Live: Experienced cruisers try Celebrity 14 day cruise to Antartica on the Eclipse

[BecT]

1 hour ago, jimbo5544 said:

Thanks for the kind words.  We are staying on the port side.  That said, the captain has tried to maneuver the ship around, and we did take a bunch from our balcony.  A word of caution with this thinking.  the view for the other side might be better and change before you can adjust.  Of course, the weather plays the biggest variable in all of this.  

 

A couple of other suggestions, the outer deck in the gym (forward) was a great idea.  If it gets really cold, the glass around the main pool has panels that can slide open.  Sunset bar area is another.

Thanks. My brother and I are from Maine so the cold doesn't bother us much but my hubby hates the cold?  😝

[Spif Barwunkel]

A perfect reboot of our February 2023 Infinity Antarctica cruise. One can't help but become immersed in the ethereal splendor of this polar region. For us, it was an exhilarating experience to cruise these frigid waters, enjoying a total antithesis of our day-to-day existence. What a privilege it was to observe and to walk among the wildlife, who go about their daily routine despite our presence. We were humbled as we became travelers in their space. Truly a wonderful adventure.

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, BecT said:

Thanks. My brother and I are from Maine so the cold doesn't bother us much but my hubby hates the cold?  😝

First couple of days it was very warm, actually pool weather.

[jimbo5544]

48 minutes ago, Spif Barwunkel said:

A perfect reboot of our February 2023 Infinity Antarctica cruise. One can't help but become immersed in the ethereal splendor of this polar region. For us, it was an exhilarating experience to cruise these frigid waters, enjoying a total antithesis of our day-to-day existence. What a privilege it was to observe and to walk among the wildlife, who go about their daily routine despite our presence. We were humbled as we became travelers in their space. Truly a wonderful adventure.

Cannot argue with any of that.

[Ken the cruiser]

And the race is on! Who is going to get to Elephant Island first, the Eclipse or the Sapphire? 😂

 

 

In any event it sounds like you’re having a great cruise and your photos look awesome! We’ll be heading to the Peninsula next, and here’s hoping your recrossing of the Drake Passage will be as uneventful as ours was yesterday. 😁

 

FWIW the waves forecast looks relatively calm at 11 pm tonight (on windy.com) as you cross the Drake Passage on your way to the Falkland Islands.

 

 

[jimbo5544]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

And the race is on! Who is going to get to Elephant Island first, the Eclipse or the Sapphire? 😂

 

 

In any event it sounds like you’re having a great cruise and your photos look awesome! We’ll be heading to the Peninsula next, and here’s hoping your recrossing of the Drake Passage will be as uneventful as ours was yesterday. 😁

 

FWIW the waves forecast looks relatively calm at 11 pm tonight (on windy.com) as you cross the Drake Passage on your way to the Falkland Islands.

 

 

Ha!  Did not even now there was anyone around.  The weather broke for us visually about an hour ago.  Will post pics.  Clouds cooperated , wind not so much.  Thanks for the update.

[jimbo5544]

So the day started kind of …well…crappy.  It was extremely foggy, windy and wind blowing us around.  Then it started to snow.  The good news was we were not supposed ti be to Elephant Island till 4. 

[jimbo5544]

we kept hoping the weather would improve and we decided to go up to the Sly Lounge for the sail in

[jimbo5544]

The views were good, but the sights…not so much.  
 

 

[jimbo5544]

The weather did not improve.  As we got close, these were our views.  We were thinking our luck just may have run out.  
 

 

[jimbo5544]

Ahhh, beggars cannot be choosers.  
 

 

[jimbo5544]

Are the clouds breaking up?   The wind sure is not.  

[critic2023]

I was on the January 6th sailing. I'm glad to see you're having a good time! Bummer about the weather in Antarctica, but from what I remember Milos and Steven (the academic speakers) saying, what you're seeing is normal. We were incredibly lucky with our Antarctica weather - Milos said he'd never seen it so clear in all his trips down to Antarctica. In fact, during his narration from the bridge, he said to not bother ever booking another cruise to Antarctica because we'd expect to have the same view and we definitely wouldn't get it. Unfortunately, we used up all our luck on that and got cancelled for Port Stanley, which was the stop I was looking forward to the most. Hopefully luck reverses for you - you got the mediocre Antarctica weather, so surely your luck is holding out for Port Stanley, which is cancelled roughly 50% of the time.

