Drive-by Antarctica trip decision...

[SoBaycruiser]

I've seen many a discussion here as to whether people should splurge on a expeditionary-type trip where they can step out onto Antarctica or opt for the more affordable 'drive-by' version. Overwhelmingly, people say splurge for the former... that it's a trip of a lifetime.

 

However, I know there are a lot of people out there reading these boards who are not deciding whether they can afford to splurge on the more expensive trip... but rather should they splurge and go on the drive-by trip or not at all. Or possibly health reasons limit their decision making. For what ever reason, they want to know if the drive-by trip is worth it? Will they be spending a lot of money for a disappointing look? The comments below are my experience.

 

We just returned a couple of weeks ago from our January trip on Azamara's Journey that went from Valparaiso through the Chilean fiords, the Beagle Channel and around Cape Horn, out to Antarctica for 3 days, and finally finishing in Buenos Aires via Montevideo. Was it worth it? Absolutely.

 

Our schedule was to spend one day at Melchior Islands, one day at Deception Island, and one day at Elephant Island. I wondered ahead of time what we would do all day at one location. Well I was pleasantly surprised. I don't know if all cruise companies do this, but our captain and ice pilot realized there was plenty of time to cruise other areas around those destinations. After a close-up look at the Melchior Islands and station we cruised down to Paradise Bay. There the captain slowly pivoted the boat 360 degrees while everyone took in the breath taking beauty. From there we sailed through the Neumayer Channel seeing spectacular scenery and occasional wildlife. (If one goes on the drive-by cruise, I highly recommend seeing penguins close-up at one of the So American destinations as that is one experience you don't get staying aboard ship in Antarctica).

 

The second day found us inside Deception Island caldera. While we didn't go swimming in the volcano caldera like the expeditionary trips, the ship did enter inside the caldera through the narrow opening. Not all of the drive-by ships are small enough to enter. We were on a mid-size cruise ship (650 passengers) and we were able to go a lot of places larger ships can not. Oceania has identical ships to what we were on. After spending the morning inside the caldera, we sailed over to Antarctic Sound (or commonly called iceberg alley). Again this was not on the 'official' itinerary, but I am SO glad we didn't miss this. It's hard to explain the enormity and multitude of tabular glaciers in this sound. Again, I'm not sure a really large ship would have penetrated the area as much as we did as it would need more maneuvering room.

 

The third day we were scheduled for Elephant Island. When we arrived most of the island was shrouded in low clouds and fog. Since the predicted weather for our crossing of Drakes Passage was not too great, the captain decided to head northward a little early. After the spectacular sights he'd given us the preceeding days, we were happy to comply.

 

I should mention that we were unlucky with the weather in that we had sunshine only one afternoon of the 2.5 days we spent in Antarctica. But did we love it? You bet we did. Do we recommend it to others? Absolutely.

 

So for those that the small expeditionary trip is not an option, please DO consider the drive-by trip. It is well worth it.

[Mary Ellen]

Thank you SO much for posting this! I'm getting sick and tired of posts that deride those who don't 'step foot' on Antarctica. Several years ago I almost died river rafting and have NO desire to set foot in a zodiac. The thought terrifies me. I also get very seasick. The smaller 'expedition' ships aren't a good choice for me. My DH has balance issues and it would be extremely unsafe for him on a smaller ship, never mind getting into/out of a zodiac.

 

If we had followed the advise of some here who have basically said that there is no sense going if you don't do what they did and go on a cruise that does landings, we would have missed a WONDERFUL experience in Antarctica. Do we feel we missed anything by not doing landings - not for us. Will we be back - yes! Will we do landings - no!!!

 

To those who have done the landings, tell others about what you liked about your cruise. Give information to help others make informed decisions. But snide comments about settling for scenery instead of being face to face with penguins etc. only puts down choices others have made about what is right for them.

 

There are ships/cruises that will fit the needs of those interested in Antarctic cruising. They are not 'one size fits all' and one is NOT 'better' than the other.

[Tricia724]

Amen, Mary Ellen.:)

[diebroke]

First, Mary Ellen, I am not sure where you are finding all those posts you are sick and tired of which deride those who do not step foot on Antarctica. Of the hundreds of posts I have read on this forum in the last 9 months, I can recall only one that suggested why bother with a drive by. (I did not bother to research this and my memory isn't the greatest.) These derisive posts you refer to just don't seem to be the flavor of these boards as I read them.

Second, I think most folks know instinctively what is the right cruise for them given their budget, comfort requirements, and desire for adventure.

Third, I think most of us, having spent a lot of money and time on the cruise we chose, rationalize it as the best possible decision we could have made. Baring mechanical trouble or passenger illness issues which force a cancellation of an itinerary, I think almost everybody is happy with the decision they made, have no regrets, and the posts here reinforce that.

My only concern is that people reject an expedition style trip because they think large cruise ships are safer or because they overestimate the physical requirements of ingress & egress from the zodiacs. On the ship we were on, passengers with even moderate physical challenges were quite comfortable on the landings. (This was not true of the Arctic expedition cruise we took.) I'm sure those of us who have never cruised on a large ship have misconceptions about them too.

