Antarctica 2021 sailings updates

[vicd1969]

From the Facebook page of AOV, there are some photos of the World Navigator now in Antarctic waters. Unlike the marketing photoshopped pics, these look real.

 

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=438424767644327&set=pcb.438425057644298

 

So it's really happening. Hoping there won't be any snafus like what happened to Quark. The AOV website also now has about a dozen more bios of expedition guides and onboard speakers.

 

Can anyone on early-mid December sailings give an update on their flight arrangement info ? I haven't received any yet from AOV for my January sailing.

 

[JPacailler]

Thanks for sharing. We're on the December 18th trip and just got our official information packet last week. However we had called and received the info below from Atlas prior to that. The representative was extremely helpful but would have been nice to have them provide this info without us having to inquire given our trip is less than a month out.

 

Covid Testing Procedures:

Antigen testing will be taking place from 2:00PM – 5:30PM. This allows them enough time to swab the final guest at 5:30PM and in case of a positive test they will be using an Acura confirmatory PCR which will provide results within 1 hour. Depending on the outcome of the test is whether or not they will be allowed to board.

1. Once a guest has tested negative, they will be welcome to stay in the lounge event space until check in for the flight becomes available. They must be informed that after being tested they will not be allowed to leave this space unless it is to the bathroom. This space will have, light snacks and drinks such as beer, wine, and soft drinks. The crew will advise when the aircraft is ready to be boarded which will be our que to begin calling guests by groups to transfer them to the check in counter. Porters will continue to assist with luggage, and it will be placed in guest order for them to identify at the check in counter.
2. We will have 3 hours to check in. Open from 3:00PM – 6:00PM.
3. GMT will be giving us updates regarding all incoming national and international flights as per the guest manifest to make sure everyone makes it within the timeframe needed.
4. We will have 4 check in desks open with both National and Atlas Ocean Voyages on the screen. The check in counters are closest to gate 18 in Terminal B. (Subject to change.)
5. Once they have their boarding passes, they can follow the Atlas Paddles over to the assigned security stations (2 opened exclusively for Atlas Ocean Voyages).
6. Boarding starts at 7:15 so the plane is fully loaded and ready to go by 8:00pm.
7. They will be escorted with paddles and personnel with Atlas Polos to the respective private Tram that will transport them to gate 94 to board the plane.
8. Guests will be welcomed onboard by champagne handed out by our crew. They will be served hot dinner, midnight fruit snack and hot breakfast. There will be a beef, chicken, and vegan/kosher option.
9. After a tranquil flight over to Ushuaia guests will be arriving at 12:45PM UTC. Luggage will be taken directly to the ship.
10. Guests will be taken on a tour that will last until 2:30PM and will include lunch at which time the transportations will be staggered into the port for boarding. No Antigen testing needed since that requirement was fulfilled in Orlando.
     

Info on the Charter Plane:

• Equipment: A330-200
• Economy Class - Dimensions
• Pitch = 32 inches – most domestic carriers tend to be 31” (“leg/knee room” the distance between two seats measured from the same point on each seat) discount airlines are as little as 28”
• bottom cushions are 19” wide and 16” deep.
• back cushions are 19” wide and 28.5” tall.
• Recline = 10 inches (normal recline is 3”-6”)
• Seats will be assigned by Atlas in a 2x4x2 (only two people in the middle section) configuration with the middle section staggard by row
• Complimentary alcohol will be available onboard for all guests.  Masks will be optional for all guests.

[vicd1969]

Thank you for the details JPCailler, very useful!

 

Did Atlas provide any details on how the transfer from the domestic flight into MCO will work? Would we have to claim our luggage in the baggage claim and then make our way to the testing site?

Edited December 1, 2021 by vicd1969

[amunhbuu]

They are actually on their second cruise.  Apparently there was an issue with the flight, so the first cruise got an extra day on the ship and the second cruise lost a day.  I haven't heard anything about how they are going to make the Eclipse cruisers whole.

 

The first cruise left a day late due to weather over Drake's passage.  But they said they arrived right behind the NatGeo ship which left on time.  So they arrived at a similar time with a better passage.  Kudos to the captain!

[anonymousegirl]

4 hours ago, JPacailler said:

Thanks for sharing. We're on the December 18th trip and just got our official information packet last week. However we had called and received the info below from Atlas prior to that. The representative was extremely helpful but would have been nice to have them provide this info without us having to inquire given our trip is less than a month out.

