Former Antarctica Cruisers

I'm now 4 and a half months from departure for my Antarctica cruise, starting to put together the packing list (clothing, accessories) so I can borrow or buy the necessities and prune the list.

Some guidance from folks who have been to Antarctica.

Did you take waterproof pants - would you do so again or skip? why?

If you didn't take waterproof pants - would you do so in the future or skip again? why?

For photo eqp, did you find using polarizing lens helpful or waste of time?

What tele lenses worked best?

Did you find a small digital worked well?

Were there issues with cold for eqp?

Did you take a waterproof day pack or just use zip loc baggies?

Those are my big burning issues at the moment - stuff like silk undershirts, warm hat, gloves and layering all seem pretty straight forward. The ship provides the wellies so I don't have to worry about that.

much thanks!

Hi,

While I have yet to got the antarctic, I did visit the Arctic a few years ago.

1- I would take the waterproof pants. Some areas it can be muddy or have lots of snow. This helps to keep your clothes clean and not wet. You get these is foldable pouches, which don't take a lot of space in your suitcases.

2- The advice we were given in the North was because of the North pole it takes the energy away from your batteries. So pack more and conserve more. I believe the cold weather also has similar effects, so I would take more batteries. On the ships that visit there are very few supplies and are at very high prices.

3- I bought a compact, waterproof back pack. In it I separated everything into zip lock bags. It became helpful when my foot fell into the mud and I needed to change my socks. I then could put my dirty ones into a zip lock bag, keeping the rest of the bag clean.

4- Bring sun glasses, as the sun is quite bright.

5- Depending on the year, bring bug spray. There can be lots of bugs.

6- nice, compact pair of binoculars is helpful.

7- I found it helpful to bring little snacks in case we were out longer than expected. While I never ate this, I did offer some to some of my friends who had forgotten eat.

Waterproof pants are very important as not all landings have a dock. Some of our landings were in about 2 ft of water. Also, you will find that there is a lot of spray while riding in the zodiac. You are sitting on the side of the zodiac and without a doubt will be drenched if you don't bring them. This is the most important piece of clothing other than the almost knee high waterproof boots that we had to bring on the Marco Polo.

I should have kept my camera inside my parka as both my regular camera and the waterproof disposable had frozen. What I should have brought too was an extra pair or two of gloves.

I agree that the glare necessitates a good pair of sunglasses and bring along a supply of sunblock (45 +). The hole in the ozone layer means that you will need the sunblock here more than you would in the Amazon. I, personally, did not find a need for bug spray.

I hope that you will enjoy your time in Antarctica as much as I did.

Fran

Definitely the waterproof pants. No way around this.

DH and I both used digital cameras, his under $400 with a really good telephoto, I carry two, both under $200. If your camera that uses the polarizer is very expensive, personally I wouldn't bring it. Things are always getting wet, footing is slippery and treacherous, IMHO not worth it. Most of the penguins are so close to you, you actually have to back away to photograph them.

My camera froze just one day so I began using the second one. When we returned to the ship, I took out the card and the batteries and left the camera open and let everything dry thoroughly (in case there was frost inside it).

So little of your body is exposed we didn't bother with the sunblock. Even your face is generally shaded by your hood or a hat or scarf. Sunglasses are important not only for the obvious but to keep the wind out of your eyes.

I believe there are no insects in Antarctica.

As I mentioned in another thread, personally when people wore knapsacks off the ship, they were obnoxious. Sitting on the edge of the zodiac, when someone would twist & turn with it, it would hit the person behind them, or obstruct their view (OK, I'm short). You can't really put it in the bottom of the zodiac because there is often water there. Parkas usually have a lot of pockets & I found a pocket for everything I needed to bring with me, which is not a lot. Use the pockets towards the top of your body, not the ones down at the hem.

Taking paper & plastic bags off the ship is discouraged. Respecting nature & the environment is paramount. It is windy a lot of the time & when you are trying to unwrap your camera or whatever from a ziploc bag with mittens or gloves or cold fingers, chances are the bag is going to blow away.

Bring duct tape. It comes in handy for a lot of things.

We were advised on our ship's website that temps on the ship were very warm. They weren't kidding. Bring some T-shirts. A few people wore shorts.

