Live From the Sapphire, 30-Day Antarctica/SA B2B, Jan 20 - Feb 19

[lots-of-km2]

3 hours ago, hpeabody said:

I have currently being shipped to me a Lands' End Hooded Down Wanderweight Ultralight Packable Jacket.  I am hoping this is a wise choice to hopefully keep me from freezing.  What are people doing to keep warm?

 

Have been fortunate to do this route twice, in Dec 2022 and Dec 2023, so I've been able to test out my packing choices twice.   The trick is to have enough stuff to feel comfortable outside at all times, but without taking up a lot of volume or weight in the suitcase.

 

An ultralight packable down jacket is a great choice. If you have a waterproof windbreaker that you can layer over it when it's windy or wet or extra chilly (and split up for use in milder weather further north), even better.  A lightweight polar fleece tuque that covers the ears and a pair of lightweight polar fleece gloves or mitts are also good to pack.   If you're planning on spending extended periods of time on deck or on a balcony, lightweight thermal base layers help.  They don't take up much packing room, and can be combined with your regular wardrobe to add warmth.   And a couple of pairs of thermal socks are helpful too.

 

For people who don't want to pack down jackets, Princess Shops onboard does sell an ultralight down jacket that stuffs into its own travel pillow. They're reasonably priced, and friends who bought them seem satisfied with them.

Edited January 30 by lots-of-km2

[Mary loves to travel]

2 hours ago, lots-of-km2 said:

 

Have been fortunate to do this route twice, in Dec 2022 and Dec 2023, so I've been able to test out my packing choices twice.   The trick is to have enough stuff to feel comfortable outside at all times, but without taking up a lot of volume or weight in the suitcase.

 

An ultralight packable down jacket is a great choice. If you have a waterproof windbreaker that you can layer over it when it's windy or wet or extra chilly (and split up for use in milder weather further north), even better.  A lightweight polar fleece tuque that covers the ears and a pair of lightweight polar fleece gloves or mitts are also good to pack.   If you're planning on spending extended periods of time on deck or on a balcony, lightweight thermal base layers help.  They don't take up much packing room, and can be combined with your regular wardrobe to add warmth.   And a couple of pairs of thermal socks are helpful too.

 

For people who don't want to pack down jackets, Princess Shops onboard does sell an ultralight down jacket that stuffs into its own travel pillow. They're reasonably priced, and friends who bought them seem satisfied with them.

I agree with all of this, and would also suggest rain pants - great at blocking the wind and keeping your legs warmer.   
 

Don’t forget a knit hat and scarf.    We like to be up on the top deck sometimes, as viewing is great from the top of the bridge, or just to get a different perspective from the opposite side of the ship on Deck 15.   We also enjoyed strolling around the Promenade- it can get cold and windy even there on a moving ship.  
 

Our midship port balcony was wonderful for viewing Glacier Alley; we could step back into the cabin as needed.    We have a mini with a completely uncovered balcony - the benefit here is a totally unobstructed view from inside the cabin.   
 

We’ve also found Hot Hands to be helpful when up on deck.   The big issue for us was taking a glove off and on to use the iPhone camera.    Our hands can’t re-warm enough after a few “off and ons” of the gloves.    We ended up putting the Hot Hands packets in our pockets, would just quickly rewarm our hands.   Works great 😊 

 

Mary

[Ken the cruiser]

Thank you @lots-of-km2 and @Mary loves to travel for providing such great advice to @hpeabody! 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

This morning we woke up to another pretty day as we slowly head towards Deception Island.

 

 

 

 

 
As far as making it to Deception Island between 11 am and Noon today, it will be interesting to see if we can make it there on time at 10 mph! Hopefully the Captain is allowed to increase speed in open waters. We also left Port Lockroy an hour later, around 9:30 pm last night, which probably didn’t help.
 

For example, here is where we were at 8:11 am. Notice the position of the island on the port side of the ship.

 

  
Here’s where we were at 9:56 am. Notice how short of distance we have moved compared to how far we are from Deception Island. Like I said, hopefully the Captain is allowed to pick up speed! 😁

 

 
As you can tell, there’s not much going on to keep us busy around the ship other than to hang around in the cabin looking for the next iceberg or flock of sea birds flying around the back of the ship to take a picture of! 😂

 

Edited January 30 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

I just took another CM reading, but turned my iPad horizontal, to get a more detailed review of the ship’s speed and surrounding weather. It appears we are now cruising at almost 17 mph (or 28km/h)!
 

Supposedly, there are 4 different types of penguin colonies at Deception Island. Hopefully we’ll be able to get close enough to see them. 🤞

 

I also just noticed our new ETA, according to CM, is 3 pm. That should give us plenty of time for lunch and maybe even go to an early afternoon lecture, before arriving at the island. 😉
 


Looking ahead to tomorrow about this time when we’re crossing Drakes Passage, the forecast seems to be projecting a little more of a bumpy ride than we had on the way over about 4 days ago! 😱
 

 

 

Edited January 30 by Ken the cruiser

[hpeabody]

11 hours ago, tillys mom said:

Hi Holly! I just ordered a Land’s End Expedition Winter Down Parka that I hope will keep me warm. 

