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World Navigator Antarctica cruise report, anyone?


internetbeth
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There's finally starting to be some good content on Instagram about Atlas. There are several travel influencers onboard right now. If you check the AOV IG they're reposting a lot of it. AskaConcierge, thecubancarrie, and Ranagood are all putting out a lot of content. Not a lot of straight reviews yet since I'm sure Atlas is paying for their trips but it's still interesting and more than we had previously. 

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Hello fellow travelers,

I know we’ve all been interested to learn details of the new Atlas Ocean Voyages experience, so I’ll share what I can from my perspective. I was on the 3rd Antarctic sailing, scheduled to depart Ushuaia on December 10. 

 

Please note that this is a long post and that I’ve likely provided more information than anyone wants or needs about what happened before we boarded the ship, but I was writing in real time, so it is what it is. 

 

And please, please read through to the end, because although it may not sound like a good endorsement at first, it was really one of the best cruises/ expedition trips I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot. 

 

My friend and I flew into Orlando a day early and over-nighted at the Hyatt Regency at the airport, the same location where we were to meet the group around 1 pm. Check in was very smooth if all paperwork was done. (See my previous post about filling in the Argentina Sworn Health Document.) There were issues for people who purchased the AOV recommended COVID specific insurance, because no 1 page PDF “certificate of insurance”was provided, but there were plenty of Atlas staff to assist and get everyone squared away.

 

They took our bags, and we were free to roam around for a bit. At approximately 2 pm, they started calling people by stateroom number to go down to the National Airlines desk to have our documents re-checked, handle luggage, check in with the airline and receive boarding passes.

 

Antigen testing in the hotel ballroom was efficient and results were quick. After receiving negative results, guests were moved into the adjacent ballroom where there were sandwiches, fruit, Kind bars, cookies etc. as well as drinks including beer & wine. Atlas hired entertainment to make the long wait to board (about 5 hours after my antigen test) more tolerable. A personable magician went around the room performing sleight of hand tricks, an incredible electric violin player performed every song we requested, and Flamenco Tropicale featured a guitar player/singer and a dancer. It was fun. 

 

I wish Atlas had been communicative with the group as to the time we were supposed to board. Someone was told 7:15, so we started getting antsy at that point, but didn’t actually board until around 8 pm. (The charter leaves from the regular passenger terminal so note that you must go through security before going to the gate.)

 

The airplane is an Airbus A330 and there was lots of room to spread out. Although the ship’s capacity is just under 200 passengers, our group is far less. I’ve heard all sorts of different numbers, but we are definitely less than 100.

 

The captain announced that the flight time to Ushuaia is 11 hours, which is significantly better than the 14 hours Google told me it would take!

 

I watched a movie and since dinner still hadn’t been served I chose to skip it and try to get some sleep. I call this part of the trip “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The plane is a 2-4-2 arrangement and I was unlucky enough to be on the side with 2 seats. The good news was that because of the small number of passengers, my friend and I were able to spread out: she moved back a row. The bad news was that we were on the side with 2 seats. People who had been seated in the middle also spread out so it looked like almost everyone had a row to themselves. Of course that means the folks in the middle section had 4 seats to stretch out on, while I unfortunately had only 2. And these seats barely recline and the armrests aren’t even padded. The center armrest, when raised, sticks out into the seat about 3 inches. I highly suggest arm wrestling a fellow passenger for a center row of seats or at least bringing a neck pillow, because it is impossible to be at all comfortable in these seats on a long flight, and I’m a small adult.

 

Upon descent into Ushuaia, the mountain and lake views (from either side of the plane) are stunning, even with overcast skies.

 

Our group of 100 or less were boarded onto 3 buses for some sightseeing around Ushuaia, and later a lunch at a local tourist place. Very basic. After that, more sightseeing, and sometime during the afternoon our local guide mentioned that we would be taking a catamaran trip. What??? People had been traveling since at least early Thursday, had little or no sleep, and we all just wanted to board the ship, unpack, and unwind. But we boarded the catamaran and were served dinner and drinks. 

 

Eventually an Atlas rep told us that a crew member (or 2?) had been tested positive and that they were making every effort to comply with Argentinian requirements to get us safe to travel. An update would be provided at 8, and then at 9. We asked questions but received less than forthcoming answers. It was a really frustrating experience, to say the least. At least there was plenty of food and drinks, because we weren’t allowed off the catamaran.

