Review of Atlas World Navigator Jan 10 - 21

[vicd1969]

I was part of the ill-fated group of passengers who had their Atlas cruise cancelled at the last minute in January 2022. But I was able to rebook with Atlas still paying for airfare to this January 2023 sailing, with two extra days as a bonus. Still, I had a sense of dread that somehow my cruise wasn't going to happen, until the moment I got my room key this time. From that point on, it was a magical trip of of a lifetime. Would highly recommend Atlas for Antarctica. For more details, read below:

 

Embarkation - Surprisingly very easy, despite the late boarding time. We checked in at Terminal C at EZE and it was seamless from there to being onboard. After arriving at Ushuaia and getting luggage, we were bused directly to the ship. Atlas had agents guiding us at both airports. The actual ship check-in was in the ship lounge after boarding, where I presented my passport while sipping on a glass of sparkling wine. Very civilized.  The only hiccup for some would be that the charter flight is not exactly luxury and I was assigned the dead last row. But everyone had to wait for their luggage at the carousel, so being in the last row didn't matter. Then, the safety drill  - more involved than your typical cruise ship drill. They actually made you wear your life vest and assemble at the muster stations.

 

Drake Passage - Going to Antarctica, we had like 3-4 meter waves. The return had 4-6 meter waves on the first day but was a bit calmer on the second day. I didn't get seasick and even didn't take any medication, but the rest of my group did get hit with the Drake Shake. A couple of my friends were out almost the entire first two days. The helpful hint is to apply your patch and take your medicine before going to bed when you leave Ushuaia. Definitely got the feeling it was an expedition, not a cruise when your dishware and cutlery start sliding off the dining table, and when you see waves go over the deck 7 viewing platform. One expedition guide joked that getting seasick is just a tax payment from Poseidon to see the wonders of Antarctica.

 

Cabin - I originally was to room with two other friends but the Deluxe Balcony room turned out too tight for us three. The front desk offered me an additional room for only $300, which I gladly took. I guess they were able to do so because we only had 116 passengers onboard, so there were a few extra rooms. I ended up in a Horizon Deluxe one with plenty of closet space and the wonderful window that can be lowered - better than a balcony for Antarctic conditions in my opinion. However, the standard non-suite cabins didn't have as much storage space. I don't recommend  bringing more than one check-in luggage per person. The amenities were awesome - love the L'Occitane soaps and the bathroom was spacious. Shower was something to look forward to! Drinks were amply furnished and the huge glass water bottles were refilled each day. There was an Nespresso machine but I didn't use, since the coffee at Paula's Pantry was so good. TV had lots of movies and streamed the main auditorium, along with the bow and stern cameras. I also used it a lot to view the upcoming restaurant menus for lunch and dinner. Which brings me too...

 

Food - Atlas did a few things really well but had room for improvement with some areas in the food and beverage department. Given that one is on a small 10,000 ton ship, it's a bit unfair to compare the food to that on a big cruise ship. I liked the breakfast offerings, but the offerings tended to change little. The best part was the raw juice bar where you can custom order a freshly pressed juice. The lunch buffet dishes included one carving station and a freshly-made stir-fry/cooking station. They usually had good stuff going on there. Also there were two choices of soups each day. I don't think I had a bad lunch onboard, but I don't mind going the buffet route. Dinner was a sit-down affair except for the first night and for the Indian-themed night. The presentation was usually beautiful, but the fish dishes didn't live up to their looks (didn't taste fresh) and the desserts were often too sweet for me. Meat dishes were usually tasty, however. The theme nights that I enjoyed were the two Gala dinners, the French night, the Brazilian night, and the Arabian night. The Indian night was actually good but I understand some aren't into that type of cuisine. Of course, Atlas did save a bit by scheduling the first Gala dinner on the first night of Drake (half the passengers were too sick to eat) and on the last evening when quite a few were doing their own thing in Ushuaia (more on that later). Can't say enough good things about the Paula's Pantry and the afternoon teas at the Deck 7. I'm not a big alcohol drinker, but the ship house wines didn't wow me and the cocktails tended to be too sweet. But nothing worth rejecting.

 

Ship Crew - Super nice, on par with the excellent service I usually get on Holland America. While sometimes our dinner orders got mixed up, the restaurant staff were always willing to bring out additional menu items we would request. The various waiters also learned to serve our preferred lunch and dinner drinks. They also brought to the table our soups and juices during breakfast and lunch. Where they really stepped up was delivering to my seasick friends in the cabins whatever my friends or I asked, from plain bread and crackers or two bowls of soup to the lobster dinner of the gala night. Bar and Paula Pantry Staff were equally nice. With a small ship and since I had to run between cabins helping out my sick companions in the first few days, a lot of the cabin attendants got to know me and greeted me by name whenever I ran into them. My cabin attendant Agung was excellent without being intrusive. Atlas trained them very well.

