Spirit Of Enderby Review

3.0 / 5.0
9 reviews

A true expedition to the Ross Sea - a unique perspective of Antarctica

Review for Antarctica Cruise on Spirit Of Enderby
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leaott
2-5 Cruises • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Jan 2017

I went because it was a route that few people ever do. I had already been to the Antarctic peninsula, and I was excited to take this more historic route that few people take. I was also super excited to get to the Subantarctic Islands - so few people even know about them! This is really one of the only cruises that stop there. This route offered an immense amount of wildlife viewing too. I had been on the Spirit of Enderby once before to Russia - so I knew sort of what to expect.

Embarkation and Disembarkation: All went as planned from what I could tell. I did explore Invercargill a little bit before leaving - it's a simple town - you don't need more than a day there. The day we left the waters were really, really rough...which was an indication of things to come. Someone had to be evacuated right away even. However the rest of the trip went pretty smooth. This route isn't for the meek when it comes to seasickness. I had a few rough days at first - but after day 4 I had acclimated to the seas!

Itinerary and Leadership: The itinerary was fluid and changed quite frequently - but that was exactly as expected - it's Antarctica and the Southern Ocean after all. I felt that Rodney, our expedition leader, mad the appropriate decisions given the weather hand we were dealt. We were unable to get to McMurdo and the Historic huts due to the fact that there was too much ice in the region. However we did cruise all the way down and see the Ross Ice Shelf. Even though it was tough to not get to see the historic huts - there was really nothing they could do about it and instead Rodney and the captain took us to other places that they don't normally get to due to the strange ice patterns and storms last summer. I personally think the key to taking a real expedition cruise like this is to be flexible...so we had to be flexible. I can see how Rodney can be seen as gruff - but I personally liked him and trusted his incredible knowledge of the area. I don't think there's another person out there that knows the Subantarctic Islands and Eastern Antarctica as well as he does. I don't mind if a 'leader' is tough if they are keeping us safe.

Cabin Review

I can't remember my exact cabin number - but I was on the lowest level - the same level as the dining room and I loved it. This is the cheapest room and it's basic. It doesn't have a bathroom, but it does have a sink and a porthole that let in plenty of light. I like being low in the ship especially with the unpredictability of the Southern Ocean - there's a lot less movement down there. Plus - without a bathroom the cabin has a lot more space! There was a desk and two beds (not bunks). The shared bathrooms and showers were fine. They were always clean and I never once had to wait for a shower to open up. As I said, the rooms are basic - this is an older research ship turned expedition ship after all. But I wasn't looking for fancy - I just wanted a real expedition!

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