Luxury Cruise Talk Logo

Keene Luxury Travel
800-856-1155 · 972-701-9292
Join Our Mailing List · Email us

Who's Online Now
7 registered members (Yallcruise, Ralph W., Ngaire, Davefr, DennisK, Jim B, 1 invisible), 816 guests
Newest Members
DennisK, SuprDave, BarbD, johnsmithpmt, Juliehoover(41381 Registered Users)
Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Page 6 of 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201931 01/31/12 02:47 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,084
petlover Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,084
WOW...he is one bright (and VERY LUCKY) 14 year old. Way to go Brayden!! What a great job you did.


Marcie

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201932 01/31/12 03:04 PM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,868
Betty K Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 4,868
Brayden did a great job ! Enjoyed reading every word and feeling his enthusiasm ! Yes, he is a very lucky young man.
cheer


Betty

[Linked Image from i4.photobucket.com]
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201933 01/31/12 03:22 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
ssclbc Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
Back home after 36 hours of nonstop travel including a 4.5 hour drive from Dallas to Houston. My kitties must have missed me, Gato left me a lovely present of a peed up bed. Now my hot water tank is on the blink. No nap, no shower....I'd really like to be back on the Silver Explorer right about now.


Lauri
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201934 01/31/12 03:49 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
sedona Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
Sadly, our trip had to come to an end.  This has been an absolutely incredible trip, up there with our three safaris to South Africa. We were told it was a definite bucket list trip, but to be prepared for evil weather experiences. Not that the weather would be much colder than Northeastern winter cold, (though we didn't believe folks), but the seas could be brutal. 

The weather was so magnificent, that the team tried to describe how unusual the weather was for us. First, we were told our one "bad" day was typical for most days with our 20 foot swells being the norm. Swells are wind waves and i was told that a 40 foot wind wave situation is normally to be expected for 2 to 3  days.  We packed pressure bands and medication patches a s preparation. The crew keeps telling us that our blue skies, lack of any wind and glass like water are just abnormal. We actually made two landings just not done for a normal cruise.

When we arrived in Ushuaia on the 13th, it was sunny. On the 29th (earlier than our  anticipated 30th arrival date due to calm seas), the sun was also out, it was warm, and we hit the town for a nice walk pre dinner. On the 30th, it was a bit chillier, but not uncomfortable, but rain clouds loomed. As our flight took off, the rain started to come down.

There were a number of many special or unusual treats happened on this cruise. 

A penguin landed in a zodiac
$11000 was offered, the highest ever, for a map of our voyage, at our auction
No landing was missed
2 special landings were achieved
Perfect weather for all landings 
We saw a blue whale alongside a fin whale...a rare sighting
We saw an orca pod of whales hunting humpback whales

Elephant Island: Special landing

For the past 10 years, the Silver Explorer has never been able to land a zodiac on Deception Island. In fact, For every 40,000 people who visit Antarctica, only 175 visitors on average visit this Island per annum. The crew had bern kidding us at every debriefing that the weather had been so extraordinarily good for us, that maybe we would be the cruise that would break the curse. We were told, while unlikely, that if we heard the term, "wear boots for a wet landing," we might try to go ashore at Port Wild.  Doug an I were in the later zodiac group and couldn't see whether or not the first group got ashore. We got into the zodiac and were quickly whisked away to the island to the exact spot where Shackleton had landed. We were running against time, as the tide had waned and bare, slippery rocks remained. There were towels draped over the rocks to help us with our footing and we were met with chinstrap penguins with a gentoo every here or there. Exhilarated by the sheer joy of standing on the spot where Shackleton 's men actually lived, we then topped this off with a fantastic zodiac ride around the area. Our most rewarding part of the day, however, was seeing the great joy in our Captain and the expedition team in their accomplishment. We gave them a rousing cheer at the afternoon briefing.

