Princess Antarctica

[PAGO]

Hi All

 

I'm a new poster, and am considering taking the Antarctic cruise next year ('08). Two things concern me, the first is crossing the Drake Passage and the possible horrible weather. The second is once we are in the Antarctic I know we can't get off the ship and its just sceninc cruising, how good is this, does it compare to seeing the glaciers in Alaska (which I've done).

 

Any comments or advice from folks who have doine this cruise will be appreciated.

 

Pago

[GottoCruise]

We sailed Orient Lines (Marco Polo) to Antartica - (Trans-Pacific - Capetown to Ushusia )- It was a fantastic experience...

 

That being said, I have read glowing reports about Princess 'Antartica' - BUT for the life of me I can't understand why Princess or anyone would call the cruise 'Antartica' when you cannot get off the ship.

 

Setting 2 feet on the actual Antartica Bases was the highlight of the experience!

 

Take a good look around and do some research about other lines doing this region....

 

JMHO...............Renee

[LCLett]

Hi All

 

I'm a new poster, and am considering taking the Antarctic cruise next year ('08). Two things concern me, the first is crossing the Drake Passage and the possible horrible weather. The second is once we are in the Antarctic I know we can't get off the ship and its just sceninc cruising, how good is this, does it compare to seeing the glaciers in Alaska (which I've done).

 

Any comments or advice from folks who have doine this cruise will be appreciated.

 

Pago

 

I just recently returned from Antarctica and Chilean Fjords cruise put together by Norwegian Coastal Voyages. Booked the trip through Vantage World Travel (www.vantagetravel.com) for much better pricing. This is a much smaller ship than regular cruise lines -- and can get much closer to scenery. Plus you get to go onshore - tendered to landings by polarCirkel boats (upgraded zodiacs). Landings are all wet - you wear boots and waterproof outerwear - and the walking can be a bit difficult. Must be agile enough to do these landings but I'm 57 and was one of the younger ones on my ship. You are assisted by the crew. This is NOT a cruise cruise - more of an expedition - but in my opinion the ONLY way to see Antarctica. You get to walk among the penguins and seals............ fabulous!!

 

I haven't been to Alaska - but this Antarctica and Chilean Fjords cruise gives you so much - glaciers all over!!

[FredS]

It is the luck of the draw on the weather. When we went around Cape Horn and through the islands the weather was cold but sunny and no wind to speak of. Seas were calm. The wind was worse at Port Stanley IMHO.

[Julia’s Journey’s]

I just recently returned from Antarctica and Chilean Fjords cruise put together by Norwegian Coastal Voyages. Booked the trip through Vantage World Travel (www.vantagetravel.com) for much better pricing. This is a much smaller ship than regular cruise lines -- and can get much closer to scenery. Plus you get to go onshore - tendered to landings by polarCirkel boats (upgraded zodiacs). Landings are all wet - you wear boots and waterproof outerwear - and the walking can be a bit difficult. Must be agile enough to do these landings but I'm 57 and was one of the younger ones on my ship. You are assisted by the crew. This is NOT a cruise cruise - more of an expedition - but in my opinion the ONLY way to see Antarctica. You get to walk among the penguins and seals............ fabulous!!

 

I haven't been to Alaska - but this Antarctica and Chilean Fjords cruise gives you so much - glaciers all over!!

 

Would love to do this one day:D

Do you have pictures, would love to see some to whet the appetite:D :D

[8mpg]

Would love to do this one day:D

Do you have pictures, would love to see some to whet the appetite:D :D

 

Id love to see pictures as well... many people think my girlfriend and I are crazy to pick Alaska over any beach type cruise but we just love nature. We would love to cruise to Antarctica. We will have to start saving some money to go :D

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Id love to see pictures as well... many people think my girlfriend and I are crazy to pick Alaska over any beach type cruise but we just love nature. We would love to cruise to Antarctica. We will have to start saving some money to go :D

 

We had a wonderful B2B to Alaska and would love to go there again, the excursions were amazing, watching the bears catching salmon, whales, eagles, moose etc was something we will remember forever.:)

[Linda-E]

DH and I were on Golden Princess Antarctica cruise in Jan/Feb 07. It was the best cruise ever! The scenery is absolutely breathtaking for four amazing days. There was a variety of terrain, from glaciers to iceberg alley to the cliffs of Deception Island. We saw many albatross and other birds, whales, and penguins and seals floating by on ice. We didn't feel like we missed much not being able to land in Antarctica.

