Antarctica questions

[cruisemom42]

I don't get all this talk of "bragging rights" or "getting" all seven continents. Surely the point of travel isn't to be able to brag to others about where one has been or to tick off places on the map, but rather to visit places one has a real desire to see and to learn more about?

 

Antarctica doesn't appeal to everyone. I have a really hard time getting excited about nature and natural beauty. I have booked and canceled cruises there several times (to be fair the last time was due to Covid). I prefer to visit places where civilization has been around a long time, where I can see some of the crowning achievements of history, art, etc.  Candidly, Antarctica is just not important enough to me to spend the cost of doing it via an expedition ship, especially as a solo, as it would eat up my entire travel budget for the year. 

 

Perhaps I will get to the point where the experience of sailing round the horn, and seeing some additional parts of South America, and possibly including a visit to Macchu Pichu (which has all the hallmarks of the sort of place I love) will make sense and I will re-book one of those "drive by" cruises. But if so, it will be because I've decided it is really worth it to me, not because someone else says "you must go there!" or because I can tell others I've been...

 

 

[Red Haired Lady]

1 hour ago, cruisemom42 said:

I don't get all this talk of "bragging rights" or "getting" all seven continents. Surely the point of travel isn't to be able to brag to others about where one has been or to tick off places on the map, but rather to visit places one has a real desire to see and to learn more about?

 

Antarctica doesn't appeal to everyone. I have a really hard time getting excited about nature and natural beauty. I have booked and canceled cruises there several times (to be fair the last time was due to Covid). I prefer to visit places where civilization has been around a long time, where I can see some of the crowning achievements of history, art, etc.  Candidly, Antarctica is just not important enough to me to spend the cost of doing it via an expedition ship, especially as a solo, as it would eat up my entire travel budget for the year. 

 

Perhaps I will get to the point where the experience of sailing round the horn, and seeing some additional parts of South America, and possibly including a visit to Macchu Pichu (which has all the hallmarks of the sort of place I love) will make sense and I will re-book one of those "drive by" cruises. But if so, it will be because I've decided it is really worth it to me, not because someone else says "you must go there!" or because I can tell others I've been...

 

 

I agree 100%....you sound just like me! Hope to meet you someday. 

 

Someday I want to do a "driveby."  I will spend my travel dollars elsewhere. Not doing a cruise that lands on Antactica with zodiacs. The cost of this for a solo is something many people don't reallize.  

Edited May 22, 2023 by Red Haired Lady

[alyssamma]

4 hours ago, Gallivanter'sGal said:

I say to each their own!  For us, the zodiac rides and walking among the penguins, seals, etc was amazing.  Once we were in the zodiac and a leopard seal popped his head out of the water a mere inches from the side of the boat and just stayed there for several minutes observing us...he was so close we could have reached over and touched him (but we wanted to keep our body parts intact so didn't of course).  We were so close to the penguins that we were able to see their eggs/babies and watch them fend off the attacks from the predator birds wanting to steal the eggs/chicks.  We observed cool standoffs on the "penguin highways" that could not be seen from a ship or in a zoo.  We stopped at two research stations and were able to speak with the soldiers assigned there to learn about living in the isolation of these Antarctica stations.  Was the cruising scenery spectacular?  Yes it was.  Was it amazing to be up close and personal with the wildlife and terrain? Yes it was.  Would I do it again?  Yes I would.

Thank you for providing specifics...this REALLY helps me make my decision 

[OlsSalt]

DRIVE-BYS OFFER IN-DEPTH OF EXPERIENCES TOO: One gets the full walking with the penguins experience, thousands of them, on the Falkland Islands,  Watching all their daily activities at all age levels, as well as nesting penguins over their eggs very much in the wilds and all their interactions, since this port typically included in the drive-by Antarctica cruises. One gets the full sight, sound and smells that come with visiting these very large penguin colonies.

 

Truly amazing, no question about that, but whether one has this same experience on the Falklands or in Antarctica itself is simply differences of latitude in these remote outposts, plus getting the Falklands Island experience itself.

 

We also had many crew members from the US Palmer station come on board for a few days, and got to talk with them personally as well as have a formal Q&A panel discussion with them at the main stage.

 

We even got a daily new penguin joke, from one of the many onboard enrichment speakers who were excellent.   One wonders if there are only a few penguin jokes shared among all the various Antarctic cruises of all types, or did this guy on the 2020 Zaandam drive-by have a unique corner on them.

[CurlerRob]

On 5/21/2023 at 5:44 PM, BSinPNS said:

... expedition ships like the Viking Octanus which was involved in the incident in the Drake Passage mentioned by Hank.  

