Antarctica!

[2PrincesseInTow]

Keep in mind EVERYTHING on a trip like this is weather dependent in this unpredictable part of the world, not just the two Drake's passage crossings; that includes any flight across it as well as conditions when you are along the peninsula in a smallish-is ship and making zodiac landings. The winds can be extremely fierce.

We were lucky to have Drake's Lake instead of Drake's Shake both ways but we know folks who had many of their landings cancelled due to high winds and/or rough seas. With the number of people who can land at any one time limited, you will spend a fair amount of time on the ship preparing for and waiting for your turn to land. Weather conditions--wind, fog, rough seas, snow, sleet--can change in an instant throughout the day.

Just understand and be be prepared to accept that, to a certain extent, nature will dictate where you go, what you do and how you feel on this incredibly expensive trip of a lifetime. It is a privilege to see this isolated, pristine, immense, indescribable part of the world.

Your photos are gorgeous!

 

[Mathmagicland]

I am more than happy to answer any questions anyone may have about what you can expect - including itinerary, boots, parkas, ship, logistics, guides, etc. etc

Thanks so much for offering to share your experiences - I’m interested in more info about clothing, supplies, & etc. Ie the AbD site FAq under what to pack, it mandates waterproof/ wind pants & polar ear muffs and suggests things like waterproof gloves, walking stick, waterproof backpack, etc. How much of the optional items did you bring along, best places to find these optional & mandatory items, and how did you manage the clothing with the suitcase limit of one bag of 50 lbs?

 

[KLondon]

Yes, please! Whatever information you can share would be appreciated.

Well, I have lots of info I can share, so let me try an overview of my own experience and we can go from there

Let me say at the top that once you are onboard, you should expect that Ponant is running the show with support from your ABD Guides. You can also expect some 'extras' for your ABD trip while on board. But when it comes to day-to-day touring (hikes, zodiacs, etc.) it is all Ponant.

Ship - Ponant is a French cruise-line and I would say almost half the passengers were French. Almost half were American, and then there were 'the rest of us' from elsewhere - Canada (in my case), Germany, and South Africa. The senior crew was French and the remaining crew were from all over (much like on any cruise ship). The ship itself - Le Boreal - could hold about 260 passengers, I believe, but for the Antarctica cruise they purposely do not book to capacity. So we had just over 200 passengers, and about half were with the Tauck tour. The ship is ice-class and very well-suited for Antarctic travel. We found the crew to be extremely professional, courteous, and provided great customer service. The decor and amenities were all top notch and felt high-end. We found out cabin to be spacious and really well designed. We never felt cramped, and we had ample room to hang our wet clothes to dry them out. We had a balcony and we used it quite a bit for sightseeing! I will also add that, if you have ever done a high-end river cruise, the Ponant ship feels very similar.

Here's a link that outlines the details of La Boreal: https://us.ponant.com/le-boreal

Food - simply outstanding! It's a French ship and you should expect some French cuisine and lots of wine. But the menu is varied (not only French) and we found something for everyone. Table service was fantastic (your wine glass is never empty!). There are a couple of restaurants and a few bars/lounges. After a long day of visiting with penguins, there was nothing better than sitting in the lounge with a panoramic view of the ship's bow while sipping cognac. If you have food allergies, etc. - the ship Chef (or designate) will actually meet with you at the beginning of the cruise to ensure they know your needs and they will 1000% accommodate (my wife has peanut issues). There are snacks in the Lounge pretty much always and the bar service excellent (this was included although there were some premium drinks offered for a cost). Snacks are also left in your cabin where there is also a mini-fridge with a good selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks.

Clothing - I'm actually going to cover this in a separate post after this one.

Guides - Part of the ship's crew includes Guides. There is an Expedition Leader who works directly with the captain to plan your route and all your stops. The trip will have a planned itinerary, but it can/will change depending on weather and conditions. Example - our first 2-day crossing of the Drake Passage was very calm - aka Drake Lake - so we arrived in the Peninsula almost half a day earlier than planned. Therefore, the captain and Expedition Lead decided we would go further south than planned and see some sights. You can expect a daily briefing in the ship's theatre where the Expedition Lead and Guides will explain what you saw and will be seeing. There are MANY Guides on the ship that are experienced in Antarctic travel. Ours were Canadian, American, French, Columbian, and Australian. Many of them are biologists or have a similar expertise. They were fantastic and they will become like family. They drive the zodiacs, they plan the hikes, they mark the trails, they answer your questions, they do presentations - they are there to make sure you have the adventure of your lifetime.

