Antarctica - FT Antarctica DO

I saw the post the other day on OMNI about the existence of this forum and that picked my curiosity. So anybody willing to go? I took some preliminary information and it cost about 3000-4000$ for a 12 days, twin cabin expedition from USH. I would like to get a list of persons that are interested, if there is a significant amount I will try to get us a deal and let you know.

So please sign-up if you would probably participate, at around that cost, for an FT Antarctica DO in mid-january 2007. That seems to be the best time of the year to go, about 20+ hours of daylight and the temperature is not bad.

So far :

frankytalia
the_nomad
Lehava
kflyer2
Guava
Jaimito Cartero
MKE-MR
tenmoc
Mrs & Mr. flygirl555

It's possible to get to USH on OneWorld. There is a daily flight from Puerto Montt, Chile, to Ushuaiai, Argentina, on LAN.

How about organizing something? :D No way to get to USH on *A award... :confused:

USH isn't even close to Antarctica.

USH isn't even close to Antarctica.

I know, but isn't where most people fly to to arrange a trip to Antarctica? Where would you fly to than!

How about organizing something? :D No way to get to USH on *A award... :confused:

Good idea.

I'll probably be up for it. ^ But it's a tad pricey, any lines on a decent deal?

Good idea.

I'll probably be up for it. ^ But it's a tad pricey, any lines on a decent deal?

It starts at about 3 000-4 000$ for a 12 days, twin cabin. My first post was a joke, but I have talked about it today with a friend and I would do it. The best seems to be in january-february, 20+ hours of daylight. Weather around 30-40 farenheits at that time. I will update my first post with a list of people that are interested. If I get a reasonable number of people that would be willing to go, I will try to get us a deal.

If it could be done for a reasonable price I think this would be an amazing experience, pls put me on the list to keep updated on details

I would be interested but would prefer less than 12 days if at all possible. Please keep me updated on this trip!

I would be interested but would prefer less than 12 days if at all possible. Please keep me updated on this trip!

The shortest trips take 12 days, it takes 2 days alone to get there from USH, and that isn't the antarctic continent, just one of the islands.

And just in case you think to go there is a funny idea, then google for "drake passage and seasick" . :D

do you actually get to land on Antartica, or just look at it from a boat, or land on an island nearby?

do you actually get to land on Antartica, or just look at it from a boat, or land on an island nearby?

What I would like to organize is on a boat of maximum 100 persons. There is a rule right now that no more than 100 persons may land at the same place in Antarctica. What we are looking for is about 5-6 days of landing opportunities with some easy to medium trekking.

It sounds intriguing. I talked to a very experienced traveler on a plane once; he said his trip to Antartica was the most amazing trip of his life.

Put me +1 on the ever so tentative list.

I talked to a very experienced traveler on a plane once; he said his trip to Antartica was the most amazing trip of his life.


Been there. And it was.

FT DOs are short events, nothing in the 10-14 days range and normally it doesn't involve being seasick for 6 days. :D

Been there. And it was.

Been there too.
Best trip of my life.

But to get there isn't a very pleasant expirience, be prepared for the roughest sea on earth and a seasickness worse than you can dream of.

FT DOs are short events, nothing in the 10-14 days range and normally it doesn't involve being seasick for 6 days. :D

There's a first time for everything! Just because it has always been one way doesnt mean something different cant be done. Maybe this is the beginning of the FT Adventure Do's

FT DOs are short events, nothing in the 10-14 days range and normally it doesn't involve being seasick for 6 days. :D

The Drake passage seems to be rough, but not in the period I am suggesting (january). And that's last 1-2 days, so in the worst 4 days. Why are you just trying to be negative :confused: Post 3 you confronted me that USH is not even near of antarctica (even if that's the gateway of 95% of visitors to antarctica), post 9 and 12 you repeat yourself that we will be sea sick. Please be constructive and share your positive experience insted.

The Drake passage seems to be rough, but not in the period I am suggesting (january). And that's last 1-2 days, so in the worst 4 days. Why are you trying to be negative :confused:

... not negative, just realistic, because I did this trip 3 years ago and clearly half of the passengers didn't expect the sea to be THAT rough and complained and moaned all day long about it. :D

One day I was crawling, not walking in my cabin. :D

daysleeper, I seem to remember that you have some amazing photos of your trip. Do you still have them on your website? If so, would you be willing to share the link?

daysleeper, I seem to remember that you have some amazing photos of your trip. Do you still have them on your website? If so, would you be willing to share the link?

http://www.pbase.com/ge4teilt :)

Hello FTers,

Wow! This is a small world. I am signed up to depart the US on 12/27/06 for a 15 day trip of Antarctica! I found that a lot of the tours were already booked and it's only February. I am going with a friend. I'm not sure if it's against protocol to give the website or not, so sake of being safe, I won't.

Right now, I am searching AA.com and lan.com for inexpensive business class seats to Santiago (where we meet up with the passengers).

I guess I will be adding this forum to list of forums to read every day.

David

One day I was crawling, not walking in my cabin. :D

Maybe you should have self-medicated then :D At most a nice patch of scopolamine would have done the trick :eek:

Maybe you should have self-medicated then :D At most a nice patch of scopolamine would have done the trick :eek:

I wasn't crawling because I was sick - the sea was so rough and the boat shaking so badly that I couldn't walk. I was sitting on the floor to get dressed. :D

daysleeper, your pictures are awesome. Thank you.

