Historic Day For Silver Explorer

Silversea Cruises are proud to announce their Silver Explorer and its Expedition Team accomplished a first in the ship’s history late last month, landing guests at Point Wild, Elephant Island – the location where survivors of the Shackleton Expedition lived under two lifeboats for more than four months while hoping for rescue.

After attempting to take guests to Elephant Island for nearly 10 years, Silver Explorer’s Captain Alexander Golubev was able to tuck the ship into a small and slightly sheltered bay just to the West of Point Wild, due to good weather conditions. Explorer’s unstructured itinerary to ‘Cruise and Explore the Antarctic Peninsula’ allows the Captain and the Silversea team to determine the exact itinerary as the voyage progresses, as conditions can vary so much in the Polar regions. 

Both guests and crew can take full advantage of the available conditions to explore as many sights and make as many zodiac excursions and landings as possible, and this was especially true in the case of Point Wild.

Guests can also combine true expedition cruising with an elegant onboard lifestyle with Silversea Expeditions. Offering two 10-day trips from £6,339 per person, on an all-inclusive basis, voyage 7226 departs December 3 and voyage 7227 departs December 13 from Ushuaia. Silver Explorer departs from the Argentine port and cruises through the Drake Passage and then the Antarctic Peninsula, before returning to Ushuaia. Price is per person, based on two people sharing a View Suite and includes all shore excursions, port charges, government fees and taxes. Economy flights are available from £2,299 per person.

Fares for voyages embarking/disembarking Ushuaia include economy class charter air service between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, plus transfers between Ushuaia airport and pier, on day of embarkation and disembarkation.

For booking details, be sure to check out this link with the UK's luxury cruise specialists, The Cruise Line Ltd.

Gap Adventures 2011/12 Line-Up Of Polar Cruises

Gap Adventures introduces its 2011/12 Arctic and Antarctica cruise season with a slew of new features. Perfect for the cold weather and adventure enthusiasts, a trip aboard the M/S Expedition delves deep into the vast array of wintry wildlife and breathtaking scenery of narrow waterways, glaciers, icebergs and rugged mountains, which very few people will ever have the opportunity to see.

Gap Adventures is pleased to provide free destination cruising guides, as well as complimentary Wellington boots for the duration of the trip to keep passengers' feet warm and dry. Plus, travellers on select cruises who book category five cabins receive exclusive, complimentary Canada Goose Adventurer jackets. Parkas are also available for purchase online for $269 (approx: £173).

Gap Adventures 2011/12 Polar Cruises

For the ardent adventure-seeking passengers, Gap Adventures now offers sea kayaking in the Arctic and Antarctic - a unique opportunity to get up-close-and-personal with the native wildlife. Following in the footsteps of bold explorers, travellers can also camp and experience the majesty of Antarctica at night. Excursions must be pre-arranged as they are not sold on board.

Travellers with ample holiday time can also enjoy extensions and add-ons pre- or post-cruise. Antarctica extensions allow travellers to unravel the mysteries of Easter Island, indulge in the fine food and wines of Chile and Argentina or travel to the heart of the Amazon to discover Iguazu Falls. Arctic add-ons allow travellers to explore the beauty of Longyearbyen (Svalbard Islands) and Oslo.

Passengers who book a space on a selection of the Arctic cruises by January 31 will also receive a 25 per cent early-booking discount.

Uniquely equipped to meet the demands of cruising in polar environments, the Expedition provides an exceptionally safe, spacious and comfortable experience for all passengers. At a nimble 105 metres in length, the ship is able to approach remote areas to which many other vessels cannot navigate. This is also one of the most stable expedition ships in its class.

For more information, visit http://www.gapadventures.co.uk./

Polar Diving Partnership

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Aurora Expeditions new polar partnership with polar dive experts Waterproof Expeditions will offer guests further excitement on adventure cruises. The partnership has plenty of synergy, with Aurora Expeditions having earned their reputation as a pioneer in polar cruising operating professional, high-quality expeditions onboard the Polar Pioneer since 1992 and Waterproof have more than 20-years dive experience in the Polar regions.

Waterproof and Aurora Expeditions are also welcoming renowned underwater photography specialist Franco Banfi aboard for their 'Across the Circle' voyages, departing February 4 and 15, 2011. Aurora Expeditions' passengers can glean expert information from this world champion in underwater photography. His images have been featured in magazines such as BBC Wildlife, GEO, National Geographic, Stern, Scuba Diving, and in countless publications worldwide, making him more than qualified to embark on Waterproof and Aurora Expeditions' new adventure.

For each of these dive and photography expeditions, Waterproof Expeditions will provide experienced polar dive masters, all dive planning and equipment. Divers will be treated to a unique dive container providing comfortable storing space for gear and a heating system for dry suits and BCDs.

There is availability for both divers and explorers on two 12-night departures ("Across the Circle" Voyages) onboard the Polar Pioneer sailing from Ushuaia, Argentina, to the Antarctic Peninsula:

4-15 February 2011
15-26 February 2011

Prices from $6,400 per person, including accommodation, full board and all daily excursions and activities while onboard the Polar Pioneer. The dive package costs an additional $1140 and includes dive compressor, tanks, weights and belts (divers need to bring their own personal dive gear) and leadership by an experienced Polar Dive Master. Flights are not included.

**Special offer - Aurora Expeditions are offering 20% off the 'Across the Circle' voyages until November 30. For further information, visit http://www.auroraexpeditions.com.au/ or try the adventure cruise specialsists The Cruise Line Ltd.