Antarctic Experience

[RetiredandTravel]

I know this has been touched on in other threads but I cant seem to find it.

 

Several have said the Seabourn Antarctic Experience is phenomenal.   What exactly is involved in the Antarctic Experience?  The only excursion I see is a kayak which is far to adventurous for us.

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/W3S25B/6313.html

 

The Seabourn SA cruise is considerably more expensive (apples to apples) on a per day basis than Silversea SA.   Silversea doesn't include Antarctica, its just Lima to Buenos Aires.  Is that the reason?

 

ty

 

 

[Fletcher]

1 hour ago, RetiredandTravel said:

I know this has been touched on in other threads but I cant seem to find it.

 

Several have said the Seabourn Antarctic Experience is phenomenal.   What exactly is involved in the Antarctic Experience?  The only excursion I see is a kayak which is far to adventurous for us.

 

https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/find-a-cruise/W3S25B/6313.html

 

The Seabourn SA cruise is considerably more expensive (apples to apples) on a per day basis than Silversea SA.   Silversea doesn't include Antarctica, its just Lima to Buenos Aires.  Is that the reason?

 

ty

 

 

There is masses of stuff on this topic.

 

The Seabourn Antarctic Experience is currently aboard the Quest and sails from Santiago to Buenos Aires or vice versa.  Twice a year, including the Holiday cruise, the Quest goes to South Georgia, an unmissable place.  Apart from the Antarctic Continent and South Georgia it operates just like a regular cruise along the Chilean coast with shore excursions which you pay for.  However, in Antarctica and SG all shore excursions are included - these are usually one per day owing to the size of the ship and the need to limit numbers of people ashore at any one time.  These excursions are generally just walks or modest hikes to get close-up views of the wildlife.  Sometimes there are zodiac cruises.  They also offer kayaks in selected locations at additional cost ( think I'm right here).  All excursions are very weather dependent. 

 

Silversea actually offers many more Antarctica trips than Seabourn.  It currently operates three vessels down there and offers fly-in, fly-out weeks as well as much longer, more traditional cruises.  Silversea's trips are more expensive than Seabourn's.  

 

Other cruise lines are available.  Market leader in this field is often thought to be Lindblad/National Geographic.  Seabourn's new Venture ship might raise the ante.

Edited July 24, 2021 by Fletcher

[RetiredandTravel]

Many Thanks.  Your feedback is very helpful.

 

I'm thinking a SA Ocean cruise with an Antarctic component.  Looks like that rules Silversea out, could combine an ocean & expedition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[scottjeanne]

We are on the South Americas, Antarctica, South Georgia cruise next February.  We were originally booked on a Silverseas that was cancelled.  Seabourn is cheaper per diem. In Antarctica, there are daily Zodiac excursions (weather permitting) as well as kayaking for a fee.  The Silverseas cruise we chose did not include all of South America that Seabourn does, so that was an advantage to us.

[whogo]

4 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

The Seabourn SA cruise is considerably more expensive (apples to apples) on a per day basis than Silversea SA.   Silversea doesn't include Antarctica, its just Lima to Buenos Aires.  Is that the reason?

Yes.

 

We were happy we chose Seabourn over the expedition ships for our Antarctica cruise, were also happy we stepped ashore instead of just sailing past Antarctica.

[RetiredandTravel]

Another option for us is to take a SS or Seabourn expedition and go to Chile & Argentina on our own.  I think the Seabourn cruise I listed above is the best option for us.  Very cool looking trip. I don't see a 2022 Holiday cruise with the same itinerary.  It wasn't easy finding this cruise on the Seabourn site, had to just put in the date (Jan/Feb 2023). 

 

 

 

 

[cruiseej]

6 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Silversea's trips are more expensive than Seabourn's.

 

6 hours ago, Fletcher said:

Silversea's trips are more expensive than Seabourn's.

 

But Seabourn's trips are longer than Silversea's, so the actual cost is higher. We wanted to see South Georgia Island, and Seabourn's trips were several days longer, so we're spending less on Silversea tan we would have on Seabourn. And when the Seabourn Venture replaces the Quest, Seabourn's price goes up considerably. Our original goal (pre-Covid) was to sail the new Venture when it debuted, but the cost for the Venture trip, versus the Silversea's Wind, was considerably higher. And additional part of what makes Seabourn more expensive is that Silversea includes free air to South America (and a reasonable price for an upgrade to business class), where Seabourn doesn't include air.