I thought pvmeistrel's description of their trip on a 650 passenger ship was excellent.

Finally, if you make a drive by decision, I am certain you will not regret it.

[Mary Ellen]

Some examples:

Would you do a rail trip of Europe w/o ever getting off the train - just whizzing past scenery? That is the equivalent of a large boat cruise through Antarctica.

To someone who is doing a large ship, trying to decide if they should add Antarctica:

I guess you have to decide if scenery is sufficient, or if you want to be face to face with penguins and seals and have the scenery too.

[Mercury]

I must admit that I have the same view as diebroke - I also don't recall that there are so many derisive comments (to the point of making someone sick and tired) about those who choose to not do landings. Most people on these boards are very helpful. They have been on an experience of a lifetime: A trip to Antarctica and want to put into words what they have experienced.

[Tarheelbelle]

Some examples: To someone who is doing a large ship, trying to decide if they should add Antarctica:

Mary Ellen,

If you are going to quote my post, at least quote the entire thing! I posted:

"I guess you have to decide if scenery is sufficient, or if you want to be face to face with penguins and seals and have the scenery too. To each, his/her own choice!"

You have made it abundantly clear why you could not do anything other than a drive by. But really, there are a lot of choices to be made: not just drive by vs. landings, but size of ship on both, type of amenities, price, etc. There is really no need to be defensive about it. I certainly could have chosen a very small boat with few amenities and many landings and higher cost for a solo traveler. I chose a compromise between the small boat/many landings/ fewer amenities/higher price and the large ship/no landings/many amenities/lower price. For me, landings were important as a scientist, but I also wanted more of a social experience than the tiny boats since I was traveling solo, plus the price difference was significant.

Please, no one is criticizing you or your choices. It really IS a matter of what is important to the individual. I appreciate the diversity among cruisers. I think these boards just point up the problems with anonymous faceless communication when the receiver can't see or know the sender and the true intent.

[Mary Ellen]

I was trying not to point a finger at specific individuals because it isn't just one. However, when someone who has decided to sail on the Amsterdam asks about whether they should spend the extra money to add the Antarctic portion to their cruise (a 20-day vs. 16-day cruise), your reply is the one that set me off. They weren't asking about taking a landing cruise. IMHO, the 'to each their own' was snide in the thread context - particularly after the previous sentence. Thus I didn't include it. If you didn't mean it that way I'm sorry, but that is how it came across to me. When people say 'to each their own' it is done with a shake of the head or rolling of eyes. It goes unsaid 'but why is beyond me...' It DOES come across as others are criticizing choices.

 

For DH, as a scientist, landings were not important.

 

All of you, please try to consider what you would feel like if each time someone asked about a 'landing' cruise, others posted that it waste of money, not safe, poor choice..... (whatever) and that they should do a 'sail-by' instead. It would be annoying and, IMHO, inappropriate. Saying 'to each their own' wouldn't help things.

 

On a side note, the search feature IS working - somewhat. Not the one at the top tool bar where you can search all the forums at once, but under 'forum tools' on each forum there is a 'search this forum' that works. You CAN search each forum individually. Not the best option, but still better than nothing. I've seen a lot of comments on a number of forums about the lack of the feature, so I hope this helps.

[thoms42]

Hi,

 

I just had to make a post here, even though my trip is scheduled next year (Jan 2009) on the MS Fram and I have no personal experience (YET). In my research, I came across a highly authoritive gentleman who has made over 100 trips to Antarctica. His opinion, and I quote to the best of my memory, "No matter what size of ship you travel on, you will have the experience of a lifetime!" He explained that each trip was fantastic, but different and depended upon what you were looking for and could afford. I had originally wanted to go on an icebreaker, but learned that there are downsides to this form of travel as well as upsides. Ice breakers are apparently inherently unstable in the open sea due to their smooth bottom design. Though this may have been interesting to experience, for me, the price of the icebreaker and other small ships was prohibitive as I'll be bringing my Grandson along.

 

I'm really excited about the trip and enjoying reading the blogs and posts, but wishing that folks would stay on target and not enter into petty bickering about content and intent. Give me all the news and information you have, but please keep rants and criticisms of posters to a minimum.

 

Thanks, Excited about Antarctica and hope to see you there!

[Jade13]

.

 

Tarheelbelle, sorry to go OT, but how was the Delta Atl to BA (EZE) flight? I have it on hold for next year. The return will not be ready for booking until after the weekend.

[SoBaycruiser]

Tarheelbelle, sorry to go OT, but how was the Delta Atl to BA (EZE) flight? I have it on hold for next year. The return will not be ready for booking until after the weekend.

