Antarctic Cruise Day 40 / 40 - Ship to home = 28.5 hours

Antarctic Cruise Day 40 / 40 - It was a long travel day but we're home

Trip day: 40 / 40

Port days: 18
Sea days: 19
Countries: 5
Continents: 4
Ports/Landings: 13

Well, that was a long time.  Even though we were an hour ahead of eastern daylight time, I'll state all times in EDT for consistency.

• 7:30AM - disembark Polaris in Ushuaia
• 10:40am (ish) - launch an hour late out of Ushuaia 
• 2:00PM - arrive in Buenos Aires
• 3:00PM - eat lunch at the Hard Rock courtesy of Viking (thanks Viking!)
• 6:00PM - check-in for our flight from Buenos Aires
• 9:15PM - launch from Buenos Aires
• 6:00AM - arrive in Atlanta
• 8:20AM - launch from Atlanta
• 9:50AM - arrive in Orlando
• 10:40AM - our driver arrived late to pick us up
• 11:55AM - arrive at Kolb Kastle South in The Villages, Florida - we're home

Rounding for clarity, that's 28.5 hours from the ship to our driveway.

We had a significant issue on the flight from Buenos Aires to Atlanta - a ten-hour ordeal.  We paid the small fee to upgrade to seats with more legroom.  We were in the front row of our section in two middle seats in a 2-3-2 configuration.  I had the right seat and Arlona had the middle seat.  The issue was the left seat.  First, let me explain - I am not a small guy.  I am overweight.  But, I can still fit into an airline seat.  The gentleman next to Arlona could not make the same claim.  In fact, besides his own seat, he was taking nearly a third of Arlona's.  There was no way this would work for ten hours.

I spoke with a flight attendant and long story short, we were moved up a section to Delta Premium Select and had a much better flight.  I expect he did as well.  But, my takeaway is that if you cannot physically fit into the seat you booked, then you need to book a seat you fit into, or book two adjacent seats.  This is not a case of fat-shaming or anything like that.  It is the case that he was unfairly invading space that we paid for, but could not use.  In the end, it all worked out and I credit Delta for making that happen.

We were a little concerned about our turn in Atlanta.  We had less than two hours to land, retrieve our luggage, clear Customs, recheck our luggage,  clear TSA again, and make our flight.  Our pilot helped as he flew the plane like he stole it and got us into Atlanta nearly 30 minutes early.  Global Entry meant that we sailed right through Customs.  I have to credit Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson airport for outstanding efficiency as the luggage drop was smooth and on the way to TSA.  Even TSA went smoothly as it is a special TSA station just for passengers that have to clear Customs before a connecting flight.

Here we are after getting everything done - more than an hour to spare

We launched right on time out of Atlanta for the short trip to Orlando.  We landed early which was nice.  Unfortunately, due to scheduling issues, our car service called as we were picking up our bags, stating they were just leaving The Villages.  Depending on where they were leaving from specifically, that meant we would be waiting around 45-60 minutes for our ride.  If we had our car there, we could be home before our driver got there.

Hanging out at Orlando International Airport, waiting for our ride

We waited, and finally got home a couple of minutes before noon.  

After some unpacking, and cooking a DiGiorno frozen pizza – one of the few things we had in the house to eat, we headed out to do our civic duty – vote.  Early voting ends on Saturday, so we wanted to take advantage of the smaller crowds.

Finally, we hit the store to restock on food staples and get back into our normal life. Arlona has a tee time tomorrow morning.

Before I sign off on this trip, let me take a minute to reflect on some of the highlights.

• Boarding a brand-spanking-new ship – knowing you were the first customers to sleep in that bed was very cool
• Seeing the ship’s dedication
• Being part of a flotilla leaving Amsterdam featuring all three classes of Viking ships – Expedition (Polaris), River (Mani), Ocean (Mars)
• Having only 61 paid passengers on a 678 (or 666 depending on where you look) foot cruise ship for 23 days
• Having the captain bring the ship to a dead stop in the middle of the Atlantic for an hour so we could watch the whales
• Seeing so many crew from our world cruise and feeling so welcome on the ship
• Participating in the special things Viking did during the transit to Ushuaia for the 61 of us – Baggo, trivia, boat-building, cocktail crafting – it was awesome seeing so much guest/crew interaction
• Volunteer Point in the Falkland Islands – king, Gentoo, and Magellanic penguins as far as the eye could see
• The wild sea between the Falkland Islands and Ushuaia, Argentina – it made the Drake Passage less of a concern given how well Polaris navigated then 30-foot swells
• The Antarctica landings – the work the crew puts in to ensure we all had quality experiences – wow
• The penguins, flying birds, seals, dolphins – just seeing unspoiled nature like this
• The submarine ride, kayaking, Zodiac cruises, and the Special Operations Boat rides
• Seeing the unspoiled beauty that is Antarctica in person as photos can’t do it justice
• Experiencing the Drake Shake on the north transit

Countries visited:

• Netherlands
• Portugal
• Cabo Verde Islands
• United Kingdom
• Argentina

Continents visited:

• Europe
• Africa
• South America
• Antarctica

This was an unforgettable trip and certainly spoiled us.  Nothing can compare to a private yacht like we had for three weeks.