[RetiredandTravel]

Correct for 2023 cruises

 

(SS fare - Air + LaDame)/#days 

 

vs

 

 (Seabourn fare + excursions estimate)/#days  - internet now included

 

LaDame can be the key 🙂

 

 

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

LaDame can be the key

 

I don't see how $120 once or twice on a trip makes a material difference (particularly if you have onboard credits). Unless you like to dine in La Dame every night? 😉

 

As you note,  the Seabourn trips are not only longer but have additional ports of call in Chile and/or Argentina, and most people will incur additional costs for excursions in those ports. Of course, you're getting to see more than on the Silversea itineraries, but it's more expensive in total. Both Silversea and Seabourn now include Internet for free, so that's wash. Comparing a 2021-22 trip to Antarctica plus South Georgia Island, the price for a low-deck veranda suite is about $600 less on Seabourn Quest than Silversea Wind; if you add in a few Seabourn excursions, the prices are pretty much identical -- but Silversea includes free air and Seabourn doesn't, and Silversea threw in $1,000 onboard credit which Seabourn didn't. So Silversea is cheaper. But Silversea is an 18-day trip versus Seabourn being a 24-day trip, so on a per-day basis, Seabourn is cheaper. 

 

And the other factor -- for us it was probably the deciding factor -- is the size of the ship. We love the Seabourn triplets, but the Quest carries about 60% more passengers in Antartica. Because all cruise ships follow an international agreement to limit  the number of passengers ashore to 100 at any time, smaller ships with fewer passengers get to make more landings. Many Seabourn passengers are happy with one landing every day or two, but we figure that we're on this once-in-a-lifetime trip to see as much as we can, so the smaller Silversea ship won out for us.

 

The Seabourn Venture would have provided the best of both worlds -- small ship, beautiful new ship, and Seabourn service we know and love. Before it was delayed for a year, the cruise prices posted for the Venture in 2021-22 were considerably higher, as one would expect on a brand new ship which carries half as many passengers as the Quest. A 21-day trip with South Georgia Island on the Venture was going to be about $6,500 per person more than the Silversea Wind, plus you need to add air. We had decided this was already quite an expensive trip costing close to $50,000, and adding another $16,000+ for the Seabourn Venture was just too much for us. I think the cost difference is similar for 2022-23. (I keep hoping we'll have such a fabulous time on the Silversea ship that I'll forget the Venture was ever a possibility or consideration!)

[Fletcher]

9 hours ago, RetiredandTravel said:

LaDame can be the key 🙂

 

 

It really shouldn't be, especially not on such an itinerary as Antarctica.  I've been on several Silversea ships and have never bothered to pay extra for fancy crockery at La Dame. 

[RetiredandTravel]

It was a joke, $120 on a 30-40k tab, get it?  I do find the upcharge absurd.

 

Granted it wasn't as funny as the Navigator scrambled eggs comment.
 

 

[basor]

17 hours ago, cruiseej said:

 

I don't see how $120 once or twice on a trip makes a material difference (particularly if you have onboard credits). Unless you like to dine in La Dame every night? 😉

 

As you note,  the Seabourn trips are not only longer but have additional ports of call in Chile and/or Argentina, and most people will incur additional costs for excursions in those ports. Of course, you're getting to see more than on the Silversea itineraries, but it's more expensive in total. Both Silversea and Seabourn now include Internet for free, so that's wash. Comparing a 2021-22 trip to Antarctica plus South Georgia Island, the price for a low-deck veranda suite is about $600 less on Seabourn Quest than Silversea Wind; if you add in a few Seabourn excursions, the prices are pretty much identical -- but Silversea includes free air and Seabourn doesn't, and Silversea threw in $1,000 onboard credit which Seabourn didn't. So Silversea is cheaper. But Silversea is an 18-day trip versus Seabourn being a 24-day trip, so on a per-day basis, Seabourn is cheaper. 

 

And the other factor -- for us it was probably the deciding factor -- is the size of the ship. We love the Seabourn triplets, but the Quest carries about 60% more passengers in Antartica. Because all cruise ships follow an international agreement to limit  the number of passengers ashore to 100 at any time, smaller ships with fewer passengers get to make more landings. Many Seabourn passengers are happy with one landing every day or two, but we figure that we're on this once-in-a-lifetime trip to see as much as we can, so the smaller Silversea ship won out for us.