Bring strong seasick medication. Phenergan (prescription) was recommended. I don't think over the counter stuff will help. I've never been even remotely seasick in my entire life & neither has DH. I toughed it out by skipping meals because I really hate taking medications but DH gladly swallowed the Phenergan when the time came. I was happy knowing I had it & it worked so well & so quickly. You may not need it but if you do you'll be glad you had it! :D

Hi All,

much thanks! I had read that because it's the driest continent on the face of the earth that waterproof stuff wasn't necessary. Then I'd read that getting on/off zodiac's often meant water. Thought I'd check. You guys helped tremendously.

I'm trying to get the price of my polarizing lens now, planning to do environmental shots (icebergs, sunsets, etc) as well as penguins so the glare issue seemed like something to worry about.

Shmabbies, had read your post about the backpack. was considering one of those tiny packs intended to carry water on hikes but realized that most of stuff i'd like to carry would need to reside near body so as not to freeze. thinking about sewing little interior pockets into jackets to carry more stuff. Cruise provides giant arctic parka so might sew on board.

I bought some wraparound, polarized, UV safe sunglasses a couple of months ago. Am totally in love with them and wear them constantly when outside, they block side, top, bottom winds remarkably well.

Found "pretty" duct tape at walmart along with duct tape cut into 2" strips. Have both ready to roll!

again, many thanks. If you have more ideas, feel free to send!

I totally agree with what the others have said:

Waterproff pants are a must. Not only is there spray from the zodiacs but for us it rained every landing. I put my camera in a ziplock bag in my parka pocket.

Don't forget waterproof boots. We got insulated insoles and our feet were never cold.

Practice putting on your clothes. You'll find it's very hard to move after you're all dresses. This is a trip of a lifetime. Have a great time!

Hi Everyone!

What great information you've provided! I haven't booked my trip yet, but am looking at 2007, so I'm doing my research early.

A question about the waterproof pants. I have pants that I bought yrs ago for skiing and snow shoveling that have a bib. They're bulky but do keep me dry and are wind resistant, so you really don't have to wear very much under them. Are these they type of pants that are recommended? Or should I buy different ones?

I asked this on another board, but will ask it here also. I've read that you have to climb up and down ladders to get in and out of the zodiacs. What type of ladder and how many steps? I don't do ladders well, usually not above 3 steps, 4 if I have to. I would hate to get thwarted on this trip by a ladder!

It's also helpful to know what ships everyone was on. I know some were on Orlova with Quark Expeditions. How about the rest of you?

Thank You!

Linda,

Your bibs should work well. I saw a few people with them on our trip.

We were on the Marco Polo this past Dec - Jan. There were no ladders. There were steps and then a platform. Once there were very rough conditions by the time we came back to the ship. The crew just about had to lift each of us onto the platform. They were very good.

This is a stupid question, but I assume the zodiac is the tender that takes you from the ship to whatever dock you're using. I'm not taking this trip until 2007 but I've been reading everything that's been written so far. Thanks for all the fabulous information.

Edna

Linda47 - My DH wore the bib thing & it worked great.

Edna & Linda - With all due respect, both of you need to do some serious research on Antarctica cruises before you make your choice. These cruises are too expensive & too "unusual" to make a wrong choice. A zodiac is an inflatable rubber raft that you access from the ship that takes you ashore. There are no docks in Antarctica & you disembark the zodiac, very ungracefully I might add, usually directly into at least a foot of water. Except for the fact that it takes you from ship to shore over water, it bears no resemblance to a tender in the conventional sense.

Also, the shore experience on Marco Polo vs. one of the expedition lines like Quark is vastly different. MP is more like a regular cruise, which for many is a good thing. However, the time ashore on MP is extremely limited. Antarctic regulations allow only 90 or so people ashore at one time. Given the number of passengers on MP & the time it takes to zodiac back & forth, you are not ashore very long at all, and are not allowed to wander very far from the landing location (this information is from a friend of DH who did MP right before we did Quark) because you need to get back to the ship so others came come ashore. On the other hand, the total passenger load of Quark Orlova, for example, can be ashore at one time, and we were ashore for hours (or for less if that's what you wanted, the zodiacs ran continuously and you could go back at any time). The experience is very different & you need to ascertain what you are looking for from your choice. While the expedition ship experience is probably pretty comparable from line to line (Quark, Lindblad, etc.), the MP experience is vastly different from the expedition ship experience.

Linda - Quark uses metal stairs. It's not a straight up & down ladder like you would use to paint a house, but they are metal stairs at an angle like regular steps but made out of metal. They have railings on both sides. They can be slippery due to the cold & water but NO ONE expects you to hurry. One woman from NYC that ate with us almost every night used a CANE and she was just amazing. But no, you do not use metal ladders like a pool ladder or house painting ladder. :D

Hi All,

DH and I are also in the very early stages of planning his 50th on an Antarctic cruise in 2008, so I've been grateful for these threads and all your good info. It's been a more of a struggle researching this one than other cruises I've taken. That being said, I wanted to share the few reviews and tools (outside of CC) that I've run across, and I hope others will come here and do the same.

