JUST GOT BACK ; A FEW THINGS TO TAKE WITH YOU

Bob_In_FL

Hi Everyone. I just got back from my first Tauck Tour and it was Antarctica. Let me say that I highly recommend this tour BUT there are a few things to take with you that will "enhance" your expedition. I'm in the process of writing a 3 page "positiive" review BUT before you leave, please consider what they don't tell you. DON'T forget to take either a folding cane or folding walking sticks..as important as boots!; take OTC meds, LOTS OF THEM for COLD, FLU, SINUS, (i suggest asking your doctor a some anti-biotics "just in case"), Sunglasses, prescription sea sick patch (again, better safe than sorry), and an empty carry on piece of luggage. The latter is because on the internal flight to USH, the CHECKED limit is 44 pounds (no variance permitted) but your carry on items are "normal" (limit of two). Point is you will need that empty carry on just for the internal flight portions for boots, etc. and trust me, you won't be sorry for dragging along an empty carry-on from the US just for this part of the journey. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. ONE MORE THING...their is internet on the boat but they "limit you" and limit when it is available.

ScorpioS

Hi Bob,

My DH just returned from the same tour as you. He said that the limit on using the internet was because it wasn't always available. Those of us who have traveled on other ships and river boats around the World have found that it all depends on the Satellite if we had service or not. Several times when we were near Russia, we had NO service at all. As to the TV, he said there were about ten movies and he also brought his kindle to read some books when he had time. He was NEVER bored. He said it was a fabulous trip!!

Sheila

rhodyman

Great Feedback. Thanks.

Steve in PA, going Dec. 2104

jdurkin

Thanks for posting this info, Bob. I'm off to Macquarie Island … Australian territory in the sub-antarctic in a couple of weeks … so your suggestions are very welcome. I usually take most of this with me to the US! Not that I think I couldn't buy these items there, but having time and opportunity on a Tauck trip is sometimes an issue. Who ever said a Tauck trip was a holiday! (Only kidding!) I even get to use my Galapagos walking pole again! After much careful cleaning, of course. Can't have any nasty bugs getting into pristine environments!

Cheers,

Jan

timphillips

I have a question for any of those that just returned concerning the flight to and from Ushuaia. Was there a weight limit on the carry on luggage? What was the weight limit? Bob indicated you could take two carry ons. I assume that is one luggage and one personal item?

TauckTim

Hi Tim,

On the charter flight, your checked luggage is restricted to 44 pounds and your carry-on is restricted to 15 pounds. Your carry-on should be no larger than 55 cm by 35 cm by 25 cm, so it can fit in the overhead compartments or under the seat. You can also bring one personal article like a handbag or laptop bag no larger than 20 cm by 45 cm by 35 cm that can fit under the seat in front of the passenger.

I hope this helps!
-Tim

econguy

Tim: Just to be sure about this bag thing one more time; the LAN website says two checked bags with a max. of 50 pounds for internal Argentina flights; is there a difference between this and your info because it is a charter flight? Is the flight with LAn or some other carrier? Just curious.

PureLuxury

Hi everyone.New to the forum. Will travel with Tauck to AUS/NZ. In regards to the Antarctica post. I traveled there last year and boot rental was available on the ship (Lindblad/NG) thereby eliminating the hassle to carry additional luggage. There was also walking sticks available for use on the ship at no cost to passengers. I am surprised Tauck doesn't offer these amenities. As stated by others, i was NEVER bored. There was always something to do. There was a TV in the cabin but I never turned it on. Agree with the meds…its best to take things your body is familiar with and don't forget the patches. My Drake passage was a non-event--we were very lucky.

British

The Lindblad vacations are much much more expensive, for very little extra. I would check with Tauck by calling them to see if boots or sticks are available

TauckTim

Hi Econguy,

Good question! I just took what I posted above from the "Luggage Restrictions" section of the "Before You Go" list from the trip itinerary page.
I will look into getting answers to your questions and will repost here as soon as I have them.

-Tim

SororityChick

I returned today from the fabulous Tauck Antarctica Expedition (the term the naturalists use to describe our voyage) and it was excellent. Here are a few comments and suggestions I hope will be helpful. ShiptoShore did a great job with the rental boots. We picked them up on the ship the first day and they were in a duffel bag. Ours fit perfectly but if not you could trade them in right then and there for a different size. Likewise the bags were collected onboard once we were done with landings.

You also tried on a variety of sizes of the red parkas to find the size you felt would be most comfortable and then you were given a brand new one. They were perfect for the wind and water. I typically wore a turtleneck, a sweater and the jacket on top along with a gaiter. I was very comfortable. On the bottom I had silk underwear, thin yoga type pants, and then the water proof pants on top. I was never cold. Sometimes while riding on the zodiac boats the waves kicked up and you were sprayed but you never felt wet on the inside.

The luggage issue: On our flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, if you looked like you were having a hard time carrying your carry-on luggage then someone weighed it. If it was too heavy, they put a tag on it and put it in as checked baggage...FOR NO CHARGE! On the way back to Buenos Aires, every bag was weighed. Both our carry-ons were over the weight limit. No problem, they just put a tag on it and made it another checked bag. Again, no additional fee. I wished someone had told us this before all the pre-trip angst about the weight of luggage. We were even showed how to roll our red parkas into a ball into the hood and fit it in our suitcases.

