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.

G Adventures New Antarctic Cruises

Marking 100 years since Captain Scott voyaged to the Antarctic, 2012 is the perfect year to take a G Adventures cruise aboard the M/S Expedition to celebrate one of the world’s greatest historic expeditions.

G Adventures is offering 10% discounts on a range of Antarctic expeditions for bold travellers looking to explore this region during the cruise season (November to March). Tours must be booked by 30 November 2011 for the 2012/13 Antarctic tours departing between 7 November 2012 and 9 March 2013.

For travellers who don’t want to wait, there are still places available on selected 2011/12 departures, including the Spirit of Shackleton tour. Suitable for history fans, the voyage focuses on the adventurers and legends formed out of the ‘Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration’. The tour’s namesake, Sir Edmund Shackleton, was actually a third officer on Captain Scott’s first quest to Antarctica in 1901, making this journey a pilgrimage for travellers enticed to Antarctica by the dramatic history of its discovery.

Spirit of Shackleton. Trip code: XVSHSX; Price: From £7,189 per person; Duration: 20 days. Next available departure: 11 January, 2012

This journey takes intrepid travellers to some of the world’s most remote wilderness including the South Georgia Islands, Falkland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Visiting historic sites of past explorers, including Sir Ernest Shackleton’s final resting place, this adventure illuminates many of the courageous legends from what is known as the ‘Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration’. There is extraordinary scenery and an abundance of diverse wildlife, including vast penguin rookeries, seal colonies and whale pods.

The 20-day adventure includes 18 nights aboard the Expedition with all meals, one night hotel accommodation in Ushuaia and Ushuaia airport transfer (depending on flight departure details), Zodiac cruises and shore landings with expert expedition team, lecture and educational programs, waterproof boots and Antarctica destination guidebook, Canada Goose expedition jacket for each guest who pays for a Category 5 Suite and expert G Adventures Expedition Guide throughout.

Sail to the Falklands - And Save With Lindblad Expeditions

Enjoy the unspoiled landscapes and myriad wildlife of the Falkland Islands with Lindblad Expeditions as part of their 24-day journey aboard the National Geographic Explorer - and save money.

Passengers booking the cruise will now receive a £1,230 discount per person on their expedition and a complimentary charter flight between Ushuaia and Buenos Aires. To top it all off, the package also includes two free nights in Buenos Aires.

The expedition starts in Buenos Aires on October 18 and includes a two-day stop in the Falkland Islands. An archipelago comprised of more than 700 individual islands, the Falklands are home to the largest Black-browed albatross colony in the world, thousands of gentoo, rockhopper and Magellanic penguins and herds of sea lions and elephant seals.

In addition to getting up close with the wildlife, passengers will also have the opportunity to go ashore and experience the capital of the Falklands – Stanley – within easy reach of white sandy beaches, relax in one of the local pubs, or learn about the history of this port city.

The itinerary includes a stop at South Georgia Island as well as Peninsula Valdes, which is the main breeding site for the endangered southern wright whales that concentrate in the area to give birth and find mates.

National Geographic Explorer is one of the most technologically advanced expedition ships in the world. Her reinforced ice belt makes it possible to navigate polar passages while also providing exceptional comfort. It also carries 36 kayaks and a fleet of Zodiac landing craft that allow passengers to get up close and experience the region firsthand.

While aboard the ship, guests will enjoy international cuisine with a local flair as well as a host of amenities, including a fitness centre and spa. There are also numerous lectures led by specialists so passengers can learn about the region and its unique wildlife, and every voyage is accompanied by a National Geographic photographer. This voyage will include award-winning filmmaker Keenan Smart, Executive Producer of National Geographic’s “Great Migration” series.

The 24-day journey starts from £8,375 per person, based on two adults sharing, but does not include international flights. For more info, visit www.expeditions.com or contact he UK's leading adventure-cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Flying to Antarctica

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Here's a rare opportunity for an Antarctica fly-cruise - the boutique little Antarctic Dream will operate for some high-season dates in 2011-12 with passengers flying across Drake's Passage once and navigating it the other way. Flights are to or from Punta Arenas in Chile while the sailing is between Ushuaia, the world's southern-most city, and the Antarctic peninsula.

Their carefully planned itineraries offer an entirely different type of adventure cruise (you can even kayak, if you like); one where you’ll be introduced to the Great White Continent and its seldom-seen wildlife whilst travelling on a luxury expedition cruise vessel guided by one of the most experienced teams sailing the region.

Check out Antarctic Dream or www.cruiseline.co.uk/Antarctic-Dream-Cruises for more information.

