Live from a drive-by cruise - Veendam SA & Antarctica

[Bescotti]

I debated between doing a drive-by cruise and an expedition cruise but ended up choosing the Veendam's 17 night cruise which left Buenos Aires on 6 January. I've been doing a blog so if you're tossing up what you would see on a drive-by, you might be interested in seeing my photos on the blog.

 

http://bescotti.blogspot.com/

 

It's been an amazing trip - and I'm still on it at present.

[dileep]

Nice pictures, but landing would be more fun!

[beth555]

I agree if you can swing it landings are the way to go. There is nothing like standing in a rookery with thousands of penguins and getting up close to icebergs with a zodiac

[Gribouille]

Love your blog thank you...we are heading this way in less than 25 days on the Celebrity Infinity. To me, you were very lucky to have a ''calm'' Drake crossing!!!:rolleyes:

[chachi]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing.

[Lirio]

Great pictures, thanks for sharing.

[TiogaCruiser]

Bev,

 

Thank you for posting your blog. Were considering the same trip versus around the horn and Chilean fiords. An expedition cruise is not on the table due to the cost. So, having done your trip, was the antarctic portion worth the additional time and money over just the horn?

 

Thanks

 

TC

[cnbfrank]

My husband and I were on the Veendam with Bescotti. The Antarctic days,blessed with incredibly clear, cold and mostly sunny weather, were definitely the high point of the trip for us. We had a very comfortable ocean view cabin on Deck 5 and spent most of those three days on the open decks awed by the majesty of icebergs, mountains, snow and the bluest of waters. Penguins, seals and whales, too :)

Cape Horn and Drake passage were highlights for my husband, a sailor, and he regretted we did not see a little more "weather" there.

Of course, there is no guarantee of such excellent weather conditions, so the same itinerary might be very different another time. We took the Veendam for the itinerary, not so much the "cruise experience" - spa, casino, shows, etc. - and consider it the trip of a lifetime.

[Liv4cruzin]

Bev,

 

Thank you for posting your blog. Were considering the same trip versus around the horn and Chilean fiords. An expedition cruise is not on the table due to the cost. So, having done your trip, was the antarctic portion worth the additional time and money over just the horn?

 

Thanks

 

TC

 

The expedition ships were not within my price range either. IMO, this itinerary held the perfect blend of highlights of the area. Cruising the SW & SE coasts of South America was majestic & culturally enriching. Cape Horn & Drake's Passage may or may not be an adventure (mine was a little more calm than I would have liked). Those 4 days quietly, slowly sailing around the Antarctic peninsula was heaven on earth. Capt. Rik played it be ear when it came to choosing which channels/passages to traverse. He relied on other vessels to tell him where the best wildlife sightings were. He & the local ice pilots gave us a once-in-a-lifetime cruise through the very icy LeMaire Channel. Dodging ice floes spotted with penguins & basking seals was priceless. Whale sightings everywhere. I could never imagine such natural beauty & the feeling of peace that came over me. With nearly 24 hrs. of daylight, it was impossible to find time to sleep. During those 4 days there was an unending parade of things to take your breath away. My feet haven't quite touched the ground yet!

[Bescotti]

Bev,

 

Thank you for posting your blog. Were considering the same trip versus around the horn and Chilean fiords. An expedition cruise is not on the table due to the cost. So, having done your trip, was the antarctic portion worth the additional time and money over just the horn?

 

Thanks

 

TC

Hi TC, Yes the additional time and money were definitely worth it. The Antarctic part of the trip was the highlight of this cruise (along with the penguins at Volunteer Point). A photographer at the camera club I belong to went on an expedition ship a month before my cruise and the only difference in our photos of Antarctica is that they had penguins against an ice background while I had the king penguins in the Falklands. As they were earlier in the season they also didn't go into Paradise Bay. Comparing my photos to theirs, for the huge savings in cruise fares, I'm extremely happy with what I did - and would do it again!

[TiogaCruiser]

Bev, Becky and CNBFrank-

 

Thank you all for your replies. We're getting closer to a decision and deposit.

 

~TC

[cnbfrank]

Another thought. Sea days - there are lots of them on the Antarctica Veendam trip. Our only other voyage was a trans-Atlantic on QE2 3 years ago - we loved the sea days there. And we loved all the sea/fjord days on Veendam, while some others couldn't wait for Ushuaia after 5 days at sea. I doubt we would do a cruise with a new port each and every day, but to each his own :)

[TiogaCruiser]

Were the sea days mostly scenic cruising? ( the majority of the day?). DH brought up daylight being almost constant..... So when did you fit in sleep?

