Antarctica

We are finally considering doing a cruise on the Explorer to Antarctica in 2016/2017. Does anyone have any suggestions on which month would be preferable. Also, which itinerary is best? We hope we are good sailors, so one or two times in the Drake Passage is not a consideration. I would also appreciate feedback on the various cabins.

Thanks for your input.

We were lucky enough to do the itinerary which includes the Falklands and South Georgia in January this year. I would recommend this itinerary as South Georgia is a very special place and we loved it. We had a view suite midship on deck 3 which was good for stability. The very front suites on deck three have their portholes closed when bad weather is expected so are in darkness for a time. We did not miss a balcony as we were very busy and it was too cold to sit out. Deck three is convenient for zodiac trips as the wet room where you get booted up is just along the way. Especially useful if/when you forget your camera, or life jacket.

The season is short and I think any time would have its pros and cons. We saw lots of young penguins, seals and albatrosses and our crossings were moderate. The roughest seas were between Stanley, Falklands and South Georgia.

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Can't wait until you decide! It is the only way I am going to get there!

Two years ago we went to the Antarctica on the Explorer after which I wrote a very comprehensive review (daily report) If you want to read it go to cruise reviews, select Silversea, select Explorer, scroll down to an adventure not to be missed by fudge, enjoy. It should tell you everything you need to know.:D

We just returned from the Classic Antarctica cruise on the Explorer. I submitted a review which should be posted in the next day or two - hoping you will find it helpful.

In the meantime, many people think that the best time to see penguins is in early January, when they have hatched. We were not able to take time off in January, so we did an early December trip. The penguins were sitting on eggs, which was interesting as was the stealing stones from each other behavior. Another advantage is that, as this was the second trip of the season, the crew was fresh and enthusiastic. The ship was not 100% full, which it likely would be in January, which is another benefit.

As posted previously, many people love South Georgia and I do wish we could have seen it.

That said, just the classic Antarctica itinerary was time intensive and I do feel satisfied.

The Drake was "average" on our crossing, according to the staff. Some people struggled on the way down, but we just found it difficult to walk. Our cruise was cut a day short in Antarctica so we could stay ahead of a major storm brewing. This resulted in a day in Ushuaia - not ideal but it couldn't be helped.

We opted for the extra space for a cabin on Deck 7. I liked the roominess as there is plenty of down time during the cruise and it was nice to spread out. That said, however, it would

not be ideal if we had hit very stormy weather, so it is a risk to select a cabin that high/forward. We got lucky.

Overall, we were very happy with the experience.

Hi Otis,

We were obviously on the same cruise. Like you we were on deck 3 in an expedition suite 308 with two view windows and appreciated all the extra space for our winter gear. We were about to board zodiac and husband forgot camera but he could run back to suite. Great cruise wonderful staff we were lucky to be invited to dine with Hotel Director Sujith Mohan and what a charming young man who is doing a wonderful job as all staff seemed happy. The expedition team were great and a fellow Scot was on board doing zodiac training with the staff Sujith drove us ashore one morning so multi tasking.Our second invitation to dine was from Kara the expedition leader who reckoned on a scale from 1 to 10 our Drake Passage crossing was a 3 so we were lucky and a number of passengers were ill we made lunch and dinner but missed breakfast on day 1 as both felt slightly queasy but the pills kicked in. An advantage going early in the season is that the snow cover is good rather than too muddy around the penguin rookeries and the odour from the penguins was not too bad. I was worked about getting in and out of the Zodiacs as I am not tall and have a stiff knee but staff did a great job and I felt safe and managed it no bother. Food was very good and Chef Pia and Resaurant Manager Anna did a great job and we had excellent dining companions.Looking forward to reading your report Otis.Happy to answer any queries.

Donna

Apologies for no paragraphs in earlier post!!

Thank you for all your comments and reviews.

We were lucky enough to do the itinerary which includes the Falklands and South Georgia in January this year. I would recommend this itinerary as South Georgia is a very special place and we loved it. We had a view suite midship on deck 3 which was good for stability. The very front suites on deck three have their portholes closed when bad weather is expected so are in darkness for a time. We did not miss a balcony as we were very busy and it was too cold to sit out. Deck three is convenient for zodiac trips as the wet room where you get booted up is just along the way. Especially useful if/when you forget your camera, or life jacket.

The season is short and I think any time would have its pros and cons. We saw lots of young penguins, seals and albatrosses and our crossings were moderate. The roughest seas were between Stanley, Falklands and South Georgia.

 

 

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Same cruise and we agree 100%!!

We did the Explorers first trip of the season, leaving 19th Nov this year,we had a balcony on deck 5 amidships and did use the balcony quite a bit. The Drake was pretty mild for us too, and the expedition staff said they prefer early in the season as the penguin stink is tolerable! I am glad we went early on in the summer-we even did the polar plunge! I wrote a trip report for Flyertalk,and there are lots of photos on it.

My review of the Silver Explorer has just been posted, in case anyone is interested.

My review of the Silver Explorer has just been posted, in case anyone is interested.

Otis, I looked on Silver Explorer reviews but couldn't find it. :confused: Would you be so kind to give me the link?

Thanks very much.

Here it is. Apparently it is live but doesn't show up in the review section until tomorrow.

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=267521

Thanks Otis, enjoyed the updates and review.

Otis - Thank you for the informative review.

did a review of the explorer in the Antarctic as well. The review mentioned they were going to do the Ushuaia to Cape Town. I hope that they also publish a review or a comment on this thread.

Investing the kind of money into a cruise adventure, one needs to know as much as one can.

Thanks Otis for your review.