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2021/2022 Antarctic Cruise Season Go or No Go??


PaulMCO
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Here is what I know as of today.  Our TA got the notice from Quark earlier this week  My wife and I have already switched our trip to January 2022 and have received our room number.  Everything seems to check out from the standpoint of meeting at the hotel in BA by noon on the first day of the trip, stay at that hotel that night and then transit to Ushuaia and embark on the boat.  No hanging out and walking around Ushuaia they way I read it.  I did check the UA website and find that the Argentinian restrictions are only until October 1, 2021.  I am presuming that they are going to loosen up on the quarantine issue etc after that time.

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Here is the latest news on Argentinean boarders reopening:

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294266-i977-k13678627-Borders_Reopening-Argentina.html

September 21: elimination of isolation for Argentines, residents and foreigners who come for work and are authorized by the immigration authority.

October 1: authorization of entry of foreigners from neighboring countries without isolation. Opening of land borders at the request of governors (with safe corridors approved by the health authority with a quota defined by the capacity of each jurisdiction).

Between October 1 and November 1, the entry quota is progressively increased in all secure corridors, airports, ports and land borders.

November 1 entry of all foreigners is authorized.

The following will be required for entry into the country

Complete vaccination schedule, with date of last application at least 14 days prior to arrival in the country.

Negative PCR test within 72 hours prior to boarding, or antigen at the point of entry until defined by the health authority.

PCR test at day 5 to 7 of arrival until defined by the sanitary authority.

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HURTIGRUTEN have today updated their list of expedition cancellations re. Antarctica 2021/22 (I'm looking at the UK website now). However, early this afternoon they listed my cruise as cancelled (the MS Roald Amundsen - leaving 10th December 2021), but now the MS Roald Amundsen cancellations have been removed from the list of cancelled cruises and the only affected cruises appear to be their other hybrid ship. Clearly the first list wasn't the correct list? Unfortunately, Hurtigruten can decide to run these cruises to Antarctica but as a UK citizen, Chile is currently classed as 'Red' by the UK government and I am not permitted to travel there (nor will I be covered by travel insurance). I wonder if things will change?!

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On 9/29/2021 at 11:42 AM, HDR_1978 said:

HURTIGRUTEN have today updated their list of expedition cancellations re. Antarctica 2021/22 (I'm looking at the UK website now). However, early this afternoon they listed my cruise as cancelled (the MS Roald Amundsen - leaving 10th December 2021), but now the MS Roald Amundsen cancellations have been removed from the list of cancelled cruises and the only affected cruises appear to be their other hybrid ship. Clearly the first list wasn't the correct list? Unfortunately, Hurtigruten can decide to run these cruises to Antarctica but as a UK citizen, Chile is currently classed as 'Red' by the UK government and I am not permitted to travel there (nor will I be covered by travel insurance). I wonder if things will change?!

They did correct this a few hours after it was noticed.

Things are changing quickly--  did not the UK change the Red light system recently or planning too

 

Key issue for those expeditions going through Argentina is the 1 November opening date for foreigners. 

 

 

 

 

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Would like to summarize the current season so far -- others can chime in and add:

  • Seabourn Odyssey -- season Cancelled
  • Quark cancels Ocean Diamond, Ocean Adventurer, World Explorer.  Only new built Ultramarine will sail from Ushuaia.  Quark will bubble in Buenos Aires on day before at the Hotel Emperator.
  • Silversea has moved all ships to Chile.  Either Puerto Arenas or Puerto Williams.   They will bubble in Santiago. Only question is whether Silver Wind expeditions will be cancelled and ship is still in dry-dock in Poland.  FB rumors say TA's have been offering moving bookings to Silver Cloud.
  • National Geographic will bubble in Miami and provide charter flights (at additional cost $2900 economy $8500 business RT) to Ushuaia.
  • Oceanwide has cancelled Ortelius and Janssonius this season and moving passengers to Plancius and Hondius
  • Hurtigruten will move departures to Chile.  Cancelled is Fridtjof Nansen departures.
  • Albatross.  Ocean Atlantic cancelled for 2021. Ocean Victory still is sailing.
  • Poseidon.  M/V Sea Spirit is still listed on their web site as operating.
  • Ponant (including A&K) still a go.
Edited by PaulMCO
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3 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Would like to summarize the current season so far -- others can chime in and add:

