Celebrity SA/Antarctica - did I make a mistake?

[brickftl]

After signing up for this cruise in February and booking round trip flights to Buenos Aires, I realized that the cruise only cruises through but doesn't stop at the various Antarctica destinations - stupid me:(

 

Do you think this cruise will be a bust - basically being on ship for 10 out of 14 days, with just 4 stops in some coastal Argentine towns? I'm really disappointed and wondering if I should cancel even though I would loose all those frequent flyer miles. Has anyone taken this cruise and if so can you share your impressions? Thanks very much!

[greatam]

After signing up for this cruise in February and booking round trip flights to Buenos Aires, I realized that the cruise only cruises through but doesn't stop at the various Antarctica destinations - stupid me:(

 

Do you think this cruise will be a bust - basically being on ship for 10 out of 14 days, with just 4 stops in some coastal Argentine towns? I'm really disappointed and wondering if I should cancel even though I would loose all those frequent flyer miles. Has anyone taken this cruise and if so can you share your impressions? Thanks very much!

 

JMHO-I have been to Antarctica. I personally cannot imagine doing a "drive by" cruise. Antarctica treaties only allow 100 people at a time on shore. And the bigger cruise ships are just too big to get into a lot of places. So two strikes against the drive by cruises.

 

Some people have loved the experience. I wouldn't.

 

PS-you can redeposit your FF miles for a fee. You should not loose them.

[brickftl]

thanks for the reply. not what I was hoping to hear but appreciated nonetheless.

[chees]

They are spectacular and will give you an idea of what you will see:

 

http://homepage.mac.com/revneal/rotterdam2008/Menu264.html

 

Tina

 

P.S. We are doing a 'drive by' on the Veendam in January. Can't wait!

[Peregrina651]

Before you make your decision, you might be interested in reading this article about a cruise to Antarctica on a smaller ship: http://www.forbes.com/business/fyi/2008/1027/085.html

 

There is a sidebar to the article listing companies that do the cruise: http://www.forbes.com/forbes-life-magazine/2008/1027/085a.html

 

Check out the Antarctica forum in the ports of call forum here on Cruise Critic.

 

The couple of coastal towns in Argentina are well worth the visit. In the Falkland Islands, arrange with Patrick Watt to go see the King Penguins at Volunteer Point. The drive alone is worth the price of admission. At Puerto Madryn, you have a couple choices for destinations. We went to Punta Tombo to see the penguins (our guide was Monica and she is very knowledgeable, rymmato@infovia.com.ar) but you can also tour the Valdes Peninsula. Ushuaia is an alpine village sitting at sea level. We took a cruise on the Beagle Channel to see the sea lions--sooo much better than seeing them at the zoo. We just bought tickets when we got off the ship --through the front gate of the port and to your right are all the ticket shacks. About 20 of us from our roll call went together and had a great morning. You can also get a cab to take you our to the National Park or to the Martial Glacier.

 

Check out my photoblog; the link is below in my signature. We didn't go to Antarctica but we did go to the other ports that your cruise will be doing.

[Keith1010]

In 2007 as part of a World Cruise we sailed off Antarctica for a few days. We first wondered what this experience would be like since we were not stopping there. I have to tell you that it was one of the most memorable moments of all of our travels and the memories will last with me and my wife for the rest of our lives. The scenery was breathtaking. We had never seen anything quite like this. I highly recommend seeing this. We were forunate to also have had very nice weather. It was an unbelievable experience.

 

Yes, it's great.

 

Keith

[brickftl]

thanks, I'm feeling better about the decision and will probably stay with it. I was feeling a little nervous because I got bored with "days at sea" on our baltic cruise for 14 days, but if I go with the right attitude and plenty of books, it may turn out okay.

[DougH]

I sailed on the Star Princess in Jan 2009 and loved it. I also really wanted to do some landings but costs on the smaller ships were way over my budget. Figured I'd sail on the Marco Polo as a compromise but then she was sold. Finally decided a "drive by" was better than nothing, trip turned out to be great. I was also apprehensive about all of the sea days but there was almost always something to look at. While I would still love to set foot on Antarctica I'd repeat this cruise in a heartbeat. I'd also recommed a couple of days pre cruise in Buenos Aires if possible, lots to see in a fun city.

 

Make sure you contact Patirck Watts for the penguin tour in the Falklands immediately, this is a fantastic excursion. You will not be disappointed.

[brickftl]

thanks Doug, and I appreciate advice about the penguin excursion!

[c-to-sea]

There is a common misunderstanding about 'drive-by' cruises and that is that the 'sea' days

will be boring. You should not really consider these as 'sea' days because they definitely are not.

Yes, you stay on the ship but there is so much wonderful scenery and wildlife to see that

it is well worth while. We did this in 2008 and, as the poster above says, it was a most

memorable experience. The ship cruises slowly throughout the entire area. There are

usually experts onboard narrating the most significant sights and areas. We stopped in

Admiralty Bay, King George Island while the head of the Polish research station came

aboard and talked about their work. Stanley, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas and Montivideo

were all worthwhile ports to visit.

Whatever you decide, Antarctica is a must do and you will come back with wonderful

memories.

 

p.s. - visit the Antarctica forum as well as this one for more valuable information.

On this forum, there is a very informative thread about Stanley and the Falkland Islands at

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=591815&highlight=gixer

[brickftl]

have to say after reading all these posts and looking at other threads on the antarctic forum, I'm back to being excited about the trip. I'm a semi-pro photog and looking forward to snapping some nice shots. Thanks everyone for all the helpful information!

[dileep]

The smaller ships that stop and let you land will cost you 3 to 4 times.

[c-to-sea]

Here is a link to the review we did of our cruise. There are also pictures on the website

home page.

 

http://ctosea.shawwebspace.ca/pages/view/antarctica/

[Nonna and Papa]

When are you going? We're traveling with another couple and will be on the February 14 Infinity cruise. We're all thrilled about this cruise and are anxiously looking forward to it.

 

There are different cruise options for different objectives. I certainly can understand those that want to experience an adventure type of expedition where landings are the nature of the cruise. While that does sound wonderful to me, it really wasn't want I was looking for. I want to "see" the area surrounding the continent, but yet not have to worry about getting into a zodiac and putting my feet on land. While this option does generate a certain excitement, we're happy with our choice to sail by the scenery. I don't worry about the sea days - there's always many choices of things to do; even if it's relaxing with a book. In the end, the time aboard aways goes too fast.

 

As others have mentioned, we booked with Partick Watts early on and eagerly anticipate this highlight tour of the Falklands. Pre-cruise, we're planning a visit to Machu Picchu and a few days in Buenos Aires.

 

Do some research and take some excitement in the planning and the anticipation of it all. If once this cruise is over, and you still feel you want to go on the landings, then plan a cruise to do that, as long as that's still an option with the cruise lines or the expedition style ships.

 

Good Luck,

 

Mary

[greatam]

Here's almost the same question posted on the Antarctica board. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=969303

 

The answers posted were the same as mine.