 

~TC

[cnbfrank]

I don't have the itinerary in front of me right now, but basically it's the same next year. the "scenic cruising" basically consisted of the three days very slowly moving through the Antarctic peninsula - the other sea days were basically to cover the distances between ports and we moved right along, except for the Beagle channel where we went slower again to look at the glaciers.

 

I was glad for the sea day crossing back to Ushuaia after the Antarctic portion. The long, long days and spectacular sights had meant that I didn't want to close my eyes and miss anything! As Bev says, it was sensory overload at times. A quiet sea day and calm Drake Passage were welcome breaks.

[cnbfrank]

Hmm, I need to proofread a little more...there was nothing "basic" about this trip.

[Cruzer Two]

I debated between doing a drive-by cruise and an expedition cruise but ended up choosing the Veendam's 17 night cruise which left Buenos Aires on 6 January. I've been doing a blog so if you're tossing up what you would see on a drive-by, you might be interested in seeing my photos on the blog.

 

http://bescotti.blogspot.com/

 

It's been an amazing trip - and I'm still on it at present.

 

 

 

Fantastic pictures! We did the HAL Rotterdam from Santiago to Rio with 4 days cruising in Antarctica two years ago. The weather was perfect and the scenery was spectacular. I disagree with the comment from another poster that said a landing would have been more fun. We had the experience of a lifetime. I don’t think you have to step in Penguin poo to experience Antarctica. Thanks for sharing these beautiful pictures.

Ron

[digitl]

I disagree with the comment from another poster that said a landing would have been more fun. We had the experience of a lifetime. I don’t think you have to step in Penguin poo to experience Antarctica.

I doubt that the only difference between a drive-by and a landing is the opportunity to step in Penguin poo.

[dpro]

I doubt that the only difference between a drive-by and a landing is the opportunity to step in Penguin poo.

 

So true

 

http://opatravels.blogspot.com/

[muffin]

Thank you so much for your wonderful journal of your trip. It helps so much when you are wondering just what you see and do on the 20 day Veendam journey. Sounds spectacular, and even if the weather is not quite so amazing, it will still be the kind of trip we are looking for. You helped especially about the decision to go the extra mile and pay a bit more for the 3 days right in Antarctica. We will only go that way once in our lives, so happily choose to give it the gusto. Will probably add on a couple of days on each end just to see a bit more of the big cities while we are there. Actually, we will hopefully bus it out into the country which we much prefer over the more populated areas. Our spanish is virtually non existant, so we must get some rudiments under our belts to tak off like that..

[Bescotti]

I'm glad you enjoyed my blog. Seeing the king penguins up close in the Falklands (and stepping in penguin poo there) was an incredible experience so I didn't feel the need to land in Antarctica. I was just thrilled to see the pristine environment and sealife in Antarctic and I would love to do the same cruise again - and I probably will at some stage.

 

I've cruised around a number of destinations around the world and this South American/Antarctic cruise would definitely be the highlight of all of them!

 

Whichever way you cruise to Antarctica, it's such a special place and I highly recommend it!

[Dianneon2]

So enjoyed the blog. We're doing a similar cruise in Jan 2012 and my husband who is designated photographer is interested in the photography details, ie type of camera,what lenses you would recommend and any other hints . if we come close to getting pictures as good as yours I'll be thrilled. thanks. Dianne

[Bescotti]

So enjoyed the blog. We're doing a similar cruise in Jan 2012 and my husband who is designated photographer is interested in the photography details, ie type of camera,what lenses you would recommend and any other hints . if we come close to getting pictures as good as yours I'll be thrilled. thanks. Dianne

 

Hi Dianne, I have a Canon 7D and took the Canon 15-85 mm and the Canon 70-200 f/4 IS lens. Unfortunately when I reached Sydney airport I realised I had left my longer lens at home when I reorganised my carry-on! Virtually all of the photos have minimal cropping. I found on the Falklands with the King Penguins that at times even the 70-200mm was too long a lens, except for the photos down on the beach. The only time I really wished for a longer lens was when we saw the penguins on the icebergs the first day in Antarctica. Except for the wildlife photos, all the landscapes and seascapes were taken with the 15-85mm lens.

 

My tips? I moved around from deck to deck during the day to find where the best vantage point was. As an example, going through the Lemaire Channel the scenic viewing was best from the Sky Deck and when we got very close to the seals on the icebergs in that area I went down to the Promenade Deck so I was just above them.

 

Another important tip to remember is not to have your eye glued to your viewfinder all the time! Savour the time there as it really is an incredible experience. :)

 

Hope this helps,

Bev