Review of Antarctic 11 night

[northwoods2]

Atlas Ocean Voyages

World Navigator 

11 Night Crossing the Antarctic Circle

Dec 8-19, 2023

 

What a truly awesome adventure!  I wanted to do a review as I found limited information prior to our cruise.  This is quite long.

 

We arrived in BA two days prior to the cruise so we could see a bit of BA.  I won’t go into the details but this is what we did.

 

Fogon Asado - outstanding experience.  A must do if you like food experiences. Tons of food!

Full day tour with  Iconic Buenos Aires - great informative tour. Highly recommend this tour.

Dinner at Desnivel

La Ventana Tango Show - good show

 

It was a short night after the tango show - shuttles to the airport start leaving at 4:30 am.  You are preassigned a shuttle time so just stop by the AOV desk in the hotel the day before.  You are required to put out your checked luggage the night before by 8:00 pm.  These will go directly on the plane. We flew on Fly Bondi.  No issues with luggage/carry on. There is no checking of weight.  You won’t see your checked bag until you pick it up in Ushuaia.  You then leave you check bag and any carryon you don’t want on the bus tour with the AOV people - it is delivered to your cabin.

 

You then get on a bus to go to Tierra Del Fuego.  The tour goes from 11-3 approximately.   They give you a box lunch on the bus.  The tour makes 4-5 stops in the park where you can get out and take pictures and walk a short bit.  Each stop was  15-30 minutes.  One stop had restrooms, a cafeteria and small gift shop.  I wish we could have had time to do a longer hike. The park is beautiful.   At least one couple opted out of the bus tour and instead took a taxi to town and explored on their own.  Unfortunately for them it was a government holiday so shops were mostly closed. 

 

The Ship

Check in is relaxing and simple. They bring you into the ship lounge and give you champagne and they bring your keys and any paper work.  Then they escort you to your room where your luggage is waiting for you.  It is a beautiful ship with winding hallways. We have one of the rooms with the drop down window instead of the balcony.  Which on this type of cold weather cruise is the perfect choice.  I spent many hours in one of the two chairs (there is a couch too) with my feet up on a stool watching the beautiful scenery go by.  So many icebergs!  The bath room is much nicer than other cruise ships.  I would say storage is worse (less) than we have had on other ships.  But we over packed. More on that later. 

 

Daily routine

Each morning we would hear the announcement by Jonathon ‘Good Morning, Good morning.  Our current position is …….   Today we will be arriving at .… around 8/9 am.  We will be offering a (zodiac ride / landing / kayak/ padding)’.  They alway announce the night before at the recap/briefing what the plan is for the next day, but weather conditions sometimes change this so it is nice to have the announcements.  Each day not in the Drake passage we typically had 2 excursions.  One zodiac and one zodiac/landing.  We had one day south of the polar circle where there was too much ice and we were not able to do an excursion.  It was snowing a lot but the winds were calm so they decided to have the polar plunge.  I highly recommend doing this.  Yes it is cold!!  But you are in and out quickly and then just standing inside the ship you feel perfectly warm again.   Between excursions and during the Drake crossing the Excursion team offers great lectures on all things Antarctica related.  The team they have assembled have so much knowledge and experience!  

They take safety seriously here.  You will be handed into/out of the zodiacs by at least 3 people.  Some of the hikes can be strenuous in deep snow if you step off the trodden down path in the snow.  But there were always short hike options.  Zodiac cruise drivers are outstanding in positioning the zodiac so everyone gets a chance for good photos.  We had one day that the call came out that whales had been spotted so our driver headed in that direction.  He cut the engine and we floated there as the whales were bubble feeding all around us.

Clothing for excursions - the parkas are VERY warm. Best to wear just a base layer top and the jacket. And if it is a warm sunny day remove the vest from the jacket. And if you are hiking know that the jacket can be taken off and has straps so you can carry it like a backpack - which was very helpful one day. As for bottoms - a base layer and waterproof pants is all that is needed.  I recommend getting a pair of thin gloves with removable finger tips (mine had pointer and thumb that could be flipped back).  These can be worn under thicker waterproof mittens. Most times I only used the thin gloves.  But if the seas are rough it is nice to have the warmer waterproof mittens. Also have a hat and neck gator or face mask. We only used these once.  One pair of warm socks was all we needed.   Boots were surprisingly comfortable - and my feet are sensitive 

 

Other additional charge activities

Kayaking - we were on the waitlist pre cruise but decided not to do it.  At the briefing they stressed that if you are kayaking you will miss the other zodiac/landing excursion that is offered.  You can’t do both and you don’t get to choose which days you want to kayak.  They put you in kayak groups and 1 or 2 groups go out each day that kayaking is feasible.  

