www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g1-i12337-k14245137-Intrepid_Christmas_NYE_Trip_Report-Antarctic_Adventures.htmlIntrepid Christmas/NYE Trip Report
flyingsolo of New York, USA travelled on Ocean Endeavour Dec 22 2022 to Jan 3 2023 with Intrepid.
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Antarctica Trip Report
I traveled on the Intrepid Christmas/New Year’s Journey and got back a couple weeks ago. I am still in a “vacation hangover” missing this amazing experience so I am going to relive it by sharing this trip report with you all.
This was Intrepid’s first season managing everything themselves so hopefully it will be useful to some.
Overall
My biggest takeaway of this trip is advice I read in this forum and decided to ignore. You do not need the extra activities to have a mind-blowing, phenomenal trip. I planned this trip 2 years in advance so I was able to book all the extra activities I wanted, but on the trip they did not matter. In general, you will not regret booking extra activities like camping or kayaking (I do not), but my trip would have been equally as great without them. Just walking on Antarctica, whether an island or the mainland, seeing the wildlife, and riding in zodiacs is spectacular. If/when I go back, I will not be booking camping, kayaking, snowshoeing…I will just be trying to maximize my time on excursions.
Some context for my packing list review: We were very lucky to have great weather on our trip, so it’s very possible some of the gear I brought would have gotten more use in worse weather. Intrepid provided an outer jacket, boots, and a puffy midlayer jacket that we got to keep.
Prep/Financials
In December 2020 I received a small inheritance after my grandparent’s passing and decided I wanted to spend a portion of it on a dream trip- namely, Antarctica. For the next 6 weeks I researched on this forum and other sites for a cruise with the following criteria:
- maximize my time seeing ice
- a “reasonable” price with no single supplement and up to one roommate
- over New Year’s Eve
- a company with a good track record
- a cruise between rugged and total luxury
- ability to book activities like kayaking and camping in advance but not completely activity-focused
- a good exit strategy in case Antarctic cruises became completely obsolete (this was deep covid times and I am paranoid)
- in the 22/23 season because I thought the 21/22 season could still be affected by covid
With these as my criteria I landed on the Intrepid Christmas/New Year’s Journey to the Antarctic Circle, and put down my deposit in February 2021. I believe that being in my mid-twenties, I was the youngest person on the ship who paid my own way (versus traveling with family).
While I originally booked a shared room with a window, when Intrepid added a fuel supplement I noticed that they had discounted single interior rooms to be cheaper than the room I had booked (single rooms had not been discounted when I originally booked). I reached out to Intrepid and they were willing to switch me to a single interior, which I was extremely happy with. The savings with the interior room ended up canceling out the fuel supplement increase.
From the time I booked the trip, I read and posted in this forum to come up with a packing list, bought new suitcases, and waited for sales for winter clothing. I traveled with one personal-item sized backpack (Patagonia Mini MLC) and a checked rolling duffel. I used sites like Poshmark to buy used merino top base layers and ski pants, and looked on discount outerwear sites for my waterproof gloves and my duffel bag suitcase. I also shopped typical brands like REI and North Face sales. For me, planning and purchasing over 2 years was a fun way to look forward to the trip and to spread out the costs. I also met people on the trip who booked 6 weeks in advance though, so to each their own!
The gear I loved:
- My North Face rain pants. I ended up wearing these and not the ski pants I brought most days as it was easier to layer. On the morning after camping our zodiac ride back got hit by katabatic winds and we all got soaked- my top half had a V-shaped wet spot all the way through 5 layers since I hadn’t zipped up my outermost layer. However, these rain pants kept my bottom half completely dry and I was walking around in my second layers on the ship the rest of the day, while everyone I spoke to had gotten completely soaked through.
- My Black Diamon Heavyweight Screentap Gloves. Based off recommendations in this forum I traveled with 4 pairs of gloves- 2 waterproof pairs, this pair, and then Black Diamond lightweight gloves. The few times we had bad weather I wore my lightweight gloves and a waterproof pair as they fit better, and when camping I wore as many layers as possible. Other than that I only wore these- when standing on deck, riding to land, walking around. They worked great on my phone, fit in my pockets, and kept my hands perfectly warm.
- My camera- I bought a used Canon Powershot G3 X Digital Camera. My only wish would be that it was weather-resistant. Since it wasn’t, I was too worried about using it on zodiac rides so I stuck to my phone in a waterproof case around my neck for that, and only took my camera out from the dry bag when we were on land. But otherwise it was great on zoom, and I am so glad the members of this forum reminded me that the zoom is why you take a camera over a phone. My iPhone was great for landscapes, but this camera was required for those wildlife shots.
