NCL Antarctica: Has anyone Been?

[BoundForSea]

Hi all. Looking at Antarctica for Jan of ‘23. That being said we’re looking at the larger lines first and looking for a great itinerary. Specifically were looking for the ship to get into the peninsula like in the photo attached. That was a Jan 2020 Coral Princess voyage that a passenger documented. I’d like to choose NCL or Celebrity to do this before Princess but they have to get into the peninsula like this. According to the NCL info they just skirt the north side of Elephant island and way off shore of the peninsula. 
 

So if anyone has done this and can share if they got close in like this voyage did please let me know.  Appreciate it. 

[Keata]

You are correct in wanting to do the above voyage.  I was on the Coral Princess in December 2019 and the Holland America Veendam in 2011.  Getting right into the peninsula is spectacular.  Have you looked at HAL?  They do this voyage really well.   

[chengkp75]

7 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

According to the NCL info they just skirt the north side of Elephant island and way off shore of the peninsula. 

Since none of the NCL ships meet the new Polar Code for passenger ships operating in Arctic waters, yep, they can't really operate much below 60* South, which is north of Elephant Island.  Very few of the mainstream lines will do an itinerary like  you show anymore.  There are some newer, expedition ships that meet the Polar Code, but that's going to be your only choice.

[sparkygirlfamily]

We were booked on NCL Star Antarctica trip that was cancelled for January 2022.  We switched cruise lines and booked on Ponant Le Austral which was also cancelled and ultimately sailed on Ponant Le Lyrial.  9 days of sailing, 5 days in Antarctica.  The weather was amazing that we actually had landings and zodiac tours at 10 different locations (one each morning and a second location each afternoon).  It was an absolutely amazing trip.  I would highly encourage you to look at the smaller ships. Particularly if you are looking for landings on Antarctica.  The Polar Code and the Antarctic Tourism Treaty have very specific requirements for activity in the Antarctic region.  

[Muckyduckway]

@chengkp75 Do you know if the Polar Code will allow the Star to visit Greenland's ports?

 

Apologies for the interruption.

[chengkp75]

12 minutes ago, Muckyduckway said:

@chengkp75 Do you know if the Polar Code will allow the Star to visit Greenland's ports?

 

Apologies for the interruption.

According to the Polar Code maps, no.  Since I see that they have scheduled itineraries there next year, I have to assume they have outfitted the ships to meet the Class C polar code, meaning operation in open waters only, where no ice has been historically at the time of operation.  This Class C rating is somewhat vague, so not sure whether the certificate needs to spell out specific areas of operation or not.

[Turtles06]

16 hours ago, BoundForSea said:

Looking at Antarctica for Jan of ‘23. That being said we’re looking at the larger lines first and looking for a great itinerary.

 

Given the new Polar Code requirements that @chengkp75 mentions above, if you really want to do an itinerary like the one you mentioned, you should take a look at expedition cruises, which will also include landings. More expensive than a big ship "cruise by" (if they can even do them in 2023 and beyond), but a "trip of a lifetime" experience (and this is one instance where that cliché is appropriate). 

 

 

(Neko Harbor, Antarctica, photo by turtles06)

[BoundForSea]

9 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

Since none of the NCL ships meet the new Polar Code for passenger ships operating in Arctic waters, yep, they can't really operate much below 60* South, which is north of Elephant Island.  Very few of the mainstream lines will do an itinerary like  you show anymore.  There are some newer, expedition ships that meet the Polar Code, but that's going to be your only choice.

Thanks man. Appreciate the info and time.

 

When did the Polar code go into effect? That sailing route I posted was from Jan 2020 on Princess so either they did it before the code was established or they have ships that meet the requirements. They’ve advertised the same route I posted for 2023 over the course of 4 days so either their marketing hasn’t gotten the memo or the ships meet the requirement. We shall see. We will also see if we can find a somewhat reasonably priced voyage with a smaller expedition operator. 

 

Thanks again!

Edited March 20, 2022 by BoundForSea

[chengkp75]

2 minutes ago, BoundForSea said:

Thanks man. Appreciate the info and time. Looks like Princess Saphire meets the requirement, as they’ve done in the past so we may go with them or another smaller line if the pricing is reasonable enough. 

 

Thanks again!

No, Sapphire Princess won't do anything but a "drive by" going forward.  I think her last cruise with "inland" passage at the Antarctic Peninsula was 2019.  Her "grandfathered" certificate for polar waters expired then and she does not meet the requirements to go where ice is present.  Pretty much, anything built prior to 2017 will not meet the polar code, except to operate as mentioned above regarding Greenland, in areas where no ice is to be encountered, and the ship cannot enter waters where ice is present.

[Muckyduckway]

5 hours ago, chengkp75 said:

According to the Polar Code maps, no.  Since I see that they have scheduled itineraries there next year, I have to assume they have outfitted the ships to meet the Class C polar code, meaning operation in open waters only, where no ice has been historically at the time of operation.  This Class C rating is somewhat vague, so not sure whether the certificate needs to spell out specific areas of operation or not.

Thank you, you've confirmed my suspicions.

They actually have cruises on sale for this summer with multiple landings in Greenland. Was on the verge of booking when I remembered that the Polar Code was supposed to kick in this year. Sceptical that they will be up to code by July.

