It is happening! I am locked into an Antarctica cruise leaving from Ushuaia, Argentina! Oh, did I mention I leave 2 days after touching down in Argentina?! It has all happened very quickly…
My decision to fly to Argentina was in part because of the possibility of catching a last minute deal to Antarctica, but I honestly was not sure it would happen. So many things would have had to fall in line: timing, cost, transport, etc. Well it just so happens, that it all came together almost TOO perfectly.
The agent that I have been working with at Antarctica Ushuaia Turismo, Daniela, had sent me a few emails with cruise departures. None of them were going to work for me…some too expensive still, the dates of the others would not work well. I really began to think that it was going to be a REAL long shot. Until I got another email last week. There was a departure leaving from Ushuaia on 6 December for an 11 day cruise that was within my price range (60% off the original price). After sending far too many questions and bombarding poor Daniela with the need for more information, her opinion, etc., I finally booked my cruise!
I will be flying from Amsterdam (via Frankfurt) to Buenos Aires, Argentina. I arrivedon the morning of 4 December, will spend one night in BA, fly down to Ushuaia the morning of the 5th, have one night in Ushuaia, and board my cruise ship the next morning! It is a very tight turn around with all of the flights, but I am confident I will arrive without issue (good thoughts for me please!)
Did I mention I will be cruising in style?! The cruise is with Quark Expeditions on the Sea Spirit ship and it is luxury ship 🙂 It is small, carrying just 114 passengers (and 94 crew), has a gym, hot tub on the upper deck, library, and plush cabins — all with windows! Plus we get bright yellow parkas to keep, bonus! I am so incredibly excited about this trip!
This is the first cruise I have ever done and probably the only one that I would ever want to do. I feel so lucky to be able to visit Antarctica. Even though I got a smokin’ deal, it is still quite expensive for 11 days of travel. But when I look back on my life, I know that I will not be thankful for the extra money, but will be incredibly blessed to have the experience and memories! Bring on the penguins!!!!