2011 the ‘Year of Nansen and Amundsen’

The Norwegian Government has declared 2011 the ‘Year of Nansen and Amundsen’ to mark two major anniversaries and specialist cruise company Hurtigruten will play its own role in the celebrations. This year is 150 years since polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen was born and 100 years since polar hero Roald Amundsen and his four men were the first people in history to reach the South Pole. Special voyages themed around the anniversaries have been created, plus onboard celebrations in Antarctica on the day of Amundsen’s centenary.

There is no better expedition voyage operator to lead the celebrations than Hurtigruten. Named after Nansen’s vessel which sailed the original journey, Hurtigruten’s explorer ship MS Fram (above) will be embarking on many of the celebratory voyages in 2011.

‘Climate Voyage’ on the MS Fram 21 July, Reykjavik-Longyearbyen – from £2333pp

This year’s Climate Voyage celebrates the 150th anniversary of Nansen’s birth with an eight-day voyage from Reykjavik to Svalbard. As well as making an inaugural visit to Jan Mayen, one of the most isolated islands on the planet, the voyage includes fascinating climate-related lectures and discussions on topics such as the work of Nansen. The voyage departs July 21 and is priced from £2333pp to include seven nights full board on the ship and flights from Longyearbyen to Oslo, based on two sharing. International flights are extra.

The Polar Bears, Islands and Fjords voyage on MS Fram 7 September - from £3196pp

This new itinerary has been created especially for the year of celebrations, sailing in the wake of Fridtjof Nansen. This unique sailing from Spitsbergen to Bergen follows a similar route to that travelled by Nansen in 1896 on his return journey to mainland Norway after three years in the polar ice, during which he reached the northern-most point any human had ever been. Nansen sailed with Captain Otto Sverdrup and they received honour and glory in every port they visited on the way down the Norwegian coast. These ports form the backbone of the Hurtigruten service, which launched in 1897 with Captain Sverdrup at the helm. The voyage departs on September 7 and costs from £3196pp, including 11 nights full board on the ship, flights from Oslo to Longyearbyen and one night’s pre-cruise accommodation in Longyearbyen, with breakfast and sightseeing, Price is based on two sharing. International flights are extra.

Centenary of Amundsen reaching the South Pole, MS Fram 4 December – from £4904pp

On December 14, 1911, Roald Amundsen and his men reached the South Pole, having set off from Fridtjof Nansen’s polar ship Fram and the Framheim camp. The expedition captured the imagination of the world. On the day of the centenary, Hurtigruten’s explorer ship MS Fram will be in Antarctica, where the anniversary will be marked with on board celebrations. Be part of this memorable day and join a 17-day ‘Chilean Fjords and Antarctica’ voyage departing on December 4. The 14-night full board voyage costs from £4904pp and includes a variety of landings, one night’s B&B in Buenos Aires before and after the voyage, return flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, and transfers. Based on two sharing. International flights are extra.

For more information on these and other crusies, visit http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ or visit the UK's adventure cruise specialists of The Cruise Line Ltd.

Fly into Antarctica

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Here's a rare opportunity for an Antarctica fly-cruise - the boutique little Antarctic Dream will operate for some high season dates in 2011-12 with passengers flying across Drake's Passage once and navigating it the other way. Flights are to or from Punta Arenas in Chile while the sailing is between Ushuaia, the world's southern-most city, and the Antarctic peninsula.

Since 2002 and operating with the 80-passenger MV Antarctic Dream, a carefully-converted ex-Navy vessel, Antarctic Shipping S.A. has taken guests to the heart of this stunning region.

Their carefully planned itineraries offer an entirely different type of adventure cruise (you can even kayak if you like); one where you’ll be introduced to the Great White Continent and its seldom-seen wildlife whilst travelling on a luxury expedition cruise vessel guided by one of the most experienced teams sailing the region.

Check out Antarctic Dream or www.cruiseline.co.uk/Antarctic-Dream-Cruises for more information.

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.

MS Expedition In Antarctica

By guest blogger Steve Newman

The MS Expedition (Above) travels a yearly cycle from Antarctica to the Arctic, also stopping at the islands of the North Atlantic as well as parts of Central/South America. Gap Adventures have a focus on top of the line safety, comfort and the unique demands of polar travel, the MS Expedition is one of the world's leading polar expedition cruise ships. The expedition team is made up of naturalist, biologist, anthropologists and historians, who give detailed lectured and briefings on all the elements of the trip. Every evening the Expedition Leader will give a briefing on the plan for the next day. All travellers will also be prepared for what they are about to see and experience before any landing or excursion.