What kind of clothes did you need to take? I'm a SoCal girl, so barely have warm enough clothes to take me thru a London weekend in winter. I've got some serious concerns as to what investment would be required to stay warm on an Antartica trip.

daysleeper, your pictures are awesome. Thank you.

What kind of clothes did you need to take? I'm a SoCal girl, so barely have warm enough clothes to take me thru a London weekend in winter. I've got some serious concerns as to what investment would be required to stay warm on an Antartica trip.

You need sturdy (not just waterproof) trousers and jacket, rubber boots (!) and lighter trekking boots, multiple pairs of gloves, hats and thick socks. Be prepared to get wet, I mean really wet.

The Drake passage seems to be rough, but not in the period I am suggesting (january)


We went in January - and trust me, the crossing was rough. And I mean ROUGH! My daughter and I don't get seasick, but our cabin mates certainly did, poor things.

That's not negativity. That's simply pointing out a fact, and one ought to be prepared for it. Nothing lasts forever, though, and once across the Drake, the trip is well worth any discomfort.

Please put me down as a maybe. Make sure you cross post this in the Community Buzz forum.

Flying there isn't a cheap option, if I recall some posts. I'd like to go as well, but don't know if the money/time angle will work out. By the end of this year, this will be the only continent I haven't been to.

Not trying to put a damper on this trip but want everyone to know what's available. 12 days and $3-4000 will not get you to the continent directly nor anyplace close to the South Pole. That trip takes about 20 days and $14,000. Please do your research.

Depending on trip, may get you to LeMaire channel, Petermann island, South Georgia, etc. The Drake Passage can be VERY rough-I have been across it three times-twice on an Expedition ship and once on a cruise ship. Please investigate ALL possibilities before booking something like this. You are a LONG way from home. Make sure you book the VERY highest dollar evacuation insurance you can (not included in $3-4000 price). It is mostly required before booking and boarding on expedition ships AND it could easily cost you $100,000 to be evacuated from that region. You could easily get hurt loading into or out of the Zodiacs.

I'm already out. :o I don't even have the start of a wardrobe appropriate for such a trip, so will content myself by looking at daysleeper's wonderful pictures again.

Antarctica is very expensive to visit. 2008 may be more realistic. I am interested to the point of having made contact with a local agencies that arranges some tours but (for me) there is no opening in my schedule or finances for early 2007.

I'm already out. :o I don't even have the start of a wardrobe appropriate for such a trip, so will content myself by looking at daysleeper's wonderful pictures again.

Carhartt overalls worked for me when we went last year. Most of the expedition trips give you a parka. Couple of heavy sweaters, lots of sweatshirts. Oh, boy, was I a fashion statement. The main thing I needed was more hats. My "bought in Peru" alpaca hats got wet and they took a LOOOOONG time to dry out. Took six pairs of "bought in Peru" gloves.

We went on the semi circumnavigation of Antartica. LOOONG trip, but I absolutly had to see the Ross Ice Shelf and McMurdo. Hubby won't go on a trip like that again, so I am looking for a roommate for a North Pole trip and also Churchill for the polar bears in the fall. Interested???

Gina

Good grief, the sum of misinformation on this thread... is astounding!

OK - $3-4000 for a trip to Antarctica is a very reasonable price.

Ushuaia, Argentina, is the closest major port to the Antarctic Peninsula, destination for most Antarctic voyages. It is accessible by LAN, and by Austral / Aerolineas Argentinas.

A twelve day trip out of USH generally DOES visit Antarctica - cruising between the Antarctic Peninsula and the islands immediately west.

The crossing is about 1.5 days and can be "Drake's Lake" - or it can be monstruously rough, ten meter waves plus. In January / February.

Many of the ice-hull vessels (they are generally NOT ice-breakers, actually a good thing, as 'breakers are quite round-hulled,) are well-prepared for the crossing, though these are not huge ocean liners with stabilized systems (nor would you want them.)

Most trips use Zodiac-style inflatables to make landings in several places - including one or two actual Antarctic Peninusla landings - it is all weather-dependent, of course.

You do need to be prepared for possible drastic and rapid changes of weather - my experience has ranged from fan-deck barbecues in short sleeves (no wind, 0- 5 C / thirties F) to, within one hour, slightly below-freezing, low winds but requiring high waterproof boots due to wet landings on gravel beaches and people with staffs to scare off the aggressive male fur seals wanting a piece of us - that in minutes turned into a 'way below freezing gale of 30-40 kts with snow-limited visibility, precipitated by a sudden catabatic wind - air on a high icefield reaches a critical temperature and mass and begins a sudden rush down to displace warmer, lighter air. Insulated layers of clothing, waterproof insulated high boots are the minimum one needs to have available. We had to turn around and battle back-bending face-numbing headwinds back through the marshes and aggro seals to the beach, and getting back out on the inflatables and up the steel boat's ladder were a bit of a challenge as well. (Technically, this latter experience wasn't in Antarctica, rather within the Antarctic convergence, in South Georgia; ours was 21-day South Georgia and Antarctic expedition on the Akademik Ioffe.)