Antarctica

Traveling from Elephant Island to Antarctica, we really didn't know what to expect. We saw one very small iceberg near Elephant Island and passed one huge Home Depot sized boxy looking one during dinner. Doug set the alarm for 3:30am to watch the sunrise since it was important to him to see a sunrise over Antarctica. I never feel the urge to see them anywhere in the world and consider myself a sunset girl. I figure I can always enjoy one of Doug's 500+ pictures during waking hours. He did say the  sunrise was an incredible orange and well worth his efforts and i am looking forward to seeing the results on our wall somewhere. That day was going to be bad enough for me, a preferred late riser, with a 5:30am wake up call. Disembarkation was at 7am, It would be a long day with the sunset not until 10:07pm and lasting close to an hour. Darkness never seems to come. Twilight lingers till sunrise.

Brown Bluff is where we first set foot on Antarctica.   We really overdressed. The temperature was about 34 degrees, but there wasn't a bit of wind and the skies were blue. The overdressing bit had been would continue to be a constant theme throughout the trip. First the hat would come off, then the scarf, then the gloves, then the jacket would be unzipped. 

This is where we met the little adelie penguins.  These are the penguins you think of as wearing little tuxedos and are the stereotypical image of a penguin. Sadly, the Adelie population has declined about 65% over the past 25 years due to ice melt and scarcity of food. This little penguin, along with the Emperor Penguin, is the most southerly distributed species.  The  Adelie penguins march up and down the beach en masse, hundreds at a time. They all move in the same regimented direction. Sometimes they turn to go into the water. They don't all go in at once, because if one stops, they all stop. It's kind of like a marching band. 

We were asked to step away from the water and give them clearance so as not to interrupt their ritual. So, we all watched from behind. They weren't bothered by us and really ignored us. We then walked on to the rookery and noticed the interaction with the chicks. The chicks stayed close by with their adults and didn't display the curiosity of the gentoo or king chicks. In fact, we were asked to stand back here as well as we were told they were timid and easily spooked. They seemed to get on well with the gentoos on the beach and followed them about and integrated well.

Some chose to take a glacier hike, but i was enraptured with the gentoo babies. The highlight of my day was being adopted by a gentoo chick. As I sat on the beach, a cute little woolybear came out of the water and inspected me then lay down at my feet. He inched closer up my leg until he was sitting in my lap. He nestled contentedly there, a flipper on each thigh, and his head on my arm for at least a half an hour. He then looked up at me and then got up and sat down next to me for awhile, before deciding i wasn't his mom. These chicks are the most loving little creatures and wandered around like little puppies to many of us looking for comfort. This delightful respite was interrupted by a holler from someone from the team of "leopard seal."  Speeding through the water was a huge snake like figure with a large gaping mouth with nasty looking teeth coasting close to the shore. This seal was cruising for penguins, a staple of his diet. This seal is even known to attack people and one has killed a scuba diver. 


Antarctic Journeying

Robin, our expedition team leader explained that the Weddell Sea was packed with ice this year and normal landing stops were not as passable this year. However, the Lemaire channel was beautiful and would offer us more interesting sights but would require no stops for our first  Antarctic  afternoon as we would have a far distaff to travel. There would be great scenic viewing, nevertheless.

The next morning was an early 5 am wake up call and it was spectacular. I was up on deck by 6.  We all gathered on deck and wove in and out of large rock walls covered in mist and glacial ice. Our ship was not an ice breaker, but the next class up and we broke our way through growlers ( less than 1 meter...they get the name by the sound they make by hitting a wooden ship) and bergy bits (about 3 to 8 feet above the waves) in search of life in the channel. 

Every now and then, a pod of penguins porpoised in and out of the ice and the ship would slow down so we could have a closer look at the mellow crab eater seals lounging on the ice floe. We luckily got the slow boat as we didn't want the zodiac ride to end. I felt I had landed in a magic crystal glass land, where blues were so turquoise and waters so clear you could see to the bottom. We expected cold, windy zodiac rides. We could have sunbathed alongside the seals.

That afternoon we had our first opportunity to get up close and personal with the wonderful world of icebergs as the expedition team had decided to change course and take us to an iceberg graveyard and Neko Harbor.

Day 2 in Antarctica was filled with traveling the most famous Antarctic fjord, the Lemaire Channel. This channel is known for spectacular scenery, which alternatively looks like the Alps and ice sculptures rising out of the sea. The fact that the sky was robin's egg blue, the sun glistening and the sea shimmering like glass added to the effect. We entered through Cape Renard and two pointy peaks that I thought looked like the Grand Tetons but Antarcticans call Una's Tits. Una sure has big tits. We were treated again to zodiac tours and landing at Neko Harbor, a very magnificent site.

