Abercrombie v. National Geographic?

[Marciatraveler]

Hi.

 

We are planning to go to Antarctica 2010. We are deciding between Abercrombie & Kent 15 days v. National Geographic/Lindblad. Has anyone had experience with either? We are looking at the difference at the overall quality of the experience?

 

Thank you.

 

Marcia

[einsteinsmom]

I cannot say anything about the two companies or boats, but one thing to consider for Antarctica, is the number of passengers. Since they are only allowed to have 100 people ashore at a time, numbers of passengers can make a difference.

[diebroke]

I sailed to Antarctica with Lindblad on the National Geographic Endeavor. I can’t imagine how it could have been done any better. Lindblad now uses a new ship, the National Geographic Explorer, in Antarctica. The Explorer was launched in the summer of 2008 & spent its first season in Antarctica in the 2008- 2009 season. The ship is owned & operated by Lindblad who has a partnership with National Geographic. It has a capacity of 148 guests.

 

I am not familiar with Abercrombie & Kent’s Antarctica tours. They have a good reputation as a tour company. They do not own any ships. I could not find the ship they are using for the 2009/2010 season. It appears that A&K has chartered the MV Le Boreal, for the 2010/2011 Antarctic season. I believe the ship is still under construction & its maiden voyage is in June, 2010. I got a few impressions from the website. It appears Le Boreal might be more sleek & luxurious than the Explorer. Le Boreal carries more than 264 passengers, but in Antarctica, A&K limits the capacity to 199 guests. I believe it is owned & operated by a French company & is staffed with French officers. I assume A&K provides the expedition staff.

 

I hope to return to Antarctica again. If I were deciding between Lindblad & the National Geographic Explorer or A&K and Le Boreal, here’s the thought process I would go through.

For me, a cruise to Antarctica is first & foremost about experiencing & learning about this special place. I would decide on a cruise that best enabled me to do that. It is not about rest and relaxation. I would only consider an expedition ship that provided landings.

 

 

 

Things I would not consider in making a decision

• The size & luxury of the cabin or suite. On our cruise, we were in the cabin only to sleep & I spent very little time doing that given that it is light almost 24 hours a day & the opportunity to experience the place was too enticing to be in the cabin.
  
• A balcony. If we had one on our cruise, I would never have used it. The panoramas are so spectacular, that I would want to observe them on deck to have the broadest views and to experience it with other passengers & staff.
  
• Gourmet food & wine. I like gourmet food & wine & when cruising in Europe or Asia my cruise line of choice is Seabourn, but in Antarctica, our focus at dinner was discussing what we were experiencing with the other guests. The food on Lindblad was excellent.
  
• Entertainment. Between the landings, lectures, viewing, & dining there was very little time or interest in being entertained by anything other than the place, the experts, & the other guests.
  

 

Things that would influence my decision

• The size of the ship. As the previous poster indicates, only 100 people are allowed ashore at the same time. I don’t know if the difference between 148 and 199 passengers is significant. Smaller is better for me.
  
• The quality and quantity of the expedition staff. I can’t say enough positive things about Lindblad in this regard. The opportunity to interact with & learn from the naturalists, biologists, historians, and geologists was outstanding. There was not a weak link among the staff. In addition, they had 2 photographers aboard (one from National Geographic) for the sole purpose of interacting with the guests to help them capture the best photographs. They also had an undersea specialist who, while we were doing landings, was diving under the ship with a video camera to show us the life under us.
  
• The ice rating of the ship and the ice experience of the Captain. All ships operate safely in the area. A higher ice rating allows the ship to access places (& park in the ice) that other ships might not attempt. The ice rating of the Explorer is available on Lindblad’s website. I did not see the rating for Le Boreal. Lindblad’s captains have many years experience operating in ice. I do not know about Le Boreal.
  
• Open bridge policy. Lindblad has an open bridge policy & guests are permitted to hang out in the bridge & observe the ship’s operation. For me, this was a highlight of the trip and our captain was a remarkable leader to interact with. I do not know Le Boreal’s policy or if the crew speaks English on the bridge.
  
• Stabilizers. Both the Explorer & Le Boreal have stabilizers. Some small ice breakers do not. The trip across the Drake can be challenging for many even with stabilizers.
  

I’m sure you will have a special experience no matter which operator you choose.

[hobse]

In July we were on the National Geographic Explorer in the Arctic. The Explorer is a great ship and it was a first class experience. The food, staff, excursions, everything was great. We enjoyed it so much we are going to the Antarctic with them in January.

[einsteinsmom]

http://www.expeditions.com/DER_Searc...n=283&Keyword=

 

This is a blog from the current National Geographic expeditions, it can give you a good idea of what your days might be like! I have not found one for A&K, although I doubt they will be far behind in that manner!

Good luck with your choice! Half the fun is researching !!

kristy

[MMDown Under]

I appreciated your thoughtful comments on the pros and cons in your decision making re Antarctica Expedition Cruising choices.

[dileep]

Abercrombie runs the cruise foe Swan Hellenic. I will post our experiences in little over a month when we return from our cruise.

 

You can read the cruise log at http://www.abercrombiekent.com/travel_logs/view_log.cfm?log_year=2009&log_month=January&Submit=Go&log_full_date=&ID=1

[dileep]

Looks like A&K has a new ship for the next season. Looks fantastic!

http://www.abercrombiekent.com/antarctica/le_boreal.cfm

[dileep]

the Swan Hellenic Minerva run by A&K was outstanding but this ships will not return to Antarctica.

 

We ran into a couple of passengers who came off the NG Explorer this morning in Ushuaia and they loved it.

 

I would look for an itineray that includes South Georgia too.

[laurelhollow]

Just booked today with abercrombie and kent. Decided that for this 'once in a lifetime' trip we wanted a bit more stateroom space and the itinerary was wonderful. We are doing the 20 day trip leaving on 18 December.

 

TOTALLY PSYCHED!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D

 

Both trips looked good. The size of the cheapest cabins lead me to the A&K. After that - just went for the gold.

 

Ship looks absolutely fantastic. Brand new with all the bells and whistles. Yeah - I know I will see little of them but - the dh would be miserable without his wifi. ;)

 

 

 

 

 

Hi.

 

We are planning to go to Antarctica 2010. We are deciding between Abercrombie & Kent 15 days v. National Geographic/Lindblad. Has anyone had experience with either? We are looking at the difference at the overall quality of the experience?

 

Thank you.

 

Marcia

[dileep]

A&K is great! Enjoy the new fancy ship!