We arrived at the mouth of the Beagle Channel, at the far southern tip of Argentina, about 6:30 am, completing the Drake Passage. Viking prepared certificates commemorating our crossing both ways:
In hindsight, crossing the Drake Passage is worth the discomfort. The awe of the seventh continent is a unique experience. It feels other-worldly to be there, seeing it in much the same condition it was during the early exploration and whaling days. Other than a few sailing yachts, we didn’t see any other people for eight days.
The trip today through the Beagle Channel takes several hours. Along the way, dolphins follow our ship, as do countless Skua, Albatross and Petrel. We continue to watch them out the fitness room windows, while running on the elliptical and treadmills.
In the early afternoon, the ship stops to pick up a required local channel guide to assist the captain. We arrive in Ushuaia at 5:00 pm. As we enter the harbor, we see five other cruise vessels anchored in the channel. Their planned expeditions to Antarctica are apparently on hold due to COVID and they are avoiding the hefty dock fees by anchoring out here indefinitely. Glad we chose Viking, one of the few to sail to Antarctica this year.
We watched he docking process from the promenade deck before dinner (sushi!). Tonight we pack; they pick up our bags at 10 pm. We disembark at 8:00 am tomorrow and take a bus tour of Ushuaia before arriving at the airport at 11:30 am.
Keith took other interesting photos of the ship and videos of the dolphins -- check them out on his Facebook page. My favorite interior photo of the ship is attached below:
I’m not sure if we are cruise people yet. This expedition was our first-ever cruise, so we are unable to compare. But we met many seasoned cruise travelers on this Octantis expedition, and they all say the same thing: Viking costs a bit more, but the experience is better – no casinos, no kids, no extras fees for excursions, no art sales on board. A high-quality experience. We have already booked the Great Lakes cruise from Toronto to Milwaukee on the same ship Octantis, in July 2022.
As we prepare to depart, since Viking reads posts marked #MyVikingStory, a quick thanks to the helpful crew of Octantis.
Excursion & science crew: Vicki, Nicki, Jo, Aaron, Anne, Judith, Noah, Olivia, Lars, Julian, Damon
Dining crew: Asep, Tian, Eka, Hannah, Arlene (sushi chef), Andrii (sommelier)
Stateroom crew: R-Jay, Ayu
We hope to see some of you again in July. There are many names that I forgot to include. So to Captain Olivier Marien and the entire staff and crew, thank you for an enjoyable and memorable expedition.
#Antarctica
#VikingOctantis
#AntarcticExplorer
#MyVikingStory
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