 

Make sure to visit penguins in Stanley and Puerto Madryn (or Punta Arenas as 3rd choice) where you can walk among them and spend time up close and personal. My favorite excursion was Sparrow Cove, Falkland Islands where we were so close to the Gentoo and King Penguins that they were nipping at our shoelaces.

[cactusrose]

We were also on the Golden Princess with Linda-E. Frankly I am happy I saw the glaciers in Alaska before I saw the ones in Antarctica, otherwise I would be disappointed in the ones in Alaska. Not that I won't go back to Alaska as there is so much there that isn't in Antarctica, but there is no comparison as far as the glaciers go. Wow, what a cruise that was.

[Globaliser]

I'm a new poster, and am considering taking the Antarctic cruise next year ('08). Two things concern me, the first is crossing the Drake Passage and the possible horrible weather. The second is once we are in the Antarctic I know we can't get off the ship and its just sceninc cruising, how good is this, does it compare to seeing the glaciers in Alaska (which I've done).

First, welcome to CC, pago!

 

As others say, the Drake is the luck of the draw. On my trip, we had two relatively smooth crossings. But it can be horrible. You won't know until you get there. Antarctica is an adventure, however you do it.

 

FWIW, it is just not the same if you go to Antarctica and don't land there. Drive-by cruises will not give you the same experience. (One advantage, though, is that bigger ships may be more comfortable in bad weather.) For me, my trip would not have been complete without landings, especially the swimming at Deception Island.

 

But you should be able to get a feel for the landscapes and the wilderness of the continent. Alaskan cruises are wildly oversold - all this "majesty of nature" stuff is marketing hype, when most Alaskan cruises spend most of their time calling in built-up urban areas with patches of countryside between them. Antarctica is what you are promised - but don't get - in Alaska. It's truly a wonderful place.

 

If anyone's interested: photos here.

[aclay]

We were on Princess' inaugaral Antartica cruise from Cape Town to Santiago on the old Royal Princess back in December 2003..

We had previously sailed to Alaska on the Ocean Princess in 2002 and Magdelena Fjord (same trip as Globalizer)/ Arctic circle on the Sea Princess in 2005. We have now done ten cruises on Princess.

I would put our 24 day Antartica trip as by far the best 'adventure' cruise we have ever done if not the simply the best cruise.

Of course everyone who has taken the smaller (far more expensive) cruiseliners will say that 'oh but the only way to see Antartica is to set your feet on it' - but DW and I both agree that we have experienced as much of Antartica as we will ever need to. Just four days out of Capetown we caught sight of our first Iceberg:eek: Then in total we had fourteen whole sea days to take in the Southern Oceans/ Antartic scenery. We hadn't even made it down to the Antartic mainland and it started snowing at Elephant Island. For us it was more than enough - an excellent adventure, you'll love it. We summed up the three 'cold cruise itineraries' as follows:

- Alaska - vast scenic green wilderness, excellent port infrastructure for dealing with tourists. Beautiful carving glaciers close up.

- Antartica - Icebergs everywhere in every conceivable shape and size. Unique wildlife (penguins/ whales / birdlife e.t.c)- real 'end of the earth' feeling. The cruise expert lecturers on board are excellent also.

