Has anyone done the Celebrity South America / Antarctica cruise?

[OnTheJourney]

Hi,

 

I'd like to get some feedback from anyone who has taken a South America / Antarctica cruise. I am interested in going and am looking at many different options - small ship / large ship. It appears that with the Celebrity itinerary at no time is there really an opportunity to actually set foot on Antarctica, unlike the smaller exploration-oriented cruises that utilize the zodiac crafts to go ashore. So if anyone has any insight into this, I'd greatly appreciate it. I have been looking at many different companies. It does seem that the best experience is to be had with the companies that take you ashore. I'm also a bit leery of sailing the Drake and so am also seriously considering one of the trips that flies both ways out of Puntas Arenas.

 

Thanks for any input...

 

Keith

[Turtles06]

Hi,

 

I'd like to get some feedback from anyone who has taken a South America / Antarctica cruise. I am interested in going and am looking at many different options - small ship / large ship. It appears that with the Celebrity itinerary at no time is there really an opportunity to actually set foot on Antarctica, unlike the smaller exploration-oriented cruises that utilize the zodiac crafts to go ashore. So if anyone has any insight into this, I'd greatly appreciate it. I have been looking at many different companies. It does seem that the best experience is to be had with the companies that take you ashore. I'm also a bit leery of sailing the Drake and so am also seriously considering one of the trips that flies both ways out of Puntas Arenas.

 

Thanks for any input...

 

Keith

 

Hi Keith,

 

I saw your similar question earlier over on the Celebrity board and posted a reply there about how great an expedition to Antarctica is. If you can swing it, I can't recommend it more highly. But I wanted to respond to your additional comment here about the Drake. It can certainly be a very rough body of water, but if you are worried about being seasick, there are always things like the patch or meclizine, etc. I would say that about 2/3 of the folks on our Nat Geo trip were wearing a patch, including some of the naturalists. :)

 

We had a fairly rough crossing of the Drake both ways (could have been worse), but it was a really extraordinary experience. Albatross and other birds follow the ship for hours. Just mesmerizing to watch them glide on the air currents. I am not someone who gets seasick, and I actually enjoy "the motion of the ocean," so I admit I'm not the best person to give advice about this, but I will say that my spouse gets seasick in rough seas, she wore a patch for the Drake, and said that the trip was so amazing it was worth crossing the Drake for. :)

[PerfectlyPerth]

I am similar to Turtle in that I love the power and feel of the ocean at its most powerful.

 

I think you need to first work out what you want from your experience as that will help you narrow down the choice between a big ship drive by, a small ship expedition with the Drake, or a small ship fly cruise to skip the Drake.

 

While I love the Drake and don't suffer from any kind of motion sicknesses - I love that some companies have made available the fly cruise option for those that have the passion to visit Antarctica but genuinely cannot cope with the rough seas. The fly cruise has made the journey available to those people who have ordinarily missed out altogether.

 

The big ship drive by - would never satisfy me personally - but again it's available for the people who will be satisfied by that journey.

 

So I guess you need to narrow down what your end goal is and what you will be content to experience.

 

And either way you are going to see and feel things that will thrill you.

[OnTheJourney]

Thanks so much for the replies! Perfectly - you have pretty much nailed it when you say that I need to choose between the options that you indicate. As I replied in another thread, I mentioned that I have already decided on ruling out a small expedition ship crossing the Drake. That just seems to be tempting fate a bit too much. I think my best choices are either flying both ways with a small ship expedition experience, or else going with a big company cruise and hoping for the best on the crossing. Either way I'll be prepared with wristband, medicine, and ginger pills.

 

Best,

Keith

[OnTheJourney]

Thanks so much for the replies! Perfectly - you have pretty much nailed it when you say that I need to choose between the options that you indicate. As I replied in another thread, I mentioned that I have already decided on ruling out a small expedition ship crossing the Drake. That just seems to be tempting fate a bit too much. I think my best choices are either flying both ways with a small ship expedition experience, or else going with a big company cruise and hoping for the best on the crossing. Either way I'll be prepared with wristband, medicine, and ginger pills.

 

Best,

Keith

[digitl]

Do the first two images at http://www.spinningweb.net/antarctica/ help?

[Thecat123]

Thanks so much for the replies! Perfectly - you have pretty much nailed it when you say that I need to choose between the options that you indicate. As I replied in another thread, I mentioned that I have already decided on ruling out a small expedition ship crossing the Drake. That just seems to be tempting fate a bit too much. I think my best choices are either flying both ways with a small ship expedition experience, or else going with a big company cruise and hoping for the best on the crossing. Either way I'll be prepared with wristband, medicine, and ginger pills.

 

Best,

Keith

 

Have you had a look at Seabourn?

From the feed back on Cruise Critic it seems pretty good, luxury, shore excursions

[aarrcc2]

Although we could not afford small expedition ship, we loved our Celebrity Antarctica trip last year. Not able to step on land but our pictures sailing among icebergs and mountains are spectacular!