 

LONG story short: we were finally told we’d be taken to local hotels to spend the night. I think we got in our hotel room around 1 am, and were told there would be an Atlas rep there to give us an update at 9 am. So we set the alarm, got up and showered, and were ready for - nothing. No word. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel and had NO idea whether we would be able to sail or not. We were taking go/no-go bets. 

 

Finally the announcement came that we would board at 9 pm!! Our trip was a go!

 

Despite beginning the journey a full 24 hours later than scheduled, the Drake Passage was very kind to us and so we had all of the time in Antarctica that we were due, and it was FANTASTIC. 

 

Aside from the extremely poor communication and the rough start, I can only compliment the line, the crew, the ship, and the expedition team.  And the positive effect of what we’d been through was that all of us passengers bonded and made true friendships before setting foot on the ship. 

 

Importantly, around the third day of the cruise, Atlas gave everyone what I believe to be very generous compensation for the bad start. 

 

It is true that there aren’t 6 dining venues, but we never wanted for anything. We all felt the food was good to very good to excellent. Breakfast and lunch are buffets, but the quality and freshness of the food was great. Cocktails were wonderful! My favorites were the Smoky Margarita and the BBC (Baileys & Banana Colada). Wine was plentiful and while not the finest I’ve ever had, I was happy with the choices. 

 

The crew could not have been nicer or more helpful - I have nothing but top marks for them. 

 

The real stars of the Atlas Ocean Voyages trip to Antarctica, however, are the expedition team, led by Henry Wolff. Other team members were a Marine Biologist, an Ornithologist, a Historian, a Logistics Coordinator and various paddle and sea kayak guides. These people worked 16 hour days and had unending enthusiasm to show us Antarctica.

 

That’s all I can share now - we’re flying back to Orlando tonight. 

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Thank you for the excellent update. We're glad your trip was salvaged and you spent the full promised time in Antarctica. Up until now, our best trip was the Galapagos on Celebrity Flora. Small ship, similar to World Navigator, with a wonderful cruise and expedition team. We're hoping our experience on our upcoming Jan 6 sailing on World Navigator will surpass that experience. 

 

Two questions if we may:

1. Have not been able to find out how many pieces of luggage each passenger can check and what is the max weight of each piece?

2. I'm waiting to hear from my TA about the COVID insurance. He said it's $50 each, so I don't know if it's the same as the AOV suggestion. Do you think there is something that can be done to enhance the acceptability of the AOV suggested policy?

 

Have a safe trip home. I'm sure you appreciated the 80+ degree weather we're having in FL right now. 

 

Merry Christmas,

Kevin & Nan

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Thank you Traveller2222 for this update. We are on the Feb 14 sailing. 

Can you clarify what the deal is on taking the PCR test? Is the 72 hrs from the time we depart Orlando or when we arrive in Argentina?  I assume it's when we leave else they wont let us on the plane.

Thank You!

 

Steve K

 

 

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On 12/19/2021 at 2:57 PM, kml246 said:

Do you think there is something that can be done to enhance the acceptability of the AOV suggested policy?

 

I forwarded my Atlas email (about requiring covid-specific coverage) to my TA, who contacted the insurer from whom I’d bought travel insurance, who then sent a one page pdf that had been edited to show covid-specific coverage.  Bam.  No need to buy additional coverage.

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On 12/19/2021 at 2:57 PM, kml246 said:

Have not been able to find out how many pieces of luggage each passenger can check and what is the max weight of each piece?

 

From the Terms and Conditions:  “No baggage or items heavier than 70 lbs. will be loaded onto or off-loaded from our vessels.”.   I’ve seen no mention of how many pieces of luggage each passenger can check.  Doesn’t mean it isn’t there, just that I haven’t seen it.

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1 hour ago, skrink said:

 

I forwarded my Atlas email (about requiring covid-specific coverage) to my TA, who contacted the insurer from whom I’d bought travel insurance, who then sent a one page pdf that had been edited to show covid-specific coverage.  Bam.  No need to buy additional coverage.

 

I don't take travel insurance, so that's not an option. My TA did provide a policy to cover medical and evac to meet the Argentina requirements. It states COVID is covered as a medical condition on the summary page. Looks like the policy cost $142, my TA just gave it to us. 

