MS Roald Amundsen

[Books52]

We went on the Nov.28, 2019 MS Roald Amundsen to Chilean Fjords (night time so we couldn’t see them), Antarctica, and the Falkland Islands. This was a spectacular trip. The ship is beautiful, the entire crew really made the trip memorable, and the expeditions and scenery were unbelievable.  And I say this after 75% of the passengers had their checked bags hijacked and stolen between the hotel and the airport for our flight to Punta Arenas! We thought Hurtigruten did an amazing job trying to outfit a couple hundred passengers for an 18 night Antarctica Expedition cruise. Our launch was put off by a day to allow those passengers to go ashore and shop for their needs and any expedition clothing they could find. They were also shopping in the onboard shop. And a local pharmacist was brought onboard the 1st night to replace any lost medications, some of which had to be flown in the next day. Hurtigruten told them to save receipts for up to $2,000 and that would be taken care of. There were Hurtigruten officials onboard and on the ground trying to keep ahead of what was happening. 
I would highly recommend cruising on the Roald Amundsen. No one seemed to miss the “entertainment” from the big ships. Instead, there were card games, puzzles, conversations, and early bedtimes for tired travelers.

[Bella0714]

Thanks for posting. Sounds like you had a wonderful time despite the early problems. Can you speak a little more about the experience in Antarctica? Was kayaking offered? How about small boat cruising? What were the optional activities in Antarctica, and did you do any? Thanks!

[Books52]

I think that there were at least four times kayaking was offered. I think there was an additional charge and it was done by lottery as to who would go on which day. There was also one night of camping offered, as well as one day of snowshoeing. Otherwise, we had 2x of cruising, one where we got up pretty close to the glaciers and icebergs and another at Point Wild (where Shackleton’s men were stranded for 135 days. Then we had one landing where we did walk on the continent, and landing at a Ukranian Research Station, and a handful of landings at other sites. We went in to the crater at Deception Island and that is where some did the Polar Plunge. We were extremely lucky when we were able to get off at Cape Horn and walk UP to the Albatross Monument. The 3 stops in the Falklands were great - lots of penguins (King, Gentoo, Magellenic, and Rockhoppers), and lots of nesting albatross. All of these within 15 feet of us. 

Edited December 29, 2019 by Books52