LIVE from Antarctica on Seabourn Pursuit! - Jan 7-19, 2024

[DubLady]

Bilbobill

How is your cruise going. Would love to hear. Are you finding a need for poles?

[bilbobill]

1 hour ago, DubDublady said:

Bilbobill

How is your cruise going. Would love to hear. Are you finding a need for poles?

 

Sorry for the delay, they have been keeping us busy and we have been having such a good time I didn't want to sit down to the computer until now - we were the first group out today at 7:30am so I have some downtime now.  Here are a few things of note:

 

First the poles - funny you asked now because today was the first day we used them.  There was not a lot of snow the first two landing sites but as you can see from the photo below, today there was quite a bit and we had to hike up and down a hill.  While we could have done the hike without them, it was helpful to have them and gave us more confidence we wouldn't slip.  The only downside is they are another thing to take with you on the zodiac so we only take the ashore if it looks snowy or muddy when we arrive at the site.  The expedition team is a good source of advice here and of course it depends on your individual situation.  Also, there was another flatter hike at the site which you could take if you didn't want to go up.  They also provide some large walking sticks at every landing - I will try to remember to get a photo of those but they don't provide the grip of a real walking pole. 

[DubLady]

So glad to hear you are having a great time. Thank you for the info. Someone on here mentioned you could rent polls on the Venture but speaking to a rep this morning she said no.

One more question to answer when you get more down time…We got a pre cruise email and it advised bringing bug spray. Can’t imagine needing that ??

[bilbobill]

Second- The Expedition team is awesome!  They really try and maximize your experience during landings and Zodiac tours are full of information.  One thing to be aware of is that there are a lot of changes and cancellations depending on the weather and conditions.  If it is windy or too choppy they will cancel the kayaks and diving excursions.  Today they had to cancel some of the dives because  there was too much ice so you have to flexible on your expectations.  They will try and add additional sessions during the cruise and rebook you but it is not guaranteed.  Our kayaking trip was canceled yesterday but still waiting to be rebooked. They were canceled another day too.  My advice if you really want to kayak - book several before the cruise and you can always cancel one later.  Having said that we are having a great time on the landings and zodiac tours and feel we are getting the full experience.

 

On additional piece of advice here - make sure you bring good waterproof pants and they will fit over the boots provided here.  We got soaked on the Zodiac tour yesterday with some unexpected high winds and waves so really glad to have those.

[bilbobill]

Third - the crew is awesome.  I have seen some comments here and there about the service on these expedition vessels perhaps not being up to Seabourn standards.  This is my first Seabourn cruise so I really can't comment on that but for me they are awesome.  There are a lot of new crew on board I guess because this is a new ship but everyone has been so friendly and helpful and I haven't had any significant service issues.  

 

The ship is full but it doesn't feel crowded to me - we have always been able to get a table wherever we go and service is prompt.  I was surprised at the passenger to crew ratio being so good but here is what the captain told us on the first day:  Passengers 246 from 43 countries with US being the dominant country by far.  Crew 241 from 43 countries

 

 

[bilbobill]

17 minutes ago, DubDublady said:

Someone on here mentioned you could rent polls on the Venture but speaking to a rep this morning she said no.

One more question to answer when you get more down time…We got a pre cruise email and it advised bringing bug spray. Can’t imagine needing that ??

You can buy poles in the giftshop on board but not rent.  As for bug spray, I saw a lot of mosquitos in Buenos Aires so if you are going to spend time there it may be helpful although I saw some people selling "Off" wipes on the street so you could also get it once you arrive.

[DubLady]

This is all wonderful information and very much appreciated. Again so glad you are fully enjoying

[mbanks1220]

your trip sounds great so far.   Can you tell us if you are going to South Georgia Island?  

[bilbobill]

12 minutes ago, mbanks1220 said:

your trip sounds great so far.   Can you tell us if you are going to South Georgia Island?  

No, from what I understand that is a separate itinerary and we won’t be going there.  We did hear this evening that we will be going beyond the Antarctic Circle so we are excited about that.  This is apparently the first time this season that the Pursuit will be making it this far South 

[LadyZolt]

Hi!  I'm on the Serenade of the Seas (Royal Caribbean's "Ultimate World Cruise") and got these photos of the Pursuit in Paradise Bay, Antarctica, today...

 

[comparto]

Hi Bilbobill

Thank you for your posts, love the detail. We are booked on Seabourn Venture January 2025.

 

have you seen many penguins or other wildlife.

 

thanks

[bilbobill]

13 hours ago, comparto said:

Hi Bilbobill

Thank you for your posts, love the detail. We are booked on Seabourn Venture January 2025.

 

have you seen many penguins or other wildlife.

 

thanks

I have seen so many Penguins that I feel like they are my family now.  They walk right by you at almost every stop and you can spend as much time as you like watching them.  We have seen Penguin eggs, Penguin chicks and even Penguins feeding their young.  We have seen Seals and Whales and all sorts of interesting birds. You will see plenty, don’t worry!

[TUCHIK]

On 1/10/2024 at 4:26 PM, BasandSyb said:

We are on the same with you. Will see you “out and about”.

I think we were also both on the March '23 Sydney to Vancouver cruise, but never connected. You gave us some good info about Sydney hotels.