One final note that made this cruise unusual.  As I’ve mentioned before, we live in The Villages, Florida – the largest retirement community in the world with over 140,000 residents.  This cruise is the first we’ve been on since moving to The Villages where we were the only Villagers on the ship.  It was strange as we have met people literally on every other cruise since retiring.

I’m glad so many of you came along for the ride.  While I couldn’t get to every single comment for a reply, I did read every comment and appreciate all the kind comments.  You all rock!

Let me also repeat, because I keep getting asked even though I’ve answered this at least two dozen times now…

Most photos were taken with a Sony RX10 IV camera. It is a bridge camera with a non-interchangeable 24-600mm f4 lens and can shoot at 24 frames per second when tracking moving objects.  I supplement with my Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra cellphone when I need a wider view or when it isn’t practical to carry the Sony.

The other question I keep getting is, “What’s next?”.  Given that we will have been traveling for 227 days by the end of the year, we’re ready to be home for a while.  Other than visiting family over Thanksgiving, we have no travel plans until September 2023.  We will be on the Viking Orion for their Australia, Asia & Alaska cruise from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, through Alaska, & Japan, continuing through Asia to Sydney, Australia.  That will be a 79-night adventure, and of course, I’ll be blogging.

One final thing – we were greeted home with this incomplete, but incredibly vibrant rainbow.  It is good to be home.

Until our next adventure…

Antarctic Cruise Day 39 / 40 - Buenos Aires - Viking Rocks on

Antarctic Cruise Day 39 / 40 - Buenos Aires - a rocking good time

Trip day: 39 / 40

Port days: 18
Sea days: 19
Countries: 5
Continents: 4
Ports/Landings: 13

Ah, disembarkation day.  The end of the trip.  The last time seeing many friends we made on the journey.  It is a bittersweet day.  We're honestly looking forward to being home since this has been such a crazy travel year for us, but this trip was so amazing, it's hard to see it end.  But, end it must since the cruise that left today was completely full.  378 max capacity on Polaris, 378 guests were scheduled to embark.  That's a far cry from the 61 passengers we had from Amsterdam to Ushuaia.

We ate our final breakfast in the World Café. Captain Margaret came by and wished us safe travels.

Viking's first female captain - Captain Margrith Ettlin

Then, it was back to the cabin so we could brush our teeth, toss the last items into our carry-on bags, and head to the Living Room on deck #5 to wait for group Blue 2 to be called.  Soon enough, we were on the coach for the short ride to Ushuaia airport.  Our checked bags were already there.  We verified that we saw our bags and handed in an affidavit confirming that we hadn't packed any of the prohibited items and headed to security.

Viking had two flights chartered on JetSmart.  Ours was perhaps 65% full so there was plenty of room to move about.  Viking booked us on 16F and17A, so we weren't in the same row and were on opposite sides of the aircraft.  This let us both take photos of the Andes and Beagle Channel featuring both the Chilean side and the Argentinean side.

The flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires was about three hours.  While en route, a Viking representative informed us that for those of us with long layovers (like our nearly seven-hour one), Viking had reserved space in the Hard Rock café in terminal A for us for lunch.  Woo!

After we landed, we collected our luggage and took it to the central area in terminal C, where we landed.  Those of us that would be flying Delta gave our bags to one set of porters.  Everyone else gave their bags to another set of porters.  Our Delta-bound bags remained in terminal C in a private area and the others were held and then delivered to terminal A.

We had the option to take a bus or walk from terminal C to terminal A. It was a beautiful day so we hoofed it to terminal A.

We found our way to the Hard Rock Café.

The provided lunch featured beef and chick empanadas, a beef steak, fries, salad, and ice cream or fruit for dessert.  It was a nice lunch and much better than milling around a terminal for hours.  Thanks to Viking for really caring about their passengers and helping make a difficult travel day better.

Around 6pm, we walked back to terminal C where our bags were waiting for us. We got checked in, cleared security and immigration/passport control, and headed to the terminal.

