Antarctica and Polar Ice Cap cruises after Jan 2022?

[donaldsc]

On 3/24/2019 at 1:32 AM, cflutist said:

We went last December for 15 nights on the Silver Cloud. Yes, it was a cruise of a lifetime and worth the $50k fare.

 

deleted.

 

DON

Edited November 14, 2020 by donaldsc

[donaldsc]

On 3/24/2019 at 1:32 AM, cflutist said:

We went last December for 15 nights on the Silver Cloud. Yes, it was a cruise of a lifetime and worth the $50k fare.

 

Double post - sorry.

 

DON

Edited November 14, 2020 by donaldsc

[donaldsc]

On 3/24/2019 at 1:32 AM, cflutist said:

We went last December for 15 nights on the Silver Cloud. Yes, it was a cruise of a lifetime and worth the $50k fare.

 

Grossly overpriced.  I did a 21 day cruise to the Falklands and South Georgia and it only cost me about 10K.  Not luxury but you go to Antarctica and/or S. Georgia for the experience and not for the ship.  BTW - in my opinion and I have been to Antarctica and S. Georgia on separate trips, S. Georgia is a more exciting place than Antarctica.  You should try it some day.  Not as many icebergs but imagine being on a beach w 300,000 nesting pairs of penguins as well as many fur seals and a fair number of elephant seals.  The young elephant seals are so unafraid of people that they come up to you and lie on your legs.  Adult elephant seals weigh 3000 pounds.  You don't want them on your legs.

 

DON

[Syracusefan44]

Here is a link to my post about the 2022 cruise to Greenland.

 

https://cruisefever.net/princess-cruises-reveals-new-sailings-in-2022/

[Ken the cruiser]

9 minutes ago, Syracusefan44 said:

Here is a link to my post about the 2022 cruise to Greenland.

 

https://cruisefever.net/princess-cruises-reveals-new-sailings-in-2022/

Thanks! With regards to the Polar Ice Class restrictions, I guess Princess has found a loophole or two for this northern area as well. I wonder if there will be other cruise lines that follow.

[foodsvcmgr]

This is good news, but I wish someone would explain the loophole for this and the Antarctic drive bys as we have been told for the last several years that these trips would unequivocally be prohibited by new regulations.

[donaldsc]

5 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks! With regards to the Polar Ice Class restrictions, I guess Princess has found a loophole or two for this northern area as well. I wonder if there will be other cruise lines that follow.

 

Here is my cynical self talking.  Did anyone think that Princess is advertising a cruise that they know will not go (they are currently doing that for 2020 and early 2021 regular cruises) in the hope that when they cancel the cruise, they will convert the reservations to other cruises.  Cruise companies are so honest that they would never do a sneaky thing like that - or would they.

 

DON

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, foodsvcmgr said:

This is good news, but I wish someone would explain the loophole for this and the Antarctic drive bys as we have been told for the last several years that these trips would unequivocally be prohibited by new regulations.

There was an interesting discussion on this topic on a Seabourn thread that might interest you - 

 

[foodsvcmgr]

Thanks Ken - while not 100% definitive those are at least plausible explanations of the loophole the cruise lines may be using.

Hopefully there are no ice related incidents with any large cruise ships that will close off drive bys entirely as they are a shorter and much less costly option of seeing these destinations than an expedition ship.

[shipsealand]

Hopefully Princess is reading these postings and will respond what is their itinerary for the Antarctica cruise.  We are booked on the January 2022 cruise which includes four days of Antarctica scenic cruising and the Falkland Island.  Princess also has these cruises for 2023 as well.   But the Polar Code does not allow big ships below 60 degree south latitude and the Falkland Island government says no ships over couple hundred PAX's.  We were planning on seeing the ice and bergs of Antarctica and the Falkland Island penguins, a trip of a lifetime. 60 degree south is Elephant Island and it's 130 miles above the closest tip of Antarctica.  Way too far to be a decent drive by.  December 2021 is not do-able for us.