  • Seabourn Odyssey -- season Cancelled
  • Quark cancels Ocean Diamond, Ocean Adventurer, World Explorer.  Only new built Ultramarine will sail from Ushuaia.  Quark will bubble in Buenos Aires on day before at the Hotel Emperator.
  • Silversea has moved all ships to Chile.  Either Puerto Arenas or Puerto Williams.   They will bubble in Santiago. Only question is whether Silver Wind expeditions will be cancelled and ship is still in dry-dock in Poland.  FB rumors say TA's have been offering moving bookings to Silver Cloud.
  • National Geographic will bubble in Miami and provide charter flights (at additional cost $2900 economy $8500 business RT) to Ushuaia.
  • Oceanwide has cancelled Ortelius and Janssonius this season and moving passengers to Plancius and Hondius
  • Hurtigruten will move departures to Chile.  Cancelled is Fridtjof Nansen departures.
  • Albatross.  Ocean Atlantic cancelled for 2021. Ocean Victory still is sailing.
  • Poseidon.  M/V Sea Spirit is still listed on their web site as operating.
  • Ponant (including A&K) still a go.

Crystal recently sent an email to passengers confirming that the Antarctica season from Ushuaia on the Crystal Endeavor is moving ahead as planned.  The first voyage leaves November 18 and trips continue into February.

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Thank you Woodrowst.  We are Crystal fans.  We booked the Quark expedition because of the unique itinerary -- total solar eclipse.

 

Hopefully others will add the other lines. like Ponant.   Issue with the lines using Argentina is that no protocols have been released and of course Argentina in general does not hold to dates announced.

At least with Chile -- the procedures are in place entering as a foreigner.

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Finally some good news on the Argentina front.  Just checked the United Airline site and they are open for visitors from neighboring countries (ie.  Uruguay and Chile).  This was announced earlier but actually implemented on the 2 October (on schedule).  So hopefully good news for the 1 November date..

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I’m starting to get a bit panicky with the whole Argentina reopening.  We’re scheduled to cruise in December but we’ve got the J&J vaccine which is the only one not listed on the Argentine update. I’d hate to have to flex to the “cancel anytime”  clause in my trip insurance but I can’t sit in an Argentine quarantine on top of my cruise time. Has anyone heard/read anything?

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3 hours ago, coconut thunder said:

I’m starting to get a bit panicky with the whole Argentina reopening.  We’re scheduled to cruise in December but we’ve got the J&J vaccine which is the only one not listed on the Argentine update. I’d hate to have to flex to the “cancel anytime”  clause in my trip insurance but I can’t sit in an Argentine quarantine on top of my cruise time. Has anyone heard/read anything?

I would be sorely tempted to to just go and get either Pfizer or Moderna.  I have actually pondered getting a J&J shot on top of my Pfizer since they work in different ways.  I know vaccine combinations are  being studied right now.  I just can't decide if I want to be an unmonitored guinea pig, lol.  I think the folks in Canada who got one Astra Zeneca and one Moderna/Pfizer are in the same boat.  That was approved for use but it's not on the approved list for Argentina.

 

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9 hours ago, coconut thunder said:

I’m starting to get a bit panicky with the whole Argentina reopening.  We’re scheduled to cruise in December but we’ve got the J&J vaccine which is the only one not listed on the Argentine update. I’d hate to have to flex to the “cancel anytime”  clause in my trip insurance but I can’t sit in an Argentine quarantine on top of my cruise time. Has anyone heard/read anything?

Things change daily.   Came across this today... J&J and Janssen are the same.  Dated 6 October so definitely new.

 

https://www.infobae.com/salud/2021/10/06/covid-19-la-anmat-aprobo-el-uso-de-emergencia-de-la-vacuna-de-janssen/

 

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8 minutes ago, PaulMCO said:

Things change daily.   Came across this today... J&J and Janssen are the same.  Dated 6 October so definitely new.

