Silver Cloud Antarctica Live Blog

[Anna32]

Day 14, Beagle Channel (January 15th)

 

True to the Captain‘s promise, the ship‘s rocking and rolling ceased at around 11pm last night. The navigational chart on the ship‘s tv showed us going circles at the entrance to the Beagle Channel. Our berth in Puerto Williams will not be free before 10pm tonight, so there is no rush for us to be anywhere. Main chores of today will be picking up our passports, and then packing our suitcases. 

 

We left a final bag of laundry with our butler Vinay. Mainly to make sure that we have enough clean underwear until we reach our pit stop in Los Angeles in two weeks’ time. We could have tackled the laundry room again, but didn‘t really feel like it today. Spoiled we are by Silversea, at least for one more day.

 

Our disembarkation documents show us leaving the ship at 7:30am tomorrow morning, and then clear Chilean customs before taking the charter flight back to Santiago de Chile. Some passengers, having a late flight to the States tomorrow night, will be set up in a day room close to the airport. We will stay another two nights in the Mandarin Oriental, one of them kindly sponsored by Silversea. Those days will be busy with prep work for our continuing journey. We are also hoping to do a video call with our cats (facilitated by my brother).

 

According to some of the crew, yesterday’s crossing was a 6.5, if the average is a 5. So a bit rougher than usual. I overheard a number of people in the Panorama Lounge trying to outdo each other on who got the sickest yesterday. All part of the adventure, I guess. After Maria made up our room for the day, our suitcases were propped up and ready to be packed by us. Not so subtle hint that we are leaving soon. We also got a feedback questionnaire to fill out, which we will be happy to do.

 

At 11am, we went up to the pool deck to get some of the delicious hot soup they put out there every day. Today‘s was leek and potatoe. Not that we were in need of any more food - it was more the ambiance and the homey feeling of sitting out in the open under a warming radiator. After that, we listened to a lecture about the Antarctic Circumference and the interconnectivity of the large oceanic currents. Very „sciency“ stuff if you ask me, but important to try and understand the complexity of it.

 

After lunch, we read and rested. Then it was off to the last lecture of this trip. Damon Ramsey gave us an introduction to Chile. Someone on Cruise Critic said if you can stomach his dad jokes, he is really quite entertaining. Not only that, but he cramms a surprising amount of interesting content into his talks. Did you know, for example, that it only became legal to get divorced in Chile in 2004? It was the last country in South America to legalize this.

 

Packing our suitcases at the end of any cruise is never a favourite task, but has to be done. We squished everything in there , including the bulky expedition parkas, and were both pretty much spot on the 23kg limit (for our American friends, that‘s 50 pounds). Then it was time to go to the Captain‘s farewell reception. Sad goodbyes do work better with a glass of champagne, let me tell you. All the brilliant crew came up on stage and got standing ovations from us passengers. As did Schalk and the expedition team.

 

Cindy, our resident filmmaker, got to show us this voyage‘s production. It was her first time in Antarctica, and she has done a brilliant job capturing the beauty and uniqueness of this magical place. We will all receive a copy on USB to take home, along with some stills from Davide. If I can, I will share some of them once our internet connection is more stable.

 

Schalk auctioned off the artistically enhanced navigational chart for the benefit of the Crew Welfare Fund. Billy was his charming assistant, carrying the chart all over the expedition lounge for all of us to see. The winning bid was for $2.000, by a lady from Georgia. I love when they do something like that benefiting the crew. This time, however, we unfortunately could not join the bidding, since we are traveling for 10 more weeks and really cannot lug any more stuff around. 

 

At around 6pm we dropped anchor in Puerto Williams. The Silver Endeavor was still berthed, awaiting her new contingent of passengers before she sails sometime tonight and we take her place. Dinner in the main restaurant was really busy tonight, everybody seemingly wanted an early night. Food, wine and service were wonderful, as always. We went to Dolce Vita for a last nightcap. So did part of the expedition team - about a third of them is going home tomorrow, as well. We said our goodbyes to Enrique, the bar manager. The wonderful thing about this sad last day is that we know it will be followed very soon by an exciting first day - next Friday, in the Galapagos. Good night, sleep tight!

[$hip to $hore]

Thank you for bringing so many of us on your journey. Everything was super informative and I can't wait until I board the Cloud on the 28th. Quick question, I'm assuming you didn't purchase your air through SS as you are heading off to another GRAND adventure. I loved the Galapagos Islands, definitely one of my favourite trips so far. Looking forward to seeing how your review pans out in real life. Hope to read more about your travels in the future.