Paddling - works the same as kayaking but you will only do it once per cruise 

Camping - we had planned to do this but after watching the briefing we decided not to.  Reasons - this is camping without a tent, dig a hole and lay your sleeping bag in it.  No bathroom.  We both had colds and were already having a hard time sleeping and decided it wasn’t worth the $750 / person.  Those that did it seemed to have a good experience but most said they wouldn’t do it again.  Our cruise was able to offer two nights of camping for 20 people each time.   Both nights it snowed on the campers.  No one got much sleep.

 

 

Meals

Breakfast from 8-10 normally sometimes from 7-9 if we need to get out on the zodiacs earlier.  Buffet with lots of fruit, fresh baked breads, yogurts, hot breakfast items and you can order from your table eggs, omelets, pancakes, waffles.  Drinks are ordered from your table too.

Lunch from 12-2 normally. Buffet as well as a live cooking station serving pasta or stir fry, and there is a chef carving some type of meat - chicken, suckling pig, etc.   great homemade ice cream always available.

Dinner 7:30-9:30 sit down order from the menu.  Choice of 5-6 rotating entrees, plus the always available steak, salmon, chicken, and pasta options. They always had 4 starters, a couple soups and a couple salads.  In addition they had some always available sides - broccoli, mashed potatoes, fries, truffle fries, truffle Mac n Cheese.  I highly recommend the two truffle items if you like truffles.   And if you like to have potatoes with your meal I suggest you order one of these sides as the amount of potatoes that are served with the entree seems to only be decorative. And amounts to about 1 Tablespoon.  Food was very good.  Wait staff was mostly delightful.  One of the waiters knew our names after just a couple times in her area. If you find someone you like, continue to choose a table in that section.  Wait staff don’t change sections.  And you get to choose where you want to sit.  Most tables are set up for 2.  But can be pushed together for a larger table.  They have one huge table for about 12.

 

Onboard entertainment and dress

Of course it is a small ship so entertainment is limited.   There are the excursion team lectures during the day.  In the evening there was either piano music or our cruise director was a trained opera singer so he offered some different music genre nights.  The staff also put on a talent show.  There are 3 large public areas - the Atlas lounge (with bar) on deck 4, theater on deck 4 right in front of it, and up on deck 7 the Dome. With bar.  All were used.  One nice thing was if you want to hear one of the lectures but didn’t want to attend in person (sea sick or other) you could tune in on the TV in your room.

Dress code - well there is none.  And we over packed.  Most people wore to dinner whatever they had on while relaxing on the ship during the day.  This means you will not feel out of place wearing sweats or shorts to the dining room. I would say less than 10 percent of the people wore anything nicer - like casual resort clothes.

 

I may add pictures when we are back home with good WI-FI.  We managed to go the whole cruise with our allotted 1G of data.

[JER/MPR]

Thank you for taking the time to write this great review! 🤩

[Michael_A]

Indeed, a big THANK YOU for posting this up. Your review answered many questions I had that I could not get clear answers to in trying to communicate with AOV. It is encouraging they seem to have major aspects of their act together, and quite well, but it's a shame they can't seem to share them as concisely as you have in your review.

[GICNJC]

Well done.  Learned more about out upcoming Jan 15, 2024 cruise then found out on this board for the last 16 months of planning.  Thanks especially for the clothing comments (as partner loves to overpack) and to leave the suitcases and not take them on the tour.

[legalduck]

Can you provide more information on the wifi situation? Specifically interested in what packages are offered (is there an unlimited package? How much?) I've been trying to find *anything* about how their internet packages work, but Atlas won't reply to any of my social media inquiries (a bit of a red flag if you ask me...), and nobody has seemingly commented on how it works after their partnership with Starlink. Thanks!

[legalduck]

On 12/19/2023 at 12:38 PM, Michael_A said:

Indeed, a big THANK YOU for posting this up. Your review answered many questions I had that I could not get clear answers to in trying to communicate with AOV. It is encouraging they seem to have major aspects of their act together, and quite well, but it's a shame they can't seem to share them as concisely as you have in your review.

I couldn't agree more. I've been interested in AOV for a year now after seeing last year's BOGO Antarctic fares. But when I called the number on their site I could not even reach an AOV rep, but instead, some travel agency they'd contracted with. And when trying to reach out to them on social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) it's radio silence. Even if they could ultimately address my inquiries to my satisfaction, their lack of communication is extremely concerning to me, particularly given the remoteness of the voyage I'm interested in.

