Antarctic "sail by" cruises (not expeditions)

I’ve seen a few Celebrity sailings that listed more than two days of scenic cruising in Antarctica. This one has four days, hoping to visit Schollaert Channel, Paradise Bay, Gerlache Strait, and Elephant Island:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary-details?packageID=EC14F084&sDT=2019-01-20&cCD=CO&aCB=false

Hi, the above itinerary confirms that the Celebrity ship visits the Schollaert Channel, Paradise Bay and the Gerlache Strait on Day 7 and then reaches Elephant Island on Day 8 of the cruise, so only 2 days in Antarctica, whereas the Holland America and Princess does stay down there for 4 days. I have done a "sail by" on both the Celebrity Infinity and the Holland America Zaandam and personally prefer the Zaandam's itinerary as it did stay down there much longer, sailing down Channels that the Infinity just cruised past.

If you like Penguins, and want to see the up close consider going to Volunteer Point on the Falkland Islands if you want to get up close to hundreds/thousands of King, Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins all sharing the same space. Don't go if you have a bad back however. We also saw some King Penguins, as well as many more Magellanic Penguins on Martillo Island on an excursion from Ushuaia

Hi, the above itinerary confirms that the Celebrity ship visits the Schollaert Channel, Paradise Bay and the Gerlache Strait on Day 7 and then reaches Elephant Island on Day 8 of the cruise, so only 2 days in Antarctica, whereas the Holland America and Princess does stay down there for 4 days. I have done a "sail by" on both the Celebrity Infinity and the Holland America Zaandam and personally prefer the Zaandam's itinerary as it did stay down there much longer, sailing down Channels that the Infinity just cruised past.

 

If you like Penguins, and want to see the up close consider going to Volunteer Point on the Falkland Islands if you want to get up close to hundreds/thousands of King, Gentoo and Magellanic Penguins all sharing the same space. Don't go if you have a bad back however. We also saw some King Penguins, as well as many more Magellanic Penguins on Martillo Island on an excursion from Ushuaia

Thanks.

By the "bad back" warning, is this about walking/climbing, or a very bumpy ride?

Or something else?

GC

Have a look at Bluff Cove Lagoon for king and gentoo penguins. A much shorter, but still quite bumpy, ride. Delicious complementary refreshments at the Sea Cabbage Cafe.

Thanks.

 

By the "bad back" warning, is this about walking/climbing, or a very bumpy ride?

Or something else?

 

GC

It is a very long and bumpy ride, but as I love penguins, it has been for me the best wildlife excursion I have ever been on anywhere in the World

It is a very long and bumpy ride, but as I love penguins, it has been for me the best wildlife excursion I have ever been on anywhere in the World

Thanks.

Is there any cushioning on the seats?

That is, is it like a school bus with some but limited cushioning?

Or more like an excursion bus with somewhat more cushioning?

Or... more like bench seats?

Or....??

And do you happen to remember if they are "sharp jolts" or just very uneven movements?

(Yes, that can be very subjective, but perhaps you have some sense of this?)

Also, how long? 30 minutes? 2 hours one way?

Seeing penguins would be very high on my list (especially) :)

And is this an area where season is important, in the sense (pun intended!) of smell, such as the rookeries getting, er, ripe?

If so, which would the better timing be, in terms of not being *too* early and missing any chance of seeing the young ones?

Seeing "only adults" would still be fine!!

GC

Thanks.

 

Is there any cushioning on the seats?

That is, is it like a school bus with some but limited cushioning?

Or more like an excursion bus with somewhat more cushioning?

Or... more like bench seats?

Or....??

 

And do you happen to remember if they are "sharp jolts" or just very uneven movements?

(Yes, that can be very subjective, but perhaps you have some sense of this?)

 

Also, how long? 30 minutes? 2 hours one way?

 

Seeing penguins would be very high on my list (especially) :)

 

And is this an area where season is important, in the sense (pun intended!) of smell, such as the rookeries getting, er, ripe?

If so, which would the better timing be, in terms of not being *too* early and missing any chance of seeing the young ones?

Seeing "only adults" would still be fine!!

 

GC

Hi GC, the only way to get to Volunteer Point is by using 4x4 vehicles (which travel in convoys), whether it is on a ships excursion or on a privately arranged tour. The vehicles used by the locals are usually older second hand ones so they may not be particularly comfortable, especially for the 3 passengers in the back of the vehicle. It takes about 2 hours each way, mainly over boggy, undulating ground. There are not many miles of tarmac road on the Falkland Islands, but lots of miles of gravel track before you then go "off road".