If the penguins, icebergs, scenery and weather were not enough, the expedition team wanted to ensure we had the full experience. Some teams had seen a leopard seal and others an up close humpback whale experience. As we came to the beach to get on the zodiac, we were asked if we, too, would like to also go out to see what we had missed and zodiacs were filled up with folks to take them to see animals found by other groups before we returned to the ship. The expedition team went above and beyond. 

That night at dinner, we got a call on the loudspeaker...6 or 8 orcas were chasing 2 humpbacks and  a baby humpback. The bridge and front deck were opened and the expedition team explained we were seeing a pursuit to kill the baby. The humpback breached, raised its tail during a dive, spy hopped ( putting the head out of the water to check us out), right next to the ship for protection and the Orcas circled.  After about an hour of this, the captain thought it was best to move on and let nature take it's course, but the entire expedition team said it was like something out of National Geographic. What a day! We left the Antarctic Peninsula on such a high.  

The next day we had moved to the Shetland Islands, home to Deception Island. There is an active volcano here that was home to one of the earliest science bases. It gets it's name from the fact that the prescribe of a harbor is deceptive.  Here we took a cruise through a gap in the volcanic island known as Neptune's Bellows and then a morning walk along the walls of the caldera. The volcano most recently erupted in 1970 and destroyed  the scientific bases. We sailed by the L'Austral whose cruisers were visiting Whaler's Bay, a historic site. I had heard that the shorelines sometimes geothermally heated and is comfortable for swimming, so I had a bathing suit on for a polar plunge, but by the looks on folks' faces there was no way the water was heated in any way, shape or matter. Also, everyone was taking photos. No way my clothes were coming off to be frozen and preserved for posterity. Those who peeled off, were very proud, and like those sunrise photos, I lived vicariously.

Our unexpected  afternoon treat was Baily Head, the home to 130,000 chinstraps abd normally " boisterous surf." Zodiacs rarely land there as the swell is so severe in this cove, guests have been injured in the past. However, the seas were ever so calm, the team decided we would again have another special treat. We had to be careful not to disrupt their frenzied flow of commuting penguins to the sea.  On the way to the sea, they were thin and filthy; on the way from the sea, they were glistening white with their bellies so full, they could barely waddle or walk straight. Some fell over and fell asleep in their tracks.

More Penguin Stuff 

I am now feeling quite expert on penguins having now seen 7 different varieties of them.  I never realized that they all came in so many sizes and shapes and had so many different personalities and habits.   There are really about 18 different species of penguins and we only scratched the surface. They are broken into crested (macaroni and rockhopper), brush tail (chinstraps, and great penguins (king and emperor) and those like the Magellanic that do not fall in any category.  It's hard to believe that they began with a penguin that was reddish in color and 6 feet tall, considering what they seem to now all have in common is their smallish stature and black and white coloring. If you ever wondered why penguins are black and white it is to stave off predators. From the sky, their black backs blend in with the dark sea; from below the sea, their white bellies blend in with the light sky. Their normal swimming style is porpoising and diving, but sometimes, they will leisurely float like ducks.

They all look pretty identical, so the only way they really can identify one another is vocally. In order to do this, they are equipped with a very unique sound box with 2 vocal chords. This sound box can make sounds exponentially so they are unique and identifiable to each penguin.

They are really so distinct, we each have our own favorites. They really have little brains and are probably the most stupid animals but they are very, very cute. There is nothing funnier than watching a penguin who keeps waking a falling flat on it's face or keeps jumping up on a ledge and falling off.... Because they never seem to learn. They are true klutzes.

