Elephant Island
We
considered:
•
Cost
•
Embarkation/disembarkation port
•
Large ship versus expedition (small) ship
•
Zodiac raft to the shore
•
Cold weather gear
•
Drake Passage
•
Cold weather and amount of time spent in Antarctica
The
cost of the trip was a big driver in our decision, but I wasn’t that keen on
spending several days going between the ship and the land in a Zodiac
raft. I wanted to see the penguins, but
not spend a week with them.
We were in Paradise Bay with one of the expedition ships and saw their passengers go ashore in Zodiac rafts. It didn’t look like fun to me. Around Antarctica and the islands, the sea was fairly calm, but the weather was cold.
We
had a wonderful time, but I don’t plan to return… The scenery was magnificent, but
the weather was miserable. Going through the Drake Passage was a little rough,
but it was manageable. On many of our
trips, we say, “we need to go back.” Not here, one and done. It was cold and
the seas were rough. Our Captain told the
passengers that “we had an average trip: not the best and not the worst time
going through the passage.”
Would I recommend a cruise to Antarctica? Yes! You decide if you want an expedition ship for the cruise of a lifetime.
Our next trip is to someplace warm: Africa.