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On 12/19/2021 at 3:39 PM, Traveler2222 said:

Hello fellow travelers,

I know we’ve all been interested to learn details of the new Atlas Ocean Voyages experience, so I’ll share what I can from my perspective. I was on the 3rd Antarctic sailing, scheduled to depart Ushuaia on December 10. 

 

Please note that this is a long post and that I’ve likely provided more information than anyone wants or needs about what happened before we boarded the ship, but I was writing in real time, so it is what it is. 

 

And please, please read through to the end, because although it may not sound like a good endorsement at first, it was really one of the best cruises/ expedition trips I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot. 

 

My friend and I flew into Orlando a day early and over-nighted at the Hyatt Regency at the airport, the same location where we were to meet the group around 1 pm. Check in was very smooth if all paperwork was done. (See my previous post about filling in the Argentina Sworn Health Document.) There were issues for people who purchased the AOV recommended COVID specific insurance, because no 1 page PDF “certificate of insurance”was provided, but there were plenty of Atlas staff to assist and get everyone squared away.

 

They took our bags, and we were free to roam around for a bit. At approximately 2 pm, they started calling people by stateroom number to go down to the National Airlines desk to have our documents re-checked, handle luggage, check in with the airline and receive boarding passes.

 

Antigen testing in the hotel ballroom was efficient and results were quick. After receiving negative results, guests were moved into the adjacent ballroom where there were sandwiches, fruit, Kind bars, cookies etc. as well as drinks including beer & wine. Atlas hired entertainment to make the long wait to board (about 5 hours after my antigen test) more tolerable. A personable magician went around the room performing sleight of hand tricks, an incredible electric violin player performed every song we requested, and Flamenco Tropicale featured a guitar player/singer and a dancer. It was fun. 

 

I wish Atlas had been communicative with the group as to the time we were supposed to board. Someone was told 7:15, so we started getting antsy at that point, but didn’t actually board until around 8 pm. (The charter leaves from the regular passenger terminal so note that you must go through security before going to the gate.)

 

The airplane is an Airbus A330 and there was lots of room to spread out. Although the ship’s capacity is just under 200 passengers, our group is far less. I’ve heard all sorts of different numbers, but we are definitely less than 100.

 

The captain announced that the flight time to Ushuaia is 11 hours, which is significantly better than the 14 hours Google told me it would take!

 

I watched a movie and since dinner still hadn’t been served I chose to skip it and try to get some sleep. I call this part of the trip “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The plane is a 2-4-2 arrangement and I was unlucky enough to be on the side with 2 seats. The good news was that because of the small number of passengers, my friend and I were able to spread out: she moved back a row. The bad news was that we were on the side with 2 seats. People who had been seated in the middle also spread out so it looked like almost everyone had a row to themselves. Of course that means the folks in the middle section had 4 seats to stretch out on, while I unfortunately had only 2. And these seats barely recline and the armrests aren’t even padded. The center armrest, when raised, sticks out into the seat about 3 inches. I highly suggest arm wrestling a fellow passenger for a center row of seats or at least bringing a neck pillow, because it is impossible to be at all comfortable in these seats on a long flight, and I’m a small adult.

 

Upon descent into Ushuaia, the mountain and lake views (from either side of the plane) are stunning, even with overcast skies.

 

Our group of 100 or less were boarded onto 3 buses for some sightseeing around Ushuaia, and later a lunch at a local tourist place. Very basic. After that, more sightseeing, and sometime during the afternoon our local guide mentioned that we would be taking a catamaran trip. What??? People had been traveling since at least early Thursday, had little or no sleep, and we all just wanted to board the ship, unpack, and unwind. But we boarded the catamaran and were served dinner and drinks. 

 

Eventually an Atlas rep told us that a crew member (or 2?) had been tested positive and that they were making every effort to comply with Argentinian requirements to get us safe to travel. An update would be provided at 8, and then at 9. We asked questions but received less than forthcoming answers. It was a really frustrating experience, to say the least. At least there was plenty of food and drinks, because we weren’t allowed off the catamaran.

 

LONG story short: we were finally told we’d be taken to local hotels to spend the night. I think we got in our hotel room around 1 am, and were told there would be an Atlas rep there to give us an update at 9 am. So we set the alarm, got up and showered, and were ready for - nothing. No word. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel and had NO idea whether we would be able to sail or not. We were taking go/no-go bets. 

 

Finally the announcement came that we would board at 9 pm!! Our trip was a go!

