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Antarctica 2014 ; January 19 2014
Starting to buy "supplies" for the trip. First thing, converters for 220V.
Have had GOOD luck on AMAZON.COM. Prices and delivery is great plus return policy very liberal.
I have a habit of taking everthing but the kitchen sink (minus disposal) and I can see going to A means packing SMART.
This is my first TAUCK tour and thanks to everyone who has been so helpful getting prepared. Even though its 2014, things like airfares, flights and "pre-planning" is a must now. If you are thinking about travel insurance, make sure you read the "fine print". It can be $ or $$$$; you only get what you pay for. Almost a must now ever since there are "issues" that we can't control like weather, delays, and volcano erruptions.
Have had GOOD luck on AMAZON.COM. Prices and delivery is great plus return policy very liberal.
I have a habit of taking everthing but the kitchen sink (minus disposal) and I can see going to A means packing SMART.
This is my first TAUCK tour and thanks to everyone who has been so helpful getting prepared. Even though its 2014, things like airfares, flights and "pre-planning" is a must now. If you are thinking about travel insurance, make sure you read the "fine print". It can be $ or $$$$; you only get what you pay for. Almost a must now ever since there are "issues" that we can't control like weather, delays, and volcano erruptions.
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Your question caught my eye because I'm going to Australian sub-Antarctic territory (Macquarie Island) next February and I'm collecting my own travel gear.
I just looked up the Need to Know information about your trip, here on the Tauck site. I was particularly curious about your Boot question. What Tauck describe as the required footwear sounds suspiciously familiar to me. I don't now what you call them in American English, but what's described in Australian English is a gum boot and in the King's English, if you'll pardon my quote, is a Wellington boot or a Wellie. They are knee-high rubber boots with deeply-grooved soles for grip. They look like this:
http://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&sugexp=les%3B&gs_rn=3&gs_ri=psy-ab&cp=14&gs_id=1k&xhr=t&q=wellington+boots&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.&bvm=bv.42553238,d.dGI&biw=1332&bih=655&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=PKchUcmvOcL7kgXQ-YD4Bw
You need them for wading ashore and presumably because the boots can be disinfected before and after walking on Antarctic soil. We have to have these gum boots, which are sold here in stores selling building and gardening supplies. I've been checking them out ... but I'm waiting for colder weather than the 35C it is today to try them on ... with the 1 pair of sock liners and the other pair of merino/possum socks. I figure I'll need the boots 3 sizes bigger then my regular size!
I'll be watching this thread with interest. I hope someone else chimes in with detailed answers. May I also suggest that you contact Tauck directly to clarify your particular queries.
Cheers,
Jan
Also in Fla...cape coral. Just started looking yesterday for jan '14. We can handle boots ok ( LLBean) Starting on flts. Can you spel out some of the BUS to USH?. We're also out of MIA (hope to go business FF) What's EZE? Appreciate your input. We're 'birds' looking for other hemisphere for a month or so.
Many thanks. Tersh
Laundry aboard ship: Plan to do some of your own if at all possible. Le Boreal offers laundry services but it is very, very pricy for what you might want cleaned.
Internet: Tauck arranged free internet at the hotel and aboard Le Boreal. This was great since it would be quite expensive to purchase. From Buenos Aires we used the hotel's wi-fi on our IPad to FaceTalk (like Skype) back to the US. Great. The wi-fi on ship was more problematic. Sometimes on, sometimes not. In the best of times, enough to send out an email with patience. Just the same, a great service (couple that with the open bar and it is actually a lot better).
Boots: we decided to rent from Ship-to-Shore Traveler (still waiting for the deposit refund...). These are solid mid-calf rugged boots that weigh a lot. Given the baggage limits and the unlikely event that we'd ever use them again, I was glad we decided to rent (but I still want the deposit back)! These boots were most useful on a couple of the zodiac landings where we stepped off into 12+ inches of seawater.
Dress Code: We Americans were pretty casual all the time. Some of the French or Asian guest did dress up a bit, but that was only for something like the Captain's Reception etc. Some of us wore jeans, but most just wore casual clothes, running suits, etc.
Zodiac landings: We were offered 2 per day with each off-board trip lasting about 90 minutes. The crew does a great job of helping everyone on and off the zodiacs, but I did see quite a few passengers made good use of 'walking poles' once ashore since some landings were on rocky and slippery beaches.
Clothing recommendations: We had some very good weather on our trip - days in mid 30s with breezes. The parkas Le Boreal provided were more than adequate. If that weather is typical, you could use much less. I think the 'layering' advice is good - be prepared to shed some stuff when it's warm and layer up if it colder.
Airports: The in-county flight via LAN does not depart from the international airport (EZE). I recall that the trip from the hotel to that airport was about 30 - 45 minutes and the return trip (transfer to EZE) would have been longer. We had an early flight from Ushuaia to BA so plenty of time to even stop for a lunch. Most EZE flights back to the states depart after 9PM so there was no problem with transfers.
Weight limits: The 40# checked bag limit was strictly enforced but not the 15# carry-on limit. We pre-weighed at the hotel before departing to the LAN flight. It's true that this is not consistent with other baggage limits, but we speculated that LAN wants to leave capacity for cargo to Ushuaia. Not sure, but that seemed to make sense.
Bob_in_Fl offered a very good suggestion to check out the videos posted by Compagnie Du Ponant which show life aboard the Le Boreal. I used these and learned a lot before the trip.
