scottjeanne

Is there a dart board on Queen Victoria?  Is there a croquet court?  Do they have fencing?

I just checked with the future cruise consultant and all the Wind cruises for 2025 are on.  You can look at the website, no cancellation s or waitlist among them.

Interesting.  We sail in three weeks.  I'll report back.  We have two formal nights scheduled.

When you go into you activities, they show a spread sheet type calendar.  There is a small bow tie next to the date if it is formal.  The icons are at the bottom of the page.

If you paid in full, as we did, they credit it back to your credit card.  It did take several phone calls and about a month though.

21 hours ago, joutvs said:

The majority of passengers are very well

dressed and I believe the dress code is not affecting as fellow guest are dressing to impress. Theres a younger crowd onboard this cruise but is a new years cruise. We are doing the 7 night from Colombia to Florida. 
 

We have spoken to other passengers and yesterday a very nice Cuban couple compared this cruise to their last regent cruise and they had the same concerns. 
 

We have been on regent, seabourn, crystal, Oceania and silversea. We are not cheerleaders of any as we believe each one has the uniqueness. But we remembered silversea different. 
 

My experience might be different that others but I assure you the quality has gone downhill. 
 

We are coming back on March 31 and do hope they bring that “special luxury” back … as they will loose us as customers if not. 

 

 

We are joining you on March 31 Lima to Fort Lauderdale. And we have the precruise extension to Machu Picchu.

An interesting read would be Where Did You Go Bernadette?  

What is the difference between waitlisted and full?  One of our excursions is listed as full.  Does that mean they wont put anyone on a waitlist and add more tours for it?

We did the last trip of Silver Seas schedule last March.  It was fabulous.  We made landings twice each day.  There was plenty of wildlife.  Do not hesitate to go.  Best trip we have ever done.

1. You are put into groups for the zodiac tours.  You have the same group for the entire cruise.  They do keep people who are traveling together in the same group.  We had 138 passengers and there were 6 groups.  They rotate the times you go to the zodiacs.  For example group 1 is first on the first day, group two is second.  The next day group two is first, group three is second etc.  So you do not always have the crack of dawn start time. 

Since we had a small number of passengers, anyone who wanted to go on the excursions could go.  No one had to remain on the ship.  We had two per day, one in the morning and you returned to the ship for lunch.  The ship then change locations and you had the opportunity to go out in the afternoon.  There was also the opportunity to kayak, which was great. 

There is a mud room next to where you board the zodiacs.  Your boots stay there.  You must thoroughly clean them after each excursion so you are not contaminating Antarctica.  The time on shore varied.  Usually once on shore, you could stay as long or as little time as you like.  They let you know when the last zodiac transfer was leaving.  You did not have to return with your group.

All landings were wet.  There are no docks. The zodiac pulls onto the land, sometimes a beach"ish" area, sometimes just rocks.  You slide to the front of the Zodiac and you are helped out into the shallow water and you walk to dry land.

2.  The briefings were in the early evening before dinner.  Usually about 6 pm before dinner.  They last between 30 to 60 minutes.  They give great information about the days sites and what they anticipate for the next day.  It does change due to weather conditions.

3.  The Grill has amazing quality food.  They will cook it for you if you are not interested in grilling yourself.  There are space heaters and lap blankets.  We were often warm enough without our parkas.

4.  There are many packing lists that are very helpful.  I will emphasize that the outer pants you wear (whether rented or your own) are water proof.  Not water resistant, water proof. You will get wet on the zodiacs and during the landings. 

I found I had too many layers, but it was easy to peel them off. 

The one thing I took and was very happy with was shower slide shoes.  You will wear heavy socks (sometimes two pair) and you have to get from your cabin to the mudroom to get your boots.  My street shoes would not fit over the socks.  And it is cumbersome and awkward to try and put on boots with all your gear and life vest on.  Slip on rubber shoes were great.

5.  It was never pitch black, though the sun was down for a few hours.  It seemed to hover on the horizon.

4. I did not use walking poles.  I did have removable crampons for my boots which was helpful for the time of year we went (February and March 2022).  The snow was slushy and slippery. 

5. Weather is going to vary.  The Drake passage going over was very rough.  Lots of people sick.  the seas were very calm on the return a week later.

I hope this was helpful.  Please enjoy.  It is truly amazing.

I am afraid you will find Antarctica, for an expedition cruise, to be very pricey.  Check on what is included.  Silver Seas and Seabourn are luxury cruise lines and include alcohol, excursions, often times kayaking, pre and post cruise hotels and transfers.  If you make a list, then you can compare apples to apples.  It is amazing and  I would definitely try to make it happen.

We were at Iguazu Falls last March.  The second day it rained all day.  We walked in the rain anyway.  It was warm.  The paths are all either wooden or paved.  Bring shoes that you can walk in while wet.  I ended up barefoot as I foolishly had on leather sandals.

Trainers are fine for being on deck.  I had some sneakers with fleece lining (fashionable right now, and warm).  

We did a back to back Antarctica and South Georgia.  Both gave us a video on a flash drive.  The Antarctica one was excellent filmed and edited by the ships photographer..  The videographer that was to be on board for the second cruise got covid before boarding, so he was not available.  A passenger who happened to work for Silverseas stepped in a did an adequate job.  Both were lovely additions to all the photos we took.  The cruises were last February/ March on the Cloud.

We were in on a European river cruise with Uniworld last July.  They did not follow their own stated protocols regarding covid.  They said all passengers must be fully vaccinated.  No one checked, many were not vaccinated and we had a large party of ten come down with covid.  Uniworld gave them the option of quarantining on the ship or leaving the ship.  They left-and I am sure they did not quarantine on shore!

