Crown Cruise Collection highly recommends this sailing for Oceania Cruises aficionados and is offering spectacular savings along with complimentary travel insurance and $250 per cabin shipboard credit. With air included from the major gateways, a category B2 balcony stateroom is $8099, which includes all port charges and taxes. Regular price would be $40,396, so it is well over 75% savings for a cruise that is inclusive of all dining, including specialty restaurants, and soft drinks. Canyon Ranch Spa services are available onboard at additional costs. Brazilian visa is required.

This 22-day cruise departs Rio de Janeiro on January 14, 2011, and touches on Antarctica in addition to a collection of mesmerizing cities and unpopulated lands where nature reigns in all its glory. Bright lights and big cities capture the imagination initially, as you venture into enterprising São Paulo and bountifully beautiful Buenos Aires, where you might tour the pink Presidential Palace or the colorful La Boca neighborhood. Then Insignia eases south into the Falkland Islands, a remote British territory that is a sanctuary for endangered wildlife.

The landscape becomes even more stunning as you cruise past the unspoiled South Shetland Islands and into starkly majestic Antarctica, a rare opportunity to gaze upon ancient glaciers and perhaps see Gentoo penguins. Rounding the tip of South America, the equally gorgeous Chilean Fjords take center stage for two awe-inspiring days. The beauty inland is easily accessible from destinations such as Puerto Montt in Chile’s southern Lake District.

All of this and more can be found on Oceania Cruises Insignia

22-day South America voyage, departing from Rio de Janeiro to Valparaiso onboard the ship Insignia.

Ports of call include:
- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
- Santos (Sao Paulo), Brazil
- Montevideo, Uruguay
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Punta del Este, Uruguay
- Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
- Ushuaia, Argentina
- Punta Arenas, Chile
- Puerto Chacabuco, Chile
- Puerto Montt, Chile
- Valparaiso (Santiago), Chile

Oceania Cruises appeals to discerning sophisticated travelers in search of world-class cuisine, unparalleled personal service, and an enriching, in-depth, destination-oriented experience. Elegant and mid-size, you’ll find the onboard atmosphere is extremely convivial, and with more than 400 staff members at your disposal, you will experience a level of personalized service that is unrivaled. Dining is open, with country club casual ambience. No formal wear or suits required.

About Antarctica

Antarctica is Earth’s southernmost continent, underlying the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the southern hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km2 (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice, which averages at least 1.6 kilometres (1.0 mi) in thickness.

Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is considered a desert, with annual precipitation of only 200 mm (8 inches) along the coast and far less inland. There are no permanent human residents but anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent. Only cold-adapted plants and animals survive there, including penguins, seals, nematodes, Tardigrades, mites, many types of algae and other microorganisms, and tundra vegetation.

Although myths and speculation about a Terra Australis (“Southern Land”) date back to antiquity, the first confirmed sighting of the continent is commonly accepted to have occurred in 1820 by the Russian expedition of Mikhail Lazarev and Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen. The continent, however, remained largely neglected for the rest of the 19th century because of its hostile environment, lack of resources, and isolation. The first formal use of the name “Antarctica” as a continental name in the 1890s is attributed to the Scottish cartographer John George Bartholomew. The name Antarctica is the romanized version of the Greek compound word “antarktiké”, feminine of “antarktikos”, meaning “opposite to the north”.

The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 by twelve countries; to date, forty-six countries have signed the treaty. The treaty prohibits military activities and mineral mining, supports scientific research, and protects the continent’s ecozone. Ongoing experiments are conducted by more than 4,000 scientists of many nationalities and with various research interests.

_________________________________________
SOURCES:

“Destination Antarctica: A Rare Combination for Oceania Cruises Aficionados”
Friday, 4 June 2010
Travel Blackboard
http://www.etravelblackboard.com
http://www.etravelblackboard.com/showarticle.asp?id=105224&nav=5

“Antarctica”
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctica

Situated 400 miles off the south eastern tip of South America and comprising over 740 islands, the Falkland Islands are an increasingly popular addition to South America or Antarctica itineraries for intrepid independent travellers and cruise passengers.

Whether you’re attracted by its fabulous remoteness, stunning wilderness and wildlife or deeply drawn by history, the Falklands is a natural paradise, home to over 770,000 penguins, elephant seals, whales, amazing birdlife, and 345 native and naturalised species of plants. Add on another destination and you will pack in more experiences to one break without sacrificing that all important relaxation time.

