Abercrombie and Kent - Explorer II

Fact File

Vessel: Explorer II

Cruise line: Abercrombie & Kent/Atholl Shipping Corporation

Star rating: Not yet rated

Tonnage: 12,500 GRT

Max passenger capacity: 199

Entered service: 1996

Description: Only 199 berths are available, all in outside cabins. There are seven cabin categories with twin or queen beds, satellite/closed-circuit television, radio, hairdryer, telephone and private bathrooms with full bath. The two owner's suites measure 33.4 square metres and include spacious outside verandas.

Facilities include one swimming pool, two restaurants, two bars, lounge, library, card room, beauty centre, gym, medical centre, smoking room, cinema, shops, lecture hall, photo lab, passenger laundrette and jogging track.

Starting price for the 10-night Classic Antarctica itinerary departing Santiago on December 10, 2006, is $9015 per person including port charges and charter flights ex Santiago to join the ship in Ushuaia. International airfares are not included. All tips are included. Single passenger surcharge starts at 15 per cent over the double passenger rate.

Explorer II

Forget roughing it when you head off for your adventure of a lifetime. Cruise in style on Explorer II.

"Orcas!" shouts someone from the bridge deck, sending red-jacketed passengers scurrying excitedly to one side of the vessel for a better look. "The first for the season," says assistant expedition leader, Dr Michael Schmid. In front of the ship is a pod of four or five of these magnificent creatures. Commonly known as killer whales, they are actually the largest members of the dolphin family.

We move ahead for a closer look, and soon someone else sights Humpback Whales breaching and playing on the other side. This would be an unexpected bonus on most cruises, but on this particular voyage, adventure not sunbaking is the order of the day. After all, when youre travelling to the earths coldest, driest, highest and windiest continent, you soon learn to expect the unexpected.

Explorer II left the port of Ushuaia, Argentina the southern-most city in the world four days earlier. Dozens of Antarctic vessels depart Ushuaia between November and March, taking scientific teams, supplies and tourists towards the bottom of the world.

Our two-day crossing of Drake Passage was deemed comparatively gentle, even if quite a few passengers retired to their cabins for the duration. Here, between the southern tip of South America and the Antarctic Peninsula, the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet in what is the most treacherous stretch of water on earth. The weather is also unpredictable. Were experiencing brilliantly sunny weather, whereas the previous departure had sunshine for just one day of their cruise.

Built in Genoa in 1989, Explorer II replaces Abercrombie & Kent's previous expedition vessel, MS Explorer. It was originally named MS Lindblad Explorer in honour of Lars Eric Lindblad, an early environmentalist and explorer who pioneered Antarctic tourism. Lindblad set out the rules that today form the basis for the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators' (IAATO) guidelines.

Explorer II's ice-strengthened hull makes it capable of travelling through pack ice, while its shallow draft gives it the advantage of being very manoeuvrable ideal for getting up close to points of interest. Bow thrusters and stabilizers give it greater speed and stability. These are highly desirable for the Drake Passage open sea crossing, making the duration shorter and passengers more comfortable.

The ship is captained by John Moulds, an Englishman from Cheshire with worldwide experience in high latitude and expedition cruising. Moulds and his crew of 146 ensure life on board is informal and relaxed. Passengers can visit the bridge on pre-arranged bridge visits and gather each day for pre-dinner drinks in an intimate bar or the cosy library. Lectures, recaps and briefings of the day's events are held in the vessel's spacious and comfortable show lounge.

Explorer II is one of the most luxurious small ships afloat and has been voted by readers of Conde Nast Traveler as the highest rated expedition cruise vessel.It is also the highest rated of all Antarctica expedition ships. Furnished like a boutique country hotel, shes cosy and gleams with brass and polished wood. She can accommodate more than 300 passengers. Bookings, however, are limited to 199. This is done so that all passengers have the pleasure of an outside-facing cabin and so everyone is able to go ashore on every excursion.