- My LL Bean vest. I almost cut this before traveling as I was slightly overweight for the flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, but I am glad I kept it in. Most days walking around the boat I wore a merino base layer, this vest, and then the puffer provided by Intrepid. Occasionally I added an additional layer if it was colder, but mostly that worked great. For excursions I would just add the outer jacket provided by Intrepid.
- My buff and ear cover. I carried these in my pockets along with my gloves around the ship so I could go out on deck on a moment’s notice. The hat I brought was nixed by the biosecurity standards for shedding wool fibers so I didn’t wear it even on the ship. I ended up wearing just the ear cover for the entire trip and had no problem.
- Straps for everything to go around my neck! I had sunglasses straps, binocular straps, phone straps, camera straps…by the end of some days my neck was sore. But it was great for mobility and accessing everything.
Trip Overview
We embarked on December 22 and disembarked on January 3. This meant we had December 25-December 31 with 7 full days by the Antarctic Peninsula. During this time we had 6 landings, and any time we had a landing canceled (mostly due to swell) our expedition leader replaced it with activities so great no one on board even cared about the canceled landing by the end of the day. On December 26 we crossed the Antarctic Circle, and stayed below it until December 30. There was a G Expedition ship with the same embarkation and disembarkation days as us, and I believe we had a very similar first few days. However somewhere around Stonington Island they returned north of the Antarctic Circle before us to go further up on the Peninsula and ended up returning to Ushuaia a day early due to bad weather.
Day 1-3 (Embarkation, Drake Passage)
Our first day on the Drake started off with a bang- we were told the Drake was expected to be a 1/10 but according to guides it was more of a 3/10. This ended up being an unfortunate misprediction as 3 waves larger than expected hit our ship in a row, letting water enter through an open ventilation shaft and flooding part of a lower front deck. Luckily however all affected guests were able to be moved to dry rooms and we were able to continue. The rest of our Drake passage was very smooth. These days were filled with the mandatory orientations, and during the kayaking one it turned out they were hoping some kayakers would opt out as one of the cranes that lifts zodiacs and kayaks was slightly damaged and could not lift its full weight. I ended up opting out and getting a refund plus a free day paddle. I had been having second thoughts about kayaking as it takes away from land time so was very happy with my decision.
Our last day on the Drake Passage was Christmas Eve and the ship threw a fun celebration- some guides organized a talent show and the night devolved into poorly singing all sorts of songs around the piano. Really an amazing way to spend a holiday.
Day 4 (Lemaire Channel, Hovgaard Island)
Christmas morning we woke up off the coast of the Peninsula, approaching the Lemaire Channel. After breakfast I ran down to the bow and promptly fell on my ass- this is why they tell you not to run on deck. We had gorgeous weather as we entered and all the guides were out on deck- a great sign you are seeing something special. That afternoon we had our first landing at Hovgaard Island and by the end of the day everything on my Antarctica wishlist (great views, penguins, whales, seals, hiking on Antarctica, zodiac ride) was done, and we even got a little bit of snow to make my first white Christmas. They ended the day by playing the movie “Elf”.
Day 5 (Crossing the Antarctic Circle, the Gullet)
Our second day started off with another great occasion, crossing the Antarctic Circle. They ship provided champagne, mimosas, and orange juice to cheers the occasion. That afternoon we were supposed to have a landing at Detaille Island but although we had great weather, the swell was too dangerous for us to disembark. So instead we changed course and spent the afternoon going further south through the Gullet, which we were told before that day had not been traveled through in 5 years (although the G Adventures ship had traveled through that morning, which is how we knew the ice conditions were acceptable for us to follow). The Gullet was an amazing highlight- we watched our ship break sea ice and the wildlife watching on sea ice was just phenomenal. This day I had my favorite orca sighting and also we saw beautiful ice formations. Again the weather was great and I spent about 12 hours out on deck that day just taking it all in. Our guides were all out on deck taking photos and videos, and we saw tons of snow petrels.
Day 6 (Bongrain Point, Horseshoe Island)
Day 6 the location was good for day paddling, so that was my activity for the morning. Those that went on land though saw an Adelie colony and were lucky enough to actually see chicks. In the afternoon we went to Horseshoe Island which was cool but more about the historical building than a viewpoint, so not my favorite stop.
Day 7 (Neny Fjord, Stonington Island, Camping)
Once again the swell was too much for us to disembark in the morning like planned at Neny Fjord, but instead our ship did a full circle of a gorgeous iceberg (it took about an hour) and then we did the polar plunge. We had great participation among the passengers, and an iceberg calve in the distance added some fun excitement. This is also where our ship turned north again. That afternoon we disembarked at Stonington Island which also has a historic building. We could see the paths and footsteps left by G Adventures, which I later learned had visited and camped there the day before. The zodiac ride after exploring Stonington was one of my highlights of the trip- the ice was completely gorgeous and our driver had us and surrounding zodiacs stay still for several minutes to give us a moment of silence.