[Ken the cruiser]

Just saw this article regarding the Polar Code and what appears to be a related Paris Memorandum of Understanding.
 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/27734-polar-code-inspection-underway-by-paris-mou.html

 

I wonder if its results will affect Princess’, as well as other cruise lines’, upcoming Antarctica “drive by” cruises where passengers only see Antarctica from afar rather than setting foot on it like on more expensive expedition cruises.

 

If you’ve been following the evolution of the Polar Code as it relates to “drive by” cruising near the shores of Antarctica over the past few years, especially around the peninsula, it’s been an interesting one. At one point the “word on the street” was that all ships would require a Polar Ice Class 6 certification by Jan 1, 2022 or else no cruising past the 60 degree parallel. But as that date came and went, cruise lines such as Azamara, Princess, HAL, Celebrity and NCL seemed to figure out a way to navigate through the various aspects of the Polar Code with regards to “drive by” cruises.

 

Not quite sure what the ramifications, if any, are going to be once the Paris MOU inspections are done, but thought some might be interested, especially if you’re like us and have a “drive by” cruise booked in 2023 and beyond.

 

 

Edited June 26, 2022 by Ken the cruiser

[LACruiser88]

I'm glad we have that cruise checked off our list.  We spent 4 days cruising in Antarctica, in January of 2011, aboard the Star Princess.  That was a lifetime highlight!  Going back to SA next March, Buenos Aires to LA, but no Antarctica.

[Ken the cruiser]

We’re currently booked on a B2B RT Santiago in Jan 2024, with one leg spending 4 days cruising around the Peninsula. Our first time to Antarctica was on the Zaandam back in 2018. But we were wowed so much by that 22 day cruise from BA to Santiago, we just had to go back again, only this time with Princess.

[azbirdmom]

We did a "drive by" cruise on the Coral Princess in January 2020 and it was spectacular.  The ship had to change out the fuel used during the voyages that entered Antarctic waters.  We also saw a video about being careful not to let ANYTHING go overboard into the pristine Antarctic seas before every lecture or show so they were quite serious about keeping our impact on the environment to a minimum.  We had planned to go back with Princess in January 2022 but that cruise was cancelled.  Would love to go back some day, it's truly special even without actually getting to set foot on the continent.

[Gwendy]

In 2011 we rushed to book this cruise as all reports were that the large cruise ships would be banned.  Still cruising there.  By the way it was the most magical cruise.

[Allograft]

What do people think about an Oceanview with just a window or a balcony for December 19, 2022 Antarctica and Cape Horn from San Antonio, Chile to Buenos Aires? Do the balconies freeze making them practically unusable? Are the rooms with a balcony super cold at night? Do most people hangout in the cafeteria and take in the splendor given that outdoor activities are likely limited? Is there stuff to do on the decks? I don't imagine that the pools are open. Maybe hot tubs? 

[caribill]

16 minutes ago, Allograft said:

What do people think about an Oceanview with just a window or a balcony for December 19, 2022 Antarctica and Cape Horn from San Antonio, Chile to Buenos Aires? Do the balconies freeze making them practically unusable? Are the rooms with a balcony super cold at night? Do most people hangout in the cafeteria and take in the splendor given that outdoor activities are likely limited? Is there stuff to do on the decks? I don't imagine that the pools are open. Maybe hot tubs? 

 

a) The balconies will be cold when it is cold outside.

b) Cabins with balconies will not be unusually cold at night.Just be sure your curtain is closed to help keep cold out.

c) Although it is cold in Antarctic waters, remember it is summer in South America, so the part of the cruise in South American waters may have very nice weather for outside activities.

[Allograft]

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

a) The balconies will be cold when it is cold outside.

No worries, just as long as my clumsy ass won't slip and fall on a frozen/icy balcony. I would personally relish the idea of having morning coffee well bundled on my balcony. I suppose that I just need to keep the chairs, inside. Probably the table too so it doesn't glaze over during the night.

 

 

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

 

b) Cabins with balconies will not be unusually cold at night.Just be sure your curtain is closed to help keep cold out.

 

Really? The curtain? I was actually thinking about the thickness of the glass.

