for the longer trip, which will give you more opportunities for adventure. You will love this expedition.

[Michael_A]

X2 on ridethetide. We were on the same sailing. Do the longer one, it takes 2 days to get to someplace interesting and back again in Antarctica, so the longer itinerary would afford more opportunities for landings and exploration. A lot of areas on the Shetland Islands are currently (or may still be) closed to shore landings (Avian flu) so do monitor that situation if you are still considering the other itinerary.

[JanR]

I'll echo what most everyone else has said:  go longer.  For us the magic of this cruise is encapsulated by the landings and Zodiac tours.  The weather can/will be unpredictable.  We lost our first day due to a late start because of a storm in the Drake.  Those additional days in the "zone" will give you more opportunities to experience Antarctica.  

 

And yes. . .mid-ship on this cruise is advised.  You can have the "Drake Lake", however be prepared for the "Drake Shake".

[GICNJC]

We did mid January 9 day, ended up being 10 day due to general Argentina strike (spent extra day in Ushuaia awaiting plane activity to start).  If (and when) We do another antartica we would also take the longest possible due to Drake crossing time (4 days of 9).

 

It was our first Atlas cruise and we were blown away with the crew, food, and visuals on Antartica.  We have done a dozen on Oceania, and would say Atlas is a 9 out of 10 while Oceania is a 7,5 out of 10,  Atlas nightly entertainment is the lost point although one night the Elvis musical night was great.

 

If and when we do another Antartica is would be the longest possible as four days are spent crossing the Drake.  

[mnocket]

Sometimes people confuse the South Shetland Islands with the South Georgia Island.  South Georgia Island is often rated as even more impressive than Antartica - the South Shetlands, not so much. I'd take the longer cruise in this case and pass on the Shetlands. 

[donaldsc]

On 5/25/2024 at 8:59 AM, mnocket said:

Sometimes people confuse the South Shetland Islands with the South Georgia Island.  South Georgia Island is often rated as even more impressive than Antarctica - the South Shetlands, not so much. I'd take the longer cruise in this case and pass on the Shetlands. 

 

+1.  We did a cruise that went to just the Falklands for 3 days and S Georgia for 8 days.  Not sure of the current impact of avian flu but imagine being on a beach in S Georgia with 300,000 nesting pairs of penguins on just one of the many beaches we stopped at, many many fur seals and a ton (literally and figuratively) of elephant seals.    It was far and above the most wonderful trip I have ever taken.

 

DON

Edited June 3 by donaldsc

[mnocket]

9 hours ago, donaldsc said:

 

+1.  We did a cruise that went to just the Falklands for 3 days and S Georgia for 8 days.  Not sure of the current impact of avian flu but imagine being on a beach in S Georgia with 300,000 nesting pairs of penguins on just one of the many beaches we stopped at, many many fur seals and a ton (literally and figuratively) of elephant seals.    It was far and above the most wonderful trip I have ever taken.

 

DON

I'm going to South Georgia next January.  My fingers are crossed that the avian flu won't cause them to cancel the landings.

[ColdCruise]

Just chipping in with my $0.02 - go longer and due the (hopefully) polar circle so awesomely beautiful and unmatched. Plus as others mentioned your “waste” 4 days crossing the Drake plus your embarking/disembarkation days, so 9 only gives you 4 days expeditioning (made that word up 😉) and always that is subject to weather and seas.

 

i did not sail with Atlas, but sailed on a sister or twin ship to the Atlas ships . Our cabin was just forward of the front stairs, so not quite midship, and was a balcony on deck 6. Midship and low is definitely the way to go on a Drake crossing. Even on decks 5&6 the waves were saturating the floor of the deck and occasionally hitting our window one day.  

I went end of Feb-Mar 23, there’s a trip report on cruise critic. The penguin babies were mostly moulted and our penguin guru said they’d be leaving in a couple weeks. Unfortunately the late hatchlings we saw would not make it. 
 

also if presented with opportunity to kayak or SUP do it at least once (I chickened out) - the group that only signed up for the one-time option came across a couple sleeping whales bobbing in the water …inside the Antarctic circle. Super photos!

 

im considering going with Atlas Jan 25, just get my friend on board.