MV Fram Antarctica questions

[Carmelita]

We'll be on the Fram's Shackleton cruise in late Feb and have a couple of questions about the ship.

 

Do they have a bit of a library on board? Hoping not to pack a bunch of books and haven’t made the move to Kindle yet!

 

Have read internet is expensive, any idea on how much it was? I am debating whether or not to bring my netbook.

 

Are the jackets they give you just a shell type one or is there some sort of warmer lining?

 

Are you able to bring wine aboard when boarding in Ushuaia?

 

 

Thanks.

[uppitycats]

We'll be on the Fram's Shackleton cruise in late Feb and have a couple of questions about the ship.

 

Do they have a bit of a library on board? Hoping not to pack a bunch of books and haven’t made the move to Kindle yet!

 

Have read internet is expensive, any idea on how much it was? I am debating whether or not to bring my netbook.

 

Are the jackets they give you just a shell type one or is there some sort of warmer lining?

 

 

Are you able to bring wine aboard when boarding in Ushuaia?

 

 

Thanks.

 

I can't answer all of your questions as I haven't sailed on the Fram to Antarctica...but

 

yes, there is a library, but most of the stuff is pretty old, and a lot of it is in Norwegian. So invest in a Kindle, or tote along a bunch of books! :) Or check out the Amazon/Kindle site -- I know they have a "free" app to download the Kindle internet service to a regular computer..I suspect it would work on your netbook..worth checking out!

 

Internet is very expensive, very slow and very unreliable, on board! I wasted "a ton" of money just trying to read emails a couple of times the 10 days I was on her..and we were just going around the southern bit of Norway from Bergen to Oslo. I don't have a Netbook so don't know how good the connection would be on the ship or on land, though.. :o

 

While we didn't use the jackets, we saw them .. and they seem fully lined with some sort of bulky lining. I suspect they'll be quite warm, even for the part of the world you're going to!

 

Nobody stopped us from bringing on food or liquor from any of the ports we visited..but again, not the specific one you mention!

 

The Fram is a lovely ship! Have a grand time!

[exsausd]

Just got back a few weeks ago from the Shackleton Christmas Cruise. Yes, as reported the library is small but has some interesting topical selections. You get the key hanging by the bar and open up the cases yourself and get your books.

 

You can bring all the wine aboard that you want but can not consume it in the dining room unless you pay a corkage.

 

As for the jackets they are a good outer layer but we brought thermal underwear and fleece outerwear and very happy that we did. Don't forget to bring your wet pants!

[Carmelita]

Thanks for the update!! Would love to read a review of your experiences on the Fram if you get a chance to write one. We just received our documents, a bit early as we will be spending time in Brazil before the cruise, now can't wait to get the bags packed!

[jc do]

Booking the Schackleton Christmas December 2011. Does anyone else have plans yet?

 

Jason

[monas queen]

Yes, there is a (smallish) library, and you may be able to find something to suit you. We were on this year's similar cruise, and didn't find time to read anything! The lectures are many and varied.

 

The jacket provided is a good waterproof and windproof one, but only a thin outer layer. Take layers for underneath, but in late February, we found that the temperatures were not as cold as we anticipated. In some places, it was positively warm! (Though prepare for heavy rain!).

 

Do not forget waterproof trousers. These are essential for landings. There are good supplies of wellington boots of numerous sizes on board, so you should not need to take your own.

 

You can take alcohol on board with you, but only for consumption in your own cabin, and not in the public areas.

 

Enjoy it. We certainly did. You just cannot prepare yourself enough for how close you actually get to the wildlife. The crew do everything they can to ensure that you get time ashore, and you may miss a call due to the weather, but they will try to go somewhere more sheltered. There is always an alternative plan.

[Carmelita]

We had a fabulous time on the Fram's last voyage of the season, ending in Buenos Airies March 14/11. Just to answer one of my questions in case anybody is interested, wi-fi was available but it was at the same cost as the 6 computers they had for the public. Prices were $11 per hour or 6 hours for $37, probably something in between as well but we only bought one hour just to check emails. Speed varied from almost non-existent to pretty good. I think a lot of it depended on how many people were on and how many photos were being uploaded to web sites by the wi-fi users. If we got on before breakfast, it tended to be quite fast.

[monas queen]

I paid for an hour, too. The system would not let me into my emails (Yahoo based - there was a typed warning that there could be problems with Yahoo), and I had trouble getting into other internet areas, too. I gave up entirely, having wasted 45 minutes getting virtually nowhere, and would not recommend paying out for it. I'm seriously considering buying a small portable piece of equipment to use where there is wifi availability in future.

[gaelsail]

I paid for an hour, too. The system would not let me into my emails (Yahoo based - there was a typed warning that there could be problems with Yahoo), and I had trouble getting into other internet areas, too. I gave up entirely, having wasted 45 minutes getting virtually nowhere, and would not recommend paying out for it. I'm seriously considering buying a small portable piece of equipment to use where there is wifi availability in future.

I used Fram's computers to check on our onward journey during the 'Norwegian Highlights' cruise. Bought 1 x hour and found it worked fine. I think it probably depends on where you are in the world?