They did have 3 lecturers on board (although I could not attend the lectures due to the fumes). Before the cruise, I expected that the lecturers and expedition leader would circulate among the passengers so we could get some of the benefit of their expertise. Unfortunately, they were an extremely insular group and would only sit with each other at meal or other times.
They did not have enough zodiac drivers on board (and they preferred to run only one zodiac, or at most two) anyway, so there was often a very lengthy delay waiting to get ashore, which made the short lengths of time allocated (and then their revision even shorter once ashore) all the more frustrating.
Having been on 6 or 7 cruises on ships of this size, I was continually astounded by the poor planning and lack of forethought on this ship. There were only 2 hooks in our cabin. Storage was limited to one small wardrobe (none of the space under the bed is accessible- it has false drawer fronts and insufficient clearance to allow storage, just enough room for things to slide underneath and force moving the mattress to allow retrieval). The lack of hooks was particularly vexing as they provide a parka for shore landings. Parkas would come back wet and often with penguin droppings, and having no place to put it other than the floor or in the small wardrobe against the rest of your clothes was not a good choice. Ships of this size, and particularly in the Southern Ocean, move, alot. However, very little is secured and they refuse to provide traction pads for cabins (the phone will come crashing to the floor in Drake Passage for sure). The chairs in the dining room were continually falling over, as were meals and coffee urns.
The dining room is as gorgeous as it looks in the photos. It is a wonderful space, and one whose like I have not seen on other ships. However, if you wish to enjoy it while sipping a cup of tea or coffee, be forewarned that they will not serve such beverages there outside of mealtimes. There is coffee and tea available most the time (when they remember to refill the water cooler/heater and restock the instant coffee and tea bags) in the (unstaffed) bar on the main deck. So, you can attempt to carry your hot beverage through two doors and up a flight of stairs (a challenge on rolling seas and with their dainty cups) to enjoy the dining room view with a beverage. I highly recommend bringing your own break- and spill-proof cup for this purpose.
The officers and bridge crew were extremely friendly and would allow visits to the bridge at all times of day and night, so long as the visitors were quiet (surprisgingly, some passengers found this restriction problematic). Wildlife viewing from the bridge is truly spectacular. Again here though, without knowledge of Spanish, communication can be strained. Even so, the numbers of whales breaching was amazing. Only on rare occasions would the trip leader make an announcement that whales had been spotted, and in my experience, these were some of the less spectacular sightings. Spending time on the bridge was the only way I found to really get to enjoy the amazing fauna. The welcoming, friendly atmosphere on the bridge and its amazing views were definitely among the bright spots of the trip.
Page 3 > > More of Antartica Dream Cruise Review > >