 

Covid Testing Procedures:

Antigen testing will be taking place from 2:00PM – 5:30PM. This allows them enough time to swab the final guest at 5:30PM and in case of a positive test they will be using an Acura confirmatory PCR which will provide results within 1 hour. Depending on the outcome of the test is whether or not they will be allowed to board.

1. Once a guest has tested negative, they will be welcome to stay in the lounge event space until check in for the flight becomes available. They must be informed that after being tested they will not be allowed to leave this space unless it is to the bathroom. This space will have, light snacks and drinks such as beer, wine, and soft drinks. The crew will advise when the aircraft is ready to be boarded which will be our que to begin calling guests by groups to transfer them to the check in counter. Porters will continue to assist with luggage, and it will be placed in guest order for them to identify at the check in counter.
2. We will have 3 hours to check in. Open from 3:00PM – 6:00PM.
3. GMT will be giving us updates regarding all incoming national and international flights as per the guest manifest to make sure everyone makes it within the timeframe needed.
4. We will have 4 check in desks open with both National and Atlas Ocean Voyages on the screen. The check in counters are closest to gate 18 in Terminal B. (Subject to change.)
5. Once they have their boarding passes, they can follow the Atlas Paddles over to the assigned security stations (2 opened exclusively for Atlas Ocean Voyages).
6. Boarding starts at 7:15 so the plane is fully loaded and ready to go by 8:00pm.
7. They will be escorted with paddles and personnel with Atlas Polos to the respective private Tram that will transport them to gate 94 to board the plane.
8. Guests will be welcomed onboard by champagne handed out by our crew. They will be served hot dinner, midnight fruit snack and hot breakfast. There will be a beef, chicken, and vegan/kosher option.
9. After a tranquil flight over to Ushuaia guests will be arriving at 12:45PM UTC. Luggage will be taken directly to the ship.
10. Guests will be taken on a tour that will last until 2:30PM and will include lunch at which time the transportations will be staggered into the port for boarding. No Antigen testing needed since that requirement was fulfilled in Orlando.
     

Info on the Charter Plane:

• Equipment: A330-200
• Economy Class - Dimensions
• Pitch = 32 inches – most domestic carriers tend to be 31” (“leg/knee room” the distance between two seats measured from the same point on each seat) discount airlines are as little as 28”
• bottom cushions are 19” wide and 16” deep.
• back cushions are 19” wide and 28.5” tall.
• Recline = 10 inches (normal recline is 3”-6”)
• Seats will be assigned by Atlas in a 2x4x2 (only two people in the middle section) configuration with the middle section staggard by row
• Complimentary alcohol will be available onboard for all guests.  Masks will be optional for all guests.

Welcome fellow traveler! My husband and I are on the same departure. You have way more info than I have, and I called Atlas last week. We still do not have our flight info from SFO to MCO! I am not impressed with Atlas' communications or back office competency. We booked back in May and I have spoken with Atlas 3-4 times since then, and at no time was I informed that I could do a business class upgrade from SFO-MCO. At this point, if Atlas is trying to secure space for flights SFO-MCO, the business class fare is going to be insanely high! I am going to be furious if we have United basic economy sitting in the center seats at the back of the plane. NOT a luxurious experience. We do have the business class seats on the chartered flight as we booked a suite, but was sorry to learn they are not lie-flat seats. 

Lori and Trevor, Palo Alto, California.

Edited December 1, 2021 by anonymousegirl

[cpw0807]

All of this seems to be highly dependent on your "advisor" with AOV. I was provided most of this information prior to my final payment and upon making the payment was informed that their air department is working one voyage at a time. So they're currently booking domestic air connections for those leaving in December. That seems insanely chaotic and last minute to me. They also didn't have LAS or SLC available as departure airports so I had to choose between adding another connection to get to LAX or booking flights to MCO on our own. 

 

I hate wearing a mask on a plane as much as anyone (especially for long flights), but I'm very concerned about the idea of the plane being mask-optional. The last thing I want is this expensive, complicated trip to be derailed by an outbreak that happens on the plane.

 

@vicd1969 That is my understanding from what I was told. You will pick up your luggage at baggage claim and a rep from AOV will be there to direct you to where you need to go for testing. 

[vicd1969]

2 hours ago, amunhbuu said:

The first cruise left a day late due to weather over Drake's passage.  But they said they arrived right behind the NatGeo ship which left on time.  So they arrived at a similar time with a better passage.  Kudos to the captain!

 

The last time I was at Ushuaia in December 2018, our Celebrity ship left at around 11 PM instead of 5 PM due to high winds. So delays are not unexpected. The positive was that we got to go through Glacier alley in the late morning instead of pre-dawn time. Hopefully the weather will be nicer in January and February, but one can never tell.

