National Geographic Explorer Review

4.5 / 5.0
51 reviews

Photo Journey to the Antarctic

Review for Antarctica Cruise on National Geographic Explorer
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stenstro
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Dec 2018
Kayaking
Zodiac cruise
Picture on a Zodiac cruise

I chose this cruise among other of alternatives based on NG's reputation, the length of the cruise and the timing.

I am an avid photographer and history buff, especially of the Antarctic heroic exploration period, and I've been wanting to go to Antarctica for years, ever since watching a Masterpiece Theater mini-series in 1982 describing the race to the pole, based on Roland Huntford's book. This cruise went to the Antarctic peninsula and no where near the Ross Ice Shelf where the polar journeys started, but this is as close as a civilian can get!

Basically the adventure starts by flying to Buenos Aires. You get yourself there either by buying your own tickets or letting Lindlbad do it for you. They have recommended flights and an arrival/departure window of time. From the Buenos Aires Int airport they take you and everyone else by bus to a nice hotel where they feed you and take you on an optional city tour. We saw Evita's mausoleum and some folksy areas. The next morning you get up early and go to the local airport and take a charter flight on Latam (an Airbus A320) to Ushuaia. Next you take a bus tour through the park to a catamaran that takes you to the port where you board the NG Explorer. It's their largest ship and with room for 148 passengers and 100 crew. At this point I put on my anti-sea sickness patch and it worked well for me.

Cabin Review

Cabin least expensive

I was a single reservation and met my roommate when I arrived in Buenos Aires. All well.

Port Reviews

Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego)

We drove through the park on buses, stopped a few times. On the way back we

had a few hours in town for brunch and a tour of the prison.

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