Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica Cruise. |
| Reviewed By: Wheaton, West Kirby, Wirral on 6th Feb 2008 |
| Cruise Line: Voyages of Discovery |
Times cruised before: 10+ |
| Cruise Ship: MV Discovery |
Sailed:
January,
2008 |
| Destination: Antarctica |
Age: 56-65 |
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WE have just returned from an excellent cruise on Discovery, sailing from Ushuaia to Port Stanley, South Georgia and Antarctica. We had sailed on Discovery last September to St Petersburg, so knew the ship and were looking forward to the trip. Our cabin, on Bali Deck, was on the small side, but was spotlessly clean, thanks to our fantastic Steward, Richard. The Shower was good, and in the cabin there was adequate storage space, although the drawers are a bit narrow. We had a TV in the cabin, and if there was time to read, there is a good library on board. (Could do with being open for longer hours though).
The food is good and well presented in the Seven Continents Dining Room. I was especially pleased, as a Diabetic, to have a proper sugar free dessert every day, not just jelly/ice cream! There was a very well patronised afternoon tea every day, the chocaholic one is best avoided if you are watching your waistline! You could also have dinner upstairs in the Yacht Club for a change. You had to book in advance, (no extra cost) and were allowed two visits during the cruise. It was a more intimate atmosphere, with a Jazz theme one week, and an Oriental set meal with a choice of main course, the second week.
The expedition team lead by Dr Peter Carey, was excellent, and their informative lectures added to the enjoyment of the cruise. We were also very lucky to have an artist of the calibre of Scott Hanson, an American Sculpturer, to run the Art Classes.
AS with any cruise to that part of the World, you are dependent on the weather to allow launch and Zodiac landings. The conditions can change very quickly. We had a lot of fog on the trip, and also some very strong winds which prevented some landings, but the Captain did his best to offer alternatives. The Cape Horn part of the itinarary was interesting - huge waves and storm force winds forced a change in course for comfort of the passengers - but if you enjoy a rough sea, it was fantastic!
The only problem we had was the booking for the shore tours in the Falklands, you could not book in advance from England, and they were sold out before we had left the Beagle Channel. Luckily I got a seat on the extra Rockhopper Penguin Tour, and a larger coach was put on for the Battlefield trip, and my husband managed to get a seat, so we were not disappointed in the end. The Shore Excursion Team did their best to accommodate the large numbers, it did not help that another, larger cruise ship and a small Russian Cruise ship were there at the same time. We found all the crew helpful and friendly, and as we prefer smaller ships, will definitely be sailing with Discovery again.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| WE ate mainly on the Lido Deck for Breakfast and Lunch, and had dinner in the main restaurant, except for our two visits to the Yacht Club. | | Entertainment |  |
| Art Classes were highly entertaining, and the Wildlfe lectures were our favourites. Cafe Concerto Strings provided good music. | | Shore Excursions | |
| The trip to see the Rockhopper Penguins in Stanely was my favourite, although we particularly wanted to see Grytviken, Stromness and Point Wild, Elephant Island because of family friend links to Lionel Greenstreet, Shackleton's First Officer, and we achieved all three, in spite of some varied weather conditions meaning we had to miss out some planned excursions by Zodiac. | | Staff | |
| Our Cabin Streward, Richard, was wonderful, always smiling, nothing was ever any trouble. | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities | |
| Shame some had to overlap, but you can't please everyone! | | Cabins |  |
| Not a huge cabin, but we dont spend much time there so it was not a problem. It was very conveniently situated, being one deck up from the main Dining Room, on the same deck as Reception, and the Shop and lounges were just one and two decks away. | | Overall Rating | |
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