Also loved the Falkland Islands! Saw tons of penguins and whales in Antarctica. Go whatever way you can! Drake passage was calm as a lake for us, both coming and going!

[SPacificbound]

Do the first two images at www.spinningweb.net/antarctica/ help?

 

That looks like photos I took in the Tasman Sea last April. :D

 

OP we have booked with Celebrity for 2/15/2015 on Infinity. The small ships are just smaller then I could handle in rough seas.

 

I hope you find the cruise you are looking for. :)

[Hotshot80]

That looks like photos I took in the Tasman Sea last April. :D

 

OP we have booked with Celebrity for 2/15/2015 on Infinity. The small ships are just smaller then I could handle in rough seas.

 

I hope you find the cruise you are looking for. :)

 

Did you consider sailing on the Holland America Zaandam to Antarctica. I have been on the Celebrity Infinity 3 times now down there and the Zaandam once. In my opinion the cruise itinerary on the Zaandam in Antarctica is much much better than that of the Celebrity Infinity, as we spent far more time sailing in the waters down there. The Zaandam spends 3 days, 2 nights, down there including spending time off Cuverile Island to see the large colony of Gentoo Penguins there, and also going down the Neumayer Strait, where whales were breaching on the first day.

 

The second day we picked up some researchers from the Palmer Research Station who gave lectures aboard but we were unfortunately preventing from sailing down the Le Maire Channel later that day by huge icebergs, and then we nearly reaching Hope Bay the next day, but had to make a retreat from there because of sea ice closing in on us and we then sailed into the Bay at King George Island too.

 

The Celebrity Infinity does not go to these places, only trying to reach Paradise Bay, which is the real highlight of their trip down there (the Zaandam goes there too but via a different route) before it sails north towards Elephant Island usually. Some passengers on the Infinity did comment negatively about the relatively short stay we had on that ship down there.

 

The Zaandam had a great Team of Lecturers on board too, Chris Wilson, the great nephew of Dr Edward Wilson who was with Captain Scott on the ill fated Expedition down there in 1912, as well as 2 other very knowledgable Colleagues, David Bresnahan who used to work for the Office of Polar Program's, National Science Foundation, and Guy Gutheridge who had also been employed by the National Science Foundation, who all gave excellent lectures.

 

When I do go back there again, I will probably sail on the Zaandam, rather than the Infinity.

[Turtles06]

Did you consider sailing on the Holland America Zaandam to Antarctica. I have been on the Celebrity Infinity 3 times now down there and the Zaandam once. In my opinion the cruise itinerary on the Zaandam in Antarctica is much much better than that of the Celebrity Infinity, as we spent far more time sailing in the waters down there. The Zaandam spends 3 days, 2 nights, down there including spending time off Cuverile Island to see the large colony of Gentoo Penguins there, and also going down the Neumayer Strait, where whales were breaching on the first day.

 

The second day we picked up some researchers from the Palmer Research Station who gave lectures aboard but we were unfortunately preventing from sailing down the Le Maire Channel later that day by huge icebergs, and then we nearly reaching Hope Bay the next day, but had to make a retreat from there because of sea ice closing in on us and we then sailed into the Bay at King George Island too.

 

The Celebrity Infinity does not go to these places, only trying to reach Paradise Bay, which is the real highlight of their trip down there (the Zaandam goes there too but via a different route) before it sails north towards Elephant Island usually. Some passengers on the Infinity did comment negatively about the relatively short stay we had on that ship down there.

 

The Zaandam had a great Team of Lecturers on board too, Chris Wilson, the great nephew of Dr Edward Wilson who was with Captain Scott on the ill fated Expedition down there in 1912, as well as 2 other very knowledgable Colleagues, David Bresnahan who used to work for the Office of Polar Program's, National Science Foundation, and Guy Gutheridge who had also been employed by the National Science Foundation, who all gave excellent lectures.

 

When I do go back there again, I will probably sail on the Zaandam, rather than the Infinity.

 

Thanks for this interesting comparison of the two itineraries. It's not often that someone will have done a trip like this twice (and with different cruise lines) and thus have this perspective. Fascinating.

 

And for anyone wondering what the Neumayer Channel looks like, here's how it looked when we were there last year (and yes we lucked out on the weather that afternoon!):

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

[Hotshot80]

Thanks for this interesting comparison of the two itineraries. It's not often that someone will have done a trip like this twice (and with different cruise lines) and thus have this perspective. Fascinating.

 

And for anyone wondering what the Neumayer Channel looks like, here's how it looked when we were there last year (and yes we lucked out on the weather that afternoon!):

 

 

(photo by turtles06)

 

Hi Turtles06 thats a great shot of the Neumayer Channel, with perfect weather condtions too, you were lucky to get weather like that. Makes me want to go back even more now

Edited May 2, 2014 by Hotshot80

[Tulip Hill]

Do the first two images at http://www.spinningweb.net/antarctica/ help?

 

outstanding! thanks for sharing. :D