That evening 60 passengers including myself camped on Stonington Island, and as another guest said later, “This is one of the stupidest things I ever paid money for.” There is nothing anyone could have said to stop me from camping- I was hellbent on doing it so I have no regrets. However, once we got there, dug out our sleeping areas (we used bivy bags), and set it up, I stood back and said “now what”. Due to fear of the avian flu we could only sit on our bivy bags and were not allowed to drag them around. Also a quiet time was started around 10:30 PM so those who wanted to sleep could, so you could not chat with friends for very long. The guests I talked to who had the best experience did not sleep and just enjoyed the views- however that was never going to be my plan. I do not mind sleeping in snow or the bivy bag, but as many others have said this experience is really one you just do so that you can say you have done it. In the morning we ended up having to wait about an hour for zodiacs as katabatic winds had come in and our ship had to move spots so that the cranes could lower the zodiacs, which also made the zodiac ride longer. On the way back we had quite a ride with waves crashing in every direction, although it was honestly the most exciting part of the camping experience.
Day 8 (At Sea)
After camping luckily we had a sea day on the ride back up to recover. We could not travel back through the Gullet due to ice conditions so we had to go the long way around Adelaide Island. On sea days including the Drake Passage we had lectures from the guides that I found quite interesting, citizen science programs, yoga, and in the evenings games hosted by the guides. I found the days quite engaging and did not have much time with nothing to do. I also enjoyed the conversations with other guests and solo travelers.
Day 9 (Fish Islands, Barilari Bay)
This morning although we were supposed to land on Fish Islands, we could not get close enough to land due to ice conditions so we instead did a zodiac exploration through the ice. I did not find this lacking in experience and enjoyed the long zodiac rides- our driver asked us which direction and then headed off. They drive in pairs and have trackers to return to the ship so there is no worry about getting lost- it was great to have that dedicated time to explore and look for wildlife. Everyone had completely unique experiences in the morning so lunch was great to hear what everyone had seen. In the afternoon it had been planned to just be a zodiac exploration, but our expedition leader also threw in a sea ice landing for guests. I had no clue this was even a thing so it was super special being able to walk on a floating piece of ice. We also had some close minke encounters as we explored after.
Day 10 (Neko Harbour, Danco Island)
This was New Year’s Eve and our final day along the Peninsula. Several other passengers like me had missed the Adelie penguin colony on the first day, either day paddling or kayaking, so this day was all about the PENGUINS. Both Neko Harbour and Danco Island had Gentoo penguin colonies- no penguin chicks but lots of eggs and nest making. They also both had gorgeous viewpoints. Danco Island in particular had one with a full panorama of the bay- for me it was super worth the walk to the top. On Danco Island there was also a snowshoeing activity- while this was something I had been excited about doing before the trip by this point I just wanted to walk around and enjoy the penguins and the views so did not sign up for the lottery. Overall it was a great last day, and ended with a NYE celebration which has to be one of my top New Year’s Eves ever.
Day 11-13 (Drake Passage, Disembarkation)
And then we were sadly heading back home. Personally I found the Drake Passage a great way to ramp up for Antarctica and then ramp back down, but I was lucky enough to not get seasick. I survived on ginger tablets the whole trip, and we had a pretty calm passage back. On the trip back it was a great time to exchange contact information with passengers and guides, recap the trip, and start mentally preparing yourself to return back to land.
On disembarkation Intrepid and G Adventures provided luggage storage, which when picking up my luggage is where I ran into some G Adventures passengers and got information about their trip. They had highlights like pods of orcas and going further north along the peninsula, but I also got the impression that they were not very strict about biosecurity standards so I am happy at the end of the day with choosing Intrepid.
Intrepid is a B Corps and all the staff were very environmentally conscious which to me is not something I would want to compromise on when traveling to such a sensitive environment as Antarctica.
Other Thoughts
Our excursions were typically 2-3 hours, half zodiac and half on land. I thought this was a great combination. Our guides always provided viewpoints where possible which were some of my favorite parts- I am used to more active trips so always trekked the full way, although I would say most guests chose not to.
Although a pool was advertised on the boat, it was only filled once and took the full day to warm up, and before they could open it we hit choppy waters and all the water splashed out. I never saw it with water again. The hot tub however was frequently filled and was a great way to warm up after excursions.
I am really in awe of all the logistics it takes for the guides and ship crew to make everything work for guests. Our team clearly had a ton of experience, and even new guides were professional, excited, and knowledgeable. Often times when I was at a viewpoint I found myself staring at the motion of the cranes on the ship, the zodiac drivers, and the guests making their way around the continent. The lengths we go to in order to travel safely to Antarctica are almost as awe-inspiring as Antarctica itself.