 

[anonymousegirl]

Trevor and I are flying in a day early and staying at the Hyatt in the airport--the same hotel Atlas is using for their testing and pre-boarding groups. If the weather is nice, we'll hang out by the pool soaking in the last of the warm weather. I get cold easily, so you can always identify me--I'll be the one wearing the parka, a down vest, fleece lined pants, mittens, scarf, balaclava and hat, plus 2-3 wool shirts. and that's just for dinner. 

[swkrupa78]

Does anyone know the specifics around what Covid tests are acceptable by Argentina?  Their website says PCR tests.   But what about the rapid Abbott ID Now molecular test that is offered by Walgreens?  We used that test to gain entry to Aruba.  It is NOT a Rapid Antigen test.

 

Otherwise not usre where to get a quick turnaround for a PCR test and if we can get it free,

My sailing is on Feb 14 with Atlas.

Thanks,

Steve K 

[lynninaz]

My Mother & I will be on the December 10 sailing (with the charter flight departing on the 9th). Excited for the adventure & to try out a new cruise line.  I was hoping there would be some other posts on here from the previous/current cruise.  There’s so little information out there!  I’ve signed up for the polar plunge, paddling & overnight camping.  🙂

Atlas sent us an email on November 24 with some final details (like submitting parka & boot sizes on our MyAtlas account) and a few other requirements:

We would like to inform you of the following important immigration and health requirements that are critical for each guests’ upcoming expedition. Please print out and bring the following documents for a swift and efficient flight check-in process:

• Argentinian Sworn Health Declaration, completed within 48 hours of arrival in Ushuaia.
• Proof of health insurance with specific Covid-19 coverage.
• Make appointment for antigen testing at Orlando International Airport.
• Negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of arrival in Ushuaia.
• Printed proof of Vaccination Certificate.

 

 

We received this info regarding our return flight:

Ushuaia has not renewed its Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) status and therefore no planes may fly directly to the United States from Ushuaia. As a result, your return flight from Ushuaia to Orlando must now include a brief stop in The Bahamas for processing through Bahamian Customs and U.S. Customs and Immigration.

 

We are flying into Orlando a day early & overnighting @ the Hyatt.  Wanted to ease any fear of flight delays.  As far as our PCR test for Argentina, I found a lab in DFW that has a same day turn around.  I wanted to use the ID Now from Walgreens but was advised against it.  Figured it’s better to be safe than sorry.  Hoping this trip goes smoothly & without any unexpected surprises.

 

[Doclori]

On 12/1/2021 at 5:59 PM, cpw0807 said:

 

I hate wearing a mask on a plane as much as anyone (especially for long flights), but I'm very concerned about the idea of the plane being mask-optional. The last thing I want is this expensive, complicated trip to be derailed by an outbreak that happens on the plane.

 

@vicd1969

 

Our flight is cruise ship passengers only. Tested 2 days before the flight, and before flight check-in. And we're all immunized. I can't imagine that many of us will be wearing masks our entire time on board. Hope that's reassuring to you. 

[vicd1969]

12 hours ago, lynninaz said:

Atlas sent us an email on November 24 with some final details (like submitting parka & boot sizes on our MyAtlas account) and a few other requirements:

We would like to inform you of the following important immigration and health requirements that are critical for each guests’ upcoming expedition. Please print out and bring the following documents for a swift and efficient flight check-in process:

• Argentinian Sworn Health Declaration, completed within 48 hours of arrival in Ushuaia.
• Proof of health insurance with specific Covid-19 coverage.
• Make appointment for antigen testing at Orlando International Airport.
• Negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of arrival in Ushuaia.
• Printed proof of Vaccination Certificate.

 

 I did a test online entry for the Health declaration, but the charter airline is not one of the choices in the airline dropdown box. Also, if "completed within 48 hours of arrival" means we can enter the declaration while in the airport, will AOV have paper copies of the form?

[lynninaz]

3 hours ago, vicd1969 said:

 I did a test online entry for the Health declaration, but the charter airline is not one of the choices in the airline dropdown box. Also, if "completed within 48 hours of arrival" means we can enter the declaration while in the airport, will AOV have paper copies of the form?

I’ll be at the Hyatt @ MCO 48 hours prior so was planning to use a hotel printer.  It says they have a 24 hour business center.