 

https://www.infobae.com/salud/2021/10/06/covid-19-la-anmat-aprobo-el-uso-de-emergencia-de-la-vacuna-de-janssen/

 

Thank you for posting that. I’ve been digging around a lot but hadn’t come across that article. That definitely eased my mind a bit.

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Another piece falls into place.  This is from the Buenos Aires Times at   Buenos Aires Times | Argentina to scrap Covid entry quotas for foreign arrivals on October 19 (batimes.com.ar)

 

 Argentina to scrap Covid entry quotas for foreign arrivals on October 19

Argentina’s civil aviation agency announces that from October 19, Covid-19 limits on incoming passengers arriving from abroad by air will be scrapped.

Argentina’s civil aviation agency has confirmed that daily quotas on foreign arrivals by air will be scrapped, starting October 19.

In a statement, the National Civil Aviation Administration (ANAC) said that all caps on passengers arriving to the country “by air” would be eliminated after Argentina “reached the threshold of 50 percent of the population vaccinated with the full vaccination schedule.”

"On October 19, 2021, all quotas on the number of passengers arriving in the country by air will be lifted," it confirmed in a post on Twitter.

At present, the quota on arrivals is 21,000 passengers per week, rising to 28,000 between October 11 and 19.

Citing a government decree, ANAC stated that "after fourteen (14) days" from the date on which Argentina "reaches a coverage of fifty percent (50 percent) of the population with a complete vaccination schedule, as announced by the Ministry of Health of the Nation, no quota of any kind will be applied."

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Looks like the season is a big GO.  Ships are already heading down.  In line are Silver Explorer, Silver Cloud, NG Explorer, Ponant Charcot, NG Endurance, followed by Quark near Morocco and Le Lyrial just leaving Portugal..  All heading to Montevideo for refuel and then on to the embarkation points.

 

Ant.JPG

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10 hours ago, PaulMCO said:

Looks like the season is a big GO.  Ships are already heading down.  In line are Silver Explorer, Silver Cloud, NG Explorer, Ponant Charcot, NG Endurance, followed by Quark near Morocco and Le Lyrial just leaving Portugal..  All heading to Montevideo for refuel and then on to the embarkation points.

 

Ant.JPG


Wonderful news.  Thanks!
 

David

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We are booked on Antarctica Jan. 19, 2022 on Ponant with Tauck.  I have read the information and requirements on COVID issues but have a great many concerns .  The  tour has us flying into Buenos Ares.  As far as today it is not really open.  Museums and other tourist attractions are closed and getting around by public transportation is limited.
Flying into BA makes us go through an international airport with hundreds of people, some locals who may or may not be vaccinated.  Then back to the airport to fly to Ushuaia.  Ushuaia is not considered safe by other Cruise lines .  Hurtigruten and Crystal will not depart from there,  They are using Punta Arenas.  They are also avoiding airport exposure by chartering their own plane from Miami.   Then onto PA
You can test all you want but if a person is exposed it may not show up for 4 days in which case many, many people will be effected.   Then if the ship leaves and someone is testing positive they will be confined to stateroom along with mate and or friends who they dine with. Going to the far end of the earth and not being able to experiences it seems illogical  If anyone gets very very sick from COVID there is no way to get them off the ship to a hospital or clinic.  What if any procedures are in place if someone is very sick.  Do they have the meds on board to properly deal with Covid complications   
I know the Antarctica season has not started and glitches may surface with all Lines
Would it not be wise to see how the first ships make out before committing  to Air arrangements, land arrangements etc.  As I said before these are questions that should be addressed in some form now, not after the fact.
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On 9/4/2021 at 7:34 AM, PaulMCO said:

Agree.   We had the same issue.  We have a special eclipse cruise and this one is once in a century.  Otherwise we would have done as you did.   We have already done a cruise with the testing twice before and once during.  It was not bad other than the wait to know if negative.  If it comes to cancelling we will have to deal wit Quark to get a refund (as we paid with Amex we will have a little more leverage).

 

For those interested in the news from Chile see the link...

