Antarctica cruise question

[chengkp75]

13 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

The have special built small  expedition ships..... expect to pay $1000 a day pp.  or more   ALL the other lines without expedition ships  under 400 PAx I think, will  be prohibited .     It will be supply and demand cutting the available cabins from thousands a month  to a few hundred $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$  Your pockets will have to be pretty deep in 2020

However, since these "small expedition ships" were built in 2000, long before the new Polar Class was even being discussed by the IMO, they are not PC-6 classed, and therefore will not be allowed north of 60*n or south of 60*s.  It does not matter the size of the ship, the ship must meet the new structural and operational requirements of the unified Polar Code.

 

And, the ships are not "special built" as they were originally built for Renaissance cruises and then owned by Pullmantur before Azamara acquired them.

Edited August 20, 2019 by chengkp75

[TiogaCruiser]

On 8/19/2019 at 4:53 AM, scubacruiserx2 said:

 

 

It seems to show 3 days in the open sea from San Antonio to Punta Arenas and we encountered some very rough seas there until we ducked into the fjords .

 

And in 2018 we had tremendous winds and rough waters IN the Inside Passage for a couple days. We were happy to be inside and in protected waters, because it was even worse (30 ft seas) in the Pacific.

[Hawaiidan]

10 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

However, since these "small expedition ships" were built in 2000, long before the new Polar Class was even being discussed by the IMO, they are not PC-6 classed, and therefore will not be allowed north of 60*n or south of 60*s.  It does not matter the size of the ship, the ship must meet the new structural and operational requirements of the unified Polar Code.

 

And, the ships are not "special built" as they were originally built for Renaissance cruises and then owned by Pullmantur before Azamara acquired them.

I heard. that Seabourn was building something... I thought Azamar  might have done so too.   I was in Ushuaia   recently and observed several of the " expedition ships... small banged up and well used, tied up there.     I think All of the expedition ships seem to leave from that port.... Gnarly place sort of like the Nome of South America.      In any event I found that talking to crew.... they never really land on Antarctica proper  but only on some outlying islands....  Takes all sorts of permits to get a permit to actually set foot on the continent proper.   I was told.          Prices are astronomical for their 7-10 day rt.... mid range 5 figures

 

[Hawaiidan]

6 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

And in 2018 we had tremendous winds and rough waters IN the Inside Passage for a couple days. We were happy to be inside and in protected waters, because it was even worse (30 ft seas) in the Pacific.

 Yes  Inside...  I had an outside and when in arctic waters the steel hull transmitted more cold than the heater could supply.... had to sleep in our clothes... put cushions over the ports, and towels and anything to insulate.... it was  super cold      Wished for  warm inside.

[TiogaCruiser]

4 hours ago, Hawaiidan said:

 Yes  Inside...  I had an outside and when in arctic waters the steel hull transmitted more cold than the heater could supply.... had to sleep in our clothes... put cushions over the ports, and towels and anything to insulate.... it was  super cold      Wished for  warm inside.

That “inside,” as in the Inside Passage. 😀

We were happy to be in the Inside Passage even though there was a bad storm and there were high winds and it was rough, because outside in the Pacific, it was truly a lot worse.

[RuthC]

1 hour ago, TiogaCruiser said:

That “inside,” as in the Inside Passage. 😀

No need to clarify, as most of us knew what you said.

[*Miss G*]

Watching Disasters at Sea - MV Explorer on Smithsonian Channel.  Probably not the best thing to do when you’re booked on an Antarctic cruise.  😳

[GeezerCouple]

On 8/20/2019 at 9:57 PM, RuthC said:

No need to clarify, as most of us knew what you said.

 

Yes indeed!

 

[zelker]

On 8/20/2019 at 1:22 PM, Hawaiidan said:

 In any event I found that talking to crew.... they never really land on Antarctica proper  but only on some outlying islands....  Takes all sorts of permits to get a permit to actually set foot on the continent proper.   I was told.          Prices are astronomical for their 7-10 day rt.... mid range 5 figures

 

 

Sorry but whoever told you that needs to get their facts straight.  All the expedition ships do several landings on the Antarctica peninsula unless prevented by weather or ice.  We know people that even got off their Quark Expeditions ship and camped overnight on it.  We did a 24 day Antarctica cruise on Seabourn and were most definitely not just on “outlying islands” (I don’t even know what those would be) for the seven days we were down there.  We did spend three days in the South Georgia Islands after leaving Antarctica... they are part of the Sandwich Islands (considered sub-Antarctica) and Shackleton is buried at Gritviken (we visited his grave).  As for a 7-10 day cruise costing mid 5 figures, the price can run the gamut and you’d have to fly in at least one direction from Ushuaia to do that trip in that short of a timeframe.   That said, our 24 day Seabourn cruise which was over Christmas and New Years 2015-2016 was under $30k for both of us and was EPIC!  BTW, zodiacs were included in the price.