Hiking/Touring - We had at least 2 outings every day on the Peninsula. For hiking, you can expect a wet/dry landing via zodiac on mainland or an island. There will be lots of Guides and crew to help you in/out of the zodiacs. Sometimes hikes are guided, but usually Guides will have marked a trail (using flags) and they will station themselves on the trail here and there. 90 minutes to 2 hours is what you should expect with hikes varying in how strenuous they are. You will walk on broken rock and/or snow depending on where you are, and there will be hills to consider at some sites. The nice part is that you can choose not to hike the marked trail and simply walk along the beach at the landing site. Other times, you will be sitting in a zodiac touring through icebergs or other areas of interest while your Guide navigates/narrates. There are days when you might do more than 2 outings because conditions are right (that's the part about being flexible). The only optional outing (aka was an extra cost) on our trip was sea kayaking. Ponant was testing this out at the time so it was not a regular offering. My wife and I opted to do the kayaking (1 hour guided tour almost the coast with lots of ice, seals, and whales) and it was worth every penny to us - but it was very expensive. Now... all your outings are dictated by a schedule. You can expect to be assigned to a colour-coded group when you arrive onboard, and you will receive a daily ship's newsletter that includes the schedule for each colour-group - i.e. when they need to be at the zodiac loading station, etc. This all works extremely well! We never felt rushed and it never felt crowded on land (quite the opposite). Note that the schedule also ensures there are never more than 100 people on land at any time (which is Antarctic Treaty law).

Being Bored on Ship - You will not. Ever. Between outings, changing clothes, a bit of relaxing, and great meals, you will have a full day. There will also be entertainment (Lounge and Theatre), briefings, lectures/presentations, etc. Even on 'at sea' days you will have full days.

Drake Passage - The schedule includes 2 days to cross the Drake from Ushuaia and then 2 days going back across. Our experience both ways was total 'Drake Lake' - very calm, which actually disappointed my wife and I. But it can be rough, of course - i.e. Drake Shake. We only had one instance of rough weather in the Weddell Sea. My wife and I do not get seasick, so this was not a concern. But the couple we traveled with DO get seasick so they came prepared with SeaBands, 'the patch', and medicine. One way you will know if rough weather is expected: the crew will quietly hang sickness bags along every handrail on the ship. One thing you can expect on your initial crossing is that you will be outfitted with your boots and parka (more on this in another post). You will also attend a few briefings given by Expedition Leader and others. And you will also go through 'velcro inspection' with your Guides. Basically, any outer clothing you intend to wear that has velcro fasteners needs to be inspected and cleaned to ensure no 'foreign' plant material, etc. is brought ashore. Your Guides will help you with all of this.

On/Off Ship - Like any cruise, you will have a plastic ID card issued when you come aboard. When you leave ship for outings and come back aboard, your card will be scanned. You parka will have a card holder on the sleeve with a clear window for this process. When you come back aboard, you will step out of the zodiac and proceed to a boot-brushing station to clean the debris off your feet. Then you walk through a disinfectant bath to further clean your boots.

Weather - We were there late Jan 2020 into early Feb 2020. Most days were cloudy, but we did see the Sun on a couple of occasions. The temperature hovered around the freezing mark most days, so for a Canadian like me it was quite pleasant and bearable. There were some hikes where some of us wore our parkas open! We also had falling snow on a few days. Most landings saw bare rocky beaches, but once you walked uphill you were into deep snow. But the paths we followed on our hikes were all quite walkable.

Wildlife and Sights - Lots of birds. Lots of whales. Lots of seals. And lots (and I mean lots) of penguins. Where whales are concerned, we had a few occasions where whales were spotted and the ship altered course so that we could see them better (with a Guide narrating on the ship's sound system). You will not be disappointed. You will see a lot of icebergs and they are amazing. You will see hills, volcanos, rocky shorelines - much of it looking like a black-and-white photograph or a palette containing every shade of blue and white you can imagine.

