Antarctica drive by - what clothing?

[brickftl]

We're starting in Buenos Aires which will be middle of summer mid 80's and then cruising to Port Stanley where we get out and explore, then Elephant Island and Gerlache Straight where we don't get out as well as days at sea before and after, then Ushaia Argentina, Puerto Madryn Argentina, Montevideo Uraguay, and then back to Buenos Aires.

 

I'm stumped about what kind of clothing to bring given all the different climates and the fact that we aren't getting off the ship in Antarctica. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

[dileep]

Temps in Antarctica is likely to be in the 30s with possible high winds and snow or rain showers. If you plan to be out on the deck, dress accordingly. I would pack layers, so you can adjust based on weather. Using fleece as one layer would be good.

[einsteinsmom]

This fellow just recently did a drive by of Antarctica.....

 

http://amazingvoyages.blogspot.com/

 

They had some pretty chilly weather, with some heavy winds. It is very variable there, you can have lovely warmish weather and darn chilly weather!

Good luck!

kristy

[floridatravelersforlife]

We just returned from the Infinity Drive By.

 

It was hot and humid in BA and in the low twenties on the drive by.

 

We brought half warm and half cold weather clothes and did two laundries. We did not bring a ski parkas but rather did layers with sweaters and long sleeved shirts and we were fine. Glad we did not bring any hiking boots either. Did not need them.

 

Dress is rather informal on this cruise, very few Tuxes due to the Adventure Cruise. MDR was lenient.

[tupper10]

If the wind is bad it can be quite cold so I would dress in layers - long underwear, a turtle neck top, a fleece jacket and then you only need long underwear under some pants for a drive by. Also bring a hat, gloves, sunglasses and sun block. If it gets warm you just take off the layers - do not bring a winter coat you do not need it and it is too bulky. The weather is quite rainy in Southern Argentina and the temp is usually around the 40's. Buenos Aires is quite warm so we had to bring summer type clothes as well. Again the trick is to use these clothes as your bottom layers when you are in the colder weather or you can be like me and travel with two very overstuffed suitcases.

[arcticmom]

We just returned from the infinity cruise as well. Layers is really the key. We had gorgeous weather with very little wind when we were in Antarctica. It really depends on what you are used to and how you define cold. Some people were in parkas, mitts and toques - my husband wore shorts but we live in the Arctic. A good fleece under a waterproof jacket is probably best. If it is windy you would definitly want mitts and a toque as well.

[scapel]

We just returned from the Infinity Drive By.

 

It was hot and humid in BA and in the low twenties on the drive by.

 

We brought half warm and half cold weather clothes and did two laundries. We did not bring a ski parkas but rather did layers with sweaters and long sleeved shirts and we were fine. Glad we did not bring any hiking boots either. Did not need them.

 

Dress is rather informal on this cruise, very few Tuxes due to the Adventure Cruise. MDR was lenient.

Any explanation as to why you guys didn't just cruise to King George Island area to ride out wind in place of crossing the Drake 4 times.

[dileep]

Joe, I don't think they crossed the Drake 4 times. Reading another post, I gathered that they bypassed the Falklands due to weather and opted for an extra day in Antarctica. If they did that half way to the Falklands, they would be going down the Scotia Sea to Antarctica nad only cross the Drake on the return to Ushuaia.

[scapel]

Dileep,

Got this from the Jan 31, Infinity. I was wondering why they just didn't hang around in Antarctic waters until weather cleared.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by scapel

Did I understand correctly that this cruise spent only 6 hours in Antarctica and that it crossed the Drake 4 times?

What explanation was given?

If he ship would make 20 to 23 knots and (Drake) 600 miles is 521.37 knots then that would figure 4 days were spent cruising the Drake Passage. If you crossed the Drake what was the reason given not to stay in Antarctica and cruise there for 2 days? I guess weather figured in, but how?

 

Weather - weather - weather!!! We misses the Falklands because of weather - headed for Elephant Island and ran into a deep low with high seas and strong winds - the decision was made to turn back north and go to Cale Horn with the hope the weather would improve. After our visit to the Cape and to Ushuaia, the decision was made to make another attempt to get to Antarctica. Once again we experienced rough seas and wind but when we arose on the morning we arrived in Paradise Bay, we experienced perfect weather and stunning scenery - perhaps the best I have experienced in 50+ cruises. Six magnificent hours in the Bay and Gerlache Straight more then compensated for our 4 rough crossings of the Drake. Hats off to the Infinity crew for their efforts to get us to Antarctica. We also had great weather at Cape Horn and our other stops. If you travel in that part of the world you pay your money and you take your chances - no guarantees. Last September we did a TA across the North Atlantic (Norway, Iceland, Greenland, etc.) and missed 4 of 9 ports due to weather. These type of cruises bring with them a significant risk of missing ports - but both of ours provided great experiences - I would do them again even knowing what might happen.

[floridatravelersforlife]

I'll be happy to answer your questions.

 

The decision to abandon the direct sailing to Elephant Island was made about halfway between Port Stanley and EI. We turned NNW and sailed to Cape Horn and then onto Ushaia. We spent a port day at Ushaia and then sailed directly to Paradise and then through Gerlacht Straits.

 

We then turned roughly North and sailed past the east shore of Tierra Del Fuego directly to Port Madryn. This was all told to me by a Senior Officer on the Bridge during a tour I took.

 

My comments: The Cruise Line decided to burn the additional 190,000 gal of kerosene to make the Antarctic visit happen. I give them credit for that. Besides it would be dangerous to seek shelter in some cove for fear of breaking anchorage and grounding the 91.000 ton ship. Not wise and I doubt Lloyds would have allowed it. The ship sailed constantly at 22-24 knots so we made fast time crossing the Drake. The Captain gave up visiting time for travel time , but at least we made it.

 

Side Note; It was interesting seeing Bow Spray at the 11th deck while sailing at 24 knots through 27 ft waves.

 

Hope this helps.

[diane.in.ny]

Long underwear...silk or one of the synthetics...no cotton

 

Fleece vest or jacket

 

Waterproof/windproof jacket

 

Waterproof/windproof pants (to go over your regular pants)

 

Hat/scarf/gloves/wool socks

 

We did Antarctica with landings and the above worked great for us

[scapel]

I'll be happy to answer your questions.

 

The decision to abandon the direct sailing to Elephant Island was made about halfway between Port Stanley and EI. We turned NNW and sailed to Cape Horn and then onto Ushaia. We spent a port day at Ushaia and then sailed directly to Paradise and then through Gerlacht Straits.

 

We then turned roughly North and sailed past the east shore of Tierra Del Fuego directly to Port Madryn. This was all told to me by a Senior Officer on the Bridge during a tour I took.

 

Hope this helps.

Thanks for the explanation.

[dileep]

Thanks for the explanation.

 

 

A full review

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=63449

[tupper10]

By the way for clothing I agree with the NY poster - lots of layers no winter jackets and please don't forget the sun tan lotion (ozone hole is serious and UV rays are dangerous even when it is cloudy out). Interestingly we were traveling around the same time as Infinity only we went straight down the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula and the Drake was a 'lake' going and Antarctica had for the most part great weather - we had such good seas we crossed the Antarctic circle - the way back on the Drake - well it was no fun though not what you had. We heard from our captain that the ships sailing to the Falklands and that left after we did (Jan 29th) were having terrible weather and we had just missed it. Having been on the Infinity and its sister ships many times I can only imagine what it was like - glad you all are safe and saw so much wildlife. Antarctica is one of the most spectacular places on earth - pictures do not describe it, tv shows do not give you the true picture; if you can visit it any way you can it is truly the trip of a lifetime.