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Luggage Clarification
in Antarctica
Does all of our luggage follow us to Ushuaia/shipboard or does hotel store larger suitcase and we pack a duffel specific to Antartica? I have a Tauck duffel from Kenya/Tanzania that was used for that purpose while larger suitcases transported by Tauck. Can certainly make it work either way, just unclear.
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Thank you.
About to leave on Dec-9-2022 Antarctica expedition. As a photographer, complying with the regional air carry on restrictions is incredibly frustrating, likely forcing me to reduce camera equipment protection in order to comply. Does anyone have experience leaving a bag with the Buenos Aries Hilton and picking it back up on the backside of the trip (we're staying an extra day)? I would LOVE to leave my normal TravelPro carryon bag with all my summer clothes/shoes/etc. instead of being forced to comply with regional carryon weight restrictions for the entire duration of our trip. Yes I will probably call Tauck/Hilton, but I thought I'd see if anyone had actual experience with this and well vent a little ;-)
Cysix. Unfortunately I have no experience leaving a bag behind. Perhaps things have changed a bit since I took this tour in this same timeframe in December 2012. The only flight was the flight to Ushuaia. It was not a small regional jet. Perhaps cathyandsteve will respond as they recently took this trip.
I would not feel comfortable leaving behind my camera equipment. Too tempting for someone to carry off (it could become the perfect holiday gift for someone in Buenos Aires)
Also, can use your summer clothes on the ship when lounging about.
If you might be storing your luggage, my recommendation is to use TSA approved luggage locks.
We did the Antarctic trip a couple of years ago. No problems on the flight to the ship area - it was a standard large aircraft, something like an A320. They didn't weigh luggage.
You might think about what lenses you want to take. When you're in the zodiac, the environment is dirty (salt spray) so you'll have to be very careful changing lenses. At the minimum, hold the body with the imager down to put a new lens on the body.
I'd recommend a superzoom lens (one that zooms from wide to long) instead of different lenses when you travel in a zodiac. Make sure you take a dry bag for your camera and equipment.
You'll probably want to be in the front of the zodiac to get good pictures and that's where the spray is the worse.
Very helpful cathyandsteve. Hack re: carrying a few items in the parka/jacket is a good one to consider. I love the fact that Aerolineas Argentinas, who I assume is the carrier, specifically warns against checking camera equipment and then limits you to 17 lbs carry on. They do mention that in addition to your carry on and a personal item, a "small camera" is allowed. I'm taking two bodies (Sony A7R3, A7C), Sony 100-400GM, Sony 24-105G, and Sony 14-35G + my laptop for file xfer and editing, which is 3lbs all by itself. I think the A7C+14-35 = small camera ;-) Will post here when I hear from the hotel/Taulk re: leaving a bag at the Hilton which would at least cover me for the long haul flights.
Just returned from Dec-9 Antarctica trip. Here's what I learned re: luggage to/from Ushuaia. The flight used was a chartered Aerolineas Argentinas 737-800/737-MAX. I didn't see or hear of anyone's carryon being weighed TO Ushuaia, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen. On the way back; however, it was a different story. I was one of the first to check in and did not have issues with my stuff being weighed. I had a normal medium size backpack that would easily fit under a seat and a dry back that was much smaller than a roller bag with my camera gear. Lucky I didn't get checked, because both were definitely over weight and my plan was to divide out some gear to travel companions and/or stuff my pockets with lenses if checked. Folks behind me in line were not so lucky. Some idiot who will not be named walked up to the counter and asked the check-in agent what they carry-on weight limits were. This instantly caused the agent to weigh their bags and yea... it continued from there with folks getting their carry-on's weighed... so be warned and have a contingency plan. For the checked baggage, they ALL got weighed both coming and going and folks over the 50lbs limit were called out to resolve it. As our tour director stated many times, it's all up to the agents doing the check-in and of course your fellow passengers. Finally, note that you absolutely CAN have the Hilton Hotel in Buenos Aires hold a bag for you if you're doing a post cruise nights stay on the way back. Our tour director's did exactly that and in the future it's what I would do to shed all the summer cloths etc. that you don't need on the cruise portion. I'll be doing a separate post in the forums with everything I learned, including this baggage info in hopes of helping future travelers. If interested in photos from the trip, they can be viewed on my site at https://media.bitrox.io