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Aurora Expeditions – Antarctica, South Georgia, and The Falklands – October 2024: Part II (Getting There was an Expedition Itself!)

My Antarctica, South Georgia, and Falkland Islands expedition on Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle started out as an expedition even before I arrived onboard and has continued ever since. It is, alas, why I love expeditions!  One of the first things you are told about expedition travel is that there is Plan A, Plan B and a whole lot more versions, as it is rare that everything goes to plan. But let me not get ahead of myself.

Aurora Expeditions' Sylvia Earle docked in Ushuaia, Argentina.
Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle docked in Ushuaia, Argentina.

With all of my recent travels, I approached this expedition not with the excitement that I normally have, but rather a sort of tranquil anticipation of my return to my favorite place on earth: Antarctica.  I mean, I know the ship, and I know the “drill”, so I just kicked back until it started. And, yes, it started!

I have come to learn that relying on any airline to depart on time is a fool’s errand, so I planned my travel not to take the fastest route but the one that gave me enough time to make each of my next flights with time to spare. So I (1) flew from Reno, Nevada (leaving enough time in case there was an accident going down the mountain from Lake Tahoe) to Los Angeles, California, (2) to Houston, Texas, to (3) Buenos Aires, Argentina (4) transferring from Buenos Aires’ international airport to its domestic airport, and finally (5) flying to Ushuaia, Argentina arriving the night before the ship sailed in the Aurora Expeditions’ provided hotel. I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

It was all going so well until I boarded my flight to Houston on United Airlines. I booked Premium Economy and used my status awards to waitlist for Polaris (business class). I boarded, accepting I would not be upgraded, and just as I was getting settled in my seat for an on-time departure, a gate agent challenged me and said a couple had booked their seats together, and I was in one of them. Huh?  I showed him my boarding pass, and to no avail, he pressed on, so I moved. Then I said to myself that I really like flying in the bulkhead seat because I have a bit of claustrophobia (imagine that with all my flying!) and didn’t want to move for my 9.5 hour flight.

Just as I settled back in my original seat (funny thing that the couple hadn’t boarded yet) and was chatting with my new seatmate (United put that couple in the less desirable seats), I showed him my boarding pass. Huh? It showed 2G. Bingo! I had been upgraded to Polaris.  (A minor positive change to Plan A.)

Resettled in and feeling pretty good about it, an announcement came that the flight was being delayed so that some close-connecting passengers could make the flight. I mean, fair enough, I have been in that position and, according to the flight information, we will be arriving quite a bit early anyway. As time ticked away, so did our position for takeoff. Needless to say, we were now going to arrive fairly late, and that got me worried about making my connection and the transfer from EZE to AEP (the two different airports) because now it now would be peak traffic.

Well, after we reached cruising altitude, I connected to the WiFi, and then it went out. After about thirty minutes, I asked a flight attendant if they could restart the WiFi because something was amiss. After patting me on the head, another thirty minutes passed, and I said, “OK. Don’t patronize me. The WiFi isn’t working. Please have it reset!”  Finally, it was working. And I kinda wish it hadn’t been.

Why? Because an email and text message came in advising me that my flight to Ushuaia had been cancelled and no alternative was given. As I tried to connect with Aerolinas Argentinas via chat (totally worthless) after checking out FlightAware for other flight options, I then received another email advising that my late morning flight would now be at 6:00 PM! Nothing like a 10+ hour layover! (Of course, that created the need for Plan B…and did eliminate the issue of my flight from Houston being delayed.)

And then, as the United flight attendants were serving cocktails, the cart hit the side of my seat, and literally half a bottle of red wine poured down the back of my shirt. Fortunately, my shirt was black and the large pillow that was supplied was big enough to keep the soaking seat back from assuring me of a wet flight.

Upon arrival in Buenos Aires, the line for passport control was incredibly long, and I used that time to call Aerolinas Argentinas and was able to arrange a seat on the 2:35 PM flight so I was to arrive in Ushuaia around 6:00 p.m. (Now I am working in Plan C!) I, again, has creeping delays and that, unfortunately, meant that I could no longer spend time and eat in Ushuaia that evening. (I mean, I could have, but with over 38 hours of travel time, I figured it would not be the best idea, and I could visit the town before our scheduled 3:30 p.m. boarding.)

