Review Ocean Nova November 7, 2007

Below please find a review of my recent trip on the November 7th departure of the Ocean Nova. The Ocean Nova is one of Quark’s ships and the program was Classic Antarctica.

The trip included a one night stay, pre-cruise, at a hotel in Ushuaia. Air was not included and was the responsibility of the passenger.

On the day of departure Quark arranges for a bus tour of Tierra del Fuego National Park and a barbecue lunch. After lunch the passengers were dropped off in Ushuaia with boarding at 4:00 PM. Quark arranged for transfer of all luggages from the hotel.

As there have been previous reviews of Quark ships I will try to keep my comments simple and answer questions as they come in.

EXPEDITION STAFF The expedition staff was excellent and very knowledgeable. They gave talks and slideshows throughout the cruise. They were very friendly and sat with the passengers during dinner. Each night before dinner we would a have a recap of the day and be provided with a plan for the next day. All plans were subject to change due to weather and sea ice.

CABINS The cabins were very basic. All cabins had two upper and two lower beds. This is true even if the cabin was for two people. Storage space was very limited. Some people used the upper bunks as a storage shelf in which to lay out their clothes. Bathroom was small, with shower similar to those on river boats.

THE SHIP The ship was well planned with a spacious dining room able to seat all passengers and staff at the same time. There was a forward observation lounge with plentiful seating, as well as outdoor area. There was also an aft lounge which included the ship’s library. The ship had an open bridge policy, passengers being able to visit at any time.

THE WEATHER We had excellent weather throughout the trip. Calm seas and hardly any wind. Our worst night was the first night on the return through the Drake. That night we had sells and winds of 35 knots. No giant waves of any kind. The only weather related problem was that we were told that due a cold spring there was a still a lot of sea ice. We were told that this would possibly prevent landings on the Peninsula.

THE LANDINGS A normal 12 day package will have 5 days of landings, usually 2 a day... Due to the great weather and very little wind we were able to do all 10. Our first six landings were on different islands in the South Shetlands. Two of those landings consisted of visiting the Brazil and Polish stations on King Edward Island. It then became clear to the staff that the passengers really wanted to try to get to the Peninsula. So it was decided that they would try and get as close as the sea ice would allow. One of the problems of being the first ship out of Ushuaia is that there are no reports from other ships. Needless to say the sea ice was not as bad as expected and we were able to make a landing at Primavera Station. As this is a summer only station no one was home, but we were able to walk among the buildings and place our feet on the continent. In the afternoon we landed on Trinity Island. Out last day of landings consisted of stops at Deception and Half Moon Island.

THE DRAKE PASSAGE We were told by the staff that they had never seen the Drake so calm. (In both directions)

CLOTHING I definitely brought too much clothing. When walking your own body generates a lot of heat. Our average temperature was in the high 30’s.

I’ll be glad to answer any questions.

Thank you so much for the ice and weather reports. I'm going on a ship that is not ice rated so hopefully we'll find even more melt. :)

Since you did two landings per day, what did they consist of? Setting foot on the soil, or wildlife, or? My friend said his friend went in horrible weather but still got some landings with penguins, but was every landing worth...landing?

 

CLOTHING I definitely brought too much clothing. When walking your own body generates a lot of heat. Our average temperature was in the high 30’s.

 

I’ll be glad to answer any questions.

Thanks very much for the review! It's very exciting to think the first sailings of the season have already started.

Would you mind elaborating on the clothing you took and what you didn't need? As much detail as possible would be very much appreciated!

Thanks! :)

Cruiseisgood

All landings are different and not to be missed. Each beach and rookery has its own character. If you like penguins, there different each time. Unless your not feeling well I would push to do them all.

Cirque

The first landing I wore pants under my ski pants as well as thermals. I was much too warm. For all other landings I just wore ski pants and thermals. I eventually did the same with tops. If your over dressed it is hard to walk. I did wear double socks as it helped the fit of the boots.

I would bring extra gloves as they can get wet in the zodiacs.

Our trip had clear weather and no wind, it could be different if the weather is windy.

Sounds like you had a terrific trip; thanks for reporting in.

Started to work with my pictures. The attached picture taken November 10, 2007 shows how calm the Drake Passage was on on our second day.

http://ras2007photos.smugmug.com/photos/225670716-S.jpg

Great photo - looking forward to seeing the rest.

Thanks so much for this post. It will make my packing a lot easier -- and lighter!

My MIL and I are booked on the Ocean Nova, scheduled to leave Ushuaia on Feb 2. I have a few questions that it would be great if you can answer.

Do the showers have curtains or doors? Also, I understand that the chairs in the dining room are fastened to the floor. How far are they from the table, and do they swivel or turn to allow people to get in and out of them easily? Are there laundry services on the ship, or do you need to pack enough clean clothes for the entire journey? Thanks for any additional information you can provide.

Jm485.

You will love the ship. Your trip will be so fifferent that mine. The stops will be the same but scenery very different due to change inm season.

Showers have curtains.

Only some cahirs are fastened, and they can be undone. They do not swivel.

Laundry service was good, 48 hour return and reasonable.

You should need a lot less layers.

Here are some pictures of my cabin as well as public areas on the ship.

Thanks so much for the information! It will definitely help in the planning and packing. Your photos are great. I'm really getting excited about the trip now.