A trip to Antarctica is unforgettable - the reasons why may vary, of course. But the scenery is incredible, the wildlife amazing (we had a whale so close to our Zode we were, ugh, covered in whale snot when it blew,) and even the sounds... the crystalline crackling of air bubbles trapped for thousands of years emerging from their longtime tombs in melting ice, the sonorous booming of calving icebergs... unforgettable!

Will be in USH on New Year's Day 2007 - cruise stop - and looking forward to going back to an Irish pub I had found last trip for some local beer. I know it's a long shot, but if any other FT'ers are down there on that day, let me know.

A food option I recommend is “Tia Elvira” with excellent king crab ("centolla") and black hake Provençale (specialties are seafood and pastas, though grilled meats are here as well.) “Tia Elvira” is a small restaurant with moderate (for Ushuaia) prices, funky ambiance, excellent food and some Argentine wines. Sure, they have cerveza Quilmes too. ;)

Restaurante "Tia Elvira" - Maipú 349, tel: 2901 424725


Will be in USH on New Year's Day 2007 - cruise stop - and looking forward to going back to an Irish pub I had found last trip for some local beer. I know it's a long shot, but if any other FT'ers are down there on that day, let me know.

A friend did it about 4-5 years ago and someone else I know did it a year ago and it cost a chunk of change but is a fabulous trip. I think they went on a Russian science based vessel with max of 100 people and I think the one I knew spent around 5K on the trip.

Please keep me informed on this trip.
Thank you JDiver for clearing things up as I was getting frustrated reading the previous posts and knowing as you stated most of the misinformation.
Also it is VERY possible to use AA to EZE and then go local from there to USH.
I would like to go. And think if we could get some type of commitment from enough FTers that someone would work in a break even if 10%.
Although with this kind of planning I do feel Jan 08 might be smarter.

http://www.expeditiontrips.com/search/trip.asp?tripid=1431

A coworker of mine went on the molchanov and enjoyed it immensely. Its definitely in the grand plan for me.. but Dec07/January 08 is much more feasible.

Please add me and Mr. Flygirl555 to the interested list. He was interested when I mentioned it to him the other night. :D

Ever since FlyerTalk became powered by the vBulletin bulletin board software back in April of 2004, I have subscribed to the Antarctica forum.

I must say that this is the most activity I have ever seen in the Antarctica forum!

However, here is one variation of the ideal Antarctic journey (http://www.adventure-network.com/display.asp?navid=1&id=36) for me. The reason is because I do not want to just visit Antarctica — I want to actually stay “overnight” at least once on Antarctica, and I would like to visit the South Pole as well.

Unfortunately, at the rate of US$33,500.00, the cost is greater than the annual pre-tax salaries of many people. The cost does not include commercial flights to and from Punta Arenas, Chile; meals and accommodation other than while in Antarctica; airport transfers other than those for Antarctic flights; personal equipment and clothing (polar clothing is available for rent from Adventure Network International); additional expenses while in Punta Arenas due to delays; any baggage costs over the confirmed program allowance; cost for the use of telephone whilst in Antarctica; and insurance Coverage — personal, medical, evacuation, or otherwise.

Due to time and expense, this trip is not foreseen to be accomplished in the near future for me. However, if enough people are serious about a FlyerTalk-exclusive journey to Antarctica, perhaps one can be customized (http://www.adventure-network.com/display.asp?navid=1&id=16)...

We went to Antarctica with Lars Eric Lindblad around 1991 on the old Ocean Princess, similar in size to the Marco Polo. We had 400 passengers on board and did get off at a number of stops, but no current working scientific stations. Since our ship was larger than the 100 person expedition ships, we had stabilizers and our run both ways on the Drake was bouncy but no more so than what we experienced in a storm on the Med in Nov. Almost everyone wore a patch and no one I know of complained of sea sickness. We just all fell asleep during the afternoon lectures! Recommended clothing:

cheap ski pants
cheap tall rubber boots - Army Navy Store or any camping store
felt liners for the boots, good for 0 degrees F
sweaters for layering
ski jacket because you don't get your red coat until you are on board and it is cold in the far south of Argentina or Chile

No reason to spend a lot on clothing you might never wear again. I did not buy silk socks or any of the other stuff people brought. Women: Do not buy Wellingtons. Too short. Get men's boots; with the liner, they will fit. I wear women's size 7, had no problem. You will step into 12 inch water from the Zodiak so be sure your boots are 15 inches high. Mine have been to Antarctica twice - I lent them to a friend. Getting them was the greatest bother. I bought Wellingtons first from LL Bean until I saw they were only 13 inches high.

We did meet a woman in Ushaia who had sailed on a 100 passenger ship. Her experience with the Drake was different from ours and we crossed at the exact same time. She said they rocked a lot. Waves were not all that high - max 20 ft. January. The wind was pretty fierce sometimes so the wind and water proof red jackets provided were really welcome. Temp was about 32 degrees everyday. About six men left timid wives at home. One from England laughed when we got our daily newspaper - it was colder at home!

It was among our favorite trips anywhere. One of the pleasures was visiting with such well traveled people. I think a group of Flyertalkers, esp those concerned about the Drake, would do well to consider Marco Polo. They do talk of Zodiaks so they land. Princess has trips down there where they do not land. That would be a mistake. Watching the penguin behavior is a kick in the pants. I know there are more landings with the 100 passenger ships but the trip is more arduous. My husband probably would have loved it but I was a happy camper in a larger ship. We might consider a trip but only the circumnavigation with the Falklands. At the time we went, my husband was working and could not take enough time off work to do the Falkland trip.

