Countdown to M/V Discovery

I leave 12/12 and so far I'm impressed. My TA emailed me my free air schedule and it's perfect--the shortest travel times possible--what I would have chosen looking at San Francisco Airport's schedules.

I went shopping for gear, and even though I've cruised to Alaska three times, I needed a lot. I'm from coastal California, so I don't own much cold weather gear. I'm a bit bummed that I may only wear it all twice! The boots are heavy even for cheap REI boots.

I own a pair of Crocs but I can't imagine bringing them, they're full of holes. I'll stick to my other shoes I think.

I will try to post while I'm there, but I've heard nightmare stories about their internet, so forgive me if I don't. I'll give a full report when I get back.

Denise

Please dont forget to post when you get back. We are leaving Jan 19 on Explorer II and will be waiting to hear about necessary gear since we live in So Cal and have nothing usable! Have a great trip!

We will be leaving Jan 4 on Discovery. I called the company the other day for our flight plan and it too looks good. We live in the middle of Illinois so leaving from Chicago is a 4 hour trip from us so wanted to know ahead of time. I could not have picked a better flight schedule for us.

Our biggest challenge was getting affordable waterproof overpants as we will not be using them much again. We will at least be leaving a cold climate.

The bummer is the number of seasons of clothes to take. Buenos Aires will be so warm, then cold and then formal wear.

Please do post. We are so looking forward to this trip so much. Everyone who we have talked to who has been on this ship has said we will like it.

Please dont forget to post when you get back. We are leaving Jan 19 on Explorer II and will be waiting to hear about necessary gear since we live in So Cal and have nothing usable! Have a great trip!

Please post a review when you return. We are going on the Minerva (Explorer II) in 2009. Swan Hellinec (sister company is Discovery Cruises) has the ship leased for the next 5 or 6 years. They are changing the name back to Minerva. Apparently Regent and A&K than lease from Swan. Please let me know what you find out about the upcoming changes (will the crew be changing too, etc.)?

I only found this all out after e-mailing Swan in Europe who told me I needed to book through their sister company Discovery in FLorida who told me the North American representative was A&K.

Have a wonderful trip, Denise! I cannot wait to hear about it.

I leave on 11 January for my precruise extension [Calafate, Ushuaia] then embark 17 January for the cruise. I haven't checked on my flights yet, but feel encouraged that both you and librarian got good schedules. I may call Discovery on Friday this week to see what I can learn about my flights.

Please dont forget to post when you get back. We are leaving Jan 19 on Explorer II and will be waiting to hear about necessary gear since we live in So Cal and have nothing usable! Have a great trip!

REI is having their winter sale, so stock up now! Librarian, they have fairly cheap waterproof pants there too.

I'll just be doing layers, so BA won't be a problem. I hear the ships are very warm so most of the time I'll have normal everyday wear, which should suffice in BA although I'm not doing an extended tour there. Formal for me will be one nice skirt and top that don't take much room.

I've seen pics from my friend who cruised there in January and people who cruise Antarctica don't seem like fashonistas for sure. All of the advice I've seen is to just take layers and you don't need a different set of clothes for each day on the ship. The worst thing is the boots, so I'll give an update for M/V Discovery cruisers about whether you even need to pack those. I wish I didn't have to!

Denise

We will be leaving Jan 4 on Discovery. I called the company the other day for our flight plan and it too looks good. We live in the middle of Illinois so leaving from Chicago is a 4 hour trip from us so wanted to know ahead of time. I could not have picked a better flight schedule for us.

Our biggest challenge was getting affordable waterproof overpants as we will not be using them much again. We will at least be leaving a cold climate.

The bummer is the number of seasons of clothes to take. Buenos Aires will be so warm, then cold and then formal wear.