Cheers and safe travels!

 

[Anna32]

1 hour ago, $hip to $hore said:

Thank you for bringing so many of us on your journey. Everything was super informative and I can't wait until I board the Cloud on the 28th. Quick question, I'm assuming you didn't purchase your air through SS as you are heading off to another GRAND adventure. I loved the Galapagos Islands, definitely one of my favourite trips so far. Looking forward to seeing how your review pans out in real life. Hope to read more about your travels in the future.

Cheers and safe travels!

 

Thank you! Correct, everything after our first night back in Santiago was not booked through Silversea.

[Anna32]

Day 15, Puerto Williams to Santiago de Chile (January 16th)

 

They began calling the first group of passengers at shortly after 6am this morning. Since we were on the last flight coming in, we‘re also on the last one out, with a comfortable disembarkation time of 7:30 am.

 

Vinay brought our light breakfast to the room at 6:30am. It was a beautiful day outside, and we stood on our balcony for a while, watching the cormorants on the poles drying their wings. Cappuccino and fresh Patagonian air - what a wonderful way to wake up!

 

Our call came closer to 7:45am. Group Orange was the last one, as expected. We brought up the rear, together with the disembarking crew. Our Chilean affidavits were briefly checked, and then we were off the ship. In the bus to the airport, a French Silversea staff member based in Puerto Williams regaled us with stories of his two-week stay in Puerto Williams, which turned into a permanent arrangement. Before we knew it, we were on the plane. Seated in row one, we were more than surprised when the flight attendant told us to simply put our hand luggage on the floor. Oh well, works for us since the overhead bins were full.

 

Fede was with us on the flight. Apparently he has to go all the way up to Santiago, just to make his way down to Ushuaia again. Only a few miles down the Beagle Channel on the Argentinian side from Puerto Williams. Politics are crazy sometimes.

 

We were told there would be another fuel stop in Punta Arenas. The day was beautiful, and I greatly enjoyed the views, together with a cup of tea and a piece of Chilean chocolate cake. There would have been Baileys, but I declined. After only a short time in the air, we approached Punta Arenas. Coming in over the sea, there were lots of whitecaps on the water, as it was really windy. Apart from refueling, the plane was also catered, and we were offered a cup of fresh chicken soup. Because, what else would we want at 9am? Since we had quite gotten used to our morning soup break, Holger and I were actually quite happy with this.

 

Flight time from Punta Arenas to Santiago was given as 3 hours 40 minutes. Soon after takeoff, the excellent service commenced. Oh, and we found out that an Australian couple from the Cloud is also going to the Galapagos. We even might be on the same catamaran, we‘ll see. Small world, indeed. Lunch was delicious again - another menu crafted for Silversea. And the wine started flowing again, too. However, people seemed to be not quite as happy and raucous as on the way out. Which is fine by me.

 

We landed on time, at 1:30pm. From then on, the usually smooth Silversea organization fell somewhat short. We were divided into three groups (international flights, Mandarin Oriental and crew), and then squished into the same waiting area. Piece by piece, our luggage came out and took up more of the space. And then the new guests flying out to the Cloud appeared. To put it politely, this could have been handled a lot better. Finally, and leaving our luggage behind, we were asked to get onto a bus and arrived at the hotel at 3pm. Great, that is their official check-in time, so our rooms will be ready. Or so we thought, until we saw a cluster of people blocking the Silversea check-in area. Apparently we have Cloud, Wind and Endeavor passengers here tonight, and the hotel is bursting at the seams.

 

Finally able to check-in, we got told that our room was not quite ready yet, and we were asked to wait for about 30 minutes. At that point, my enthusiasm was somewhat dampened. However, I took the cookie and cake bribe offered to me and sat down. Finally, the check-in agent came through with our key cards. Let‘s do this! We went up to the fourth floor and opened our room - running into a very surprised couple we knew from the Cloud. Oops, not good, we had no intention of sharing. So, back to check-in we went. The young agent apologized profusely, and soon we were ready for the next try. First floor. We found the room. Opened the door. Called „Hello???“ but got no answer. In we went. And were pretty gobsmacked. We had been upgraded to a HUGE suite. I really cannot exaggerate how big this room is. It has a conference table for six people, a huge verandah with a private little garden and a bathroom in which you could easily practice ballroom dancing. Wow. My motivation to go out for dinner died then and there. I worked for an hour or two, to address the backlog in my emails, got down to reception to collect our suitcases, and then we ordered room service. It was a long day, and we were feeling very tired at this point. So I bid you all a fond goodnight from my regal suite!