Hi there!  How are you doing?  Are you going on an Antarctica cruise?  I am going in December and already getting excited.

[hpeabody]

Thank you

2 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thank you @lots-of-km2 and @Mary loves to travel for providing such great advice.

 

Thank you so much.

[azbirdmom]

Have you seen penguins porpoising through the water?  I saw elsewhere pictures of that, penguins on icebergs and whales from yesterday.  The person who posted that had a fairly serious zoom so maybe they are a bit further away from the ship?

[cadien]

On 1/28/2024 at 9:20 AM, birdergal said:

We have an aft cabin on Sapphire leaving Feb 5.  You will warm up when you get to Buenos Aires.  I'm seeing low 90's for this upcoming weekend.  Been loving your photos!  My husband and I also love wildlife and he's a birder.  

We're boarding on the 5th as well.

[lots-of-km2]

8 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

would also suggest rain pants - great at blocking the wind and keeping your legs warmer.   

 

Yes! Absolutely. I brought those too, and paired them with thin thermal leggings, and that layering was very effective.  A light, supple pair of rain pants takes up next to no room in the suitcase. 

 

None of this stuff was fancy, expensive technical brands. The temperature outside on the cruise route doesn't seem to dip below -1 C (30 F), so no need for expedition-calibre gear.  I'm in Canada, and used to dressing for cold, and my Antarctica cruise wear is how I dress at home in mild winter.  The packable down coat, rain shell and rain pants all came from Joe Fresh (a clothing store in a supermarket chain, Loblaws), all on sale.  The rainwear is featherweight and has a plasticized, waterproof lining that looks like matte foil (keeps the heat in, although it doesn't breathe that well).  The down jacket isn't waterproof, which makes the rain jacket layer over top important.  

 

As for base layers, my favourites are from a US company called 32 Degrees,  They feel amazing, they pack small and light, the fabric doesn't pill despite many washings and lots of wear, and they're really inexpensive.

Edited January 30 by lots-of-km2

[KLM3164]

10 hours ago, lots-of-km2 said:

For people who don't want to pack down jackets, Princess Shops onboard does sell an ultralight down jacket that stuffs into its own travel pillow. They're reasonably priced, and friends who bought them seem satisfied with them.

I purchased one of these jackets several years ago and I take it on every trip I go on even if going to a warm weather destination. It works great on a plane as a neck pillow and if I get cold I can unwrap it and I’ve got a snuggly coat to warm up in. I highly recommend this jacket.

 

Also another great place to get cold weather jackets is 32degrees.com. Their prices are reasonable and the jackets are very warm. I love their down jackets more than their poly-fill jackets. The couple poly-fill jackets I own are too warm. I took one to NYC at Christmas and ended up not wearing it even though the temps were at times low 30’s. 

[tillys mom]

2 hours ago, hpeabody said:

Hi there!  How are you doing?  Are you going on an Antarctica cruise?  I am going in December and already getting excited.

We are too and also getting excited!

[Ken the cruiser]

We arrived at Deception Island at around Noon, just an hour past the original ETA. Note to self: Don’t rely too heavily on what ETA CM suggests! 😂

 

In any event, here are some views we saw along the way today, which includes a variety of icebergs. I know, who knew! 😂

 

 

 
We were eating lunch in the Reserve DR when we arrived at Deception Island. Thankfully, my favorite BIL was out on Deck 7 taking the next 3 pictures while the ship was passing the small entrance into the island’s center, which most ships are too larger to navigate through; hence it’s just a drive-by.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you look really hard and see white specs on the beach, those are most likely Chinstrap penguins, or so they say. 😁

 

 

Then came a few pretty cool icebergs we passed by!

 

 

 

 
And we’re off!

 

 

Next stop Drake Passage after cruising by the South Shetland Islands again, only this time at a distance.

 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

3 hours ago, azbirdmom said:

Have you seen penguins porpoising through the water?  I saw elsewhere pictures of that, penguins on icebergs and whales from yesterday.  The person who posted that had a fairly serious zoom so maybe they are a bit further away from the ship?

My BIL took a short video of some penguins swimming and occasionally porpoising off the side of the ship yesterday while we were anchored at Port Lockroy, and I’m sure a few others have as well. We saw some penguins on an iceberg, which I posted a picture of earlier, but that was it for us. There were some penguins on another iceberg the ship passed by at 6:30 am the following morning. But we missed it as we didn’t get up until 7 am. The wildlife sightings have been pretty weak these past 4 days, except for the Humpback whales we saw yesterday. However, I did see 3 Orcas swimming in the Gerlache Strait yesterday, but the photos weren’t worth posting! 
 

But that’s OK. The scenery and weather have been awesome, and we will be seeing plenty of penguins, sea lions and a variety of birds on our 3 upcoming excursions in the Falkland Islands as well as other excursions at the various SA ports we will be visiting over the next 19 days! 🤞

 

Edited January 30 by Ken the cruiser

[that]

@Ken the cruiser

 

and your BIL

splendid shots

 

wow

 

 

[vickykay]

Ken, your photos continue to be AMAZING! Thank you so much for taking the time to post them. 