There are seven categories of cabins from three options of standard, superior, deluxe and suite to the two spiffing owners suites on the bridge deck. All have queen-size beds that can be separated (the owner's suites, however, are fixed king), private bathrooms, ample wardrobe space, vanity writing desk and chairs, and day sofas. Most have large picture windows from which you can watch the passing pristine landscape. The two top categories also have private balconies. There are six decks, with two lifts for easy access to all passenger decks. Theres also a library, card room, beauty centre, gym, medical centre, smoking room, cinema, shops and a lecture hall for daily talks. One of the speakers is Antarctic expert and naturalist Stephanie Martin. Martin contributes Humpback Whale identification photographs to a worldwide Humpback Whale study. These talks and PowerPoint presentations can also be viewed in your cabin via closed circuit.Telephone, fax and e-mail facilities are available, and family and friends can take a peek at what you're up to through the website at www.abercrombiekent.com. It posts photographs and a log of daily activities en route. And to think less than 100 years ago with no communication available, family and friends of Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton had no idea for months if he and his crew of adventurers were even alive.

There are two restaurants and two bars. All meals, bar drinks and house wines are included. The casual Verandah cafe is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It offers buffet and table service. The main restaurant accommodates all passengers, rather than serving meals in sittings a plus for conviviality.

Breakfast consists of eggs, cereals and the like, while dinner is a lavish affair with options for vegetarians. In between, there is hot bouillon each morning, an impressive buffet lunch, and cakes and biscuits all day. House wines and bottled water are all included, and there is an open bar policy at both the cosy Shackletons bar and the casual South Cape bar. Guests can also dine poolside, which is not as cold as youd think unless theres a chilly wind.

Temperatures hover between 0 and 3 degrees Celsius. Cruise cuisine is a long way from the sustenance available to early Antarctic pioneers and researchers. At Crystal Hill, once used as a depot point for British sledging parties, there is still a cache of food left by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) team of 1962. A couple of dozen wooden boxes hold their full contents: bars of Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate, tins of processed English Kraft cheese, cocoa, cabin biscuits and butter, tubes of Marmite, meat bars with instructions on how to make a casserole, and packets of food supplement for the dogs.

On Explorer II not only are guests well fed but they are also provided with red blizzard-proof parkas, water-resistant backpacks and gumboots for shore excursions. Excursions usually number two each day when not at sea. These might be through unchartered waters to secluded bays, climbing up rocky, snow-covered slopes to vantage spots, studying the astonishing array of wildlife or examining icebergs close up from nifty Zodiacs.

If Explorer II is the mother ship, the Zodiacs are the fleet. They are the means for our daily forays onto land and ice. IAATO rules state that only up to 100 people may go ashore at any one time from tourist ships, and for just three hours at a time. A schedule ensures all passengers enjoy all excursions.

The day of our visit to Port Lockroy, a former research base now maintained as a museum and post office, we got to see how things were once done and buy rare British Antarctic Territory postal stamps.

Cruising the icy waters of the Antarctic and experiencing this spectacular environment is a trip of a lifetime and should be done properly. You need to do it in comfort, in the secure knowledge that you are with an experienced crew and with onboard specialists who really enhance the enjoyment of such an adventure.

It is without doubt the high calibre of expedition staff, lecturers and guides that is the point of difference with a cruise on Explorer II. A Conde Nast Traveler readers' poll of the 80 best cruise ships in the world, gave Explorer II a perfect score of 100 for its crew and service.

Comprising experienced geologists, naturalists, historians, zoologists and ornithologists, the team is hands-on and happily mingles with guests during excursions and on board over a drink or two. One such expert is environmental ecologist Lou Sanson, a Kiwi who is now operations manager of the New Zealand Department of Conservation. The Department is responsible for five sub-antarctic island reserves. Each day brings new experiences as we marvel at icebergs (ranging in colour from the palest ice blue to indigo, violet and green), learn of the habits of Adlie, Gentoo and King Penguins and get close to Leopard and Elephant Seals basking in the summer sun. Another day brings multiple sightings of Orca, Humpback and Minke Whales.

All of our excursions go according to plan, including navigating unchartered waters into Whisky Bay at the northern end of James Ross Island. But it's the penultimate day that provides an experience that will become indelibly etched in our memories sailing through the Lemaire Channel at dawn. When the crew and the captain go scurrying below to fetch cameras, you know you are witnessing something special.

Long and narrow, the Lemaire Channel is lined with spectacular, steep snow-covered, which sparkle in the early morning light. We marvel at the scene around us. It's the grand coda to our once-in-a-lifetime experience, made all the more enjoyable because of a sense of collective appreciation by all on board.The next day we begin our return journey through Drake Passage, with the poignant realisation that our unforgettable foray into some of the most beautiful and pristine waters in the world is drawing to a close.

Tricia Welsh - 23 Autumn 2006