Wildlife experiences, remote island adventures or amazing wilderness – one of the following twin-centre packages will provide you a Falklands experience with something extra!

Falklands & Antarctic: Wildlife Odyssey – Discover the World (01737 218 800 / www.discover-the-world.co.uk) can combine two incredible itineraries into one wonderful wildlife adventure with their 13-night Falkland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula Wildlife Odyssey from £9,400 per person. The eight-day Falklands island-hopping itinerary incorporates the archipelago’s diverse and abundant wildlife, from the one of the world’s rarest birds of prey to the strikingly beautiful king penguin and elephant seal colonies at Volunteer Point. Make light of the Drake Passage, flying direct from Punta Arenas in southern Chile to King George Island, the largest in the South Shetlands archipelago, before boarding a ship for a six-day wildlife cruise adventure around the Antarctic Peninsula. The itinerary includes domestic & international flights, accommodation, some meals and shipboard accommodation. Based on travel from December 2010 to January 2011, to tie in with the Antarctic season.

Falklands & Easter Island: Remote Islands – Cox & Kings (020 7873 5000 / www.coxandkings.co.uk) can tailor make a 13-night Remote Island Package that combines seven nights on the Falkland Islands, visiting Stanley, Pebble Island and Sea Lion Island, with three nights in Santiago and three nights at Hotel Otai in the small town of Hanga Roa on Easter Island. The 13-night private trip costs from £4,195 per person, based on two sharing, including all flights, transfers, B&B accommodation and excursions.

Falklands & Chile: Amazing Wilderness – Group tour and tailor-made specialists Journey Latin America (020 8747 8315 / www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk) can offer a 22-day Wilderness Package to Patagonia and the Falkland Islands from £4,739 per person. The itinerary includes Santiago de Chile, Falkland Islands, Punta Arenas, Torres del Paine, El Calafate and Buenos Aires. This price includes international flights, domestic flights, airport transfers, accommodation, excursions and most meals.

For further information on the Falklands Islands please visit www.falklandislands.com. Media enquiries should be directed to Tryph Greenwood and Suzanne Holiday at Keene on 020 7839 2140 or falklandstourism@keenepa.co.uk.

Become a Falklands fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/naturesbestkeptsecret.

Notes for Editors:

• The Falkland Islands have a raw, unspoilt quality that entices locals and tourists back time and again. Visitors to the Islands are spoilt for choice with more than 227 species of identified birds (including several of the world’s largest endangered breeding colonies), as well as whales, dolphins, elephant seals, sea lions, delicate flora and rugged geographical formations.

• The best time to visit the Islands and experience the local culture and wildlife is October to April. The average summer temperature (December to March) is 15º Celsius (59º Fahrenheit) and the Falklands has more sunshine hours and less rainfall than the UK.

• There are over 40 international tour operators offering tailor-made packages and escorted tours to the Falkland Islands. See www.falklandislands.com for the latest list.

• Visitors can reach the Falklands on the weekly LAN Airways flight via Chile or the charter flight operated twice weekly from RAF Brize Norton in the UK by the Ministry of Defence.
We have sent you this press release because we believe it is of genuine professional interest to you. However, if you do not wish to receive our releases and updates in the future, please reply to this email with ‘unsubscribe’ in the subject line.
_________________________________
SOURCE:
“DISCOVER THE PERFECT PARTNER AND GET MORE FROM YOUR FALKLANDS ADVENTURE”
10 May, 2010
CISIONWIRE
http://www.cisionwire.com
http://www.cisionwire.com/keene/discover-the-perfect-partner-and-get-more-from-your-falklands-adventure

Although the land-based tourist season is still to some extent continuing, “in-bound numbers this season have experienced a 10% drop”, Sally Ellis who deals with the receptive tourism side of International Tours and Travel (ITT) told Penguin News.

However, this was slightly better than they might have expected according to the former General Manager of the Tourist Board, Jake Downing. According to Jake’s research, Britons—who form the biggest single market for land arrivals in the Falklands—took 16% fewer holidays than in 2008. Mainly independent travellers, the age distribution of ITT’s clients remains much the same as in previous years, with the majority being aged between 55 and 74 years.

