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Day by Day Summary and Map
Land Segment of Itinerary
Sunday - Dec 15, 2024
Day 1
Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is the kind of place that will leave you breathless - in more ways than one. There are the high altitudes of the Southern Alps, the mirror-like Lake Wakatipu, the dreamy vine-laced countryside, and the atmospheric town itself, with wine glasses toast the end of another remarkable day. Enjoy your one-night hotel stay in Queenstown. ... Read More
Land Segment of Itinerary
Monday - Dec 16, 2024
Day 2
Queenstown, New Zealand
Bus Travel
Cruise Segment of Itinerary
Day 2 - Monday - Dec 16, 2024
Day 2
Cruise Begins
Bluff, New Zealand
This morning, you will be transferred via motorcoach from Queenstown to Bluff, where your ultra-luxury Discovery Yacht awaits. Marvel at the awe-inspiring scenery of rugged mountains, serene lakes, and lush forests. Step onboard Scenic Eclipse II and be warmly greeted with a glass of Champagne. Settle into your luxurious suite, meet your butler and fellow travelers, and toast to the journey ahead. Inclusions: Breakfast, Dinner. ... Read More
Tuesday - Dec 17, 2024
Day 3
Bluff, New Zealand
Clinging to the very southern tip of the South Island, Bluff is one of New Zealand's oldest European settlements. It began life as a whaling station in the 1830s and has retained its strong ties to the sea, with one of the world's few natural oyster beds sitting just offshore in the Foveaux Strait. Bluff is the gateway to Stewart Island and Antarctica beyond, offering travelers a taste of the rugged character of an oystering port. Freechoice: Invercargill Sights & Transport World: Visit Invercargill to admire the antique vehicles at the Transport World Museum and enjoy the town's many stunning gardens. Southern Sojourn: Explore Southland's art and history from Bluff, starting with a scenic drive to Gore. Visit the Moonshine Museum and Eastern Southland Art Gallery, where you'll discover local and international artworks. Bluff Scenic Drive & Walking Tour: Discover Stirling Point, the southernmost tip of the South Island, and explore Bluff Hill for panoramic views. Travel along the scenic coastline, enjoy Ocean Beach's wild beauty, and explore Bluff's maritime history at the Bluff Maritime Museum. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Wednesday - Dec 18, 2024
Day 4
At Sea
Thursday - Dec 19, 2024
Day 5
At Sea
Friday - Dec 20, 2024
Day 6
At Sea
Saturday - Dec 21, 2024
Day 7
Balleny Islands, New Zealand
Sunday - Dec 22, 2024
Day 8
Balleny Islands, New Zealand
Monday - Dec 23, 2024
Day 9
Cape Adare, Antarctica
With jagged cliffs and ink-black escarpments backed by the towering Admiralty Mountains, the Adare Peninsula is a postcard of natural drama. Be greeted by the largest colony of Adelie penguins in Antarctica and listen to the cacophony of 250,000 breeding pairs as you draw close to shore. This is where the Southern Ocean gives way to the Ross Sea. It was the site of the first documented landing on the continent in 1895 and Norwegian explorer Carsten Borchgrevink's two 1899 huts remain on land. Explore the remains with your Polar Discovery Team, who will take you to shore in Zodiacs. Discovery: Weather permitting, explore this fascinating environment by Zodiac, kayak, and stand-up paddleboard, including possible shore landings. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Tuesday - Dec 24, 2024
Day 10
Yule Bay, Antarctica
Captain James Ross discovered and named Yule Bay, a curve in the coast of northern Victoria Land, in 1841. Like much of Antarctica, the immensity of the ice here can only be fully appreciated with some perspective - the Sky Bar is recommended for a grand vista. In these rarely seen reaches of East Coast Antarctica, glaciers glitter like gems, ice lakes are scattered with star points of light, and immense snow cliffs cast blue shadows, all under the gossamer sheen of a silvery light. This is a place of superlatives and the beauty will leave you speechless. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Wednesday - Dec 25, 2024
Day 11
Captain's Choice, United States
Thursday - Dec 26, 2024
Day 12
Cape Evans, Antarctica
If you're a fan of geographical mysteries, you'll be enthralled by the Terra Nova Islands. They were first spotted in the early 1900s, but when a German expedition set off to map the islands by helicopter in 1989, there was nothing there. Theories around these 'phantom islands' abound - were they fog banks, seaweed, icebergs? What does exist is the Terra Nova Hut, Scott's shelter from the elements on the volcanic shore of Cape Evans, and his base while he was trying for the Geographic South Pole. You may have a chance to explore this region today. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Friday - Dec 27, 2024
Day 13
Mawson Peninsula, Antarctica, Antarctica
Today, you may reach the Mawson Peninsula, a narrow tongue of ice along the George V Coast. It's easy to be humbled by its immensity, with the Peninsula's vertiginous white cliffs glittering in the sun and casting unimaginable shadows over opaline swirls of the ocean surrounding it. In between Scenic Discovery experiences, enjoy a specialty tea or coffee in the Observation Lounge and watch the world float by through Swarovski telescopes. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Saturday - Dec 28, 2024
Day 14
Mertz Glacier, Antarctica, Antarctica