 

Despite beginning the journey a full 24 hours later than scheduled, the Drake Passage was very kind to us and so we had all of the time in Antarctica that we were due, and it was FANTASTIC. 

 

Aside from the extremely poor communication and the rough start, I can only compliment the line, the crew, the ship, and the expedition team.  And the positive effect of what we’d been through was that all of us passengers bonded and made true friendships before setting foot on the ship. 

 

Importantly, around the third day of the cruise, Atlas gave everyone what I believe to be very generous compensation for the bad start. 

 

It is true that there aren’t 6 dining venues, but we never wanted for anything. We all felt the food was good to very good to excellent. Breakfast and lunch are buffets, but the quality and freshness of the food was great. Cocktails were wonderful! My favorites were the Smoky Margarita and the BBC (Baileys & Banana Colada). Wine was plentiful and while not the finest I’ve ever had, I was happy with the choices. 

 

The crew could not have been nicer or more helpful - I have nothing but top marks for them. 

 

The real stars of the Atlas Ocean Voyages trip to Antarctica, however, are the expedition team, led by Henry Wolff. Other team members were a Marine Biologist, an Ornithologist, a Historian, a Logistics Coordinator and various paddle and sea kayak guides. These people worked 16 hour days and had unending enthusiasm to show us Antarctica.

 

That’s all I can share now - we’re flying back to Orlando tonight. 

What did you do on your final day after getting off the ship until your flight?  Thanks.

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10 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

Lori – If you keep violating the CC guideline about sending people to another website, I will have to keep removing your posts.

Thank you for letting me know. I couldn't understand why my other post was taken down. I guess it's been a few years since I read the guidelines. 

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Just now, Doclori said:

Thank you for letting me know. I couldn't understand why my other post was taken down. I guess it's been a few years since I read the guidelines. 

Your original post is still there (just hidden), so I can edit it to remove the offending part – with your permission.

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On 12/19/2021 at 3:39 PM, Traveler2222 said:

Hello fellow travelers,

I know we’ve all been interested to learn details of the new Atlas Ocean Voyages experience, so I’ll share what I can from my perspective. I was on the 3rd Antarctic sailing, scheduled to depart Ushuaia on December 10. 

 

Please note that this is a long post and that I’ve likely provided more information than anyone wants or needs about what happened before we boarded the ship, but I was writing in real time, so it is what it is. 

 

And please, please read through to the end, because although it may not sound like a good endorsement at first, it was really one of the best cruises/ expedition trips I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot. 

 

My friend and I flew into Orlando a day early and over-nighted at the Hyatt Regency at the airport, the same location where we were to meet the group around 1 pm. Check in was very smooth if all paperwork was done. (See my previous post about filling in the Argentina Sworn Health Document.) There were issues for people who purchased the AOV recommended COVID specific insurance, because no 1 page PDF “certificate of insurance”was provided, but there were plenty of Atlas staff to assist and get everyone squared away.

 

They took our bags, and we were free to roam around for a bit. At approximately 2 pm, they started calling people by stateroom number to go down to the National Airlines desk to have our documents re-checked, handle luggage, check in with the airline and receive boarding passes.

 

Antigen testing in the hotel ballroom was efficient and results were quick. After receiving negative results, guests were moved into the adjacent ballroom where there were sandwiches, fruit, Kind bars, cookies etc. as well as drinks including beer & wine. Atlas hired entertainment to make the long wait to board (about 5 hours after my antigen test) more tolerable. A personable magician went around the room performing sleight of hand tricks, an incredible electric violin player performed every song we requested, and Flamenco Tropicale featured a guitar player/singer and a dancer. It was fun. 

 

I wish Atlas had been communicative with the group as to the time we were supposed to board. Someone was told 7:15, so we started getting antsy at that point, but didn’t actually board until around 8 pm. (The charter leaves from the regular passenger terminal so note that you must go through security before going to the gate.)

 

The airplane is an Airbus A330 and there was lots of room to spread out. Although the ship’s capacity is just under 200 passengers, our group is far less. I’ve heard all sorts of different numbers, but we are definitely less than 100.

 

The captain announced that the flight time to Ushuaia is 11 hours, which is significantly better than the 14 hours Google told me it would take!

