skrink

If you can get your hands on an ExOfficio FlyQ vest, they’re very nice and the price is much better. Unfortunately, in a bone-headed move ExOfficio discontinued most of their clothing line so finding one in the size you need is the challenge. My FlyQ vest is good as new after months of travel to five continents. Solid quality, comfort, and plenty of pockets and features. Love it.

Avian flu.

I booked through an agency in 2021 and highly recommend it. Got a great rate plus valuable extra perks not offered by Atlas. Communication from Atlas back then was abysmal—it was during their rocky first launch—and having someone else chase down details let me focus on more important things. As with booking any trip with a good agency, a TA will secure all discounts to which you’re entitled (military, first responders, past customer, etc.), buffer you from frustrations, and be a point person when issues arise before and during the trip. Booking through tour operators—whether Atlas or not—sometimes means talking to a different person every time an issue needs resolving. I highly recommend booking through an agency.

Atlas traveler here. As a solo traveler, I paid $15,778 in April of 2021 for a B1 Verandah, so the pricing nearly three years later seems reasonable to me. I think it was $10,199 pp double occupancy, with a 150% single supplement. This was for a Jan 2022 9 day sailing. Ways to save money on Atlas: Book through an online travel company that offers extra perks, such as the $600 prepaid Visa card I got from mine after I took the cruise. Plus another person and I each got another $50 prepaid Visa when I asked for and got a referral bonus. Be sure you take advantage of military discounts, if eligible. Atlas ships are absolutely fabulous. If you look at other companies, be sure to look at whether balconies are available, or if it’s just portholes or ocean view. I wouldn’t want anything less than a Juliet balcony for Antarctica. The penguins start swimming alongside the ship long before you reach the continent and with ships that small, your cabin will be very close to them, unlike on the large cruise ships.

These are such a treasure, I hate to see them perish in the ether. Got any for Alaska? I’m looking for Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan, maybe others.

I bought Princess insurance for a 3 week Med cruise in ‘22 with Princess EZAir and used it when my flights home were canceled twice. I submitted a clean claim with receipts for all hotel and meal expenses. It took six months and multiple frustrating contacts with Aon and Princess before they paid the claim. During that time, claim status on Aon’s web portal sat unbudging as “waiting to be processed” (or similar wording). The only silver lining was that once they finally processed it, they didn’t contest it or require me to jump through additional hoops. I won’t use Aon or Princess insurance again.

I don’t think there’s any comparison to RC or X. What makes Atlas work for some: Tastefully luxurious but not ostentatious ships and accommodations Small ships, ~200 or less passengers Polar expeditions with stellar expedition crews Access to Antarctica State of the art, brand new ships Few/no inside cabins and few/no obstructed view cabins (that I know of) Good discounts during sales, which can be stacked with military discounts Decent perks/inclusions Absence of activities such as casinos, comedians, broadway shows, bingo, spas, etc. No formal nights No assigned dining time or table What might turn some off from Atlas: Limited communication pre-trip (their biggest problem) Growing pains/staff turnover (in 2021-2022; not sure how it is now) Absence of activities such as casinos, comedians, broadway shows, bingo, spas, etc. Prices might be beyond someone’s means For those who like lots of onboard entertainment, being nickeled and dimed by the large cruise lines, and being herded around in large groups to various excursions, then the luxury small ship experience probably isn’t for them. I would cruise with them again, but would go into it knowing that they don’t communicate much beforehand. Maybe that’s changing under the new CEO. I’ve never sailed on a yacht so can’t speak to that point. But their ships and the cruise itself? Ohh myyy, is it ever nice!!

Copied from a promotional email about the sale: ”For a limited time, you can Buy 2 Expeditions Get 1 FREE on select back-to-back voyages, plus Second Guest Sails FREE, 50% Reduced Deposits and 3 FREE Cultural Immersions. Or you can combine 2 back-to-back expeditions with 15% savings and 2 FREE Cultural Immersions.” Looks like it’s for B2B voyages, but I guess if you don’t want a third one for free they deduct 15%. Maybe someone else will interpret it differently. It’s confusing, all right!

