Travel Log: Antarctica

In January 2024 we embarked on the Holland America cruise ship Oosterdam for a four day Antarctica expedition. While the Oosterdam may be somewhat small by modern cruise ship standards, it is very large in comparison to most ships headed to Antarctica. There are also strict international restrictions governing anyone setting foot on the southern continent. As such, there would be no opportunities to stand on Antarctica itself. We were initially a bit bummed about that, but oh how wrong we were. The Oosterdam Antarctic adventure is chock full of amazing surprises that just keep you on the edge of one outdoor railing after another.

Iceberg Behemoths

Our adventure set out from Ushuaia, Argentina with a planned sea day crossing the Drake Passage that was the first step to reach the Antarctic Circle. We were fortunate to encounter Drake Lake and clear blue skies that day. The first exciting experience we encountered on our voyage south were the icebergs. Sometime into that first sea day we began to pass icebergs both near and far. What started out as tiny blocks of white in the distance turned into massive, multi-story behemoth icebergs by the time we got close. Some of those bergs were bigger than our cruise ship. A few days later we would witness a glacier calving what would have squished a person flat, but was miniscule in relation to these massive icebergs we were passing in the sea. The icebergs were awe inspiring to say the least.

Penguins, Seals, and Whales

Once we left the Drake Passage and crossed into the Antarctic Circle we began seeing the varied, unique wildlife of Antarctica. Dog was the first to see a whale. Ironically it happened while on the treadmill and was gone before a photo opportunity. That was just the beginning though. Over the course of the next four days the ship wove in and out of the Antarctic Peninsula with cruising visits to places like Palmer Station, Lemaire Channel, Neumayer Channel, Cuverville Island, Deception Island, and Elephant Island. The Oosterdam’s Captain made incredible effort to get us as close to penguin rookeries as possible. For the record, penguin rookeries stink! There were penguin, bird, seal, and whale sightings galore. There are multiple species to be encountered of each of those critters. Bring your binoculars or a camera with a good lens. While the Antarctic weather varied and left us with some minor itinerary changes, the opportunities for amazing wildlife viewing were frequent and phenomenal.

IAATO

An interesting feature of our Antarctic cruise was the participation of a team from the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators. The IAATO advocates and promotes safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic in accordance with the Antarctic Treaty System. One piece of that system specifies that ships with more than 500 passengers are not permitted to land visitors on Antarctica, hence the previously mentioned restriction on our cruise. Our cruise did however offer multiple educational sessions provided by the scholars and adventurers aboard from the IAATO. The educational sessions covered everything from local flora and fauna, the impact of human visitors on Antarctica, Shackleton’s expedition, the Falkland conflict, and much more. IAATO expedition members even kept a running commentary going about wildlife they were spotting from up on the bridge while offering educational tidbits throughout. Having the IAATO involved was an unexpected enhancement to our journey.

Antarctic Cruising Verdict

The voyage to Antarctica was a journey of a lifetime to be sure. We realized there was really no reason to actually set foot on the frozen continent. Just being able to cruise the waters within the Antarctic Circle, seeing the wildlife and stunning natural features all around us was incredible. We were somewhat surprised by how starkly mountainous the Antarctic Peninsula was. Dog and Dragon have been amazingly lucky in having this opportunity. Dragon’s assignment aboard the Oosterdam during this period means we will be making this trip another time in the near future and we are equally excited. While experiencing the Drake Shake wasn’t great for Dog, we’re both looking forward to another opportunity to undertake this epic voyage.