- Arctic - more rugged landscape than the other two. Exciting when you realise how close you are to the North Pole. Most of all - 24 hour daylight experience for many days of the cruise- drives you nuts when the sun shines in you cabin all night :p :p

HTH

Alex

[Coral]

There is a fantastic link on the South America board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=483594

 

Jeepgal2005 posted these pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/nola92124

 

I particularly like "The Ice" and "The Animals"

 

These pictures made me realize if I am ever going to go, I want to go on a small boat and get off the ship.

[GottoCruise]

First, welcome to CC, pago!

 

 

FWIW, it is just not the same if you go to Antarctica and don't land there. Drive-by cruises will not give you the same experience. (One advantage, though, is that bigger ships may be more comfortable in bad weather.) For me, my trip would not have been complete without landings, especially the swimming at Deception Island.

 

 

If anyone's interested: photos here.

 

(Swimming off Deception Island was a 'hoot' - I kept my 'Ski-Mask' hat on - what a photo - me in my Bathing suit with a 'Ski Mask'!

Renee:)

[LCLett]

Would love to do this one day:D

Do you have pictures, would love to see some to whet the appetite:D :D

 

I've attached some pictures - not sure how this works since I am also a new poster - but I'm hoping the pictures will be attached to this post!! Others have links posted and their pictures are quite good. I'm still working on mine, getting them uploaded to internet, etc.

 

The weather for our trip was quite good - exceptionally clear (they kept on telling us) through Chilean Fjords; we were able to land and climb Cape Horn (another unusual occurrence); Drake's "Lake" traveling south; mixed bag in Antarctica and a "storm of the century" with 50-80 foot swells and 70 mph winds returning north on the Drake to Ushuaia. It really can be luck of the draw on the weather and the weather changes so quickly!!

 

I would do it again in a heartbeat.............

[PAGO]

Thanks for the input I think you've got me comvinced to go

 

Pago

[PAGO]

What was it like on the ship with 50-80 foot swells?????

 

Thanks for your thoughts --Pago

[LCLett]

Id love to see pictures as well... many people think my girlfriend and I are crazy to pick Alaska over any beach type cruise but we just love nature. We would love to cruise to Antarctica. We will have to start saving some money to go :D

 

I posted the limited five pictures in my post to itdjbw - here are a few more. One is from our landing at Cape Horn - a very special place.

[cbpanda]

I posted the limited five pictures in my post to itdjbw - here are a few more. One is from our landing at Cape Horn - a very special place.

 

What an absolute fantastic experience it must have been. I would LOVE to do this cruise someday! Thank you for sharing some pictures.

[LCLett]

What was it like on the ship with 50-80 foot swells?????

 

Thanks for your thoughts --Pago

 

You've got to go to Antarctica!!

 

I am NOT well traveled; I live in New York; been to Italy and this year Antarctica (I felt the need for a bit of adventure..........). That's it.

 

The trip back north to Ushuaia through that storm was unbelievable. I started out on the MS Nordkapp, but we ran aground at Deception Island towards the end of our trip and were transferred to the MS Nordnorge. These two ships are 404 feet long, with ice hulls and well built to withstand the type of storm we went through. But sailing through 50-80 foot swells is like being on Free Fall at Great Adventure or a wild rollercoaster ride when you drop down off the crest of one of those swells. The ship pitches front to back and rolls side to side - although the captain did his best to keep her steady........ Turns out I don't get seasick............ so the ride for me was simply fantastic, looking out the window at what was coming actually helped my mind prepare for the drops that came. But three days of that storm was at least one day too many.......... very difficult to walk the ship; very difficult to eat when it's that rough. I actually did skip one meal - just didn't have the energy to negotiate the walk to the dining room and I couldn't imagine eating a big meal when the storm was at its worst. You have to be careful WHAT you eat, but it's important TO EAT. Too dangerous to walk the deck outside. So you would find a chair somewhere and try to read or nap. Sleeping for any length of time was difficult - very very noisy in the bow of the ship with the bow crashing down off the swells and the anchors rattling in their holds.