[GeezerCouple]

2 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Given the new Polar Code requirements that @chengkp75 mentions above, if you really want to do an itinerary like the one you mentioned, you should take a look at expedition cruises, which will also include landings. More expensive than a big ship "cruise by" (if they can even do them in 2023 and beyond), but a "trip of a lifetime" experience (and this is one instance where that cliché is appropriate). 

 

 

(Neko Harbor, Antarctica, photo by turtles06)

 

There you go again, Turtles06! 😉

You are making me drool again.

This is an AMAZING photo!  Wow!!

 

I had no idea the "welcoming party" met you right at the shore. 😁

 

Maybe we *should* give it a try after all...  I need to show this to DH so he can drool, too.

Thanks again!

 

GC

[PhillyTravelBug]

Glad this post came up. I have Prima booked for next year for Norway, but would like to look towards Antartica for after that. Very informative. Thanks.

[julig22]

3 hours ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

There you go again, Turtles06! 😉

You are making me drool again.

This is an AMAZING photo!  Wow!!

 

I had no idea the "welcoming party" met you right at the shore. 😁

 

Maybe we *should* give it a try after all...  I need to show this to DH so he can drool, too.

Thanks again!

 

GC

Good Morning America did a 2 week special aboard an expedition ship late last year and they too had a formally-dressed welcoming committee. I was only slightly jealous because I knew my scheduled cruise wouldn't be getting anywhere near that close - but I was OK with that.  And then my cruise was cancelled just weeks later.  Seriously looking at an expedition through RoadScholar.

The ABC special is probably still available on u tube.

[GeezerCouple]

If this Welcoming Committee is sort of a regular, is it because they get some treats?

Or are they perhaps curious about "that big thing out there"?

Or is this coincidence and maybe it's the time for their regular postprandial stroll or such?

 

No matter what, they are soooo special!

 

GC

[Turtles06]

41 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Good Morning America did a 2 week special aboard an expedition ship late last year and they too had a formally-dressed welcoming committee. I was only slightly jealous because I knew my scheduled cruise wouldn't be getting anywhere near that close - but I was OK with that.  And then my cruise was cancelled just weeks later.  Seriously looking at an expedition through RoadScholar.

The ABC special is probably still available on u tube.

 

We recorded GMA during those 2 weeks so that we could watch those segments.  The reporter was on a Lindblad/Nat Geo ship, as we had been, so it brought back really great memories for us.  (And it was a great "commercial" for Lindblad.)   I'm sorry your cruise was cancelled, and I hope you are able to pull off an expedition! 

[Ken the cruiser]

On 3/19/2022 at 9:59 PM, BoundForSea said:

Hi all. Looking at Antarctica for Jan of ‘23. That being said we’re looking at the larger lines first and looking for a great itinerary. Specifically were looking for the ship to get into the peninsula like in the photo attached. That was a Jan 2020 Coral Princess voyage that a passenger documented. I’d like to choose NCL or Celebrity to do this before Princess but they have to get into the peninsula like this. According to the NCL info they just skirt the north side of Elephant island and way off shore of the peninsula. 
 

So if anyone has done this and can share if they got close in like this voyage did please let me know.  Appreciate it. 

Both NCL and Celebrity offer 14 day itineraries with only 2 “drive by” days in the Antarctica area. As an alternative here are a couple of Jan 2023 Antarctica itineraries that include 4 days of drive by cruising around the Antarctica peninsula you may want to look at that also go to the Falkland Islands as well as some ports in Argentina and Chile.
 

We did the HAL cruise in Jan 2018 on the Zaandam and had a great time. For us right now we’re pondering the idea of taking the Princess cruise next.

 

Princess

 

https://www.princess.com/search-cruise/details/?voyageCode=H303

 

HAL

 

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/S3N22A/O310.html

 

 

 

Edited March 21, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[SightCRR]

NCL just changed Deception Island for Admiralty Bay in Jan 2023 on their drive by. 

sightcrr. 

[cassie55]

On 3/20/2022 at 9:19 PM, Muckyduckway said:

Thank you, you've confirmed my suspicions.

They actually have cruises on sale for this summer with multiple landings in Greenland. Was on the verge of booking when I remembered that the Polar Code was supposed to kick in this year. Sceptical that they will be up to code by July.

We're booked on an Iceland/Greenland cruise in July.  They've just added a whole load of excursions to book.  I'm sure they would have cancelled the cruise by now if there was a issue with the Polar Code.

[Muckyduckway]

Actually, I should have updated my findings but completely forgot.

 

At the time of writing I checked a register, can't remember the name, which did not show anything for the Star regarding the necessary Polar Code certificates.  BUT sometime later I was checking something else and noticed at that time that the "relevant" certification for the Star was listed.  

 

Hope you have a fabulous cruise in Greenland/Iceland, wish I was going too. We held fire until we were sure of the certification and in the hope the prices would drop! So going to Norway instead. 🙂

[steamboats]

On 3/21/2022 at 3:36 AM, GeezerCouple said:

If this Welcoming Committee is sort of a regular, is it because they get some treats?

Or are they perhaps curious about "that big thing out there"?

Or is this coincidence and maybe it's the time for their regular postprandial stroll or such?

 

No matter what, they are soooo special!

 

GC

 

No feeding of the animals!!! This is definitely regular in Antarctica. You get the advice to stay away from the penguins at least 5 m. But sometimes the penguins don´t care ;-). 

 

As for Antarctica - none of the regular cruise ships is able to do any landings. The whole experience can only be done with smaller expedition ships and it´s worth it!

 

steamboats