When choosing an Antarctic vessel, there are many different factors to consider including ship size and the number of passengers, level of on board amenity and overall cost. I chose to travel on the 88 passenger MV Ushuaia. This is one of the smallest and most basic ships plying the Antarctic waters and all passengers are able to go ashore at a time, as there is a 100 person limit for shore landings in Antarctica. The MV Ushuaia is a sturdy ice-strengthened vessel that was originally built in 1970 for the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA.) The ship has a utilitarian "no-frills" feel to it. There are no hot tubs, spas or balcony cabins, but the MV Ushuaia's value is really in the quality of the guides and staff, programming and overall comfortable family type feel. This ship is not owned by a large corporation and certainly does not have any sort of corporate feel to it. As a solo traveler, I really appreciated this welcoming and homey feel and appreciated the opportunity to make friends from all over the world!
The staff on the ship was wonderful! Most of the staff are from South America and are bilingual in Spanish and English- so it was a nice opportunity for me to practice my Spanish. The expedition staff was very knowledgeable and gave presentations about biology and history during the Drake Passage. All lectures were given in both English and Spanish. The waitstaff was also particularly wonderful and even made me a cake for my birthday! It was certainly a birthday that I will never forget and a story that I will be telling for a long time. Surprisingly, there were actually a few birthdays on board and all were celebrated!
If you are looking for a no-frills laid back Antarctic expedition experience, the MV Ushuaia is a great choice with wonderful and attentive personal, clean and comfortable accommodations and delicious food!
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.