Cruising

[ash_1050]

Off to Antarctica at the end of the year on a 14 day cruise. The less time spent on the boat the better, but it's more of an adventure trip versus the relaxation cruises that most people go on.

 

[Occidental]

I did the Antarctic trip from Ushuaia Argentina down to the Antarctic Peninsula in January 2017. Was with Quark Expeditions, a Seattle based company. Trip was called “Crossing the Circle” as we sailed below the Antarctic Circle. I think around 120 travellers on board, mostly American & Canadian with some Aussies, Kiwis, English, Japanese & Russians.
Ship was a refitted Polish commercial vessel. Ship crew mainly Russian. No luxury, but perfectly comfortable. Every day once you get down there you are twice offloaded (morning & afternoon) onto inflatable zodiacs that hold around 10 people and you scoot about making landings, or checking out glaciers & icebergs or spotting seals, penguins & whales.
We paid to camp out one night onshore in Antarctica, but never got to do it due to the weather.
Trip over the Drake Passage was super calm. Trip back was rushed as an Australian woman had fallen down stairs on board and broken her leg, so the ship roared back without dodging the weather. It was rough!
Sensational trip. The Quark crew were full of historians, biologists, geologists & glaciologists, so you were educated on where you were and what you were seeing. It was they who piloted the zodiacs.
We were scooping up crystal clear glacial ice off the ocean when on the zodiacs, bringing it back on board & putting it in our vodkas.
The wildlife - especially whales & leopard seals are amazing. The zodiacs get right up next to them.
One warning - the penguins (and you see millions) and chicks hang about in one place so the one who’s gone fishing can come back & find them. The ones on land really don’t go anywhere, so over the course of a season they end up living on a huge pile of fishy smelling knee deep shit. The little ones get covered in it. Penguins colonies really really stink! The little smelly guys come right up to you and your boots are always covered in shit.
Last day down there they offered us a “polar plunge”, they tie a rope to you and you jump off the ship from a waterline door and swim about in your swimmers for a minute. So yes, I have swum in Antarctica.
One of the real bonuses is who you meet. I had no other plan but to back pack around for a while when we got back to Argentina, but on meeting an English guy & Canadian girl on board we hit it off and travelled together for a few weeks once we got back.
Great trip, but it certainly ain’t cheap.

 

[ash_1050]

I did the Antarctic trip from Ushuaia Argentina down to the Antarctic Peninsula in January 2017.

Much appreciated for the writeup to get a bit of an idea what I can expect!

 

[Bay Giant]

Did 2 B2B cruises on the Symphony in May. Western & Eastern Caribbean. Absolutely brilliant 2 weeks.

Highly recommend.

 

[Faz 2000]

I’ve not been cruising, but I have to admit I like the look of the European river cruises. Seems like it could be a cool way to sample 5-10 countries, then head back to spend more time in the ones that appealed. A miscellaneous ocean cruise doesn’t grab me.

 

[Bay Giant]

I’ve not been cruising, but I have to admit I like the look of the European river cruises. Seems like it could be a cool way to sample 5-10 countries, then head back to spend more time in the ones that appealed. A miscellaneous ocean cruise doesn’t grab me.

They are heavily skewed to the older generations.

 

[Faz 2000]

I dunno, I'm pretty old.

Good tip, though. I think that's largely what's steered me away from cruises overall.

 

[Bay Giant]

I dunno, I'm pretty old.

Good tip, though. I think that's largely what's steered me away from cruises overall.

I’m 40 and the piss-up parties we have on Royal Caribbean ships are huge. They’re very, very much party ships. Princess and Cunard are for the oldies, Carnival and P&O for the housos.

 

[Peter Sidorkiewicz]

They are heavily skewed to the older generations.

This cruising mentality/perception (whatever you want to call it) is becoming outdated.

Most of the newer ships have waterslides, rock climbing walls and even some have go-kart tracks.

The cruise ship companies are trying to make cruising a family event rather than for retirees.

And some cruises have themed events such as a KISS rock band cruise and I think their is also a wrestling cruise.

Clearly they are trying to invite younger cliental to cruising.