 

Lots of people were seasick........ but they say MOST get at least a touch of seasickness on the Drake Passage, even if they don't normally get seasick, and it's best to just take the meds for that portion of the trip. Ordinarily that portion of the trip isn't too long.............

 

And it certainly wouldn't keep me from GOING!!! It's just something to be gotten through if the weather's bad; and if you end up with the "storm of the century" like we did (smooth as glass on the trip SOUTH) returning North, then it gives you something to brag about.........

:)

[cbpanda]

There is a fantastic link on the South America board:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=483594

 

Jeepgal2005 posted these pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/nola92124

 

I particularly like "The Ice" and "The Animals"

 

These pictures made me realize if I am ever going to go, I want to go on a small boat and get off the ship.

 

OMG!!!!:eek: These pictures are breathtaking!

[LCLett]

(Swimming off Deception Island was a 'hoot' - I kept my 'Ski-Mask' hat on - what a photo - me in my Bathing suit with a 'Ski Mask'!

Renee:)

 

The day we went to Deception Island it was sleeting/raining sideways with gale force winds (29 degrees w/ 30 mph winds) - not the best of weather to explore the whaling station and quite a challenge when it came time to strip and swim............. but I did DO it!! :p What an experience............. it was later that day (after lunch) when we were leaving Whaler' Bay that we ran aground on Ravn Rock trying to pass through Neptune's Bellows.

:(

[shops54]

Wow Lclett - Your pictures are great! So, as I'm a little scaredy cat - what do you do when the storms are blowing all around you? How do you convince yourself you are not going to go DOWN?!! My husband gets seasick - I just get scared!!

[shops54]

Great Pics!! Thanks so much!

[shops54]

LCLETT - Why did they dig you a hole to swim in? What am I missing here???

[ko57]

 

The trip back north to Ushuaia through that storm was unbelievable. I started out on the MS Nordkapp, but we ran aground at Deception Island towards the end of our trip and were transferred to the MS Nordnorge. These two ships are 404 feet long, with ice hulls and well built to withstand the type of storm we went through. But sailing through 50-80 foot swells is like being on Free Fall at Great Adventure or a wild rollercoaster ride when you drop down off the crest of one of those swells. The ship pitches front to back and rolls side to side - although the captain did his best to keep her steady........ Turns out I don't get seasick............ so the ride for me was simply fantastic, looking out the window at what was coming actually helped my mind prepare for the drops that came. But three days of that storm was at least one day too many.......... very difficult to walk the ship; very difficult to eat when it's that rough. I actually did skip one meal - just didn't have the energy to negotiate the walk to the dining room and I couldn't imagine eating a big meal when the storm was at its worst. You have to be careful WHAT you eat, but it's important TO EAT. Too dangerous to walk the deck outside. So you would find a chair somewhere and try to read or nap. Sleeping for any length of time was difficult - very very noisy in the bow of the ship with the bow crashing down off the swells and the anchors rattling in their holds.

 

Lots of people were seasick........ but they say MOST get at least a touch of seasickness on the Drake Passage, even if they don't normally get seasick, and it's best to just take the meds for that portion of the trip. Ordinarily that portion of the trip isn't too long.............

 

And it certainly wouldn't keep me from GOING!!! It's just something to be gotten through if the weather's bad; and if you end up with the "storm of the century" like we did (smooth as glass on the trip SOUTH) returning North, then it gives you something to brag about.........

:)

 

I too was on the Golden for her Antarctica run. We were a day or two behind you on the run back up Drake's Passage (after picking up 48 crew members of the Nordkapp from Maxwell Bay) and had a smooth and quiet voyage. If there's anything you can rely on about the weather down there, it's that if you don't like what you have, wait a few minutes and it will change.

 

This was indeed the trip of a lifetime, and while my flight back to Antarctica didn't pan out, the rest of the trip was truly amazing. I'm very glad I went!