Random thoughts on Ponant L’Austral Antarctic trip. By
TanMD of Gig Harbor, Washington USA
www.tripadvisor.com.au/ShowTopic-g1-i12337-k14211581-Random_thoughts_on_Ponant_L_Austral_Antarctic_trip-Antarctic_Adventures.html#115989231Travel dates: Dec 11 - 21 2022.
Just returned from an 11 day trip to Antarctica on Ponant’s L’Austral ship. What an exceptional experience. Much of what can be said about Antarctic trips has already been said. I’ll try to summarize things that were unexpected or unmentioned.
Most people begin the journey by landing in Buenos Aires. Because the chartered flight from BA to Ushuaia leaves very early in the morning, you at least have half a day to spend in BA, if you don’t plan a few days pretrip seeing the town. This half day is basically wasted, as there isn’t much time to do anything. We booked a walking tour, but the operator didn’t show up. Because Ponant required a COVID test prior to being allowed on the ship, part of the time was taken getting that done. The recommended Biorossi Lab came to the Madero Hotel where we were, and the test went smoothly. Arrangements were made by contacting BioRossi thru WhatsApp. It’s easy to walk to the San Telmo area from the hotel for a quick look at the area.
Again, arriving in Ushuaia happens several hours before you are able to board the ship, so unless you planned to tour the Tierra Del Fuego National Park, you are just biding time on the little excursion to the Las Cotoras restaurant for lunch which you may or may not find exciting. You don’t actually get to spend time in Ushuaia town on the first day. If you wished to see Ushuaia town, there is probably some time after the cruise, between when you have to get off the ship, and when you actually get taken to the airport.
Masks were not required on the ship. This was opposite to what was written before the cruise. Personally, I was glad for the recent change in policy.
The most important difference between my expectations and what actually happened was the itinerary for the cruise. I have come to realize that the description of the cruise in the brochure was just one of the many possibilities. The captain and expedition leader make very clear that what happens in the next few days is totally dependent on nature, and the weather. As it turns out, and we were lucky, that the Drake Passage was smooth, and we got to our destination a half day earlier than planned for, which made possible an extra off boat excursion. The great thing about this cruise is that the Captain was not restricted at all to following a certain predetermined route, and it all depended on the weather, at the locations most likely to be visitable. Additionally, there was a real motivation by the crew to make the trip as full an experience as possible. They were not just doing a job, but were fully engaged in showing off Antarctica even for their own enjoyment. When the waves did not permit a landing at a planned spot, an alternate spot was picked. A journey through a scenic passage was repeated just because it was beautiful, we sailed through, turned around and went back and through again, just to enjoy it. It was important that the expedition leaders and naturalists were very experienced, both for providing information, and judging for safe conditions. The last day of our exploration seemed like it was totally spontaneous, as in, well we didn’t plan to go to Antarctic Sound, and get a glimpse of the Weddell Sea, but we’re close enough, and the weather is favorable, so lets do it.
Most refreshing about the trip was the obvious enthusiasm of the crew for the Antarctic, and their passion for sharing this region that they loved, and the message to be spread that this fragile ecosystem deserves our concern and support. They were truly ambassadors for the Antarctic.
In general, the message was to over prepare, and be glad when the preparations were not needed. There was one zodiac ride during which I was thankful for our waterproof outer wear. We were never too cold, and actually being too warm was more of an issue. During the week we gradually reduced layers as experience revealed they were not necessary.
Returning through Buenos Aires airport took more time than it should have. From check in through immigration and security it took a good 2 hours. We had a 4 hr layover and were glad for that. Ponants charter from Ushuaia gets to BA around 5:30pm, and a flight out at 10:00 pm is doable. I wouldn’t try to do a connection earlier than 9:00pm.
It was a real experience.
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In response to posters questions further was added
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Of course, we were aware of the regulations and prebooking situation in Antarctica. And that illustrates the lengths to which the captain and expedition leader went inorder to provide us with a remarkable trip I didn't mean to imply that it was totally random. Never once were we disappointed that because plan A didn't work, plan B was less than excellent. Another interesting tidbit that surprised me was that, even though I knew the ships occupancy was 260 passengers, we had 140 passengers on board and the trip was considered full. Again, due to the landing regulations and options. Understanding how ship size and visitor numbers affect the whole experience, we were not disappointed with the tradeoffs between facilities, and experience.
Most amazing landing was Paulet Island to see the Adelie penguin colony, and that was a plan B after there was too much ice to land at Brown Bluff. We are novices, so who knows what we missed at Brown Bluff. The Hannah Point landing in Walker Bay was also memorable to visit the elephant seals. The views at Portal Point were breathtaking.
From the little map on the brochure, I thought that we were primarily going to be in the South Shetlands. We actually went to Paradise Bay, Neko Harbor, Dorian Bay, Portal point, and Deception Island as landings. But also went out in zodiacs in Hidden Bay, Wilhemina Bay, and the Melchior islands. Got to see the tabular icebergs in Antarctic sound, and sailed through Lemaire channel twice. There were 2 excursions a day.
It's fine to add to trip reports, we sailed between Dec 11 and 21.
Hi, glad to answer you questions. Dress was very casual on board, with most people wearing everyday clothes. Some were even in Bermuda shorts. One guy went the entire cruise with 2 soccer tee shirts and one pair of sports shorts. Even the dress up nights saw some in just button shirts and slacks. Of course some were in suits and tuxes. The boots are included in the price of your cruise, no extra charge. The parka is yours to keep, and it is slightly bulky. You also get a complementary S’well water bottle.
We generally buy our travel insurance from Squaremouth.com. Specifically we got a policy from TravelSafe Classic. We did not opt for trip cancellation which is a risk that you may or may not want to take. Trip cancellation policies greatly increase the price, but then you get the peace of mind of having your very expensive trip covered in the event you cannot go (very specific situations defined by the contract for payment). Without trip cancellation coverage we did get emergency medical coverage of $100k, and emergency evacuation of $1 million, along with other benefits like trip delay and lost luggage. That policy for our trip was $83 pp. With trip cancellation it would have been close to $1500. I think we read somewhere for our trip that medical insurance was required (Covid) however by the time we went, no one ever checked to see that we had it.
Oh, and the Wi-Fi was adequate when we had it. Definitely for email. WhatsApp worked better than Messages. Don’t think of trying to watch or download streaming. The Wi-Fi would cut off intermittently, and you would have to log in again and again, but it probably worked about 80% of the time.
