Ask the person who just vacationed in Antarctica.

[TruCelt]

@susan

. . . I used a Sea to Summit 20L fold-up Kitchen Sink and a multi-clip hanger for laundry.

. . .

Were there no laundry facilities on board? Or is this just your preference after years of travel?

Please tell us more about the “Polar Plunge”? I joined the “Polar Bear Club” In New Hampshire one year, and have made a couple of unplanned trips below the ice while skating in Virginia, but I can’t imagine the level of cold you are talking about. What was the water temp? What did you wear? How long were you in there? What safety procedures did they set up? Did you have to put goggles over your eyes?

[nearwildheaven]

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

According to this staff member, AIUI, it’s not the military who provides medivac: there’s only one guy on earth who will medivac from Antarctica, and it’s a private aircraft and a really dangerous job, and because of that his fee is in the neighborhood of $50,000 for a medivac, and he won’t take off until the money is in his account, no matter how urgent your need.

Just curious: Is this the same guy who owned the plane that medivaced Ebola patients to the United States (and Europe too, IIRC)?

Many years ago, there was a woman who insisted on having a baby on Antarctic soil. Fortunately, nothing went wrong but if she’d needed a c-section, she and the baby would have been in deep doodoo.

Susan, it sounds like you had a great time, except for being seasick.

[FoieGrasIsEvil]

@TruCelt

Were there no laundry facilities on board? Or is this just your preference after years of travel?

Please tell us more about the “Polar Plunge”? I joined the “Polar Bear Club” In New Hampshire one year, and have made a couple of unplanned trips below the ice while skating in Virginia, but I can’t imagine the level of cold you are talking about. What was the water temp? What did you wear? How long were you in there? What safety procedures did they set up? Did you have to put goggles over your eyes?

I wonder if once water gets to a certain low temperature, and you’re in it, if you can register levels of cold other than “it’s fucking cold”.

[susan]

Were there no laundry facilities on board? Or is this just your preference after years of travel?

There was reasonably priced laundry service, but I like to wash my own unless I’ve got a bad stain or the garment needs refreshing. It saves money, it reduces wear and tear on clothing in general and technical gear/silk/wool in particular (which I usually wash by hand at home anyway). I use Ex Officio underwear, which dries overnight if wrung out or put near either a heat or air source, and Tilley travel socks (the same).

The kitchen sink is a new-to-me tool and I was very happy with it. A lot of places I travel have small, shallow sinks without stoppers that are bad for hand washing or soaking. In many developing countries, there may be a sink but it’s not connected to an overflow drain, so there can be a lot of sloshy mess. While I carry a stopper, that doesn’t solve the capacity problem. This fold-up, lightweight sink sits nicely on the shower floor and makes the whole enterprise much easier. I should mention that I also carry a compact hanger and a clothesline similar to this one.

If anyone’s interested, I can post my packing list. I was pretty accurate about what I would need.

[susan]

Please tell us more about the “Polar Plunge”? … What was the water temp? What did you wear? How long were you in there? What safety procedures did they set up? Did you have to put goggles over your eyes?

In order to board the ship, we had to present a medical form from our medical provider, dated within 8 weeks, listing our medical conditions and evaluating our fitness to be away from urgent medical services for a few weeks. This was reviewed by a ship’s medic before the ship sailed.

A reasonable number of people of all ages plunged.

According to the documentation I received, the water at Arctowski Station (62°09′37″S 58°28′24″W) was 3°C, so not as cold as it might have been at other landings. I wore swim trunks, a short-sleeved board shirt, and useless flip flops that popped off immediately. No goggles, but I wasn’t swimming other than symbolically. I was in the water long enough for a victory salute, a complete immersion, and a little paddling. If I’d had decent footwear, I’d have stayed in longer, but my toes were instantly numb and I didn’t want to risk a foot injury at the beginning of the trip (and as a diabetic). A medic was on site with emergency supplies and towels were provided.

One of my tablemates, a lovely young man from Macau who is traveling the world, took plunges at multiple sites, possibly every one that was allowed. Some had too much penguin guano for my taste, and I thought one was enough for me.

[susan]

Many years ago, there was a woman who insisted on having a baby on Antarctic soil. Fortunately, nothing went wrong but if she’d needed a c-section, she and the baby would have been in deep doodoo.

This was also a colonization strategy by Chile and Argentina. List here.

As to medical emergencies, you may remember Jerri Nielsen, the McMurdo medic who had to orchestrate her own breast lump biopsy and chemo during Antarctic winter. I thought her book was pretty good.

If you’d like, I can post a list of relevant books I read before and during the trip.

[susan]

Susan, it sounds like you had a great time, except for being seasick.

Indeed I did, and as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I’m very prone to motion sickness. This keeps me off roller coasters, but I don’t care when it comes to travel. Lovely wife gave me a box of 1000 opaque zip-top baggies, and they work very well.

