We were on the Fridtjof Nansen Antarctic Circle Expedition from February 7 to 23, 2023. The ship usually carries 500 passengers, but there were fewer than 300 people on our trip. The cruise included one night in Buenos Aires before taking a charter flight to Ushuaia. They tell you that you are allowed a checked bag weighing 50 pounds and a carry on weighing 17 pounds. They did not weight our luggage going to Ushuaia, but they did weight it when we were returning. We had a few hours in Ushuaia; enough time for lunch and to visit a few of the many souvenir shops. They took us on a bus ride (“city tour”) along the two streets that make up the downtown. Everything in Ushuaia closes at 1:00 p.m.
We spent 2 ½ days on the Drake Passage because we headed straight for the Antarctic Circle. The waves were at about 6 feet. Most people onboard did not have a problem handling this. We saw some spectacular sights. We saw hundreds of penguins and three types of seals. The ship had to stop twice, once for over an hour, because whales had surrounded the ship. The glaciers were incredible and there were plenty of glaciers to see. It turns out that some of the places where we went were uncharted. They did not tell us this until we were on our way back to Argentina. We made several landings on the barrier islands that surround the Antarctic Peninsula. We also landed at Red Rock Ridge; the only landing made on the actual continent. Certificates are given for everything: crossing the Antarctic Circle, participating in the Polar Plunge, camping on the continent, and kayaking.
I was hoping that we would stop at the bar at the Ukrainian research base and the post office at Port Lockroy, but we did not. The staff from Port Lockroy came onboard and did a presentation and sold souvenirs. The post office closes for the season around March 1st, so we just made it. Hurtigruten sold postcards and stamps onboard for over $7 per postcard. The Port Lockroy people took the postcards with them.
I got the impression that there really wasn’t a plan and that our stops were decided on a day by day basis. We sailed past some places more than one time and we sailed in circles on more than one occasions. They were probably looking for interesting places to show us. Most of the travelers were not from the US. We like to know what the plan is, even if the plan has to change. We don’t deal well with “we’ll let you know”. Most of the time we didn’t know what we were going to do until 15 minutes before it happened.
The trip really was spectacular. I’m glad that we decided to take the longer cruise which had more days in Antarctica and crossed the Antarctic Circle. There was a landing, which usually took place in the morning, and cruising in the zodiac, usually in the afternoon, planned for each day. On the way back across the Drake Passage, the waves were at around 20 feet. The ship has stabilizers and I could not tell that the waves were this high.
The food onboard was hit or miss. Dinners were either spectacular or reminiscent of dinner at a Sizzler’s. The hashbrowns at breakfast looked like they had recooked the same patty every day for two weeks. I was on vacation for 24 days and lost weight. But for the fact that the bread and the ice cream were wonderful, I probably would have lost more weight. After 2 weeks at sea the vegetables looked long in the tooth. The ship has a well-stocked bar and the drinks start at 8 euro.
The weather was not really that cold; it gets colder in Atlanta. The wind could be brutal though. At one point it was so windy on the top deck that I could not inhale. There was a storm on our first day inside the Antarctic Circle and a landing was canceled once because of the size of the waves. We still did the cruising that day and we did get wet while in the zodiac, and it was cold. I was glad that I packed two of everything: two ski pants, two sets of thermals, two sets of ski gloves, two sets of glove liners and two gators. I took hunting socks and merino wool socks that I bought at Costco. I tried using the merino socks once and then went back to the hunting socks and sock liners.
I bought a 35L dry bag because I had read that it was a good idea. The rules that apply to Antarctica do not allow you to sit on the ground or to place anything on the ground; including the 35L bag. It is hard to use a 35L bag if you cannot place it on the ground. I wish I had brought a 10L bag instead. I brought the plastic bag that hangs around your neck for my cell phone. The saltwater left spots on the bag and made it useless. There are rubber leashes for cell phones that make more sense. One woman did lose her cell phone over the side of the zodiac. It can be a bumpy ride.
You are supposed to stay at least 15 feet from the penguins. The attached photo was from four feet because the penguin kept following me. Not my fault that he couldn’t follow the rules.
Only one person used the outside track, and it wasn’t me. Packing workout clothes was a waste of the weight. There were very interesting science classes that were held almost every day. The classrooms were full each time that they had a class.
The ship is beautiful. It was designed by Rolls Royce and built in 2021. The rooms are large enough, but you spend very little time in the rooms. The dress code is very casual, and the ship is kept at a very comfortable temperature. I could have saved weight in my suitcase by leaving some clothing behind.
The sales department at Hurtigruten will tell you anything to sell you a cabin. I spent the first two days of my vacation being angry because of the untruths that I was told. I bounded with several people on board who were equally angry. Hurtigruten gives you the impression that you will be able to do everything that is offered. The truth is, everything is decided on the “Lucky Lottery”, even the science cruise that collects whales DNA. 180 people out of 290 passengers signed up to go kayaking at a cost of about $200 per person. Only 30 people was chosen to camp on the continent and 32 people at a time are chosen to go kayaking. Each of these activities includes an additional charge. Even after you were chosen, where you kayaked had an element of luck. Some kayakers paddled around in circles because the water was choppy. We were lucky; we kayaked in a cove with seals and swimming penguins.
We bought our tickets during the “book early and save” sale. It turns out that the price went down by $3300.00 during the Black Friday Sale. As the date of the trip approached, the price continued to drop. A woman booked a cabin identical to our cabin for $5000 less than we paid and she stayed in the room by herself. There were several people who traveled alone. We asked Hurtigruten to match their own price. Instead of just saying “no”, they jacked us around for months.
Several of the passengers were not happy with the way things were handled coming home. Hurtigruten held your hand all the way down to Ushuaia, but you were on your own coming home. They left an 80-year-old woman at the airport in Argentina to fend for herself. I believe that Hurtigruten charges $90 per person to take you from EZE to the hotel. We booked our own transportation for $23 for 3 people and 6 pieces of luggage.
It really was one of the most amazing places I’ve ever seen. So glad that we took this cruise and that we got to have these experiences.
