Back from Antartica on Seabourn Venture!
Jan 16, 2024, 9:14 am
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: American Airlines, Marriott, Hertz, Avis
Posts: 145
Back from Antartica on Seabourn Venture!
I am back home and slowly returning to reality following a 3 week (20 day) journey to Antartica, South Georgia and the Falkland Islands with Seabourn on the Venture. We flew AA business JFK - BA, spent a few nights in the Park Hyatt to check out Buenos Aires - amazing city. Seabourn put us up in the Alvear Palace for a night, then chartered a very early morning JetSmart flight from BA - USH (Ushuaia) where we met the ship.
The trip was incredible and I really don't remember the last time a vacation surpassed all expectations. We saw hundreds of thousands of penguins (7 different species), seals, birds. We saw so so many icebergs including a23a (the largest). And the whales!! Humpbacks and Orcas.
Adele penguin
The ship organized two expedition type events per day - a zodiac cruise, a landing/hike, etc. Outside of those, the expedition team would be hanging out in observation areas to share info & answer questions, or there were lots of lectures & presentation about history, wildlife and so on.
This is the first cruise I've ever been on where I literally watched every single thing presented, everything was that good and interesting. The expedition team was top notch, all absolutely fascinating people who have dedicated their lives to research (because how else do people end up with experience in conditions like that) with incredible knowledge & stories to share.
I have also never spent so much time just staring out the window. The water is ALIVE once you get far enough south - penguins and seals and whales everywhere you look - and it's amazing to watch. This isn't a trip for big parties or entertainment on board. We were always too tired from the day's activities and really only wanted to look outside anyway....and the sun doesn't set, so you really are deciding if you're going to watch whales or sleep. Very tough decision to make.
mated king penguin pair
Antartica is extraordinary for the ice/water, the sunlight, the scenery - so so many icebergs, frozen water, etc. South Georgia and the Falklands were extraordinary for the wildlife and is where we got the most up close and personal with penguins/seals/birds and where we saw the largest numbers of them. It is amazing what happens when humans get out of the way and let nature do its thing.
To summarize - the trip was amazing, any gripes or grumbles I may have are minimal and nitpicky. Everyone should have it on their bucket list. All the companies end up going to the same spots and showing you the same sites (they all have to follow the same rules from IAATO). Just make sure you go with a company that has zodiacs and does landings, the rest is gravy and the penguins don't care how much you paid.
Oh and all pics taken with an iphone 15 pro max (and I'm no photographer). No fancy lens or camera needed, the scenery did all of the heavy lifting.
View from Bow Lounge on Seabourn Venture in Antarctica
Happy to answer any questions anyone has!
The trip was incredible and I really don't remember the last time a vacation surpassed all expectations. We saw hundreds of thousands of penguins (7 different species), seals, birds. We saw so so many icebergs including a23a (the largest). And the whales!! Humpbacks and Orcas.
Adele penguin
The ship organized two expedition type events per day - a zodiac cruise, a landing/hike, etc. Outside of those, the expedition team would be hanging out in observation areas to share info & answer questions, or there were lots of lectures & presentation about history, wildlife and so on.
This is the first cruise I've ever been on where I literally watched every single thing presented, everything was that good and interesting. The expedition team was top notch, all absolutely fascinating people who have dedicated their lives to research (because how else do people end up with experience in conditions like that) with incredible knowledge & stories to share.
I have also never spent so much time just staring out the window. The water is ALIVE once you get far enough south - penguins and seals and whales everywhere you look - and it's amazing to watch. This isn't a trip for big parties or entertainment on board. We were always too tired from the day's activities and really only wanted to look outside anyway....and the sun doesn't set, so you really are deciding if you're going to watch whales or sleep. Very tough decision to make.
mated king penguin pair
Antartica is extraordinary for the ice/water, the sunlight, the scenery - so so many icebergs, frozen water, etc. South Georgia and the Falklands were extraordinary for the wildlife and is where we got the most up close and personal with penguins/seals/birds and where we saw the largest numbers of them. It is amazing what happens when humans get out of the way and let nature do its thing.
To summarize - the trip was amazing, any gripes or grumbles I may have are minimal and nitpicky. Everyone should have it on their bucket list. All the companies end up going to the same spots and showing you the same sites (they all have to follow the same rules from IAATO). Just make sure you go with a company that has zodiacs and does landings, the rest is gravy and the penguins don't care how much you paid.