 

We flew Atl to Santiago in Jan 2008 on a nice overnight flight and then flew home from EZE through Atlanta on Delta. The flight left on time and service was good. The airport was a lot further from downtown BA than I expected. It was suggested we leave for the airport 4 hrs before the flight. Because the return flights on all the airlines to the US leave at night, that means you are travelling to the airport in rush hour traffic when all the commuters are leaving the city going to the suburbs. It took us over an hour. We were very lucky that we had been able to upgrade to business class with Skymiles, so we didn't have to wait in the very long check-in line at the airport. That is one of the reasons why people recommend so much time. There are about 3-4 checkpoints to go through. Once you arrive in the waiting area, seating near the flight is very limited because you have to go through ANOTHER security (I think US security) before boarding. The flight itself is long, but because you leave late at night, fairly easy to sleep through... if you can sleep on planes. Good luck!

[Jade13]

We flew Atl to Santiago in Jan 2008 on a nice overnight flight and then flew home from EZE through Atlanta on Delta. The flight left on time and service was good. The airport was a lot further from downtown BA than I expected. It was suggested we leave for the airport 4 hrs before the flight. Because the return flights on all the airlines to the US leave at night, that means you are travelling to the airport in rush hour traffic when all the commuters are leaving the city going to the suburbs. It took us over an hour. We were very lucky that we had been able to upgrade to business class with Skymiles, so we didn't have to wait in the very long check-in line at the airport. That is one of the reasons why people recommend so much time. There are about 3-4 checkpoints to go through. Once you arrive in the waiting area, seating near the flight is very limited because you have to go through ANOTHER security (I think US security) before boarding. The flight itself is long, but because you leave late at night, fairly easy to sleep through... if you can sleep on planes. Good luck!

 

Thanks for the info. We are scheduled to get to the airport at 5:30pm on a charter arranged by A&K. They are telling us not to book anything international prior to 9:30pm. Oh, I will hate those lines. If I get the flight it would be using FFmiles from Continental that I got from Amtrak and transfered to Continental (and booked award travel on Delta). I will miss getting priority line check in at US Airways which I have had by either being a FF, Corporate check-in, or from having a platinum credit card (although have never pulled out a credit card to show to get in a business class/priority line :eek: )

 

I have no priority anything or either Continental or Delta. Perhaps I should find out if the Delta gate is anywhere near the Continental lounge and if I had vouchers if I could use it?

[SoBaycruiser]

 

I have no priority anything or either Continental or Delta. Perhaps I should find out if the Delta gate is anywhere near the Continental lounge and if I had vouchers if I could use it?

 

I think many of the airlines share the same lounge. We were told where to go for Delta's lounge and found that it was named something else. People from different flights were there.

[Jade13]

I think many of the airlines share the same lounge. We were told where to go for Delta's lounge and found that it was named something else. People from different flights were there.

 

Was this the First Class/Business class lounge?

[SoBaycruiser]

Was this the First Class/Business class lounge?

 

yes. We had business class seats and were directed to this lounge.

[Tarheelbelle]

Tarheelbelle, sorry to go OT, but how was the Delta Atl to BA (EZE) flight? I have it on hold for next year. The return will not be ready for booking until after the weekend.

Jade13,

The flight was okay. If you can get business class, I would suggest it. The plane is a 767 into which Delta has crammed as many seats as they can. I have flown all over the world on many airlines and I have never had such cramped seating for an international flight. The seats have minimal leg room, and they are very close to the floor, meaning that if you put anything under the seat in front of you, it has to be very thin [my camera backpack that was about 8-9 inches deep would not fit!]--plus no foot room for relaxing. The seats are at an odd pitch and hard to find a comfortable position.

There are indeed several checkpoints, and once you are in the departure gate area, the seating is very crowded. All of the seating for all the gates seem to run into each other, unlike in most North American airports. It really was not a restful experience, so going to the lounge if you have time would be advisable.

[Jade13]

Jade13,

The flight was okay. If you can get business class, I would suggest it. The plane is a 767 into which Delta has crammed as many seats as they can. I have flown all over the world on many airlines and I have never had such cramped seating for an international flight. The seats have minimal leg room, and they are very close to the floor, meaning that if you put anything under the seat in front of you, it has to be very thin [my camera backpack that was about 8-9 inches deep would not fit!]--plus no foot room for relaxing. The seats are at an odd pitch and hard to find a comfortable position.

There are indeed several checkpoints, and once you are in the departure gate area, the seating is very crowded. All of the seating for all the gates seem to run into each other, unlike in most North American airports. It really was not a restful experience, so going to the lounge if you have time would be advisable.

 

Thanks. We booked the flights, Delta to EZE and Continental from EZE. Delta could assign seats and as long as there is no change in air craft we have the second row emergency exit (after answering the questions). I think 22A and 22B. If it's the second row emergency I think the seats will go back?

[San Diego Ellie]

To go back to the original point, and not flight information which is where the thread wandered: We took the Feb. Star Princess Antartica cruise, and it was spectacular, the trip of a lifetime for everyone I talked to, and I talked to people who had been everywhere and had done 70 plus cruises. It was a "drive by", but what a cruise, and what sights and wildlife we saw. I am sure a trip with landings is even better, but I am ever so pleased and satisfied that I did this trip. As someone pointed out, the large ship is a small fraction of the cost, and we have still seen the Antarctic. Go for it while you can as I personally think the days of cruises to Antarctica are limited.