LIVE from Antarctica on Seabourn Pursuit! - Jan 7-19, 2024

[broberts]

2 hours ago, Covepointcruiser said:

So much for Argentina’s rules about not taking food off of the ship.   Just like Seabourn, they don’t enforce their laws or rules.

 

Sample size 1. 😄

[Sinbadssailors]

FYI

We're on the Pursuit right now and the store is woefully understocked.

 

If you're a size man's small or petite small woman, you're golden.

 

Otherwise, I wouldn't count on buying clothing on board.

[B1NKY]

This was such an informative board.  Thank you!

 

I do have a question about on-board credit. This is our first Seabourn cruise.  We have booked pretty much all excursions and paid for them.  Do you  know if there will be opportunity to apply our on-board credit to excursions we already  booked?

[toseaornottosea]

Yes.  Go to Seabourn Square and ask them to apply your credit to the cost of your excursions.  Easy peasy. Have a great cruise. 

[B1NKY]

On 1/3/2024 at 10:53 AM, bilbobill said:

TRAVEL DAY

We are ready to begin our journey! It’s been a little hectic trying to narrow down and navigate all the advice on what to bring for our trip but I think we are ready.  Will let you know at the end what we missed and what wasn’t really needed but for now its in the suitcases and we are committed.

 

This is my first trip on Seabourn so really excited to see what it brings.  Pre cruise info is a little inconsistent and lacking but the key things to know are communicated. I did call twice and the rep was super friendly and knowledgeable so I feel like I got most of what I needed.  I like details in advance so I will try to cover the process as it occurs in this thread so others like me will have more info for their future cruises.  What happens at the pre-night hotel, what is included there, what time do we leave in the morning are all a bit of a mystery right now but I’m sure it will all be addressed when we arrive,

 

In terms of packing I have seen a lot of discussion on other posts about the baggage restrictions for the charter flight so will address this too once I go through the process.  I did receive the attached guidance from Seabourn so we will follow this as I am a “rule follower” but I did see others comment that it wasn’t strictly enforced. 

 

 

 

We decided on one full size bag plus one carry on size each for a total of 4 bags and then normal size backpacks as our carry on.  I won’t go through everything we packed inside but based on advice we received on this site, we did include Scopolamine patches for seasickness, binoculars, trekking poles, door stops 😊, computer and lots of layers! I feel like I overpacked but we will see....

 

The general itinerary is leaving Austin January 3 to arrive in Buenos Aires the morning of Jan 4^th.  Two nights in the Park Hyatt which apparently is sometimes a Seabourn pre cruise hotel so I will try and cover our stay there.  Then to the  Alvear Palace Hotel on Jan 6 for our pre-cruise night before our charter flight to Ushuaia on Jan 7^th.  Cruise is from Jan 7-19 at which point we return to BA and then fly home that evening.  Again no communication from Seabourn on the flight details or timing from Ushuaia to BA but the Seabourn phone rep said we would be at EZE no later than 5:30pm for our return flights.

 

So that is it for now, will spare you details of the Austin airport and domestic flight to Miami as I’m sure you know how that works.  Will catch up again in Buenos Aires!

Can you tell me why you packed door stops?  That's a new one for me. 

[bilbobill]

I packed doorstops based on advice from other cruisers on the design of the Seabourn cabins and keeping closet and bathroom doors open with a rocking boat across the Drake.  Honestly I did not get to test this as when we upgraded our cabin we ended up with an accessible suite that did not have this layout.  Perhaps another cruiser can comment 

[wino-in-training]

Thanks to bilbobill for doing this. It clarified a few things for me. 

 

One question- Now that I've learned that the return flight from Ushuaia lands at EZE, rather than AEP, I was wondering if Seabourn  provided transfers, or at least transfer support back to the city center for those staying on or those who may have checked surplus items at the Alvear Palace?

[markandjie]

On 2/4/2024 at 6:49 AM, B1NKY said:

Can you tell me why you packed door stops?  That's a new one for me. 

 

The closet door does not like to stay open and it's a bit of a pain. Having a door stop is a nice convenience specifically for that door.