 

Just for clarity, the Viking incident involved the Polaris, not her sister ship the Octantis. 🍺🥌

[AncientWanderer]

A few years ago, someone who had done both an expedition ship and a "drive-by" in Antarctica mentioned that each had pros and cons.  Mention was made that on the expedition ships, they need to stay around the same place for a long time to allow each passenger the opportunity to do the landing part.  Apparently that's time-consuming.  The drive-by ships have more freedom to move about to see different areas.  The person posting enjoyed both types of Antarctic experience.

 

That post always stuck in my mind, as rarely do we see posts mention that the drive-by can be better in some way.

 

[Turtles06]

On 5/21/2023 at 6:00 PM, alyssamma said:

I haven't heard any specifics of why an expedition is better than a drive by...other than seeing penguins which you can see elsewhere.

 

I'm not intending to rank travel types here, just pointing out some differences.  Thanks to the generosity of my beloved aunt, my wife and I were privileged to have been able to take an expedition cruise to Antarctica.  It's a mistake to say this is (just) about "seeing penguins."  It is so much more than that.  Among other things, the ice in Antarctica is a living, breathing thing. One probably can't fully appreciate this until you are at water level in a small zodiac, coming up to a berg, or gliding slowly around one.

 

 

 

And it's also about being up close and personal not just with penguins, but also with whales and seals.  For example, pulling up in a zodiac to an ice floe with a leopard seal staring you right in the face.  Or having a minke whale swim right by or under your zodiac. It's extraordinary.

 

 

 

 

I think some people may think zodiacs are used just to get people ashore and back, but that's not the case.  Zodiac cruising was a significant and thrilling part of our trip, and it was in many respects as interesting and as fascinating as actually walking on the continent.

 

None of this is to say that folks shouldn't take a drive-by cruise to Antarctica.  It sounds like a wonderful and very rewarding experience.  I just want to note that it's not the same experience as an expedition.  

 

If anyone is interested, my detailed account of our expedition cruise, with lots of photos and preparation tips, is here:

 

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

 

One of my favorite photos I've ever taken:

 

 

[teacherman]

We did the Zaandam in January, 2020.  I looked at the entire cruise, not just the Antartic portion.  We were able to spend a few days in Santiago/Valparaiso area prior to the cruise, visiting wineries and seeing other sites.  Then the cruise, which stopped at several places, gave us the opportunity to do some unique shore excursions.  Then, the rounding of Cape Horn, a unique experience in itself.  The crossing of the Drake Passage was something that had been long anticipated, and we had calm waters both over and back.

 

The beauty of the Antarctic ice is something to behold.  Sitting in calm waters and eating a nice breakfast, while looking at several whales also dining right next to the ship is a great memory.  Getting up early to stand on the deck with a naturalist and listen to her talks as she pointed out various sea birds was something I had never even imagined I would do.

 

The Falklands, with its history and penguin colonies was another highlight and something unique.  Sometimes ships cannot stop there, but it worked out for us on this cruise.

 

Finally, a few days visiting the beautiful city of Buenos Aires and a 2 night trip, on our own, to Iguazu Falls, one of the most beautiful places we have visited.  This was the "cherry on the cake" of the entire trip.

 

To us, the cruise is only part of the voyage, and it offers so many other opportunities to have unique experiences.  As a former history/science teacher, I was finally able to actually see so many things I had long taught about to my students.  But that's just me.  To each their own.  Whatever you decide to do, best wishes for an amazing experience

[alyssamma]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I'm not intending to rank travel types here, just pointing out some differences.  Thanks to the generosity of my beloved aunt, my wife and I were privileged to have been able to take an expedition cruise to Antarctica.  It's a mistake to say this is (just) about "seeing penguins."  It is so much more than that.  Among other things, the ice in Antarctica is a living, breathing thing. One probably can't fully appreciate this until you are at water level in a small zodiac, coming up to a berg, or gliding slowly around one.

 

 

 

And it's also about being up close and personal not just with penguins, but also with whales and seals.  For example, pulling up in a zodiac to an ice floe with a leopard seal staring you right in the face.  Or having a minke whale swim right by or under your zodiac. It's extraordinary.

 

 

 

 

I think some people may think zodiacs are used just to get people ashore and back, but that's not the case.  Zodiac cruising was a significant and thrilling part of our trip, and it was in many respects as interesting and as fascinating as actually walking on the continent.

 

None of this is to say that folks shouldn't take a drive-by cruise to Antarctica.  It sounds like a wonderful and very rewarding experience.  I just want to note that it's not the same experience as an expedition.  

 

If anyone is interested, my detailed account of our expedition cruise, with lots of photos and preparation tips, is here:

 

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/

 

One of my favorite photos I've ever taken:

 

 

Thank you SO much for this detailed answer. It really helps me understand the actual differences.

 

Lol, the whale swimming under the zodiac might make my wife not want to go though 😀