Because I'm a little bit mentally unhinged...
 

Not only have we just paid the deposit on our Kenya/ Africa trip (this morning), we've just decided (yesterday) to book a return trip to Antarctica for next winter!

We went to a lecture/ photography show on Antarctica by Jonathan and Angie Scott last night and a particular trip was touted there - similar to the one we did before but with more days in South Georgia, one of our highlights.

We spent a great deal of the late evening and most of this morning working out our finances and looking at every account we have and working out whether we could pull it off.

We've decided to just go for it and we'll confirm tomorrow. The trip's been open to bookings for months (we just hadn't heard about it) and we quite literally bagged the last cabin available. I know that's true because a friend works there.

Not that many people go to Antarctica and 2nd time. How wonderful for you. I am mentally filing that South Georgia comment you made.

Unhinged is good.

Good for you, Kavey!

That last cabin must have been 'meant' for you.

I think most people who go to Antarctica once would LIKE to go a 2nd time. It's just most of them have more financial acumen than we do and are more sensible with their money!

Kavey that last cabin was mind Grrrr!

Oh heck good ahead and take it , have a good time. :)

Percy

Kavey, that's great news.

I'm not sure which phrase fits best -- "It's only money" or "You can't take it with you" -- butboth seem to fit.

And, I thought I was the only one planning Christmas 2008 (for me, the Philippines and Palau).

I still need to book Antarctica, but its such a lengthy trip, and I also want to visit the subantarctic islands -- I may need to wait until retirement for that one :-(

Michael,
Don't wait. I believe strongly in conservation and the ability to change the future but... at the same time I don't think the odds are great.
Go before it's too late.
I know it's expensive but... you would NOT regret it. You truly wouldn't.
Find a 3 week trip including the Falklands, South Georgia and the peninsula and just BOOK IT.

Kavey - great decision, just how expensive is the trip if thats not too rude?

Erm, well it's not like you can't look it up so. It's about 6.5 k per person. UK money.

Kavey,

That sounds like a fantastic journey. Antarctica is definitely on my (semi) short list. Funds and vacation time are what keeps it off of my very short list.

I had looked at an Antarctica trip that I thought was a good deal. Alas, it was with OAT, and given the other thread(s) about them, I'll do believe I'll look elsewhere.

Who is your trip through?

Shane

I take it this is for 2008/2009 season? Do Antarctic cruises typically sell out this far in advance or is there something special about this sailing?

The ship is the Sergey Vavilov, sister ship to the Akademik Ioffe that we travelled on last time. It's currently a Peregrine ship but I think Peregrine have either been merged with or bought out by the parent company that already owns Quark (who offer similar trips). Not sure whether they will merge the brands or operate both as they are now. I have a feeling they're merging. Oddly enough the parent company I think is the one that also owns the travel company I used to work for!

Patty, they do book well quite far in advance but yes, this is a special sailing. Exodus (who have some kind relationship with Peregrine I don't fully understand in terms of ownership) have, on this occasion, chartered the entire ship for their own bookings only and are makin it a photographic special. They have invited some extra specialists on top of the experts Peregrine use for crew already. These include Jonathan and Angie Scott, Mark Carwardine (we've travelled with all 3 before a number of times) as well as Chris Packham, well known in the UK but probably not overseas and others...

Since we are talking Antarctic, does anyone know anything about taking a Russian freigher (I think that's the kind of boat) there? I've heard it is less expensive with an interesting on-board atmosphere.

Kavey, When you are able, can you post your itinerary?

Congrats, Kavey. I am envious. I think there's a corny joke somewhere here about waiting for my ship to come in, but I'm too tired tonight.

Did I miss the Kenya itinerary somewhere?

Never mind. Saw it. Fabulous. :D

Kavey - that's wonderful (I'm jealous - but in a good way.) I think it will be several more years before we can manage to get back to the Antarctic ... but someday ...

I just saw a nature show with Art Wolfe in the Antarctic and he said South Georgia is his favorite place on earth. You and Art think alike.

Lynn,
Have you seen the Art Wolfe Kenya episode? Part of it took place on El Karama. I kept seeing familiar faces and found myself blurting out OMG throughout the show.