We'll have to make sure we connect this time!

[BasandSyb]

Tuchik
👍 we’ll be the ones in black, yellow jackets with Australian accents. Looking forward to it.

[bilbobill]

Well we have completed our 7 days of Expedition in Antarctica and are now on our way back to the Drake Passage and Ushuaia.  It was truly a fantastic experience and definitely exceeded our expectations.  I think 5 days of expedition is more typical for Seabourn but I liked having the extra two days as it allowed for more landings and exploration and also gave us a cushion in case there was bad weather.  We only really had one bad weather day though - glorious sunshine and calm seas almost the whole time.  Crew said it was the best weather they had seen in a long time.

 

I had planned on giving more detail on what we did here but as I mentioned earlier I really enjoyed being surprised and I don't want to ruin that for anyone else - and trust me there are some surprises that amazed me.  A couple of observations:

 

I probably packed too much but it is difficult to know what the weather will be.  Plenty of storage space so I would rather be overprepared.  Plus the self laundry was pretty busy and who wants to do laundry anyway on vacation.

 

Walking sticks were very helpful on 2 of the hikes, the rest of the time we didn't need them.  If you are pretty mobile, you could go without them.

 

We only brought 2 pairs of thermals and that was enough.  

 

I didn't bring a sportscoat and didn't see many wearing them. I found slacks and a sweater to be the best.  I brought some dress shirts but I found it a little cold even inside the ship without a jacket so I recommend nice sweaters or go ahead and bring the jacket.  My wife also wore mostly pants and a sweater although we did see ladies dressed elegantly at times.

 

I would bring some cold medicines and supplies in case you get sick.  There is not much available on board without seeing the doctor.  My wife got a cold about half way and having Nyquil was priceless.  Most guests are coming from Europe and North America winters so viruses travel with them.  Some of the crew got sick as well

 

I only brought my iphone for photos but wish I would have brought my camera with a good telephoto lens.  There are so may great photo opportunities and the telephoto lens also helps you see.  There is a lot of telephoto envy on board - I have never seen so many giant lenses.

 

There is one set of binoculars in your cabin and they are very nice - we ended up just sharing so we didn't have to carry the other set around with us.

 

I found the wine and alcohol included on board to be good - the one bottle I purchased wasn't that great so I just stuck with the free stuff after that.

 

Staff and service was great - I was impressed with Seabourn and will look to cruise with them again.

 

Any other questions please let me know, have a couple more days on board before we get home.

[Katsings01]

Great report.  Could you comment on how many landings you were able to make on expedition days? Some of the "experts" suggest smaller ships because they supposedly make more landings than those with over 200 passengers (I think you said you sailed with about 240 ish?). Thanks. 

[bilbobill]

We had 7 expedition days on our cruise.  A typical day was a landing in the morning and a zodiac cruise in the afternoon. There were a couple of days where we deviated from this and just did a zodiac cruise and then another activity like whale watching from the ship but most days we did both.  I felt like this was plenty and the benefit of the “larger” ship was the level of luxury and amenities we enjoyed.  If you are the super adventurous type perhaps a smaller boat would provide more activities but I felt it was a great balance on the Pursuit.  We also had several lectures every day so I felt plenty busy with things to do. 

[dmc719]

Thanks Bill for your terrific reporting.  Seems like the parka they supply is enough.  Would there be a benefit to bringing an extra ski jacket?

[bilbobill]

Yes the parka with the inner lining they provide was plenty for us when doing the landings or Zodiac tours.. I brought a nice fleece jacket for when I am on the ship and my wife brought a light weight jacket as well.  They have proven very useful for when we are out on deck or even inside some times when we have felt a bit chilly.  

[dmc719]

Thanks for the quick reply!  Just one last curiosity, before heading to Antarctica, do you know if there are any local shops to pick up souvenirs/gifts within walking distance of the ship in Ushuaia?  Would just need an hour or so.   

[bilbobill]

Yes there are shops in Ushuaia and in walking distance from the ship. Several people did that on departure day. Also, we are expecting to arrive in Ushuaia Thursday afternoon instead of Friday morning to avoid some weather in the Drake and they said we could do some shopping then and come back to the ship afterwards to spend the night before leaving back to BA Friday morning.  
 

[DubLady]

Thank you for all you great information and advice. You have helped greatly with some of my packing decisions

[Redking]

Adding my thanks for your taking the time to do this review. Curious and apologies if you've already covered this, was guest capacity on your cruise limited to 200? Seems to be the norm in the Antarctic.

[bilbobill]

Wr had 246 passengers on board and all the rooms were filled (there were some singles). The crew told us that any ship under 500 can disembark on Antarctica but only 100 people at a time. This is why I think most cruise companies limit the size - too complicated to get 5 separate groups out of 100.  I think the 250 level is a good one because it allows for economies of scale for the non expedition part of the cruise (dining, spa, entertainment) but still allowed us to do 2 expeditions a day given we were under 300.  

[jmm]

So Much great information bilbobill!!  We just received the rental Waterproof HH pants in the mail, what do people typically wear under these?  I was thinking Sweats and long underwear (I don’t think long underwear would be enough).  Also jeans would be too bulky.  Thanks so much!!