The privilege of being one of the few humans who will ever set foot on Antarctica. The thrill of a polar, marine safari and seeing Antarctic wildlife in their natural setting – completely unphased by humans. The anticipation of extreme, dramatic, icy scenery – almost like being on another planet.
Among the penguins of Antarctica, every moment feels extraordinary — from a distance, these curious birds observe as the journey unfolds.
As for many world travellers, my first expedition cruise to Antarctica allowed me to check off that box: travel to all seven continents. But that “bucket list” approach doesn’t do justice to the world’s most remote continent. The privilege of being one of the few humans who will ever set foot on Antarctica. The thrill of a polar, marine safari and seeing Antarctic wildlife in their natural setting – completely unphased by humans. The anticipation of extreme, dramatic, icy scenery – almost like being on another planet.
On this cruise, I felt like an adventurer, a true explorer. I was not, however, roughing it. Scenic Eclipse is one of a new breed of small luxury expedition ships. What you see is a sleek, modern mega-yacht that is home to just 200 guests on this journey.
Contemporary, urban, boutique-hotel design with plenty of quartz, marble and black glass. Ten dining experiences, including a Night Market of elevated, global street food, a fine dining French restaurant with its own Champagne bar, pan-Asian and family-style Italian cuisine, even 24-hour room service served by white-gloved butlers. It was surreal opening my suite curtains in the morning to find the ship surrounded by mesmerizingly blue Antarctic icebergs, serenely floating by. Or eating sushi while watching penguins hopping onto ice floes alongside the ship.
We sailed from Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city on earth, to the “White Continent.” It’s a two-day crossing of the notoriously rough Drake Passage. They say that the crossing can go one of two ways: “Drake Lake” or “Drake Shake.” You’ll know it’s going to be rough if you see the barmen taking the bottles down from the floor-to-ceiling, back-lit whisky bar in the lounge. Luckily, no cocktail interruptus for us. And that was just the tip of the iceberg of an expedition where good fortune shone upon us. Where we sailed and what we did every day were dictated by conditions and Scenic’s Discovery Team’s knowledge of where to find nesting penguin colonies, secluded bays to kayak through calved icebergs, herds of immense elephant seals and their young basking on the beach, or a landing zone to step ashore on mainland Antarctica, where we each got to plant a symbolic Antarctic flag.
Lynn Elmhirst planting a symbolic flag on mainland Antarctica during a Scenic Eclipse expedition – a rare moment for guests to leave their mark on the White Continent.
Off we went in zodiacs to shore, climbing snowy hills to watch – at a safe and responsible distance – as Adelie and Gentoo penguins tended their rocky nests and eggs, with the Discovery Team’s ornithologist pointing out how we can tell different penguins apart and how they gather stones for their nests. Or join the barman collecting pure, black chunks of iceberg ice to use in cocktails, while talking with the team’s ice expert about how centuries of environmental data is stored inside Antarctic ice.
Some of us helped the barman collect pure black chunks of Antarctic ice for cocktails while learning from the team’s ice expert how centuries of environmental data are preserved in the ice. Photo: Lynn Elmhirst
Every day was full of surprises and adventures – with Scenic Eclipse’s extraordinary expedition toys delivering over-the-top memories. The ship is equipped with two helicopters and a submarine. Other Antarctic cruises explore exclusively from the surface of the water and shore. Scenic’s helicopter and submarine tours offer a completely different perspective: over and under the waves. From the air, flying over icebergs, glaciers and ice-capped mountains, along with views of the underwater depths, I realized just how colourful the so-called White Continent really is. Pools on top of icebergs blazed a turquoise that would put the Caribbean to shame. And who knew there were dinner-plate-sized red starfish on the ocean floor under all that ice? One moment even brought tears to my eyes.
Emperor penguins are the largest penguin species in the world, recognizable by their distinctive sunny neck markings. Unlike other penguins that come ashore, Emperors spend their entire lives on sea ice, making them far less accessible. Photo: @scenic.luxurycruisestours
Scenic’s Discovery Team told me how, for years, they’d planned to transport guests via helicopter to see a colony of Emperor penguins in the Weddell Sea. Emperor penguins are the largest in the world, with distinctive sunny neck markings. Only Emperors live their entire lives on sea ice, so they are far less accessible than other penguins who come on shore. The sighting of a single, random Emperor penguin was an “all hands on deck” moment on any Antarctic voyage. We would need exactly the right conditions to get the ship close enough, in extended favourable weather. Luckily, the stars aligned. I was in the first helicopter, landing on the ice over a kilometre away from the colony so we wouldn’t disturb them.
That didn’t stop the curious and unafraid – and huge, right up to my shoulder – Emperor penguins from coming up to us, even as we backed away to maintain a responsible, minimum six-foot distance. It was like an out-of-body experience. After a kilometre trek through knee-deep snow, the big reveal: a 500-strong colony of Emperor penguins with adorable, fluffy grey chicks. An overwhelming spectacle of nature that took my breath away and cemented Antarctica as not just my seventh – but also my most life-changing – continent.
When You Go
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Scenic Eclipse has the highest polar class rating for passenger ships. Its reinforced hull can plow through first-year ice. A GPS dynamic positioning system and ice-rated propellers allow the ship to sail stealthily and hold position without dropping anchor, avoiding damage to the seabed. Custom-built stabilizers smoothly navigate rough seas.
