Prion Island, South Georgia:


Small fur seal pup nursing.


Skua.


Wandering Albatross.


Southern Giant Petrel feeding its chick.


Wandering Albatross nesting.


Fur seal blocking our path back to the ship.


So many seals.

Wow these photos are awesome! I wanna go! This trip is definitely on my bucket list.

Cindy, this trip should be on everyone's bucket list! South Georgia was spectacular and met all,of my expectations. Yesterday we went ashore at Gold Harbor where we walked along in close proximity to King Penguins, fur seals, elephant seals among other creatures. I doubt there is anywhere else on earth where you can do that. In the afternoon we did a zodiac cruise in and out the coves around Cooper Bay where we were surrounded by hundreds of Gentoo penguins in the water just darting up and down. Unbelievable!
We have left South Georgia now and are heading to elephant island in Antarctica.
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Helen

Gold Harbour

Yesterday morning was outstanding.. This is a beautiful spot. The glacier in the background, bright green tussock grass, the sandy beach, ocean with surf breaking on the shore and the pools of water around filled with penguins and seals.

Calm conditions, not too cold, and wildlife everywhere. So many very active Kings, some Gentoos, elephant seals, and fur seals that were not aggressive.

The antics and behavior of the animals is what is so fun. A fur seal pup running around hitting the penguins that were laying down so they got up. The seal was having a ball with this game. The elephant seals sparring. The king standing on a rock so he was higher than the other penguins. The brown fur balls chicks bothering their mothers for food. Watching the penguins going into and out of ocean and the seals playing in the surf is priceless. The noise is fantastic too, I love the sound of a king penguin colony.

Everyone was taking pictures so many great shots. Nikon Ken you would have been in heaven we missed you. It seemed to be over all too soon. At lunch there was a buzz of excitement in the room.

Cooper Bay

In the afternoon we had a hour zodiac ride. The seals and penguins were in the water around the zodiacs that is always fun. We saw several areas with penguins but there were two highlights.

A leopard seal sleeping on a beach. I have seen them on icebergs before and in The water but not on land. So strange to see penguins all around this leopard seal as the leopard seals eat lots of penguins. When leopard seals are on land they are no threat to the penguins as the leopard seal is slow and the penguins are fast. In the water it is a whole different story. I was surprised at the size of the leopard seal it was really big. They are very agressive seals and have a snake like head.

The next highlight was a macaroni penguin colony. We were really close to them on the rocks where you could really see their unique heads, kind of like cockatoo. The colony went right up to the top of the hill. It is always amazing to see the distance the penguins travel to and from the sea.

A wonderful day and now we are at sea heading to Antarctica.

Photos From Gold Harbour:




Elephant Seals.










June made a friend.




Mary Ellen & Jim.

Ngaire & Ken.


Ralph, June, Marcie, & Tom.




This elephant seal decided to go for a swim.




A lost Gentoo Penguin.


Marcie & Tom.

As always, spectacular pics Ken. One day......:)

Photos From Cooper Bay, South Georgia:


Top to Bottom - Macaroni, Chinstrap & Gentoo Penguins. King Penguins were also seen, just not in this photo.


Macaroni Penguin.




Fred & Darla.


Leopard Seal on land is very unusual. They are usually seen on ice.

Wow, just WOW, Ken! Your pictures are incredible. What an amazing trip this is.

Photos From Grytviken, South Georgia:






Museum.


Shackleton Route to the Whaling Station.






Pathway to Shackleton's Grave.

The seas calmed down and we were actually able to operate zodiac rides around elephant island. It was cold and snowing so since I had done this six times before and landed once I decided to stay onboard. A total weanie but I was very happy onboard.

The rest of the day we sailed further south past many big icebergs. The seas continue to improve. Wonderful dinner tonight the. "Shackelton Dinner". Main course of beef Wellington or Halibut.

Today we took a zodiac cruise to an Adelie penguin colony. It was totally calm the water was super reflective. This was a great stop. We were able to get close to shore. Adelies are adorable. They copy each other and crowd at the waters edge and finally one goes in and they all follow like a pack of falling dominos. The time just flew by we were having so much fun watching the penguins. There was a giant petrel in the water also and a very large Weddell seal. Right before we came back to the ship we went to the glacier that had a lot of bright blue and was reflecting so fantastically in the water. Cannot explain the beauty we experienced this morning. The snow covered mountains, glacier, calm waters, penguins - stunning.

Got to go now about to land but when I get back I will explain June the penguin whisperer.

June the penguin whisperer.

During the mornings zodiac ride a penguin hopped into the zodiac. He walked up and down the zodiac checking it all out but settled on June and hopped onto her legs and lap. Unfortunately we were not in the same zodiac but Paul got a picture that we will get and post. Never seen that before always something new when you are dealing with nature.

