Please tell me about the Cape Town-Antartica- Valparaiso cruise

[NCP]

We are taking this cruise in the Royal Princess .

Thank you!

NCP

[Globaliser]

If you really want to do an cruise to Antarctica, I would do it on a small ship that allows you to land. For the sake of comfort and luxury, I went on the Marco Polo (Orient Lines) which is one of the biggest ships that can go down there and land people. That way, you'd get to say that you have walked on Antarctica, swum in the sea (yes, you can at Deception Island) and you can get your passport stamped with this continent. Antarctica completed 7 continents in the same passport for me.

 

But if you're going anyway, I hope that some of these photos might whet your appetite.

[NCP]

Thank you very much for sharing your wonderful pictures with us!!!! I am ready to go!!

Perhaps the next trip to the Antarctica we will have the opportunity to get to land. The scenery looks just fantastic.

Thanks again

[PescadoAmarillo]

Globaliser...you are my hero! That is my goal, too, to visit all 7 continents and I am only Antarctica away. I recently posted on the Celebrity board asking if anyone had booked their Xpeditions cruise to Antarctica. I'm trying to find out if it lands. Want to do more than just sail through, but don't want to spend a lot of time in Patagonia/Ushuaia/southern South America as I've already done that. Would Marco Polo be a good choice?

 

(Sorry NCP, didn't mean to hijack your thread, but I am having trouble finding anyone who has done an Antarctica cruise. Please forgive!)

[Globaliser]

I recently posted on the Celebrity board asking if anyone had booked their Xpeditions cruise to Antarctica. I'm trying to find out if it lands. Want to do more than just sail through, but don't want to spend a lot of time in Patagonia/Ushuaia/southern South America as I've already done that. Would Marco Polo be a good choice?

I had a look at the Xpeditions website. It looks like what Celebrity is doing is chartering one of the regular Antarctic icebreakers, the Kapitan Khlebnikov, from Quark Expeditions for two trips. They are early in the season, and don't go nearly as far south as the trips do in the height of the season. Although I'm sure you'll get to land, I suspect you will see rather less than if you go during the main season. Myself, I wouldn't do either of these trips, because it looks like Celebrity are trying to shoehorn something into the early part of the season just to say that they have got a couple of sailings, and you'll get much better value and a much better experience with others on other dates.

 

Have a look at the Quark Expeditions website for an idea of what you could do later in the season. Another regular operator is Aurora Expeditions.

 

Another thing to bear in mind is that an icebreaker is not a cruise ship. It doesn't have the same luxuries, nor does it have frills like stabilisers - so in the heavy seas in the Drake Passage and off Cape Horn, they can be very unstable. A friend on the Marco Polo told me about one icebreaker which was rolling to about 45 degrees in a storm - its critical roll angle was 53 degrees (whereupon it would have capsized), so they had to run a long way off course to stay safe. And walking up the corridor was two steps on the floor, two steps on the wall, two steps on the floor, two steps on the other wall ...

 

But the advantage of an icebreaker or any smaller ship is that you get more time ashore. The operators who land pax on Antarctica have a code of conduct which prohibits more than 100 pax ashore at any one time. The Marco Polo is of a size that is pushing the limits at the large end of the scale. She never sails full, but on our cruise a shade over 500 pax was stretching the shore logistics - there is a constant shuttle of Zodiacs to and from the ship and you tend to be hustled back off to the ship as soon as your time is up. She makes more comfortable arrangements when there are only 400 pax on board. This does, of course, push up the price of the cruise.

 

The Marco Polo herself was a comfortable ship. Nothing fancy, but definitely a proper cruise ship rather than the spartan vessels used by others. I would have no hesitation in recommending her with only the warning about limited time ashore because of the press of numbers. (We even had a deck party, but that's another story altogether which I can tell at some suitable point if anyone is interested.) Another possibility for cruising to Antarctica in some style is with Abercrombie & Kent, who have a very luxurious ship doing Antarctica.

