Antarctica21 — Local services in Punta Arenas

Antarctica21 not so good when things go wrong.

I arrived at the Port Stanley quay at the agreed time on a Saturday afternoon to join the ship but there was no one else there and the visitor centre closed just after I arrived. After waiting for nearly an hour, I was fortunate to find someone else visiting the harbour who knew the shipping agent dealing with the Antarctica 21 ship. The shipping agent then advised me that all the other travellers on the ship would be delayed for two days travelling from Punta Arenas and that I was the only person to arrive for the scheduled departure. They then telephoned the ship's captain who said that he would speak to housekeeping and call the agent back. Some time later I was advised by the agent that I could not board due to inclement weather and would have to make my own arrangements until the ship was ready to board passenger two days later. I received no help from Antarctica 21 and was on my own to recover from this situation, fortunately I found somewhere to stay, which could be difficult in Port Stanley with restricted options, and eventually boarded the ship two days later when the rest of the passengers had arrived in the Falkland Islands.

I understand that I must have been a cruise ship captain's worst nightmare with a solitary passenger turning up on time, when everyone else has been delayed, with the prospect of having to operate the ship for one passenger. However, I was treated very poorly by Antarctica 21 in this situation having been left to find out what was happening on the quayside and essentially ignored for two days until they were ready to board the ship. I was not reimbursed for my additional expenses or for the loss of two days of the trip which was due to circumstances outside of my control.

When I did finally board, I did find everyone on board delightful and helpful, with the solitary exception of an officer on the ship's bridge, and the trip itself was excellent. However, the experience was somewhat tainted by the terrible joining experience and Antarctica21 need to improve how they deal with such situations since ignoring the passenger and sheltering in Port William is not good enough!

Dear Antarctica21 Team,

I have to say that I saw no evidence that you had made any attempt to reach me prior to the original embarkation schedule. I had entered all my contact information on the Antarctica21 website prior to departure as requested and also with the booking agents Wild Earth in New Zealand. However I did not seen any missed phone call, SMS messages or emails and your shipping agents also seemed surprised when I contacted them so they did not seem to know about me either.

The response from the ship's management following the shipping agent's telephone call to the Magellan Explorer's captain from Port Stanley pier on the Saturday afternoon made me feel like a wayward crew member under maritime rules rather than a fare paying passenger. I understand that the management are under cost pressures but is it reasonable that, under such circumstances, the passenger has to bear all the costs themselves when they have fulfilled all the conditions of joining whereas the company can make considerable savings by not having to operate the ship for two days? It would not have taken much to sort out some accommodation until you were ready to board the ship and after all I had paid for these two days. In addition had the situation been better communicated, I could have made better use of these two days on the Falkland Islands.

Fortunately I was equipped for independent travel so I was able to recover from this situation whereas some of your passengers may not be so able. Consequently I feel that Antarctica21 has shown a lack of respect for the individual in my case which I hope is an...

We were on the Hebridean Sky from Dec 19-23 which was one day shortened due to weather as explained by Antarctica21 in previous review. My complains are about their handling of the situation. On Dec 23, We returned to ship at 12:30pm after a zodiac cruise. The ship was anchored and we had our lunch. At 1:40pm, expedition leader request everybody attending the urgent meeting right away. Then he told us that we need departure one day early from the ship, flying back to Punta Arenas this afternoon. He told us that ship is going to Frei Station now, we need pack our luggage and take them out at 2:15pm and at mean time to go close our account. So my husband hurried to pay bills and tips. I went packing while our ship was in speed through the bad weather. I just had full lunch because I was seasick in the morning and skip the breakfast. Then I was running between bathroom throwing up and packing our luggage in cabin where I cannot stand still. I had to lay down and waiting for my husband came back packing. Later I heard several passengers complained they got hard time similar as me. But when we departed from the ship, we didn't get any apology for the terrible ending. Expedition team leader was not seeing anywhere. We were herded off the ship in such terrible manor. I should say that we are very happy to Antarctica21 hospitality team in Punta Arenas. Due to bad weather, our flight arrived Punta Arenas more than 24 hours delayed. Antarctica21 Hospitality Team picked us from airport and briefing us in hotel lobby and sent boots to our room. We thought our rough beginning was over, we will have a smooth sailing. Unfortunately it didn't end as we expected. Antarctica21 did arrange properly our hotel, meals after we back to Punta Arenas. They even arranged a 3 hour round trip bus tour to see condors. But how can it make up for elephant seal in Antarctic? Antarctic cruise is a very special trip to almost every passenger. For us it was once a life experience. But Antarctica21 may think that just was an usual daily business.

I came back to add some more information about Antarctica 21. We have been exchanging emails for last 3 weeks. They are very open and transparent to all my questions. I summarized as following,

The flight between Punta Arenas and King George Island depends on the unpredictable weather of Antarctica. Antarctica 21 has contingency plan for early and delay departures in their brochures, but travel agent may not mention it before your booking. According to the data from Antarctica 21, the chance of shortened trip is above 10%. There is no refund for any shortened days, but only when the whole trip is cancelled. So if you book 8 days fly-cruise trip, you will be in Antarctica for 4 days, you may end of with a much short cruise in Antarctica. Antarctica 21 explained why they didn't give advance notice about early departure. They want to wait till the last minute to ensure the plane is on its way to King George Island. I heard that plane reached King George Island and cannot land on Jan 11, 2020 due to heavy fog, then plane went back and all passengers and their luggages had to back to the ship again. But I still think it is a better customer service if they give advance warning to the passengers. The main reason for me to chose fly-cruise Antarctica tour is to avoid 4 day Drake Passage crossing. I still consider fly-cruise is a better choice for ones with seasickness. To beat the odds, you may need consider a longer cruise tour. Because of bad weather, in our 3 day cruise, we did 3 zodiac landing and 3 zodiac cruise, instead of 8 activities in 4 days. No snow shoe hiking, no polar dumping and missed chance to see some of polar animals. For once a lifetime trip, it is worth to spend little more...

Our experience with A21 was outstanding. Starting with the hotel greeting, the welcome dinner at the incredible Explorers House, the charter flight and finally stepping on to the Magellan Explorer, everything was so well coordinated and stress free. The whole A21 crew work so well together that they seemed more like a close-knit family with Captain Radja overseeing everything. As someone previously mentioned, the expert staff onboard included an expert on animals, the ocean, an ornithologist, geologist and historian. The passion these experts possess for Antarctica was contagious, so to be on the zodiac with anyone of these experts as your driver made the experience unforgettable. For us it was also the little things that A21 staff did that made some of the biggest impressions. Hospitality staff knowing your name on day one, hot towels when you returned from the zodiac adventure, being served hot tea while being out on the zodiac (the start of DraganBucks?), the personal interactions with the Expedition Team and one of our favourite evenings onboard, the crew entertaining us with a live concert! We always say a company shows its true strength in how they deal with problems and A21 showed us how a professional organization should react. We were on the fly-cruise, but the plane could not land to fly us out due to fog and the plane would not be able to land for several days so we sailed the Drake Passage to Puerto Williams where a charter flight back to Punta Arenas was arranged. This added 2 days to our trip. Staff helped passengers rebook flights, hotels and made these extra two days an enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend A21 to anyone wanting to experience Antarctica to the...