 

Seabourn’s new purpose-built expedition ship, Venture, is launching in 2021, with the second one scheduled to launch in 2022.  The price will start at about $1k pp/day from what I’ve seen so far and go up from there.

Edited September 2, 2019 by zelker

[The-Inside-Cabin]

We did Antartica on the Seabourn Quest in Dec 2018. Found a good price as the ship had a sale. Still about $550 per person per day. All inclusive

Only extra charge was WiFi/Spa/Casino. All drinks, wine and specialty restaurants included. Mini bar included. Bottles of water are complimentary when going ashore. Self served laundry no extra charge.

Well worth it to us for the landings on the continent as well as some of the islands near by. See my blog for more details.

Zodiac excursions are included in the fare.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tampa Girl]

On 8/16/2019 at 6:09 PM, Vineyard View said:

I am curious if there is a preferred direction on this route, or any of the other SA itineraries that travel Argentina-Chile route. 

 

Good to know that the new new laws will go into effect late 2021. We have been contemplating whether to take the traditional SA routing or adding on the Antarctica piece, and whether to do Antarctica on HAL or expedition. This does make for a greater sense of urgency in the decision, so I appreciate the information 

 

in just looking at 2021 itineraries I noticed that the Westerdam vs Veendam will be sailing the route, and only in Nov/Dec will the 22 day sail. I would much prefer the smaller Veendam. 

Then join us on the Zaandam this season!  

[Tampa Girl]

9 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

We did Antartica on the Seabourn Quest in Dec 2018. Found a good price as the ship had a sale. Still about $550 per person per day. All inclusive

Only extra charge was WiFi/Spa/Casino. All drinks, wine and specialty restaurants included. Mini bar included. Bottles of water are complimentary when going ashore. Self served laundry no extra charge.

Well worth it to us for the landings on the continent as well as some of the islands near by. See my blog for more details.

Zodiac excursions are included in the fare.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Is the Quest icebreaker certified per the new rules?

[The-Inside-Cabin]

 
Is the Quest icebreaker certified per the new rules?

I don’t think it is, but I am not sure. If you go on a smaller expedition ship - I think 100 passenger max. You can hit more spots in ANTARTICA and make 2 landings in 2 different spots instead of one landing in one spot on the Quest.

Shop around. Lots of choices. But expensive. $1000 pp per day is not uncommon.


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[Tampa Girl]

41 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I don’t think it is, but I am not sure. If you go on a smaller expedition ship - I think 100 passenger max. You can hit more spots in ANTARTICA and make 2 landings in 2 different spots instead of one landing in one spot on the Quest.

Shop around. Lots of choices. But expensive. $1000 pp per day is not uncommon.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

 

We are currently booked on the 12/18/2019 Zaandam, but now I am wondering if Seabourn might not be a better choice.  If you are willing to answer a couple of questions, please email me below.  I don't want to clutter up this thread with extraneous matters.  Thanks.  

 

Virginia

[zelker]

Everything you ever wanted to know about Antarctic cruises, from the IAATO (International Association of Antacarctic Tour Operators):  https://iaato.org/frequently-asked-questions

 

This goes into great detail about the season, wildlife, ship sizes, length of cruises, what to expect, etc.  

 

Also, @Tampa Girl  (Virginia) … feel free to email with Seabourn questions - barb dot h at comcast dot not.  HIGHLY recommend doing this versus a drive-by if your budget allows.  

[chengkp75]

3 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

 

Is the Quest icebreaker certified per the new rules?

I don't believe so, as of last November, there was only one PC6 class passenger vessel built.

[GeezerCouple]

2 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

I don't believe so, as of last November, there was only one PC6 class passenger vessel built.

 

Those two new Hurtigruten ships aren't polar class?  

 

Thanks, as always, for the information!

 

GC

[chengkp75]

24 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Those two new Hurtigruten ships aren't polar class?  