You might sail past a number of immense glaciers that carve through East Antarctica, making for incredible spectacles. It's hard to comprehend the scale of the Mertz Glacier, an enormous hunk of crystallized ice more than 30 kilometers wide that gleams like a turquoise jewel. Sunlight cascades over its waves like liquid silver; in the troughs between are shadows of azure. The 9-kilometer-wide Suvorov Glacier is similarly impressive, an endless bank of white unfurling into the distance. There are no trees or shrubs; flora is just a sprinkling of occasional lichen, moss, and algae. This is what infinity looks like. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Sunday - Dec 29, 2024
Day 15
Cape Dension, Antarctica
Dumont d'Urville Station, Antarctica
Australia has a rich Antarctic history and along Cape Denison at Commonwealth Bay you can see part of it frozen in time. The huts of the legendary explorer Sir Douglas Mawson, built from 1911-1914, are still standing here. A remarkable feat in the windiest place on the planet. Weather permitting, you will have the opportunity to step back in time as you see the historic Mawson's Huts, walking through and immediately feeling connected with the men of that incredible expedition. You may also see emperor penguins at nearby Dumont d'Urville station. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Monday - Dec 30, 2024
Day 16
Commonwealth Bay, Antarctica
If the wind stays away, Commonwealth Bay is one of the few places along East Coast Antarctica where it's possible to step ashore, giving you the chance to marvel at Mawson's six fragile wooden huts and structures. The explorer and his team spent two years here documenting the continent. This legacy - along with his 1929-1931 expedition - is the reason why Australia has a territorial claim to 42 percent of Antarctica. The Main Hut is the best preserved of the structures and you may be able spot his team's belongings left behind, including a cast-iron stove, bottles, jars, and cans. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Tuesday - Dec 31, 2024
Day 17
Cape Dension, Antarctica
Largely ice free, Cape Denison's peninsula emerges from beneath the continental ice sheet. The result is a series of dramatic rocky ridges and valleys, the sculptural sweep of snow and ice at times interrupted by sharp-toothed mountains like black cut-outs against a turquoise sky. In this fathomless expanse their scale is impossible to judge, with no points of reference to mark their soaring heights. Cape Denison is a magnet for breeding wildlife. Weddell seals can often be seen with pups during the breeding season, while colonies of skuas, petrels, and penguins fill the shores and the sky. Discovery: Partake in daily Scenic Discovery excursions. Cruise on the Zodiacs around ice formations, step onto islands to view vast penguin rookeries and seals. Kayak and stand-up paddleboard around icebergs and hear the ice cracking and whales feeding below. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Wednesday - Jan 1, 2025
Day 18
Gouverneur Island, Antarctica
Your Polar Discovery Team are always on call to lead active excursions, whether kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding. Or today could be the day to brave the polar plunge. Pull on your swimsuit, throw off your robe and jump into the near-freezing Southern Ocean - a rite of passage for polar explorers. Small and rocky, Ile du Gouverneur is part of Antarctica's Geologie Archipelago. In between these islands and the continent is sea ice, an important breeding site for Emperor penguins. The fact that it's close to a research station means that the creatures here are well documented - they also include Adelie penguins, Antarctic skuas, Wilson's storm petrels, southern giant petrels, snow petrels, and Cape petrels. You'll likely also spot Weddell seals basking in the sun. Inclusions: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. ... Read More
Cruise and Land Value Offers that combine with this sailing.
Pricing Terms and Conditions
Unless otherwise indicated above, all cruise rates are per person, double occupancy, cruise-only without airfare, do not include government taxes and fees and quoted in in U.S. dollars. Ponant Cruises rates are based on foreign currencies that are converted to USD based on today's exchange rates. Rates are subject to availability, can vary by ship and sailing date, and for new bookings only. Fares are capacity controlled, and subject to change without notice. Port charges are included. Prices do not include additional service charges; Travel Insurance; and applicable government taxes & fees unless otherwise specified in the offer. Surcharges and fees implemented by a travel supplier, even after the reservation is made, will be the sole responsibility of each traveler and is due and payable in full prior to departure. Certain promotions which may include amenities like shipboard credits, pre-paid gratuities, drink packages or other packages may be available by category, room type or fare code and may not be combinable with other promotions. For any questions, please consult one of our cruise specialists for applicability and verification. All prices, inclusions & promotions listed on the web-site are current at the time they we published and are subject to change without advance notice. Arrivia, Inc., its subsidiaries, and partners are not responsible for last minute changes to price or itinerary by cruise lines, or for any errors or omissions in the content of this website.
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