If you decide to look for Dec 07/Jan 08 I'll go in as a tenative yes for now.

If there's still space, I want to join in with a friend or a few if that's alright. Maybe in 2007, otherwise in 2008.

I spent this past New Year's in Antarctica. I was with a group from school (MBA program) and we flew from PUQ (Punta Arenas, Chile) to King George Island, which is off the Antarctic Peninsula. Charter flight, obviously, which required all sorts of connections enjoyed by our guides.

We camped on the island for 7 nights. It was an amazing experience. We celebrated New Year's Eve in "Uruguay," at a Uruguayan research station. Since they observed Uruguay time, and our group observed Chile time, we got to celebrate twice! I meant to post to FT at their very slow Internet there, but forgot to do so. Despite visiting a few research stations, we definitely roughed it through our stay; no toilets, running water, etc. There was constant daylight.

Based on stories we heard, I wouldn't personally ever consider a boat crossing. It sounded truly miserable, and we were told that the most seasoned sailors often get violently ill. Even flying, it was very hit-or-miss each day to learn whether our plan would be able to get in/out based on the wx.

All in all, it was a fantastic once-in-a-lifetime trip. It cost a lot of money (~$5k+ before gear), but I don't regret that. The memories that I have are priceless.

Let me know if you have any questions.

My wife and I were just in Antarctica in December 05 for a mountain climbing trip on the peninsula. We went with an Australian company called Aurora Expeditions. Small ship, only 50 passengers or so, just perfect (and only about 15 of those were actually climbers). We got one first ascent and two other fabulous climbs. Of course, first ascents are a dime a dozen on the peninsula, so it's not much of a mountaineering accomplishment. It's pretty cool to be able to tell my climbing buddies back home I actually got a first ascent. It's something most climbers dream about but is pretty hard to pull off in this day and age.

Ushuaia is a great little town, don't spend more than a day or two on each side of your trip or you'll go stir-crazy. We foolishly scheduled 3 days prior our trip and two days after because we thought there would be a ton of stuff to do there. Eh, not really. By our 2nd day after our trip, we were really wishing we would have spent the extra time soaking up the sun in BA. The Drake wasn't too awfully bad, it could have been much, much worse. Our trip to Antarctica saw 10 foot seas and I was sicker than a dog till I took some compazine. The Scop patches didn't do a damned thing for me except give me dry mouth. The trip back saw 25 foot+ seas, but I felt fine because I'd gotten my "sea legs" by then. The hardest part on the way back was simply trying to take a shower or go to the bathroom. It's no fun being "mid-business" and getting flung off the toilet! Our expedition leader was just laughing at all of us, said he'd seen 40' seas in the Drake and this was "nothing."

The Antarctica experience is indescribable. We took 1000+ pictures that we're still sorting through. We want to go back in the worst way. We're thinking South Georgia for a Shackleton island crossing. Btw, our trip, about $14K for two people in a spacious "suite," all food included. Did not include all the travel costs getting to USH and back, which added another $5K or so. If anyone has any specific questions, I'm happy to talk about our experience in more detail. You should be able to contact me through my username.

If someone is actually checking into a FT DO in Antarctica, there are some ships that might be better than others - ice-hulled is good, mid-size (for Antarctic cruising ) is good - more folks get to go ashore on Zodiacs, greater flexibility and not fighitng a large group. The ones I have seen and have been in Antarctic expedition use for a while include:

The ‘Grigoriy Mikheev’ and "Alexsey Maryshev" (http://www.scantours.com/Grigoriy_Mikheev.htm) built in 1990 in Finland, and designed as an ice-strengthened vessel. Converted in the Netherlands for passenger use, with a range of 70 days independent operation and are ISM certified. They have a capacity of 46 travellers.

The "Professor Morchanov," "Professor Multanovski" and "Akademik Shokalksy" are similarly built and sized (just slightly larger.)

All are staffed by Russian crew and captains - high degrees of ice knowledge and safety. The ships are chartered by a number of organizations that offer Antarctic trips, including such well-knowns as Quark.

Some other ships are not ice strengthened - not my favorite idea, with the very variable conditions and winds, not to mention lots of bergy bits, bergs, flow ice movements and the like. Bad reports of the old MV Disko, built for fjord cruising - sensitive to the Southern Ocean wave action.

There are larger ships, of course - I enjoyed the 100-passenger Akademik Ioffe on a 22 day trip to South Georgia (one of the most beautiful places I have ever visited,) and Antarctica. This ship was chartered by VENT so it was all one big group - no hasles with competing interests.

This page (http://www.newzeal.com/theme/Ships/Akademik/ioffe.htm) shows the Ioffe and a typical cruise for many of these ships. It is usual to stop at a couple of research stations, often Henryk Arctowski (Poland) on King George Island, and the UK BAS (British Antarctic Survey) and historical station at manned by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust at Port Lockroy on Goudier Island, which has the oldest existing BAS building.

I know, but isn't where most people fly to to arrange a trip to Antarctica? Where would you fly to than!

There's two 'logical' ways to do this.

1. Fly into EZE (there's some awesome MR's to be done into EZE from DFW), and then get on a liner such as the Nordnorge (http://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/review.cfm?ShipID=342) for 19 days (http://www.cruisenorway.com/antarctica.html) which takes you to SCL for your return home.

