On Lyrial Feb 20 - Emblematic Antarctica

[ethan1171]

Boarded earlier today. Wonderful experience so far. Ponant really took care of all the details on BA and during transfers. We got directly from Ushuaia airport to the boat and sailing away for Antarctica early. Our cabin is very nice and we can get used to the service which is top notch much better than what we have experienced with other lines. The attention to details is amazing - and the food ver good so far

[gogo65]

Looks amazing! 
good to hear you have had a great experience so far.

Hope you enjoy the rest of the trip!

[Sitti]

Very nice cabin!! and good looking ship. 

Have a safe and wonderful voyage. 

And most importantly, ENJOY!!

[jpalbny]

Have a fantastic trip!

[Lindae456]

Do you know what capacity is ?? 
 

[ethan1171]

11 hours ago, Lindae456 said:

Do you know what capacity is ?? 
 

 

 

About 100 passengers - half of the usual capacity. There is a very relaxed atmosphere everywhere - also very personalized due to the low number of passengers. The food has been excellent so far and the service at the restaurant is amazing. This is our first Ponant cruise, we have sailed mainly Princess, Celebrity, NCL - of course I do not want to do an apples to Oranges comparison - but we are liking Ponant so much that we have started already looking to book our next cruise with them soon.

 

We will arrive at South Shetlands tomorrow/Tuesday afternoon.

 

For the time being we are crossing the Drake passage. Overnight we had calm seems - but now wind and waves are picking up and projected to have 10m later today. Drake shake! I have my scopolamine patch on, meclizine extra strength and wrist band on. And most of the passengers are in their cabins so it is very quiet around the ship currently.

[schnapperin]

Lovely to hear that you made it Ethan! Enjoy the trip! 
 

What room type do you have with the seating area?  can highly recommend to use room service for breakfast 
 

for the Drake so can highly recommend to not watch TV or use any kind of device like iPad, eBook reader or Laptop and also not to read - looking outside the horizon as much as possible

 

 

[ethan1171]

1 hour ago, schnapperin said:

Lovely to hear that you made it Ethan! Enjoy the trip!

Thank you so much - it is a miracle that we made it - until a few weeks ago I was almost certain it will get canceled.Le Lyrial cruise prior to ours was canceled, and same for the one after us. And they told us this is the last one for this season - they will wrap up and they do not plan any more until next year.  I am very glad we did not make a change and we are now on our way to Antarctica. The last two years have been very challenging for travel - but finally it seams things are opening up.

 

1 hour ago, schnapperin said:

 

What room type do you have with the seating area?  can highly recommend to use room service for breakfast

Prestige suite - deck 5 - we booked early two cabins with no single supplement - so it made sense to have two connecting cabins. Once we boarded we asked our cabin attendant to open the connecting door and convert one of the rooms to a living room / sitting area. Especially now at rough seas it is  great to have room in the cabin since we are taking easy.

1 hour ago, schnapperin said:

for the Drake so can highly recommend to not watch TV or use any kind of device like iPad, eBook reader or Laptop and also not to read - looking outside the horizon as much as possible

 

 

Yes I should put my laptop away - I will continue describing the experience once we are in calmer waters. There are a few lectures we will likely attend later today. And the biosecurity check for our outerwear. Apart from that we are taking a lot of rest in the cabin.

[laurelguy]

Ethan and all! So happy to hear this early review. We're going next December on Le Boreal same itinerary. We LOVE Ponant but of course first time in Antarctica. We could not get a suite ALL SOLD OUT....Why are they cancelling the rest of the season? Covid? Low bookings? Would love as much info as you can impart....of course concerned about rough waters....but that's part of the adventure right? Happy sailing!

[ethan1171]

33 minutes ago, laurelguy said:

Why are they cancelling the rest of the season? Covid? Low bookings?

Of course they are not disclosing the reasons - but yes Covid and low bookings - and their operation now if full of challenges - even if Ponant is managing really well

 

 

35 minutes ago, laurelguy said:

.of course concerned about rough waters....but that's part of the adventure right? Happy sailing!

I am amazed that people (overhearing them around the ship) not take the Drake seriously or have not done any study of what they are signing up for.

 

There are plenty of over the counter and prescription medications to make the passage comfortable. Take advantage of all that and you will be ok. And regardless to say the Drake is the physical and psychological barrier to Antarctica. Big part of the adventure  and  appreciation of of the uniqueness of this voyage is crossing the Drake.

[schnapperin]

10 hours ago, ethan1171 said:

Of course they are not disclosing the reasons - but yes Covid and low bookings - and their operation now if full of challenges - even if Ponant is managing really well

 

 

I am amazed that people (overhearing them around the ship) not take the Drake seriously or have not done any study of what they are signing up for.