[Anna32]

As promised, here is a selection of our pictures from this wonderful trip

 

[Anna32]

This concludes the Silversea portion of this trip. I will continue reporting in a more general category, and have opened a new threat here:

 

Thank you all for coming along this far, it has been a wonderful journey, and we‘re not done yet!

[lincslady]

Really wonderful photos, thank you.

 

Lola

[highplanesdrifters]

Great shots!

[penguingirl25]

Thank you for all of your posts. One last question, what was your experience entering at the Santiago airport? As of January 1st, they are doing random covid testing. Were you, or did you see anyone pulled out for testing? Wondering just how "random" it is. Thanks!

[Tex1]

7 hours ago, penguingirl25 said:

Thank you for all of your posts. One last question, what was your experience entering at the Santiago airport? As of January 1st, they are doing random covid testing. Were you, or did you see anyone pulled out for testing? Wondering just how "random" it is. Thanks!

Just got home this morning, and never say any testing done at the airport.  And few masks.

[$hip to $hore]

Hi Again, 

You mentioned dining at Matsuri, I'm unsure about how the Chilean currency works - for example it shows $35.900 for a bowl of noodles in soup - what is the conversion for this as there is a decimal point. If I just use a currency converter and put in 35900 it comes to $58.66 CAD or $43.58 USD, could that really be what a bowl of noodles cost?

Want to definitely try it, but maybe not?

 

[cruiseej]

Yes, many countries use a comma and period in amounts opposite what US and Canada do. So "35.900" on the menu is 35,900 Chilean pesos. And yes, that's about $43.44 in US dollars and $58.45 in Canadian dollars. I'm not finding a menu online, but there's no doubt it's an expensive meal. (We wanted to dine here on our recent pre-cruise stay, but they were having a special wine event at the hotel and Matsuri was closed the two days we were there.)

[$hip to $hore]

11 hours ago, cruiseej said:

Yes, many countries use a comma and period in amounts opposite what US and Canada do. So "35.900" on the menu is 35,900 Chilean pesos. And yes, that's about $43.44 in US dollars and $58.45 in Canadian dollars. I'm not finding a menu online, but there's no doubt it's an expensive meal. (We wanted to dine here on our recent pre-cruise stay, but they were having a special wine event at the hotel and Matsuri was closed the two days we were there.)

Oh my gosh, thank you for the information. Just to let you know I saw the menu on their facebook page. Being from Vancouver, BC  and Japanese food (and so many other amazing cuisine) are plentiful here, it is hard for me to justify spending almost $60 on a bowl of udon. If you want, I can share the photos.

Thanks again!

 

[obuckley]

wonderful read!  Question -  do you recomend taking any money for S. America or just put it all on a CC

[$hip to $hore]

1 minute ago, obuckley said:

wonderful read!  Question -  do you recommend taking any money for S. America or just put it all on a CC

Fantastic question! I heard about the Argentinian Peso - Blue Dollar rate - could someone kindly assist with this question? 

[Port Power]

3 hours ago, $hip to $hore said:

Fantastic question! I heard about the Argentinian Peso - Blue Dollar rate - could someone kindly assist with this question? 

The “blue dollar” is the discounted cash rate for paying with US$. I won’t go into the political reasons behind it, but it is a form of income protection.

Edit: You will receive change in pesos.

Edited January 20, 2023 by Port Power

[Stumblefoot]

4 hours ago, obuckley said:

...do you recomend taking any money for S. America or just put it all on a CC

No, I do not recommend taking money into S. America.  We've always found USD are readily welcomed, but if you need any local currency, just head to a bank operated ATM.

[obuckley]

7 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

No, I do not recommend taking money into S. America.  We've always found USD are readily welcomed, but if you need any local currency, just head to a bank operated ATM.

thanks!  Carry on with your fabulous cruise

[Tex1]

Credit cards are readily accepted.  Never had, or needed locally currency.  Used usd for tips.

[highplanesdrifters]

16 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

No, I do not recommend taking money into S. America.  We've always found USD are readily welcomed, but if you need any local currency, just head to a bank operated ATM.

For convenience,  and if you don't mind paying a few extra bucks you can usually change at the hotel front desk.  I try to tip in local currency, but sometimes find that USD (or EU/GBP) are preferred. I always travel with a stash of $5s & $1s. The ship will usually tell you if local currency is necessary when you head ashore. But it's often the case that even at the little stands at the port other currencies are accepted.

