Gurnee2

Hi, me again. Oh....I didnt realize this. There is a tall 7 story screen on a wall opposite the glass elevator with videos but it appeared to be various landscapes of Norway. We were shown the underwater camera and the joy sticks that operate it etc. and then just a short video as I mentioned before. 

Towards the end of the trip the various naturalists gave a presentation with photos summarizing the trip. What we saw etc. The fellow who manages the science center showed a video from the underwater camera that showed penguins diving, the ocean floor and the underside of icebergs. I had thought it was going to be a undersea webcam during the entire trip but evidently the video was taken from zodiacs from time to time and pieced together as one video for the end of trip summary. 

After a morning landing on Petermann island we were scheduled to do zodiac cruising in the afternoon but it was cancelled because of moving ice. We actually bumped our way through floating, dense ice in the zodiacs on the way to Petermann.  I was happy with the experience we had there. Otherwise it was landings once a day. The bay was full of icebergs and easy to see from the ship. There were 7 landings in Antarctic and 2 in the Falklands on privately owned islands (sheep farms) which had amazing albatross colonies and rock hopper penguins. If you want to google them it was Carcass Island and West Point Island. We had tea and snacks at the farmers home after our trek to the rookeries. On the day in Stanley we booked a ship excursion for $149 to Bluff Cove Lagoon to see King Penguins which was excellent and we had OBC to use up. Later we had time to walk through Stanley and the ship had non stop shuttles from the dock to downtown. The Antarctic landings were  Yankee Harbor, Mikkelsen Harbor, Danco Island, Orne  harbor, Damoy Point, Petermann island and Deception Island. A google search will show the beautiful setting and history of these locations. We were so worried about the number of landings before the cruise and also wanted to do zodiac cruising near arched icebergs (yes, we saw wonderful arched icebergs), but in the end the ship got us very close to penguins on icebergs, humpback whales, seals etc. The deck 6 view points are very close to the water and we maneuvered through spectacular scenery. Naturalists are on deck 7 and 10 and very informative.   It was very sunny most days. Bring sunglasses and sun block.  I know I sound like an advertisement. I was just so negative about the booking before I went because of the reviews and was ready to be critical about everything. My only issue was not knowing what to expect before going. That fostered pre-trip jitters. I believe many decisions about landings were made on a daily basis because of weather etc. Each night we were given a detailed briefing about the next day. The daily events newsletter was delivered to staterooms at night and were on the TV in the room as well. I think a lot of my pre-trip issues were based on just not knowing the specific details of how each day would be managed. Everything was sorta vague. Oh, I forgot. One naturalist takes a boat out to gather plankton, krill and water samples for discussions in the science center. One can sign up to go out with him so that would give another off ship opportunity. Just a FYI...ask about it. Enjoy your trip. I think  you will be pleasantly surprised.

Hi all. I just got back from the December 26th departure and you can see from my earlier posts, I was worried about going because of so many bad reviews. In truth, the trip exceeded our expectations. The ship is beautiful, large rooms, ample space in public areas for viewing the outside scenery. Every convenience...like lots of outlets to charge batteries and strong, free wifi 24/7, bathrobes and heated bathroom floor. The expedition team (22 in all) were specialists in all the relevant natural history fields and offered several lectures a day that could be enjoyed on the big screen TV in the cabin or in the lecture hall. One person gave an excellent series of lectures on the history of specific explorers. Communications from the team were excellent. Landings were perfectly executed and even though it was one per day...that proved enough for us. The food was amazing and I can not imagine anyone finding fault, given there were so many choices. We had a tour of the bridge and the ship's officers were visible, friendly and available for questions. They also sat in the dining room for lunch. All other crew members were service oriented and hard working. Could not have done more for us. We had 9 landings in all and also docked in Stanley for the day. Camping, kayaking and snow shoeing were also offered at additional cost. Our pictures are amazing. Just what we expected. So calm your fears - this is indeed a trip of a lifetime. 

Latest News from cruisemapper.com  Over 200 pieces of passenger's luggage were stolen while being transported to the ship in Punta Arenas and not recovered. 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/accidents/MS-Roald-Amundsen-1455

Hi all. Attached is a link to the Tripadvisor reviews. I am on the December 26th departure. If anyone is on a cruise before then, I would appreciate letting me know if there is anything I should know in advance. Clothing advice etc. My email is mnorman12@gmail.com  I know some people say not to write email addresses...but I will be glad to receive any helpful hints from previous cruise members. Also, is there any option for independent tours in Stanley since we are there 3 nights!  Or only ship tours? I googled Stanley and didnt find anything specific. However there is a pricey 4x4 car rental. I may email their tourist office also.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Cruise_Review-d15691759-Reviews-Hurtigruten_Roald_Amundsen

We are booked on the December 26 departure on the Roald Amundsen and fear the worse after reading reviews on Cruise Critic and Tripadvisor. I should have done more research before booking but instead took advantage of a 2 day Flash Deal on ***** that was too good to pass up. There does not seem to be anything positive to say about the ship. But worse, possibly many safety issues. I too am waiting for word from the first actual Antarctic departure that ends on November 30th. 

Hi everyone,

I feel I must jump and let you know how happy we were with Marcelo and DoBrazilRight I would not hesitate at all in recommending them for Carnival tickets and transfers. The post from Fernadina Beach is not entirely correct. Three of us were on the Maasdam ship and booked Section 8 Carnival tickets and transfer with Marcelo in 2016. The cost for section 8 was 505 Reals NOT dollars. The post from Fernadina Beach mistakenly suggests that the costs are in dollars. Marcelo is meticulous about invoicing and shows on his receipts the exact exchange rates for the day of purchase. So 505 Reals at todays rate is about $139. Transfers were extra. Section 8, that Marcelo recommended, was opposite tourist section 9 which our ship charged $500 USD for. The best thing about Section 8 is that we were just above the judges box so all the performers really played up to the judges right in front of us. We got to our seats at 9:10pm and had no trouble finding seats 5 rows from the front. The parade starts at 9:30pm, so it didnt even get to Section 8 until close to 9:50. As far as standing. Everyone was standing and singing! Even the people arriving a couple hours late found seats. Everyone was very generous about finding space for each other. The return after the 5th school was seamless. The transfer agents were everywhere and looking for their customers as we descended the steps.

We also took DoBrazilRight for the city tour of Rio, Recife, Fortaleza and Manaus. The guides spoke excellent English, smaller buses were used, everything run professionally. Our tours exceeded expectations. If anyone going to Carnival in 2017 wishes to call me about our Rio, Carnival or Brazil cruising experiences I will be glad to chat with you. mnorman12 gmail