Antarctic Cruise Wrap-Up

 I have some things about the cruise that didn't fit in one of the daily posts, but were interesting enough that I thought I would share.

March 4th was the last of the 4 days of excursions. Hubby took advantage of 3 Zodiac excursions, I did 2, and OFD enjoyed all 8.  On Thursday we began the northward two-day journey back to the port in Ushuaia through the Drake Passage. The trip was smooth, if not smoother than the initial passage. 

population of Ushuaia 100,000

southern Argentina or Chile

black ice floating in the water

but when pulled out of the water, crystal clear

sheet of saltwater ice

blue ice is the oldest ice 

old blue ice

Not all, but maybe half of the expedition staff members shared their expertise in the information session. This was Dr. Glenda. One staff member shared about the insects (mites and roundworms) that lived in Antarctica. Another was a school teacher in Ushuaia who shared the ice info on our Zodiac ride. 

The bridge was open on sea days. Passengers could walk in and look around and talk to the crew. I asked how "The luxury cruise ship Scenic Eclipse II became stuck in thick pack ice near Antarctica's McMurdo Sound around January 17, 2026, requiring assistance from the US Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star." 

The ice flows moved in so quickly (currents) the ship was unable to back-up or turn around. That is why the bridge was NOT open on excursion days so the crew was NOT distracted!

Every passenger room had a balcony. No photo, but the bathrooms were the largest of any ship we have been on. The closets had lots of storage. The balcony room was standard size. Suites were larger.

The elevator floor mates were changed out 3 times a day. 

The Dome viewing area on Deck 7

location of 4:00 Tea

only 7 decks on the yacht

passengers on Decks 3 (staff),  5 and 6

theater, dining and bar on Deck 4

coats, boots & gear storage on Deck 3

condiments were in individual jars

so cute!

We departed the Voyager at 8:30 AM on March 7th for our flight to Buenos Aires, overnight to NYC and eventually home at 4:00 PM on Monday, March 9th. 

Afternoon Tea and the Polar Plunge

 Each afternoon, at 4 PM tea was offered in the Dome. We took advantage of it after day 2!

A staff member made brewed tea upon request. She had a special blend she made for OFD and I and after the first day, she made her special blend for us as soon as we entered the Dome. (That was the kind of service we received from every staff member!)

brewed for one minute in hot water

drinkable after several minutes

There was also a Tea menu with usually one sandwich offering and your choice of four sweets or desserts. It was a very nice dining option when dinner was at 7:30 or later.

A highlight (for some of the passengers and staff) of the afternoon was the Polar Plunge.

The yacht chose this area for the Polar Plunge. The Zodiacs pushed the ice away from the vessel, giving the divers and jumpers ice-free, open water for their plunge.

staff getting everything ready

the first polar plunger

they wore assorted apparel

75 of the 150 guests took the plunge!

and about 50 of the 130 staff participated

My hot chocolate treat after watching some of the Polar Plunge!

Antarctic Cruise, The Beginning

 This post will cover Days 1-3, Thursday February 27th through Sunday March 1.

Our cruise started with a bus tour through parts of Terra de Fuego National Park.

Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago at South America’s southernmost tip, shared by Chile and Argentina. It’s known for its dramatic landscape of snowy mountains, glaciers, tundra and wind-sculpted trees. Its main island, Isla Grande, is home to the Argentine resort town of Ushuaia. Sometimes called “the End of the World,” Ushuaia is a gateway to the region and Antarctica to the south. - Google

walking trail at The End of the World

Because of my elbow, I had trouble taking photos the first few days. I could not hold the phone high enough with my left hand and hit the button with my right hand. It was a struggle.

Notice the distance to Buenos Aires and Alaska on the sign. The sign was a geocache.

We had a quick bus ride through some of Ushuaia and a fancy lunch at a resort overlooking the harbor before boarding the yacht at 3:00 PM on Friday, February 27th.

temperatures for Saturday, February 28th

Saturday and Sunday were At Sea Days as the yacht traveled from South America to Antarctica through the Drake Passage, named for Sir Francis Drake

The Drake Passage is a notorious 600-mile (1,000 km) wide, roughly 11,000+ ft deep waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands. Known as one of the world's deadliest, it is famous for extreme winds, powerful, turbulent, and often unpredictable, resulting in two-day, sometimes treacherous, yet essential crossings for Antarctic expeditions. 