Oh and all pics taken with an iphone 15 pro max (and I'm no photographer). No fancy lens or camera needed, the scenery did all of the heavy lifting.
View from Bow Lounge on Seabourn Venture in Antarctica
Happy to answer any questions anyone has!
Jan 17, 2024, 7:48 pm
#2
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: San Jose, Costa Rica
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum
Posts: 1,894
I'd love to hear more. I realize it's summer there, but what kind of temps did you experience? In that photo you took from the bow lounge, your fellow passengers don't look too terribly bundled up. 
Jan 18, 2024, 11:32 am
#3
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: American Airlines, Marriott, Hertz, Avis
Posts: 145
Temps were mostly in the 20s, and water temp for our polar plunge was about 28 (salt lets it go below freezing). The only time I got REALLY cold was during a zodiac tour, it hadn't quite clicked with me beforehand that a zodiac tour meant sitting on a freezing cold hunk of plastic for an hour, so my butt was freezing 
I wore an additional layer for future long zodiac rides and was fine! Nowhere near as cold as I expected.
Seabourn provided the orange parkas and a down puffer to wear underneath which was great and warm - that plus a few warm layers, wool socks & waterproof pants snd we were good to go.
I wore an additional layer for future long zodiac rides and was fine! Nowhere near as cold as I expected.Seabourn provided the orange parkas and a down puffer to wear underneath which was great and warm - that plus a few warm layers, wool socks & waterproof pants snd we were good to go.
Jan 19, 2024, 12:07 pm
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: American Airlines, Marriott, Hertz, Avis
Posts: 145
Yes definitely - we were told there were a few places in South Georgia they would have wanted to take us, but couldn't due to Avian Flu, also one zodiac ride that would have been a landing to view a beach covered with seals and penguins.
That said, I don't feel like I missed out on anything, and really feel very lucky. What's is open or closed changes pretty regularly and applies to everyone visiting.
South Georgia is an incredible place, and an example of what nature can do when we just get out of its way and let it recover. So there are tons of other restrictions to make sure it remains unspoiled and nothing is brought onto the island, including a dog coming onboard to check for rats before landing (rats - brought by whalers - had destroyed the native bird population by eating their eggs, but they're recovering now!), a person from South Georgia on board monitoring our preparations as we were the first Seabourn trip there this year, and lots more.
While I would like to say I hope the avian flu thing blows over, the belief of those on the expedition team we spoke to was that it is going to be an ongoing issue for a very long time
That said, I don't feel like I missed out on anything, and really feel very lucky. What's is open or closed changes pretty regularly and applies to everyone visiting.
South Georgia is an incredible place, and an example of what nature can do when we just get out of its way and let it recover. So there are tons of other restrictions to make sure it remains unspoiled and nothing is brought onto the island, including a dog coming onboard to check for rats before landing (rats - brought by whalers - had destroyed the native bird population by eating their eggs, but they're recovering now!), a person from South Georgia on board monitoring our preparations as we were the first Seabourn trip there this year, and lots more.
While I would like to say I hope the avian flu thing blows over, the belief of those on the expedition team we spoke to was that it is going to be an ongoing issue for a very long time
Jan 19, 2024, 5:33 pm
#6
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: San Jose, Costa Rica
Programs: AAdvantage Platinum
Posts: 1,894
A brief foray outdoors when it's 20 degrees is totally doable. Oh, I'm sure you're right. An hour of it sitting on a plastic seat would be no fun. 
'
What about crossing the Drake Passage? How rough was that?
'What about crossing the Drake Passage? How rough was that?
Jan 25, 2024, 7:12 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Mar 2017
Programs: American Airlines, Marriott, Hertz, Avis
Posts: 145
I sail monohull keelboats for fun, so my opinion of the Drake is probably a little off compared to most!! That being said - on the way there, we left Ushuaia a good 12 hrs later than planned to skip some crazy weather. We still had had some movement, but winds were 20-30 knots or so, 5 meter waves, maybe? nothing compared to what it could have been!!
And we definitively had the drake lake on the way out heading up to South Georgia, barely any real rocking at all.
It is all just luck of the draw, I remember hearing at the time that the ship leaving right after ours hit terrible waves & wind. I was all ready to experience the worst of it, but am not complaining with what we had.
And we definitively had the drake lake on the way out heading up to South Georgia, barely any real rocking at all.
It is all just luck of the draw, I remember hearing at the time that the ship leaving right after ours hit terrible waves & wind. I was all ready to experience the worst of it, but am not complaining with what we had.