 

Hope this helps.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thank you so much for your response. It was extremely helpful and, since it sounds like you were looking for a similar experience on your journey, I will take your recommendations to heart.

 

The threats of rough seas and more spartan ship conditions don't worry me in the least...all part of the adventure!

[aclay]

We are taking this cruise in the Royal Princess .

Thank you!

NCP

Let us know any questions you may have.

I wrote a trip report but it is on the old board and hence...lost?

 

Basically we had a great time, you certainly get to SEE Antartica from the boat, but as correctly mentioned in other posts, this is not for the hardcore who want to step ashore (the only -$$$$$- excursion to offer this was cancelled due to bad weather) or if you want your passport stamped.

 

Princess have changed the itinerary this year for your cruise to break up the long, long days at sea (14+) by heading out to the Falklands before getting to Antartica. I guess they are learning from last year's inaugral mistake of keeping everybody at sea for 14 days!! Tempers were fraid and fights were almost breaking out in the laundry room. We kissed the ground when we finally got to Stanley ;-))

 

We couldn't disembark at Tristan da Cunha (the most remote island in the world!) because there was an issue with the port dredging equipment, but the locals came on board to sell their souveniers and 'sell' their passport stamp to those interested. We got a wondeful view of the island from the boat though.

 

The ship itself and sense of community spirit on board is excellent. The Royal crew, food and atmosphere on board are excellent, although the ships lacks the bells and whistles of larger ships (see the many other threads on the Royal). You really do build a rapport with your dining room waiter (24 days together) and of course the other passengers. There are some extremely well traveled people on board.

 

Also, it must be mentioned that the (daily!) Antartic/ Wildlife and History lectures on board were excellent. We had Bernard Stonehouse on board with three of his students from the Scott Polar Institute (UK). Bernhard is a celebrity and authority on Antartica, has written books and it was a joy to hear him share his knowledge. The previous Royal Princess Captain (now Commodore) Mike Moulin was also on board and gave some excellent lectures on the history of Princess and the Royal.

 

As for things off the boat to see:

 

You'll see icebergs in every shape size and form from a beer crate to a small city. Wildlife such as penguins, albatross, seals, whales and angry laundry monsters ;-)).

The long, long daylight and few hours of half light are lovely to experience and we kept having to remind ourselves that it was the Xmas holidays.

The weather is mostly as you'd expect - cold! It snowed when we got to Deception Island (middle of their summer). Start and finish were pleasantly warm though.

 

The ride was overall very smooth. The worst days were in the first week out of Capetown with a lot of pitching, rolling and 20foot waves washing up against the port and starboard windows. It soon settled down though and sailing round Capehorn the sea was totally calm.

 

The Falklands pub crawl plus Fish and Chips were great.

Ushuaia was a bit of a dissapointment (beautiful name, little polluted city), Punta Arenas great for horse trecking with a local company found on spec at the local tourist office.

Puerto Montt was enjoyable for a guided tour of the surrounding scenery including the volcanoe and Petrohue waterfalls.

 

For us the trip was quite sufficient for our Antartic experience. We really had a feeling of this being 'the end of the earth' and totally alone in an inhospitable terrain (apart from 1000+ other passengers and crew ;-)).

It was all that more special as it was the inaugral and the crew were as excited as we were, often out on deck taking pictures of everything around them.

 

Hope this quick sum up helps you!

 

Alex C

[meyerling67]

We are also going on this trip and will be arriving in Cape Town a couple of days early.

 

It has been very difficult to find cruise reviews. There are a few written by people that have been on the Marco Polo or one of the soft expedition type trips. Great reading, but their experiences would be very different. I have not found anything on last year's Princess cruise to Antarctica; however, I did finally stumble across a cruise review written by someone who took a somewhat similar trip (South America/Antarctica) on the Amsterdam last January. Try http://www.cruisereviews.com/Holland America/Amsterdam. That should get you close enough to find it.