[Trixster]

On 1/10/2023 at 12:54 AM, Anna32 said:

Day 4 Crossing the Drake Passage and Expedition Housekeeping

 

We got a great night‘s sleep, with the Drake Passage gently rocking the ship. Our South African expedition leader, Schalk (pronounced Skulk) told us in his many crossings he had never seen it that calm. „It‘s the Drake Lake, rather than the Drake Shake!“ He and his team got really busy today. Early in the morning, we got to exchange our free expedition parkas to fit. We had taken measurements, but I was apparently a bit too careful to allow for lots of layers. So down a size I went, still leaving lots of room for extra layering. Same went for Holger‘s rubber boots. Fortunately, this seems to happen frequently, and now everything fits as it should.

 

Schalk gave us an in-depth IAATO and Zodiac briefing. All intended to keep us, and the vulnerable Antarctic continent, safe. We also got a weather forecast. The ship is running full steam to bypass a storm system, that is threatening our „Drake Lake“ experience. Which might mean we will be finishing our Drake crossing a wee bit earlier, giving us even more time in Antarctica. We‘ll see. Wind, weather and ice make the rules down here, and we are prepared to be flexible.

 

After lunch, Holger attended a kayaking briefing, mandatory for those that want to go paddling. The main purpose was apparently to sign an extra waiver. If he does go, I will be cheering him on from the big ship. With no kayaking experience, I am not adventurous enough to start in Antarctica, of all places. But if conditions are right it will certainly be an extra-special experience.

 

I attended a lecture on seabirds. Mainly, Albatross and Petrels. The finer points of telling which is which still escape me. However, I did learn that the Wandering Albatross has the largest wingspan of all birds, 3.5 metres. And can get up to 80 years old. While at dinner, we saw some petrels swooping up and down next to the ship. Out of nowhere, Holger asked „So, is it a gas station of petrels?“ Makes sense to me!

 

Sun was out while I was enjoying afternoon tea, chatting with Bob and Susan, a charming couple from Chicago. He is half German on his mother’s side, and they are well travelled. I got some great tips for the South Pacific in exchange for stories about South Africa. Quid pro quo, but not Hannibal Lecter style, fortunately.

 

We took a walk on deck, testing our new parkas. Toasty, even in the wind! Before we knew it, it was time for this evenings expedition briefing. They give you adult beverages when you attend the briefing. My kind of lecture! Jonathan, the entertainment host (aka Cruise Director) introduced some of the senior staff, and Schalk asked the expedition team on stage. More than 25 people, each with their individual specialism. A geologist, marine biologists, ornithologist… Wow!

 

Since we are making such good speed across the passage, Schalk said they just might have a little surprise for us. My speculation: landfall on Elephant Island tomorrow! The island were Shackleton‘s crew survived for months, while he was getting help. Today marks the 101st anniversary of his death, so wouldn‘t this be fitting? I even got a t-shirt in his honour (couldn‘t resist some retail therapy in the ship‘s shop). Oh, and I got something else! The Spa Manager held a raffle, and I won the main prize, a full body massage. I‘m a lucky duck, apparently!

 

Dinner was in the main restaurant again, and very delicious. The food here on board is outstanding, with a decidedly Italian twist and lots of variety. Portion sizes are very reasonable, so you even have room for dessert (a yummy bitter chocolate and orange tart in my case tonight). Afterwards, Holger told Enrique the bartender how to do his favourite Espresso Martini (with Rum and easy on the Kaluha), and was very happy with the result. After that it was bed time, what a wonderful day!

 

Day 5, Drake Passage, Elephant Island (January 6th)

 

Woke up around 5am. It was light out, and raining. The Drake Passage was still very calm. Ship‘s positioning showed us approaching Elephant Island. At breakfast, we sat at a table overlooking the stern of the Cloud. We were followed by some birds, who suddenly lost interest. There! Our first whale spout of this voyage. There were two, we believe humpbacks, welcoming us to Antarctica. We saw more spouts, and their backs, in the distance. After breakfast, we donned our parkas and made our way to the observation lounge. We were quite close to Point Wild on Elephant Island. The place where in 1915/1916, 22 men of Shackleton‘s Endurance crew survived for several months, while he together with five others got help in a Norwegian whaling station on South Georgia. The story of the Endurance expedition is a fascinating one, which keeps inspiring me every time I hear or read it. Therefore, I greatly enjoyed Mila‘s talk on Shackleton. She is our onboard historian, full of enthusiasm for the age of the early explorers.