 

I've read through the thread and agree with much of what you've said. Overall I enjoyed the cruise and certainly do not regret it, but it was entirely too many sea days for me and I got a bit claustrophobic. I will certainly not be booking a cruise with that many sea days ever again. I'm thrilled to have seen Antarctica and wouldn't trade it for the world, but if I return (and I hope to!), I think I'll opt for an expedition cruise with landings and more time in the region. I didn't realize quite how short of a period of time we would spend cruising Antarctica. 

 

One comment of yours I especially echo is the situation in Oceanview Cafe. It was unreasonably crowded for breakfast and lunch. I've never in my life had to fight for a table at the buffet until this cruise. To see people sitting there on their laptops, playing card games, etc. was infuriating while circling with a plate of food in hand for 15 minutes trying to grab a table to eat.

[jimbo5544]

Bit it is elephant island. It reek's of history.  
 

 

[jimbo5544]

1 minute ago, critic2023 said:

I was on the January 6th sailing. I'm glad to see you're having a good time! Bummer about the weather in Antarctica, but from what I remember Milos and Steven (the academic speakers) saying, what you're seeing is normal. We were incredibly lucky with our Antarctica weather - Milos said he'd never seen it so clear in all his trips down to Antarctica. In fact, during his narration from the bridge, he said to not bother ever booking another cruise to Antarctica because we'd expect to have the same view and we definitely wouldn't get it. Unfortunately, we used up all our luck on that and got cancelled for Port Stanley, which was the stop I was looking forward to the most. Hopefully luck reverses for you - you got the mediocre Antarctica weather, so surely your luck is holding out for Port Stanley, which is cancelled roughly 50% of the time.

 

I've read through the thread and agree with much of what you've said. Overall I enjoyed the cruise and certainly do not regret it, but it was entirely too many sea days for me and I got a bit claustrophobic. I will certainly not be booking a cruise with that many sea days ever again. I'm thrilled to have seen Antarctica and wouldn't trade it for the world, but if I return (and I hope to!), I think I'll opt for an expedition cruise with landings and more time in the region. I didn't realize quite how short of a period of time we would spend cruising Antarctica. 

 

One comment of yours I especially echo is the situation in Oceanview Cafe. It was unreasonably crowded for breakfast and lunch. I've never in my life had to fight for a table at the buffet until this cruise. To see people sitting there on their laptops, playing card games, etc. was infuriating while circling with a plate of food in hand for 15 minutes trying to grab a table to eat.

Thanks for commenting, and following along.  I will have a LOT more to say about Ocean view cafe. 

[jimbo5544]

And then, is that sun breaking through?

[jimbo5544]

[jimbo5544]

[jimbo5544]

Great ending.  

[jimbo5544]

Great end to the day.  

[jimbo5544]

Got back to the cabin and saw these schools of tiny fish.  Tried to capture them on film.  Maybe about a dozen. Take a look.  Looked liken baby killer whales. 
 

 

[BlerkOne]

22 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Got back to the cabin and saw these schools of tiny fish.  Tried to capture them on film.  Maybe about a dozen. Take a look.  Looked liken baby killer whales. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Look like penguins to me.

[TravelBluebird]

35 minutes ago, jimbo5544 said:

Got back to the cabin and saw these schools of tiny fish.  Tried to capture them on film.  Maybe about a dozen. Take a look.  Looked liken baby killer whales. 
 

 

 

You’ve got porpoising penguins there!! They are so fun to watch in the water!!

 

Sorry about your Elephant Island weather.  We were very lucky with ours; lots of mist and grey and then the weather opened up for us at the last minute. Still, as you said, the history of that island makes it fascinating in any weather!

I’m hoping to have some internet on my flight back on Monday so I can catch up with your thread, It will help with my “Antarctica Withdrawal” as I end my cruise! 

[BlerkOne]

[Ex-Airbalancer]

2 hours ago, jimbo5544 said:

The views were good, but the sights…not so much.  
 

 

Can’t do this on E class ships 😉😁