1) I found a really good review on www.epinions.com after typing in Antarctica in their travel section's search page. Sadly, only one review, but it's a good one. The reviewer (aboard the Clipper Adventurer) talked about picking up Steve Irwin (Crocodile Hunter) who was filming a show in Antarctica and needed a ride back to the mainland. My TiVo found that show, and it will be on Animal Planet on August 11 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern, for anyone else that's starved for Antarctica information:)

2) I hope I won't get busted for this, because this site belongs to an expedition company (technically a T/A I suppose) but the site below shows a picture of every ship (I think) that operates in Antarctica on one page. You can then click on the picture and get quite a bit of information on that ship. For anyone who's considered creating their own PowerPoint presentation to aid in figuring out which ship does what and who's chartering it that week, etc., this might help considerably. www.expcruises.com

Anyway, that's all I've got so far. The best resource has still been CC and the threads in this forum for me.

Just wanted to share:)

Amy

Shmabbies - everything you've told me has opened my eyes to what this trip will be like.You're right that I didn't have a clue and neither do the friends that I'm traveling with. How long was the tour that you were on? The one we're looking at is 14 days.

Amyr -thanks for the information on different trips. Are you taking one of these?

We're still looking at the Princess cruise.

Thanks again for all your help/

Edna - I think Shmabbies has the best advice about research, and that's what I'm starting on now for 2008. I imagine we will take one of the ships on that page, but don't know which one yet. Hubby says "no way" to the Russian icebreakers, so maybe Clipper Adventurer? I really want to go on the last cruise available (after the first week of Feb) but that narrows it down considerably. Most of those seem to be the long 20 plus day ones that include S. Georgia, which would be wonderful, but out of our time budget.

Good luck with your planning. I think if you're leaning toward Princess, which is a wonderful cruise, you should at least consider the Marco Polo. That will still give you the cruise ship experience along with a couple of landings on the continent. I had some tablemates on my last cruise that had been on the Marco Polo to Antarctica and loved it.

I was in Antarctica in January 2005 on the Explorer II, which on my particular cruise was chartered by Radisson Seven Seas. The cruise was one of the highlights of my life. I went with my brother and parents, who are 85 and 79. My dad chose to go on both of each day's zodiac excursions. Once we landed, we could do as much or as little as we wanted; the naturalists typically posted flags marking routes we could traverse, and also positioned themselves in various places to provide information about geography, history, and animal life. My mother, somewhat less adventurous, chose to remain on the ship. She loved the cruise as well, considering it an extraordinary experience.

The trip was arduous but highly rewarding. I thought the ship itself was pleasant; the rooms were not luxurious but functional. The food, however, was outstanding and the service was what really made the trip so special. Virtually every staff member provided a level of service above and beyond what I had experienced on any other cruise.

My suggestion would be to carefully consider the various options, plan your clothing carefully (as always, layering is essential), and go for it!

I live in Arkansas. Ironically, I would receive email from my family telling me that the temperature back home was colder than I was experiencing in Antarctica.

Hope this is helpful.

amyr - I'm not sure what your DH has against Russian icebreakers but just for his information, not all Russian sounding ships in Antarctica are icebreakers. The Orlova is ice STRENGTHENED which is what I'm guessing all the expedition ships are. I think (but I'm not sure) that only the Kapitan Khlebnikov (I never spell that right!) is a real icebreaker. It looks to me like the Clipper prices are a great deal more than Quark's and Clipper Adventurer was built in Yugoslavia so it's not exactly an American ship if that's what he's looking for! :D

Unrelated to the above comment - one thing else to consider is where the package starts. Ours began in Ushuaia so we flew to Buenos Aires and then to Ushuaia on the same day - meaning we basically only had one "type" of clothing to consider. Some of the packages start in BA for a day or two - meaning you need to bring warmer weather clothing. We booked an extra night in Ushuaia pre-cruise instead, because we had been to Ushuaia before and loved it. The hotels there book up quickly because it "summer" there at that time, so if this is something you are thinking about doing, booking extra Ushuaia nights is a priority.