 

Expedition Crew - Top-Notch. A few of them really made my trip a memorable one with their friendliness and expertise.  Their different backgrounds complemented each other and they seemed to genuinely love what they are doing. Fernando and Marco were great ambassadors with the passengers. Chris was a terrific presenter on the history of the Continent, really loved his presentation on Scott and Amundsen. Yes, he also gave a very thorough presentation on Shackleton as well. Laura was always approachable after we got to know her as our very first zodiac guide, and gave great presentations on whales. Our expedition leader Jonathan was not as outgoing, but he was a true professional who had safety as the top priority for the passengers. We had four amazing days in Antarctica thanks to his planning. Unfortunately, it was too windy to do a landing on the fifth day at the South Shetland Islands, though the expedition team gave an honest attempt at taking out the zodiacs to see if the wind conditions were acceptable. We ended up leaving a day early to avoid high winds and poor weather, which to me ended up as the right decision since the Drake return passage would have been a lot worse. Plus, we got a full sunny day in Ushuaia, where Atlas stepped up and arranged a bus tour of the Tierra Del Fuego National Park for us. One piece of warning about the expedition aspect - there was a mandatory in-person session on day 1 regarding safety and environmental rules. It was a struggle for some to attend because of their nausea so you may want to ask for extra seasick bags.

 

Activities - Our cruise director Nathalie was super friendly, and has a really wonderful voice. We had a real treat listening to her sing on two occasions. The piano player Paul played very well, but didn't have the vocal chops. But given that he also pulls mud room duty to help passengers suited up for the landings/zodiac cruises, he's an important member of the team as well. The presentations by the various expedition team members were all very informative, even though sometimes the energy in the room wasn't there because most were viewing via streaming instead of being in person. Everyone also got a nice tour of the bridge on the last day at sea. My favorite part of the trip activities was the crew talent show - some of the crew had amazing singing voices and we had a very lively auction conducted by Chris to help out the crew fund.

 

Debarkation - While we were assigned in 4 groups, it doesn't really matter. Most of us are taking the same charter flight back. You do leave your check-ins out the night before, and Atlas handles them through to Buenos Aires where you pick them from the luggage carousel. Only negative was that our charter flight was around the same time as an Aerolinas Argentina flight so there was a bottleneck in the security line. 

 

Hope this gives you a flavor on what to expect. I won't spoil the experience for you with my favorite photos, but rest assured the scenery and wildlife you will encounter were amazing. But here is a link to some photos I took of the ship itself.

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjApBHs

 

[mesa2]

Thank you for taking all the time and effort to review and post pictures. Much appreciated.

[Love.II.Cruise]

Thank you so much for all this info!  

[larryfromtexas]

I was a guest speaker (pop music topics) on the Feb 14, 2022, voyage to Antarctica.  We had several weddings and vow renewals on this voyage that made it really special.  Thank you for your review and photos!  It all brought back some very special memories for me, including the Drake Shake!  A great ship and a great crew... and the other-worldly views of Antarctica!  I would look forward to sailing with Atlas again someday!

[Mrs f.]

On 1/30/2023 at 6:27 PM, vicd1969 said:

I was part of the ill-fated group of passengers who had their Atlas cruise cancelled at the last minute in January 2022. But I was able to rebook with Atlas still paying for airfare to this January 2023 sailing, with two extra days as a bonus. Still, I had a sense of dread that somehow my cruise wasn't going to happen, until the moment I got my room key this time. From that point on, it was a magical trip of of a lifetime. Would highly recommend Atlas for Antarctica. For more details, read below:

 

Embarkation - Surprisingly very easy, despite the late boarding time. We checked in at Terminal C at EZE and it was seamless from there to being onboard. After arriving at Ushuaia and getting luggage, we were bused directly to the ship. Atlas had agents guiding us at both airports. The actual ship check-in was in the ship lounge after boarding, where I presented my passport while sipping on a glass of sparkling wine. Very civilized.  The only hiccup for some would be that the charter flight is not exactly luxury and I was assigned the dead last row. But everyone had to wait for their luggage at the carousel, so being in the last row didn't matter. Then, the safety drill  - more involved than your typical cruise ship drill. They actually made you wear your life vest and assemble at the muster stations.

 

Drake Passage - Going to Antarctica, we had like 3-4 meter waves. The return had 4-6 meter waves on the first day but was a bit calmer on the second day. I didn't get seasick and even didn't take any medication, but the rest of my group did get hit with the Drake Shake. A couple of my friends were out almost the entire first two days. The helpful hint is to apply your patch and take your medicine before going to bed when you leave Ushuaia. Definitely got the feeling it was an expedition, not a cruise when your dishware and cutlery start sliding off the dining table, and when you see waves go over the deck 7 viewing platform. One expedition guide joked that getting seasick is just a tax payment from Poseidon to see the wonders of Antarctica.

 

Cabin - I originally was to room with two other friends but the Deluxe Balcony room turned out too tight for us three. The front desk offered me an additional room for only $300, which I gladly took. I guess they were able to do so because we only had 116 passengers onboard, so there were a few extra rooms. I ended up in a Horizon Deluxe one with plenty of closet space and the wonderful window that can be lowered - better than a balcony for Antarctic conditions in my opinion. However, the standard non-suite cabins didn't have as much storage space. I don't recommend  bringing more than one check-in luggage per person. The amenities were awesome - love the L'Occitane soaps and the bathroom was spacious. Shower was something to look forward to! Drinks were amply furnished and the huge glass water bottles were refilled each day. There was an Nespresso machine but I didn't use, since the coffee at Paula's Pantry was so good. TV had lots of movies and streamed the main auditorium, along with the bow and stern cameras. I also used it a lot to view the upcoming restaurant menus for lunch and dinner. Which brings me too...