I would highly suggest the folding walking sticks. They came in very handy. You are walking on either very smooth wet rocks, or uneven rocks, or along ridges, or on high sandy areas. Unless this is an activity you do all the time, having the stick(s) helped us immensely.

The men who get you into and out of the zodiac boats are masterful and very strong. If the landing is tough on shore, they literally pick you up and put you in the boat. We were amazed.

If you are undecided about doing this trip, it is a must. How fabulous to see such a pristine place on earth. The animals do not recognize man as an enemy and leave you alone. They don't run and hide, they walk right past you. Depending on the time of year, there will be lots of whale sightings. Our captain would stop the boat and even spin it so we could watch Orcas, Humpbacks and Minke whales frolic close to the ship. Many evenings it was during dinner and everyone was running to the windows or the deck. The ships naturalists truly love their jobs and share their love of the area. You are taught to distinguish different kinds of whales, birds, penguins, seals, etc. Enjoy!

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.

TauckTim

Hi SororityChick,

I'm glad to hear you had such a fantastic time on your trip!

-Tim

jdurkin

SororityChick wrote:

The men who get you into and out of the zodiac boats are masterful and very strong. If the landing is tough on shore, they literally pick you up and put you in the boat. We were amazed.

Thanks so much for your great post, particularly the above para! I can't tell you how soothing that is to know! As height challenged )) my rear end doesn't reach high enough to lever myself/jump/whatever into a zodiac. I fell in in the Galapagos…. much more funny than unfortunate, I can assure you … but I certainly wouldn't want to repeat that in Antarctic waters!

Cheers,

Jan

ndvb

It is great to read all the advice for this trip. I am going to set this one up to follow the Winter in Yellowstone tour next January. At least I'll have the appropriate clothes with me for both trips. I have almost two weeks between trips which will allow me to spend some time in Colorado and Arizona visiting with some friends. The clothes won't be great for Arizona, but I can ship some warmer weather clothes there to wear for a few days and then ship them home. I am planning on going to the Super Bowl 2015 with a lifelong colleague and his family.

I just have to make sure I pay attention to all of your packing (weight limits) suggestions and caveats.

So, keep the information flowing. It is all good stuff and I am eager to make this trip.

BostonTraveler

My husband and I are going on the Antarctica Expedition on February 21, 2015. It seems very far away, but I know it will arrive quickly.

At the end of our journey, we want to fly to Iguazu Falls. The logistics get a little complicated depending on whether we take the group flight from USH to BA, or we just fly from USH to Iguazu. So I'd love to get some insight from folks who've taken the tour.

As I understand it, the flight from Ushuaia back to BA is a Tauck charter. Is that right? What time did you take off from Ushuaia? What time did you land in BA? Was the boat docked overnight in Ushuaia the night before you disembarked, or did you arrive in port in the morning before transferring to the airport?

The reason for all these questions is that it would be easier for us to take the group flight back to BA, but we'd then have to do some maneuvering to get to the domestic airport (the other airport) in BA to continue our journey. Alternatively, we could book our own flights out of Ushuaia (skipping the group flight), but then we'd have to know how early we can leave the boat to get to the airport.

I'm sure I'll have lots of questions about other things, but if someone can provide insight into these logistics, I'd be very grateful.

Thanks!

Karen

Jordan

TauckTim wrote:

Hi Tim,

On the charter flight, your checked luggage is restricted to 44 pounds and your carry-on is restricted to 15 pounds. Your carry-on should be no larger than 55 cm by 35 cm by 25 cm, so it can fit in the overhead compartments or under the seat. You can also bring one personal article like a handbag or laptop bag no larger than 20 cm by 45 cm by 35 cm that can fit under the seat in front of the passenger.

I hope this helps!
-Tim

Jordan

Tim, I am confused re the weight limit for the carry-on bag (not the personal article...laptop bag). The Tauck document we received for the Antarctica trip says the intra-tour-flight weight limit is 17 pounds (page 24). I have a lot of heavy Nikon camera gear that my wife and I will divide between two carry-on bags. I do not want to end up putting any of that gear into a checked bag because I know what happens to that gear. Thus, it is critical that we get the weight limits right.

Is the intra-tour-flight weight limit 17 pounds or is it 15 pounds?

Nancy

When we went to Antarctic with Tauck in late January 2014, the weight restrictions varied…the carry on was weighed on the return from Ushuaia but not the outbound flight. In fact, on the return flight, the further back in line checking in affected whether you could carry on ANYTHING other than a small tote. For photographers, be sure you have your equipment in a tote that you can carry on. They won't make you check that but they wouldn't let us carry on anything other than handbags or backpacks…very inconsistent from flying to Ushuaia and very same airline. Great flights, no complaints. It's truly the all time favorite for us and we've been on every continent and with TAUCK many times. Have a great time…take walking sticks if you have time to find them. The ones on board are very costly…