 

I watched a movie and since dinner still hadn’t been served I chose to skip it and try to get some sleep. I call this part of the trip “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.” The plane is a 2-4-2 arrangement and I was unlucky enough to be on the side with 2 seats. The good news was that because of the small number of passengers, my friend and I were able to spread out: she moved back a row. The bad news was that we were on the side with 2 seats. People who had been seated in the middle also spread out so it looked like almost everyone had a row to themselves. Of course that means the folks in the middle section had 4 seats to stretch out on, while I unfortunately had only 2. And these seats barely recline and the armrests aren’t even padded. The center armrest, when raised, sticks out into the seat about 3 inches. I highly suggest arm wrestling a fellow passenger for a center row of seats or at least bringing a neck pillow, because it is impossible to be at all comfortable in these seats on a long flight, and I’m a small adult.

 

Upon descent into Ushuaia, the mountain and lake views (from either side of the plane) are stunning, even with overcast skies.

 

Our group of 100 or less were boarded onto 3 buses for some sightseeing around Ushuaia, and later a lunch at a local tourist place. Very basic. After that, more sightseeing, and sometime during the afternoon our local guide mentioned that we would be taking a catamaran trip. What??? People had been traveling since at least early Thursday, had little or no sleep, and we all just wanted to board the ship, unpack, and unwind. But we boarded the catamaran and were served dinner and drinks. 

 

Eventually an Atlas rep told us that a crew member (or 2?) had been tested positive and that they were making every effort to comply with Argentinian requirements to get us safe to travel. An update would be provided at 8, and then at 9. We asked questions but received less than forthcoming answers. It was a really frustrating experience, to say the least. At least there was plenty of food and drinks, because we weren’t allowed off the catamaran.

 

LONG story short: we were finally told we’d be taken to local hotels to spend the night. I think we got in our hotel room around 1 am, and were told there would be an Atlas rep there to give us an update at 9 am. So we set the alarm, got up and showered, and were ready for - nothing. No word. We had breakfast, lunch and dinner at the hotel and had NO idea whether we would be able to sail or not. We were taking go/no-go bets. 

 

Finally the announcement came that we would board at 9 pm!! Our trip was a go!

 

Despite beginning the journey a full 24 hours later than scheduled, the Drake Passage was very kind to us and so we had all of the time in Antarctica that we were due, and it was FANTASTIC. 

 

Aside from the extremely poor communication and the rough start, I can only compliment the line, the crew, the ship, and the expedition team.  And the positive effect of what we’d been through was that all of us passengers bonded and made true friendships before setting foot on the ship. 

 

Importantly, around the third day of the cruise, Atlas gave everyone what I believe to be very generous compensation for the bad start. 

 

It is true that there aren’t 6 dining venues, but we never wanted for anything. We all felt the food was good to very good to excellent. Breakfast and lunch are buffets, but the quality and freshness of the food was great. Cocktails were wonderful! My favorites were the Smoky Margarita and the BBC (Baileys & Banana Colada). Wine was plentiful and while not the finest I’ve ever had, I was happy with the choices. 

 

The crew could not have been nicer or more helpful - I have nothing but top marks for them. 

 

The real stars of the Atlas Ocean Voyages trip to Antarctica, however, are the expedition team, led by Henry Wolff. Other team members were a Marine Biologist, an Ornithologist, a Historian, a Logistics Coordinator and various paddle and sea kayak guides. These people worked 16 hour days and had unending enthusiasm to show us Antarctica.

 

That’s all I can share now - we’re flying back to Orlando tonight. 

Thanks for your update.  We are on the 2 February sailing and I'm wondering about the jacket and the boots.  Do you have any pictures you can share?  Will we be able to tuck our pants into the boots?  How cold was it?  Any suggestions on what to pack.  Also, what did you do on the last day after getting off the ship until your flight home.  Thanks for any and all info and pictures. 

Peggy

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4 hours ago, joepeggy said:

Thanks for your update.  We are on the 2 February sailing and I'm wondering about the jacket and the boots.  Do you have any pictures you can share?  Will we be able to tuck our pants into the boots?  How cold was it?  Any suggestions on what to pack.  Also, what did you do on the last day after getting off the ship until your flight home.  Thanks for any and all info and pictures. 

Peggy

I'd also love to hear about last day activities. @joepeggy I was told the pants don't get tucked into the boots because if they are then water can get into your boots if you're splashed getting off the zodiacs. Untucked, the water rolls down off you and onto the outside of your boots. Just a random tidbit I picked up.