 

Food - Atlas did a few things really well but had room for improvement with some areas in the food and beverage department. Given that one is on a small 10,000 ton ship, it's a bit unfair to compare the food to that on a big cruise ship. I liked the breakfast offerings, but the offerings tended to change little. The best part was the raw juice bar where you can custom order a freshly pressed juice. The lunch buffet dishes included one carving station and a freshly-made stir-fry/cooking station. They usually had good stuff going on there. Also there were two choices of soups each day. I don't think I had a bad lunch onboard, but I don't mind going the buffet route. Dinner was a sit-down affair except for the first night and for the Indian-themed night. The presentation was usually beautiful, but the fish dishes didn't live up to their looks (didn't taste fresh) and the desserts were often too sweet for me. Meat dishes were usually tasty, however. The theme nights that I enjoyed were the two Gala dinners, the French night, the Brazilian night, and the Arabian night. The Indian night was actually good but I understand some aren't into that type of cuisine. Of course, Atlas did save a bit by scheduling the first Gala dinner on the first night of Drake (half the passengers were too sick to eat) and on the last evening when quite a few were doing their own thing in Ushuaia (more on that later). Can't say enough good things about the Paula's Pantry and the afternoon teas at the Deck 7. I'm not a big alcohol drinker, but the ship house wines didn't wow me and the cocktails tended to be too sweet. But nothing worth rejecting.

 

Ship Crew - Super nice, on par with the excellent service I usually get on Holland America. While sometimes our dinner orders got mixed up, the restaurant staff were always willing to bring out additional menu items we would request. The various waiters also learned to serve our preferred lunch and dinner drinks. They also brought to the table our soups and juices during breakfast and lunch. Where they really stepped up was delivering to my seasick friends in the cabins whatever my friends or I asked, from plain bread and crackers or two bowls of soup to the lobster dinner of the gala night. Bar and Paula Pantry Staff were equally nice. With a small ship and since I had to run between cabins helping out my sick companions in the first few days, a lot of the cabin attendants got to know me and greeted me by name whenever I ran into them. My cabin attendant Agung was excellent without being intrusive. Atlas trained them very well.

 

Expedition Crew - Top-Notch. A few of them really made my trip a memorable one with their friendliness and expertise.  Their different backgrounds complemented each other and they seemed to genuinely love what they are doing. Fernando and Marco were great ambassadors with the passengers. Chris was a terrific presenter on the history of the Continent, really loved his presentation on Scott and Amundsen. Yes, he also gave a very thorough presentation on Shackleton as well. Laura was always approachable after we got to know her as our very first zodiac guide, and gave great presentations on whales. Our expedition leader Jonathan was not as outgoing, but he was a true professional who had safety as the top priority for the passengers. We had four amazing days in Antarctica thanks to his planning. Unfortunately, it was too windy to do a landing on the fifth day at the South Shetland Islands, though the expedition team gave an honest attempt at taking out the zodiacs to see if the wind conditions were acceptable. We ended up leaving a day early to avoid high winds and poor weather, which to me ended up as the right decision since the Drake return passage would have been a lot worse. Plus, we got a full sunny day in Ushuaia, where Atlas stepped up and arranged a bus tour of the Tierra Del Fuego National Park for us. One piece of warning about the expedition aspect - there was a mandatory in-person session on day 1 regarding safety and environmental rules. It was a struggle for some to attend because of their nausea so you may want to ask for extra seasick bags.

 

Activities - Our cruise director Nathalie was super friendly, and has a really wonderful voice. We had a real treat listening to her sing on two occasions. The piano player Paul played very well, but didn't have the vocal chops. But given that he also pulls mud room duty to help passengers suited up for the landings/zodiac cruises, he's an important member of the team as well. The presentations by the various expedition team members were all very informative, even though sometimes the energy in the room wasn't there because most were viewing via streaming instead of being in person. Everyone also got a nice tour of the bridge on the last day at sea. My favorite part of the trip activities was the crew talent show - some of the crew had amazing singing voices and we had a very lively auction conducted by Chris to help out the crew fund.

 

Debarkation - While we were assigned in 4 groups, it doesn't really matter. Most of us are taking the same charter flight back. You do leave your check-ins out the night before, and Atlas handles them through to Buenos Aires where you pick them from the luggage carousel. Only negative was that our charter flight was around the same time as an Aerolinas Argentina flight so there was a bottleneck in the security line. 

 

Hope this gives you a flavor on what to expect. I won't spoil the experience for you with my favorite photos, but rest assured the scenery and wildlife you will encounter were amazing. But here is a link to some photos I took of the ship itself.

 

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjApBHs

 

Try green apple for nausea.  On our recent Oceania cruise, that's what crew recommended and it helped me a lot.