In January 2025, I’m headed south on a Viking Cruise to Antarctica! Check back for my blog entries! We will fly to Argentina and board the cruise ship at the southern part of the country. We will then travel across the Drake Passage to the Antarctica Peninsula.
You can see where our ship is, and see a camera that shows a 360 degree view from the ship at https://viking.panomax.com/polaris
Check out my blog posts below!
- Ushuaiaby Aunty MoOn Saturday we arrived back to Port in Ushuaia. Most of the time now I can properly pronounce this southernmost city. There is another town further south, but as our guide Melody told us, Ushuaia is the southernmost city. We docked around 530pm, and after dinner, my sister and I…
- Our final landingby Aunty MoThis afternoon we boarded the zodiak and headed to landing at Yankee Harbor. As we approached, we could see hundreds of gentoo penguins! Kierron, our assitant expedition leader, greeted us and gave us the lay of the land. Then he and Alex helped us out of the zodiak into a…
- Our final day in Antarcticaby Aunty MoToday is Wednesday, and its our last day in Antarctica. We started our day at Edinburgh Hill, which is comprised of basalt. The three of boarded a zodiak and we headed to the base of the Hill. Upon our return, we attended a session led by Kata on “Oceans’ Wolves”…
- Busy, busy, busyby Aunty MoTechnically I have started writing this post on our busiest day thus far. Just barely. Pictures and videos will have to wait – way too many for me to go thru and upload! My sister started the day by going out on the science zodiak and working with other guests…
- Under the sea and whats nextby Aunty MoMom’s wish to go under the sea in a yellow submarine (it was actually yellow) was finally fulfilled today! After a fun BBQ lunch on deck 6, my sister and mom got ready for their submersible dive. Turned out 2 of the others on their sub were a couple we…
- We Made it to the 7th Continent!by Aunty MoI think this was the 3rd try (at least 3rd attempted day) and we finally stepped foot on the 7th Continent! We awoke to nearly clear skies and nearly calm water conditions. At 730am when we looked outside, we could see the crew taking out the zodiaks to scout and…
- Canceled plansby Aunty MoSo on the 17th, after our surprise SOB venture, my sister and I were supposed to have gone on a kayak, and all three of us were going to go on a landing. Unfortunately the kayak and landing were cancelled due to the winds and waves. Instead, we got to…
- End of Saturday Jan 18by Aunty MoSaturday, January 18, 2025 After our SOB ride this morning, we did a variety of things onboard. My sister and I worked out, and we did laundry. After lunch, my sister and I spent some time at the spa in the pool and hot tub. My sister went to the…
- Second SOBby Aunty MoSaturday, January 18, 2025 This morning’s scheduled SOB for us was at 9am, and it was for all 3 of us. We were fortunate that our guide today was Dennis, the “penguin guy”. He said this was the first time the ship had been able to stop at this spot…
- Surprise SOBby Aunty MoDuring the Science on Viking talk, we got a notice about an SOB opportunity for the next day. And that would be a “Special Operations Boat”. So I was able to get mom scheduled for Friday Jan 17 at 930 am, and my sister and I at 1030. We helped…
- Science on Vikingby Aunty MoThe Polaris and her sister ship Octantis both have a full science team, and they gather data and perform various scientific research. Dr. Brandi, chief scientist on the Polaris gave a presentation Thursday morning in the hour or so leading up to our arrival in Antarctica about that science. She…
- First Zodiakby Aunty MoAround 4pm we got on our first zodiak ride! So we got all bundled up. and headed out into the snow. Dave was our zodiak driver. We got to see 2 types of penguins – gentoo and chinstrap, and most likely a weddell seal. A successful trip! Afterwards, my sister…
- We made it!by Aunty MoThe first sighting of Antarctica! Announcement from the captain came over at 1214pm our time. My sister was in the gym and my mom in her cabin. I messaged my mom to come out and check it out! Then went to see my sister and we could see land from…
- Kayaking scheduledby Aunty MoWhile attending the Beginners Guide to Phone Photography, where we learned a few tricks like how to quickly access our phone’s camera, displaying gridlines, using slo mo/panoramic/hyper, my sister and I were notified that we have been scheduled for our kayak trip tomorrow! And we are also scheduled for our…
- Almost thereby Aunty MoWe are expected to reach Antarctica in about 3-4 hours. It will be noon – 1pm our time, 2-3pm east coast time (I’ll let everyone else do their time conversion!) Assuming weather conditions (and really the wave and wind conditions) are what is expected, we will go on our first…
- Drake Passageby Aunty MoI woke at 430am and this was the view from our cabin Showering was a bit interesting since the Drake Passage was not a lake. It wasn’t a shake either, but the ship was moving enough to make showering a bit of an adventure. Around 730am, I headed down one…
- Ushuaiaby Aunty MoUp at o’dark thirty (405am) we prepared to check out of the hotel and board our 520am bus back to the airport. Then back to the airport to board yet another plane to head to Ushuaia, the southernmost city. Here we are boarding our flight! and mom enjoying some of…
- Buenes Airesby Aunty MoAfter a roughly 5 hour flight from Oakland to Miami, a 2 hour layover, a roughly 9 hour flight from Miami to Buenes Aires and a 1 hour bus ride, we made it to the hotel! We got checked in, but rooms weren’t ready yet. Then off to the hospitality…
- The day has arrived!by Aunty MoOur trip day has arrived! Our ride share driver Nate was efficient and courteous on the drive from Oakland to San Francisco. He graciously loaded and unloaded our bags, and provided door to door service. Here we are with our bags before heading to the airport (I’ll rotate it later…
- One More Dayby Aunty MoWe are all checked in. In 24 hours we will be almost to Miami as we begin our trek south! Today has been a low key day for us. I helped my mom go thru and organize/streamline her carry-on. My sister has been fine tuning her packing and finishing up…
- Day “-2”by Aunty MoIts Friday, and i’m at Honolulu Airport. Time to fly to Oakland to meet up with my mom and sister. Officially our trip starts Sunday! I hope/plan to update the blog throughout the trip! Somehow I have managed to get all I need in these 2 bags that I will…
- A week beforeby Aunty MoIn a week I will head from Honolulu to Oakland, CA to meet up with my mom and sister. I get there Friday, and then Sunday we start our journey south. And then further south. I have been following along with others who have taken the cruise on the Viking…
- Packing for Antarcticaby Aunty MoPacking for this trip is tricky for sure. Especially when one has lived in Hawaii for nearly 25 years! Attempting to get everything needed into a carry-on is another hurdle. We can definitely check a bag, but I have read of people’s checked bags missing a flight, and then you…
- Seventh Continentby Aunty MoIn January 2025, I will head south with my mother and sister for a cruise to Antarctica. While the trip was not on my “bucket list”, it has been on my mother’s for a couple years. As we have been planning the trip, I am getting increasingly excited about the…