2. Fly into MPN or PSY in the Falklands and then ice-break your way down. I can't find anything from a quick look, but I have heard before there are a few cruises that either start from or visit The Falklands (I looked at visiting The Falklands once before).

I respectfully but heartily disagree with dannyr's recommendations. If you go on the Nordnorge, you go on a cruise, period; with 464 berths, landings would be chaotic at best, and though just within limits of of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators rules and regulations. IMO that is still too many, as landings are normally accomplished by inflatable boats - most of which carry twelve people. (I'd also like to know how stable it is in the Southern Seas, as a previous Scandinavian fjord-touring ship, Disko, got very bad reviews by passengers to Antarctica.)

In fact, I do not think they offer any Antarctica landings at all on this cruise. It would be a spectacular cruise, but... landings on key islands and onthe continent itself are, IMO, not to be missed. But if FTers are interested in being part of a small party on a larger cruise, South America, subantarctic islands and the Antarctic Peninsula should be stunning vewing.

2. Fly into MPN or PSY in the Falklands and then ice-break your way down. I can't find anything from a quick look, but I have heard before there are a few cruises that either start from or visit The Falklands (I looked at visiting The Falklands once before).

PSY? huh? The Falklands have one commercial flight a week. To MPN on an LAN A320 a max of 156 seats or maybe 120, I don't know which config they use. Of course you could fly the RAF from braze norton (6 times a month) I doubt many passengers join up in the Islas Malvinas.

On the otherhand USH has loads of trips departing to Antartica. More people leave a week in season than the Falklands see visitors a month. They leave on everything from behemoth cruise ships to converted icebreakers to 50' private sailing yachts, and USH has connecting air service with multiple daily frequencies to both AEP (EZE) and SCL.

There actually are quite a few small ship cruises visiting Antarctica which include the Falkland Islands on their itinerary. The trip I took in February was on the 100 passenger Clipper Adventurer. From November through February they cruise in the area and some trips include South Georgia also. The most popular sights in Antarctica to stop at were actually booked ahead of time for each ship. One smaller ship had to move on from a location our ship had been booked.

Under IAATO rules, the sites are booked and controlled for both ecological reasons and to allow proper sightseeing.

I think your ship is at the upper limits of what I'd recommend, as ~100 passengers are not so tricky to relay on the RIBs (or demanding of a lot of time for transfers and allocating very little time on land.)

I've not done her, but I understand the refit of the Alla Tarasova into the Clipper Adventurer worked quite well.

There actually are quite a few small ship cruises visiting Antarctica which include the Falkland Islands on their itinerary. The trip I took in February was on the 100 passenger Clipper Adventurer. From November through February they cruise in the area and some trips include South Georgia also. The most popular sights in Antarctica to stop at were actually booked ahead of time for each ship. One smaller ship had to move on from a location our ship had been booked.

I just noticed this thread a day after I received a big glossy book from adventure center www.adventurecenter.com
They have a no extra charge outing of actually camping on the ice for a night! All of their trips are from Ushuaia and range from 10-19 nights and range from 4990 to infinity. They also offer sea kayaking for $575 for 4 1/2 day paddles. I always wanted to go by way of NZ, but rarely see any trips.

They use 2 ships, the Peregrine Mariner and the Peregrine Voyager, both holding 110 pax

BTW, going north is much cheaper with this company, Greenland, Iceland and Spitsbergen begin at $2890 for 10 nights. Polar bears or penguins?

The brochure came in about 5 days after ordering it online, so if you would like some more info and pics to drool over check it out.

JudyJFLA

I just thought today, "I wonder if there is a Antartica forum on FT?" because I'm in the middle of planning a trip for my family. I would do the FT Do if it can be worked out, there would be 3 of us.

I'm not bothered by putting it off till the 07-08 season because if I'm going to drop this kind of cash I want to do it right. Antarctica is high on my travel radar as its the only continent I haven't been to.

I just noticed this thread a day after I received a big glossy book from adventure center www.adventurecenter.com

Hi there - I am posting a review of this trip right now in this forum. I took this trip you are describing - Peregrine is the company that Adventure Center books the trip with. Peregrine is top notch. I couldn't recommend them more. Adventure Center, as I have already noted in my review, SUCKS. I would not, and could not recommend them. I will come back tomorrow and post a recommendation from friends who had a good experience with an alternate company. You can read more about my concerns with Adventure Center in the other thread.

By all means, take the trip - it's one of the best things I have ever done. Just don't book with Adventure Center.

It all depends on what a person wants to do in Antarctica. The four main companies (the ones who have been around the longest and are most respected) are:

Linblad
Quark
Aurora
Pergrine

All of the companies do the simple "cruise by a few icebergs, take some pictures of Gentoos, and visit some science stations" tours. If you're just looking for that, book any one of them based on your date range and price. Aurora was the first to do mountain and iceberg climbing in Antarctica, that's why we went with them. They also specialize in kayaking. I think Linblad offers some climbing trips as well now. Some offer photographer-specific trips, some like Aurora offer diving "below the circle" now. All have websites that should allow you to research exactly what you want.

