Planning for 2022 - Silversea and Suite Type (Balcony)?

[antarcticanewbies]

My wife and I are in our late fifties and planning our first "serious" cruise (we have taken a 3-day river cruise on the Yangtze River and have a Galapagos Cruise planned for December 2021). We are interested in Antarctica, the Falklands and South Georgia in December 2022.

 

We like hiking and wildlife but not interesting in kayaking, snorkelling or diving. We are looking to travel comfortably and in a relatively small ship, and Silversea seem to tick all the boxes, any thoughts, recommendations or alternative suggestions?

 

If anyone has been on one of the Silversea Antarctica cruises and has stayed in the Medallion Suite, any comments? Is a balcony much use on an Antarctica cruise. Are all the suites of a certain type the same, also any preference between port or starboard suites on an Antarctica cruise?

 

Any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

One final question, does the implementation of the Polar Code impact on Silversea cruises?

 

Thanks in advance...

Edited July 25, 2020 by antarcticanewbies

[sippican]

On 7/25/2020 at 11:14 AM, antarcticanewbies said:

My wife and I are in our late fifties and planning our first "serious" cruise (we have taken a 3-day river cruise on the Yangtze River and have a Galapagos Cruise planned for December 2021). We are interested in Antarctica, the Falklands and South Georgia in December 2022.

 

We like hiking and wildlife but not interesting in kayaking, snorkelling or diving. We are looking to travel comfortably and in a relatively small ship, and Silversea seem to tick all the boxes, any thoughts, recommendations or alternative suggestions?

 

If anyone has been on one of the Silversea Antarctica cruises and has stayed in the Medallion Suite, any comments? Is a balcony much use on an Antarctica cruise. Are all the suites of a certain type the same, also any preference between port or starboard suites on an Antarctica cruise?

 

Any advice/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

One final question, does the implementation of the Polar Code impact on Silversea cruises?

 

Thanks in advance...

 

Not sure of the Silversea ships, but you may wish to check out the thread regarding the Polar Code in this forum. Most ships that currently sail into the Antarctic region will no longer meet the requirements after December of 2021 (even though they continue to sell cabins on such itineraries). 

[dreamercruise]

My friends took Silversea’s Antartica cruise and loved it very much.  Per their positive experience, I signed up for the same cruise.  Just before I made deposit and final payment, I switched to Scenic.  Reasons are that Scenic Eclipse is brand new (Launched in late 2019) with all balcony staterooms, of similar price, and most importantly are equipped with helicopters and submarines.  I must say I am very lucky to have taken this exciting adventure on the Scenic ship, not to mention just before the Coronavirus hit.  Everything, especially service, was first-class on the Scenic ship.  My next expedition cruise will be the Arctic Polar region.  I have thought about other alternatives such as Viking’s brand new expedition ships, but I think I shall most likely take Scenic.  No expedition cruise is complete without helicopter and submarine rides.

BTW - I took the 18-day Antarctica cruise including Falklands Islands and South Georgia.  Attached photos were taken aboard the luxury helicopter (6-passenger + pilot).

[dreamercruise]

On 7/25/2020 at 11:14 AM, antarcticanewbies said:

 We are interested in Antarctica, the Falklands and South Georgia in December 2022.

 

We like hiking and wildlife but not interesting in kayaking, snorkelling or diving. We are looking to travel comfortably and in a relatively small ship,

 

 Is a balcony much use on an Antarctica cruise. Are all the suites of a certain type the same, also any preference between port or starboard suites on an Antarctica cruise?

 

One final question, does the implementation of the Polar Code impact on Silversea cruises?

 

My Scenic cruise included Antarctica, Falklands Islands, and South Georgia.  If you have time, including Falklands Islands and South Georgia in your Antarctica expedition is a must.  You will be able to see a more complete list of various penguin species and have more opportunity to see other wildlife in action.

There is one hike up a snow covered hill to see penguin colonies, although there are plenty of penguins along the shore leading up to the hill.  There are no snorkeling or diving.  Unless you do not swim, kayaking is highly recommended In the serene water with a snow-covered backdrop.  The feel is very different than kayaking in the Norwegian fjords.  If you still do not want to kayak, no problem, because you can take the zodiac ride to see whales, dolphins, leopard seals, and etc..  There are plenty of included excursions available to keep you busy, but you can opt to relax on the ship watching the dolphins or admiring the scenery with a drink or specialty tea (make your own).  It is your vacation.  You decide.

A balcony is convenient, because sometimes I can keep my pj on while watching sunrise or sunset.  Port or starboard sides are irrelevant here, because there is action all around.  I spend most time in the lounges (food and drink) to enjoy view, and rush out to the open deck when there is interesting action.

Eclipse is polar class ship.