Hi

Shmabbies - I know we'll have to book our cruise by the end of the year for 2007. Since we're 3 couples we'll each do a little bit of the research. We are planning on staying in BA and Santiago, Probably 3 days in each. I'm not sure what cruise line we're taking. Did you layer your clothing or did you take warm winter clothes with you?

Amyr - let me know what you decide to do. Good luck.

Edna, I have read your postings and feel confused as to whether you are planning a cruise to Antarctica where you will be able to land on the great White Continent or a cruise around the Horn. I believe that you mentioned Princess Lines. As I recall they only do the round the Horn with NO landings in Antarctica. Whichever you select, you need to be clear about what that includes and what clothing needs you will have.

Fran

amyr - I'm not sure what your DH has against Russian icebreakers but just for his information, not all Russian sounding ships in Antarctica are icebreakers. The Orlova is ice STRENGTHENED which is what I'm guessing all the expedition ships are. I think (but I'm not sure) that only the Kapitan Khlebnikov (I never spell that right!) is a real icebreaker. It looks to me like the Clipper prices are a great deal more than Quark's and Clipper Adventurer was built in Yugoslavia so it's not exactly an American ship if that's what he's looking for! :D

Unfortunately, the pictures I first showed him were of the KK and one other (can't remember which) which didn't thrill him. We're not going until 2008, so I have plenty of time to work it out. It's hard figuring out which operators offer flights to/from Ushuaia and have add ons for hotel stays, and which operators I can do that on my own and save money with. Also, as wseigel stated, some of the ships (Explorer II Linblad/Nat. Geo.) are chartered by others some weeks, etc. Actually, it's not hard to figure out, just hard to keep straight. I think I need a spreadsheet.:eek:

I just hope that the folks who have made the trip and are posting here will stick around to offer advice!

Amy

Edna - I agree with Franu, I'm confused about what your considerations are. We were on Princess a few years ago and rounded Cape Horn but went nowhere near Antarctica. I'm not sure what Princess offers now, but the Santiago to Buenos Aires itinerary, to my knowledge, does not include Antarctica except possibly as a very expensive shore excursion. I think if you give us a little more information we can help more.

Amy - Yeah, the KK is an interesting looking ship! We met up with her in Antarctica and she transferred some supplies to us. I think most of the ice strengthened ships were all built in Russia or former Russian "satellite" countries so I'm guessing they are fairly similar looking except for how they are decorated. Yes, it's hard comparing packages. One of several reasons we picked Quark is that they are headquartered in our state so that was good. We flew to Buenos Aires on United on FF miles, then from BA to Ushuaia on Aerolineas Argentinas on a ticket we bought. We paid for one night at the hotel in Ushuaia and a second night in the same hotel was included with the Quark package. This is where my suggestion about booking any extra hotel nights well in advance comes from, because I think it was 10 months pre-cruise when I chose to do the extra hotel night and the hotel was already fully booked. I didn't want to spend one night in one hotel and then move to the Quark hotel, so I asked them to intervene & they did manage to get us a room for the other night. Quark at that time (don't know about now) doesn't offer any air arrangements which was fine with me because I like to do my own. :D

Hi

You're right I need to do a lot of research. So for everyone agreed on the 14 day not a 21 day excursion which is around cape horn. We still have a lot more talking to do. Thanks for all your help and I'll keep reading. Amyr I'll keep checking in to find out what you decide.

Shmabbies - I'm with you on handling my own air, but at the same time, I'd be happy to buy a package that overnights in BA and has chartered flights to/from Ushuaia. You flew straight through and did your overnights in Ushuaia? I know that many airlines use a domestic airport that requires a drive to change planes, did you do that? Was the Argentinian domestic flight resonably priced?

Edna - Do your friends want to take a South American cruise with Antarctica as a bonus, or is Antartica the focus? If it's really about S. America and rounding Cape Horn, take the Princess (or HAL, or Celebrity, etc.) If Antarctica is a must, throw those aside completely. They don't really go there, even though the brochure suggests they do. They merely sail past and you see some icebergs.

If you guys like cruises, dressing for dinner, shows, and all the other things that make cruising so wonderful, but Antarctica is still a must, please look into the Marco Polo on Orient Lines. They have shorter Antarctica cruises that people rave about. You'll only get a couple of trips on shore in Antarctica, but they'll be worth the effort, and I think they go to Deception Island, which would be a highlight for me.