 

There are plenty of over the counter and prescription medications to make the passage comfortable. Take advantage of all that and you will be ok. And regardless to say the Drake is the physical and psychological barrier to Antarctica. Big part of the adventure  and  appreciation of of the uniqueness of this voyage is crossing the Drake.

Same during my trip! I did a lot of research if possible meds or other ways (no alcohol, high dose of Vitamin C) to handle sea sickness. 
 

not really surprise that they are cancelled the last trip - with 50 % capacity and the risk of quarantine for the crew a total understanding move

 

 

[ethan1171]

first landing today! Quite a surprise because we were not expecting it - left Ushuaia Sunday and crossed the Drake fast! Good to put it behind us for a while and start enjoying Antarctica 

[jpalbny]

Enjoy it! We landed there in 2009 and saw a rogue king penguin. A young adult who had seemingly lost his way, and was hanging out among a mass of gentoo penguins. The size difference was quite comical.

[Sitti]

Wow, you're so lucky. Over here we haven't done our first landing yet, but had incredible sceneries today. 

[ethan1171]

This morning we were treated to our first landing at the continent of Antarctica, brown bluff - sunny and clear day! We could not ask for more. The low number of passengers continues to be providing a very personalized experience- the staff knows all our preferences by now. We had as much time as we needed at the landing this morning and there would potentially be another landing later this afternoon

[laurelguy]

WOW! Thank you for posting! Great pix and we can't wait til December for our first Antarctica trip on Le Boreal....

[schnapperin]

Ethan - even with 170 pax the staff knew after a few days preferences (like for example no wine for lunch, still water) back in 2019 

[jpalbny]

Beautiful! Brown Bluff was where we took our first steps on #7. Looks like you're having a great time! Enjoy it all.

[ethan1171]

3 hours ago, schnapperin said:

Ethan - even with 170 pax the staff knew after a few days preferences (like for example no wine for lunch, still water) back in 2019 

Good to know that this is the standard with Ponant.

 

We are not used to it and it is a pleasant surprise. They are spoiling us big time. e.g they know which table we like and they have it all ready, with menus on the table, every time we walk in for breakfast lunch or dinner with our preferences for drinks what to eat etc.  When we get something at the buffet they do not let us carry it ourselves but they bring it to us at the table (i though initially it was because of Drake but they continue doing it) Also at the landing site today we had multiple expedition guides with us explaining the site.

 

And I would say the food has been really good so far, we have not had anything we have not liked. I would say actually that a lot of their dishes and especially soups are delicious!

 

We are continuing to be very impressed with Ponant.

 

 

[ethan1171]

A change of plans this morning - due to the wind and swell we could not land at Gourdin island instead we did 1 hr zodiac cruise around Astrolabe - which ended up being more like 1.5 hrs because the expedition guides wanted to show us more. 
 

at breakfast at La Celeste our server not only knows our drink preferences but that I also that like a warm croissant with my coffee  - only 2-3 tables occupied at the whole restaurant and with about 20 staff the experience feels very personalized. 
 

any doubts that I had about this trip are gone. Everything so far exceeds our expectations. We are extremely fortunate to be on this trip and that we did not change our plans

[ethan1171]

Mikkelsen and D'Hainaut Island zodiac landing today morning and Spert island zodiac cruising this afternoon. A world of ice all around us! Plenty of whale sightings - Orcas and humpbacks everywhere penguins and seals. The service and attention to detail by the cruise staff is very impressive

 

Also everyone is very careful and wearing masks . I would say now that we are mid way through the cruise everyone is relaxing a bit. Due to the wind and the conditions during zodiac cruising the passengers are not wearing masks - most of the guides do wear them though. 
 

weather has been around 31-33F / 0-1C Yesterday was sunny and mostly clear sky today light snow and overcast which makes it feel colder.

[ethan1171]

[ethan1171]

[ethan1171]

Another Spectacular morning in Antarctica - Orne island in the morning, useful island in the afternoon - two landings today for all passengers - and about 2 hours per landing 

We are so much enjoying the French cuisine onboard especially cheese and champagne after coming back from afternoon landings - there are a few misses but overall plenty to eat and drink. Also some entertainment last night - singing and dancing and karaoke - we definitely appreciate the French culture onboard. Everybody seems to be enjoying and very happy. Due to the low capacity many of the crew comes with us at the landings and also participate in singing and dancing (including the captain) we all know each other by now and that creates an intimate and familiar sense on the ship

 

 

[ethan1171]