My fingers are getting tired here and I suspect there are many typos! I will be posting separately tomorrow about clothing (including boots and parkas). I've scratched the surface here and tried to avoid 'spoilers'. But let me say this... My wife and I have traveled to many places, but there are 2 that stand out as 'life-changing' in some way. Antarctica was one of them. It is very hard for me to describe, but all I can say is that it is as close to an alien world as I will ever see. It is absolutely an expensive trip - once in a lifetime for most of us - and I would go back in a heartbeat. For what it's worth, Galapagos was the other life-changing trip (it was almost a humbling experience that made me realize I'm just another animal living on this planet).

I am happy to answer any other questions - I'm sure I've missed lots of topics here.

And many thanks if you made it this far! lol

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

Well, I have lots of info I can share, so let me try an overview of my own experience and we can go from there

Let me say at the top that once you are onboard, you should expect that Ponant is running the show with support from your ABD Guides. You can also expect some 'extras' for your ABD trip while on board. But when it comes to day-to-day touring (hikes, zodiacs, etc.) it is all Ponant.

Thank you! Thank you! I so appreciate you taking the time to provide this information.... only 326 more days to go and I can't wait! We traveled with AMA Waterways on an ABD Danube cruise so I'm thinking that the ABD experience may be somewhat similar. Our trip also will have Dr. Mark Penning, VP Animals, Science and Environment for Disney Parks, Experiences and Products. His bio is amazing. We were able to sign up for the kayaking already but one of my DD's will only be 15.75 and you need to be 16 to kayak so that is a bummer for her. Certainly a trip of a lifetime and I would be happy to have the Drake Lake both directions..... I'm not one for ship movement but I'm just going to have to overcome it if we end up with the Drake Quake! Galapagos is also on my list.... Again, thank you for taking the time to share your insights! I look forward to your next installment.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I am happy to answer any other questions - I'm sure I've missed lots of topics here.

Immigration question - when you returned to Ushuaia at the end of of the cruise, did you have to go through immigration? Or for that purpose were you considered to be in Argentina the entire time? Thx

 

[KLondon]

Immigration question - when you returned to Ushuaia at the end of of the cruise, did you have to go through immigration? Or for that purpose were you considered to be in Argentina the entire time? Thx

For all intents, we never really left Argentina - which I suspect is due to the fact that Argentina (along with other countries such as the UK) has an outstanding and un-exercised claim on Antarctica. So the only time we encountered immigration was landing in Buenos Aires (and leaving the same way). We spent a few wonderful days in Buenos Aires before flying to Ushuaia for the cruise.

The port at Ushuaia was very laid back (and quite small really). We were able to leave/return the ship at will. In my case, we arrived in Ushuaia, boarded the ship, and set sail for the Drake all on the same day. So we only had time for a lovely lunch and a quick visit to Tierra del Fuego that day. And the day's schedule was really determined by the ship's captain in his planning to set sail that day (based on weather, etc.)

Coming back to Ushuaia, we stayed in port one night before leaving for Buenos Aires, so we really only had that evening to spend in the town looking around, etc.

 

[KLondon]

Thanks so much for offering to share your experiences - I’m interested in more info about clothing, supplies, & etc. Ie the AbD site FAq under what to pack, it mandates waterproof/ wind pants & polar ear muffs and suggests things like waterproof gloves, walking stick, waterproof backpack, etc. How much of the optional items did you bring along, best places to find these optional & mandatory items, and how did you manage the clothing with the suitcase limit of one bag of 50 lbs?

Clothing is an interesting subject because I tend to think way too hard about it. That is, I like to travel as light as possible but I also want to make sure I am covered for any contingency. So, yeah, I stress about it a bit.

For starters, my wife and I each brought one suitcase like this one: https://www.eaglecreek.com/shop/whe...led-duffel-95l-30in--ec0a3xv2?variationId=281

We also brought one daypack each as carry-ons and in case we needed a day-pack when hiking (for cameras, water, etc.)

You do NOT need to bring a parka or boots. They will be supplied once you're on the ship - and you will get to keep the parka! As I recall, we had to supply a boot size (via Tauck) months prior to departure. I believe this was more about ensuring the ship was stocked appropriately. Once we set sail across the Drake, the ship's crew ran a really smooth process whereby you would get a chance to try on some boots to pick the ones you like. Likewise, there was a similar process to get you fitted for your parka. It was all done in an orderly fashion - e.g. certain times were allotted for certain ranges of cabins.