 

[effinaround]

I shot these little guys riding a berg on the port side just before 1700hrs today.  I've been enjoying your live updates, Ken, and your thread is very useful to so many of us onboard that don't always remember the names of the places we are seeing.  I'll be reading your continued travels when I leave the ship on the 5th and head home to Toronto a couple of days later. 

 

 

[Ken the cruiser]

39 minutes ago, effinaround said:

I shot these little guys riding a berg on the port side just before 1700hrs today.  I've been enjoying your live updates, Ken, and your thread is very useful to so many of us onboard that don't always remember the names of the places we are seeing.  I'll be reading your continued travels when I leave the ship on the 5th and head home to Toronto a couple of days later. 

 

 

That is fantastic! That’s the most penguins we’ve seen in one area the whole time we were cruising around the Peninsula on this cruise! Thank you so much for posting it! 😁

[Ken the cruiser]

Tonight after a tasty dinner, we then headed to the theater to watch another production show we hadn’t seen before called Let Me Entertain You, and had a great time! 😁

 

 
Then it was off to the Explorers Lounge to watch the always hilarious Liar’s Club! 😂

 

 
When we got back to the cabin, we were just in time to catch our first sunset over Antarctica!

 

 
Then we waited 5 minutes and it got a little more colorful.

 

 
Then after another 5 minutes it was awesome! 

 
That’s the trick with sunsets. Sometimes the best ones are after the sun drops below the horizon! 😁

 

[Ken the cruiser]

Day 12 - Jan 31 - Sea Day crossing Drake Passage 

 

 

 
Can’t complain about the internet speeds this evening

  

 
as we get ready to begin our trek across Drake Passage.
 

  
So far the winds aren’t too severe

  

 
And the waves are a lot calmer than they were in the Pacific for the first 3 days of the cruise where they got over 17 feet on the 3rd night. Hopefully, the current wave action stays around the 10-12 foot range as we start crossing Drake Passage later this evening. 🤞

 

 

[c-boy]

33 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Tonight after a tasty dinner, we then headed to the theater to watch another production show we hadn’t seen before called Let Me Entertain You, and had a great time! 😁

 

 
Then it was off to the Explorers Lounge to watch the always hilarious Liar’s Club! 😂

 

 
When we got back to the cabin, we were just in time to catch our first sunset over Antarctica!

 

 
Then we waited 5 minutes and it got a little more colorful.

 

 
Then after another 5 minutes it was awesome! 

 
That’s the trick with sunsets. Sometimes the best ones are after the sun drops below the horizon! 😁

 

I have to say, I find this more picturesque and stunning then Alaska. 

Edited January 31 by c-boy

[LACruiser88]

1 hour ago, c-boy said:

I have to say, I find this more picturesque and stunning then Alaska. 

Having been to Antarctica in 2011, Alaska pales in comparison.  🐧

[Ken the cruiser]

9 hours ago, c-boy said:

I have to say, I find this more picturesque and stunning then Alaska. 

Alaska and Antarctica are both awesome places, just in different ways. But Antarctica is definitely a place to consider visiting if you have not been here before and don’t mind chilly 33-36F temperatures! 

 

But I’m glad we’re also going to Falkland Islands as well as other ports in Argentina and Chile on this cruise, as we need our wildlife fix too! When we cruised to Antarctica back in Jan 2018 with HAL, we saw a lot more wildlife while cruising around the Peninsula. A bunch more penguins up close, multiple sea lions lounging on different icebergs, and a lot more whales!

 

Then again the Zaandam capacity is 1432 guests (781’ x 105’) and could probably get closer to the action than the Sapphire which holds 2,670 guests and a much bigger ship (951’ x 121’). The other and more probable reason for the lack of being able to view the wildlife up close might also be associated with the new IAATO cruising rules enacted in 2023.

 

https://iaato.org/iaato-set-to-begin-2023-24-antarctic-season-with-new-and-enhanced-responsible-tourism-measures/

Don’t get me wrong, rules are good when it comes to protecting the delicate wildlife environment down here, especially with the dramatic increase in cruising popularity around the Antarctica Peninsula in the recent past. And I could be totally wrong. In any event, I’m glad there are other SA ports on our cruise we will be able to see bunches of penguins, sea lions and birds when we visit them! 😁

 

Edited January 31 by Ken the cruiser

[Ken the cruiser]

As far as our current location in Drake Passage, it hasn’t been too bad weather wise so far. Hopefully, it will remain this way for the rest of the crossing, or better yet, ease up a bit. 🤞
 

 

 

 

 

[EDVM96]

29 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

But I’m glad we’re also going to Falkland Islands

Tomorrow will be a busy day in Port Stanley, as 3 ships plan to stop there:

Azamara Quest (698 pax)
Norwegian Star (2348 pax)
Sapphire Princess (2674 pax)