[northwoods2]

9 hours ago, legalduck said:

Can you provide more information on the wifi situation? Specifically interested in what packages are offered (is there an unlimited package? How much?) I've been trying to find *anything* about how their internet packages work, but Atlas won't reply to any of my social media inquiries (a bit of a red flag if you ask me...), and nobody has seemingly commented on how it works after their partnership with Starlink. Thanks!

Each person is given 1GB of data.  Even though precruise info said it would only be 500MB. My husband and I did not even use all of our data but we made sure not to waste any.  Make sure you put the Wi-Fi on low data mode.  We both used our iPads not laptops.  We got our mail, daily puzzles we like to do, and checked Facebook and then turned off the Wi-Fi.  I was able to upload photos and video to Facebook 4 times and my husband had a daily blog that he uploaded with pictures. Friends we were traveling with had more issues - didn’t know to turn off the Wi-Fi between uses. Then didn’t have low data mode and her photos were trying to upload to google.  Reception was very nice and gave them each an extra 1G after the first mistake of not turning off the Wi-Fi.   I think it was $45 for an extra 500MB or $80 for 1G.  I don’t think there was any option for unlimited. Speed was decent considering where you are.  Uploads would take a minute or two.

[northwoods2]

9 hours ago, legalduck said:

I couldn't agree more. I've been interested in AOV for a year now after seeing last year's BOGO Antarctic fares. But when I called the number on their site I could not even reach an AOV rep, but instead, some travel agency they'd contracted with. And when trying to reach out to them on social media (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) it's radio silence. Even if they could ultimately address my inquiries to my satisfaction, their lack of communication is extremely concerning to me, particularly given the remoteness of the voyage I'm interested in.

We wouldn’t hesitate to book with AOV again!  The staff were wonderful and truly seemed to enjoy what they do.  The excursion staff were top notch!  We booked thru a bigger online travel agency and we’re assigned an agent who handles most if not all of their AOV. He was very responsive to our questions and requests. And we will be getting 10% back from them in form of a check.  All communication went thru him.  We met a couple of women who were traveling alone whose travel agent put them in contact prior to see if they would be interested in sharing a cabin so they could take advantage of the BOGO.  They made contact and decided to share.  They hit it off and had a great cruise.

[northwoods2]

One thing I forgot to mention that if you are arriving in BA more than the 1 night prior to the shuttle you can book additional nights at the Hilton through AOV at a much lower rate than booking independently.  And you won’t need to change rooms.   We just had our agent add 1 night for us.

[Michael_A]

AOV is indeed a "real" company. Reports back from people who have been on their cruises have all been very, very positive. I think their biggest problem is pre-cruise communication, or the lack thereof. Indeed, it is approaching legendary status; though they do seem to deliver a good product in the end the "radio silence" periods do not inspire a lot of confidence. From reading other reviews, the wi-fi is pretty slow, and expensive. This really isn't unique to them. It's the nature of being in Antarctica. Some have mentioned to be prepared for essentially a data blackout for the duration of the trip, others have blown hundreds, if not way more, trying to stay connected. I guess it all depends on individual priorities and how much one is willing to spend.

[shuyak]

Add to the review @northwoods2 made, our cruise managed 5-landing, 4-cruising, 4 groups of sea kayaking, 4 groups of paddling, 2 groups of camping, and crossed antarctic circle!

 

We had twice closely-encoutered with humpback whales, once one right in front of our zodiac, and once 3 bubble net feeding around then under our zodiac.  Also saw large pod of orcas!

 

We just arrived home yesterday afternoon.  Are still busy unpacking and exchanging photos with fellow cruisers.  To our surprise, the link to the daily, team bio, map, photos, etc. arrives this afternoon - merely 2 days after debarkation!

 

Every day, we thought nothing can top what we experienced.  Guess what?  We were saying the same thing the next day, then the next day...

 

Great team/crew, great cruise mates, great weather, great luck!

 

Enjoy your upcoming cruises!

 

 

[Database]

Thank you so much!  Your report was informative and much appreciated.

 

We opted to do AOV's pre-cruise tour before our cruise that departs January 4th.  We booked this cruise through our own travel agent and have had great communication with AOV directly regarding some pre-cruise questions. 

 

We were told that there will be an AOV agent waiting for us outside customs to pick up on the first day for the pre-tour. It feels like everything will fall into place. We indicated that one of us has a food allergy and requires a gluten free diet.  We are very hopeful that will all fall into place as well, but will be packing GF snack items just incase.