On the cruise I took we didn't just cruise by a few iceburgs. We did 10 zodiac landings at different locations and visited Palmer Station. Quite a few of the stops we were offered short hikes or long hikes. Granted, the long hikes were not terrifically long by some standards. Quite often if you keep track, you can come up with special rates with Clipper.

Following up on my post from yesterday, I met 3 people on the Peregrine trip who used Expedition Trips to book, and were much happier than I was with Adventure Center.

http://www.expeditiontrips.com/

Here is the person they worked with: Joy Martinello <joy@expeditiontrips.com>

I have been extremely happy with Expeditiontrips also. They quite often have great reduced rate cruises.

On the cruise I took we didn't just cruise by a few iceburgs. We did 10 zodiac landings at different locations and visited Palmer Station. Quite a few of the stops we were offered short hikes or long hikes. Granted, the long hikes were not terrifically long by some standards. Quite often if you keep track, you can come up with special rates with Clipper.

I've heard good things about Clipper as well. From a personal perspective, whatever company a person goes with, they should never sign on to a tour that carries more than about 50 passengers or so, maybe 75 tops. Any more than that is a terrible impact on the pristine environment. We saw a massive ship down there that must have been carrying 500 people. I was praying they weren't actually doing landings. It wouldn't surprise me, however, I met a scientist at Petermann Island who said she was horrified when a ship pulled up one day and proceeded to dump about 300 passengers off all at once. Absolutely ridiculous, and against the IAATO charter.

One way to check who does decent Antarctic trips is to see if they meet one basic qualification, IMO - membership in International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (http://www.iaato.org/iaato/directory/). (A couple of outfits do not belong but subscribe to the IAATO guidelines (http://www.iaato.org/guidelines.html) (Recommendation XVIII-1, adopted at the Antarctic Treaty Meeting, Kyoto, 1994) and cooperate with them.)

Organizations listed that have a very good or better reputation include (spelling verified):

Abercrombie and Kent (USA)

Aurora Expeditions (Australia)

Cheeseman's Ecological Safaris (USA)

Heritage Expeditions (New Zealand)

Lindblad Expeditions (USA)

Peregrine Shipping Pty Ltd (Australia)

Quark Expeditions (USA)

Zegrahm Expeditions (USA)

Some others who contract with IAATO members include

National Geographic Expeditions (USA)

Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours (USA, specializes in birding trours)

There are others who arrange or sell trips, and some are reputable, mentioned in previous posts.

There are other members, and I either have no knowledge about them or have not heard the best feedback about them, so n o comments. There are other non-members, and there are cruise ships that give you the "Antarctic drive-by" experience. I won't ever recommend these unless that is what you want - but be aware, there is a benefit to having ice- and Antarctic-qualified officers and crew, and maybe even an ice-hardened vessel. It is a different (if strikingly beautiful) world down there, and some governments have had to effectuate vessel rescues in flow ice, etc.

Also be careful of new organizations or those with out a lengthy track record. Some of them have come, and gone - leaving would-be passengers with big losses. I traveled with one, Marine Expeditions (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9800E6DA1030F932A35754C0A9679C8B 63&sec=travel&pagewanted=all) of Toronto (talk about a checkered history: "Marine Expeditions has ceased operations (June 2000.) Marine Expeditions was established by former managers of Marine Expeditions, Inc., which went bankrupt' following the collapse of a related company - International Travel News.)

I had trip insurance - and not from the travel supplier, since most travel insurance does not protect you if the company that sold it to you goes bankrupt. :eek: We also had the strength of a reputable tour company that chartered the entire vessel behind us - if Marine Expdetions had gone under when we went on the trip, we'd probably still have had the trip, minus the middle man. (For insurance, check www.insuremytrip.com where you can compare prices and conditions, and read the fine print - usually from 22 or more offerings per trip.)

One of the most memorable experiences in my life was the afternoon we spent at Neko Harbor. It is a small bay surrounded by snow covered mountains. The glaciers were constantly cracking and the sound reverberated everywhere. We were out in the zodiacs on water that was smooth as glass. Ice was floating all around us some with seal resting on them. Eight minke whales appeared and for an hour and a half seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves rolling and diving under the zodiacs and going straight up in the air eyeing us. It was just the most amazing thing to think that we were enjoying their company as much as they were enjoying ours.

I can relate to that, Louise... We even had a minke come up so close it blew right on us. Uh, whale "breath" includes some rather, er, odorus mucous-like substance, but we still feeling privileged to have observed the behaviors.

Did you hear the ice in bergy bits melt and, releasing its millennia-old bubbles, sound like crystalline pops in a Champagne glass? Magical!

It was 1998, but I still get "da kine chicken skin" thinking or writing about it.

My most memorable was on the summit of an unclimbed peak our group climbed on the 6th day out. Our guide, Tashi Tenzing (grandson of Tenzing Norgay) actually stepped aside about 25 feet from the summit and let my wife and I be the first ones on the top. It was a magnanimous gesture that I'll never forget, especially once we saw the view; iceberg-choked blue sea all around us, about a thousand foot dropoff on 3 of 4 sides. Of course, it wasn't like he needed the summit, having climbed Everest 3 times himself. :eek: The picture my wife took of him on the summit can be seen on his webpage. Unfortunately Flyertalk doesn't like links... you can type in his name with no spaces and the customary .com to see the photo.

It doesn't?

