Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Antarctica Live On Board

galeforce9

By galeforce9,
in Seabourn Cruise Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

TravelHop

TravelHop

Posted
Posted
Just thinking the same thing....when people ask us what has been our favorite/best cruise travel experience - onboard the Seabourn Quest to Antarctica is always our answer!

 

Fabulous photos!!! We are close - our best ever was the Legend up Norway and into the polar ice cap - a perfect trip with amazing weather and stunning scenery. But Antartica on the Quest in Feb this year is a close second. Both trips shared the wonderful Captain Dag as the Master. Such wonderful experiences!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
rallydave

rallydave

Posted
Posted
6b0f38d8fd65f0bf75b26e5391ae99b3.jpg

Just crossed the Antarctic circle according to my camera gps. 65 04 south, although the captain might disagree as couldn’t make it all the way through the lemaire channel this evening.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Sorry Galeforce, the captain is correct, the Antarctic Circle is 66.5 degrees south so your gps reading may be correct but, almost a degree and a half north of the circle. We are aboard as well and crossing that circle is not as important is the Arctic Circle as we have been in the Antarctic for many days now accorcing to the Explorations team. Great picture by the way.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
galeforce9

galeforce9

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Thanks rallydave. You are quite right. Update. Heading for Argentine Islands tonight. Further south. Not sure how much further south. There could be a storm brewing in the drake passage though for our return... snowed most of today and kayaking was fabulous with still waters through the icebergs and snow falling all around. Cruise continues to be excellent. Huge pod of orcas tonight provided the pre dinner entertainment. The captain slowed down and turned the ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
galeforce9

galeforce9

Posted
  • Author
Posted

We’ve had a drakes passage update. We are meant to be sailing across over the next two days but the captain says there’s storm system after storm system “like pearls on a necklace”. He was considering leaving today but glad he didn’t as we would have been in waves with a 10-12m swell - 36 foot! Usually rough is 4-5m. So we’re having a cruising around morning towards the south Shetland Islands tomorrow, sheltering from the worst. By then that storm system should have passed through and we can make a run for it. He says it will be rough but hopefully we can avoid the worst. They have got to secure everything on deck and we’ve got to do the same in cabins. No high heels! We’ll probably miss Ushuaia except for a technical stop.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Roxburgh

Roxburgh

Posted
Posted (edited)
We’ve had a drakes passage update. We are meant to be sailing across over the next two days but the captain says there’s storm system after storm system “like pearls on a necklace”. He was considering leaving today but glad he didn’t as we would have been in waves with a 10-12m swell - 36 foot! Usually rough is 4-5m. So we’re having a cruising around morning towards the south Shetland Islands tomorrow, sheltering from the worst. By then that storm system should have passed through and we can make a run for it. He says it will be rough but hopefully we can avoid the worst. They have got to secure everything on deck and we’ve got to do the same in cabins. No high heels! We’ll probably miss Ushuaia except for a technical stop.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Thanks for the update.

 

That is always the risk with the Drake Passage. We had a good 'blow' when we crossed it. They closed down the front elevators and we were banned from going on deck. The stabilisers kept the roll down but we still had waves breaking over the bows.

 

Breakfast and lunch in the MDR which will be one of the more stable parts of the ship.

 

Shame about Ushuaia. The national park is well worth the visit and the town has better shopping than Punta Arenas.

 

Stay safe and, remember, one hand for you and one hand for the ship.

Edited by Roxburgh
Link to comment
Share on other sites
florisdekort

florisdekort

Posted
Posted
We’ve had a drakes passage update. We are meant to be sailing across over the next two days but the captain says there’s storm system after storm system “like pearls on a necklace”. He was considering leaving today but glad he didn’t as we would have been in waves with a 10-12m swell - 36 foot! Usually rough is 4-5m. So we’re having a cruising around morning towards the south Shetland Islands tomorrow, sheltering from the worst. By then that storm system should have passed through and we can make a run for it. He says it will be rough but hopefully we can avoid the worst. They have got to secure everything on deck and we’ve got to do the same in cabins. No high heels! We’ll probably miss Ushuaia except for a technical stop.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I’ve experienced 38 foot waves on Celebrity Millennium. It’s indeed not much fun!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
galeforce9

galeforce9

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Radinmd - the captain made good time and we’re back on schedule, arriving for 7am, back on board by 12:30pm. We’ve got scenic cruising this afternoon, down “glacier alley”, which I’m looking forward to, although I think the weather may be a little worse by then.

 

Isklaar - thanks! Just posting a few from my phone now and then. Think I’m up to about 10,000 for the trip so far on my proper camera!! It’s been stunning. I have to say quest has been excellent. The food continues to be fabulous, did someone once say we should clone chef jes! I think so. Our cabin stewardess is superb. Bar service is good. Sometimes after two weeks I’m ready to get off but not this time.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
galeforce9

galeforce9

Posted
  • Author
Posted

We had a great last stop in Antarctica. It was the site of old British and Argentinian huts and also home to some gentoo penguin colonies. A Weddell seal was hauled up in the snow. It felt like quite an expedition to hike up with poles to the huts, about a mile away from the landing site. The gentoos looked most picturesque with their snowy surrounds. a2082ebfb0beb20eedca53b36d741359.jpg06d0d7bdbd33c05367b8bedfbfe09cb8.jpg9bfd4d036999bb56055921a8f0cd9bfd.jpgd22b0abf246f2688c59f650b720593e8.jpg4868a14a46d7ec9de08401caef34dfa6.jpg

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites
galeforce9

galeforce9

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Just a few thoughts on gear-

 

The trekking poles we brought with us have been invaluable. Some of the sites were quite hilly. At times the snow was soft and the poles gave you stability when the top layer gave way. The addition of snow baskets at the end of the poles helped here. At other times the snow was quite icy and they gave additional confidence descending slippery slopes. I’m not sure they would be as necessary on later season cruises but I’m glad we brought them this time.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: Set Sail Beyond the Ordinary with Oceania Cruises
      • ANNOUNCEMENT: The Widest View in the Whole Wide World
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...