pumatwin

Great Photos. Many Thanks

iluvdoco

Thanks for the answers MastaHanky. Just an incredible TR- Antarctica looks otherwordly.

- Any tips for last minute booking with Quark and did you consider any other operators?
- Which city did you depart from?
- Any seasickness on the Drake Passage crossing?

Sorry for all the questions. It's such an interesting destination!

MastaHanky

I paid Ł5300 for my booking, which was a private single cabin. If you are willing to share a cabin with a stranger you can get that down to below Ł4500 if you wait for the sale.

Their yearly 50%-off sale is usually the last week of September or first week of October. Flexibility is key - I cleared my entire winter (November through March), and that way when they announced the departures that were on sale I didn't have to worry about any conflicts. I looked at a few other operators and they seemed to be more luxurious (and more expensive). I'm a simple man and don't need all of that!

This particular departure was an all-inclusive. I flew into Buenos Aires, and the package included a one-night stay there and a charter flight to Ushuaia where we boarded. Other options will require you to get to Ushuaia on your own.

They also have an option to depart from Punta Arenas, Chile.

This was my biggest fear too, especially since I'm very prone to it. I went to my doctor before the trip who prescribed me some scopolamine patches, and let me tell you, they worked AMAZINGLY well. The water wasn't violent but definitely turbulent, and my body was very aware of it - but no symptoms of seasickness whatsoever. I ate everything I wanted and drank as much as I wanted with no illness at all. I did have one strange side-effect from the patch - it gave me double vision and made it difficult to do some things like read a book, but it didn't affect most of my other activities. It's vital to apply the patch a couple of hours before you board the ship - I put mine on that morning before boarding the charter flight.

248N8

This is nuts! It never crossed my mind to take time to go there but your trip report is pretty amazing looking. Your pictures are beautiful and it seems like an incredible experience. Do you have any pictures of the boat and what those two days looked like on board?

Thanks for sharing!

mike&co

Fantastic pictures, if only DanielW was there with you for the drone pics

nequine

Wow at the stunning pictures you managed to get. Sounds like you had a fantastic trip!

jtav559

Great TR! Love the pictures.

So, did you get a penguin to stamp your passport in Antarctica?

jmj9905

Great TR. My wife and I did a cruise to Antarctica in Feb. 2016 with Seaborn. It was truly a trip of a lifetime.

ffman999

Wow. Beautiful! Thank you for sharing!

1P

Amazing TR and photos! Thanks!

tjcnkc

Wow, incredible TR

Madone59

Amazing, amazing photos!!! Thank you for posting ^^

airways91

Wow! That is such an extremely cold place!

mrtrickdk

Very cool (literally!). I am going there in a few weeks, on One Ocean Expeditions and their ship Akademik Sergey Vavilov. Starting in Punta Arenas, fly to Falkland Islands (Stanley), then hop on a ship there with 90 others, and head south, and eventually crossing the Antarctic Circle. End the trip at King George Island where I take a charter jet, looks like the DAP BAe-146, from a gravel runway!)
Questions:
What did you miss the most on the trip (something you wish you brought with you)
What age group were the other travelers?

MastaHanky

I was hoping to do one of the fly-in expeditions myself - hopefully I'll have an opportunity again in the future.

A better telephoto lens! I'm missing a nice telephoto lens from my set and I had thought about renting one, but decided against it. I've been kicking myself ever since.

Personal item-wise, I brought everything I wish I had. We had a good packing list - in fact, I would probably say that I overpacked, and don't be afraid to leave a little bit of extra clothing behind.

Two things you may not think about but are absolutely necessary are sunglasses and sunscreen. The snow can be blinding on a sunny day, and even if it's freezing out, you're still susceptible to sunburn.

There was quite the broad range - I would say it was about 30% people in their late 20s-30s, 25% in their 40s-50s, 40% newly retired, and another 5% in their 70s or up. There was one lady onboard who celebrated her 80th birthday on the ship.

Nationalities were about 40% US, 40% Australian, 10% Chinese, and 10% other - mostly Canadian, but there were a few Brits, a Spaniard, and a Japanese couple on my ship.