My friends like Silversea, and they also like Crystal and Scenic.  Someday, I shall try Silversea.  It all depends on the itinerary.

[kaisatsu]

@dreamercruise How often did you get up in the helicopters? Now that I’ve been up a few times, I’m keen to do it again!

 

My last trip would normally have tried to do at least four helicopter operations, but we had some unfortunate weather and only got to do two. But I loved them both (even though I never even got my turn in the rotation to take the front seat).

[dreamercruise]

3 hours ago, kaisatsu said:

@dreamercruise How often did you get up in the helicopters? Now that I’ve been up a few times, I’m keen to do it again!

 

My last trip would normally have tried to do at least four helicopter operations, but we had some unfortunate weather and only got to do two. But I loved them both (even though I never even got my turn in the rotation to take the front seat).

Helicopter and submarine rides are available on a lotto system.  Since there was a problem with the software program in the submarine ride, Scenic made more helicopter rides available.  All guests went on at least once, and some people got on three times.  I signed up and got on once in Antarctica.  In hindsight, I should have signed up another one. The view (of carving glacier, ridges, and cracks) is spectacular.  The scenery and wildlife are different with each ride, even in Antarctica.  Why not more times for me?  There are just too many things to do.  I have to do give up kayaking and zodiac cruising (or shorten land excursion) In order to free up time.

Scenic’s helicopter is specially designed for luxury.  Seats are very comfortable (wide and cushiony, with fancy secured seat belts).  To allow for maximum viewing, there are oversized glass windows and top.  Guests sitting in the two seats in the front row and the two window seats in the back row have the best view, of course.  The two middle seats in the back row still get an acceptable view due to the open glass design and the guests’ own statue.  To balance the weight for safety, guests who are the tallest and heaviest sit in the two middle seats in the back.

One thing worth mentioning Is the state-of-art design of the stabilization system.  The ride in the rough sea is smooth, and the transfer from the ship to the zodiac is a breeze every time.  Of course, the experienced staff helped as well.

[antarcticanewbies]

Is there a way to find Antarctica cruise timetables as they are published? Is there a web site that can send updates/alerts or is it just a matter of registering with the various operators?

[kaisatsu]

7 hours ago, antarcticanewbies said:

Is there a way to find Antarctica cruise timetables as they are published? Is there a web site that can send updates/alerts or is it just a matter of registering with the various operators?

There are some travel agencies that list multiple companies’ sailings, but if you want to know as soon as the schedules are out, your best bet is registering with the companies you’re interested in.

[tupper10]

We sailed on Silversea to Antarctica and would highly recommend it.  We did not have a suite but rather one of the porthole rooms. To be frank that was fine since we spent the majority of time on deck or in the zodiacs. We only used our room to sleep.  Most of the time on our ship you could not open the veranda doors due to the wind so everyone regardless of their rooms were  'on deck' to see the sights.  It is a small ship and you get to meet everyone which makes for a friendly atmosphere amongst the guests and also the crew. Our captain allowed the entire staff to come and view some of the spectacular sights we saw -  meals were interrupted to run on deck or to the large viewing windows by essentially the entire staff and guests - it was wonderful.  We were the only ship to cross the Antarctic Circle so far that season ( late Feb.)  which was due to the spectacular weather we had.   The Captain invited us all to see as we crossed the latitude of the circle - since by the scenery we could not tell the difference.  

 

Part of the beauty of Antarctica is the absolute quiet you have sitting in a zodiac with the engines turned off listening to the sound of ice popping, the birds screeching, and enjoying for a moment the spectacular world we live in.  We don't kayak but I imagine that would be fabulous as well.  

 

Whatever you decide enjoy one of the most spectacular trips you will ever have.  

[Nitemare]

We booked "run of ship" to save a few dollars and they issued us a great balcony that we were thrilled to have. 

 

Here is a video we took that shows what Tupper was describing

 

Other Antarctic videos on that channel.  All nice and short!

O

Edited August 5, 2020 by Nitemare

[tupper10]

2 hours ago, Nitemare said:

We booked "run of ship" to save a few dollars and they issued us a great balcony that we were thrilled to have. 

 

Here is a video we took that shows what Tupper was describing

 

Other Antarctic videos on that channel.  All nice and short!

O

Thanks. Your video brings back some great memories.

[pdmlynek]

On 7/31/2020 at 7:59 AM, dreamercruise said:

...

Reasons are that Scenic Eclipse is brand new (Launched in late 2019) with all balcony staterooms, of similar price, and most importantly are equipped with helicopters and submarines. ...

No expedition cruise is complete without helicopter and submarine rides.

Can you please write a little more about the helicopter? 

 

I know that for at least one IAATO site in Ross Sea a helicopter is needed to get to (I.e., a dry valley site), but what other rides do helicopters make?

 

Thank you!