[susan]

I wonder if once water gets to a certain low temperature, and you’re in it, if you can register levels of cold other than “it’s fucking cold”.

That sounds about right.

[Spiderman]

@susan

Though nobody has asked yet, here’s my wildlife list. I’ve checked it against the ship’s official list and they accord quite well:

Diomedea exulans (wandering albatross)
Diomedea (or Thalassarche) melanophrys (black-browed albatross)
Phoebetria fusca (sooty albatross)
Phoebetria palpebrata (light-mantled sooty albatross)
<snip>

So you ate well.

@TruCelt

Please tell us more about the “Polar Plunge”?

@susan

According to the documentation I received, the water at Arctowski Station (62°09′37″S 58°28′24″W) was 3°C, so not as cold as it might have been at other landings.

Water temp was colder than that in Atlantic City yesterday. Today is supposed to be 30°F & ice flows have been spotted just offshore.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

Thanks for a great report and photos, susan! Glad you had such a fun time. I hope to get to Antarctica and the Falklands myself someday.

[Left_Hand_of_Dorkness]

Poking around a little more, it appears I may have misunderstood the person I talked with: it looks like there are various companies, from Calgary to New Zealand to Chile, who will do medivacs from Antarctica. It may be that this particular cruise line goes to places where only one guy will medivac, or maybe I misunderstood even further.

[susan]

So you ate well.

Better that than this.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

@susan

So you ate well.

Better that than this.

Do you get wafers with it?

[susan]

What, albatross cookies? Or communion?

[Aspenglow]

This looks like a trip of a lifetime, although in your life it appears to be only one of many. Good onya, as my late husband would say.

I thank you for sharing your experiences with us so I can live vicariously through them. The photos are fantastic and your descriptions make me want to book a copy-cat excursion immediately.

[burpo_the_wonder_mutt]

@susan

What, albatross cookies? Or communion?

Monty Python skit. (Possibly NSFW)

[susan]

https://www.hurtigruten.us/

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@burpo_the_wonder_mutt

Do you get wafers with it?

'Course you don’t get bloody wafers with it!

[Trom]

I’m glad you posted this thread! My dad and I are in the process of planning a trip to Antarctica for Jan 2019 - so I have some questions!

Is there anything you wish you had done but missed? Anything that wasn’t worth the time or a bit underwhelming?

Can you please post the packing list you mentioned above? Is there any equipment you wish you had/hadn’t packed?

Based on our initial research, $7k is on the low end of what we’ve found for packages. Much of the difference in prices seems to be based on what ship cabin you choose. Were there significant differences between the classes of cabins on your ship?

[susan]

I’m glad you posted this thread! My dad and I are in the process of planning a trip to Antarctica for Jan 2019 - so I have some questions!

Cool! I’m jealous–I’d do it again in a second. Why Antarctica now for you?

Is there anything you wish you had done but missed? Anything that wasn’t worth the time or a bit underwhelming?

I could wish that weather had permitted our excursions in the Chilean fjords. On the other hand, we got an extra stop in Antarctica, and we did get to land at Cape Horn on our way back.

There was a talk about the ship itself that I was too nauseated to attend. I wish I’d dragged myself to it anyway and just sat in the back with visits out as needed.

There was nothing that didn’t seem worth the time. It was a close to perfect as I’ll ever experience.

Can you please post the packing list you mentioned above? Is there any equipment you wish you had/hadn’t packed?

Sure, I’ll format and post shortly.

I wish I had packed: Nothing else, really. I had what I needed. Maybe a small wet bag since the rubberized backpack was large.

I could have done without: Flip flops, 1 pair heavy wool socks, 1 pair pants, 1 tee shirt, 1 pair long johns, balaclava. But I was happy to have these since I very well might have needed them if I’d had a spill or a tumble, or if we’d had a real cold snap.

Based on our initial research, $7k is on the low end of what we’ve found for packages. Much of the difference in prices seems to be based on what ship cabin you choose. Were there significant differences between the classes of cabins on your ship?

I had an outside/oceanview cabin with a big window. It was the 3rd tier up (below it were inside cabins and those with smaller windows). Above me were suites. All the rooms seemed to be fairly small–more like a river boat than a big cruise liner. My fare was a special that included airfare to $1500 and waived the solo traveler supplement, which can be considerable. Because air was included, I was able to afford the more expensive cabin with what I’d saved up over time. I’d absolutely recommend a window.

The food was very good. As on any small ship, options were sometimes limited, but the breakfast and lunch buffets were extensive and good. I’ve seen people complain about the drink prices but they didn’t seem high to me. Laundry prices were low. Internet was something like $200 for the whole trip or $25 for 24 hours. The signal was fine.

The cost included all excursions and activities except: Cruise-long photograph class, cruise-long kayak certification class, kayak excursion, shoeshoe excursion, and some sort of art thing making penguin figurines with Fimo or similar. I did the kayak and shoeshoe excursions. The lectures were excellent and the expedition team available, knowledgeable, and enthusiastic.