kinipela35

On 7/23/2020 at 11:06 AM, aimee0715 said:

Hello, I am just beginning my research into an expedition cruise to Antarctica.  We would like to go during the solar eclipse next year.  I started looking into this yesterday in anticipation of our December 2020 South American solar eclipse being cancelled.  Ocean Atlantic is one of the more affordable options.  I would love to know how many landings per day you were able to do and also, would love to know about the food on board.  My husband and I are both vegetarians.  I am a little concerned that there won't be many food options for us on these tiny ships.  I understand if you are not vegetarian, you may not have noticed if this was an issue.  Many thanks for any guidance!  I was looking at Hurtigruten but I see they only have one landing per day due to the large number of passengers.  

Passengers were split into 4 groups. We did 2 zodiac cruises and 2 shore landings per day. I thought the organization of it all worked really well for switching between groups and getting everybody on land and in the boats pretty effortlessly. It usually worked out to about 45 mins to an hour in the zodiacs per ride and 1-1.5 hours on land each time. They would adjust the timings as needed, depending if there was more to see in the water vs on land at any given stop. We were extremely fortunate with the weather and didn't miss anything. In fact, it was sunny and warm for all but 1 landing. 

The food was pretty good for a non-luxury ship. I actually thought the variety was quite good for a small ship. Breakfast and lunch were buffet style, with dinner being a more traditional restaurant, set menu, style. I think we had a fair number of vegetarians in our group and I didn't hear any complaints. The dining room has 2 buffet counters, 1 was pretty much all veggies, fruits, desserts, etc. The other had the main foods, with several options (meat and veggie) at every meal. Omelet station available at breakfast every day. The dinner menu typically had 4 choices for each category (starter, main, dessert). Some nights had 1 veggie main option. Other nights there were 2. We found ourselves ordering the veggie option a couple times as it sounded better than the others, and was!

I will say our passenger demographic was over 50% Aussie, as the chartering company was based in Australia, so I'm not sure if the food was more catered for that or not, but overall, I thought it was very good. 

You will have an amazing time no matter what, as the destination is just magical. Enjoy!

2 hours ago, GPS said:

Thank you so much. This is the most helpful information I've seen so far about the cabins. Not many have been on this one and posted!

Yes, I struggled immensely to find any reviews or information about this ship from people who've been on it, prior to our trip. Thus, I kept an open mind and just went with it. Trip turned out to be absolutely amazing and I would love to go back some day. The ship itself is more than adequate for a trip of this kind. Not luxury by any means but definitely comfortable. It also has a lot of outer deck space for its size (most in class I think I read somewhere), especially the top deck. It never felt crowded, which was a huge plus. I'm happy to answer any questions if you or anyone else has any about the ship or trip in general. 

On 2/15/2020 at 5:13 PM, GPS said:

We are trying to decide between cabin 701 which is the only stateroom on deck 7 of this ship vs one of the similar cabins on deck 8 for an Antarctica cruise.  The expedition company has told me there is no difference in size, but they seem to think cabin 701 will have more deck access due to its location, but has a partially obstructed window view with a gangway outside.  I'm wondering if anyone has actually sailed on Ocean Atlantic in the 701 or 800 cabins and can advise which would be more preferable for privacy and access to outside decks.  Thanks.

Just got off this ship 2 weeks ago. Deck 7 would offer zero privacy, as it's the equivalent of a promenade deck on bigger ships, with people walking by your window all the time, when the decks are open. That being said, I doubt anyone would be focused on looking in your window as there are much more interesting things to look at out in the water 🙂 If it was me, I'd go with the 800s, much better views and more privacy. The ship is small so access to outer decks is quick and easy from just about anywhere. Enjoy your trip! Ours was incredible. 

On 3/6/2020 at 4:34 PM, cruisetimeusa said:

Just a quick question.  Can you tell me who else you booked with for a tour in Puerto Montt besides GV tours and Viator and were you satisfied with them?

 

Thank you

 

We went with this company and enjoyed our day very much http://puertomontt-excursiones.com/en/

It is a popular company to use in this port.

On 2/1/2020 at 5:29 PM, ShmuelCharlie said:

The troubles described in the above posts tell me that I have three good reason to book most of my land excursions only with Viator or Grey Line, while my cruise excursions are booked with the cruise line: 1. Both Viator and Grey Line are reliable, have good equipment, and have good guides. 2. Cruise lines offer a guarantee to get their guests back to the ship before it sails. 3. I don't need the hassle of booking with a relatively unknown organization with possibly spotty customer service records.  

Viator is not a tour company, just a 3rd party booking agent. After you book a tour with them, your voucher will tell you who the actual tour company is that's being used. As stated above, GV Tours lists some of their tours on Viator so you could get stuck with them if you aren't paying close attention to your booking. 

8 hours ago, andylas said:

.... is Seward better / easier than Whittier to leave from?