Antarctica Classic Duration: 11 days Departures: available throughout 2010 and 2011

Highlights: Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, amazing wildlife, and immense icebergs. A true adventure to the world's most remote wilderness. This 11-day Antarctica Classic expedition focuses on the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, home to some of the planet's most impressive wildlife and dramatic landscapes. Throughout the voyage, the team of lecturers and guides will share their knowledge of the region's remarkable natural history.

Enjoy an 11-day trip from £3,249. Price includes accommodation onboard the MS Expedition, meals, ten expedition staff and naturalists, Zodiac excursions, scheduled visits to the modern scientific research stations and one night accommodation with breakfast in Ushuaia.

For full details please visit: www.gapadventures.co.uk

Art in Antarctica - One Ocean Expeditions

By guest blogger Steve Newman

Polar cruise operator One Ocean Expeditions takes popular polar photographer Daisy Gilardini and her partner, watercolour artist David McEown, to Antarctica.

In November and December this year, polar photographer Daisy Gilardini and watercolour artist David McEown will sail to the Antarctic Peninsula on board the comfortable, ice-strengthened 89-passenger Marina Svetaeva. During the voyage Daisy and David will give talks, multi-media presentations and practical workshops on photography and art and, when landing on the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands, they will be available to help guests with sketching, camera settings and other creative queries.

The sailing dates for the Antarctic Peninsula Adventure are 28 November, 8 and 18 December 2010. All three voyages start and end in Ushuaia, Argentina. Passengers who choose to sail on the 8 December 2010 departure will be entitled to a great offer – the best available cabin at the time of booking for just US$6590 per person. They could even find themselves in a Shackleton Suite (subject to availability) with a normal published price of US$8590 per person; an enormous saving of US$2000 per person.

The Marina Sveteava has a multimedia download studio with computers and cables for downloading images, as well as numbered hard-drives for storage until guests are ready to back up to their own media device.

The price for the 10-night voyages (28 November & 18 December) starts at US$7590 per person sharing a twin cabin including accommodation, food and excursions during the voyage. The special price on the 8 December voyage is US$6950 per person for the best available cabin at the time of booking. Flights to/from Ushuaia, Argentina where passengers embark the Marina Svetaeva are not included in the price. There is no additional charge for the photography and art workshops with Daisy Gilardini and David McEown.

Find out more from www.oneoceanexpeditions.com

Visit Antarctica Out Of Season, says Gap Adventures

OUT OF SEASON ANTARCTICA IS OUT OF THIS WORLD

Gap Adventures says travel in the outer seasons for some spectacular scenery and wildlife encounters

January and February are the most popular months to travel to Antarctica, but The Great Adventure People advise travellers to think again - and consider travelling earlier and later in the season if they are keen to save some pennies.

Travel to the Great White Continent at the beginning of the Austral summer in November and experience a pristine destination, untouched at the start of the season by fellow travellers. The extraordinarily beautiful pack ice is still intact, offering ideal platforms for resting wildlife, and giant icebergs are still in their full glory. The beginning of the season also offers the astonishing sights and sounds of penguins and seabirds courting as they perform spectacular courtship rituals.

Meanwhile, at the tail end of the season, late February and March provide the best opportunities to catch a glimpse of magnificent Minke and Orca whales in Antarctica. The receding pack ice allows ships to explore further south than earlier in the season and travellers witness the unforgettable sight of penguin chicks fledging and adults moulting.

“Travelling to Antarctica onboard the MS Expedition at any time during the season is a true adventure and an unforgettable voyage,” says Michael Edwards, Gap Adventures Director of Sales and Marketing for UK and Europe. “While mid-season is traditionally the most popular time to visit this area, the beginning and end of the season provides some unique scenery and wildlife viewing opportunities. We travel to Antarctica the full length of the season from November to March and each month brings new and exciting sights to our adventurers.”

Below is just one incredible itinerary that makes the most of the outer season conditions:

Antarctica Classic Package
Duration: 16 days*
Price: From £5049 per person for a category three twin cabin (compared to £5919 per person peak season)
Departure: 4 November 2010

*As a promotional bonus, there are 16 days (not the usual 14 days) for the 4-19 November 2010 departure. This gives you a chance for two extra days of shore landings in Antarctica

Highlights: Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, the South Shetland Islands, the Antarctic Peninsula, amazing wildlife, immense icebergs, penguin colonies, leopard seals and glaciers

Description: Explore the rugged, remote South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula , home to some of the continent’s most dramatic landscapes and impressive wildlife. See huge penguin rookeries rubbing shoulders with seal colonies, while orcas and whales ply the waters offshore. This 14-day trip is identical to the Gap Adventures Antarctica Classic (XVCASX) expedition with the added inclusion of flights, transfers, tours and extra days in Buenos Aires .