The boots are high, heavy rubber boots. At first glance they look like rubber boots that you might wear in the garden. But they are much sturdier and very comfortable. They were perfect for wearing in snow as well as climbing over jagged rock. I would recommend you wear thick-ish thermal high socks - and bring maybe 2 pairs so you have a fresh pair for each outing every day. You will have a little mat just outside your cabin were you will be keep your boots. You do not want them in your cabin just in case they pick up the aroma of penguins At the end of your cruise, the boots will be picked up from that spot.

The parkas are orangey-red and very warm/comfy. The outside is sort of a canvas-like material that repels water while the lining is fleece - with heavy zippers and velcro'd pockets. The colour is meant to keep you visible while off the ship (Guides and crew wear similar parkas but different colours). The parka will be your to keep after the cruise.... but you need to get it home! On that point, our Tauck Guides gave us a demonstration of how to fold a parka 'into' its hood so that it looks like an oversized football. This helped with storing them in our luggage for the trip home. Some people carried them in their carry-on luggage or even wore them home. And some people just left them behind as they had no need for warm clothing where they lived. If you want to leave your parka behind, I believe the ship will take them to be distributed to a local charity.

Okay, so what do you bring?

You will want some warm, waterproof gloves, a warm hat (we call them a 'toque' in Canada, and some warm waterproof pants that you can wear over your clothes. While it's not super-cold on the Peninsula at that time of year, you will be riding in zodiacs a lot, so you will have spray sometimes and wind always. Waterproof is good! To give you an idea, these are similar to the lightweight ski pants I took: https://www.columbiasportswear.ca/e...ts-1864121.html?dwvar_1864121_color=010&pos=0

I also brought 'base-layer' clothing for being off-ship. This is basically the 21st-century version of 'long underwear'. Something like this: https://www.columbiasportswear.ca/en/c/baselayer/?prefv1=Men's&prefn1=genderGroup&cgid=baselayer

For everyday needs, I tended to keep casual - pants, light shirt, with zip-up fleece. Shoes tended to be running shoes or casual loafers. I had pants and shirts that were 'nicer' for dinner. I will note that there were a few fancy dinner nights on ship where many people (mainly French passengers) tended to get quite dressed up. But if you do not want to do that, it's no problem! You will be on an expedition cruise, and casual is just fine!

I recommend you have a waterproof bag for your cameras, etc. for zodiac touring. It's just good insurance. And always brings extra charged batteries for each outing!

We did not use a walking stick, but there were some who did. I cannot recall if they were available on the ship. My 2 cents is that if you feel you need one, bringing a collapsible stick is probably best. You will definitely be walking on rocky, uneven, and sometimes slippery surfaces - as well as snow.

While we did bring collapsible water bottles for hiking, we never needed them. Ponant gifted each passenger with a very good re-usable water bottle that we could fill for each outing. And it was something else we had to bring home.

I'm sure I've missed something, but these are what I think the main items will be. But if there is anything else, just ask!

EDIT - I meant to address kayaking! If you sign up for kayaking, you will be issued a separate set of gear which amounts to a one piece dry-suit to wear over your clothes, a lifejacket, and a pair of Crocs (the dry-suit has feet in them but they are not suitable for walking around). There is a whole process involved in get you fitted for your gear. The gear will be delivered to your cabin afterwards. And there will be an education session that teaches you how to put on your drysuit (a very clever design).

 

[sayhello]

Ship - Ponant is a French cruise-line and I would say almost half the passengers were French.

Just FYI, the entire ship will be ABDers (like with the River Cruises), so folks on the ABD trips won't have to worry about any "others".

As far as gearing up is concerned, this trip sounds like Iceland on Super Steroids!!

Sayhello

 

[Mathmagicland]

For all intents, we never really left Argentina - which I suspect is due to the fact that Argentina (along with other countries such as the UK) has an outstanding and un-exercised claim on Antarctica. So the only time we encountered immigration was landing in Buenos Aires (and leaving the same way). We spent a few wonderful days in Buenos Aires before flying to Ushuaia for the cruise.

I'm sure I've missed something, but these are what I think the main items will be. But if there is anything else, just ask!

Thank you for all of this great info, very helpful!!

