PerfectlyPerth

On 4/1/2024 at 10:45 AM, Ozwoody said:

All true, except by car, at least on the east coast, and SA.

No border check points now, there was when I was a young fella, but a half century later, and everything is changed.

Not sure about WA; Tas; and NT, but can't imagine they would have road border check points these days.

 

ps: yes I know there is a little water between Tas and Vic, but you can still drive via the ferry😁

Can assure you the WA/SA and WA/NT border crossings and vehicle checks have always existed and do indeed exist today. 
I really thought people on this forum were more well travelled to be honest. 

7 hours ago, arxcards said:

Once upon a time we were not allowed to carry fruit across state borders, and it was most fun watching inspectors walking the train and getting off looking like Santa Claus.

Not "once upon a time". It's never changed. Haven't you seen the AQIS bins at airports? And the sniffer dogs. And border stations ? All normal everyday situation for Aus border crossings. 
https://www.agriculture.gov.au/biosecurity-trade/policy/biosecurity-matters/domestic-travel

12 hours ago, afto said:

Wow. I can't imagine any circumstances where I would reply with "nonsense" to a post made by someone just trying to be helpful by relating their own experience. Yes, you can wave your hand and get help, you are correct. But that doesn't mean that anything in my post was incorrect or nonsense. QR codes exist, robots exist -- not everywhere, of course, but I did not say that this was a universal experience.

Yes they do indeed all exist. But they have not yet replaced humans entirely. All eating establishments still have managers, wait staff, chefs, cleaners etc. Ample people to get the attention of if you haven't been able to use the QR code ordering system or you want to add/change part of the order. 
 

I was saying "nonsense" to this specific statement "" difficult to get any advice or make any changes or requests.""

Because my opinion (which I am entitled to) is that you were exaggerating re the difficulty of getting assistance. 

12 hours ago, afto said:

We also noticed that many casual restaurants in New Zealand and Australia have menu available via a QR code displayed at the table. Order and pay on your phone and your meal will be delivered to you. And in one place, our meal was delivered by robot as well. Very impersonal and difficult to get any advice or make any changes or requests.

Nonsense. You can simply raise your hand and wave at the hospitality staff and they will come over or pop up to the counter and ask for help. 
 

2 hours ago, saz25 said:

I was loooking at the Silverseas cruise (Endevour ?) that starts and ends in King George island. I assume you have to take a flight to get there. True?

True. Astral travel & teleportation don't exist yet. 
 

If your sole reason for a fly-cruise is to gain more time on the peninsula then you need to weigh up the risks yourself in addition to comparing more itineraries with non fly-cruise ones. 

Quark, Antarctica21, Lindblad, Chimu, Silverseas -  all offer Fly-Cruise itineraries. As mentioned above - there is a risk with flights being very much weather dependent so a good level of travel insurance and flexible flights home is needed. 
 

Personally I think the entire trip is interesting. Including the Drake Passage each way. So much birdlife to watch, and whales and icebergs. 

21 hours ago, teamflames said:

I haven’t had it clarified yet - but it looks like $700-800 which could add up a lot if they are required on multiple days. Also based on your feedback on Ross itineraries I wonder what you would do if you chose not to pay for the helicopter at each site, am moving away from that itinerary as just too costly and too unknown.

That would definitely add up across a total itinerary. 
I would imagine those not doing the chopper flight would be doing exactly nothing - as in those locations it's not like there is an option of say a zodiac cruise or a shore line to head to as an alternative. 
In my Ross Sea case the heli's were used to access regions completely inaccessible like the Dry Valleys and the top of a Volcano. But importantly also used on days where some places like Cape Adare & Shackleton's Hut - which are generally accessible to zodiacs were badly iced in along the shore. So if we didn't have the choppers we would have totally missed those two historical huts which were a massive highlight. So having the accessibility option there was vital in my opinion. 
But you can always save that destination for trip 2. Have we all warned you yet that polar travel becomes very addictive lol. Only a few days into my first trip I stopped referring to it being a "once in a lifetime trip" and was already asking fellow passengers (most of who had been 15-20 times) where I should focus for trip 2 !!!! ❄️🐧❄️🐧

21 hours ago, teamflames said:

Funny you say that PP, those Basecamp itineraries were the ones I was studying today. Definitely seem to be a bit more focused on adventure - although the reviews are very hit and miss - those with negative views seem to have had poor expeditions staff/teams - sounds like there are some inexperienced hires being used (those trying to have their own cheap experiences).

we are not hung up on being on a luxury ship but it just seems crazy that there is so little price difference and often the luxury ones (like Atlas) are actually cheaper than Intrepid.