I wonder if this would work: http://www.ta....enzing.com NOPE! It's (as pointed out below) the stupid *!#&ing profanity filter editing the URL!!!)

or, maybe this (http://lnk.in/3jjf). Yep, now it does...

Cheers, ;)

...Unfortunately Flyertalk doesn't like links... you can type in his name with no spaces and the customary .com to see the photo.

Neither one work. If I hold my mouse over either link, it shows "http://www.ta....enzing.com." It purposely removes part of the URL so it won't work. If I try to click on it I get, of course, "unable to find page." I suppose it could be something on my computer, but I've had this happen any time I've tried to post a link on Flyertalk.

Following up on my post from yesterday, I met 3 people on the Peregrine trip who used Expedition Trips to book, and were much happier than I was with Adventure Center.

http://www.expeditiontrips.com/

Here is the person they worked with: Joy Martinello <joy@expeditiontrips.com>


I am VERY interested in this do. I have contacted Joy before and must say that she is amazing! Very impressed with her information and low-key approach to things. She's based here in Seattle.

While I've never heard anything bad about Expedition Trips, I do have a question: What would you call Expedition Trips to book a tour with Peregrine? It seems like a middle man is being involved that is doing nothing more than adding more money to the tour. Why not call Peregrine directly? Do they not allow direct sales like that? I mean, it sort of reminds of when we were on a safari in Tanzania. We paid something like $500.00 for a 5 day safari, food and everything, booked directly through a local tour operator. We would meet these Americans there who had booked through big companies stateside and had paid up to $1500.00 for the same tour (using the same drivers and equipment from our local tour operator!). Granted, that was in the days before the Internet was so huge in traveling, and I can almost see how someone who had the money would rather pay someone a big wad of cash to just "take care of everything." Today, however, almost everything travel-wise can be taken care of by the click of a mouse button. I find it interesting that middle man companies like Expedition Trips, as good as I've heard they are, can still survive in the travel world of the 21st century.

What would you call Expedition Trips to book a tour with Peregrine? It seems like a middle man is being involved that is doing nothing more than adding more money to the tour. Why not call Peregrine directly?

I can speak for myself only on this one. Here is my 2 part answer:

(1) In the recent past I have booked with some companies and travel agents where I have saved money by working with a middleman (example: last year, a TA offered me a better rate on a Club Med vacation (land only), than Club Med itself did. I booked with the TA). I am assuming the agent deducted some of their commission to improve my rate. I always check with both the company and with a middleman to see how I can get the best price, and book accordingly.

(2) I DID initially start working directly with Peregrine. I found it very difficult to work with their sales staff in Melbourne. I only communicated with them via email, and to get a response took over 24 hrs each time. In doing the research, I had many questions, and after waiting 24 hrs for a response, I would receive an answer that was always incomplete and often geared toward Australian citizens based out of Sydney. It was time consuming and frustrating. In turning to a 3rd party, I was looking for someone who was more accessible to me (in terms of phone, email and timezones), more responsive, had first hand knowledge based on prior clients or personal experience, could answer some of my fundamental questions in selecting a trip, and was knowledge about travel details from my country. I also was looking for knowledge about competing trips, to ensure I was going with a reputable company, and getting the most for my money.

I did NOT ultimately get all of this with Adventure Center, and again, I wouldn't recommend them. However, I know for a fact that my friends appreciated working with their agent since she had not only been on a Peregrine trip, but on the ship we were on.

Considering your experience, it sounds like it made sense to go with a middle man. I didn't realize Peregrine was so hard to work with directly. If I'd gotten the same treatment with Aurora, I would have looked for a middle man too, it would have driven me nuts since I'm so detail oriented. As it was, they always responded to my e-mails within 2 hours (time zone difference taken into consideration) and they always had the answers I was looking for.

This is very weird! FT does alter the URL, and the Tenzing URLs work with my home / office computer - at least I tested them then - but my laptop give sme the good old 404! I'll try again when I return (we consultants often don;t have work Friday, so that's when it will be.)

Let's try this: http://lnk.in/3jjf for Tasha Tenzing's website. OK friends, this will take three seconds, as it is a re-direct, but it works.

Neither one work. If I hold my mouse over either link, it shows "http://www.ta....enzing.com." It purposely removes part of the URL so it won't work. If I try to click on it I get, of course, "unable to find page." I suppose it could be something on my computer, but I've had this happen any time I've tried to post a link on Flyertalk.

I'm interested in this frozen lark. I'll stay tuned.

So in my understanding we are 10 interested to go in 2007, and 3 interested only for 2008. When I took contact I talked about 20, so I will wait a few days more and let you know what I come up with. I should be able to submit you something around mid-May I hope.

So in my understanding we are 10 interested to go in 2007, and 3 interested only for 2008. When I took contact I talked about 20, so I will wait a few days more and let you know what I come up with. I should be able to submit you something around mid-May I hope.


I am going this December... departing SFO on December 27. Anyone else?

David

By the way, folks, there ain't no "Peregrine Mariner" or "Peregrine Voyager" per se. Peregrine Mariner is actually the Akademik Ioffe, as mentioned previously and Peregrine Voyager is Akademik Sergei Vavilov - they are sister ships, ice rated hulls made in Finland for acoustic (USSR military anti-submarine) research in the cold war. They are well-built ships with top-notch ice-rated crew, and I would not hesitate to recommend them - I spent 22 days on the Ioffe in the "Cooke Suite" - in the days it was named the "Drake Suite." :rolleyes:

INCA has a great page with the real names, and deck charts, for the Vavilov and the Ioffe here (http://www.inca1.com/peregrinemarinerakademicioffe.html).