 

https://polarjournal.ch/en/2021/09/01/chile-allows-entry-for-antarctic-cruise-tourists/


Sad and worried to hear yet another season or year of cruising may be impossible.  We are booked on Scenic Eclipse to Antarctica starting January 18, 2022 and are just hoping for the best.

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2 hours ago, bella c said:
We are booked on Antarctica Jan. 19, 2022 on Ponant with Tauck.  I have read the information and requirements on COVID issues but have a great many concerns .  The  tour has us flying into Buenos Ares.  As far as today it is not really open. 
You can test all you want but if a person is exposed it may not show up for 4 days in which case many, many people will be effected.    Do they have the meds on board to properly deal with Covid complications   

 As I said before these are questions that should be addressed in some form now, not after the fact.

 

 

Argentina is scheduled to open up on November 1 - with a lot of process around allowing fully vaccinated travelers, PCR tests prior to arrival etc etc. You can read earlier in this thread the details: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g294266-i977-k13678627-Borders_Reopening-Argentina.html and of course we will learn a lot more the first couple of weeks in November how things will work out.

 

Vaccines and especially boosters provide protection - including the newly approved antiviral Merc pill

 

However traveling is not for the faint of heart right now - especially cruising in Antartica.

 

Given the concerns you are raising, and how worried, you might consider canceling or postponing. Such a trip to Antarctica is a once in a life time opportunity for many of us and if you have such major concerns you will not enjoy, so you may want to reconsider if the next couple of years is the right timing or putting traveling off for 2023 or later.

 

Our ship Le Lyrial with Ponant  for the Feb 19 cruise out of Ushuaia left Portugal today and is heading to South America.

 

We are healthy, fully vaccinated, will get the booster soon, and are 100% comfortable to go on the trip and enjoy Antarctica. We had some interesting moments during our trip to Europe last month at busy airports and such - but we were smart with using masks and social distancing and not only stayed  safe - but also really enjoyed our travels.

 

I can't wait to finally go to Antarctica in February!!... and if for some reason (delta++ / Argentina reconsiders / Ponant cancels etc) we are prepared to change to 2023 or later.

 

--ethan

 

 

 

 

Edited by ethan1171
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I will second Ethan's remarks.

Actually Argentina is open already for passengers doing an Expedition cruise.  (October 20th)

 

Crystal and National Geo are bubbling in Miami.  Most if not all guests are Americans.  Both ships will be based out of Ushuaia.  They will overnight in Ushuaia anyway on the outbound.

 

Argentina is getting its Vax house in order.  By when you sail they will be over 70%.

Museums are or will be opened in Buenos Aires, but they are capacity restricting.

Bar have opened at 50%

 

Most ships including Ponant have robust testing an quarantine plans.

Quark will be tested 72 hours prior to leaving, 3 days later in BA and then 1 day prior to the trip in BA.

 

Have you traveled in the US.  I would bet that mask rules are more strictly enforced in BA than in any US airport.

 

 

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On 10/26/2021 at 6:43 PM, bella c said:
We are booked on Antarctica Jan. 19, 2022 on Ponant with Tauck.  I have read the information and requirements on COVID issues but have a great many concerns .  The  tour has us flying into Buenos Ares.  As far as today it is not really open.  Museums and other tourist attractions are closed and getting around by public transportation is limited.
Flying into BA makes us go through an international airport with hundreds of people, some locals who may or may not be vaccinated.  Then back to the airport to fly to Ushuaia.  Ushuaia is not considered safe by other Cruise lines .  Hurtigruten and Crystal will not depart from there,  They are using Punta Arenas.  They are also avoiding airport exposure by chartering their own plane from Miami.   Then onto PA
You can test all you want but if a person is exposed it may not show up for 4 days in which case many, many people will be effected.   Then if the ship leaves and someone is testing positive they will be confined to stateroom along with mate and or friends who they dine with. Going to the far end of the earth and not being able to experiences it seems illogical  If anyone gets very very sick from COVID there is no way to get them off the ship to a hospital or clinic.  What if any procedures are in place if someone is very sick.  Do they have the meds on board to properly deal with Covid complications   
I know the Antarctica season has not started and glitches may surface with all Lines
Would it not be wise to see how the first ships make out before committing  to Air arrangements, land arrangements etc.  As I said before these are questions that should be addressed in some form now, not after the fact.