Mrs. Ellis reports that while Britain continues to provide most clients, this season saw an increase in the number of North American visitors, equalling the number of visitors from Europe.

Uptake on the Ministry of Defence (MoD) flights is minimal, with the LAN (NYSE: LFL) route proving much more popular, says Mrs. Ellis who blames the very short lead-in time for booking MoD flights as a negative factor for tourists, who tend to plan their trips nine to 12 months in advance. A similar preference is shown by clients of the Falklands other main receptive tourism agency, Stanley Services, who report that 72% of their clients arrived using the LAN connection.

Tourism Manager Arlette Bloomfield feels this indicates that the Royal Air Force (RAF) price schedule is having a major effect on their UK-based clients. Mrs. Bloomfield reports that the 2009/10 season went well with passenger numbers some 12% up on the previous season and January particularly busy. Problems Stanley Services experienced were mainly due to Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS) operations, the Falklands’ government funded domestic air link.

Complaints were received regarding the late departures from Stanley, the transit through Stanley when travelling from north to south and vice versa, and general information given on flight timings. There were too few shuttle seats available before charter aircraft were required, representing an extra expensive cost to clients, added Mrs. Bloomfield, who says that her regular repeat clients found that the new shuttle service was not as user friendly as the previous taxi service, which gave them more time at island destinations and less spent waiting in airports.

Another major problem for receptive agencies is that bookings for next season cannot be confirmed due to FIGAS not yet confirming seat availability. Difficulties are also caused, says Mrs. Bloomfield, by certain island locations not being able to confirm whether they will be open, or only open on certain days during the season.

Lodging occupancy levels in Stanley, which might have been expected to suffer from a drop in tourist numbers, have been bolstered this season by the arrival of oil contractors, de-miners and other essentially business visitors.

ITT are now receiving bookings for the 2010/11 season at 2008/9 season levels, which indicates a return of confidence, but may also hold a warning of increased pressure on Stanley accommodation.

Carl Stroud, manager of the newly expanded Malvina House Hotel—which has enjoyed a busy season lodging oil men, fishermen, government visitors and the world’s media—said that tourism occupancy had been down. He feared that if tourism picked up again to former levels and the level of business visitors was maintained, his 37 double rooms might not prove to be enough to cope with demand.

Speaking for ITT, Mrs. Ellis said: “I don’t think we have reached saturation point for the current accommodations yet, other than at a couple of peak periods, but complacency is always dangerous.”
__________________________________
SOURCE:
“Falklands’ Land-Based Tourism Down 10% in 2009/2010 with 16% Britons Less”
Penguin News
Tuesday, May 4th 2010
http://en.mercopress.com
http://en.mercopress.com/2010/05/04/falklands-land-based-tourism-down-10-in-2009-2010-with-16-britons-less

The 15-page accommodation guide includes details on pricing and facilities at self-catering establishments, B&Bs, lodges and hotels across the islands. The tourist board will be distributing the brochures to potential visitors at international exhibitions and travel shows as well as via the FIGO office in London.

As well as the new brochure, the accommodation is also now listed online, as part of the tourist board’s new-look website which was launched last month at www.falklandislands.com.

The new website also contains wildlife information, shore excursion listings for cruise passengers, an events calendar and links through to more than 35 cruise operators who offer the Falklands. Destination guides, birding checklists and factsheets are also available to download.

“The new website aims to combine inspiring ideas with practical information, allowing visitors to easily access the information they need whilst showcasing the Islands and all we have to offer,” said Jake Downing, General Manager of FITB. “One of my personal favourite parts of the new website is the Islander profiles, where visitors can learn more about some of the people they might meet here”.

Since the new website was launched in January 2010, over 15,000 people from 149 different countries have visited. More developments are planned for the website over the next few months, with blogs, podcasts, interactive maps and forums coming soon.

Copies of the accommodation guide can be obtained from the Jetty Visitor Centre, while the online accommodation search facility can be viewed at the tourist board’s website www.falklandislands.com

_______________________________
SOURCE:
“Falkland Islands Tourist Board Launches Accommodation Guide”
Monday, April 12th 2010
MercoPress

http://en.mercopress.com

http://en.mercopress.com/2010/04/12/falkland-islands-tourist-board-launches-accommodation-guide

New research unveiled by the Tourist Board this week highlights how challenging Falkland Islands tourism was in 2009. In what is likely to be remembered as one of the toughest years in history for the worldwide tourism industry, with the global recession, natural disasters, political tensions and A(H1N1) influenza pandemic, it is no surprise that international tourist arrivals fell by 4% last year.