There can be sharp jolts as well as uneven movements, as some inexperienced drivers may take the wrong line over the poorly defined tracks and occasionally some of them can end up getting stuck and having to get pulled out by one of the other vehicles in the convoy.

Port Stanley is not a Caribbean Island with lots of taxis waiting to pick you up, so I would strongly recommend that if you are fit enough to travel to Volunteer Point, either book a ships excursion ASAP or to get in touch with a local private tour operator there. Bear in mind though that a private trip could be considerably cheaper than a ships excursion, as the ship knows that there is limited availability of vehicles and lots of passengers wanting to do this "one in a lifetime" trip.

Most "sail by cruises" take place in January and February when there should be chicks about, but if you specifically want to see chicks, then possibly consider a February sailing.

We used Estancia Excursion to go to Volunteer Point. All the vehicles going there were of the Range Rover type. The rough part of the trip was 12 miles and took about an hour and a half. The guys enjoyed the bumpy ride and the girls weren't thrilled with it; but loved seeing all the King Penguins. I don't believe any other place in the Falklands or in South America has more of them. There were thousands there. See the below pic.

If you have the opportunity to go to Volunteer Point, don't miss it. With all the places in the world we have been, it is the one that Carol and I talk about the most. You can see photos from our visit there and to Antarctica in our review on our website that is linked to in my signature.

Have a look at Bluff Cove Lagoon for king and gentoo penguins. A much shorter, but still quite bumpy, ride. Delicious complementary refreshments at the Sea Cabbage Cafe.

I also recommend this. The driver of the min-van to get us to the 4x4 staging area was very informative. And, our driver of the 4x4 was also equally informative. It was obvious that he tried to select the path through the fields that would be the least bumpy. Excellent pastries at the Cafe before one boards the 4x4 back to the staging area.

We did the Bluff Cove excursion a year or so ago in January and it was well worth it. Yes bumpy but not as bad as I had expected. Plenty of penguins but only half a dozen or so King Penguins. Agree with what rkacruiser has said. Wouldn't have missed it for the world. We will be there again in 2020 but this time we will probably look at doing Volunteer Point.

We did the Bluff Cove excursion a year or so ago in January and it was well worth it. .

We are hoping to take the Bluff cove tour in Dec 2019 when we go on Princess to South America/Antarctica. It can only be booked through the ship and I am expecting to have to book it as soon as excursions open up given its popularity.

Do you advise wearing special shoes/boots or something else when going to see the penguins or are track shoes ok? Trying to minimize on the packing! Also what would you suggest for outerwear (jackets)? I have a packable down jacket with a hood I used in Alaska and was planning on bringing that. It is very warm for scenic viewing but takes up very little space when packing. Any other clothing/shoes suggestions would be appreciated (is long underwear necessary?).

We are hoping to take the Bluff cove tour in Dec 2019 when we go on Princess to South America/Antarctica. It can only be booked through the ship and I am expecting to have to book it as soon as excursions open up given its popularity.

 

Do you advise wearing special shoes/boots or something else when going to see the penguins or are track shoes ok? Trying to minimize on the packing! Also what would you suggest for outerwear (jackets)? I have a packable down jacket with a hood I used in Alaska and was planning on bringing that. It is very warm for scenic viewing but takes up very little space when packing. Any other clothing/shoes suggestions would be appreciated (is long underwear necessary?).

I wore my Nike Air Monarch shoes and they were fine. (They did get muddy and needed to be cleaned once back on the ship. I recall a muddy sole cleaning stand at the Cafe.)

No long underwear needed. I had a Land's End waterproof wind breaker with hood and found it to be almost too warm with a sweater and long sleeved shirt underneath. I also wore a pair of corduroy pants and was glad that I had them.

Yes, we wore something a little more sturdy than joggers. We had taken walking boots with us and wore them. You will probably not need excessive clothing for warmth but we wore jackets that were somewhat shower proof which also provided some warmth. It wasn't all that cold but more than likely you will have showers at some time during the day. The ground will probably be damp but not too messy with mud etc. - more spongy.

We wore trainers without any issues.

The Falklands are not too cold during the time you will be there so there's no need for heavy clothing. Waterproof may be more appropriate, though we had sunshine and blue skies each time we were there.

Thanks for the clothing/shoes advice. Very helpful. I don't think I will need to buy much of anything to supplement my current types of shoes and jackets for this trip.

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Thanks for the clothing/shoes advice. Very helpful. I don't think I will need to buy much of anything to supplement my current types of shoes and jackets for this trip.