I can't judge re the expedition teams as my Oceanwide expedition mostly had a combination of Quark & Aurora expedition team members. 
But yes I have read similar in trip reports re a different quality on the base camps and I'm inclined to think it's what @kaisatsu says. 
Those itineraries were created for folks who felt bored by "just landing & walking round" & zodiac cruising & lectures and who wanted more physical action. So I guess they weigh up having people with climbing expertise over actual true polar expertise & knowledge of the environment. 
There are 160 reviews on the Oceanwide Facebook page - I've not scrolled thru all of them to see which ones specially mention Base Camps but it's another avenue for opinions. 

9 hours ago, teamflames said:

Thanks PP,

I do agree with your sentiment but at the moment when I look at pricing I can be on an all inclusive luxury boat with about 200 people on board or for the same price I can travel on Ocean Endeavour which seems to be a basic ship, same passengers, much less included and same itinerary. Do these ships really do excursions so much better?

Will keep searching - all good fun. 

One thing to count/compare is the number of expedition team members per passenger & number of zodiacs - that will determine how many of the pax are rotating on landings and zodiac cruising. 
3 of my trips were under 90 pax and the Sea Adventurer was 116. So we all got off the ship without much delay and plenty of hours on shore and no rushing with zodiac cruising if we ended up surround by whales. 

For me the "luxury" was being outside on the deck seeing albatross, icebergs, whales, seals, penguins. Or being on landings or zodiac cruising (or helicopters). I had no need for a luxury cabin - I still paid the price of my first house ! But it was for the experience not a posh interior. (Google double cabin photos of the Khlebnikov and you will laugh - we had seatbelts on our very compact single beds 😆😆 and the poor sods in triple cabins had netting to lock them into the top bunks! It was spartan to say the least. But I felt like an adventurer lol). 
 

It's all very much a personal choice. Antarctica still gives its all to us - no matter how we get there. 
 

The other thing I thought of that I don't think any of us have raised with you yet. As you are slightly younger but very much fitter than me - you might be up for considering the Oceanwide Base Camp itineraries. They tend to do less exploration and daily moving from spot to spot, and have more focus on finding a good spot to do a lot more adventure activities including snowshoeing, climbing etc plus usual kayaking & camping. My pal has just booked one for his 60th. 
 

9 hours ago, teamflames said:

Awesome response PP.

ok will focus more on TA forum.

Not sure I am searching for rough seas, I can suffer seasickness but it is rather difficult to predict - sometimes fine in rough seas but bad in minor swells!

The scenic ship has helicopters but at added charge so could add up. 
Great feedback 

This forum has several regular posters who don't post on TA so there is still also good advice here. It's predominantly more folks who have done the big drive by scenic cruises on cruise ships, rather than the expedition ships. 
 

Do they say how much the added charge for heli's is ? I'm being nosey as I've often wondered. 3 out of 4 of my trips had heli's - included in price of trip. Many flights on each trip including landing on an iceberg on Xmas morning before breakfast, and landing up on top of a plateau on Peter First Is volcano. Also flying way inland to spend the entire day or night on emperor colonies. Big highlights personally. Oh and the Dry Valleys. 
 

I'm good in all seas so I'm not great with advice for seasickness. My friend who is a polar ship chef & studied food medical science experimented with passengers with things like potato chips or pretzels dipped in dark chocolate & left to set. Something about the salty sweet ingredients changing the blood pressure. And it ended up being the only thing folks could keep down. 
 

Either way - pack whatever remedy you already know works for you. And every ship has a Dr on board usually doling out fenergan or similar generic name. And the galley is generally happy to make bland smoothies or plain omelettes etc that people can keep down during the rough days. 