 

Thanks again!

[ridethetide]

12 minutes ago, Database said:

Thank you so much!  Your report was informative and much appreciated.

 

We opted to do AOV's pre-cruise tour before our cruise that departs January 4th.  We booked this cruise through our own travel agent and have had great communication with AOV directly regarding some pre-cruise questions. 

 

We were told that there will be an AOV agent waiting for us outside customs to pick up on the first day for the pre-tour. It feels like everything will fall into place. We indicated that one of us has a food allergy and requires a gluten free diet.  We are very hopeful that will all fall into place as well, but will be packing GF snack items just incase.

 

Thanks again!

I will be on the Traveller departing on January 4th as well. Look forward to meeting you onboard. 

[Database]

Looking forward to meeting you as well!  

[northwoods2]

4 hours ago, Database said:

Thank you so much!  Your report was informative and much appreciated.

 

We opted to do AOV's pre-cruise tour before our cruise that departs January 4th.  We booked this cruise through our own travel agent and have had great communication with AOV directly regarding some pre-cruise questions. 

 

We were told that there will be an AOV agent waiting for us outside customs to pick up on the first day for the pre-tour. It feels like everything will fall into place. We indicated that one of us has a food allergy and requires a gluten free diet.  We are very hopeful that will all fall into place as well, but will be packing GF snack items just incase.

 

Thanks again!

We had a Galley tour and they told us that they make all their own bread except they buy gluten free from Argentina since they don’t have the space to make sure it doesn’t cross contaminate. But their station for bread is separate from other areas so I think they take it seriously. 

[shuyak]

Sharing some photos and videos.  All future cruisers, have a great trip!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice breaker for Ukrain Research Center annual supply. 

 

Penguins 

 

 

A humpback heading to our zodiac

 

A pod of orcas near the ship

 

3 humpback 🐋 bubble net feeding around then under our zodiac - thought it might flip.  Video is taken by a near by zodiac.

 

The bubbles we see in the zodiac as approaching.  The light shadow under the bubbles is the 🐋. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[northwoods2]

shuyak 

Can you send me your video of the Orcas.  Mine didn't turn out very good.

[shuyak]

2 hours ago, northwoods2 said:

shuyak 

Can you send me your video of the Orcas.  Mine didn't turn out very good.

 

@northwoods2, Can you download from above?  - When I press/hold the video, it pops up with the option to download.

 

If not, how to send it to you?

 

Remember the entire restaurant became deserted when we all rushed to deck after the announcement?  Everyone came back with big 😀. 

[northwoods2]

Got it.  Thanks

 

[Cruisewilm]

Thanks for all the info - very helpful - we leave in a few days.  One question I still have:  allowance on the Fly Bondi flight to/from Ushuaia is one carry-on.  Are we also allowed a personal item?  I usually take a backpack with various items that I like to keep nearby:  an extra sweater, iPad, headphones, magazines, snacks, etc.  Were you allowed a personal item in addition to the carry-on and if so, any size limit noted?

[northwoods2]

9 hours ago, Cruisewilm said:

Thanks for all the info - very helpful - we leave in a few days.  One question I still have:  allowance on the Fly Bondi flight to/from Ushuaia is one carry-on.  Are we also allowed a personal item?  I usually take a backpack with various items that I like to keep nearby:  an extra sweater, iPad, headphones, magazines, snacks, etc.  Were you allowed a personal item in addition to the carry-on and if so, any size limit noted?

Yes one carry on and one personal that fits on the floor

[Cruisewilm]

And yet another question: I read that some people bring hiking boots. Are they really necessary (takes up a lot of packing space) or will good running/walking shoes suffice?

[shuyak]

16 hours ago, Cruisewilm said:

And yet another question: I read that some people bring hiking boots. Are they really necessary (takes up a lot of packing space) or will good running/walking shoes suffice?

 

Not the OP.  The only time we used hiking boots was when it was snowing that the deck was slippery with snow/slush/water (melted snow).  If you want to walk for a bit in that condition, boot is recommended.  You can get by with sneakers if just pop out/pop back in.

 

[Bigdogwon]

I wore my sneakers around the ship, sprayed them with water repellent before leaving home, worked very well, on Zodiac landing the provided boots.

[got2gocruzn]

On 12/21/2023 at 7:40 AM, northwoods2 said:

  I was able to upload photos and video to Facebook 4 times and my husband had a daily blog that he uploaded with pictures. 

Could you provide a link to your husband's blog?

thank you 

Colleen