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Antarctica Live On Board

galeforce9

By galeforce9,
in Seabourn Cruise Line

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galeforce9

galeforce9

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Sounds lovely! In answer to the weather question, I think the weather is so changeable that December, January and February can all have similar weather. What I found is that even in “bad” weather, ie precipitation and fog, it is magical, rain falls as snow and fog eventually clears and provides stunning scenery. I guess the underlying temperature average is warmer in jan/Feb than dec.

 

 

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Chairsin

Chairsin

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I would say when to go has less to do with weather - which as others have aptly noted Is erratic- and more to do with penguins. Earlier you will see many sitting on eggs, then Dec/Jan sitting on little fur balls peaking out and wandering around and later babies at that are walking around starting to molt at that awkward stage. I have also been told that the later in the season you go the stronger the scent of penguin poo at landing sites as it has had more time to build up but I don’t know that for a fact. Definitely odoriferous when we were there on last year’s holiday cruise.

 

 

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LadyVol1

LadyVol1

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Today was amazing. It was 32 degrees and snowing and awesome! Unfortunately only four of the five groups got to do landings. The fifth group (4 PM, we were at 1 PM) was cancelled due to the deteriorating weather. We just got all the passengers, crew and Zodiacs on board and the snow is blowing horizontally with poor visibility so the Captain definitely made the right decision.

 

My husband and I had a blast. We dressed properly and weren’t cold and didn’t get wet, even when exiting the Zodiac on the beach in a foot of water. Waterproof clothing and boots do work. But bring colored hankies (bandannas) in case you drop it. (I didn’t drop my white hankie but easily could have!)

 

We walked (actually waddled due to the snow, mud, ice, rocks, guano, etc.) around and saw a Chinstrap penguin rookery, Gentoo penguins (orange beaks), two Elephant seals being slugs and being indistinguishable from the huge rocks and a Weddell seal being a slug in the pristine snow. We also saw a Blue whale jaw bone and an old wooden ship washed ashore, probably an old whaler. IT WAS AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE AND IT WAS EVEN BETTER THAT IT WAS “BAD” WEATHER TO MAKE IT MORE ANTARCTICA-LIKE!! It was truly an unforgettable experience walking around and trying not to get too close to the penguins that were hard to see among the snow and rocks. Hopefully we’ll get to do our other seven landings, weather depending.

Gentoo penguins:

5a846df1b45fe2923e1dda7fd88b2a6a.jpg

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notjaded

notjaded

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Believe you mean outfit and they are the full size 7X35 binoculars.

 

Thank you. Good to know. Previous Seabourn cruises have had the compact ones, so they must reconfigure for the Antarctic journey.

 

One less thing needed to pack! T-10 days until we leave on our trip!

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Kwaj girl

Kwaj girl

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Reading all of this and especially seeing the photos really has me ready to book for January 2019. Have previously sailed Seabourn 2x - we are Regent 'regulars' but they do not have Antarctica landing/voyages. We will appreciate any and all info with regards to this most excellent itinerary & voyage!

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LadyVol1

LadyVol1

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Antarctica tips:

 

For each landing day on my bottom half I wore two pairs of ski socks, 2 pairs of women’s exercise tights, 1 pair of 30-year old ski pants filled with fiberfill and 1 pair of REI waterproof pants. On my top half, I wore a long-sleeve 100% cotton t-shirt (nothing fancy, it was a free t-shirt from volunteering at a marathon), a ¼ zip 100% polyester (silky) long sleeve athletic top with a high collar and a merino wool thin pullover sweater. Then I put on a Cuddle Duds very thin/tight fleece zip jacket followed by the Seabourn puff and Seabourn orange parka shell. I had all three final layers zipped up high each time. I had a pair of 100% polyester glove liners from REI that allowed me to use my iPhone and a pair of waterproof ski gloves (from Costco). Rather than wearing the fleece lined merino wool Seabourn-provided beanie, I wore a Costco fleece balaclava to keep my neck and chin warm. I definitely recommend a neck/chin gaiter or balaclava! Some people wear a baseball cap under the Seabourn beanie for sun protection and/or rain protection. That’s not a bad idea but I didn’t bring a baseball cap. And, carry a colored hankie (bandanna) for your runny nose in case you drop it on the ground. I also wore over-glasses sunglasses when I wore my glasses or regular sunglasses when I wore my contacts.

 

When you are wearing all of your warm layers and the life jacket and are on land, don’t expect to be able to easily get to your pockets. I kept my iPhone in my waterproof pants front pocket and my hankie in the right parka pocket. I kept my sunglasses, without a case, in the left parka pocket. My parka pockets were almost hidden by the life vest and since I was always zipped up I couldn’t get to the puff’s pockets. I didn’t bother carrying the backpack but if you think you will, realize that you’re not going to have a good spot to put your backpack down to be able to dig around in it. Travel lightly on the landings.