It's a US thing that I seriously thought ended in the 1950s 😆 

In the rest of the world no one cares what you wear, what colour it is, what style, etc. We do have a preference that rudey bits are covered unless you are specifically at a nudist resort! 

On 2/28/2024 at 10:07 AM, Karaboudjan said:

 

Good to know.  Figured it was not inattentiveness.  Thanks.

Down here it's called not being constantly annoyed by waiters angling for tips - rather than inattentiveness. And we prefer it that way. They leave us in peace while we dine and when we are done we either signal that we are ready to be brought the bill, or we go up to the counter. 

On 3/1/2024 at 6:11 PM, teamflames said:

Hi I have received quotes for Quark Ultramarine and Scenic eclipse. Both look high end and itineraries seem similar (at least in time). Scenic seems to include a little more in terms of drinks. Quark is slightly more expensive. Does anyone have any experience in both? Is there an advantage to Quark?

thanks

3 of my 4 expeditions were with Quark. They have been in the Antarctica business for over 30 years. I choose that level of experience over a drinks package personally. Their vessels are getting too big & posh for my taste these days as I prefer the more rugged vessels that remind you you are on an expedition, but at least they have retained their smallest vessel Ocean Adventurer (which was Sea Adventurer when I sailed on her). 

16 hours ago, mahasamatman said:

The problem is that a lot of them will call themselves specialists, but just saying so doesn't make it true.

Feel free to also ask the question on the Trip Advisor Antarctica Adventures forum where it's fine to name companies and post links etc. 

On 3/1/2024 at 4:22 PM, teamflames said:

Hi we are in process of researching a potential Antarctic cruise at the end of the year. We are based in Australia. There are the various options of travelling from South America to the Peninsula and islands but we are also looking at a cruise from NZ that visits “east Antarctica” Mawsons etc

Just curious if anyone has done both and can tell us the pros and cons?

thanks

Hi

You will note that we are pretty much all the same folks already replying over on your Trip Advisor thread. Polar travel is a small group of people!!

You can post links on TA but not here so it's easier if you post the ones to the trips you are looking at on your TA thread. Saves us having to scroll thru every operators website. 
 

Since Commonwealth Bay became unblocked by the iceberg that had been blocking passage for many years - a couple of vessels have been successful in reaching Mawson's Hut. We did it in 2011 thanks to the Khlebnikov icebreaker and helicopters. 
That was part of my full East Antarctica voyage that went all the way along to Davis Station then up to Heard Island. 
There are no itineraries of this nature since those days. 
 

If you choose a Ross Sea or Mawson's Hut type loop - as I said on Trip Advisor - a very different mind set is needed. Best discovered by reading those specific trip reports I linked to. 
Unlike peninsula trips where you are seeing icebergs by day 2 and gearing up for zodiacing by day 3, crossing the Southern Ocean from Hobart or NZ can be ferociously rough (some of the best seas I've ever experienced - for me the rougher the better) so you need to be a good sailor. It can be day 6 or 7 before the first icebergs are sighted. So a lot more "at sea" days than peninsula trips. 
The itinerary might have 4 named "hopeful" landing spots and weather conditions may mean you miss all of them. Or you may be lucky and reach them all. 
Again there is a big difference between what can be accessed with or without helicopters. 
 

That is a big difference with peninsula trips. While the operators have prebooked their landing spots several seasons in advance - they will usually have an option B or C when weather prevents option A. Sometimes it's merely cruising into the next bay where the sea conditions are less choppy. 

It's very much dependant on what you want to experience. I've done 3 big month long expansive trips (2 itineraries that will likely never be repeated due to lack of full icebreakers anymore) where it's all about the experience as a whole. And I've done one 23 or 24 day (I've lost track) that was the more traditional "FI, SGI, Peninsula, Crossing Circle". As much as I loved it I was exhausted by the 3, sometimes 4, excursions each day. Sometimes I missed the downtime of the big trips with their "at sea" days. 
 

But one thing you will see from the trip reports is that it's very much a mindset thing. Some people hate the sea days, others love them. Some hate rough seas, others like me seek out the rougher the better. 
 