 

[Mathmagicland]

I am happy to answer any other questions - I'm sure I've missed lots of topics here.

Hi - a few more questions for you, please -

-AbD suggests glove liners, did you use those?
-What sort of things did you carry in your day pack while off ship in Antarctica?
-When clothing items got wet. did they dry quickly or overnight? Wondering if it is warm or dry enough for that.

Thanks!

 

[KLondon]

Hi - a few more questions for you, please -

-AbD suggests glove liners, did you use those?
-What sort of things did you carry in your day pack while off ship in Antarctica?
-When clothing items got wet. did they dry quickly or overnight? Wondering if it is warm or dry enough for that.

Thanks!

No problem!

Glove liners - We did not use them. We simply brought warm gloves/mittens that are waterproof or at least water-resistant. I found it was mostly the zodiac rides wear warm/dry hand-wear was a necessity. When hiking on land, I often had my gloves off.

Day pack - My wife and I would share a day-pack when hiking, and we used it mainly to carry waterbottles and camera gear. And there were a number of outings where we did not bother with a pack and simply used the pockets in our parkas to carry gear.

Wet Clothing - We never had an issue with getting clothes dry in our rooms. There are large hooks at the cabin door where we could hang our parkas quite nicely. For our ski-pants, we would put them on hangers and then hook the hangers on the ventilation grill that runs along the wall near the ceiling of our cabin (many people did the same thing). Hint: bring along a handful of clothespins for this purpose. And for and smaller items, we'd just hang them on the chairs in our cabin. Everything dried quite quickly and having dry clothes was never an issue.

One thing I forgot to mention about bringing waterproof pants (e.g. ski-pants). You will definitely want something that you can pull over your boots - ideally with an elastic to seal around the boot. You do not want to be ticking your these pants into your boots. The reason: you might encounter some wet landings where the water is deeper than your boots, so keeping the pants on the outside will ensure no water gets inside. I think we only had maybe 2 such landings, but it is possible (and I we did get water in our boots lol).

 

[Mathmagicland]

No problem!

Glove liners - We did not use them. We simply brought warm gloves/mittens that are waterproof or at least water-resistant. I found it was mostly the zodiac rides wear warm/dry hand-wear was a necessity. When hiking on land, I often had my gloves off.

Day pack - My wife and I would share a day-pack when hiking, and we used it mainly to carry waterbottles and camera gear. And there were a number of outings where we did not bother with a pack and simply used the pockets in our parkas to carry gear.

Wet Clothing - We never had an issue with getting clothes dry in our rooms. There are large hooks at the cabin door where we could hang our parkas quite nicely. For our ski-pants, we would put them on hangers and then hook the hangers on the ventilation grill that runs along the wall near the ceiling of our cabin (many people did the same thing). Hint: bring along a handful of clothespins for this purpose. And for and smaller items, we'd just hang them on the chairs in our cabin. Everything dried quite quickly and having dry clothes was never an issue.

One thing I forgot to mention about bringing waterproof pants (e.g. ski-pants). You will definitely want something that you can pull over your boots - ideally with an elastic to seal around the boot. You do not want to be ticking your these pants into your boots. The reason: you might encounter some wet landings where the water is deeper than your boots, so keeping the pants on the outside will ensure no water gets inside. I think we only had maybe 2 such landings, but it is possible (and I we did get water in our boots lol).

Thanks so much for helping and sharing your experiences! It is so helpful.

 

[Mathmagicland]

FYI from the Disney Cruise Line a Blog - third Antarctica sailing is being added, for February 20. AbD is contacting wait list folks now, will be open to the public on Thursday March 4.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1366425552169676800

 

[Scott H]

Thanks to KLondon for the info, good stuff. We are booked on January trip using DVC points, as South Africa canceled (SA would have been a return trip). This trip will be our return to "The Ice" , first was a few years back with Nat Geo. I was somewhat reluctant to return with ABD as our Nat Geo experience was beyond great excellent etc etc. That said the more I research this trip the better I feel about going with ABD for a return.

With Nat Geo our Parka was a shell with a zip in liner. I wonder if this will be similar. KLondon what say you Thanks We have our own boots (we live in WY and travel to Ice and Cold, Svalbard, Greenland, and a whole lot to Iceland) but will prob opt to use theirs to save space. Will see about the boots, They do use Boggs a good boot.