 

Someone started a roll call, but my spousal unit and I are the only ones that have responded to date.

 

This is a terrific itinerary and no matter what the weather allows us to see, I think we'll have a great cruise and a memorable holiday.

 

Lori

[meyerling67]

Sorry about the invalid URL in our last post. This one should get better results:

http://www.cruisereviews.com/HollandAmerica/Amsterdam15.htm

[aclay]

... I have not found anything on last year's Princess cruise to Antarctica;

 

Lori- as I said above- I WAS ON THIS CRUISE LAST YEAR. I did a review on the last cruise critic board but it has been deleted presumably. I tried to do a quick trip summary in the posting immediately before yours above. Easiest is if you just ask any questions you may have. There are at least two other very active cruise critic members who were with me on the cruise (see Dori and TKennedy) - they will help answer your questions as well I'm sure.

 

Cheers

 

Alex

[merela]

Thank you for posting.

 

My parents are planning the 24-day Capetown to Valparaisso on the Royal Princess in December.

 

I am trying to do some research for them again.

 

 

TIA.

[letsgonow]

I have not been on your cruise, but spent four days in Capetown before going to Krueger and Johannesburg. Capetown is incredible. There is so much to see:

 

Table Mountain - On a clear day you can see for miles. There is a cableway that will transport you to the top

 

Robben Island - A ferry will transport you from the V & A Waterfront to the island. If you get a chance, read Nelson Mandela's "Long Walk to Freedom". He will describe his years of imprisonment on the island. They have former prisoners giving the tours, so they are very interesting. At the lime quarry you can see the blindingly bright reflection that Mandela describes in his book.

 

Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens - The gardens were established in 1913 to conserve and promote the indigenous flora of Southern Africa. Kirstenbosch is internationally acclaimed as one of the great botanical gardens of the world.

 

Cape Point & Cape of Good Hope - Sheer rock cliffs, pounding surf, deserted beaches, and buffeting winds greet the visitor to this southern-most tip of the peninsula. Be sure to watch for the wild baboons!

 

Cape Winelands - Beautiful vineyards and Dutch influenced architecture.

 

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront - Wonderful shopping and great restaurants.

 

We stayed at the Cullinan, near the waterfront. The hotel offered a shuttle to the V & A and also helped with tours and cabs. If you are flying South African Airways, they provide movies on demand for each seat (it really helped pass the time.) Have a wonderful trip!

 

Steve

[merela]

Are you purchasing the flight portion of the trip through Princess or are you buying it on your own? Our TA is quoting $1700 from LAX-Capetown, Valparaiso-LAX. Is that a good deal?

 

Just wondering.

 

 

TIA.

[NCP]

The information about you trip was extremely helpful. I can hardly wait to go!!

 

 

Let us know any questions you may have.

I wrote a trip report but it is on the old board and hence...lost?

 

Basically we had a great time, you certainly get to SEE Antartica from the boat, but as correctly mentioned in other posts, this is not for the hardcore who want to step ashore (the only -$$$$$- excursion to offer this was cancelled due to bad weather) or if you want your passport stamped.

 

Princess have changed the itinerary this year for your cruise to break up the long, long days at sea (14+) by heading out to the Falklands before getting to Antartica. I guess they are learning from last year's inaugral mistake of keeping everybody at sea for 14 days!! Tempers were fraid and fights were almost breaking out in the laundry room. We kissed the ground when we finally got to Stanley ;-))

 

We couldn't disembark at Tristan da Cunha (the most remote island in the world!) because there was an issue with the port dredging equipment, but the locals came on board to sell their souveniers and 'sell' their passport stamp to those interested. We got a wondeful view of the island from the boat though.

 

The ship itself and sense of community spirit on board is excellent. The Royal crew, food and atmosphere on board are excellent, although the ships lacks the bells and whistles of larger ships (see the many other threads on the Royal). You really do build a rapport with your dining room waiter (24 days together) and of course the other passengers. There are some extremely well traveled people on board.