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Thanks for that piece of information.  Any idea how wide the top of the boots are?  I just ordered pants and I'm not sure if they will fit over the boots.  I am going to send a note to Atlas and see if they respond.  I sent a note to the head of communications last month and never received a response.

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On 12/23/2021 at 8:39 AM, joepeggy said:

What did you do on your final day after getting off the ship until your flight?  Thanks.

The last day was LONG. After breakfast and disembarkation they drove us to a local hotel up in the mountains. They had rented a large room, with wifi, where everyone camped out. They had shuttle buses running to town, but because we were there on a Sunday, many shops were closed. A group of us went in for lunch and a bit of wandering around. That evening, we had a sort of banquet style meal at the hotel, and some entertainment. Then on to the airport and the long wait there for the flight.

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On 12/27/2021 at 6:45 PM, joepeggy said:

Thanks for your update.  We are on the 2 February sailing and I'm wondering about the jacket and the boots.  Do you have any pictures you can share?  Will we be able to tuck our pants into the boots?  How cold was it?  Any suggestions on what to pack.  Also, what did you do on the last day after getting off the ship until your flight home.  Thanks for any and all info and pictures. 

Peggy

The provided boots and jacket are great. Better to have pants on the outside so you are less likely to get water in your boots. (Ask me how I know!) Be SURE your pants are waterproof before you go. I bought some on Amazon that said they were waterproof but were not. When a wave crashes into the zodiac you'll quickly have a soggy bottom if they're not. Luckily, the onboard shop sold Helly Hanson waterproof pants, and had my size.

Some expeditions were colder than others; one day was snowy and choppy seas, but our last day was sunny and the ocean was calm. Better to be prepared. Warm leggings and waterproof pants worked for me, but I wore a lot of layers on top: a tank, a close base layer, a turtleneck and a heated vest. I was absolutely burning up after putting on my expedition parka and life jacket, but felt comfortable once outside on the zodiac or on land. Make sure you have good waterproof gloves, a good hat, and glasses or goggles. Some people had ski goggles that made sense. A warm neck gaiter or similar is also helpful. You need very little clothing for non-expedition hours. Leggings and a top and warm, easy to take off booties were about all I wore. i also had a warm jacket for going out on deck. It can be very windy...

Sorry for the photo - every which way I attach it it turns out upside down!

IMG_2534.thumb.jpeg.c03d4b9623c4690f57a0fd302aaa93c1.jpeg

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9 hours ago, Traveler2222 said:

The last day was LONG. After breakfast and disembarkation they drove us to a local hotel up in the mountains. They had rented a large room, with wifi, where everyone camped out. They had shuttle buses running to town, but because we were there on a Sunday, many shops were closed. A group of us went in for lunch and a bit of wandering around. That evening, we had a sort of banquet style meal at the hotel, and some entertainment. Then on to the airport and the long wait there for the flight.

Thanks for responding.  Atlas told me we were going on a tour after disembarking.

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9 hours ago, Traveler2222 said:

The provided boots and jacket are great. Better to have pants on the outside so you are less likely to get water in your boots. (Ask me how I know!) Be SURE your pants are waterproof before you go. I bought some on Amazon that said they were waterproof but were not. When a wave crashes into the zodiac you'll quickly have a soggy bottom if they're not. Luckily, the onboard shop sold Helly Hanson waterproof pants, and had my size.

Some expeditions were colder than others; one day was snowy and choppy seas, but our last day was sunny and the ocean was calm. Better to be prepared. Warm leggings and waterproof pants worked for me, but I wore a lot of layers on top: a tank, a close base layer, a turtleneck and a heated vest. I was absolutely burning up after putting on my expedition parka and life jacket, but felt comfortable once outside on the zodiac or on land. Make sure you have good waterproof gloves, a good hat, and glasses or goggles. Some people had ski goggles that made sense. A warm neck gaiter or similar is also helpful. You need very little clothing for non-expedition hours. Leggings and a top and warm, easy to take off booties were about all I wore. i also had a warm jacket for going out on deck. It can be very windy...

Sorry for the photo - every which way I attach it it turns out upside down!

IMG_2534.thumb.jpeg.c03d4b9623c4690f57a0fd302aaa93c1.jpeg

Thanks again.  Looks cold!!!!!!  No hood on the jacket?  I am definitely going to check to see if my pants are really waterproof.