BUt...unfortunately, it can be confusing for would-be passengers to the Antarctic, as many companies "sheep-dip" the actual vessels with their names - hastily painted on for the season at best. A little research is good - you get to find out if the ship sold as the "Ajax Adventurer" or whatever is a retreaded fjord-cruiser or ferry, or an ice-rated shipmade for Antarctic / Arctic voyaging.

Neither one work. If I hold my mouse over either link, it shows "http://www.ta....enzing.com." It purposely removes part of the URL so it won't work.Sorry to intrude here, but I followed the link in Fiumicino's signature from a post on another thread - out of curiosity, because I loved my trip to Antarctica when I went several years ago and I was intrigued by the idea of an FT do there.

Anyway, the reason why the URL's been altered is quite simple. Go to the site via the link that now works (http://lnk.in/3jjf) and look at the full URL. Then compare it with the edited URL above: look at the letters which have been removed.

Don't you just love profanity filters? :D

Hope you all have a fabulous time when you get to the true Down Under!

Don't post much, but I'm game for this trip. Little expensive, but, imho, will be worth every penny.

Hmm.. since this is FLYERtalk...
A while back there was an Eclipse that passed over a Russian base on the continent proper. A tour group organized with the Russians a flight out of South Africa to the base. It may be possible for a group to charter such a flight, avoid turbulent times aboard a ship, and enjoy South Africa?

Hmm.. since this is FLYERtalk...
A while back there was an Eclipse that passed over a Russian base on the continent proper. A tour group organized with the Russians a flight out of South Africa to the base. It may be possible for a group to charter such a flight, avoid turbulent times aboard a ship, and enjoy South Africa?

Did more research. Cape Tour Charters out of South Africa handled the special charter for Astronomical Tours of the U.S. In case anyone wants to follow up on this option....

ALCI has a website. The have an IL-76 that can fly 80 passengers in 6 hours from Cape Town to the Novolazareskaya. Apparently 3 flights in November, 2 in February. Nothing scheduled for 2007 yet. Couldn't find pricing.

I'll be in Cape Town in July, and see if I can hunt 'em down.

"Whilst researching the 2003 eclipse, CTC made contact with Antarctic Logistic Company International, a newly formed company in South Africa, a joint venture between Meihuizen International Shipping Company, South Africa and INTAARI, of St Petersburg, Russia. The original discussions centered on vessel charter, but once it became clear that ALCI would be granted the license to land an aircraft on the mainland of the Antarctic, CTC changed focus, as the advantages of viewing an eclipse from a stable platform far outweighed a ships deck. Staff of CTC were invited to attend the first ever flight to the Antarctic, in early Dec 2001. This flight landed on a specially constructed runway at the Russian Antarctic base of Novolazareskaya. Shortly after this trip, CTC signed a cooperation agreement with ALCI, the purpose of this agreement being to promote tourism to Dromming Maud Land. Starting with the eclipse of 2003, tourism to this region will be slowly built up. Positive developments include a certain portion of the cost of each trip being used to preserve the unique qualities of the Antarctic. Tourists will be obliged to adhere to the strict code of conduct set up by ALCI and Green Peace."

Drivers, Start Your Google Engines!

KKirksea: If FT'ers plan on flying from Capetown next February, PLEASE let me know. I'll be following this thread from now on.

" Staff of CTC were invited to attend the first ever flight to the Antarctic, in early Dec 2001."Do they mean commercial flight? Planes (http://www.geocities.com/coolrunnernz/Transport/AIRCRAFT/Airplanes.htm) have been flying to Antartica for decades.

Do they mean commercial flight? Planes (http://www.geocities.com/coolrunnernz/Transport/AIRCRAFT/Airplanes.htm) have been flying to Antartica for decades.

Yeah... I think they meant for that organization, as a proof of concept of setting up a tourist option of flying to Antarctica.

Or else, it's one of those funky hyperbole translation issues from Afrikaans!

It was a long time ago, true -- but wasn't there talk of a 2007 trip? What became of it all? Not enough interest? I've been to Antarctica, and it's truly an astonishing experience -- literally unlike anywhere else on the planet, for as long as tourism doesn't ruin it. (I think that "100 person in a single spot" limit is too high, in fact.)
That said, I'd love a chance to go back!
j.

I'm going with Lindblad in December '08, if anyone wants to join my wife and myself. . .

It was a long time ago, true -- but wasn't there talk of a 2007 trip? What became of it all? Not enough interest? I've been to Antarctica, and it's truly an astonishing experience -- literally unlike anywhere else on the planet, for as long as tourism doesn't ruin it. (I think that "100 person in a single spot" limit is too high, in fact.)
That said, I'd love a chance to go back!
j.

I think, the chance to make it a FT DO is not high. If one is interessted on that place, he would do this on his own.

Unless a mistake fare to the South Pole shows up, then we'll all be there!

I think, the chance to make it a FT DO is not high. If one is interessted on that place, he would do this on his own.

Not true. Ten people are on the "interested" list in Post #1.

We need a Jumbo to USH. :)