Doug likes the crested variety of penguin, specifically, the rock hopper. He loved the way they  dived off cliffs and once they hit the water, would come back on shore, climb up the big hill, stand in line and do it again, like kids at a pool diving board. I liked the gentoos, especially the chicks. I thought they were so cute; the way they would make their little snow tracks and slide down. They were incredibly gentle with their chicks and their chicks were very loving. They would come cuddle up with us and loved human interaction. The chinstraps were the Harley Davidson group. They were the ones with the helmets. They were quite attractive when cleaned up, but were often filthy. Their rookeries were the most noisy, messy and haphazard. They constantly fought with one another. The chicks weren't docile and clean like the gentoo chicks, but tough little guys covered in poo, screeching up a storm. There was a fight amongst them every few minutes. These were the South Bronx penguins, The adults marched around pushing their way along their penguin superhighways. Quite a sight to be seen. Then, there were the regal and beautiful kings. They were quiet and mellow. They preened and strutted their stuff through their rookeries. They all had their assigned roles and followed them accordingly. Chicks seemed to even be fed in unison. Only the older chicks appeared mischievous and would check us out and come up to us. The adults would walk among us but were above much interaction. The Adelies were the silly group. They look like what we think of a traditional penguin, all black with a white belly. They are the lemmings. The do everything in unison. They all march in one direction, and if one turns (often a gentoo), the entire lot ( perhaps 100 of them) turn too.  If they start to go into the water and one stops, all the rest do too. It is amazing. These are the good little soldiers. They are timid, don't interact with humans, so we had to give them room so as not to frighten them. As far as the magellanic penguins, they were curious, didn't seem too fearful of humans and were casual in nature as they popped out of their burrows to go down to the sea. I never got a feel for the macaroni penguins. We never got to see the Emperor penguin as they reside too far south.

You really can't leave the topic of penguins without delving into the area of  the penguin poopology. Have you ever wondered why penguins walk so funny? They eat a lot and none of it is fibre. Penguins eat the equivalent of a person eating 600 quarter pounders in one hour. So, a lot comes out. You can even tell what they eat by what cold their poop is: red is krill; white is fish; green is fasting. They also build up incredible pressure in their bowels: 1200 pounds per sq. foot per 280 pounds per square foot for a person.  Now, they also eat pellets. Can, you imagine how far and fast they can squirt? It's like

Seals

As our time in Antarctica continued, we were introduced to other varieties of seals, but ever so different ones.  The darling fur seals and the unusual elephant seals were ever so unlike one another. Now, we had met this carnivorous snake like creature. Our next introduction would be to the crab eater seal, who really doesn't eat crabs since crabs don't exist in Antarctica. The Norwegian word for krill is krebb and so it was misnamed. This is a gentle seal, with a springer spaniel face. Our next introduction was to the weddell seal with a Persian cat face. This large seal is so docile that during Antarctic blizzards, which can occur suddenly, scientists would run to the weddell seal for shelter and it would wrap its flippers around them to protect them and check on them by sniffing their faces, the downside being fish breath.  Before I went here, i thought there were just seals.  Now, i realize there are seals with dog like personalities, cat like personalities, huge elephant like seals and serpentine carnivorous seals. And, I have only scratched the surface.


Ushuaia 

Our final two days at sea were somewhat sad. We didn't want this trip to end. We, thankfully, could all stay together, as the Drake Passage was smooth and permitted our continued socialization. Lectures continued to be excellent, but the grand finale was the movie prepared by the ship photographer, Richard Sidley. We all gathered to relive our 17 days in an  hour an 10 minute movie and he captured it so well. We were all moved.

We arrived into Ushusia and two ships were already getting set to depart. Two others joined us later that evening. It was nice to set foot on land after two days at sea. When the Princess pulled up next to us, we were so tiny, we looked like a lifeboat. We were half the physical size of the Boreal. The Silver Explorer never felt claustrophobic to us.

Ushuaia is a pretty little port town, small in size, with a 10 block main street. Most of the stores are geared to separate tourists from their money. There were shops filled with Ushuaia and Antarctic mementos, a few leather shops, lots of sports goods / outdoor gear  stores, chocolate and wine stores and camera shops. If you had lost your luggage, you would have been able to replenish. Sprinkled throughout the town, were a few museums and restaurants. Most of the town is focused on Patagonia and tourism with visits to rookeries, boat trips and hiking tours.

We learned that, if you are adventuresome, you can go standby and purchase Antarctic trips up to 50% off of retail. In some cases, folks said you can do this up to 2 months in advance. Silverseas tickets were available.

