i have about 9837483 questions about antarctica

[dgp666]

thanks for the link. such a shame to have your trip ruined like that.

[mom2threecuties]

Enjoyed your father's website. Do you know if he used a special software to create his map? I am planning on charting our trip, but so far have not found the right software/website.

 

He said he used Microsoft Trips and Maps, then plotted out the trip using Paint. Hope that helps :)

[2552phxcrzr]

Thanks for the info. I will check it out.

 

P.S. Didn't mean to eliminate one of your three cuties in the previous post, by the way. Slip of the fingers when I was typing. My apologies.

[Jeepgal2005]

Minke-- I would love to hear the circumstances of your trip 50 years ago - were you there when Whaler's Bay was a working beach for that whaling company?

 

 

 

 

Nola-- enjoyed viewing your photos, you saw some of the same icebergs as we did I think, especially shadow of ship one, but we did it at sunset! It is a fantasic place though where ever you go. You were getting on the ship at Ushuaia as we got off in Punta Arenas. I was surprised how the snow had dissapeared just 2/3 weeks after our visit at Deception Island. Your historic photos from there are vg. 50 years ago I was able to walk to the top before the eruption. Finally I bet your cruise cost a lot more than mine, so you pays your money & makes your choice as they say.

 

For those who only want to go on the big ships that do not land, I say consider NCV, you will see a lot more & have a genuine wilderness experience.

 

Good luck to all future Antarctic cruisers, you better get there before it dissapears!

[minke]

Tricia...Thanks for the link to your fathers website, really enjoyed it & sent him a message through the site. Intersting to compare how the two cruise differed with only one week difference in sailing dates.

 

Nola.... 50 years ago I was one of the last few National Service men to get in our Royal Navy before NS finished for Navy. I managed to volounteer for a ship that had just been converted from an old wartime netlayer to go down Antarctic. Basically it did same job as the current HMS Endurance (currently in the news again after the recent Nordkapp grounding). My webshots homepage has an album of old photos & newspaper cuttings from that time. We did quite a few interesting things. I took a CD on the Nordkapp that was of that album & did a talk one evening that went down fairly well I think. Whalers Bay had ceased long before the war I believe. South Georgia was still in operation & I went on a whale factory ship called the Southern Harvester while that was working. A terrible sight & smell I can tell you! http://community.webshots.com/user/ericy202 is my homepage & also has Chilean fjords & BA albums that are a bonus for Hurtigruten trips compared to some other lines.

[minke]

Tricia...Thanks for the link to your fathers website, really enjoyed it & sent him a message through the site. Intersting to compare how the two cruise differed with only one week difference in sailing dates.

 

Nola.... 50 years ago I was one of the last few National Service men to get in our Royal Navy before NS finished for Navy. I managed to volounteer for a ship that had just been converted from an old wartime netlayer to go down Antarctic. Basically it did same job as the current HMS Endurance (currently in the news again after the recent Nordkapp grounding). My webshots homepage has an album of old photos & newspaper cuttings from that time. We did quite a few interesting things. I took a CD on the Nordkapp that was of that album & did a talk one evening that went down fairly well I think. Whalers Bay had ceased long before the war I believe. South Georgia was still in operation & I went on a whale factory ship called the Southern Harvester while that was working. A terrible sight & smell I can tell you! http://community.webshots.com/user/ericy202 is my homepage & also has Chilean fjords & BA albums that are a bonus for Hurtigruten trips compared to some other lines.

[Enjoyin' Life]

Wow, all these posting and photos are wonderful. My husband and I have been laboring over what trip to take. I think I've used up two reams of paper printing out info found on the net. We want to see the Chilean fjords and do shore trips in Antarctica. I've been a real pain in the neck checking with Vantage Travel on if they will be offering their trip again in Jan 2008. My conversation with them last week ended with them saying to check back in four to six weeks as they had not finalized a contract with Norwegian Coastal Voyage. So......... I called NCV on two different occasions wanting to catch the discount they were offering on the Nordnorge/Nordkapp if we booked prior to 1/31/07. I was told on both my calls that someone would call me back. As of today, 2/2/07, I haven't heard back from anyone. :cool: I've also looked closely at GoAheadTours trip on the MV Discovery. I wanted to chat with someone who had taken the trips and they were kind enough to give me two previous cruisers. Both of them spoke highly of the itinerary and the ship. What I like about MV Discovery is it not only takes in Antarctica but goes all the way up the Chilean fjords to Santiago. On the other hand , the Nordnorge/Nordkapp stops at Puerto Natales which is the gateway to Torres Del Paine. I want to visit TDP as badly as I do Antarctica. So..... what's a girl to do? :confused:

[Bill S]

Tricia: thanks for the link--really enjoyed the pictures, especially the one with the two hams!!!! My call sign is W4HMV. We would love to go back!

