Anyone booked on December 7 2013 - Antarctica

[bajadenny]

Denny and Lisa, here. Would like to hear from others.

[bajadenny]

Mighty quiet ship.

[Turtles06]

The percentage of cruisers who have heard of CC is pretty small. Factor into this that there are only about 148 pax on the Explorer, and the odds of someone else from your specific expedition being on CC are not great. When we were on the Explorer earlier this year in Antarctica, I didn't meet a single person who had heard of CC.

 

I hope you are getting pretty excited about your upcoming trip. We left in January, and I know that by late summer last year, I was getting really pumped up putting things together. Have a fantastic time! (You should have lots of beautiful, pristine snow and ice...)

[bajadenny]

You're right. I am always taken by the number of people who are not aware of the amount of information resources available on the web. Must be that they are all playing electronic card games or watching cat videos.:mad:

[themurfs]

Hi BajaDenny - we're thinking of cruise to Antarctica, looking thru all the options (ships, dates, etc) - wondering why you chose Lindblad over others? price, # trips ashore, etc? and why early Dec vs late Dec or Jan?

 

I admit to trying to piggyback on whatever research you've already done :)

 

Murf

[bajadenny]

The cruise met our schedule needs and had more days on the ice than others. We felt that if we were going to go through all the time, cost and preparation for a once in a lifetime trip to the South Pole, we should try to avoid being disappointed by having bad weather days ruin a shorter stay.

 

The reputation of Lindblad and Nat Geo cannot be overlooked.

[Turtles06]

Hi BajaDenny - we're thinking of cruise to Antarctica, looking thru all the options (ships, dates, etc) - wondering why you chose Lindblad over others? price, # trips ashore, etc? and why early Dec vs late Dec or Jan?

 

I admit to trying to piggyback on whatever research you've already done :)

 

Murf

 

I'm not bajadenny, but I wanted to chime in with some info in case it's of help to you. We did this same itinerary with Lindblad earlier this year (late Jan/early Feb). We chose Nat Geo/Lindblad because of their incredible reputation, and because I personally know a couple who had traveled with them to Antarctica and could not say enough good things about it. There are certainly other companies you could book with and have a fantastic time, judging from the comments on this board.

 

Other things I considered in our choice and/or that may be important to you: the Explorer only has 148 pax, making rotations on the landings (max of 100 persons allowed on shore at any time) easier than on a ship with, say, 200 or more pax. National Geographic photographers on board providing advice. Opportunity to go kayaking.

 

In terms of when to go --- obviously, the trip needs to fit your schedule. But you should do some research on the breeding cycles of the penguins and what you are most likely to see during particular periods in Antarctica and what would be of most interest to you (with the caveat that weather, ice and temps can affect everything and you can't predict anything, and no one can guarantee specific landings).

 

Typically, very early in the summer season, you'll see penguins sitting on their eggs, and the ice/snow will be more pristine. As the summer progresses, the eggs will hatch, and as you get later in the summer, the chicks will be running around the rookeries and the adults will be running off to the sea to gorge themselves on krill and return to feed their chicks, plus the chance of seeing whales is greater. At the time we went, the rookeries were incredibly active, and we saw tons of whales and seals, and flying birds.

 

I think anytime in Antarctica would be extraordinary, and I would love to visit during the earlier part of the season (need to win the lottery for that!).

 

I have a blog that I started about a year before our trip, and on which I posted about our planning leading up to the expedition. I am now midway through putting up an entry (or more) for each specific day of the actual expedition, with photos. You can find it at this link, in case it's of help to you:

 

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

 

Happy to answer other questions (and I don't mean to hijack bajadenny's thread).

[bajadenny]

You did not hijack the thread. I don't own it.

 

We have found that wildlife is very fickle. They just don't seem to understand that when we show up at a place on Earth, they are supposed to be there with their full Hollywood act - ready to go.

 

If one wants to see whales, the best place is 1/2 way down Baja California between Christmas to Easter. That is the breeding ground and breeding season and birthing season for thousands of California Grey Whales who all crunch into two small, shallow bays. The panga operators charge like $30 pp for a half day of watching and PETTING whales. We have done it. Everything else (whale-like) seems to pale after that experience.

[hrprof]

Our first Lindblad cruise was on the Grey Whale trip in 2002. Not sure we saw "thousands", but It was magnificent! The only experience which exceeded that were our 2 Antarctic voyages - you might give it a try!

[Turtles06]

Speaking of whales, here's the extraordinary "great killer whale chase" as we experienced it this year in Antarctica:

 

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/2013/08/10/day-six-part-one-a-whale-of-a-morning/