As we waited for departure, that gave me time to put together this blog.  We’ll be launching in a couple of hours and then spending a lovely ten hours in the air to Atlanta.  We have a quick turn in Atlanta to clear Customs, so we’ll see how that goes.  I will wrap up this trip tomorrow once we’re home.

Antarctic Cruise Day 38 / 40 - Cape Horn and Ushuaia - the last stop

Antarctic Cruise Day 38 / 40 - The Horn and a change in command

Trip day: 38 / 40

Port days: 18
Sea days: 19
Countries: 5
Continents: 4
Ports/Landings: 13

The Drake Passage did not disappoint yesterday.  We were still a-shakin' at 5:30AM today.  Eventually, it calmed down and we're into smooth sailing.  The captain announced that we'd be sailing past Cape Horn by 7AM today.  Ugh.  Still, how many times do you get to see this?  Well...in our case, twice this year.  But, I hauled myself out of bed and wandered up to the bow.  In typical Viking fashion, Tammy, the beverage manager, and her team were there, serving up hot chocolate in nice double-walled glasses so it stayed nice and warm.  

Later on at the Explorers' Bar with Tammy

There was a small crowd on the bow to see the passing from about three nautical miles.  With the slightly hazy air, it was tough to see much, but we did catch the lighthouse, the house, and the memorial albatross sculpture.

The closest thing to a sunrise I've seen

Near Cape Horn

The Horn is just to the right of this

There it is

Again, the Horn is just to the right

Some of the rock structures are pretty daunting

Cathedral Rock

You can just see one of the two lighthouses peeking over the hill

Here is the other, main lighthouse

A monument in the form of an albatross in flight honors the estimated 10,000 sailors that perished over the years attempting to round Cape Horn

After capturing a few photos, it was time to hop back in bed for a few minutes before showering and heading up to another wonderful breakfast.  Chef Lokesh once again prepared biscuits and sausage gravy for us and it was delicious.

Next on the agenda...packing.  We have all day, but we may as well get things done sooner rather than later.

Lucky for us, friends had a luggage scale.  Our bags are each just under 50 pounds, so we're good.  There is now a luggage scale in our Amazon cart to be ordered once we get home.

As we entered the Beagle Channel, they suggested watching for wildlife.  Here is some of what we saw.

We saw a couple groups of Magellanic penguins swimming by.

Chilean skuas were also hanging around.

Their takeoff was interesting as they slapped both feet against the water simultaneously to get above the surface - let's watch - Skua 1 - you're cleared for takeoff

Roger that - Skua 1 taking the active runway

Skua 1 on the go

Launch speed achieved, rotating

Liftoff

Skua 1 - landing gear retracted

Cormorant 1452 - watch for crossing traffic - Skua 1 at your 10 o'clock

Cormorant 1452 has the traffic and is clear of traffic

An imperial cormorant with the head crest showing - it noticed our ship and based on the white cloud in the water behind it - we literally scared the poop out of it

It then decided it was time to go and go now

Next up, a single dolphin swam by.  We never got a good look to see what kind it was.

It dove but was still visible under the water

The stars for the day were the black-browed albatross.  They were absolutely everywhere.

Unlike skuas, when an albatross takes off, it runs across the surface, one foot at a time.

Passing Puerto William

The Argentinean navy was out and about

Approaching Ushuaia

We docked in Ushuaia for the evening.  Our bags are packed and our main bag is already gone.  We'll pack up our carry-on in the morning with our last-minute things.

We talked with Margaret at dinner.  At 8PM tonight, she ceased being Margaret and became Captain Margaret - Viking's first-ever female cruise ship captain.  Captain Olivier is now just Olivier and will be heading home tomorrow for a well-deserved vacation.  I hope to get a picture with Captain Margaret for tomorrow's blog.

The travel plans for tomorrow (Thursday) are:

• Eat breakfast tomorrow on the ship
• Catch our coach to the airport at 7:55AM
• Fly a charter on JetSmart from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires tomorrow from 10:40AM to 2:06PM
• Layover in Buenos Aires airport until 9:15PM where we board our Delta red-eye to Atlanta
• Arrive in Atlanta at 6:35AM
• Get our bags, clear Customs, recheck our bags and make our Delta flight to Orlando all before 8:17AM - it will be cutting it close
• Arrive in Orlando at 9:50AM where our driver will be waiting to get us home before noon 

It will be a nearly 30-hour travel day for us but we're looking forward to being home.  Of course, that won't last as we're heading to our son & daughter-in-law's place in Houston for Thanksgiving.  But after that...we'll finally be home for 30 consecutive days for the first and only time in 2022.  It's been quite a travel year for us.