However, as excellent as the Silverseas cruise and service levels were, the charter arrangements were weak. Going to Ushuaia, we got to the domestic terminal in BA by personally arranged taxis. Seat assignments on their charter flight were assigned randomly. Once in Ushuaia, we had no available luggage carts and the luggage took forever. It was a virtual madhouse. The only thing preventing havoc was the courtesy of  all the passengers to one another. Ground personnel was useless. The food on the flight was awful. We really could have arranged our own flights to Ushuaia for less money. Since Silversea charters this LAN flight, they should improve the service. The return was worse. We were pick up in busses from the ship at 9 and left to our own devices until 11 and had to wait for the chartered 1:30 flight.  On board food was awful. Many were smart enough to purchase overpriced sandwiches and snacks at the airport. Luggage took forever. We took Silverseas' transfer, which didn't arrive until 6:20 and had to load our own luggage and  wait until everyone else's was loaded. We didn't get to the airport until 7:30 ish and almost missed our 9:39 flight. I suggest that Silversea rethink these arrangements. It left a perfectly lovely trip on a sour note. We wish we had decided on a post BA trip to reduce the stress levels and wished we chose to go to the airport independently.

Itinerary and other things

Moving on to the positive note, our itinerary was perfect and I highly recommend looking for an itinerary that matches the following. 

Buenos Aires  5 day pre trip: You could break this up in a pre and post trip. Buenos Aires is an elegant, European style city with a number of optional excursions.
Travel day to Ushuaia: This really could have been part of a pre trip too as it is the beginning of Patagonia. For us, it was a travel day and the beginning of our cruise. I wish we could have flown independently.
1 sea day which was the first day of our cruise
2 days in the Falkland Islands...rock hopper penguins, albatrosses, Magellanic penguins, king penguins, gentoo penguins, sheep.  I already have described our trip there in previous trip reports.
2 sea days..en route to South Georgia
3 days in South Georgia...King Penguins en mass, Shackleton history, loads of fur seals, elephant seals, gentoo penguins, Shackleton gravesite, museums, whaling village. This was as much of a history stop as nature stop. Visited Grytviken (history), Gold Harbor, Cooper Bay, chinstrap penguin colony and macaroni penguins. Wealth of wildlife.   I already have described our trip there in previous trip reports.
2 Sea days
1 day Elephant island.  No, it wasn't famous for the wild elephants of Antarctica, but named either for elephant seals or its elephant shape. "Wild by name and by nature," this small area of rocks is where 21 of Shackleton's men spent 105 days stranded. It was here that they lived in overturned lifeboats waiting for Shackleton to return from South Georgia with a rescue team.
2 days in Antarctica: Brown Bluff, Lemaire Channel, Neko Harbor, one of the most beautiful places in Antarctica.
1 day Deception Island, Shetland Islands,  which is home to an active caldera. This is also the place to take the polar plunge. This is where we also, due to the rare good weather, were able to visit Bailey Head, a chinstrap penguin rookery of 130,000 penguins located outside of the cauldera. 
2 sea days in the Drake Passage: points of interest are "huge swells & rough seas, Antarctic Convergence, Seasick bags, Cape Horn, the ceiling above your bed."
 1 travel day home from Ushuaia (switch at Buenos Aires domestic to international airports.

You must realize that even if you were to take this same trip, you might experience quite different excursions. I understand that it is rare that one even gets to make all the landings. Weather, wind and ice conditions dictate each excursion. 

I thought our first day in the Falklands that this would happen to us, but this expedition team made every landing happen. When our expedition leader checked  the shores for a successful landing for our 2 pm excursion on Saunders Island in the Falklands, he determined the zodiacs couldn't safely bring us ashore. He and the captain studied the coves and rerouted us and we had a 4 pm excursion instead. Everything was just pushed off timing wise. No excursion was cut short either. In fact, the team would add things in  they found for us and call us to the decks, even during dinner.

Each evening, Robin West, our excursion leader and our captain, Alexander Golubev, looked at all these factors and mapped out our daily activities. However, due to our fine weather, we often had surprises each morning. We had something to the effect of "we have never had weather like this. Therefore, we are not going to land at X but believe we can land at y where we can rarely consider landing due to high swells."  Our skies were blue for 16 of the 17 days. The team kept saying to us: "I bet you think we are lying about the terrible conditions down here. " So, they showed us film clips.  We donated our hand and toe warmers to the ship.