Please do post. We are so looking forward to this trip so much. Everyone who we have talked to who has been on this ship has said we will like it.

librarian,

Try campmor.com for your waterproof pants. I bought some [their brand] from them last year for another trip and they were great and very inexpensive. I plan to take them with me on this cruise.

librarian and CruiseIsGood,

I checked with Discovery yesterday and got my flight details---a fantastic itinerary on Delta from Charlotte to Atlanta and then out of Atlanta, getting me into BA at 8:45AM, so will have the whole day there. My return gets me back to Charlotte at 9:30 AM after leaving BA 9:15PM the night before.

Hi from Europe,

We´ll be on the Discovery for Antarctica 1 too - we join the group at Buenos Aires on the 13th. I was pleased to read on BBC news today that a woman who was rescued from the Explorer said they had had a truly wonderful trip, and that she would not hesitate to do it again, despite what she had been through.

That's amazing to hear after all they went through. I look forward to meeting you onboard!

Here's the article that discusses it: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7111080.stm

Denise

I got my docs yesterday. They don't talk about any luggage restrictions from BA to Ushuaia. A friend of mine sailed on another line and they were told they couldn't bring large luggage due to the flight to Ushuaia.

As someone had written about previously, the ship has gone non-smoking. Smoking is only allowed outside, not in cabins and not on Sun Deck when food is being served. (I am a smoker and this doesn't bother me at all. I like to keep my vice out of other people's faces.)

My hotel on the way in is Sheraton B.A. and outgoing it's Melia B.A., both of which get good reviews on TripAdvisor, except for one guy who didn't seem to like B.A. at all.

We fly down to Ushuaia and overnight there on the ship, so hopefully I can do the Beagle Channel cruise, which sounds neat. The prices for the excursions look insanely cheap, considering the prices I've paid for Alaska excursions. You do have to pay cash for them, so keep that in mind when planning.

I had read one review that the ship currency was EUR, but it's USD according to the docs. (phew!)

The gift brochure lists regular wines at $16 and premium at $20. That sounds very cheap to me. (Fine, I have two vices.)

One of the pamphlets says that if you are going to Antarctica, look at the special sheet that comes with your final invoice for what to bring. I didn't receive this. I've emailed my travel agent to see if he did. That's the one that's probably going to be the most useful. I'll keep you posted. So far, I'm very happy with all of the arrangements. They even booked me aisle seats on all of the flights, although one was in a bad location according to seatguru.com (next to the lavatory) so I changed it online with American Airlines with no problems.

14 days to go!!

Denise

Denise,

How exciting to get your documents! I guess they arrived so late because of your last-minute booking. Mine are supposed to arrive 1st week in December. I have been in communication with Discovery in FL about it all recently. I went ahead and contacted Delta for my seats.

On which deck is your cabin? I am booked midship on Bali [as I mentioned earlier, also sailing solo].

I am a nonsmoker, but I share your second vice. I am considering purchasing a couple of bottles of good Malbec and Torrontes in Ushuaia to carry onboard. However, $16-20 is not bad for the wines on the ship. I had read online that currency was the Euro for all cruises except the Antarctic and South American cruises, where the $ is the currency. Does simplify things...

I have started the packing process---have to pack for a 3 week trip that includes BA, Pategonian extension precruise, as well as a 14 night cruise. Will be mixing and matching a lot!

I hope that you have a great trip--cannot wait to hear of your experiences!!

Lynn [Tarheelbelle]

Hi Lynne,

I'm in 4119 on Bali. I don't have any history of motion sickness, so I'm not worried about being so far forward.

I hope I can post from the ship, but it's been reported that their internet is very slow. I'll try!

Denise

It sounds like there are a few of us here going on MV Discovery Dec 12. I am really looking forward to leaving tomorrow. See you on board or probably on the flight between Atlanta and BA.

Bon Voyage! Can't wait to hear about your cruise!!

Denise,

I'm in cabin 4152 so hopefully we can catch up on the cruise. Are you flying Delta from Atlanta to BA? I'll be on that flight.

Nancy

Denise,

 

I'm in cabin 4152 so hopefully we can catch up on the cruise. Are you flying Delta from Atlanta to BA? I'll be on that flight.

 

Nancy

American from Dallas. See you there!