For the Falkland Islands specifically, the tourism industry in 2009 mirrored the global situation with tourist arrivals dropping 17.7%. The cruise season was disappointing. The cancellation of vessels, largely due to adverse weather, led to a loss of over 17,000 passengers to the Islands. With the withdrawal of Norwegian Sun and Minerva in the 2010/11 season, cruise arrivals are expected to fall by over 16%.

It’s not all doom and gloom. Despite the disappointing results, inbound tourist arrivals to the Falklands are expected to increase by over 17% in 2010, with 4,950 overnight tourists anticipated to visit the islands, spending almost £2.7 million. The latter part of 2009 (October – December) demonstrated positive signs of recovery with leisure tourism arrivals in 2009 exceeding numbers for the same period in 2008. This came as the international marketplace regained optimism with consumer confidence returning.

Jake Downing, General Manager of Falkland Islands Tourist Board said, “Having faced a difficult 2009, I am confident that 2010 and beyond will witness improvement for the Falklands’ tourism industry. Whether positive or negative, the Falkland Islands will be in the media spotlight in coming months and the tourist board will continue to implement its proactive marketing, advertising and PR strategy in priority source markets – Europe and America.

“Our objective is to build the cruise tourism market but a key focus will be encouraging visitor expenditure in the Falklands. Overall expenditure in 2010 by inbound overnight tourists, cruise passengers and domestic tourists is expected to total over £5.4 million – a small growth over 2009’s figure. We are also keeping our fingers crossed for better weather in 2010.”

According to the research, domestic tourism will continue to grow slowly but steadily at around 3% per annum, forecast to reach over 13,500 trips and generate over £1.15 million in expenditure in 2010.

Business tourism forecasts indicate a positive increase in 2010 for visitor arrivals, due to the oil industry activities. Over 2,250 business visits are predicted – an increase of 50% on 2009 figures.

Travel Magazine pays tribute to beautiful Falklands beach

Falklands tourist excursion operators Kevin and Hattie Kilmartin were delighted this week to hear their beach, Bluff Cove Lagoon, was voted one of the world’s 50 best beaches in the British news paper magazine, Sunday Times Travel Magazine, for May 2010.

Hattie Kilmartin told Mercopress, “Bluff Cove Lagoon Beach is always fabulous, ever-changing, and teeming with wonderful wildlife. We enjoy every minute spent there. So we are very pleased that our best kept secret is now reaching a wider audience through the pages of the Sunday Times Travel magazine.”

Hundreds of cruise ship tourists visit the lovely spot on East Falklands every year in order to enjoy the 3000 penguins relaxing on the pristine white sands.

The Bluff Lagoon excursion, where tourists can enjoy homemade tea and cakes in the little café or a barbecue, while being entertained by a piano-accordion player also won the Seatrade Insider Cruise Award for the best shore excursion in 2009.

_____________________________________
SOURCE:
“Falklands tourism ready for brighter future after challenging year.”
Thursday, April 8th 2010
MercoPress

http://en.mercopress.com

http://en.mercopress.com/2010/04/08/falklands-tourism-ready-for-brighter-future-after-challenging-year.

If you can imagine the most perfectly created wedding cake — all white and stunning — but with deliciously brilliant stripes of blue, brown, black and yellow running through it, then you have a pretty good idea of the photos. Now, mind you, these brilliant stripes don’t necessarily distract from the chef’s masterful cake design, it is just that they are not what you expect to see on a beautiful wedding cake.

As I read further, the e-mail explained how stripes in icebergs in the Antarctic are formed by layers of snow reacting to different conditions. For example, blue stripes are created when a crevice in the ice fills up with melted water and freezes again so quickly that no bubbles form. A green stripe is the result of an iceberg falling into the sea and the seawater freezing the salty algae. The rich brown, black and yellow stripes formed on the white ice are because sediment is picked up by ice sheets as they grind their way downhill toward the sea.

How such simple acts of nature could create this beauty seemed impossible to acknowledge as truth, so I decided to forward the e-mail to Rebecca Stevens to test its authenticity.