[anonymousegirl]

If you have a chance to update us about the 48 hour form and the lack of Atlas on the drop down menu, I'm sure we'll all appreciate it. We're at MCO at the Hyatt the night before and I'm bringing my small laptop, so hopefully we can print at the business center.

[vicd1969]

I tried again the online 48 hour form and on the airline dropbox the last choice is "Vuelo Especial", which from my rough Spanish seems to be "special flight" or "private flight". Maybe that's the one to use? I will ask Atlas Ocean Voyages today to see if I can get more information. Note also country of origin/residence dropboxes list the United States as "Estados Unidos..." even after Chrome translated the page into English.

[vicd1969]

I was fortunate to be able to contact an AOV rep who provided me some updates to the Orlando logistics. Very similar to what was mentioned in prior posts, with some changes to timing of the flights. But this list is applicable for my January 6 sailing, so I can't vouch that the times will be the same for all sailings. My comments in bold

 

1. The guests need to arrive no later than 3PM at the Ballroom (Hyatt Hotel) inside the airport on the January 5^th.
2. There will be porters to assist them with their luggage for check-in.
3. An Antigen test will be conducted (rapid) before they board.
4. The boarding begins 6:30 PM , flight departs 8PM. 
5. It’s a non-stop flight
6. There is an option of Chicken, beef and vegetarian on flight, mid-night snacks and morning breakfast before landing.
7. Flight lands 9:45 Am local time In Ushuaia.[Important for COVID PCR testing timing, gives us a few extra hours to get our testing done sooner]
8. On the return, the flight departs 11PM from Ushuaia on December 19^th. [Note: that's a very late departure, hopefully AOV has an activity scheduled for us]
9. Arrives in Orlando next morning 11:45 am [11:45 AM seems consistent with an 11 PM departure]
10. There is a 2-hour layover in Nassau (Bahamas) for TSA.
11. Customs and Immigration upon landing in Orlando.

 

All guests need to take a PCR test within 72 hours prior to arrival in Ushuaia (Argentina).

All guests need to carry their Health Insurance details in a hard copy.

All guests need to fill out the Health Declaration form that will be sent to them via email link 48 hrs. prior to the arrival in Ushuaia. Guests would need to fill out the form and submit electronically

[skrink]

On 12/2/2021 at 8:45 PM, lynninaz said:

Proof of health insurance with specific Covid-19 coverage.

Wait, what?  Is anyone else concerned that Atlas snuck in this requirement without telling us?  It raises a number of questions for me, like is it even possible to get it this late after purchase?  How does one add this to existing trip coverage?  What is the cost?  Why have they not told the rest of us directly and provided guidance?

 

If I hadn’t happened to see lynninAZ’s post, I wouldn’t have known about it.  Between this and the latest pandemic developments, I’m deeply concerned about going on this trip next month.

[cpw0807]

7 hours ago, skrink said:

Wait, what?  Is anyone else concerned that Atlas snuck in this requirement without telling us?  It raises a number of questions for me, like is it even possible to get it this late after purchase?  How does one add this to existing trip coverage?  What is the cost?  Why have they not told the rest of us directly and provided guidance?

 

If I hadn’t happened to see lynninAZ’s post, I wouldn’t have known about it.  Between this and the latest pandemic developments, I’m deeply concerned about going on this trip next month.

I can't speak to when this policy was instituted but it was part of the policy when I first started talking to AOV ~2 months ago. I was able to get a policy at a reasonable price (less than $1000 for two) with explicit COVID coverage from AXA by googling trip insurance coverage. Make sure that you choose that you want it to be the primary payer. You may be able to save a little money if you remove/reduce the emergency evac coverage that most of them include since AOV allegedly includes it, but I chose to keep it after hearing reports of people on Silversea being airlifted off after testing positive.  

[anonymousegirl]

16 hours ago, skrink said:

Wait, what?  Is anyone else concerned that Atlas snuck in this requirement without telling us?  It raises a number of questions for me, like is it even possible to get it this late after purchase?  How does one add this to existing trip coverage?  What is the cost?  Why have they not told the rest of us directly and provided guidance?

 

If I hadn’t happened to see lynninAZ’s post, I wouldn’t have known about it.  Between this and the latest pandemic developments, I’m deeply concerned about going on this trip next month.

Yes, I was annoyed that they snuck this into the final documents. I did use the link in the documents and discovered that the company, AON, does an addendum to what ever insurance you have, or it can stand alone. It was around $75 or so, and it is basically medical coverage for Argentina in case you get COVID and have to be hospitalized. It does not replace proper trip cancelation insurance, and as far as I can tell, only covers COVID.