[B1NKY]

23 hours ago, markandjie said:

 

The closet door does not like to stay open and it's a bit of a pain. Having a door stop is a nice convenience specifically for that door.

Thank you.  We will definitely pack one.

[B1NKY]

Does anyone know how many hours before flight you can check into Delta at EZE to fly to the USA?  We would have lounge access.  We are a bit afraid of the traffic, lines, and have many hours to kill between our hotel checkout and our flight. For instance, if we arrive 5 hours before our flight, would we be able to check through security to get to the lounge?  Thanks

[B1NKY]

On 1/18/2024 at 2:43 PM, cruiseej said:

 

I think even the smaller ships generally aim for two landings/zodiac cruises per day. I've read of occasions where there is a third activity added in the early evening (it's still light out) when an opportunity presented itself, but I think that's rare. (All the cruise companies reserve the various landing spots via a central database, so there aren';t two ships at the same spot at the same time, and they basically have morning and afternoon time slots.) I don't think you're missing opportunities to see what's available on a ship in the 200-250 passenger range like Seabourn and Silversea sail there. 

 

 

Just bear in mind that timing for flights in/out of Ushuaia can vary from one cruise to another depending on weather conditions or flights running behind, so although this is a possibility, just understand that you may or may not have time to wander off on your own in Ushuaia.

 

 

Long underwear/base layer is definitely not enough, because the waterproof pants are light and their job is to keep you dry, not warm. I'd suggest a pair of hiking/trail pants. I had two pairs of these Eddie Bauer First Ascent pants and found them perfect — warm enough but not too warm, easy to maneuver in, fast drying if you sweat on a hike.

And they were ideal for wearing around the ship during the day as well. 

 

 

When I look these up, they have are both lined and unlined pants.  Which ones did you use?  Did you do any kayaking?  Were these pants warm enough for that activity?  (obviously also using the thermal layer below and the water proof pants on top)  Thanks

[cruiseej]

38 minutes ago, B1NKY said:

When I look these up, they have are both lined and unlined pants.  Which ones did you use?  Did you do any kayaking?  Were these pants warm enough for that activity?  (obviously also using the thermal layer below and the water proof pants on top)  Thanks

 

I wasn't sure in advance, so I had one pair of both lined and unlined! I found that with a base layer underneath and waterproof pants on the outside, the unlined ones were perfect; the lined ones with the base layer were actually a little too warm on active excursions! I used the lined ones a few times on zodiac-only outings, knowing I'd be sitting still in the zodiac for about 90 minutes. If you were going to get one, I'd get the unlined. 

 

(I did not do kayaking, as I was more interested in getting ashore and doing photography.)

[B1NKY]

55 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

I wasn't sure in advance, so I had one pair of both lined and unlined! I found that with a base layer underneath and waterproof pants on the outside, the unlined ones were perfect; the lined ones with the base layer were actually a little too warm on active excursions! I used the lined ones a few times on zodiac-only outings, knowing I'd be sitting still in the zodiac for about 90 minutes. If you were going to get one, I'd get the unlined. 

 

(I did not do kayaking, as I was more interested in getting ashore and doing photography.)

Sorry to bother you more.....packing is my kryptonite.   We actually have similar pants of both lined and unlined "travel pants".  I think Costco Couture. 😉 If you already own both, would you still pack one lined pair for the Zodiac? 

[cruiseej]

3 minutes ago, B1NKY said:

Sorry to bother you more.....packing is my kryptonite.   We actually have similar pants of both lined and unlined "travel pants".  I think Costco Couture. 😉 If you already own both, would you still pack one lined pair for the Zodiac? 

 

If your luggage weight allows, I would recommend taking two pairs of pants for excursions, whatever kind you have. While they're not likely to get very wet, you might sweat in them during a morning excursion and prefer to wear a different pair for an afternoon excursion, or just for wearing around the ship once you get back onboard. For instance, I would often do a morning excursion, come back to the ship, remove all the layers, put on the other pair of pants, and go for lunch. The travel/hiking pants are great for wearing around the ship during daytime hours.

