Antarctica!

[vitacura]

I am booked on the late January sailing with final payment coming up in early October. I have spoken a couple of times with ABD and I am told it's sailing as planned. This is my first ABD trip and if I read the confirmation email correctly, If I cancel, I forfeit the $5k deposit. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I also see the third sailing they had added, to sail in February, has disappeared from the website as well.

 

[CaliforniaGirl09]

I am booked on the late January sailing with final payment coming up in early October. I have spoken a couple of times with ABD and I am told it's sailing as planned. This is my first ABD trip and if I read the confirmation email correctly, If I cancel, I forfeit the $5k deposit. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I also see the third sailing they had added, to sail in February, has disappeared from the website as well.

Wow, such a bummer. You can try ask ABD to wave the deposit rules under the circumstances, but for the most part they haven't been doing that. I'm surprised they haven't pushed the PIF date back. You could also try asking about that. But you might have to play a very expensive game of chicken with them (i.e. paying in full and waiting for them to eventually cancel--IF they cancel). But you'd need to be prepared to go. If you don't want to go, and they won't wave the deposit rules, I'm not sure there is much else you can do. Maybe someone else has an idea? You could try pleading your case to the current head of ABD (?) in an email and hoping they make an exception.

 

[Mathmagicland]

I am booked on the late January sailing with final payment coming up in early October. I have spoken a couple of times with ABD and I am told it's sailing as planned. This is my first ABD trip and if I read the confirmation email correctly, If I cancel, I forfeit the $5k deposit. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place.

I also see the third sailing they had added, to sail in February, has disappeared from the website as well.

AbD was not selling the usual insurance for the Expedition cruises. Did you get the insurance through their third party? If so, did you get the Cancel for Any Reason policy? That might be an option for you to explore to get your deposit back if you don’t want to travel in January and don’t want to play the AbD waiting game.

 

[vitacura]

Thank you for the ideas. I do wish to go, this is a bucket list vacation for sure. But things aren't looking good and the trip is less than four months away. I will reach back out to ABD later this month and see if I have any other options.
I have purchased travel insurance and did look at the cancel for any reason add on but it doubled the policy amount as it was a 100% premium add on, so I chose not to get it. If the trip gets canceled or I transfer the funds to another trip, the insurance policy will transfer as well, so that's good.

Time will tell..

 

[llachance]

We are on the late January trip as well - a bucket list trip. I know the insurance for this vacation was pretty expensive but will have to look at my policy. I am pretty sure I bought cancel for any reason. I also have the Buenos Aires pre-cruise add on so I am about to have a significant amount of money tied up! That said I am keeping my fingers crossed that this trip will go. Maybe I will go troll the Pontant sites since it is their ship we will be boarding. Paid in full should have already happened for the first expedition that was planned.

 

[llachance]

Just looked at the Pontant Web site and they don't show any of their expeditions for this winter cancelled, at this point. Just need to know how to get there when you have to quarantine - at the moment. Any update yet from those that are supposed to sail in December.

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

Just looked at the Pontant Web site and they don't show any of their expeditions for this winter cancelled, at this point. Just need to know how to get there when you have to quarantine - at the moment. Any update yet from those that are supposed to sail in December.

Hopefully they don't do what Quark Expeditions did -- which is to not 'cancel' their Arctic and Antarctica cruises, but rather 'reschedule' them for 2023. Obviously they did this so that they wouldn't have to refund any money. I doubt any other company is as slimy and unethical as Quark though. LePonant seems to be a big massive step above them.

While I hope that the ABD cruises take place, having been to Antarctica and witnessed not 1, but 2, medical evacuations, I can say with absolute certainty that one of the last places on the earth that you want to get sick is in Antarctica. It took us almost 3 full days to get from the Antarctica peninsula to a Chilean airbase so the patients could be taken to land (via Zodiacs in 4 foot waves) in a blinding snowstorm and flown to Chile for medical treatment. Also note there are only 2 beds and 1 doctor (at least when we went -- maybe they have added another doctor now) in the LePonant infirmary. I would hope that people take the current situation very seriously and also that those that do go have at least $1M in medical evacuation coverage.

 

[llachance]

So made my final payment today for the 4 days pre-cruise in Buenos Aires and final payment is due on Saturday for the expedition. Anyone else on board with my husband and I?

 

[Mathmagicland]

While the Dept of State still currently has Argentina at Level 4: Do Not Travel, Argentina has said they will open to fully vaccinated international travelers on November 1. Maybe there’s a sliver of hope for these cruises to happen…

https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/pandemic-travel-news-japan-australia-argentina/index.html

 

[llachance]

Hope it goes because ABD has my money

 

[vitacura]

We have PIF for the January sailing as well. I just noticed that 3 categories are now available. The news of Argentina opening up for travelers gave me hope that we may actually sail!