PS - the planning is the fun bit so don't stress too much over it. And watch out near Easter for the annual Aldi ski gear sale as their gear is super cheap!
 

This is a handy link. It includes info for every state but all neatly sorted into state by state info on trading hours for retail. 
https://www.retail.org.au/news-and-insights/easter-trading-hours

This one has some Easter specific activities. Including info on the Royal Easter Show as mentioned above. A big tradition. It has a list of opening times for various attractions. 
https://sydneyexpert.com/easter-in-sydney/

1 hour ago, possum52 said:

Freemantle is the correct way to pronounce it but there is no emphasis on the free. It is not said as Free Mantle.

Lol no - former WA local here - it's actually pronounced "fruh"mantle !! Freo (freeoh) for short. 

On 2/10/2024 at 6:26 AM, Ziggy99 said:

On the contrary, I have 4 baselayers in superfine merino.  Complete with moth signatures.  I learned their benefits from 35 years of overnight ski touring that included 6 days glacier skiing in New Zealand and sleeping on snow at minus 14 in the Australian high country.  Their only advantage, now perhaps lost, is that they take longer to get stinky.

 

Most people find ordinary wool against the skin feels scratchy.  That's why there's a superfine wool industry - mainly supplied by New Zealand.

 

The OP needs some specialised cold weather gear for an Antarctic trip that they appear to have no continuing use for.  Polyester baselayers are cheap, comfortable, durable, easy care and quick drying.

 

Horses for courses.

Sorry haven't been back in the forum for a bit. 
Awesome photo !!!

I completely agree re scratchy traditional wool clothing. You wouldn't get me within a hundred metres of a traditional knitted jumper. 
It took me a lot of mind of matter talk to start wearing merino after a childhood mindset of "it's wool so it's yucky and itchy".

Yes - being such finely woven fabric it has no itch factor anymore. To me I can't feel the difference between my merino leggings and my bamboo leggings. But also these days merino is cheap and cheerful - both Aus & NZ brands (of which I have both) - and that's the point I was trying to make. No need to pay extra for the Icebreaker brand name. There are $15 merino longjohns in Target every winter these days. And they are great. 
 

Definitely no need for pricey specialist gear for a standard peninsular trip. Not with the way temps have increased there now. Even compared to my first trip in 2010 the warming is obvious (and a concern).
 

US has far more choice with hunting & camping stores to order super cheap base layers in any chosen thermal fabric. 

Agree Jayrey re goggles. I specifically wore goggles (mine are the nice big tinted ski goggles) for zodiac rides as the wind plays havoc with my eyes - dries them up and then they over-tear. And I had my normal sunglasses for on shore, on deck etc. 
 

Gloves: I had thin merino liner gloves for being out on deck or on landings. Also on zodiac cruising once we came to a slow down and not likely to be splashed. I have snipped holes in the top of the finger & thumb to allow me to just flip my thumb and finger out to operate my camera & phone. 
Also have an ancient pair of polyester fake knitted fingerless gloves. From a $2 shop. Been all round the world with me. Good for camera use. 
And waterproof ski gloves for gripping the zodiac ropes when fast moving & getting splashed. I've never needed them on landings. I just have them on caribeener clips attached to my bag "just in case" then put them back on in the zodiac. 

@acing_spades1 how are you going with your decision making ? 
I was just reading an article about citizen scientist travels to Antarctica and it mentioned the MV Fiidhjof Nansen as having a good program on board and one entire deck reserved for research projects. 
Hopefully it's ok to post a link to the article for you. 
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/travel/should-you-visit-antarctica-is-polar-tourism-doing-more-harm-than-good/B4O7FDRHZRAYVEXWXRVTLAVDAA/

I guess we will bow down to your far superior knowledge Ziggy 😉 You don't like wool/merino - we get it. Poor Aussie 🐑🐑🐑 industry getting no support from you 😆
 

My cheap & cheerful merino and bamboo fabrics along with a couple of polypropylene pieces over 15 years old, did me just fine for my 116 days in some of the most remote parts of Antarctica no longer accessed by tourist vessels. Far far colder regions than the peninsula where we were out at emperor colonies for 8-10 hours straight each day. 

