Antarctica Special Voyage
Save 25% on November 2010 expeditions to the Antarctic onboard the newly retrofitted Plancius. The discount is between $2,922 and $3,847 per person depending on the cabin class!
Onboard lectures teach you about the area's natural history and wildlife. Zodiacs rides to shore take you to penguin colonies, abandoned whaling villages, Antarctic research station and more. You will see thousands of seabirds, seven species of penguins - some in huge colonies of tens of thousands - and seals and whales. The itinerary includes visit to Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica and Weddell Sea. The otherwordly and incredibly beautiful landscape will stay with you forever.
Dates: November 4 - 22, 2010 (18 nights)
November 22 - December 10, 2010 (18 nights)
Price: $11,690 - $15,390 per person, double occupancy before discount
Price includes accommodations onboard, all meals, all excursion, lectures and zodiac cruises, and port fees
Day 1: Depart Ushuia in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.
Day 2: At sea - seabirds include several species of albatross, storm petrels, shearwaters and diving petrels.
Day 3: Spend a whole day at Falkland Islands hiking the shore to see penguins, herons, albatrosses and cormorants.
Day 4: Visit Stanley, the capital of Falklands with mixture of Victorian charm and Latin American pizzazz.
Day 5 - 6: At sea - entering Antarctic waters, seabirds galore.
Day 7 - 10: South Georgia Islands with breeding fur seal colonies, elephant seals, and king and macaroni penguins. Visit an abandoned whaling village where king penguins now walk the streets and seals inhabit the houses. At Prion Island witness the breeding displays of the huge wandering albatross.
Day 11: At sea - encounter sea ice and penguins plus multitude of seabirds.
Day 12: Visit Orcadas Research Station, surrounded by glaciers at South Orkney Islands.
Day 13: At sea - seabirds, seals, whales.
Day 14 - 16: Sail into the Weddell Sea dotted with huge tabular icebergs. Visit Paulet Island with its million pairs of Adelie penguins. Land at Deception Island, a home to a colony of tens of thousands of chinstrap penguins, seals, and huge seabirds populations. On your way to West, cruise through Paradise Bay and see large whales.
Day 17 - 18: At sea - lots of seabirds.
Day 19: Arrive back at Ushuia, Argentina.
Plancius is a 267-foot oceanographic research ship fully rebuilt and ice-strengthened in 2010 for use for polar expeditions. Originally built in 1976 for the Royal Dutch Navy, it has been converted to a spacious and comfortable vessel for exploring both the Arctic and Antarctic areas. Onboard the ship you will find a panoramic observation lounge with a bar and a library, an airy restaurant, and large open deck spaces with excellent opportunities to enjoy the scenery and spot wildlife. Both observation lounge and restaurant will host frequent lectures by onboard naturalist guides. Tasty meals are prepared by international chefs and feature a variety of cuisines.
Plancius has 53 cabins for a maximum of 110 passengers. Ten superior cabins are the largest and offer one queen-size bed each. 39 twin cabins have either a queen-size bed or two lower single beds. Four triple cabins have a bunk bed and a lower single. All cabins have private bathrooms and plenty of storage space. Due to the remote expedition areas, there’s an infirmary and a doctor onboard. Ten zodiacs will whisk you to the many land excursions and wildlife sightings.