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| Reviewed By: Paul, Liverpool on 30th Jan 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Holland America Cruises |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: MS Rotterdam |
Sailed:
December,
2008 |
| Destination: Antarctica |
Age: 46-55 |
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Christmas in Antarctica on Board Holland America Line’s ‘MS. Rotterdam’
Itinerary
A trip to Antarctica, the bottom of the world, would in itself be a dream come true but when my schedule gave me the opportunity to visit such exotic places as Rio De Janeiro, Montevideo and Buenos Aries I could hardly believe my luck The trip embraced these ports before sailing south to Antarctica, passing through Falkland Sound. After our four day ‘Antarctica Experience’ we sailed back North and rounded Cape Horn before sailing up the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, the world’s most southerly city. We sailed through the Pacific Ocean and visited the Chilean ports of Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt before finally berthing at Valparaiso for Santiago, the capital city of Chile. Oh, by the way, as if we hadn’t seen enough, we left the Pacific for a couple of days scenic cruising in the Chilean Fjords and came close enough to the glaciers we could almost touch them. Twenty days of sheer heaven, wondrous sights and a chance to witness in the raw the marvel that is planet Earth. A fellow guest found the right word; she described the whole experience as ‘humbling’.
Highlights.
I stayed two night is Rio which gave me one full day for sightseeing and a half day to explore and enjoy the fabulous beaches and delightful sights thereon. I took the ‘Rio in a Day’ tour option offered through most of the hotels and found it to be extremely good value. All the major sites were visited and our guide spoke good English. An excellent lunch was included in the price of around $90.
Buenos Aires and Montevideo were enjoyable stops. Both are busy and feel very European. The difference is that Montevideo feels as though it is struggling to make ends meet where BA is booming. Lots of excellent shops in both cities and Montevideo has the most wonderful beaches. I looked at some apartments overlooking one of these and can you believe you could buy a fabulous two bedroom apartment for $100.000. (£50k)
Our ship sailed through Falkland Sound, between East and West Falkland. It was very moving to recall how British troops fought and won back these islands in 1982. I remember the news readers telling us that the islands were 8000 miles away and that is what made the logistical challenge so great. Hard to imagine that such effort and expense, and ultimately loss of life, went in to recovering these tiny islands. It would have been wonderful to stop here and a number of passengers made recommendations to that effect.
Next stop Antarctica with Albatross following us all the way. These majestic birds with wingspans of eight or nine feet just glide through the air and are a real treat to watch. First ‘stop’ (of course you don’t get off the ship) was Elephant Island where Shackleton’s men were famously marooned whilst he went to seek help. How anyone could even land on this frozen outpost, never mind live, is quite unfathomable.
Icebergs, icebergs, icebergs. Thousands of them of all shapes and sizes. Some all jagged and misshaped towering high out of the water and reminiscent of the famous ‘Titanic’ iceberg of 1912, others flat as an airport runways and the size of a small farm. We saw penguin colonies, seals and whales. Great fun. The ship went further south than at any previous time reaching 59 degrees, 28 minutes south. Incredible for a ship of this size and simply not possible a few years ago. A sign of global warming?
We rounded Cape Horn as we headed north away from the frozen continent. The sea was calm, the weather middling and, frankly, for a cruiser who likes a bit of rocking and rolling, a little disappointing. Still, we were always mindful of the forces at play here and the power of the ocean in these circumstances. Two great oceans meet in such a narrow waterway as Drake passage that the forces are bound to be truly awesome. One passenger asked the Captain ‘How will we know when we have left one ocean and entered the other?’ Captain Kromberg replied ‘You will feel a slight bump!’
We were able to disembark the ship after eight days at sea in Ushuaia, Argentina. A beautiful little town with wonderful, friendly people. The ship offered a tour to sail up the Beagle Channel and see penguins close up in their natural environment. It was a five hour trip, not cheap, but worth every penny! (Warning: these delightful creatures, previously only seen on film or TV, have a smell all of their own. You will never forget it!)
The next highlight (of so many) was two days scenic cruising in the Chilean Fjords. Just when you thought you had marvelled at enough scenery to last a lifetime, you discover this place. Glaciers and mountains to die for. Once again, humbling.
Santiago was a vibrant and positive city with beautiful old buildings, statues and monuments, indicative of a people proud of their country and their history. As with Rio and Buenos Aries, definitely worth a visit.
We sailed 6555 nautical miles in all, at an average speed of 17 knots.
Our Ship
The ‘MS Rotterdam’ is perfect for the passenger seeking to visit Antarctica but with all the benefits of a luxury cruise liner. There are, of course, smaller ships which no doubt explore further this wonderful continent but they are more expensive and cannot possibly offer the comforts, entertainment and service of the ‘Rotterdam’. For a guy who only has a limited time to take holidays, who wants to witness the marvel that is Antarctica and yet still wants to enjoy the food, the shows, the piano man and everything else offered on a luxurious ocean liner such as this, then this itinerary is perfect.
Stephen Paul
January 2008
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