I hope this information is of some use. Re-post here if you have other questions and I'll be checking back. Bon Voyage Mes Amis!
1. Which hotel did you stay at and were you able to get into your room at check in?
2. Was there a problem on the trip if you did not speak Spanish or French?
3. Food; choices even for picky eaters?
Thanks again!! Bob_In_FL
January 2014 Trip to Antarctica
Our flight arrived about 8AM after the overnight flight. We arrived the day before the tour began to adapt post-trip and that turned out to be a good idea. Some who arrived and began the tour later in the day were pretty tired by the end of the day. There was a 90 minute delay getting through customs which created some confusion on the Tauck pick-up. We met up with a few other Tauck arrivals and enjoyed some coffee while the pick up plan was reset. Patience while traveling proves to be a benefit, even with a company like Tauck.
Four Tauck couples left the airport about 10:30 with local contract operator Mario Brown - a great guide. The van trip to the Caesar Park hotel took about 30-45 minutes. Rooms were not guaranteed for early occupancy but were available on arrival at about 12 N. The hotel is in the center of an upscale neighborhood / barrio in the city. Water is safe to drink, but walking the street in BA as a tourist is less safe and requires more than the normal cautions of walking in a big city. The predominant language is Spanish or a variation of Spanish/Portugese but everyone we met had English fluency. French is the first language of Le Boreal, but all aboard were equally fluent in English. My high school French was just an added bit of fun with Le Boreal employee Pascal on the 6th floor - look him up and say hello for us!
Since we had a per-day in BA, I did some research on TripAdvisor and set up a dinner reservation at The Argentine Experience. That is a restarurant/cooking school and a lot of fun - check it out on TripAdvisor. They even will offer a vegetarian diet if desired, but then you would miss the best steak in Argentina which would be a shame. Going out at night was a bit daring I guess, but we used a 'Radio Taxi' which was arranged by the hotel (and the restaurant for return) which proved safe.
The Caesar Park is a large, older, and well maintained hotel. The hotel's restaurant offered a variety of breakfast buffet items. The one dinner we had there was the Tauck reception dinner / Tango demo. The dancing and music was great - the dinner, not so much. Best part was getting to meet and greet the tour directors and other travelers which really made up for what the meal was lacking. Food choices aboard Le Boreal are broad to meet any diet demands - greater diversity on the 6th floor buffet perhaps, but even in the 2nd floor dining room, lots of choices. Everything the ship offered was fresh, wonderfully prepared and delicious. Diet before you go. Bottom line - this is a great trip which begins in a large metropolis, stops at a southern frontier town and finishes on another planet - Antarctica. Amazing.
Thank you so much for posting after your recent Antartica tour with Tauck. We have been on 18 Tauck Tours and this will make 19 or 20 for my husband who is going on the January 19, 2014 alone since I won't be joining him. I really appreciate all you have posted and will print out this thread for him. He will probably have some additional questions for you. He is really excited about going since this will fulfill his bucket list of all the Continents of the World. We finished our list of Modern Wonders of the World with visiting the Taj last year.
Sheila
I WOULD CONTACT TAUCK BUT FOUND MY "SPECIFIC" INQUIRES THAT REQUIRE A CALL BACK ARE NEVER RETURNED. SO THAT IS WHY I'M DOING MY OWN PRE-TOUR RESEARCH AND PURCHASING THE REQUIRED ITEMS ON MY OWN. LAST QUESTION THAT I ASKED WITH NO RETURN CALL RECEIVED WAS UPGRADING THE INTERNAL ARGENTA FLIGHT. FOLKS ARE VERY NICE AND HELPFUL ON THE PHONE BUT WHEN IT COMES TO SPECIFICS, I DON'T THINK THEY HAVE A SCRIPT SO TO SPEAK. THAT IS MY TAKE.
OF COURSE, TO BE FAIR, THE TOUR IS COORDINATED WITH A "THIRD" PARTY BY TAUCK SO SOMETHINGS CAN'T BE ANSWERED RIGHT AWAY BUT STILL, A PROMISED PHONE CALL BACK SHOULD ALWAYS BE MADE YET TAUCK IS 5 FOR 5 IN NOT FOLLOWING THROUGH TO GET AN ANSWER OR SEND ME A FORM I'VE REQUESTED. IT TAKES 2 SOMETIMES 3 CALLS JUST TO HAVE A REQURED FORM SENT TO ME VIA EMAIL OR SNAIL MAIL.
I'm sorry to hear you've been having trouble getting in contact with us. I'm going to send you an email in a little bit, and will be happy to help make sure that everything is squared away for your upcoming trip.
Best,
Tim
I just checked and this sailing is SOLD OUT! So glad my DH was able to book it.
Sheila
How about the gym/spa facilities? I like to exercise as I travel. I havecontacted Ship to Shore travel for renting the rubberboots-I looked here in St. Petersburg, FL and the only ones I found weigh a ton so I am renting. I also plan to buy waterproof pants. Any hints, suggestions will be mosty welcome.
Gina D
If you read over some of the posts above, Bill C went this year and said the boat was casual. My DH isn't taking anything more fancy than dockers and a shirt for the dinners. You will all be so tired from all the landings (those of which you make) to worry about getting dressed up. Also, there is a weight limit on the luggage you can take.
Sheila
Thanks for your reply. Yes, I read Bob's comments, found them helpful. And Bill C's comments were especially helpful also since he had just done the trip.
Gina