I'm trying to choose between two itineraries offered by Hurtigruten on the Fram & wonder if anyone would have any advice.
The first is a "Weddell Sea Adventure" -- 15 days - Jan. 21, 2012
The other is "Polar Circle Quest" - also 15 days, Feb 2, 2012.
The PCQ would stick to the western side of the peninsula and attempt to cross the circle. That appeals to me but the later date makes me wonder if we'd sacrifice seeing penguin chicks at a 'good' age. I've read that there is a better chance of seeing whales then, however.
The WSA would be on the eastern side and also land on the peninsula, God & weather willing. There would be larger icebergs, I assume more ice & snow in general than the Feb. trip, penguins would be younger, but I think there is more time in open sea and possibly rougher seas so that is a detraction.
Unfortunately we can't be away for more than that time frame at this point so no South Georgia or Falklands on this trip.
There is also a shorter trip, Antarctic Discovery, which is 12 days and the dates are earlier in January (3rd,12th) which appeals but I think if we're going that far we should at least take the 15 day trip.
If anyone thinks either of the two sounds better because of the time of year or location please let me know. Thanks!
Antarctica - picking itinerary
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We wanted to see Antarctica at its pristine best ... in other words, more ice and snow ... and we wanted to see young, fluffy chicks. Our itinerary was also dictated by our desire to see the Falklands and South Georgia. So we went in early January. (In fact, we left Ushuaia on December 31 ... a new year, a new adventure.)
I'd definitely go for the longest itinerary budget/time allows. Although both of these itineraries appeal to me, I'd probably go for the WSA first. With itineraries that have a specific goal (like crossing the circle) it would be a disappointment not to reach that goal even if the rest of the trip went smoothly. Mother Nature, after all, may decide to interfere in the plans.
Have a wonderful time regardless of which itinerary you choose. Antarctica is a truly fantastic place.
This blog entry has a link to my report of our 2007 adventure as well as a link to my photographs from my trip: http://2totravel.blogspot.com/2007/01/antarctica-land-shaped-by-ice.html
eenusa - I had read your trip report (wonderful!) but not seen your pix yet -- wow, they are amazing!
I know what you mean about the specific goal of crossing the polar circle. But honestly it would not crush me if I were on that trip and we didn't make it across the circle. My bigger disappointment would be if being a bit later in the season means appreciably less snow & ice & young chicks.
But with the Weddell Sea I'm not sure yet (waiting to hear back from Hurtigruten) how many landings they attempt. If it's not a lot and mainly days at sea would that change your mind about which seems more appealing?
As long as the sea days and landings were not too lopsided in numbers, it wouldn't bother me, but if there was appreciably fewer number of landings, I'd rethink. One of the reasons we shied away from the Emperor Penguin Safari was for that reason.
The PCQ is already booked so that is now off the table. Leaves Weddell Sea or the shorter Antarctic Discovery which is 12 days vs. 15. I'm told that the AD does attempt more landings than the WS trip. With only 4 days actually 'there' vs. 7 though it seems crazy to pay almost the same amount. The AD trip is discounted 10% for early booking and the WS is 20% so it seems WS is a better deal. And I'm sure that we'd have enough landings so....
arggggh...wish this was an easy decision!
I'd definitely go for the longer trip ... I totally understand how difficult the decision is ... in the end though, once the decision is made, you'll be able to turn your attention forward to the excitement of planning, reading, and all that preparing for a trip of this nature entails. Think about blogging or writing a journal ... it's fun to go back and read about not just the trip itself, but the days and months leading up to it.
Thanks eenusa -- very good advice! It will be fun to do more of the reading, researching, etc. once this itinerary is nailed down and booked. Haha - have already done some online shopping - balaclava, waterproof pants -- nothing I'll even need in 2011 but I love the preparing part of trips!