I agree with you.  I canceled my Jan 2022 trip just before final payment in September.  Things are still changing daily, and just because operations are planned does not mean they will happen.  Sadly your questions can not be answered definitively because no one can know for sure what will come up. We've seen this with other cruises that have resumed. 

I am healthy, vaccinated, and not faint of heart.  My main concern is testing positive or being near someone who does.  I can't stand the thought of being confined to my room because someone else I shared a meal with tests positive or someone I don't know being confined because of me.  Or my spouse testing positive with the same outcome.  The worst consideration is of course getting sick.  This is not an inexpensive trip, and missing out on anything would be unacceptable.  While tomorrow is not guaranteed to anyone, I am betting on future possibilities and things stabilizing.  My heart goes out to those wanting to see the eclipse and facing this choice, but for me it is not a now or never trip but one of many trips I plan on taking if and when things change.  It is clear based on the posts here that some are willing to take the risk, and I really do hope that things go well.  I also hope that when they return they are willing to post and be honest about their experiences.  

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9 hours ago, HappyTvlr said:

 but for me it is not a now or never trip but one of many trips I plan on taking if and when things change.  It is clear based on the posts here that some are willing to take the risk, and I really do hope that things go well.  I also hope that when they return they are willing to post and be honest about their experiences.  

 

Yes - could not agree more with you.

 

We went through similar thinking before our travels to Europe last month.

 

Given the state of the world these days and the progression of this pandemic / deteriorating weather patterns / next (even bigger?) pandemic / etc - I am not certain how soon normal will be normal enough to travel again with reasonable confidence.
 
COVID will never go away, same as flu - We, as a society at some point, will become accustomed with what it means and the death toll. Same as to what happened with the flu which kills between 12,000 and 52,000 Americans each year. But we still decide to travel and go on with our lives.   https://www.vox.com/2021/10/22/22737328/covid-19-pandemic-endemic
 
Feeling comfortable to travel is of course a personal choice and depends on many factors - such as being vaccinated, health condition, precautions, what activities are ok and what needs to be modified, risks you are willing to take.
 
We are prepared to modify somewhat what we plan to do and our behaviors - e.g. avoid crowds or activities inside, wear masks, hand hygiene etc. Flexibility is key.
 
Also emotional maturity to reconsider at any point based on data is important - my spouse and I will take into consideration all factors and not hesitate to cancel up to the day of our departure for Buenos Aires. We have bought insurance that allows us to cancel for any reason (not cheap, but these days necessary). And awareness - staying informed and navigating through this new world that we all live in, is critical. And not taking anything for granted.
 
I plan to post all the details of our Antarctica cruise here - like I posted on tripadvisor about the good the bad and the ugly of our trip to Greece and Cyprus last month.
 

 

 

 

 

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Post #43 States:

 Ushuaia is not considered safe by other Cruise lines .  Hurtigruten and Crystal will not depart from there,  They are using Punta Arenas.  They are also avoiding airport exposure by chartering their own plane from Miami 

 

Can you elaborate on why Ushuaia is not considered safe by other cruise lines?

And Crystal is departing from Ushuaia — their charter is MIA to USH. They are not using Punta Arenas. Silversea is using Punta Arenas.

 

 

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8 minutes ago, FLRI said:

Post #43 States:

 Ushuaia is not considered safe by other Cruise lines .  Hurtigruten and Crystal will not depart from there,  They are using Punta Arenas.  They are also avoiding airport exposure by chartering their own plane from Miami 

 

Can you elaborate on why Ushuaia is not considered safe by other cruise lines?

And Crystal is departing from Ushuaia — their charter is MIA to USH. They are not using Punta Arenas. Silversea is using Punta Arenas.

 

 

I am just speculating, but it could be that the cruise lines are "spreading things out" so that there are not a lot of ships in one port at the same time.

 

Ed

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