 

The Seabourn Venture would have provided the best of both worlds -- small ship, beautiful new ship, and Seabourn service we know and love. Before it was delayed for a year, the cruise prices posted for the Venture in 2021-22 were considerably higher, as one would expect on a brand new ship which carries half as many passengers as the Quest. A 21-day trip with South Georgia Island on the Venture was going to be about $6,500 per person more than the Silversea Wind, plus you need to add air. We had decided this was already quite an expensive trip costing close to $50,000, and adding another $16,000+ for the Seabourn Venture was just too much for us. I think the cost difference is similar for 2022-23. (I keep hoping we'll have such a fabulous time on the Silversea ship that I'll forget the Venture was ever a possibility or consideration!)

We were on Seabourn Quest Antarctica and so to correct a few things you indicated.....due to restrictions of people allowed in Antartica, Quest does not sail full.  There were around 375 aboard our sailing.  We were divided into groups and during the 8 days we were in Antarctica, we had a landing ashore every day and also had an additional "off ship" activity almost every day.  These additional off ship activities included zodiac trips in the surrounding waters checking out icebergs and local wildlife including whales, seals, birds, etc. No Seabourn passenger had to be happy with one landing every other day or so unless they chose to not participate.  The expedition team aboard Quest were amazing and there were 2-3 different lectures most days beside the team members being out and about the ship answering questions and pointing out various interesting things.

Enjoy your cruise on Silversea - any day you are ashore in Antarctica is the best!

[sfvoyage]

It is not possible to do a simple per diem cost comparison between Seabourn Quest and Silversea for Antarctica because SB Quest itineraries include about 7 days sailing down Chilean coast just to get to Ushuaia plus another 2 days to get to Buenos Aires via Montevideo.  Those are low-value days that drag down the daily cost average.  To me, those days are worth only $350-400 per day per person for the lowest cabin category.

 

The main cost component for Antarctica is made up of the days starting at Ushuaia to the Antarctica Peninsula (plus South Georgia and/or Falklands) and back to Ushuaia.  Those days include the "Antarctica Experience" and mirror the itineraries from most expedition ships for Antarctica.

 

Pre-covid, most expedition ships (including the old Silversea Explorer and National Geographic/Lindblad) were charging just above $1,000 per person per day for the lowest cabin category.  I haven't looked into this recently, but I understand Seabourn Venture was priced higher to begin with and is now priced even higher post-Covid.

Edited July 25, 2021 by sfvoyage

[cruiseej]

3 hours ago, basor said:

Due to restrictions of people allowed in Antartica, Quest does not sail full.  There were around 375 aboard our sailing.  We were divided into groups and during the 8 days we were in Antarctica, we had a landing ashore every day and also had an additional "off ship" activity almost every day.  These additional off ship activities included zodiac trips in the surrounding waters checking out icebergs and local wildlife including whales, seals, birds, etc. No Seabourn passenger had to be happy with one landing every other day or so unless they chose to not participate.

 

In case it came off wrong, my comments about the Quest were not meant to be disparaging. Quest sails with up to 400 passengers in Antarctica, so you were slightly below their maximum capacity. In any case, I was just comparing that with one of the Silversea ships, which sail with up to 250 passengers aboard. That difference does make a difference in how many landings each passenger can participate it; on the Quest it is one a day whereas on Silversea it can be two a day -- all dependent on weather conditions, of course. My travel agent, who books a great deal with both Seabourn and Silversea, said that on some Quest trips, when the weather is less-than-optimal and they only have a couple hours, not every passenger is able to get off for a landing every day. It sounds like you hit the sweet spot and didn't have weather complications -- and I can only hope and dream that will be true for us! 😉 Again, I'm not suggesting the Quest isn't a fine option for visiting Antarctica; I was only sharing that we opted for a smaller ship in order to have a greater chance of doing more landings.  

[basor]

16 minutes ago, cruiseej said:

 

In case it came off wrong, my comments about the Quest were not meant to be disparaging. Quest sails with up to 400 passengers in Antarctica, so you were slightly below their maximum capacity. In any case, I was just comparing that with one of the Silversea ships, which sail with up to 250 passengers aboard. That difference does make a difference in how many landings each passenger can participate it; on the Quest it is one a day whereas on Silversea it can be two a day -- all dependent on weather conditions, of course. My travel agent, who books a great deal with both Seabourn and Silversea, said that on some Quest trips, when the weather is less-than-optimal and they only have a couple hours, not every passenger is able to get off for a landing every day. It sounds like you hit the sweet spot and didn't have weather complications -- and I can only hope and dream that will be true for us! 😉 Again, I'm not suggesting the Quest isn't a fine option for visiting Antarctica; I was only sharing that we opted for a smaller ship in order to have a greater chance of doing more landings.  