This afternoon we landed at Browns Bluff. On the way to the beach we saw a leopard seal on an iceberg. Sometimes we do not even see leopard seals and we have see pin two already. Browns Bluff is one of my favorite spots. A huge cliff with a pebble beach below and both Gentoo and Adelie penguin colonies. There is a glacier on both sides of the bay and lots of icebergs in all shapes and sizes. The scenery is just like this morning, magnificent and impossible to describe. We loved watching the penguins go about their business. Building pebble nests, feeding chicks, disagreements, jumping into and out of the water. The Adelies are so funny following each other down the beach until a lead penguin takes the plunge, then they all follow. It was great to see that from the beach side since we had seen it from the zodiac side in the morning

Our zodiac arrived back at the ship and the platform and steps had been raised. The entrance to the ship was blocked by a good sized iceberg. Our zodiac driver started pushing the iceberg in different spots with the zodiac but we could not see that it was moving. After repositioning the zodiac quite a few times he got it moving. This really fascinating to watch an extra bonus to the days adventures.

Tonight hot rocks. Sitting on deck at the back eating lobster and steak we cook ourselves on the hot rocks. We have too many to do everyone in one group so we are doing half tonight and the other half tomorrow night. Always fun at least there is no wind so it might not be too cold. Of course we wear our parkas.

Photos From Hope Bay, Antarctica:


Adelie Penguins.


Giant Petrel.










Adelie, Chinstrap, Weddell Seal.


Argentina's Esperanza Station.

June's Penguin Whisperer, taken by Beth:


Adelie Penguin.










I have to go now, its been fun!!

I love June the penguin whisperer! How cool was that!

That was really neat June!

Darla's Funny Photos:


Rockhopper Penguin.


June & Ngaire.

Mikkelsen Harbour

This landing had an Adelie and Gentoo colony and there were also seals on the snow. When we arrived we landed on a beach cluttered with whale bones. We walked up a hill on the snow and on the other side was the colony with some chicks as young as two days old. Most penguins have two eggs and so cute to see two little chicks together. There was a nice little beach and an abandoned hut from an old Argentine research station. There was so much trash left behind, barrels, pieces of rusted steel. Humans certainly can mess up such a pristine environment.
We all spent time watching the penguins building nests with tiny pebbles. On the way back down a seal and moved right next to the path so that was nice. The seals in Antarctica are so different from the fur seals of South Georgia. They just lay around like big blobs of blubber, lifting their heads from time to time.

Cierva Cove
In the afternoon we went on a zodiac ride around the icebergs. Always so nice to get up close and see all the different shapes and the luminous blue of the compressed ice. The ship had the champagne with cookies And truffles served the delights in the zodiacs.

Tonight we did not rocks and it was very cold. But the lobster was terrific. Not for everyone but I enjoy it.

Neko Harbour

This is one of my favorite landing sites. There is a very active glacier that calves frequently and a very easy to reach Gentoo colony. The zodiacs were maneuvering through a lot of ice from the glacier so it took longer than usual to get ashore. The ship offered a walk up a glacier and the option to slide down for the more adventurous passengers. They all got off first. It was funny to arrive at the landing site and see both red penguins ( people in red coats) and Gentoo penguins on the slopes. This is a very short walk to the Gentoo colony and a very handy hill with lots of comfy rocks to sit on and watch the penguins with the glacier in view.

Unfortunately today the glacier did not calve as it had on previous visits. It was an overcast day but not too cold. We did see two Avalanches but that is not as neat to watch as the calving and the subsequent wave action.

I was sorry to leave it is a beautiful spot. Ken, Jim, Paul, Maddy and others all enjoyed their walk on the glacier (a different glacier to the one that is so active) and returned with big smiling faces.

Port Lcckroy

This port offers SHOPPING and the option to mail letters and postcards from Antarctica. Takes forever of course up to reach the recipient. There is a small hut with a mailbox and some souvenirs so people were all anxious to get ashore. There are also Gentoo penguins for an added attraction. It is a really pretty spot with the red buildings standing out from all the white of the mountains and glaciers.

Just one more day in Antarctica before we head back to Ushuaia the time has just flown by so quickly.

Photos From Brown Bluff, Antarctica:


Gentoo Chicks.


Adelie Chick.


Lots of Adelie chicks.

Photos From Mikkelsen Harbour, Antarctica:


Gentoo Chicks.














Hot Rocks on the Grill Deck.

Great pics. Love all the baby penguins. But HOT Rocks looks COLD! I noticed Jerry and June are eating with gloves on. And everyone's cheeks and noses look pink.

Love seeing these photos! What a cruise you all are having!!

