Thursday 27 January 2011 - Back home

FINAL THOUGHTS

After a long but more comfortable flight than I had been expecting, I arrived home on Tuesday morning, had yesterday off as it was Australia Day (a public holiday), and then returned to work today. Reality hasn’t quite set in yet – it’s going to take some time to get rid of the smile on my face when I think back on this holiday.

If I did it all over again, what would I do differently? Virtually nothing! I loved the contrasts and variety offered on this trip, from the jungles and heat of Iguazu Falls, the bustle and colours of La Boca in BA, the endearing penguins in the Falklands and the pristine white landscape of Antarctica.

There are two cruise options on how you can see Antarctica – expedition ship or ‘drive-by’. My cruise was the ‘drive-by’, meaning we didn’t land in Antarctica but with days of perfect weather I spent endless hours on deck watching as we slowly manoeuvred past icebergs, glaciers, penguins, seals and occasionally whales. I have absolutely no regrets choosing this option as at no time did I feel that I was missing out on something by not stepping ashore, one reason being that I was able to get up close to gentoos, king and Magellan penguins in the Falklands.



King penguin with "frilled shirt"

 

King penguin chick born last season



A Magellan penguin - the butt of my jokes



The penguin on left is protecting  its egg



Another deciding factor was that the price difference between the two options means that the money I saved will fund visits to Namibia and Botswana plus either Rajasthan or the Galapagos and Cuba in the coming year or two – three trips for the price of one! And I want to do a Grand Voyage in the future!

I’ve cruised with Cunard, Princess, Royal Caribbean, Holland America plus a few other lines which are either no longer around or not worth mentioning and I would have to say that my cabin on the Veendam was in the best condition of any I have had – relatively new soft furnishings and no sign of wear and tear anyway. The Veendam's crew were also great - friendly, helpful and responsive.





My cabin - a few days into the cruise

I was in an E class ocean view cabin on Main Deck just near the aft stairs and elevators which made it easy to have quick access to the decks for viewing, moving from the Sky Deck level to the Retreat and down to the Lower Promenade to get the best views and photos. Even through my cabin window at times I was able to take photos of penguins on icebergs at eye level rather than looking down on them from above.

I heard of a couple of people who had issues either with noise or air-conditioning but these were addressed to their satisfaction.

I found the best time to work on the blog on the cruise was early in the morning around 6 am or late in the evening, from 10 pm onwards, when not many others were accessing the internet. I always keep a travel diary so replaced it with this on this trip and only spent an hour at the most, including a quick sort of photos, each day.

Joining my sailing’s roll call on Cruise Critic and meeting other members really added to the enjoyment of the cruise and a group of us went to a tango show in BA the night before the cruise and did some transfers and tours together. To Robyn & Ken, Deb and Audrey, Connie and David, Pat and Jack, Cheryl and Jack, Paula and Glen, Michelle and Paula, and Gisela, many thanks for your company on our tours and cruise! I’m sure some of us will meet up again.

Thanks also to all those who followed my travels and commented - I hope I have given you inspiration to visit this wonderful area if you haven't already been.

All up, an absolutely fabulous time – I couldn’t have asked for better!