[sailorval]

I had the best trip to Antarctica and highly recommend it! You are correct in doing your homework beforehand. I also went with Vantage and the Hurtigruten line. We made about a landing per day. As others have mentioned, this is a physcially demanding undertaking, and there were a number of older folk on the trip who chose to just make one landing, then became 'observation cruisers' in the upper observation deck. Despite the recent bump into the rocks I highly recommend this line - just keep in mind this is an expedition, not just a cruise. I am a college professor and organizing a group to go next winter, through Vantage - they have the best rates going! The total cost, air and rooms, will be around $5000 for about 3 weeks (2 weeks on the ship), and my group will offer several academic lectures in GOOD English. If there was one item I felt was lacking, the Hurtigruten lecturers were not quite as good as they could have been. Contact me directly if you are interested: valmuse 'at symbol' ufl.edu.

[Enjoyin' Life]

Do you know approximately what dates you will have the tour and have you had a chance to chat with Vantage yet? This sounds like something we may be interested in for our trip.:rolleyes:

[Bookish Angel]

That sounds like a great cruise at a great price! Do you know if that includes airfare? I would love to return to Antarctica and might think about going with your group.

 

By the way, are you at The University of Florida? GO GATORS!

[bethaniesmom]

DH and I returned on Jan. 12, 07 from our "once in a lifetime" cruise to SA/Antarctica aboard the Rotterdam, we were gone 20 days, over both Christmas and NY's. We absolutely loved it, it was the best cruise ever! SA is nice, Chile was our favorite but nothing can compare to seeing Antarctica. It was breathtaking to say the least. No, we did not land or set foot on the ground but we did not care, the scenery was spectacular. We spent NY's Day 2007 cruising iceberg alley and we saw 1000s of bergs, some small....some HUGE, and some the most awesome shades of blue. The lectures were great and our ice pilot was wonderful! By all means GO, either small ship or large but the Rotterdam holds 1316 passengers and I don't think any bigger ships could get in as close as she did. I stood on the bow of the ship the first morning while in Antarctica and tears came to my eyes....God's beauty was everywhere. (IMO) I hope this has helped you decide to just DO IT! Marian

 

just a quick question.....looking at this same cruise for 2008....what is the weather like dec/jan?

 

Beverly

[BldLvr]

We had all kinds of weather. When we arrived in Rio it was in the low 90's and humid. The temps got cooler as we cruised farther towards Antarctica. In Antarctica we had sunny days in the 30s and windy, overcast, and SNOW another day. The key was to dress in layers and be sure to pack mittens, scarves, and hats! I wish I had packed more winterlike clothing. When we disembarked in Santiago, Chile it was in the low 90s. I wore a fleece jacket alot, even onboard until we got into warmer climates. This truly was a remarkable trip. We had gale force winds and seas over 20 feet while crossing the Drake Passage but we loved every minute of it. I hope you decide to go, we love the Rotterdam and all the great people who work onboard. This was an experience we will always remember. Let me know if you have any other questions. Marian

[bethaniesmom]

so, we are sold! will book this trip as soon as we get back from our March Caribbean trip!

thanks everyone for sharing your experiences!

 

Beverly

[donaldsc]

just a quick question.....looking at this same cruise for 2008....what is the weather like dec/jan?

 

Beverly

 

Just got back from a Nordkapp trip in December - before it went aground. Antarctica weather is very changable. If you do not like the current weather, just wait a few minutes and it will change. Having said this, we had mostly cloudy weather, lots of wind, no rain, and temps as high as maybe 30 w/o the wind chill.

 

Regardless, the trip was great and we got to do 9 out of 10 landing which is extremely unusual. The only place we did not land is at Cape Horn because we had a force 10 gale there - which was great. I would trade a force 10 gale for a landing at Cape Horn any time.

 

DO NOT go to Antarctica on a ship any larger than the Nordkapp. The bigger ships trade of more cruise ship features for landings. If you want shows and lots of food choices, go ln a cruise to the Bahamas. In Antarctica, you are there to walk among the Penquins and you will not get that opportunity on a bigger ship.

 

One of the cruise lines is now running a thin skinned 3000 passenger ship in the Antarctica. That is an abomination (sp?).

 

I would have preferred to do the trip on one of the <100 passenger Russian trip as you get more land time but they were more than I could affort.

 

Hope this helps.

 

DON

[donaldsc]

[ I've been a real pain in the neck checking with Vantage Travel on if they will be offering their trip again in Jan 2008. My conversation with them last week ended with them saying to check back in four to six weeks as they had not finalized a contract with Norwegian Coastal Voyage. So......... I called NCV on two different occasions wanting to catch the discount they were offering on the Nordnorge/Nordkapp if we booked prior to 1/31/07. I was told on both my calls that someone would call me back. As of today, 2/2/07, I haven't heard back from anyone. :cool:

 

I did the Nordkapp trip. The NCV and Vantage offices have lousy customer service but they run a really great trip.

 

DON

[Mary Ellen]

DO NOT go to Antarctica on a ship any larger than the Nordkapp. The bigger ships trade of more cruise ship features for landings. If you want shows and lots of food choices, go ln a cruise to the Bahamas. In Antarctica, you are there to walk among the Penquins and you will not get that opportunity on a bigger ship.