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I was on the December 19th sailing. The experience was uneven--some things like the expedition staff were outstanding, and some things like disembarkation day, were dismal. 

 

The Good--Henri Wolff and his expedition team were top-notch. Ema, the marine biologist, Carrie the Ornithologist, Chris the Historian, the zodiac guides (Andy and Joaquin in particular) really made the trip great. I loved the L'occitane products in the bathroom. The ship staff were very nice as well. We had two instances of Covid test postives and Atlas handled those well. We were tested during the cruise as well as prior to boarding the charter flight.

 

Concerning the charter flight, we had business-class seating as we were booked in a suite. The seats armrests did not raise, and the seats were not lie-flat, so those seating in the economy section had a better opportunity to raise the armrests and stretch out. The plane and staff are provided by National. The plane was not particularly luxurious but it was clean. The staffing was uneven, On the way out, our business class section was staffed by 2 FAs one of whom seemed to be brand new. It took 3 hours to serve dinner, and in fact, the economy section was served and finished before we were served. Weird. 

 

I am not a fan of buffets. Breakfast was always a buffet. Lunch was sometimes a buffet and sometimes a la carte (which was much better in terms of quality of food). Dinner was a buffet more often than I liked. On Christmas Eve, there was a buffet. I opted to order a cheeseburger and fries which were advertised as being available any time. My server came back to tell me that the chef decided that on this night, hamburgers were only available for children. So, I got up, left the dining room and ordered room service. Really the antithesis of luxury. I cannot understand the chef's logic. I was asking for something he was already making for other guests, but he arbitrarily decided that anyone older than 18 couldn't order it? Again, weird.

 

Disembarkation day was horrible. When I first heard that Atlas was chartering a flight directly to Ushuaia, I thought that was a smart choice. Boy, was I wrong. If we had done Ushuaia-Buenos Aires-Houston-SFO, we would have been home in about 24 hours at most. In the end, it took 46 hours to get from the ship to our home on the West Coast. We were up at 7am, and off the ship at 9am. We then were bused to a hotel above Ushuaia where Atlas had rented a ballroom. They had water, and juice, plus some pastries. The hotel had a shuttle into town. That's it. At 6pm, they served dinner and there was a tango demonstration. At 730pm we went to the tiny airport. We then waited 3 hours there. We then flew to Aruba, and processed through US customs and Immigration and re-boarded our plane. We then flew to Orlando, where it took over an hour for our bags to come through to baggage claim. We then had a three hour wait for the first of two commercial flights. We got home at midnight Wednesday night, having been traveling for 46 hours (with about 4 hours of poor sleep on the airplane). 

 

Concerning parkas and boots. I brought my own boots as theirs would not fit my calves. The parkas were bright green and had plenty of pockets and a good hood that one could adjust and close with Velcro under the chin. They were very warm. Many people tucked their pants into the boots but that method allows water to get in, so I always wore my waterproof pants outside and I stayed dry. The parkas and boot stay in the mudroom, but you might think about bringing easy-to-remove shoes (that accommodate your feet when wearing thick socks) to wear when going to and from the mudroom.

 

A couple of things to note, no alcohol is served until after all expeditions are back onboard, so forget about a breakfast Mimosa or Bloody Mary. And bring a couple European round-prong plug adapters. Our room had USB outlets by the bed, and one USA pronged outlet. The rest were the European style. The ship has a few plug adapters to lend out. 

 

That's all I can think of right now, but I am happy to answer questions.

Lori

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News flash! We are, or should I say were, sailing on the January 6th Antarctica Discovery Expedition. We are now sitting in our hotel room at Orlando Airport because about 30 minutes before boarding our plane, Atlas cancelled the sailing because the Argentinean government quarantined the ship because of a COVID outbreak on the current cruise. We are totally bummed.

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12 minutes ago, kml246 said:

News flash! We are, or should I say were, sailing on the January 6th Antarctica Discovery Expedition. We are now sitting in our hotel room at Orlando Airport because about 30 minutes before boarding our plane, Atlas cancelled the sailing because the Argentinean government quarantined the ship because of a COVID outbreak on the current cruise. We are totally bummed.

I'm sure this is a huge disappointment, but it may have saved you from a lot more grief in the near future.  Better to be cancelled close to home than after you flew to South America.  Hope you can get $$$ back and thus flexibility to rebook freely.

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