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Hi PipPaul-
Yes it was on the Ocean Endeavour!
"Was there much sign of luggage being weighed/sized at the BA departure?"
They are strict on checked luggage but I did not see any carry-on or personal items being weighed as long as you are not also checking bags. I was super wary after traveling in Europe where my carry on did get weighed.
"A potential highlight of our trip is the WWF-Australia are due on board for whale research."
That will be great! I met someone on my trip who had originally booked that trip but due to delays and such she ended up on ours.
"Any comments / summary about the catering."
The food was delicious. Breakfast there was an omelette station that always had a long line, and then buffet style fruit and hot foods, as well as cereal and yogurt. Coffee and tea would be served to you once you sat down. Lunch was also buffet style and had good options including a salad bar. On sea days when my stomach wasn't feeling 100% I would typically just eat bread and a salad. They also have good soup options. One thing to note for the dinner menu is you can order multiple things off of it- I often had two desserts, and friends would order an entree as an appetizer or vice versa. Our executive chef was a super friendly guy- the night I was camping some other solo travelers I fell in with who weren't camping ended up spending the evening chatting and sharing a cheese plate with him.
"And the tea/coffee/snack station that I understand is available."
Oh yes! After morning expeditions hot chocolate was provided, and after afternoon expeditions soup was provided in the main lobby. Every day around 3 PM or so was snack time. There was tea/coffee/hot chocolate provided in the "library" (really just a hallway with books) all day, and cookies most of the time. Around 3 PM the staff would set up tables and set out pastries like cake and meringues and brownies. Honestly most days I missed the snack time but it was definitely a highlight and a routine for many. When I did partake it was delicious!
"Did you spend any time in Ushuia?"
Yes! I got in Sunday evening and met up with Intrepid on Wednesday. I went to the park one day but honestly it was not the highlight of my days. I really enjoyed hiking a glacier with the group Taun Ushuaia. I found them through my hostel- they do not have a TripAdvisor page and just use instagram, WhatsApp, and then Western Union for payment. It is all run by a local guy called Nacho and it was really a highlight of the trip. If you can and are interested I highly recommend reaching out and seeing if you can book something with him. As far as food in Ushuaia, I was pleasantly surprised by the Chinese food place Asia Gourmet (better than many of my takeout options in NYC) and then liked Tante Sarah for wifi, orange juice, and a casual breakfast. It was hard to find restaurants with vegetables.
"Did your BA to Ushuia and return trips go to plan?"
Yes! I flew back with Aerolineas and I think we had maybe a 40 minute delay but it was not a huge deal for my travel plans.
"Any 'hassle' over final tips? Or did you just pay up at the recommended level?"
I paid at the recommended level plus a little bit more. Around when you are returning on the Drake Passage a paper is left in your room by the attendant with recommended tip rates. You basically just write your amount on the paper and check whether you are paying in cash or card. Not to do with tips, but I know there were some people who had issues with drinks on their final receipt that were not theirs, but I had no issues. Reception was really very professional and calm when dealing with all the passenger complaints.
Some other thoughts I had that may be useful:
- After our first excursion there were some passengers who no longer wanted to walk on land due to issues getting in/out of the zodiac, so Intrepid started offering zodiac only options. I thought this was a great way to be flexible to the clientele. They were just called down last to the mud room.
- There were some covid cases on board but they were handled very well. Those with positive tests were quarantined, and their roommates were allowed out with a negative test and masked (and were tested every couple days). If they were feeling up to it, they were also given private zodiac cruises during our excursions by guides who had had covid in the past few months so effectively immune. My impression is that all the covid on the boat was caught beforehand- it did not seem to spread on board except between roommates. If it did spread on board, it was definitely not rampant as we were on the "green" status all trip.
Not Intrepid specific but just a general thought:
I found the wildlife viewing perfect for my level of interest. It was rare enough that every time we saw something it was interesting, but common enough that every day I saw several whales, penguins, seals, and birds. Honestly this is all luck and up to personal preference, and I obviously would have loved to see a pack of orcas, but I knew that "Crossing the Southern Circle" was less wildlife focused!
Oh another thought. I am not sure how common this is among cruises but on the trip back over the Drake Passage Intrepid has an auction where funds go to charities like the WWF and something to preserve the historic buildings in Antarctica. On our trip the flag at the front of the ship sold for around $4000. I walked away with a bottle of glacial water from Neko Harbour that was harvested on our trip for $150. There were smaller items as well and then a map of our trip that you could get signed by the crew/guides if you wished. So be prepared if that is something you are interested in, it was quite fun!
This was Intrepid’s first season managing everything themselves so hopefully it will be useful to some.