I prefer Seward, but both are beautiful. The train ride to Whittier is a great way to get there, but there's not much there. We did a morning boat tour of Prince William Sound and College Fjord before our cruise, which was really nice. Seward is a bigger town with more to see and do. It'd be worth your time to spend a day or 2 there after your cruise and explore Kenai Fjords National Park before heading up to Denali. It is an amazingly scenic area. 

We went this past February on Emerald Princess and were in line an hour early. Got on the first tender no problem, and also got in the 1st vehicle out to Volunteer Point. I recommend an hour early or more for the tender line in this port. I heard our guide mention that some late arrivals were left behind at the dock so do not chance it. Get in line early. 

On 1/13/2019 at 10:24 PM, Lindseyd said:

Has anyone used a company called Galapagos Insiders ( https://galapagosinsiders.com/) to book their cruise?  We are looking at booking for January 2020 and while prices seem good value for a luxury cruise they have unusual payment terms. We are dealing with the Equador branch directly.  40% up front paid by Mastercard with 6.5% charge on top or transfer to a US bank for US$20?  Is this usual?  This is the first cruise we have ever been on.

We booked with a different company, based in Quito, and they also required 40% deposit. I believe the use of a credit card incurred a 7% fee with them. I opted for the wire transfer. It was very easy and cheaper. We had a great trip. I plan to post a review soon. Just have to weed through my photos. 

12 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

LOL that is exactly why i began looking at other excursions - because of the long drive to Punta Tombo.  However this one is broken up with 3 stops which we like.  When your group did the tour, how long did you actually spend at San Lorenzo and how many of their trails were you able to do?  

I don't remember how much time exactly, but it was plenty of time to walk among the penguins and enjoy watching them. We walked down to the beach and back from the parking lot. There were hundreds if not thousands of penguins, all along the walkway and down the beach for quite a distance. We were there at least 45 mins to an hour I'd estimate. At the actual ranch, we just ate lunch. We didn't really walk around at all. Then we stopped at Punta Norte to see the sea lions and elephant seals for a good 30 mins or more. We weren't lucky enough to see any orca, but the groups that go later in Feb or early March probably have a better chance. 

3 hours ago, TayanaLorna said:

We won't be in Puerto Madryn until February 5, 2020 although we leave mid January.  Want to do their Penninsula Valdez & Estancia San Lorenzo tour.  I did not want to book it on Trip Advisor because you have to pay immediately.  There is no way to book this tour on their website but I found a ventas@sentir...  Since ventas is sales, I figured that was the right way to contact.

That is the correct email. Diego usually responds via that email to inquiries. Can also try the info@ email too and see if that one gets a reply. I see their website has changed a bit in appearance from last year.  My group did the tour you're looking at this past February and it was very good. Long ride on the bus, but you'll have that with Punta Tombo as well. 

Also used Elisabet in BA and she was fabulous. She has her own website where you can book directly with her. We booked through TBL, but if I can find the business card she gave me, I'll share it. 

7 hours ago, jamacka said:

Canada has a travel advisory recommending we avoid all unnecessary travel to Ecuador.  So far the US does not have a travel advisory which is probably why Celebrity is still  going ahead with its schedule.  I suppose they won't cancel until an advisory is given.  

The US has had one since earlier this week:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/traveladvisories/traveladvisories/ecuador-travel-advisory.html

You'll see toward the bottom the areas, including Quito, that are a level 4 "do not travel" area

Left Quito on Tuesday after returning from Galapagos Monday night and cutting the 2nd half of my trip short due to the riots. The Galapagos portion of our trip was unaffected. I would say stay at a hotel near the airport if at all possible. The Wyndham is right across the street and your safest bet if they aren't fully booked. The path to the city and other hotels is unpredictable as you don't know when roads will be blocked or not. A reliable taxi driver, well known to our hotel, was able to get us out of our hotel and to the airport, pretty painlessly, thankfully. Encountered a few protestors along the way, mainly in vehicles, but other than that, it was fine. The pictures online are accurate. Police and military are everywhere, and noise from protestors can be heard all day and night. Tourists are obviously not the targets here, but better to be on the safe side and not put yourself in the position to become an accidental target. 

15 hours ago, SarniaLo said:

 

Many thanks for your answer. A shore excursion on Falkland Islands can almost make up for no landings in Antarctica 😉 . Where exactly in the Falklands was it?

 

 

Volunteer Point, near Stanley

Estancia San Lorenzo on the Valdes Peninsula has a ton of penguins. It's also not a very long walk to the beach from the drop off point. We enjoyed our tour there, although a long drive from port like Punta Tombo. Several on our ship opted for El Pedral, which I believe also has a few penguins, but is a much shorter drive from the port. You are probably less likely to be upset by weather in Puerto Madryn than Punta Arenas. I'd say base your choice on probability of actually getting to do the tour, along with any mobility limitations. 