[vicd1969]

12 hours ago, anonymousegirl said:

Yes, I was annoyed that they snuck this into the final documents. I did use the link in the documents and discovered that the company, AON, does an addendum to what ever insurance you have, or it can stand alone. It was around $75 or so, and it is basically medical coverage for Argentina in case you get COVID and have to be hospitalized. It does not replace proper trip cancelation insurance, and as far as I can tell, only covers COVID.

 

This is the link I used related to the AON Affinity site: (thanks to a Tripadvisor post that was from @swkrupa78

 

https://affinitytravelcert.com/document/pdfs/TravelPro_LandingPage.html

 

I used my cruise booking number and the rest of the information required was pretty straightforward. It worked out to $49 per person for me. Got the insurance confirmation a few minutes after registering.

Edited December 9, 2021 by Host Jazzbeau
link fixed

[JPacailler]

Note that the insurance is an entry requirement from Argentina, not Atlas. Atlas has no control over it. Argentina put the policy in place and it applies to any non-citizen entering the country.

[anonymousegirl]

9 hours ago, JPacailler said:

Note that the insurance is an entry requirement from Argentina, not Atlas. Atlas has no control over it. Argentina put the policy in place and it applies to any non-citizen entering the country.

I agreed, but I think Atlas should have called each guest on the next few sailings after Argentina added the requirement. It's not like they don't have our contact info.

[skrink]

If this is a requirement by Argentina, may I ask what the official source is?  I found this page but it seems to reference travelers from Africa and is unclear regarding a COVID-specific insurance requirement for travelers from other countries.  (That might be due in part to google’s translation of the page, so if anyone here knows Spanish and can translate it more clearly, please do!).   My TA spoke with their insurance rep (from whom I bought very expensive comprehensive coverage for this trip last spring), who stated that “Emergency Sickness Medical Expense” includes covid.  It does NOT specifically mention covid coverage, though.  

 

Cruisecritic is giving me error messages when I try to include the link, so if you can’t see it, it’s at the Argentine Ministry of the Interior’s website under “Migrations” and the English title is “Measures in force for entry and exit to the national territory”.

[cpw0807]

2 hours ago, skrink said:

If this is a requirement by Argentina, may I ask what the official source is?  I found this page but it seems to reference travelers from Africa and is unclear regarding a COVID-specific insurance requirement for travelers from other countries.  (That might be due in part to google’s translation of the page, so if anyone here knows Spanish and can translate it more clearly, please do!).   My TA spoke with their insurance rep (from whom I bought very expensive comprehensive coverage for this trip last spring), who stated that “Emergency Sickness Medical Expense” includes covid.  It does NOT specifically mention covid coverage, though.  

 

Cruisecritic is giving me error messages when I try to include the link, so if you can’t see it, it’s at the Argentine Ministry of the Interior’s website under “Migrations” and the English title is “Measures in force for entry and exit to the national territory”.

The page is correct, although the English translation is rough. The original Spanish version says "Por su parte, las personas extranjeras no residentes que ingresen por motivos turísticos deberán presentar esquema de vacunación completo, PCR negativo 72 hs. previas al embarque y un seguro de salud de COVID-19, quedando eximidos de realizar cuarentena"

Which, translated by a real person (me, Spanish undergrad), says "For their part, non-resident foreigners who enter for tourist reasons much present a complete vaccination scheme, negative PCR [taken] 72 hours before boarding, and COVID-19 health insurance, to remain exempt from quarantine." Obviously you could argue semantics with that in that technically most any health insurance would be "covid-19 health insurance" but I'd rather be safe than sorry. 

[skrink]

On 12/10/2021 at 7:21 PM, cpw0807 said:

The page is correct, although the English translation is rough. The original Spanish version says "Por su parte, las personas extranjeras no residentes que ingresen por motivos turísticos deberán presentar esquema de vacunación completo, PCR negativo 72 hs. previas al embarque y un seguro de salud de COVID-19, quedando eximidos de realizar cuarentena"

Which, translated by a real person (me, Spanish undergrad), says "For their part, non-resident foreigners who enter for tourist reasons much present a complete vaccination scheme, negative PCR [taken] 72 hours before boarding, and COVID-19 health insurance, to remain exempt from quarantine." Obviously you could argue semantics with that in that technically most any health insurance would be "covid-19 health insurance" but I'd rather be safe than sorry. 

 

Excellent info, cpw0807, just what I was looking for.  Thank you.  Would you consider, like I did, the Ministry of the Interior to be the official source?