 

Right at the end of Mila‘s talk, there was an announcement on the comms: whales! We abandoned Mila (she was very understanding) and ran to the starboard side of the ship. A huge pod of finwhales, feeding. We could see spouts everywhere, and the occasional back coming up. One surfaced right next to our balcony, what a huge and impressive animal! 

 

The next talk was by a conservation carpenter. He and his colleague are hitching a ride with us until Port Lockroy (the „Antarctic Post Office“). There, they will stay for the season and work on conserving some older expedition buildings. Their work is being financed by a UK heritage fund, chaired by Shackleton‘s granddaughter. Fascinating! After this talk, Schalk gave us a quick briefing. I was right, they are planning on taking us ashore on Elephant Island, in a place called Echo Bay. Apparently, even getting as close to Elephant Island as we did this morning is very rare, Expedition ships manage it once or twice a year. So a very special bonus for us.

 

At lunch we got a table by the window. While I was digging into my Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (again, delicious!), we passed by an ice float with a Chinstrap Penguin posing on it. Best wildlife watching ever! Further off the ship, we saw a humpback whale. We are in frozen paradise!

 

Right after lunch, the expedition team put Zodiacs in the water for our attempt at Echo Bay. No joy, as the ride to shore was extremely bumpy and deemed unsafe for us mere mortals. Oh well, it would have been a bonus, anyway. We enjoyed the sunshine out on deck, and decided to have a cocktail to celebrate the occasion. Whoah, my Dark & Stormy was very stormy, there must have been triple the usual amount of rum in it! I was decidedly tipsy afterward, when I went to Francesco‘s talk on leopard seals. As a marine biologist, he has worked with them extensively and shared some fascinating insights. Leopard Seals are at the top of the Antarctic food chain. Orcas might hunt and kill a baby seal, but the adults are apex predators. However, their teeth are also equipped for krill filtering, so their prey comes in all sizes.

 

Our expedition briefing came at 5pm. We will be attempting one landing and a zodiac cruise tomorrow. The landing will be at Brown Bluff, on the Antarctic mainland. It should be an easy walk on a pebbled beach to visit a rookery of Adelie penguins. The Zodiac cruise will be near Esperanza station, an Argentinian research station. Due to Covid restrictions still in place, we are not allowed to go ashore and visit, so it will have to be a drive-by. We can expect to see our first icebergs in Antarctic Sound.

 

At 7pm, we had the Captain‘s Welcome Cocktail. Our master and commander is Captain Andrey Domanin, from Odessa, Ukraine. He got his first nautical patent in 1989, and has 20 years of experience sailing the polar regions. We are in safe hands!

 

Dinner was gala, with kaviar, foie gras and crepes suzette for dessert, flambéed personally by the Head Chef. Soooo good! We fell straight into bed afterwards, hoping to see icebergs when we wake up again.

 

[Trixster]

This is awesome! I leave Friday on Silver Wind……your post has been so enjoyable and informative. The most information I have found in my search, search, search. Thank you so much.

1. what do you wish had known before you went?

2. what do you wish you had brought?

3. what did you bring that you didn’t need to.

thank you again🙃

[pvbmom]

Trimester, we will be on the Silver Wind in February.  If it all possible would you mind posting some quick thoughts on the ship and your travels?  Also, would you mind looking to see if a blazer is necessary for the men.  Thank you in advance.  Have a great cruise!

[Stumblefoot]

3 hours ago, pvbmom said:

Also, would you mind looking to see if a blazer is necessary for the men.

While I may enjoy wearing them, as well as sport coats, a blazer for men is never needed on the Wind, or any expedition ship for that matter.

[cruiseej]

49 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

While I may enjoy wearing them, as well as sport coats, a blazer for men is never needed on the Wind, or any expedition ship for that matter.

 

@pvbmom On our recent trip on sister ship Cloud, there were some men with blazers on some nights, but certainly not all. I took one as much for warmth as dressing up. We were on the holiday cruise, so I figured the captain's welcome + Christmas + New Years was enough of a reason to take a sport coat; if we were traveling in February, I'm not sure if I would. (Also, it we had been over our weight limit, the jacket was going to the the first thing jettisoned!)  But because I'm sometimes cool walking around the ship, the blazer was just to switch up from the sweaters I wore on other nights. Bottom line: take it or leave it, whichever makes you comfortable; you won't feel out of place either way.

Edited January 26, 2023 by cruiseej