 

2 minutes ago, caribill said:

c) Although it is cold in Antarctic waters, remember it is summer in South America, so the part of the cruise in South American waters may have very nice weather for outside activities.

True, and the toilet water drains in the opposite direction. Any ideas about what these outdoor activities may be? Wifey speculated that the pool may be open for polar bear club try outs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caribill]

2 minutes ago, Allograft said:

No worries, just as long as my clumsy ass won't slip and fall on a frozen/icy balcony. I would personally relish the idea of having morning coffee well bundled on my balcony. I suppose that I just need to keep the chairs, inside. Probably the table too so it doesn't glaze over during the night.

 

I do not reme,ber any ice on our balcony when we cruised Antarctica.

 

 

2 minutes ago, Allograft said:

 

 

Really? The curtain? I was actually thinking about the thickness of the glass.

 

Glass will be cold to the touch when it is cold outside.

 

2 minutes ago, Allograft said:

True, and the toilet water drains in the opposite direction. Any ideas about what these outdoor activities may be? Wifey speculated that the pool may be open for polar bear club try outs.

 

 

Normal Princess outdoor activities including MUTS.

 

When in Antarctic waters some activities will be limited to eliminate the chance something will go off the ship into local waters. For example, no ping pong.

[Allograft]

Thanks boss! all appreciated and extra blankets for MUTS

[beg3yrs]

10 hours ago, Allograft said:

... and the toilet water drains in the opposite direction....

 

You won't necessarily see this. The direction draining water spins is much more affected by the mechanics of the drain itself along with any initial impulse to get the spin going. People often point to the Coriolis Effect as why water will drains differently in the Northern and Southern hemispheres. What they don't realize is it's a very very small effect and really won't matter with water draining. What it does do is make storms rotate differently because over a large area (hundreds to thousands of square miles) that tiny effect adds up and makes a big difference.

 

I once saw a YouTube video from a village in Africa that straddles the equator. The locals had two funnels, one marked North and the other marked South on each side of the line. Of course the water drained differently. Turns out if you switched the funnels to the other side, there was no difference, each one still drained the same way. That's the way they were constructed, to FOOL you.

[srpilo]

Antarctica for us was on the Star Princess  Feb 2010, 17 days round trip from Buenos Aires 🤩

 

Magical is the only word ....

 

 

[Gwendy]

On Celebrity only use of outside pool was for penguin plunge.  You dive in, swim across pool and get out frozen.lol

Outside decks were too cold to stay out for long, even rugged up.  We didn’t use our balcony in Antarctica except to rush out and take a photo.  Spent a lot of time gazing through the closed doors.

Most magical few days ever.

[Allograft]

10 hours ago, Gwendy said:

On Celebrity only use of outside pool was for penguin plunge.  You dive in, swim across pool and get out frozen.lol

Outside decks were too cold to stay out for long, even rugged up.  We didn’t use our balcony in Antarctica except to rush out and take a photo.  Spent a lot of time gazing through the closed doors.

Most magical few days ever.

 

I understand that everyone is different, I can handle temps of -15 C for about 3-4 hours bundled up. But temps probably hover about freezing around Christmas there since it's the peak of summer, right?

 

For your balcony room, would have been better off saving the money and going for Oceanview and just getting the window than the balcony?

Edited August 2, 2022 by Allograft

[erber]

12 minutes ago, Allograft said:

 

I understand that everyone is different, I can handle temps of -15 C for about 3-4 hours bundled up. But temps probably hover about freezing around Christmas there since it's the peak of summer, right?

 

For your balcony room, would have been better off saving the money and going for Oceanview and just getting the window than the balcony?

We went on Princess South America/Antarctica cruise in Dec. 2019 and had a balcony room. We spent a huge amount of time on our balcony and also on the open decks. The temps were in the low 30s F and it even snowed briefly one morning, but we were fine bundled up with layers. We would scoot into our room to warm up every so often. It was the most amazing cruise-- the scenery was just breathtaking. I am glad we had the balcony. We used it so much that we are booking a balcony to go on a transatlantic from Ft. Lauderdale to Southampton via several ports in Iceland. We think the scenery justifies the balcony.