If you want more Antarctica than that, and the cost doesn't concern you much, call Radisson like wseigel did - they use a nice (smaller) ship and do a fantastic job with arrangements, etc. It's a first class operation. Also along this line - Ambercrombie & Kent, Tauck (uses a nice ship the Clipper Adventurer) and Linblad (now with Nat'l. Geographic and using the same ship that Radisson does). Any of these companies will handle all the arrangements for you (air, hotel, etc.) if you want the help.

The other expedition outfits like Quark that Shmabbies is talking about are real adventure cruises. You probably get the most time on shore (although the ships in the previous paragraph probably do just as well) but the cost is much less. Some of those ships are quite nice, and some are basic, clean and comfortable. That's where the real work comes in and what has been hard for me to sort out. There's also an outfit called G.A.P. Adventures that uses the Explorer, which I believe was Abercrombie & Kent's first ship down there. I guess the hardest part is the lack of reviews available. Any of these might require a little more work on your part arranging flights, etc., and some (very few) of them even have shared bathrooms in lower categories, but the cost savings is quite a bit.

Anyway, Edna, that's my research so far in a nutshell. I've been to tons of websites and ordered up every brochure I could to help me sort it out. I'm going bonkers.

We went to Antarctica in January 2005, with Lindblad (now merged with National Geographic). You have two main options in choosing an Antarctica cruise - whether you want to sail by it, or actually land.

The larger cruise ships only sail by. The tourism industry only allows 100 people off at a site, so the Princesses and the Cystal ships and the HAL passengers are out of luck.

Marco Polo will allow about 700 passengers for the Antarctica trips and will stagger the landings, so people will have the opportunity to get off the ship twice during the cruise.

The smaller ships, like those used by Lindblad, Tauck, Abercrombie and Kent, and Quark only have about 100 passengers, so everybody can get off at every landing - we would go on the zodiacs twice a day, most days. As all the ships in this catagory are icebreakers, you can go much further south than with the larger ships and see much more.

The smaller ships are adventure travel (albeit not very rough, other than the Drake Passage crossing, which is a whole 'nother story), The larger ships are a cruise experience with some nice scenery.

As far as waterproof pants - don't even attempt a zodiac crossing without them. You can buy cheap pairs at ski shops or overy the internet. I wore thermal underwear underneath and was very comfortable.

Benita - The expedition type ships are NOT icebreakers and none of them represents themselves to be except Kapitan Klebhnikov (there's that spelling again, some day I will get it right!). The others are ice STRENGTHENED. When the expedition ships encounter solid thick ice, they cannot get thru it, and the sailing course is deviated - which is why all of the companies tell you up front that you are expected to be flexible about your expectations from the trip. The icebreakers can get thru just about anything, but the expedition ships for the most part are not icebreakers.

Amy - Yes, we did not want to stay in BA on this trip. Did not want to bring the extra clothes for a warm stay, did not want to schlep in & out of the city etc. If I had never been there before I might have thought about it, but we wanted to get right down to Ushuaia. We wanted a more nature oriented trip. Depending on the timing of your flight from the US, some of the flights from BA to Ushuaia left from the same airport so you did not have to change airports. Some of them, including ours, necessitated getting to the other BA airport. We knew this & allowed enough time between flights (three hours), and it was very simple, we walked out of the international airport, there were transfer stands right there, we booked a cab between the two (I can't remember the price but I can find out if you want to know, I think it was about $20-30 & they took credit cards) and it was absolutely no problem. If we had been able to take a different flight from the US to BA, then we could have left from the same airport, but it just didn't work out that way. The good thing about flying on this trip is that even though it's a long way, there isn't a lot of time change. On the way home, we did not have to do the airport change as the timing worked out.

My favorite part about our cabin (and I might add we never would have considered a cabin where we had to share a bathroom!) was that we had a window that opened. That was sort of mandatory for me and even though it opened onto a promenade, it was still wonderful (not that there was a lot of foot traffic on the promenade, but the windows were reflective). I like cold fresh air, we could take photos right from our cabin without having to get all our heavy clothes on (since it's light out so late there are times when you have your PJ's on and might see something interesting from the window!), and given that the ships are kept quite warm it was fantastic to be able to cool things down.

The Marco Polo only carries 450 to 500 passengers for the antarctic. Our cruise went from Santiago to Ushuaia, stopping at 2 ports in Chile. We had 3 landings in antarctica. I understand why people would want more landings and a smaller ship. But for us we wanted to see some of Chile.

For everyone that has done research...HELP

Which ships do you know have internet access? We are trying to plan a trip but need the internet at least every other day. We are not concerned about the size of the ship or the cost. The only one I have found so far is the MV/Clipper