 

The cruise director will tell you at the mandatory briefing that there will be a 15-minute warning prior to your color’s group departure time so that you can get your final layers on. Well, that’s not exactly true. If your color group is scheduled for 9:00 AM, you will be called at approximately 8:45 AM. If you wait until 8:45 AM to put on all of your layers, you will be on one of the last tenders and will get less time on land. If you are ready at 8:45 AM then you can go to The Club as soon as you hear the 8:45 AM announcement and you’ll be on one of the first zodiacs.

 

At the Chilean Gonzalez Videla Base (on Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay) there are souvenirs for sale. The only items that have the base logo on them are baseball caps, sun hats, neck gaiters, patches, $10 key rings and a wine bottle “cozy”. There are also some books in Spanish. The $20 t-shirts are normal “Antarctica” t-shirts that you can buy in Ushuaia. Only USD cash and Chilean pesos are accepted. Post cards are for sale for $5 each and then mailing them is $5 each or bring your own postcards and just pay the $5 each to mail them. On two different nights, our stewardess left us two different Seabourn Antarctica postcards or you can buy them for 15 Argentina pesos ($0.81) each at Ushuaia. I wore my backpack on the landing at the Gonzalez Videla Base in case I bought anything so that my hands would be free but I didn’t buy anything. I happily carried the plastic bag of purchases for another passenger that hadn’t thought to wear his backpack. If you want you will be able to get your passport stamped for free at The Club later in the day of this landing.

 

 

My husband and I went kayaking yesterday for our first time ever. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it for beginners. (I am going to recommend that Seabourn offer a group for beginners on the second day in Antarctica.) It felt like we were doing a marathon sprint. The expedition leader got us all together in the water and gave us excellent instructions but then zoomed off to look at something. People that had kayaked before didn’t have a problem but we had a hard time keeping up. The expedition person at the end of the group was very understanding and was saying not too worry about it, but it seemed like we would miss something so we kept paddling as fast as we could. We didn’t really have a chance to just sit in the kayak and enjoy the scenery. We were always paddling. We had three more kayak trips booked but canceled the next two and kept the one at South Georgia Island since that’s supposed to be even better than Antarctica. We figure if nothing else, we’ll just sit still and not worry about keeping up with the leader. An experienced kayaker yesterday got back in the zodiac after kayaking and told us that for our first kayak experience, we couldn’t have asked for anything better so for experienced kayakers it was a major hit. For brand new ones, not so much. And, trust the expedition leader when you are told to just use the neoprene gloves attached to the paddle but you might think about wearing your own waterproof gloves on the zodiac to/from the kayaks and then just stuff your waterproof gloves under your kayak life vest. You don’t need to take your key card on the kayak tour, either. If you are going to kayak, be sure to go to one of the kayak Q&A sessions that will be offered for two hours at a time at various times during the first couple sea days. You just show up anytime during that 2-hour period and you’ll learn how to get in and out of a kayak and what to wear, etc.

 

There will probably be a briefing/recap every night at 6:30 PM in The Grand Salon. It is not televised live and is not taped. It is a 10-15 minute briefing of what happened today and the plan for tomorrow followed by two or three short very informative lectures by various expedition team members. Make sure to attend these 6:30 PM briefings/recaps since they are very interesting.

 

There will be live lectures happening throughout the day but if you have a landing or kayak tour scheduled you’ll miss them. Don’t worry, they are all taped and you can watch them in your cabin whenever. One night we went to The Patio after the 6:30 PM briefing and ordered pizzas to go and while they were baking we got salads and took them to our cabin. We went back for the pizzas and then ate in our cabin while watching the lectures we missed and managed to see 8 humpback whales, too. It was VERY relaxing!

 

We are on Day Four out of Day Six of the Antarctic Experience and so far, so good!! Day One was Half Moon Island, Day Two was Trinity Island (a first-ever landing there for Seabourn), Day Three was a zodiac ride around Arthur Harbor which included seeing Palmer Station from the zodiac and Day Four was landing at the Chilean Gonzalez Videla Base on Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay which was the first landing ON the massive geographical land mass of Antarctica (vs. the Antarctica islands of the first two landings).

Edited by LadyVol1
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SKP946

SKP946

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Antarctica tips:

 

For each landing day on my bottom half I wore two pairs of ski socks, 2 pairs of women’s exercise tights, 1 pair of 30-year old ski pants filled with fiberfill and 1 pair of REI waterproof pants. On my top half, I wore a long-sleeve 100% cotton t-shirt (nothing fancy, it was a free t-shirt from volunteering at a marathon), a ¼ zip 100% polyester (silky) long sleeve athletic top with a high collar and a merino wool thin pullover sweater. Then I put on a Cuddle Duds very thin/tight fleece zip jacket followed by the Seabourn puff and Seabourn orange parka shell. I had all three final layers zipped up high each time. .

 

LadyVolt1

Thank you for your most comprehensive and informative reports.