As a photographer I like the fingerless gloves with a mitten over flap. These are worn inside a waterproof mitt.

For expedition ship travel we use a duffel. The best duffel out the is made by BAD (Best American Duffel) Bags. They used to make a roller duffel and we do like those. We are also big fans of Ebags the Motherload series ( nice for Europe rail travel)

KLondon another question, how is the luggage storage in the room?

I hope they provide CV's for the Naturalists and Crew, that would be nice. In my many days gone by I was a Nation Park Service Ranger and Tour Guide.

We use a drybag back pack and I also use a waterproof (dry zipper etc) dry camera bag.

I also wonder if they will have Shackleton Whiskey on board?

Should be a good trip, and if one prepares even better.

 

[KLondon]

Apologies for not replyng sooner!

Thanks to KLondon for the info, good stuff.

My pleasure!

With Nat Geo our Parka was a shell with a zip in liner. I wonder if this will be similar. KLondon what say you Thanks We have our own boots (we live in WY and travel to Ice and Cold, Svalbard, Greenland, and a whole lot to Iceland) but will prob opt to use theirs to save space. Will see about the boots, They do use Boggs a good boot.

The Ponant parka is a bit more substantial, I think. The liner does not zip out. The shell is a very heavy nylon material (almost canvas-like) that is water-repellent. The inside is heavy fleece. There is a heavy metal zipper up the front with a flap over the zipper held down by velcro. There are outer and inner pockets as well as a pouch on one arm to hold your ship card. We found the parka very warm (almost too warm on a few occasions).

As for boots... I was a little bit worried what to expect from the Ponant boots. Living in a northern climate, I'm probably a bit particular about winter boots. As well, I believe Ponant prefers that you you use their boots since they have been selected specifically for polar use. But we were very pleasantly surprised by the boots we were provided - very rugged and very comfortable.

KLondon another question, how is the luggage storage in the room?

There was ample storage in the room for all of our gear. Our luggage fit quite nicely under the bed, and there was lots of space in cupboards shelves, and corners for daypacks, camera gear, etc. etc.

I also wonder if they will have Shackleton Whiskey on board?

I am embarrassed to say that I cannot answer this question. But I can say, based on my own research, the lounges are very well-stocked

Should be a good trip, and if one prepares even better.

Amen, brother.

 

[Scott H]

Thanks So Much for the reply,

The Ponant parka is a bit more substantial, I think. The liner does not zip out. The shell is a very heavy nylon material (almost canvas-like) that is water-repellent. The inside is heavy fleece. There is a heavy metal zipper up the front with a flap over the zipper held down by velcro. There are outer and inner pockets as well as a pouch on one arm to hold your ship card. We found the parka very warm (almost too warm on a few occasions).

I found the Lindblad / Nat Geo to be a very high quality parka. Surprised at the Metal Zipper, rare these days, especially for cold weather gear. Ponant Parka, just guessing will be a tad warm for me, The Lindblad parka was way to warm for me. So great to know.

Good to hear about their boots, ( I hear ya on being picky on boots) our choice for cold and wet environments is the Muck Boots Arctic Sport. Prob save some weight and use theirs. Maybe, LOL

Great to know about luggage storage, I did read a review where they complained there was no under the bed storage. Thanks Much. Other reviews on Ponant stateroom indicate a lack of electrical outlets (only 2 - a US 110 and a 220).

What? I see no mention of a Polar Plunge, we are veterans of Both Antarctic and Arctic swims. The Arctic seemed warmer.

Thanks so much for the first hand info.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I also wonder if they will have Shackleton Whiskey on board?

If you’d like a bottle...-

https://www.explorersauction.org/lite-ui/?controller=lots&action=showLot&id=22

 

[Scott H]

If you’d like a bottle...-

https://www.explorersauction.org/lite-ui/?controller=lots&action=showLot&id=22

Thanks, I am good for now. 1/2 bottle in the camper just in case of a Snow Snake bite

 

[drewmisha]

Any word from ABD about the Antarctica trip in late December this year going as scheduled?

Pay in full is due on 8/22...

 

[llachance]

Any update from those that have paid in full dates in August. I just got my email about mine being due at the end of September but since you can't got to Argentina without being in quarantine for 14 days it makes it a bit difficult to get there.