Personal Blog of SA Trip

[NewCruiseFan]

A friend recommended that rather than trying to email all my friends with info on my trip that I set up a blog site. I thought I'd post the address here in case anyone was interested in either blogging or my own trip.

 

My SA trip info can be found at jensensa.blogspot.com. I'm so amped up at this point I'm surprised I'm getting any sleep!

[Smooth Sailing]

Hi Gone Sailing

Will you be posting to your web site during your cruise or only after your return. We are doing the same trip 4 weeks after you - Jan.16th on the Crown - can't wait. My great grandfather was also a seaman - He was the Captain of a trading ship that went around the Horn to China back in the 1890's and early 1900's - He sailed out of Boston. I still have many letters he wrote to his wife (my great grandmother) and his daughter (my grandmother). His name was Captain Richard Nickerson.

[NewCruiseFan]

Hi Smooth,

 

How super to be able to follow the family footsteps! It's been very moving for me to think about doing this in part to honor my Grandpa and for the joy of travel.

 

I would like to think I am sensible enough not to post during my holiday but smart enough to know that staying away from a computer is unlikely. So, yes, I do expect to be updating during my trip. Most likely I'll be more deligent in the beginning and less so towards the end of the trip. I am hoping to be able to post photos as well and keeping fingers crossed that all my gadgets and connectors will work with on board computers. I contemplated taking my computer with me but decided that was way too geeky even for me.

 

If your Grandfather was a Danish seaman it's always possible my Grandfather sailed with him.

 

happy sailing!

lisa

[goodshape]

Hi "NewCruiseFan"

 

I'm on the Crown on Feb 27th

 

Would really like to know the value of the $1399 Flightseeing trip over Antarctica. If you don't do it yourself could you ask a few who did do it what they thought of it ??

 

Did they just see white, ice and snow or was there some exiting stuff /

Did they get to see the volcano Mount Erebus ?

 

I'm trying to make up my mind if I should spend the bucks.

 

Also if you could find out for me if the flights sold out before the ship sailed or were there spots available ?

 

Thanks

 

.

[Aussie Gal]

New Cruise Fan,

 

I have just read your "Blog" and found it most informative. Thank you so much for sharing it with us. We are so looking forward to our trip next January, it is coming down now only 11 months to go!

 

Jennie

[NewCruiseFan]

Hi AussieGirl,

 

so, the flightseeing was sold out before the ship sailed (wow!). the folks I spoke with who did it absolutely raved about it. the pilot was former air force and made sure to give everyone the thrill of a lifetime. the plane did steep climbs and dives as well as very sharp banking.

 

they got very, very close to the ice shelf and flew low over land. One of the people on the flight showed me his photos - he took over 250 pictures and nearly all were magnificent.

 

it's not a trip I would take but that is because

a) i'm a cheapskate :-)

b) i am planning to go to Antarctica at the end of the year

 

but, if I were not a cheapskate I would have done it!

 

have an awesome time. be sure to take cold weather clothing on the cruise, some folks neglected to do that and were unprepared.

 

lisa

[Aussie Gal]

Lisa,

 

My sister and brother in law were on the Amsterdam over the Christmas-New Year and they did do the flight to Antartica but had to turn back as the winds were so strong, the pilot said it was too dangerous and and they returned so they were only on board the plane for four and a half hours. My sister said it was very scary.

 

I am not interested in the flight as I feel I will have seen more than I ever thought possible and do not want to risk a bumpy flight.

 

What ship are you doing Antarctica on this year? You are so lucky to be able to do it twice within a year.

 

Jennie

[Jane110]

newcruisefan,

 

Nice blog. You mentioned that you loved your hotel in Buenos Aires. Would you mind telling me which one it was?

 

Thanks,

Jane

[NewCruiseFan]

I'm planning Antarctica with two women at work. It may or may not work out for both of them but since some of the cruise lines now guarantee shared accomodations or no single supplement it seems like a "why not" situation.

 

I'm currently looking at Quark, Intrav, Adventure-Life, Orient, and ZOE. One of our group would really like to see Emperor Penguins but the agencies have not been so helpful with ideas on which tours might allow that. The EP's are not a coastal bird and most of the cruises do the peninsula - we'd need to be furthur down in either the Weddell or Ross Seas.

 

A number of groups count as days in the trip a 2 day stay in Ushuaia so we're also taking that into consideration - along with the 2 days out and back through the Drake Passage! The cruises for Antarctica seem to start as low as $3,500 for 11 days with 3 - 4 days doing shore excursions.

 

My hotel in B.A. was the LoiSuites Recoleta. I don't know anything about the other LoiSuites but if they are anywhere near as nice as the one I was in they'd be lovely.