Enjoy a 16-day trip from 4-19 November from £5049 per person. Price includes nine nights on board MS Expedition, four nights accommodation on land, all meals onboard the ship, 10 expedition staff and naturalists and all shore landings and Zodiac cruises in Antarctica.

For more information or to book, visit:
http://www.gapadventures.com/trips/antarctica-classic-package/XPCASX/2011/?utm_source=Rooster&utm_medium=PR&utm_campaign=Shoulderseason or call 08444 10 10 90

About MS Expedition
The Expedition takes Gap Adventures travellers to destinations that have inspired bold explorers for centuries. It cruises the coastlines, islands and oceans of some of the most remote destinations on Earth and allows guests to visit secluded rookeries and hidden places that are only accessible by Zodiac landing craft. Accompanied by the Gap Adventures team of experts, travellers can get up close and personal with polar wildlife and cruise through colossal icebergs.

The Remote World of the True Antarctic

By guest blogger Steve Newman

As more and more cruise lines start offering voyages into Antarctica, the quest is on to find something that little bit more adventurous or different to make the voyage more attractive and memorable to dedicated cruisers.

With that in mind, Hurtigruten are offering the chance to attempt to cross the Antarctic Circle on their ‘Polar Circle Quest’ voyage, a 15-day journey into a realm where few have ventured, before attempts to travel to a latitude of 66° 33’ south, into the remote world of true Antarctic explorers.

The final itinerary is subject to local weather and ice conditions with the aim to cross the Antarctic Circle at 66° 33’ south and travel to Marguerite Bay on the company’s specially designed Polar vessel the Fram. Rarely visited even by Antarctic standards, Marguerite Bay is dotted with ice-covered islands and surrounded by pristine mountainous scenery. It is home to the only known breeding colony of Emperor penguins on the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula.

There are also several bases in Marguerite Bay, both new and old. Amongst them are Rothera Station on Adelaide Island and the 1950s' era British “Base E” on Stonnington Island. Also on the schedule are visits to Deception Island, Half Moon Island, Yankee Harbour, Cuverville Island, Neko Harbour, Paradise Harbour, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island, Port Lockroy, Wilhelmina Bay, the Antarctic Sound and Brown Bluff.

You will be able to witness landscapes that few eyes have seen before and explore the highest, driest, coldest and cleanest continent on earth, which has 90% of the world’s ice. Available on February 2, 2012, the price includes 12 nights full board on the ship, two night’s B&B accommodation in Buenos Aires (either side of voyage), return flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. From £4,211 per person (based on two sharing).

International flights are extra and can be booked via Hurtigruten if required. For more information, look up http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/

Hurtigruten are also exhibiting at the Cruise Show in Birmingham on October 16-17 and at London's Olympia March 26-27, 2011.

Princely Visit to Antarctica

By guest blogger Steve Newman

When winter starts to bite here in the UK, the spring is well under way in Antarctica and many dedicated cruisers reach out to experience this vast continent and its astounding beauty. Silversea Cruises have nine departures from November of this year through to March 2011, with a 17-day voyage starting and ending at Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world.

To embark on a luxurious expedition to the best far-flung destinations in the world aboard a ship like Prince Albert II is quite an experience. A purpose-built expedition ship, she was designed specifically for navigating waters in some of the world's most remote areas, including both Polar Regions. The 6,072-ton vessel also boasts a strengthened hull.

The ship's eight Zodiacs (above) allow her 132 privileged guests to visit even the most off-the-beaten path locations. Now you can experience the thrill of a true expedition and venture deep into regions where other vessels cannot go whilst enjoying a privileged lifestyle that is simply second-to-none.

The Prince calls at West Point and Carcass Island in the Falklands before docking at Stanley, the island's capital. Then it's on to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands before visiting Elephant Island in the South Shetlands, the island most famous as the desolate refuge of Ernest Shackleton and his crew in 1916 following the loss of their ship Endurance in the ice of the Weddell Sea.

Onboard, you can savour a warming cosmopolitan ambience and many special amenities usually found only on the larger ships, including a spacious library with an Internet Cafe, boutique shopping, a full-service Spa, beauty salon, fitness centre, sauna, live evening entertainment and two top-deck whirlpools. The Prince Albert II even features Connoisseur's Corner, formerly The Humidor, where connoisseurs can enjoy the finest cigars and cognacs -- a diversion offered by no other expedition ship!

Find out more by visiting http://www.silversea.com/

Silversea Cruises are also exhibiting at The Cruise Show in Birmingham in October.