 

Also, it must be mentioned that the (daily!) Antartic/ Wildlife and History lectures on board were excellent. We had Bernard Stonehouse on board with three of his students from the Scott Polar Institute (UK). Bernhard is a celebrity and authority on Antartica, has written books and it was a joy to hear him share his knowledge. The previous Royal Princess Captain (now Commodore) Mike Moulin was also on board and gave some excellent lectures on the history of Princess and the Royal.

 

As for things off the boat to see:

 

You'll see icebergs in every shape size and form from a beer crate to a small city. Wildlife such as penguins, albatross, seals, whales and angry laundry monsters ;-)).

The long, long daylight and few hours of half light are lovely to experience and we kept having to remind ourselves that it was the Xmas holidays.

The weather is mostly as you'd expect - cold! It snowed when we got to Deception Island (middle of their summer). Start and finish were pleasantly warm though.

 

The ride was overall very smooth. The worst days were in the first week out of Capetown with a lot of pitching, rolling and 20foot waves washing up against the port and starboard windows. It soon settled down though and sailing round Capehorn the sea was totally calm.

 

The Falklands pub crawl plus Fish and Chips were great.

Ushuaia was a bit of a dissapointment (beautiful name, little polluted city), Punta Arenas great for horse trecking with a local company found on spec at the local tourist office.

Puerto Montt was enjoyable for a guided tour of the surrounding scenery including the volcanoe and Petrohue waterfalls.

 

For us the trip was quite sufficient for our Antartic experience. We really had a feeling of this being 'the end of the earth' and totally alone in an inhospitable terrain (apart from 1000+ other passengers and crew ;-)).

It was all that more special as it was the inaugral and the crew were as excited as we were, often out on deck taking pictures of everything around them.

 

Hope this quick sum up helps you!

 

Alex C

[NCP]

Thank you Steve for the information regarding Cape Town.

Do you know how long it takes from the port where the ship docks to Cape Town? Is there any public transportation?

Our ship will dock for 2 days in Cape Town and we wonder if we may need to get a hotel in the city

Thank you again!

[NCP]

Are you purchasing the flight portion of the trip through Princess or are you buying it on your own? Our TA is quoting $1700 from LAX-Capetown, Valparaiso-LAX. Is that a good deal?

 

Just wondering.

 

 

TIA.

 

Hello TIA,

I am glad that your parents will be on the same cruise.

I enjoyed reading the cruise review you recommended. Thank you.

 

Regarding the air fare, you can try to price each "leg" independently to see whether you can get a better price.

In our case we wanted to spend extra days at the begining and at the end of the cruise and we were able to do so using Expedia, but there is a big difference: we are boarding the ship in Bangkok, not in Cape Town. Anyway it is important to shop around.

Good luck!

NCP

[aclay]

Thank you Steve for the information regarding Cape Town.

Do you know how long it takes from the port where the ship docks to Cape Town? Is there any public transportation?

Our ship will dock for 2 days in Cape Town and we wonder if we may need to get a hotel in the city

Thank you again!

 

From the ship you can walk to the V&A Waterfront complex in 5/10 minutes http://www.waterfront.co.za/

It's very touristy there but it's very safe and there's lots of fun activities.

Next to V&A entrance there is a busstation with all types of bus trips offered to either just transport you or give you a tour around Capetown. I have to say it is very well organized for tourists.

We stayed at the The Holiday Inn Cape Town Waterfront and watched the Royal arrive from our seafront room.

All the best restaurants are in Kloof Street. We revisited Saigon's Vietnamese for dinner and found it to be excellent (just like last time but the prices have gone up in five years).

You must go out to the wineries- the scenery is spectacular and the wines excellent. 'Dieu donne' (God given) was our favorite.

Too many other points of interest to mention, e.g. lovely beaches, Table Mountain etc

Enjoy it!!

[loerie]

Yes thats not abad price-roundt trip new york to Cape Town inseason goes for about$1300 t0 $1800 each Loerie