Robin shared with us that months in advance he had to secure time slot allocations by routes once they became available in a computer system defined by the IOTTA. The expedition leader must sit down with a map and schedules and determine the optimal mix per cruise.  Spreadsheets are created and re- entered until allocations are set for each cruise. Cruise lines continuously adjust their schedules and availability changes, swapping with other ships, so spreadsheets must be continuously reviewed and updated. There were 8 route mappings for our cruise alone.

In addition, not all Antarctic trips are the same. This is a long trip which includes more than just Antarctica. There are shorter versions of 10 to 14 days, in which you have subsets of our trip. The advantage of our trip is that you get the dreaded Drake Passage only once. With the other trips, you get it coming and going--4 days of it. The Drake, named for Sir Francis Drake, is a rite of passage for Antarctic tourists. It the narrower portion of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current, and is squeezed through land masses around the southern tip of South America. It is infamous for having some of the roughest seas in the world. Our luck seems persisted and we experienced calm conditions known as "Drake Lake" caused by low pressure weather systems in the area.

We were lucky to be able to have made this trip, as the number of ships to travel to Antarctica will decrease over the next few years. This is due to the fact that for environmental issues, ships must only burn marine gas oil and fewer ships will be equipped for this, thus causing current vessels to drop out of the equation.

Post-mortem

Not to be pushy, but one really should add this trip to the top of your list. Silverseas does an exceptional job, but if it doesn't meet your personal pocket book or style, just make sure you do it.

Andrea 
Sent from my iPad

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201935 02/01/12 03:34 AM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,761
seadog Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,761
Andi, Thank you for all the fascinating SeaMail. Wonderful reporting as always. I'm re-reading you NILE "sand mail" in anticipation of NILE 2! Alice and I are going to Idaho Friday for a week of skiing. Then when we return we have 24 days until we're off to Cairo!

I'm so glad it was a great trip for everyone. What a great group of adventurers... diverse in many ways. I think many ZODIACers dreamed of this trip for about as long as Brayden has been alive. What a lucky kid indeed.

So many times I found myself sticking my laptop in front of people's faces in conferences rooms at work to show them the amazing photos! Thanks to everyone who posted them!

Welcome home All!

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201936 02/01/12 09:15 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,369
Beth Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,369
Well, I walked in my front door about 45 minutes ago. Glad to be home, but so wanting to be back on the Silver Explorer in Antarctic waters....... What a great group of people to cruise with.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201937 02/01/12 04:19 PM
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,667
coffeecup Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,667
thank you all so much. such good and excited writers one and all. it is the definition of a trip of a lifetime, that's for sure.
again, what a great bunch you all are.


Diane

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201938 02/01/12 04:34 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,641
joannapv Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,641
Diane I bought power ball tix for Fl - 170 mill -so sure I will win - plan any trip that interests you & LCTers ... maybe a Regent charter??? :) :) :app: :app:


Joanna
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201939 02/01/12 04:57 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,967
jhp Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,967
Diane's right, some trips, land or sea are sometimes just magic, trip of a lifetime, with the right combo of itinerary, weather AND people. You all didn't have the evil weather (Andi's words) to deal with as well. Just a wonderful trip, and thanks for taking the rest of us along!

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201940 02/01/12 05:13 PM
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,667
coffeecup Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,667
Joanna--be still my heart.


Diane

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201941 02/02/12 03:03 PM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,440
G
gf Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
G
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,440
Welcome home, all! Loved all the reports and pix! Can we look forward to post-cruise impressions, etc.? (Greedy, aren't I?)


Another Kathy
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201942 02/02/12 03:57 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
ssclbc Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
I've put a few photos up at https://plus.google.com/photos/116813870456976461677/albums/5704699381763142625
Unfortunately they didn't load in any order and I haven't captioned or edited most of them but I'll keep working on them.