We needed a test to arrive in USA last March.  there is a testing site at the airport.  It may entail returning to the airport to get the timing right for your embarkation.

Bring one or two warm weather outfits, they are small.  It was very hot-I got a sunburn.  And bring layers for Antarctica.  I found it was not as cold as I anticipated and had too many layers.  It was 35-42 degrees last February.

On 12/13/2022 at 5:28 PM, Travelgal 2323 said:

Hi there, sorry I'm late to this thread. Someone just called my attention to it. I've attached a packing list from my last 17 day trip to Antarctica and South Georgia. It also has some tips.  Hope it helps.

 

Realize, that you will wear the same 'uniform' each day when it comes to excursions, and they don't get stinky because you won't sweat. So you you only need 1 set there. Plus, of the days on board, we were at sea for 5-6 of the days, so my stretch pants/yoga pants were my go-to day where, with a few different tops. No body cares if you wear stuff more than once.

 

Dinners are casual most nights, a few dressier nights if going over the holidays like I did, but a simply pair of slacks and a dressier blouse with some earrings and you're good to go. The products on board are good, so no need to bring yours. Feel free to ask me more questions at jen@paradoxtravels.com   And overall, don't let it consume your thoughts too much. There is so much more to you than what you wear. And the 'fashion' in the arctic regions is 'ath-leisure'. 

 

And yes, the main bag was 50# allowance and carry-on was #18 when I went. OH! A few more tips, not sure I mentioned in the attachment - this year because of all the craziness with flights and baggage....if you have connecting flights, I'd advise that you and your travel partner do 2 things in case one of your bags don't make the connection - don't freak out at this thought, it happens. But a little forethought makes it manageable: 1) pack one outfit, shell, beanie and gloves in your carry-on. As well as meds.  2) pack in EACH OTHERS bag, a few items that if one bag doesn't make, you each have some of the other person's stuff. This is has saved us before. You can switch it back when you get to Santiago if you want. *there is a Mall not far from the Mandarin Oriental - if you really got stuck, you can taxi there and pick up a few items.  

 

Remember this is a trip of a lifetime thats more about penguins, icebergs, elephant seals and whales!! You will love it no matter what you're wearing. Reach out if I can serve you in any other way. 

Jen 

Packing List and Tips for Antarctica.pdf 4.56 MB · 45 downloads

On our trip last spring, one women's luggage did not make it.  Her luggage was overweight so at the airport  she took all her shoes, put it in her carry on and put everything else in her checked bag.  The suitcase never made it.  She boarded the ship with nothing-no change of clothes, makeup, underwear etc.  But she did have shoes! LOL.  Many passengers had extra cold weather gear.  Some even had new makeup and new underwear that were given to her.  The crew put together some clothes so she made it through.  So lost luggage can be a factor.  And unlike the rest of the world there was no place to pick up even the essentials.  She was traveling solo so there was no one to spilt the packing with.

The video mentioned is nice and shows very calm seas.  Our experience is more like the video here.  It is very doable even if you are less mobile.  the ABS (abled bodied seaman) are fabulaous.

Not a thing was open on Sunday.  We were there in March of 2022.  Downtown is where people work during the week.  No shops or anything was open.

No one here is going to be able to give you a definitive answer.  We went to Antarctica last February/March.  The first Drake Passage was very rough.  The return was fine. The cruise before us missed most of their landings due to terrible weather.  We were able to make two landings per day since our weather was glorious.  It is really a crap shoot.  On the voyage over, most of the ship, crew included, was ill.  It lasted 24 hours.  Take the meds early-long before you think you will need them.  Those that did had mild symptoms.

23 hours ago, MamaFej said:

We now have the Madarin Oriental listed as our Santiago hotel bothe before and after our cruise. It looks lovely. 

It  is lovely.  Great pool and a couple of nice restaurants.  Good location for walking to parks and other restaurants.

14 hours ago, QueSeraSera said:

I would swear I saw a quote within the last 24 hours or so about being a fighter, not a quitter.  And now she's a quitter?  British politics is confusing, but I do enjoy the little snippets we get here of when the PM goes and answers questions from members of the House of Commons.  As far as I know, the USA has nothing like it.

Best wishes to all in the UK.

I am reminded of the song sung by King George in Hamilton:

I Know Him

(Lin-Manuel Miranda - Hamilton Cast)

[KING GEORGE]
They say
George Washington's yielding his power and stepping away
‘Zat true?
I wasn't aware that was something a person could do
I'm perplexed
Are they gonna keep on replacing whoever's in charge?
If so, who's next?
There's nobody else in their country who looms quite as large...

A sentinel whispers in King George's ear

John Adams?!
I know him
That can't be
That's that little guy who spoke to me
All those years ago
What was it, eighty-five?
That poor man, they're gonna eat him alive!
Oceans rise
Empires fall
Next to Washington, they all look small
All alone
Watch them run
They will tear each other into pieces
Jesus Christ, this will be fun!

Da da da dat da dat da da da da ya da
Da da da dat dat da ya daaaaa!

"President John Adams"
Good Luck

source: https://www.lyricsondemand.com/soundtracks/h/hamiltonlyrics/hamiltonact2albumlyrics.html#iknowhimlyrics

Our cruise was Santiago to Antarctica, South Georgia, Falklands, Monte Video to Buenos Aires.

We had no issue with luggage on the charter, but originally we were to disembark in Buenos Aires, but they refused to allow cruise ships, so we disembarked in Monte Video and they flew us to Buenos Aires and that flight charged everyone for their checked baggage.  $30 per bag, even though we paid for business class flights throughout.  Very annoying.

We were on the Cloud last spring and there were definitely wet landings.  In fact all landings were wet and you must have boots.  I bought mine so I could use them again.