On a related note, I put a deposit down for a peninsula cruise for Feb 2009. It's not a done deal as I'm still actually deciding (I can get back most of my deposit if I change my mind). I sort of panicked when I saw this thread and wanted to hold something while I thought about it some more as it's hard for me to plan so far out. I'd love to do one that included Falklands/South Georgia but at this point don't think I'll be able to afford it. So I guess MAYBE I'll be going to Antartica next winter :D

Patty,

Forgive my ignorance on Antarctic geography, but you will do just the penninsula and not Falklands/South Georgia because to do it all is too expensive?

Even if you decide not to do the trip, can you tell us the operator or the boat?

Thanks!

Lynn,
The cruises that include Falklands/South Georgia are about twice the number of days and twice the cost of cruise that only go to the Antarctic peninsula. I'm currently booked on the Fram. The reason being it's a less expensive trip and 80% of my deposit is refundable (most others are nonrefundable). The downside is that they take 300 passengers, so landings have to be rotated as there's a limit of 100 passengers ashore at one time (ideally you'd want a vessel that takes 100 passengers or less). Anyway, it's sort of a "placeholder" as I ponder and assess finances. I was hoping to be able to put off booking until mid-2008 but I guess that was totally wishful thinking on my part ;)

How exciting!

Patty, I totally appreciate that finances will limit what you can and can't do but if there's any way at all to find a place on one of the expedition style trips with 100 pax maximum, I'd strongly recommend it. A wildlife lover like yourself will probably be frustrated at the short duration of the shore excursions on a larger ship not to mention the reduced number of said excursions.

I do understand that including South Georgia is really hard because it tends to be only the longer trips that include it. That said there are shorter trips that I've come across now and then that just go to South Georgia and Falklands over 10-12 days. Or is there one that does South Georgia and part of peninsula for that duration?

It's worth holding out...

Thanks, Kavey! I actually tried to find a shorter Falklands/South Georgia only trip because I'd read that it's even better for wildlife but so far have only been able to find 20 day trips for the 2008/2009 season. If you know of or find out about any shorter sailings, please let me know.

What month are you going this time and what month did you go last time? I noticed that some of the March trips on smaller expedition ships cost considerably less but is that too late in the season? <i>If</i> you could only choose between a 300 passenger ship in Feb or a 100 passenger ship in Mar, which in your opinion is the lesser evil? ;)

Hi Patty.

March in Antarctica -- Brrrrr!! I thought most of the trips stopped in February.

One thought about weather and timing. If you want to go during the shoulder months (October/November or February/March), consider the earlier ones, say late October. The land is much more scenic before too much of the snow melts. We went in late October and it was absolutely beautiful!!! Everything else being equal (and it isn't -- wildlife varies according to the month and location), I would pick the earlier months over the later ones -- but that's my only experience, so others should weigh in.

On the number of passengers on the ship, I agree with Kavey. If you are a wildlife lover, you'll want to get off the boat as much as possible. I was on a boat with only 100 pax. I couldn't imagine knowing that some of my shipmates were out there seeing great stuff and I couldn't go. Sort of like being at a lodge in Africa, and being told in the morning you had to stay at the lodge until the afternoon game drive because there were already too many people outside. You would skip that lodge and go to one where you could stay out all day if you wanted to.

Well, I would simply NOT consider going on a ship of 100 passengers having been and understanding the compromise that larger ships mean. I'd rather do one trip every 5 years that's a truly fabulous trip than one that leaves me frustrated and wanting more every 2 years, I think.

That said, I totally DO understand that it's a RIDICULOUS amount of money to be spending on a single trip and that for some people it's a case of compromising or not going.

We went in Nov/ Dec last time and are doing same again. Weather is fabulous at this time though with some species it will mean seeing adults with eggs rather than with chicks. Going later in the season means seeing chicks!

I'm sure I came across an itinerary somewhere that WAS just South Georgia/ Falklands but it may have been a special. It seems many of the companies do run special charters such as the one Peregrine are doing for Exodus (the one I'm booked on) so it might be worth contacting ALL the companies that do smaller ship expedition style trips and asking if they are planning any such special itineraries in the next year or two that you could have details on.

In answer to your question, I'd rather go on the 100 pax ship in the shoulder season than on a 300 pax ship in peak season.