 

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Clothing concerns was a major one for me prior to booking this cruise. I decided that I already had what I needed, buying only the Land's End waterproof windbreaker. I really did not need that; the windbreakers I had would have been enough, although none had a hood, which was useful.

I think the only thing I need to buy are some galoshes to cover my track shoes when walking around penguin related mud/poo. I already have windbreaker, down jacket, hat, and scarf and gloves for the Antarctica scenic viewing portion etc. I was mainly worried about shoes /boots, and potentially needing long underwear, which I think I can clearly skip.

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I think the only thing I need to buy are some galoshes to cover my track shoes when walking around penguin related mud/poo. I already have windbreaker, down jacket, hat, and scarf and gloves for the Antarctica scenic viewing portion etc. I was mainly worried about shoes /boots, and potentially needing long underwear, which I think I can clearly skip.

 

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Surgical shoe coverings work well, that’s what we have used.

I’ve seen a few Celebrity sailings that listed more than two days of scenic cruising in Antarctica. This one has four days, hoping to visit Schollaert Channel, Paradise Bay, Gerlache Strait, and Elephant Island:

https://www.celebritycruises.com/itinerary-details?packageID=EC14F084&sDT=2019-01-20&cCD=CO&aCB=false

Check the dates on their itinerary. They do that all in 2 days. The first 3 that you mention on day 1 and Elephant Island on day 2.

Elephant Island is more South Shetlands than the peninsula which is ~150 miles away.

And Cape Horn on one day, to Schollart Channel the next looks like a tight schedule.

And Cape Horn on one day, to Schollart Channel the next looks like a tight schedule.

Indeed. It seems from descrition that they plan to land people at Cape Horn, weather permitting (which is actually pretty awesome), so that will take at least half a day. So then there are 3,5 days left to cross the Drake, cruise around the Peninsula, cross back to Falklands, lets say about 90 hours. 30 hours crossing each way (in good conditions), so that's actually a little over a full day in Antarctica. Better not go sleep to make the most of it.

Indeed. It seems from descrition that they plan to land people at Cape Horn, weather permitting (which is actually pretty awesome), so that will take at least half a day. So then there are 3,5 days left to cross the Drake, cruise around the Peninsula, cross back to Falklands, lets say about 90 hours. 30 hours crossing each way (in good conditions), so that's actually a little over a full day in Antarctica. Better not go sleep to make the most of it.

Celebrity ships cannot land passengers at Cape Horn, it’s just a “sail by” there too

A minimum of £2400 (US$3100) for a one day sail-by in Antarctica in an inside cabin with 2,850 passengers! Anyone wanting to travel to Antarctica could find far better value. A quick check came up with £4900 (US$6300), 13 days, Hurtigruten's Midnatsol, and it includes landings! OK, twice the price (so save up for another year?) but infinitely better.

The Celebrity cruise does include the Falklands but 2,850 passengers dumped on Stanley? Good for businesses in Stanley, but the town they would see would be far from the Stanley we have visited on a ship carrying far fewer than 10% of the Celebrity Eclipse!

Celebrity ships cannot land passengers at Cape Horn, it’s just a “sail by” there too

That makes sense actually, but the description is very misleading : " Visit Cabo de Hornos (Cape Horn) National Park and discover this lush UNESCO protected ecosystem. Created in the 1940s this 155,906-acre national park is home to diverse flora and fauna." (from above link). What can you expect to see of the lush ecosystem and diverse fauna from the sea?

Anyway, that may gain the passengers an extra couple hours in Antarctica! ;p

A minimum of £2400 (US$3100) for a one day sail-by in Antarctica in an inside cabin with 2,850 passengers! Anyone wanting to travel to Antarctica could find far better value. A quick check came up with £4900 (US$6300), 13 days, Hurtigruten's Midnatsol, and it includes landings! OK, twice the price (so save up for another year?) but infinitely better.

 

The Celebrity cruise does include the Falklands but 2,850 passengers dumped on Stanley? Good for businesses in Stanley, but the town they would see would be far from the Stanley we have visited on a ship carrying far fewer than 10% of the Celebrity Eclipse!

Our friends went on a Hurtigruten cruise down there and because of very poor weather they only got ashore twice not the twelve they were hoping for.

If you like wildlife, and penguins in particular, Volunteer Point on the Falkland Islands is in my personal opinion, the best wildlife excursion from a cruise ship anywhere in the World. Hundreds/thousands of King, Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins all in the same place, an amazing sight.

Our friends went on a Hurtigruten cruise down there and because of very poor weather they only got ashore twice not the twelve they were hoping for.

Two out of 12? That is seriously unusual. When was it and which ship were they on?