No offense taken - I am just relating our experience and that of 4 other couples that have done Seabourn Antarctica cruises at different times in the last few years...weather conditions did effect one of our days and no one was able to tender into shore (I don't think that the number of guest aboard mattered)....our Captain just found a different area and we all were off the ship for a wonderful experience  later in the day.   I was trying to relate actual onboard experience not I heard from someone else who heard from some else.

[Ken the cruiser]

We’re getting ready for our Antarctica expedition cruise in Dec on the Quest and trying to determine whether to rent the boots from SB or purchase our own.

 

Renting question for those with prior experience getting them from SB: Are the boots pretty close to the correct size? If I wear a size 11, should I order an 11 or 12?

 

Buying them online from those in the know: which brand and type would you recommend we look at?

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

[pbokie]

We purchased ours since we have other opportunities to wear them. I believe the ones that they used are Bogs classic high and that is what we purchased from the Bogs website. It looks like that it might have been rebranded to Workman 17" tall. Since they come in full sizes only it ended up that we ordered ours 1/2 size up to allow room for socks.  (I wear 9 1/2 and ordered a 10, wife 7 1/2 and ordered an 8).

[Ken the cruiser]

20 minutes ago, pbokie said:

We purchased ours since we have other opportunities to wear them. I believe the ones that they used are Bogs classic high and that is what we purchased from the Bogs website. It looks like that it might have been rebranded to Workman 17" tall. Since they come in full sizes only it ended up that we ordered ours 1/2 size up to allow room for socks.  (I wear 9 1/2 and ordered a 10, wife 7 1/2 and ordered an 8).

Thanks! Definitely worth the extra few bucks to purchase the boots at $129 versus $85 to rent.

[cruiseej]

We also purchased our boots on our first expedition cruise (Greenland on Silversea a few years ago) because we know we had Antarctica on our short-term cruise list, and possibly the other side of Greenland and Canada after that. So we decided to own our own. I also have size 13 wide feet, and I was concerned whether the rental boots would fit well, and that they might not have extras in a larger size if I needed them. So we now own two pairs of Bogs boots.

 

We bought the ones that looked like the picture of the ones Silversea was renting, which were  the Bogs Ultra High (#51377), not the Bogs Classic High (#60142) mentioned above. The Ultra High (15" tall) are not actually any higher, but they have handholds which make them much easier to pull on, and there's a difference in the sole between the two as best I remember. The Workmen's boot (#73132) mentioned above is a different model which is slightly lighter (4.24 lb versus 5 lb) but I'm not sure they're 100% waterproof. (Those are the men's model numbers; the women's equivalents have different numbers.)

 

The downside of buying the boots, of course, is that you have to lug them with you. Those 5 pounds are 10% of my luggage capacity! I have thought about wearing them on the plane to avoid packing them, but I didn't want the big, heavy, warm boots for a long flight. I can't remember; I might have packed one pair in our carry-on bag on our previous cruise. We're heading for Antarctica this winter -- hopefully! -- so I'll need to revisit my packing strategy.

Edited August 9, 2021 by cruiseej

[tjcox9]

We opted to rent due to the weight of the boots in packing. Even if the size you order doesn't fit, there is a size exchange as there is with the jackets.

 

We did see a number of people who brought their own boots (galosh type) that did not pass muster and they ended up having to rent them anyway. 

 

Just our experience...........

[Thecat123]

We went on one of the early sailings with Seabourn, 2014, and were told to rent boots as walking through the penguin highways you will pick up unwanted smells which didnt want to wash off the boots which one didnt really want in ones suitcase. I dont know if this was true or not but as the boots wouldnt be worn again renting to us was the way to go.

Also Seabourn did have a swap day where one could change the jackets, boots etc if the supplied ones weren't a good fit

I seem to remember when we booked Seabourn were going to sail with the ship half full. Getting closer to the sailing we were offered an upgrade or a discount as there were going to be more passengers to share the cost, Seabourn thought they could add a few more passengers and still keep everybody happy. I cant remember the actual number of passengers we had I think we were the third or fourth sailing as Seabourn were still fine cruising the Antarctica cruises

We would go with Seabourn again to Antarctica anytime as the cruise was definitely the best we have been on and have since  changed all our cruising to Seabourn

Edited August 10, 2021 by Thecat123

[Catlover54]

 

A new option to consider for Antarctica is the Crystal Endeavor.  She holds only 220 if full (not sure how many will be allowed for Antarctica) , and offers shorter cruises out of Ushuia to focus on Antarctica, skipping SA.