How fast cruises fill depends on what type you’re looking at. The limited (like 1-2 sailings per year) drive-by cruises offered by large ships do seem to fill quickly but the pricey ones that let you actually set foot on the continent may or may not. OTOH, if you’re looking to stop in Antarctica on a trip that involves crossing the Drake, midship cabins can fill first since everyone is concerned about seasickness and there’s less pitching midship than say forward or aft. I snagged my dead-center balcony cabin quickly once the sailing I wanted became available. Unless you’re looking at expeditions on small, polar class ships, you might want to post this in a forum that has a port or ports of call where you want excursions. Places like the Falklands, for example, allow larger ships to call. Small expedition ships are the only ones in which passengers are allowed to set foot on the continent of Antarctica and because they take so few passengers, they do things differently than the large ships. (It’s part of strict IAATO regs, which ensure that tourism adheres to the Antarctic treaty.). In Antarctica, there are no ports or cruise terminals and rather than tender passengers on lifeboats, they take a few people at a time in zodiacs.

According to the ArriveCAN website, this applies to cruise ship passengers who embark from a Canadian port.

I wish I could, too, as it’s quite interesting to read. Atlas and Princess forums are both much more active elsewhere. Don’t know about the other cruise lines.

As a new spinoff from Mystic Cruises, Atlas has had a bumpy start. Communication prior to the trip is lacking and from another Atlas forum that I monitor, it doesn’t seem to have improved since I sailed with them in January. However, since I do my own due diligence with trip prep, it wasn’t to the point that it was a deal breaker for me and I would sail with them again. If you’re the type of traveler who expects the carrier to pay attention to all the details and inform you about the steps you need to take, Atlas may not be the cruise line for you. But if you’re okay with doing your homework and monitoring progress toward final preparations, they‘re worth it. Issues have been at the corporate level; the ship and crew are nothing short of outstanding.

>How are the waters actually down in Antarctica? Can they still be rough or are they fairly calm? Sounds like a wonderful trip. The water around Antarctica is fairly calm but the weather is changeable - which means that flexibility is key. I found the Drake to be a blast and would do it again in a heartbeat, rough seas and all. Whatever the seas are like when you go, it will be worth it!

I was there in January on a small expedition ship. Be sure you understand that this is a drive-by cruise and you will NOT make landings on the continent. Very strict regulations govern the types of ships that can allow passengers to set foot on land. Only small ships built (or retrofitted) to meet the Polar Code, and which strictly follow IAATO regulations, can do this. A) Your room’s thermostat keeps the cabin temperature regulated. More importantly, find out if the Sapphire has room darkening drapes since there’s longer daylight the further south you go. I would think they do, since the Regal has them. B) Decks don’t freeze, but they might get wet while crossing the Drake. There may be times when they close the lower, forward outside decks due to sea spray. We had the Drake Lake (instead of the Drake Shake) going to/from Ushuaia and at times the spray at the front of the ship was like going through a car wash. Water washed over the ship as high as the 8th deck. They asked us to stay off our balconies at those times, but as soon as we got out of the Drake it was smoother and we were out on our balconies watching penguins and icebergs. C) People on my cruise were all over the ship, i.e. on their balconies, out on decks, in the auditorium attending lectures, and in eating areas. I saw very few sipping warm beverages. The ship offered hot cocoa after excursions, but very few people took advantage of it. When wildlife and fantastic scenery were around, most were out on decks. Seeing it was what we came for. D) Come prepared with seasickness remedies. If you’re not familiar with the what it’s like crossing the Drake Passage, do some research on it. Even the crew got sick our first night in the Drake, despite having the Drake Lake. (Our crew had been crossing the Drake regularly for a couple of months at that point.). One member of the expedition team said that when it’s the Drake Shake, the only way to describe it is like being in a washing machine. Watch for albatross in the Beagle Channel. Binoculars might be handy. When I was there in January, it was warmer there than it was here in the midwest. Temps were in the 30s (Fahrenheit) at our southernmost point (Lemaire Channel) and 40s (northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula). I took a winter coat and it was perfect. The weather changes very quickly and the captain will have to navigate accordingly, so flexibility is key. Just because they tell you where they’re headed doesn’t mean you’ll get there if conditions change. This includes tidal and wind issues (which can cause icebergs to block your path) and channels unexpectedly becoming ice-choked. You may never see these things, but the captain will be continuously monitoring conditions and navigating to avoid potential hazards. Skrink

The free totem pole museum in Ketchikan is very good and contains authentic totem poles (among other cool things). I’ve read here on CC that the totem pole excursion offered by ships doesn’t contain authentic poles. I walked to it from the dock. There is also a fish ladder on the stream that runs through town.