Bet you have to eat FAST before your "HOT" rocks (and food) get COLD!!

Photos From Neko Harbour, Antarctica:


Maddie & Paul.


Marvin & Julie.


Jim.


Beth.






Jim & Mary Ellen.

Tried to post several times yesterday but no go. We are now on our way back to Argentina. This has been a fantastic voyage. After 3 trips to Alaska, one to the Arctic and 1 prior trip here in Antarctica without so much as a glimpse I finally got to see orcas. We spotted a good sized pod around dinner time and the poor restaurant manager was faced with dozens of people running from the dining room to the outside decks to see them. A magnificent sight. Such a truly special place.

Ngaire has a great group on board. With the exception of Ngaire and Ken and June and Ralph we had not met any of these folks before but I would happily travel with any or all of them again anytime!
--------------------------
Helen

Photos For Helen - Killer Whales:

Last day of landings.

DECEPTION ISLAND
It was really sunny and bright the late afternoon and evening as we sailed to Deception Island with stunning icebergs glistening in the sunlight. The weather held and the hikers had a great day to climb to a crater. Not beng a walking enthusiast I chose not to hike.

HANNAH POINT
In the afternoon we stopped at Hannah Point. Here we were treated to both Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. We had not seen many chinstraps so this was a real treat. They are a noisy bunch always, getting excited and little fights between then. I chose to sit on a rock and just watch. Lots of "frisky business" was taking place and this s a wasted effort as the chicks for this year are already hatched. The naturalists said some fail at producing a chick so the action just continues. However a chick born late will not survive. Unfortunately the bright sunshine has gone but it was a calm day with no wind and a wonderful final landing.

We are now in the Drake Lake as it is known when it is not rough. We hit a patch of good weather over the passage so that made everyone very happy as everyone new is always worried about crossing the Drake Passage. We will be getting into Ushuaia early the night before debarkation.

Been a Great trip. Super nice group of people, outstanding exhibition team and a great crew in the dining room, bar and room service.

Soon back to the office to plan our move on January 28th. We will basically be closed the 28th and 29th but of course we can get emails by our mobile devices. Phones however will be done on the 28th and not sure when the reconnection will take place hopefully by the 29th.

Fascinating trip, spectacular photos! Thanks for taking us along vicariously.

Photos From Deception Island:

Photos From Hanna Point, Antarctica:


Chinstrap Penguins.




Gentoo Chicks Chasing their Mother for Food.


Elephant Seals Molting.

Such wonderful pictures. The one of the three penguins walking near the water is just about the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Tom & I are here at EZE (Buenos Aires) airport lounge waiting for our flight to Lima, then a non-stop to LAX. Yesterday all the ship passengers flew from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires on the Silver Sea charter. Tom, me, Ralph & June stayed over night at the Holiday Inn near EZE for our flights today. We have a morning flight and Ralph & June head out late this afternoon. We 4 had a wonderful dinner last night at the hotel but SO MUCH food, enough for about 8 people and probably enough wine for 8 as well.

I'm attaching 2 photos, both from yesterday in Ushuaia. Not surprising Beth, Mike, Ngaire and I played Hearts waiting to board our charter to Buenos Aires. Such a wonderful trip with so many great people. This cruise may rank the very highest of all our many cruises... and our bar was already set darn high. Just a fabulous surreal experience I'll never forget.

So glad Marcie that it was such a great cruise for you. Sounds like you had an amazing time.

We have been traveling now for over 24 hours and still not home. Our flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles has now been delayed 3 xs to more than 3 hours late and we already had a 4 hour layover. Hope others had less trouble? It was a great trip and we met so many great new friends. Hope to see all again!
----------------
Helen

Hoping you are safely home and in bed sleeping by now, Helen and Jerry. Delays just suck.

We got home last night about 7:30 ( supposed to be 11 am). Guess it could have been way worse as I just noticed that flight from BA to JFK that was to arrive this morning was cancelled. I think Marvin and Julie were on that one. What a miserable end to such a great trip. 😬
-----------------------
Helen

Helen, I'm so happy you and Jerry are finally home. Tom & I got home about 8:30 last night. We were delayed a bit out of Buenos Aires but they made up the time and we actually arrived LAX a few minutes early. LAX Int'l terminal was it's usual zoo but thank God for Global Entry. Got lots of slurppy kisses from the furry kids. It's always good to be welcomed home.

Mary Ellen & Jim were flying into JFK then on to Boston...I hope they made it home, same for Julie & Marvin with the terrible East Coast weather. Now the unpacking, laundry and sorting through mail begins...ugh.

Arrived at our front door in Arlington VA as the blizzard began. So lucky. We have 18" so far, heading for > 24.

Any bets on whether the government opens on Monday?