Blogs from Antarctica, Antarctica

At 7am, we arrived at Portal Point on the Reclus Peninsula, on the west coast of Graham Land. I was in the Dome and it initially looked like bad weather, but it quickly cleared. The kayakers were taken out first, while the groups were sorted with their times. We would be back at the end of the first rotation. This was our last excursion and we were excited as this would be the time that we could set foot on the actual continent of Antarctica! No asterisks for those super serious people who judge your adventures in the future. Plus, it would be L's 7th continent and we would have the opportunity to pose for photos with the flags to make it "official". We had 90 minutes at the site which was the perfect amount of ... read more

I woke fairly early and was finally starting to feel better after my pesky cold. Thus, I started my new routine: I would get a cup of hot chocolate from Paula's Pantry when it opened at 7am, then go up to the Dome Observation Lounge to read and relax for an hour on my own before we would get breakfast. I am pretty sure we were in Neko Bay that morning, though, as usual, plans change and did that day as well. Typically, I had the lounge to myself and today I was the only person up there, about to go back to my room, when I saw some swimming penguins. I enjoyed them for a couple of minutes, then I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. Did I see a whale breach ... read more

We set off from port a little after 6 in the evening, heading down the Beagle channel. First, we had a safety drill, getting to our muster stations and putting on our life jackets. Then we had a briefing in the auditorium where we got to meet the main members of the crew as well as the expedition team. While in the auditorium, we felt the boat starting to move, so we missed the actual departure. However, instead of having the 'meet the neighbors' in the hall, they had it in the Dome area on Deck 7 because it was a pretty nice day. That evening we were among the first to try dinner at the Madeira restaurant. It was a very nice experience that we continued to have throughout the trip. L had the scallop ... read more

The Antarctic Experience Day 1 The Daily Program had an earlier start time than usual on February 1, 2023 – 7:00 AM. The entry was “Volendam Cruises Dallman Bay, Antarctica!” Yup, we had finally arrived at the first of the two destinations that led me to take this cruise in the first place, the other being the Amazon River, and this was the first of four days we would be cruising the waters of Antarctica. All our cruising would take place on the Antarctic Peninsula – on the north side of the island continent and that portion closest to the southern tip of South America. Now that I think about it for a nanosecond, where can one go from Antarctica BUT north??? The Daily Program listed the geographic locations where we would be cruising and the ... read more

Turned toward the north the night of 3 February stopping in the early afternoon the next day at an intersection of waterways for peculiar folks to jump into frigid water. There are a total of 175 aboard, and 65 folks took a polar plunge into water that was 31 degrees. Recall this is salt water, so it freezes at 28, not 32. Surprised us we carried so many crazy folks. Almost all of the pictures are landscape, which is the major reason we took the trip. Should you not be so enthralled by snow and ice, you can skip many. Trip is nearing an end; we likely dock at Ushuaia late tomorrow afternoon and depart the ship the following morning. Anticipate only one more post, which will be of Deception Island.... read more