Lauri
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201943 02/02/12 04:45 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,407
Betty Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,407
I'm getting ready to watch both disks. Poor Clay will probably be sick of these soon, but just have given him the Dom Pérignon. That should make him happy. Tomorrow - t-shirts. :app:


Betty
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201944 02/02/12 09:30 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
sedona Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
I have brought home the Betty-Andrea crud and feel awful. I am sick. sick. sick. At least it waited til I was home and I am only spoiling work.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201945 02/03/12 02:14 AM
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,335
A
AndreaN Offline OP
cruiser
OP Offline
cruiser
A
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,335
Oh Andi I'm so sorry you got sick! Hope you feel better soon - and that your boss is understanding!

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201946 02/03/12 04:28 AM
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,667
coffeecup Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,667
Not sick! tea and drugs


Diane

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201947 02/03/12 04:42 AM
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,078
Leslie B Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 2,078
Great photos, Lauri! The google+ interface is nice too.


Leslie

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201948 02/03/12 04:51 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 447
pammy Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 447
This was a "Brochure" trip as Robin the expedition leader said. Unbelievable weather and seas. Only one night of rough weather and part of a day which was a sea day. The Drake passage was a Drake pond. The expedition leaders and lecturers where the best. Many had been together a long time and the group dynamics showed. Fun loving but very well educated and trained. The stops, as you can see from the photos, more than lived up to what we had hoped for. Fellow passengers were a well traveled non complaining group who were there to learn and have an adventure. Ages between 14 and 80's with many in 40-60 range. The ship is good for an expedition ship though the soft goods need a little update. The food was ok to good with a few very good dishes. The staff ranged from"I want to take them home" to "Is it really such and effort to wait on us and get a second cup of coffee"
If you are considering this trip GO. Silver Seas does a great job. This is an expedition ship so don't expect everything to be at a 5 star level. You are at the bottom of the world.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201949 02/03/12 05:12 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,084
petlover Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 10,084
Just so happy your trip was such a big success. We sure loved all your great reports and pictures.

Get well soon Andi & Betty :hug:


Marcie

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201950 02/03/12 07:12 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
ssclbc Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
I've worked on the photos a bit more. Some have labels now but the order is still messed up. I'll keep at it.

How did I manage to avoid the crud when I was rooming with one of the sickos? Just kidding Andrea, you were THE BEST ROOMMATE EVER!!!!!!


Lauri
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201951 02/03/12 09:04 AM
Joined: Jan 1970
Posts: 712
Kimmi Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Jan 1970
Posts: 712
I am overwhelmed listening to your words....and seeing the pics :nw: Thank you guys for documenting this journey so well. This is the one trip that I feel a "need" to experience. Sooo, since most of you have been on Safari's, the big question....if you could only do one...which would it be? Antarctica or Africa???? I know they are completely different trips, but which was your trip of a lifetime?


Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201952 02/03/12 09:25 AM
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,511
Ms Understood Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,511
I have done both, Kimmi and until I went to Africa always said Antarctica was the best trip ever, now: tie score. If you put a gun to my head, I couldn't chose. Hope others are more helpful!
----------------
Helen

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201953 02/03/12 09:34 AM
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 803
Ralph W. Online
cruiser
Online
cruiser
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 803
Africa is addictive. Antarctica is more a one time thing.

IMHO

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201954 02/03/12 10:27 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
sedona Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
Agree totally with Ralph. However, there are other considerations. Africa is a lot cheaper. You can't really do Antarctica if you are handicapped. You also need more time for Antarctica. Time, money, health. If you have them, I'd do Antarctica first. You can keep going back to South Africa till you are really old.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201955 02/03/12 12:02 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
ssclbc Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
Antarctica is not a trip for wimps. I agree with Andi, if you think you're going to do both, do Antarctica first.


Lauri
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201956 02/03/12 12:53 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,419
DougW Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,419
Ralph is totally right. Antarctica was -really- a trip of a life-time. AND, given the outstanding weather we were blessed to experience, a return trip could never measure up.
Africa, on the other hand, is always different AND, as Ralph says: addictive.
But one must wonder what it would be like to drive up to 250,000 lions. Maybe not such a good idea. Penguins might be safer.

I would also agree that if you are thinking of Antarctica, sooner rather than later would be better.
Normal health considerations, of course, are part of the calculation. But, also, travel restrictions are growing as to the number of people allowed per year. That means fewer beds and higher prices. I doubt that that trend will abate.

Until then, look at Lauri's pictures (link above) they are very good. A nice taste of our trip!