 

https://www.crystalcruises.com/voyage/ushuaia-roundtrip-yen211210-11

 

We just got off this gorgeous ship after a 10 day circumnavigation of Iceland, which was not sold out as we only had 93 pax on board (3 more circumnavigations are left this season if you are interested in short term booking, BTW, Iceland is amazing). I was on her second voyage, and there were still some minor tech issues to work out but it is coming along. 

 

There were 16 expedition team members on board, around 200 staff.  I expect the expedition staffing will remain excellent for Antarctica.

The food in the MDR (Waterside) was the best I have ever had on a luxury ship, as was the dining service (no "free" caviar, but that is ok).  It was my first expedition cruise (though admittedly a soft expedition) and the first time I stepped into a Zodiak, and I have gained confidence.

 

All pax and crew were vaxed, and antigen tested before boarding, but only crew wore required to wear masks on the ship.

I will consider this amazing ship for my first trip to Antarctica, unless Covid stops her from sailing.  

I am not a Crystal cheerleader either, and have cruised several different luxury lines.  Hapag Lloyd was my favorite, and they go to Antarctica too,  but they won't accept Americans right now.

 

 

 

 

Edited August 10, 2021 by Catlover54

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Thecat123 said:

We went on one of the early sailings with Seabourn, 2014, and were told to rent boots as walking through the penguin highways you will pick up unwanted smells which didnt want to wash off the boots which one didnt really want in ones suitcase. I dont know if this was true or not but as the boots wouldnt be worn again renting to us was the way to go.

Also Seabourn did have a swap day where one could change the jackets, boots etc if the supplied ones weren't a good fit

I seem to remember when we booked Seabourn were going to sail with the ship half full. Getting closer to the sailing we were offered an upgrade or a discount as there were going to be more passengers to share the cost, Seabourn thought they could add a few more passengers and still keep everybody happy. I cant remember the actual number of passengers we had I think we were the third or fourth sailing as Seabourn were still fine cruising the Antarctica cruises

We would go with Seabourn again to Antarctica anytime as the cruise was definitely the best we have been on and have since  changed all our cruising to Seabourn

Thanks for your indepth insights. After my DW read your write-up, we have decided to now rent our boots, especially since we should be able exchange them if the original size we chose didn't fit. Then there is the "after excursion" smell issue to consider. 😎

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Catlover54 said:

 

A new option to consider for Antarctica is the Crystal Endeavor.  She holds only 220 if full (not sure how many will be allowed for Antarctica) , and offers shorter cruises out of Ushuia to focus on Antarctica, skipping SA.

 

https://www.crystalcruises.com/voyage/ushuaia-roundtrip-yen211210-11

 

We just got off this gorgeous ship after a 10 day circumnavigation of Iceland, which was not sold out as we only had 93 pax on board (3 more circumnavigations are left this season if you are interested in short term booking, BTW, Iceland is amazing). I was on her second voyage, and there were still some minor tech issues to work out but it is coming along. 

 

There were 16 expedition team members on board, around 200 staff.  I expect the expedition staffing will remain excellent for Antarctica.

The food in the MDR (Waterside) was the best I have ever had on a luxury ship, as was the dining service (no "free" caviar, but that is ok).  It was my first expedition cruise (though admittedly a soft expedition) and the first time I stepped into a Zodiak, and I have gained confidence.

 

All pax and crew were vaxed, and antigen tested before boarding, but only crew wore required to wear masks on the ship.

I will consider this amazing ship for my first trip to Antarctica, unless Covid stops her from sailing.  

I am not a Crystal cheerleader either, and have cruised several different luxury lines.  Hapag Lloyd was my favorite, and they go to Antarctica too,  but they won't accept Americans right now.

 

We very much enjoy cruising with Crystal on the Serenity and Symphony. However, those $1,500+ pp/day starting prices for their Endeavor expedition cruises are just a little too steep for us.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Thecat123]

13 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks for your indepth insights. After my DW read your write-up, we have decided to now rent our boots, especially since we should be able exchange them if the original size we chose didn't fit. Then there is the "after excursion" smell issue to consider. 😎

Seabourn did have metal cupboards on the stern of deck 4? where you left your boots so the boots weren't in your cabin with you

Also we had Robin West who was the Expedition leader along with 13 or 14 on his Expedition team who were very knowledgeable about the birds, sea life etc of Antarctica. Robin used to say if you want to know anything just ask one of his walking encyclopedias