Ushuaia, Argentina
Ushuaia, Argentina

As the included transfer to Las Hayas started (the nice, but fairly worn, hotel I had stayed at before…and Aurora will not be using next season as it upgrades its product) we were advised that Sylvia Earle would now be departing early and that the hotel pickup would be at 11:00 a.m. because the ship had to leave early as the port might possibly close due to impending weather and wind.  As this wasn’t my first time to Ushuaia, it really didn’t disappoint me, but I am certain it did for some of the other guests who would miss seeing Ushuaia itself. (This is now Plan D!)

I had been looking at the Windy app and saw that, in fact, a huge storm was approaching and figured that if we left early and headed a bit east for our approach to Antarctica, we might be fine…or, really, fine enough.

I had a dinner of empanadas, squid rings (not the American breadcrumbed sort), and steak fries with a couple of glasses of Malbec wine while sitting at the bar.

It was then time for a shower and bed. My room was hot, so I turned the heat down and opened the window to bring in fresh air and the sounds of the creek just under my window. Needless to say, I slept soundly…until a rush of wind blew the window wide open, and I saw it was snowing outside. (I closed my window so that it wasn’t snowing inside. I’m good like that!)

After the included breakfast, the luggage was brought down to reception and transferred to the ship ahead of us, for delivery to our staterooms before we arrived.

A few guests took taxis into town around 9:00 a.m. to have a walk around. Unfortunately, in Argentina…and especially Ushuaia early in the season…nothing opens before 10:00 a.m., and that is, of course, just a guideline.

Instead, I took a walk by the creek and then had a lovely conversation with one of the land-based guides about living in Ushuaia, her time as a J-1 in the U.S., and the aspirations of a 26-year-old woman living at the end of the world. Wonderful!

Two buses departed at 11:00 a.m.(ish) (It is Argentina!) and I was quickly onboard Sylvia Earle. While there were some familiar faces, most were new to me. However, Justine – the Expedition Manager on my Aurora Expeditions experience in the Arctic – was there…only to tell me she was disembarking to board Aurora’s other ship, Greg Mortimer. She is an amazingly friendly bundle of energy, so my excitement turned to a bit of disappointment.

Balcony Superior Stateroom on Aurora Expeditions' Sylvia Earle
Balcony Superior Stateroom on Aurora Expeditions’ Sylvia Earle

I am staying in a Balcony Superior Stateroom this time. Last expedition I was in a Junior Suite, but with the small desk being located in the bedroom, I literally spent no time in my living room. The Balcony Superior Stateroom is quite large and has a much bigger desk, so getting work done is much easier…plus it has a view on my right of the water. 

I unpacked ahead of the muster drill as we set sail and then had lunch before the Welcome Briefing. At the briefing, we were told that I was kinda correct. We were, as I expected, going to sail East as we depart the Beagle Channel, but then head North, reversing our itinerary and sailing to the Falklands, followed by South Georgia, before heading south to Antarctica. Alas, it was not only the 20+ foot seas, but most of the Antarctica Peninsula was iced in.  You got it: Plan E!!!

The reality is that, for me, South Georgia is the highlight of this expedition, and getting there sooner rather than later (originally planned for Day 12) is just fine by me!  I have been waiting since December 2019 to return to this paradise of 30,000,000 pairs of breeding birds, 250,000 King penguins, fur and elephant seals, whales, and more.

Remember what I said about expeditions?  Well, also remember that I have always said taking an expedition to Antarctica in October would be the most challenging due to weather and sea. Having this experience rather than talking about it in theory is something I pride myself on doing; making me a true Antarctic expert on his eighth journey to Antarctica.

I sat down for dinner, and DJ, the photography expert, invited himself to dine with me. It is his first Aurora expedition (this is, of course, the first Antarctic expedition of the season), but he has experience with quite a few ships…including most that I have sailed on.

Punjabi Eggplant Bharta
Punjabi Eggplant Bharta

Not only was the conversation great, but so was my dinner: Hot & Sour Soup followed by a delicious Punjabi Eggplant Bharta (eggplant mashed and cooked with sautéed onions, garlic, ginger, tomato, and spices.) OK, I ordered a second one of those!

Sylvia Earle's Observation Lounge
Sylvia Earle’s Observation Lounge

After dinner, the sea was about 12 feet, so between folks being tired from their long journey and seasickness, the Observation Lounge on Deck 8 was very quiet. Perfect for an after-dinner whisky before bedtime.

Next Up: After already being on Plan E, I really don’t know!

Interested in a Luxury Journey by Cruise, Expedition, or Land?

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