However, in your "landing day" clothing list one item leapt out at me, that was the "long-sleeve 100% cotton t-shirt"

As an experienced back country hiker, skier and snow camper, i know that cotton should not be worn in cold conditions.

In fact, you would probably have felt much more comfortable and warmer without the t-shirt.:)

Below is an extract on why cotton should not be worn:-

"Cotton Kills Hikers

If you haven't heard the outdoor adage "cotton kills," pay attention and you may just save your life. Sure, cotton is fine to wear while shopping for groceries and looking "outdoorsy," but wear it in the great outdoors and it may kill you.

Every outdoor organization from the Boy Scouts to The Mountaineers warns vehemently against wearing cotton while hiking and backpacking. Despite multiple warnings from these experts, people perish each year from inadequate preparedness whilst in pursuit of outdoor adventure.

A guide friend of mine is so anti-cotton that he inspects each garment of everyone he is taking into the backcountry. He's been known to say, "take in an ounce of cotton, and pack out a cold body."

Cotton by Other Names

  • Denim
  • Duck
  • Flannel
  • 50/50 blends

Wetness Equals Death

The major problem with cotton is that its hydrophilic nature causes it to dry very slowly and absorbs moisture like a greedy sponge. Conversely, materials like synthetics and merino wick moisture away from the skin and to the outside of the garment, where it evaporates.

So what does it matter if your cotton shirt is soaked?

According to the Appalachian Mountain Club, some forms of cotton absorb up to 27 times their weight. As a backpacker, you need to think carefully about anything that gains weight while outdoors. Like I said, cotton is a sponge.

Wet clothing conducts heat away from your body 25 times faster than dry clothing, so wet clothing (that favorite t-shirt of yours) is a recipe for contracting hypothermia."

Full article here:-

 

https://skyaboveus.com/climbing-hiking/Why-Cotton-Will-Kill-You

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LadyVol1

LadyVol1

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SKP946 - Yes, you’re right. I even have a correct base layer but the first day we went out I was already wearing the two items on top around the ship. I decided to just put on my merino sweater and Cuddle Duds tight/light fleece and since that whole outfit was so successful, I’ve just stuck with it! We’re out on land for at most 1 1/2 hours and it’s been a predictable ~32 degrees (sometimes with wind) and I have not come close to sweating OR to being cold so I’m keeping up with a good thing!!! I DO have a “correct” base layer, too, with me but so far have chosen not to wear it. Thanks for the excellent reminder though!

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Chairsin

Chairsin

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And it is cold for those of us who live in warm climates (like here in southern Arizona where yesterday’s high was 77) with thin blood. Also while not frigid as Gayleforce noted with the wind it can feel cooler. But because I was warmly dressed when I was on the ship I could very comfortably stand on the deck outside of the ObS Bar for hours at a time quite comfortably scanning for animals and soaking in the scenery. It also meant we could have enjoyable lunches out at the Patio Bar (often a lifesaver given some zodiac times were smack in the middle of Colonnade lunch hours).

 

BTW, I am so glad you have kept up this Antarctica thread. It is so much more interesting and useful than a thread that is more of a creative writing exercise. I know future Antarctica cruises are very grateful to you for all of the balanced, specific information presented without dram or hyperbole. And for those of us that have been we love hearing about your take on this magnificent journey - some similar experiences and some different. Can’t wait until you reach South Georgia. Penguin fatigue? Can’t imagine you or most other cruisers even coming close to that point.

 

I do agree about the cotton. As an avid hiker Years ago I learned whether hiking in the snow or desert heat the layer next to me skin needs to be a wicking layer.

 

 

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galeforce9

galeforce9

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[

 

BTW, I am so glad you have kept up this Antarctica thread. It is so much more interesting and useful than a thread that is more of a creative writing exercise. I know future Antarctica cruises are very grateful to you for all of the balanced, specific information presented without dram or hyperbole. And for those of us that have been we love hearing about your take on this magnificent journey - some similar experiences and some different. Can’t wait until you reach South Georgia. Penguin fatigue? Can’t imagine you or most other cruisers even coming close to that point.

 

Couldn’t agree more!

 

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Wayfairers

Wayfairers

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Planning to circumnavigate South America in 2019 as our first introduction to the continent. That cruise will stop in the Falklands, South Georgia and many places around the tip plus cruise through parts of Antarctica but no stops. No doubt we will spend more time later exploring South America and taking an expedition cruise to Antarctica. I didn’t even know Seabourn had an Antarctica cruise so I have a lot to learn before we decide who to sail with This thread has some great information. Thanks to all who are contributing!

 

 

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Chairsin

Chairsin

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Perhaps our cruise was dressier in the evening because it was the holiday cruise? Nonetheless, I would caution people that even with a more relaxed cruise environment the dress code will still be applied. We saw a couple who showed up in their expedition gear turned away from the Restaurant at night. While the cruise is in many ways a hybrid it is not anything goes expedition style casual at night.

 

 

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