Doug

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201957 02/03/12 01:34 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,967
jhp Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,967
Kimmi, I'm in agreement with everyone above, except for me, Africa has a definite edge for the "entire" experience that I love repeating. I've thoroughly enjoyed my times in Cape Town and related tours out of the city (yes, even including the townships and worse), staying at Birkenhead House, the luxury of the camps that are a destination all their own with the pampering and game drives. I am a night person, but getting up at 5 a.m. before morning drives didn't bother me a lick. You won't find any night life into the wee hours on either trip!

You and John are so young and will have energy for many years. Just pick the place where your gut tells you to go, and you won't be sorry, especially if you get that miraculous weather our ZODIAC friends had. One thing, I know you are prone to sea sickness, as I am too. That is one thing you almost have to expect, it is more likely than not that you will have a few days of movement. If I had a deep pocket, though, I'd still go again to Antarctica if it did not cut into my other travel priorities.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201958 02/03/12 01:39 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,641
joannapv Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,641
"You won't find any night life into the wee hours on either trip!"

Just at Birkenhead...2 am with late nighters - Valentinos for sure! Yes, sure the camps go to bed early as you are up early...


Joanna
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201959 02/03/12 01:40 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,641
joannapv Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,641
"You won't find any night life into the wee hours on either trip!"

Just at Birkenhead...2 am with late nighters - Valentinos for sure! Yes, sure the camps go to bed early as you are up early...


Joanna
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201960 02/03/12 02:12 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
ssclbc Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,917
Thanks Doug! I know there are many better photos out there taken by our lens lads and lasses but I had fun taking them. Photos simply can't capture the awesomeness of the place.


Lauri
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201961 02/03/12 03:32 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,967
jhp Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 7,967
Lauri, I loved your pix. I can't imagine that I would see better from the lens lads, they were just great! And I went through your whole slide show!

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201962 02/03/12 04:03 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 672
FDV72 Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 672
Birkenhead was truly amazing... loved that place and it was great to stay up late and drink and everyone being loud and arguing about politics, so many laughs..

You have such a short amount of time to chill at the Game parks I remember Tom Matassa and I used to get down to the bar before dinner to just chill and enjoy the fine wines and surroundings.. The ladies would join us shortly after but after a nice long dinner it was BEDTIME!!!

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201963 02/03/12 05:20 PM
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 106
F
FandW Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
F
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 106
We are back home after a fun few days in Buenos Aries.
What a fantastic trip with great friends. How could it be any better.
Lauri, loved your photos. I am sorting through mine and have a couple which will be enlarged and put up on a wall !
Lauri if you PM me your email I have a great pic of you talking to a Chinstrap Penguin at Bailey Head colony. Do not know how to post it here.


Frank and Wendy
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201964 02/03/12 05:21 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,351
Marc Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 6,351
Quote
Originally posted by AndreaN:
Forgot I took this pic yesterday when we were leaving the ship. Thought you'd like to see how tiny the Silver Explorer looks next to the Star Princess.

[Linked Image]
Just saw this interesting article regarding the Star Princess's time (same day as ours) in Ushuaia.



Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201965 02/03/12 05:57 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
sedona Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
Thanks, this is a great article, Marc. It has so much more meaning since being there.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201966 02/04/12 05:42 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 447
pammy Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 447
Thanks Marc You always seem to find interesting but obscure articles.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201967 02/04/12 04:51 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,407
Betty Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,407
If you were on ZODIAC and bought the DVD set, was one of disks blank? My video one is perfect, the other is blank. Hopefully I didn't misunderstand what I was buying.


Betty
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201968 02/04/12 05:29 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,369
Beth Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,369
Betty, My second disk was a CD with jpegs. If you got the DVD, you have many of the photos on the CD.

Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201969 02/04/12 06:17 PM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,407
Betty Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,407
No jpegs on mine. It's blank. At least I can enjoy the video.


Betty
Re: ZODIAC Sea Mail #201970 02/05/12 03:41 AM
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
sedona Offline
cruiser
Offline
cruiser
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,471
Hi Betty, Ours is fine. If that is the case, I am sure Silversea will send you a new copy.

Page 6 of 8 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Moderated by  KarenS 

Keene Luxury Travel Offers
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3