 

[snip]

 

Hope this helps.

So, are you saying that DH (currently having balance/mobility problems) and I (almost died on a whitewater rafting trip a few years ago and had nightmares EVERY night for MONTHS about the experience) should cancel our South America/Antarctic on the Rotterdam next January because OUR needs don't meet YOUR requirements??? Sorry, the Bahamas has NO appeal for us. We cruise for scenery and we will still have PLENTY of that from the Rotterdam. Different strokes for different folks.

 

NO help, sorry.

[freddie]

dgp - We just returned from a fantastic 18-day cruise on the Hanseatic, which is both ice-hardened and quite luxurious. Unfortunately, the single supplement on that ship is quite high. However, the single supplement on Explorer II (chartered by Regent Seven Seas) is only 10%. In Jan. or Feb. of 2008, Regent is using Explorer II for an itinerary that includes South Georgia, which is a wonderful place to see thousands of King penguins. We know a number of people going solo on that cruise because of the great itinerary and excellent single supplement. It is also all-inclusive (i.e. no charge for booze and vino) and makes loads of Zodiac landings. If you can't find any good info about the Explorer II cruises on Regent, drop me an email at fvs98282"at"wavecable.com and I'll be happy to give you links to more info. By the way, we saw the crippled NordKapp when we were in Maxwell Bay on King George Island. It was awaiting repairs to allow it to get to South America for more comprehensive work. That cruise was certainly a bummer for those passengers, no??

[BldLvr]

DH and I returned on 1/11/07 from our cruise aboard the Rotterdam to SA/Antarctica and all I can say is WOW....it was fantastic. The whole cruise is wonderful but when you get to Antarctica your "cruise" becomes an adventure. We didn't have shows during our time in Ant., we had wonderful speakers who really knew their stuff! We did not feel cheated at all because we did not step foot on land. You will enjoy the Rotterdam, it's a trip of a lifetime. Happy cruising, Marian

[dgp666]

thanks freddie! at first it regent seemed a bit expensive but then i looked further and saw it includes free airfare from certain cites, one of which is mine! that pretty much makes the cost more than equal to the other cruise ships ive priced.

[Mary Ellen]

Thanks BldLvr/Marian - We're expecting to have an absolutely WONDERFUL time on the Rotterdam. I've been busy planning our pre-cruise trip to Iguassu Falls - which we also intend to fully enjoy by just viewing, not by actually getting into or going over. ;)

[freddie]

dgp - You are quite right to look carefully at the whole package for Explorer II with Regent if you want to go on one of the trips with lots of Zodiac landings. Once you do an apples-to-apples (or penguins-to-penguins) comparison and figure in the value of the airfare, no-tipping, all-inclusive, etc., it is likely that the per diem cost of Explorer II is not out of line with the other offerings. We loved the Hanseatic and had 18 fabulous Zodiac landings/tours. Although it is comparable to Explorer II on a per diem basis when sharing a cabin, it is just outrageous for a single.

 

Mary Ellen - You are indeed wise to not consider the Zodiac route if you have mobility problems. Even though we liked each of our 18 Zodiac adventures, several were pretty wild and very much like white water rafting. The scenery in the Antarctic is magnificent and is primarily viewed from the ship, whether one is on a small ship or a larger one. We met several people in Stanley, Falklands, who were on the Rotterdam which was in that port the same day as the Hanseatic. They were having a splendid time and had also made the deliberate choice to not go on an expedition cruise based on walking-climbing issues (her) and a strong aversion to small boats like Zodiacs (him). Iguazu Falls is (are??) remarkable, whether viewed from the top, the water (that's a bit wet and wild, though), or the air. Be prepared for intense heat and humidity, though. After that heat, you will be delighted with the cool weather in the Southern Sea.

[Sheilanne]

We have just booked to go to Antarctic Peninsula at the end of December.

We are going on Orient Lines 'Marco Polo'. There will be 400+ passengers (they only book to half capacity for Antarctic) & they do make landings by zodiacs. They are only allowed to land 100 persons at one time.

[Coral]

Hi,

 

I just returned from a trip to Antarctica (the Weddell Sea). We researched the kind of trip we wanted to make and ended up being one of 66 on a ship (Peregrine Tours) that could hold 109. We went ashore as much as 3 times a day (weather permitting). I've read accounts of the bigger ships making folks wait a day and a half for their "group" to go ashore. Absolutely splurge - it's a trip of a lifetime!

 

I have 400 photos if you want to browse: http://picasaweb.google.com/nola92124

 

Email me directly if you have more questions: jeepgal2005@gmail.com

I'll be glad to help!

 

Amazing pictures! Wow! Off to look at Peregrine Tours. Thank you so much for sharing!

[Tarheelbelle]

This thread has been very helpful in my planning and booking. Thanks! I did decide on the Discovery because solo cost was good, zodiac landings, itinerary, and good compromise between huge sail-by ships and expedition vessels.