When is the best cruising time to maximise animal viewing?

[freaky_82]

I'm wondering if there is a big difference between the December and the March cruises in regards of animal viewing?

 

I would love to see all different kinds of whales and penguins while cruising Antartica. 

 

I'm at the very beginning of my research, so any recommendations for all kinds of resources are very welcome. I'm looking for good books, online sites, travel blogs, tv shows, documentaries...

 

So far I really like the Princess cruise itinerary with 4 days cruising Antartica, but also open for recommendations.

[kaisatsu]

Your best option is to look at small ship expedition cruises where you can actually be on shore with the wildlife. Especially if you want to see penguins.

 

Timing-wise, a lot of the penguin colonies are starting to clear out in March, but it’s a good time for whales. If you’re going to be traveling on a large ship, the whales might be a priority. However I still had several great whale sightings on my December trip.

[Heartfelttraveler]

This is a great article about Antarctica’s viewing by month

se had originally booked December for a boots-on-the-ground cruise.  We moved it to December because of an impending grand baby birth.  and postponed it again due to COVID.

we originally booked December thinking the wildlife would be great and the snow more pristine.  (Every ship with landings brings more footprints.)

 

https://www.mundyadventures.co.uk/adventure-news/travel-advice/best-time-visit-antarctica

 

[2552phxcrzr]

Both of our Antarctic expedition voyages were in January ... lots of penguins (both adults and chicks), seals, birds.  We also saw a more than satisfactory number of whales.

[kaisatsu]

19 hours ago, Heartfelttraveler said:

the snow more pristine.  (Every ship with landings brings more footprints.)

The recommendation is to follow the tracks of the ships that came before, so there really aren’t too many more tracks later in the season. The penguins muck up the snow even more, because they create their own tracks down to the water and shoot guano everywhere. In the areas where passengers walk, it does get muddier throughout the season with more guano and more seasonal snow melt.

 

However, when it comes to “pristine” snow, the only time I’d say there was a real difference was when I traveled in mid-November ten years ago (global warming has led to earlier season starts) and we literally made first tracks at some of the landing sites. The penguins weren’t even nesting yet in several places (since they must wait until the snow clears from their rocky nesting sites). However, we also missed a lot of landings where the ice hadn’t broken up. On my December trip, I definitely wouldn’t call any of the landing sites pristine!

 

Edited to add: It may be worth noting that when you do step out of the existing tracks, your expedition staff should advise you to stop and fill in your tracks. If a penguin stumbles into a boot hole, it can be extremely difficult for it to get out.

Edited May 17, 2021 by kaisatsu

[kamelia]

Best piece of advice we were given before our first Antarctica cruise:  buy or borrow a very good set of binoculars to bring with you.  My husband and I are wildlife enthusiasts, and we have never regretted purchasing a high-end pair for each of us.  We also learned early on to have them with us whenever we leave our stateroom.

 

Just for reference:  our first trip was in February, and we saw many penguins but very few whales.  During our second trip in December, we saw more whales and still plenty of penguins.  

[donaldsc]

On out trip. we went in December.  There were penguin chicks hatching in December.

 

I agree w Kaisatsu that you should do the trip on a small ship so that you can get boots on the ground.  Doing a drive by Antarctica trip is the equivalent and makes as much sense as doing London on  a ship that goes up and down the Thames without giving you the chance of actually setting foot in London.

 

Two things to remember is to take 2 of everything that is important.  Two pairs of binoculars - do not plan to share.  Each of you should have a camera and there should have an extra camera as a spare just in case.  On my recent trip to South Georgia, one of my cameras died because I used it when it was raining so I had to switch to a backup camera.  If you are using a camera w interchangeable lenses, all of your cameras should use the same lenses.  Bring a whole bunch of spare batteries as they die more rapidly in the cold.  Don't forget a charger.  Again on my S Georgia trip one person forgot his charger.  Luckily his batteries were fairly standard so others of us could charge his batteries for him.  Bring lots of memory cards.  Memory cards are cheap and lost pictures are expensive.

 

Hope that this helps.

 

DON

[freaky_82]

A boots on the ground cruise is not an option at this time, for me. 

 

I want to take my mom to see the penguins and she won't feel comfortable getting in a zodiac anymore. She has some mobility issues and feels unstable on her feet. 

I know that if we take a boots on the ground cruise, she will refuse to board the zodiacs and she will tell me to go ahead and not miss out because of her. I will then have a great experience, but will be bummed because she missed out. 

 

I think I will try a cruise earlier in the season, because Penguins and their chicks are a priority and everything else will be a very welcome bonus. 

 

Thank you for the recommendations, I will look into buying a second pair of binoculars and/or upgrade the one we have.

 

 

[RonPaula]

I have mobility issues as well and use a manual wheelchair. There’s absolutely no way that I would attempt to climb into a zodiac. Also, it would be too challenging to move around on shore.  Sometimes you have to go with plan b and make the best of it. We are taking a Celebrity cruise on Infinity which has recently been retrofitted to meet some Polar Code demands. Hope you enjoy your sail by cruise.

[Nitemare]

On 5/20/2021 at 6:45 AM, freaky_82 said:

A boots on the ground cruise is not an option at this time, for me. 

 

I want to take my mom to see the penguins and she won't feel comfortable getting in a zodiac anymore. She has some mobility issues and feels unstable on her feet. 

I know that if we take a boots on the ground cruise, she will refuse to board the zodiacs and she will tell me to go ahead and not miss out because of her. I will then have a great experience, but will be bummed because she missed out. 

 

I think I will try a cruise earlier in the season, because Penguins and their chicks are a priority and everything else will be a very welcome bonus. 

 

Thank you for the recommendations, I will look into buying a second pair of binoculars and/or upgrade the one we have.

 

 

From a passing ship, chicks are going to be hard to see.  We were there in mid February and they were very visible on the ground, as they are chasing their parents for food, but much earlier than that they are nestbound and you won't see them unless you are very close to shore.  Like, Zodiac close as you are landing.

 

Even on our zodiac tours on our boots on the ground tour you weren't seeing chicks at sea or on icebergs. They are strictly landbound

[kamelia]

1 hour ago, Nitemare said:

From a passing ship, chicks are going to be hard to see.  We were there in mid February and they were very visible on the ground, as they are chasing their parents for food, but much earlier than that they are nestbound and you won't see them unless you are very close to shore.  Like, Zodiac close as you are landing.

 

Even on our zodiac tours on our boots on the ground tour you weren't seeing chicks at sea or on icebergs. They are strictly landbound

Depending upon the cruise ship's itinerary, there may be up-close-and-personal opportunities to view nesting penguin colonies other than those you cruise by in Antarctica.  I have taken land penguin tours in both Puerto Madryn, Argentina as well as Port Stanley, Falkland Islands.  In my experience, once we arrived at the colony, walking around was at our own pace, which your mom might be more open to doing with you.

[skrink]

On 5/18/2021 at 1:37 AM, donaldsc said:

Bring a whole bunch of spare batteries as they die more rapidly in the cold.

Lithium batteries work better in the cold, if your camera accepts them.  🙂