[labates629]

8 hours ago, B1NKY said:

Does anyone know how many hours before flight you can check into Delta at EZE to fly to the USA?  We would have lounge access.  We are a bit afraid of the traffic, lines, and have many hours to kill between our hotel checkout and our flight. For instance, if we arrive 5 hours before our flight, would we be able to check through security to get to the lounge?  Thanks

It opens at 5pm, and you can check bags at that time regardless of flight time.  The Latam lounge is perfectly fine to wait in.  

[B1NKY]

We will be on the Pursuit.  So my question is:  If I book a submarine excursion, does it replace one of my zodiac excursions?  Similar question, if I book a kayak excursion, does it replace a regular zodiac excursion?  I think that if I have to choose between submarine and zodiac, zodiac wins.:)

[bilbobill]

They are pretty flexible with the groups and in most cases people who went on the submarine were able to do a zodiac tour with any group available.   We did not do the submarine but we heard the expedition staff telling other guests not to worry and that they could go before or after their submarine trip.  Of course everything can change depending on the weather.  I will say that there are plenty of zodiac tours so I don't think you will be left wanting even if you miss one.  For kayaking the same applies however it is a little more difficult since the kayak trip takes a bit longer.  Having said that, we boarded our zodiac with all the kayaks in tow, got a mini zodiac tour and then did the kayak tour.  At the end we did not feel the need to do another zodiac tour in the same area.

[bilbobill]

On 2/4/2024 at 10:43 AM, wino-in-training said:

Thanks to bilbobill for doing this. It clarified a few things for me. 

 

One question- Now that I've learned that the return flight from Ushuaia lands at EZE, rather than AEP, I was wondering if Seabourn  provided transfers, or at least transfer support back to the city center for those staying on or those who may have checked surplus items at the Alvear Palace?

I am not totally sure on this as I departed at EZE but my departure sheet did not mention any option to go back to town from EZE.  I would recommend calling Seabourn ahead of time and asking them.  Even if they don't, it is pretty easy to catch a taxi from EZE to town so I wouldn't worry too much.

[Jgrossman]

On 1/19/2024 at 8:46 PM, VeemeetsTez said:

Thank you so much for such a detailed report. We are looking at booking the Pursuit for a Kimberley cruise in June, love the luxury feel of the cruise but I can't find information about excursions other than the optional kayak/submarine/pearl farm visit. Hopefully there will be twice daily landings/Zodiac trips as per our reports.

Great info, I hope to reciprocate with reporting from the Kimberley.

 

We are in that cruise and have called Seabourn about the excursions. Nothing posted yet . Wonder if the expedition ship cruises in warmer weather will not have the typical land excursions offered on the larger Seabourn ships.

[Jgrossman]

The larger ships did not have a motion sensitive night light until recently they were added. Light comes on from under bed during the night . Does the Ship have that? People would recommend bringing night light s before .

[grandma*knows*best]

There is a motion sensor light which comes on under the nightstands when it is dark.

[grandma*knows*best]

On 2/7/2024 at 2:13 PM, cruiseej said:

 

I wasn't sure in advance, so I had one pair of both lined and unlined! I found that with a base layer underneath and waterproof pants on the outside, the unlined ones were perfect; the lined ones with the base layer were actually a little too warm on active excursions! I used the lined ones a few times on zodiac-only outings, knowing I'd be sitting still in the zodiac for about 90 minutes. If you were going to get one, I'd get the unlined. 

 

(I did not do kayaking, as I was more interested in getting ashore and doing photography.)

 No, it does not replace your zodiac trip. They will reschedule the zodiac for another time that day if there is a conflict with the sub trip.

[markandjie]

2 hours ago, grandma*knows*best said:

No, it does not replace your zodiac trip. They will reschedule the zodiac for another time that day if there is a conflict with the sub trip.

 

This is not guaranteed and depending on weather and overall timing of the sub dive you might miss the zodiac landing/tour. Having said that, sub tours are much more likely to be able to do both than kayakers.

[Jgrossman]

What cabins have had the bad smell. Please list numbers for those who have had that.