15 hours ago, clo said:

About 25 years ago, we flew into Lima and then to Cusco.  We spent the night and took the train to MP.  Then back to Cusco for a couple of nights.  Then back to Lima for a day and home.  I have no idea why anyone would pay that kind of money.  I have no idea why anyone needs a tour of MP.  You just stand there, take it in, walk around, stand there again.  Are there really travelers who can't do that?

Lot of rules for MP now because of the crazy number of people there. A guide is now required on your initial visit and there are timed entrances to the park.  We were allowed back in after lunch without our guide, but the first entrance in the morning he had to be with us. I'm sure there are people out there who find a way around this requirement, but we enjoyed having the guide for the first time through, then did our own thing afterward. 

7 hours ago, lawgirl said:

Yes. Actually none are in the US.  Two are worldwide “luxury” companies. The other four were all based just tour operators in Peru or South America.  They were ones recommended on TripAdvisor in forums. I guess maybe because there are only two of us? And we are asking for nice hotels, the nice train, private guides, all flights.  The suggested itineraries do contain a lot of activities and some meals.  But It is still hard to believe they want basically $2000 a day for two of us!  I am kind of at a loss.... 

I'm sure prices have increased since we went 2 years ago, but I can't imagine they went up by that much.  The luxury aspect might be what's doing it. We had nice hotels, very clean and comfortable with good breakfast offerings, but not luxury, as we were just there to sleep. $2k per day just seems crazy for a country where everything is so cheap, relative to other destinations. I do remember 2 of our city tours were "group tours" but our group was literally just us and 2 other people. I would think even if you did a few small group tours to help lower the price, it'd be better than a large group with Celebrity. Also, if you can get a private tour for the same price that you'd be paying for a group tour through Celebrity, I'd go with the private tour. It was especially nice to have the private guide in MP.  We did our tour with PeruForLess. They had great guides, drivers, and excellent customer service. It might be worth asking for a quote for a combo tour with some being small group and some being private like when you're at MP.

To answer one of your original questions about MP, it depends on what you want to do there. If you just want to see the main section of the ruins and not do any of the longer optional hikes, a half day is probably enough. We enjoyed spending 2 days and doing some of the additional hikes, like Huayna Picchu, Inca bridge, and Sun Gate. Also, the town is fun to explore and stay a night in. The benefit to a 2nd day is you'll likely get good weather on at least one of the days. We were able to see the citadel surrounded in clouds one morning and nice and sunny the 2nd day. Kind of cool to see it both ways. You could honestly just sit there for hours, enjoying the view, in awe. 

Have the tour companies you tried all been US based? We tried a few local Peru based ones and had good options from all of them to pick from. The local places tend to be cheaper from what I've seen. 

I'm sorry but $6000 for 7 days on land in Peru as a group tour is absurd. You can do much better booking on your own. There are tour companies out there that can arrange all of that as a private tour for far less money. A private 12 day tour of Peru (including 4 internal flights, nice hotels, transport, tours, guide, 2 days in MP, 4 days in the Amazon, etc) for a friend and me was less than $3500 each. We didn't have to worry about anything. We just showed up at the time they told us to and everything was taken care of. It was amazing. 

thanks everyone

For those who have sailed to Antarctica recently, what time has your ship returned and docked in Ushuaia? Early morning or mid morning? What is the earliest you've gotten off the ship and to the airport?

Based on the flight times I'm seeing, getting back to Buenos Aires, AEP-EZE transfer, and making an international connection that night seems to be a long shot unless the ~10am nonstop flight out of Ushuaia is feasible. Anyone done this?

Thanks for the review and great info. Were tender tickets handed out the morning of or the day before tender ports? Was there a long line for non-elites?

Another member mentioned that GV Tours stated the boat they contract/use in Punta Arenas is no longer available for the season so all tours were cancelled through them for this specific tour. Other tour operators are still offering this tour so you can rebook with one of them if you all still want to go. 

On 10/21/2018 at 8:05 AM, Cardex said:

So I have been off CC for 2 weeks while on a cruise and I have come back to this upgrade... Trying to figure out how to view the threads I follow. After changing preferences on these threads, the order they are in is now by the date/time of the change of the preference?? Is there any way to change this to threads with new posts first like it was before? Now when there is a new post, the thread title is bold but it may be the 6th thread in the list. Also there is no blue dot to go to the new post. I didn't like the last upgrade and now this one seems even worse.

 

Edited to add - this thread was not added to my follow list automatically like before. I had to follow it manually...

You want to use the Activity Streams (Activity tab, then "My Activity Streams") section to achieve what you are asking now. Set up the filters to display your followed content with newest first and it will work. That's how I did it. 

You can then save the filter set and name it whatever you want. There is also a little check box next to the title at the top that will allow you to make it your default stream, which also puts a shortcut to it on the home page under the search box on the right. It works pretty slick and I love it. 

That is strange about the weather as it is by the equator and we swam in deep water without any wet suit in February. It was quite hot on walks and water in beach area snorkels was very warm.

It is also when you see a lot of babies.

The ocean currents shift mid-year and bring colder, nutrient-rich water to the islands during the latter half of the year.