 The meeting of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Southern Oceans creates a turbulent environment where intense storms, high winds, and, sometimes, massive 80-foot waves occur. The lack of landmass at this latitude allows strong winds to build up significant momentum, creating high waves. Known as the "Drake Shake," this area can produce fierce storms, 10-meter (33 ft) or higher waves, and strong winds. Free-drifting icebergs from Antarctica pose hazards to navigation. Considered the "world's deadliest stretch of water" with a legacy of over 800 shipwrecks and 10,000+ sailor deaths. 

Ranging from the tumultuous "Drake Shake" to the calm "Drake Lake," conditions are highly variable.

We were very fortunate to have a Drake Lake crossing. No strong winds. No high waves. No need for Dramamine or sea sickness patches for the 3 of us.

 fin whales

spouting from 4 fin whales on Sunday

The area is a hotspot for seabirds like the wandering albatross, along with whales and dolphins. - AI

Crew members were in the bridge with binoculars watching for animals. Passengers on Deck 7 in the Dome (glassed forward area) would rush outside with cameras of various sizes and shapes to catch the action. OFD had a new iPhone 17 and I had my trusty iPhone.

Each cabin had the use of a pair of high powered, high quality binoculars during the cruise.

There were also fur seal sightings, but neither OFD nor I got any photos. We did not see any dolphins or many sea birds those two days.

Shetland Islands

clouds moving in at the end of the day

Hamburg ~ City Hall (Rathaus)

 

Our lunch stop after visiting St. Nikolia.

We had eaten at a Hans im Glück when we visited Munich. I was excited to learn it was the place OFD had chosen for lunch. I finally got a radler and enjoyed most of that very large burger and tasty coleslaw salad. The interior of the restaurant chains has tree trunks as decor. The chain started in Munich in 2010. It is named after a Germanic fairy tale. 

Funny story about this postal carrier...OFD buys postcards and stamps at each port to send to her niece and nephew. It is always easy to find the postcards, but a bit more challenging to find stamps and a post box to mail them. In Hamburg, we had the cards ready for mailing, but we couldn't find a mailbox. As we were walking to St. Michaelis we met this mail carrier on the sidewalk. I asked if we could leave the stamped postcards with him to be mailed to the USA. He assured us he would get them sent and was willing to have his photo taken. Good memory!

Our final awe-inspiring building in Hamburg was our walk through City Hall or Rathaus.

This was our bus drop-off and meeting point after our self-tour of Hamburg. We saved this building until last.

Constructed from 1886 to 1897, the city hall still houses its original governmental functions with the office of the First Mayor of Hamburg and the meeting rooms for the Parliament and the Senate (the city's executive branch).

After the old city hall was destroyed in the great fire of 1842, as were the two churches we visited. (all of the building in the photo is part of City Hall)

Lions (and the police) guard the street entrance.

The tower is 367 feet high and has 436 steps. We did not climb them or count them.

The courtyard is decorated with a Hygieia fountain. Hygieia as the goddess of health and hygiene in Greek mythology. 

The fountain was built in remembrance of the cholera epidemic in 1892, the former technical purpose was air cooling in the city hall.

Its surrounding figures represent the power and pureness of the water. 

Isn't that a cool window?

the courtyard resembles an Italian piazza

City Hall has 647 (known) rooms; Buckingham Palace has 775 rooms

the ornate lobby

vaulted ceiling

public drinking/water fountain

The lobby is open to the public and hosts concerts and exhibitions.

the main doors of City Hall

one of the streets from Market Square

We saw very few homeless people or signs of a homeless population in any of the countries we visited. 

This photo is for Ruth: OFD is smiling! 

virtual souvenirs for two more German states (port state)

cruise port for Hamburg tour

The Sailor by Karlheinz Goedtke

Kiel, known for the sport of sailing, is a port on both sides of the Kiel Fjord, an inlet of the Baltic Sea, and lies at the eastern end of the Kiel Canal.

sailboats on the water as we left Kiel

lots of sailboats 

sunset on the Baltic Sea

freighter on the Baltic Sea

sunset

our cruise ship passed under this bridge on the way to Copenhagen

Next:  Copenhagen