 

Thanks, as always, for the information!

 

GC

Yes they are, but they were built after November.

[GeezerCouple]

22 minutes ago, chengkp75 said:

Yes they are, but they were built after November.

 

Ah, got it!

 

Many thanks, once again.

 

GC

 

 

[HokiePoq]

On 8/14/2019 at 7:04 PM, School library lady said:

We are looking at doing one of the 20 or 22 day cruises that go to Antarctica, probably in 2021. The itinerary shows 4 days called Antarctic Experience. Can anyone tell me what happens on those four days? We definitely can’t afford to add the $3499 excursion I saw that actually puts you on the continent. Just wondering how close you get and what goes on during those four days.

I am doing a cruise with another line that does the landings.   It is not much more expensive than the cruises I've looked into that do what this one does.   It is a fairly good sized ship, one of those that does the coastal cruises in Norway.   The small expeditionary cruises were out of my price range.  I booked it through a budget agency but the cruise line is well known.  I don't know rules about posting but you can search my user name and find the roll call I started for it.  EDIT:  Just read the posts above and yes, it is Hurtigruten.

Edited September 2, 2019 by HokiePoq

[Vineyard View]

5 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

Then join us on the Zaandam this season!  

Would love to, however we are booked this fall and next spring on other itineraries. 

This thread has a lot of useful information. Makes me ponder what to do and which direction to take!  

[SusieKIslandGirl]

First of all, I will admit to not reading every entry but would like to add if not already mentioned: take sunscreen, lip balm, good sunglasses, binoculars and hat and scarf. We had wonderful weather but the wind was still cold! Having a fleece scarf to pull up over my chin really made it comfortable to be out on deck for more than a few minutes. Still can't believe we were there! An amazing cruise from Santiago to Buenos Aires with the 4 days floating among the icebergs.

[SeaDog-46]

Polar Code - Has ratings from 1-7 - with PC1 full icebreaker for all conditions.

Most Expedition vessels are being built to PC6 = Summer/Autumn operation in Medium 1st year ice, which may include old ice inclusions.  This is similar to HAL vessel operation in ice.

PC7 may only operate in THIN 1st year ice.

Currently operating with PC6  :-

Hanseatic Nature 16100 gt Hapag-Lloyd 230 pax.  German spoken onboard. 

2nd vessel Hanseatic Inspiration due end 2019 - English speaking.

Hondius 6300 gt Oceanwide Expeditions 180 pax.

Roald Amundsen 20889 gt Hurtigruten 530 pax - sister vessel Fridtjof Nansen being built.

Scenic Eclipse 16500 gt Scenic 228 pax - 2nd vessel? 2020.

Due to be completed 2019  PC6  :-

Greg Mortimer 8000 gt X bow. Aurora Expeditions

Magellan Explorer 4900 gt 100 pax.

 

Many others being built but hard to get Polar Code rating.

Ponant are building a PC2 icebreaker cruise ship to be named La Commandant Charcot in 2021. Bookings open.

Nat.Geo. Endurance will be PC5 12300 gt   X-bow   Lindblad Expeditions 2020.

 

[Woofbite]

On 9/1/2019 at 8:19 PM, *Miss G* said:

Watching Disasters at Sea - MV Explorer on Smithsonian Channel.  Probably not the best thing to do when you’re booked on an Antarctic cruise.  😳

I was on the Explorer a few years earlier when A&K owned it.  I can't imagine floating around in a lifeboat in the Drake.  Those passengers were incredibly fortunate things were calm while they waited for rescue.  My last trip on the Fram, there were three or four ships damaged to/from Antarctica.  Le Boreal lost power around between the Falkland Islands and South Georgia on the fringes of a major storm and floated around without steerage for a while.  (We were going through the same area.  It was rough.)  On the way back to Ushuaia, Quark's Ocean Endeavor hit ice and had a big rip in the side of it.  They were lucky it was above the water line but that crossing was also very rough.  We had wave spray hitting the observation deck windows and chairs being turned over. (with people in them!)  It was a wild ride.  Although I am returning once again next year on the Westerdam with friends,  a major cruise liner in trouble around Antarctica would be a very serious problem.  Much as I don't like the law bringing such trips to an end, I think it is the right move.  That area is simply too remote and dangerous to deal with huge passenger numbers if there is a problem and I think non-ice rated ships and most crews are operating on the edge of safety down there.