 

[Mathmagicland]

We have PIF for the January sailing as well. I just noticed that 3 categories are now available. The news of Argentina opening up for travelers gave me hope that we may actually sail!

Interesting, as it’s been showing sold out for a couple of months. Guess some did not want to make that final payment, or else maybe AbD is a little more confident & opened up remaining cabins?

 

[llachance]

I am thinking that folks didn't want to let ABD have the PIF amount with no guarantees. It was tough to pull the plug but since my husband and I really want to make the trip we will keep our fingers crossed. Looking forward to meeting new friends on this trip.

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

My flight for Buenos Aires is scheduled to leave 60 days from today… I sure hope that it does!

I thought I remembered reading that we needed a medical clearance prior to the expedition. Does anyone else recall that and if so, have you received anything from ABD about it?

 

[*WDW*Groupie*]

My friend's kids are scheduled to go to Antarctica with her ex over Christmas and so far their trip is going as scheduled. They are booked on Nat Geo. She needs the trip to go because she booked a trip to Jamaica with her bf while they are away!

 

[Mathmagicland]

My flight for Buenos Aires is scheduled to leave 60 days from today… I sure hope that it does!

I thought I remembered reading that we needed a medical clearance prior to the expedition. Does anyone else recall that and if so, have you received anything from ABD about it?

Oh the AbD website, for these expeditions, under FAQs, right side of the list. Tenth one down is about the required medical certificate; it says info will be emailed approx 90 days ahead of departure.

https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/...rctica-patagonia-expedition-cruise/tips-faqs/

 

[Mathmagicland]

Disney will have its own requirements and comfort levels on AbD trips…but in looking at the Ponant site and their list of confirmed and cancelled sailings through the end of December 2021, several Antarctica departures have been confirmed as going to sail..

Scroll right on this doc on their website. Their first few Antarctica sailings are included starting on the third page.

https://fr.calameo.com/read/000132423cf461dcaf716?authid=BIZNrwBnxZY5
The Boreal, AbD December sailing- confirmed for November 14 and December 7 Antarctica sailings based in port info, however the December 31 sailing which is the one after the AbD sailing shows as cancelled. Their website shows the Boreal still taking bookings for an early January departure.

The Lyrial, AbD January sailing -confirmed November 12 sailing which will arrive in Ushuaia, no other sailings showing up yet either way. The first Lyrial sailing I find from Ushuaia is the January 20, 2022 departure which still shows on their website as available for booking but status not yet confirmed or cancelled. That is the sailing before the AbD January departure.

Other ships in their fleet sailing Antarctica- six other confirmed Ushuaia departures in November and December on two different ships.

No other cancellations showing yet for any Ushuaia departures except the one December 31 sailing. No January sailings yet updated on this list. And Ponant site says they will give at least 30 days notice so my guess is some sailings are still TBD. However, it is encouraging from a ship provider perspective that several Ponant Antarctica sailings have been confirmed as going in 2021.

 

[llachance]

Looks like we can fly in beginning November 1st.

• U.S. citizens will be allowed to enter Argentina as from November 1, 2021 and will be excepted from quarantine so long as they have been fully vaccinated and the second dose has been given 14 days before arrival in Argentina. Argentine Authorities will require evidence of vaccination. See the Government Order here.

A negative COVID-19 PCR test administered no more than 72 hours prior to departure is required for all arriving international travelers. Upon arrival all passengers will be required to undergo a COVID-19 PCR test administered by local health officials. The site also talks about a test at 5-7 days but I don't know what that means for those going on the cruise. I am sure there will be further instructions forth coming.

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

Oh the AbD website, for these expeditions, under FAQs, right side of the list. Tenth one down is about the required medical certificate; it says info will be emailed approx 90 days ahead of departure.

https://www.adventuresbydisney.com/...rctica-patagonia-expedition-cruise/tips-faqs/

We are 57 days out and haven’t received anything. I’m going to call in the morning.

 

[2PrincesseInTow]

I called ABD this morning regarding the health form. The Vacationista, after checking with her team, told me that Ponant is creating an online system for health forms and uploading. "If" this causes forms not to be available in time for the 45 day submission requirement, the deadline will be extended. Well, I'm pretty sure that we need to extend that deadline... Vacationista told me we have a little time yet, um yes, but I need to get 4 people to the doctor so I need the form more than a day or two prior to the deadline. Just trying to roll with it in these crazy times.