:)

Kavey is right on with his view about the size of the ship, especially for those who have been on wildlife trips before. I couldn't imagine going on a larger ship.

He also mentions another excellent point. Most penguins hatch their eggs later in the season, so you will see more chicks later if that is important to you.

We were on a special voyage to see emperor penquins, which hatch their eggs around July, so we of course were happy to go earlier and see their chicks as young as possible. While we saw some other penguin species (Adelie, Chinstrap, etc.), we only saw them with eggs -- no chicks.

I'm with Kavey. Having been on an Antarctic Voyage on a 48-pax ship at the beginning of this year, I can't wait to go back, but I would opt to go shoulder season on a small ship rather than a 100+ ship during peak season.

That's not to say that I haven't checked out the mid-size options (like Fram) because the pricing is so attractive. Knowing we have to take turns going ashore however, has stopped me from booking on those ships so far. If the itch to go gets overwhelming, however, I just might cave in. (For now, the lure of polar bears in Churchill in Nov '09 is keeping me in check.)

I'm a girl :D

Thanks for all the replies! I forgot to mention earlier that seeing chicks &lt;is&gt; high on my list. I read that hatching starts around mid-Dec. And due to other commitments, I also can't travel any earlier than from late Dec onwards anyway. I need to find someone who has gone in March to tell me what it's like.

sevendown,
I've seen cruises that go as far as late March. The seasons are probably getting longer and longer due to demand.

The info here is a great Antarctica primer. Appreciate all the comments. Someday in the distant future, when I put them to use, I'll appreciate them even more.

eenusa, Enjoy the polar bears--a marvelous wildlife experience! I went in 03.

Antarctica is also on my short-list. I was thinking of the Orlova on 12/27/08 (Christmas Break) and you all thought I was just a big cheapskate- not so, I just really wanted to do both Africa and Antarctica this year...but the prices!

Very detailed Antarctic trip report I had bookmarked

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/archi.../t-545041.html

Patty- I remember reading (but cannot find the trip report) that many people stay on the larger ships during excursions. A lot of people book these ships because they don't want to lose any of the standard cruise ship amenities, wish to retain formal dining, but still want to attend lectures and view Antarctica through the indoor observation lounges. She estimated that only half the passengers disembarked on the peninsula on her ship and she only had to wait once, because she chose to wait. It sounded like the early risers got out no problem.

Review of the Fram is here http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/...cfm?ShipID=406

Also according to Cruisecritic posters- Vantage travel offers the lowest rates M/S Fram.

travellynn- The Russian freighters are called ice-breakers. They are real ice breakers and can travel the farthest south plowing through the ice. Other ships are only ice-strengthened with modified, rounded hulls and re-enforced/skewed bows.
The only 2 ice-breakers are the Yamal and Kapitan Klebnikov with helicopters for excursions. Check out http://www.coolantarctica.com/Antarc...icebreaker.htm
They are owned by Quark. http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/find...ates-and-rates

Links for other ships
http://www.tierradelfuego.org.ar/v4/...on=5&amp;sub=5

Links for agents
http://www.polarlink.org/tourism/tourism.php and http://apps.iaato.org/iaato/directory/

Sorry Kavey about the gender mistake.

Patty, I am with you on the chicks. If I had it to do again, and wasn't going specifically for Emperors, I would try to get there when chicks were being born. Penguin parenting is very interesting indeed.

I do recommend that you get some good intel on trips into mid or late March. I really understood the weather then can be very unpredictible. But whatever you do, go if you can. I loved Antarctica almost as much as Africa. I just wish it was more accessible.

Regarding reports, Eenusa's report is a really great one and absolutely reminds me of our trip back in 2004.

We saw a lot of chicks of the king penguins on South Georgia - they don't have a defined breeding season so at any given time there are adults courting, mating, young chicks, older chicks, chicks moulting their baby feathers, adults moulting and so on. Amazing!

tinlizzy2,
I'm also considering Orlova if I can come up with more $. I've checked the Vantage and Viking sites and don't see any 2008/2009 season dates yet for the Fram so am currently booked directly with Hurtigruten. Good luck with your planning to both Africa and Antarctica and let me know what you decide!

After reading some threads on the cruises forum, I don't think I'd book with Vantage anyway. Too many reports of customer service issues.