Remember that many who give advice here have been on multiple polar trips and are giving a wide range of advice from lived experience. Many also live year round in cold climates so fabric choices are not unusual for them. I - the sun bronzed Aussie even lived in a US ski resort at 10,000 feet. 
 

Shared & varied opinions are valuable to OPs seeking advice. 
 

Also - as mentioned - my apt and entire apt complex is infested with fabric moths. Has been for years. Not one of my icebreaker tops, nor any of my other merino gear has ever been touched by the moths. 
 

8 hours ago, LindaD22 said:

I am on a NZ cruise now and following the advice about no tipping. However, not everyone got that memo! Fellow passengers have been tipping tour guides and bus drivers, mostly non-AUS/NZ passengers. But it just feels awkward to NOT tip when nearly everyone else does. My husband is questioning my no-tipping stance because of the tipping done by all the others. So, as much as AUS/NZ would like to be a non-tipping culture, I think it has firmly established itself in at least the cruising sector. I know some will be riled by this but I’m not saying that I think there should be tipping, just that there really already is. 

As my grandmother so often said "if everyone jumped off a cliff would you follow them?"  
 

At the end of the day you informed yourself and are following the advice given. You can't do anything about those that didn't bother or are ignoring advice. So don't let what they do affect your trip. 

On 2/8/2024 at 5:25 AM, Ziggy99 said:

Looks like for the OP the use will be one-off. 

 

$35 v $110 in my country.

 

I'm a backcountry ski tourer.  My friends and I have used superfine merino for decades and we've all got wholey garments. For stink, polyester is fine for 2 days, wool for 4 but you pay through the nose for it.

You seem to be talking more about the overpriced specialist Merino gear in the Adventure/ski stores. Definitely no need to be paying that kind of price for every day merino fabrics. 
Most of my merino and bamboo stuff was bought from my usual online catalogue store Ezibuy (was buying from them since the 90s but a big buy out company recently deliberately sent them bust sadly). Prices like $15-20 for layering tops & leggings, $30 for tunics, skirts, jumpers, hoodies. 
 

It's my every day clothing in Melb winter (as it's nice and lightweight) as well as wearing it in Antarctica - and I was in minus 37c regions!! 

On 2/6/2024 at 10:33 PM, Ziggy99 said:

I would recommend quality polyester base layers rather than wool.  Much cheaper, easier to care for and quick drying and the moths aren't interested.  Wash them in your sink.

The only advantage AFAIC to superfine merino is that you can work hard and sweat in them for several long days without them getting stinky.

50% of my wardrobe these days is merino - tops, tunics, skirts, leggings. 
My apartment complex is riddled with fabric moths (they fly round my apt in squadrons) and I've found they are not remotely interested in merino at all. 
Whereas my poor neighbours with wardrobes full of silk, cashmere, tweeds and open knits (like those thick argyle jumpers) have had their clothing reduced to cobwebs. 
So I'm pleasantly surprised the moths are not interested in my merino stuff, nor bamboo which makes up the rest of my clothes. 
 

As a solo woman I've always sat in the front of cabs & rideshares but since Covid it's been preferred by drivers that people sit in the back. During lockdowns here it was compulsory. I've since continued with that practice out of respect for the drivers. 

17 hours ago, WHB said:

PerfectlyPerth - we are going all the way to see the Wilkins Ice Shelf through the Gullet on the Hondius.  There is only one commercial trip a year.  We hope that the weather will be clement to us and we get to follow the schedule more or less! 

Oh excellent. My 4th trip was with Oceanwide. The newer Hondius should easily get thru the Gullet and further down. A good adventure to look forward to. 
 

I agree with @kaisatsu that the footwear instruction seems to be more for the Arctic trips. Most folks on my month long Oceanwide trip wore sneakers/runners or walking sandals or similar to me - Keens. No one on board polices your footwear except if the crew spy crocs or thongs/flipflops - a big no no - especially on stairs. (I've seen the resulting exposed compound fracture from the person who refused to obey the "no flip flops on stairs" advice. He was banned from all landings & heli flights for the entire voyage as a result!!).