Rebecca is one of my most amazing world travelers who dreamed of going to the “White Continent” forever.

So, after probably at least 10 years of wishing and hoping (and saving), last month, Rebecca Stevens boarded the small National Geographic ship Explorer and began her journey to the Antarctic Peninsula, Falkland Islands, and South Georgia. Known for their excellent onboard (and ashore) lecturers, scientists and adventure leaders, I recommended the National Geographic Explorer for her.

The cruise itinerary seemed to include everything from swimming in a thermally heated spring to hiking in the footsteps of Ernest Shackleton in South Georgia. The brochure also promised “casual small-ship cruising with others who are looking for intellectual and physical stimulation on and off the ship,” which seemed just perfect for my client. She was definitely looking for a big destination experience of a lifetime.

When she got my e-mail, Rebecca called immediately to report in.

“I saw every one of those glaciers, and they are even more beautiful in real life,” she said.

“My adventure began in Santiago, Chile, where I met my fellow shipmates and voyage leaders, and then, we all flew to Stanley, Falkland Islands, to board the Explorer. It was early the next morning when we had our first penguin sighting, and you cannot imagine the electricity in the air. We were all like a bunch of school kids just giggling and snapping pictures like crazy.

“From the Falkland Islands, we sailed into South Georgia. Everyone had already warned me it was totally heaven on earth, and they were right. It was in Salisbury Plain where I had my ultimate penguin experience. First of all, I have to tell you there are hundreds of thousands of king penguins all over the place. The sight of them is just as amazing as the smell,” she laughed.

“I wandered into the middle of them and sat down. It was unbelievable being right there, so close to all of the beauty of nature. I was overwhelmed by the joy of just being with them in that moment. I never thought it could get any better.

“Yet, it did! And, as much as I loved the penguins, it was a ‘weaner’ at Gold Harbor that stole my heart. My ‘weaner’ was a 200-pound baby elephant seal with the biggest, saddest eyes you have ever seen. He wandered into our group as we were observing a large family of seals playing in the sea.

“As I sat on the beach watching his peers, this ‘little weaner,’ whose mother had obviously left him on his own and returned to the sea, crawled onto my legs and looked me straight in the eyes. Our guide had told us not to touch nor fear them, so I just sat still and let him nuzzle my jacket until he gradually fell off to sleep. What a day!

“And every day was just that perfect, whether on land or at sea. Our little ship was lovely. The spacious decks allowed for wonderful wildlife spotting. It was equipped with stabilizers, so it sailed the open waters gracefully.

“The captain was always out and about on deck welcoming conversation from his guests. The food was good and the staff impressive. They lived up to their claim of being some of the most knowledgeable in the industry. Their marathon lectures at sea certainly prepared us for every upcoming adventure on land, but even their words could describe our arrival in Antarctica.

“The sheer experience of ice overwhelms you,” continued Rebecca. “I had been to the Arctic, and while it is beautiful in its own right, the beauty of an ice-covered land and glaciers is truly an amazing experience. If I had to choose the most perfect day, it was when we sailed through Lemaire Channel. Everyone was on deck, camera ready. The sun was shining brightly. The water looked like glass and we were seeing some of the most dramatic landscape of our voyage.

“The icebergs were massive, and, yes, just like in your e-mail, there were stripes. Against that big blue sky, there was this world of ice and snow with all sorts of brilliant blues, greens, browns and yellows running through it. Seals cavorted in the icy water while some lounged on the glaciers within just a few feet of us. How could it get any better?

“Yet, I must admit, every day was filled with so many special moments that they made enduring the Drake Passage worth it,” Rebecca said. “It took a lot of years, but my dream trip had finally come true, and, like I always said, ‘It was the best trip I ever had.’”

The cruising season in Antarctica is coming to an end in just a few weeks, so that means now is the perfect time to give me a call and let’s start discussing a visit to the White Continent for next summer (December to February).

Summer temperatures generally range from 23 to 41 degrees Fahrenheit, quite unlike the minus 25 to 5 degrees of their winter. Also, in the their summer, you have about 20 hours of daylight a day.

Guess old Mother Nature wants to make sure you have plenty of time to see this strange and beautiful land at the bottom of our world.
___________________________________
SOURCE:
February 14, 2010
“Traveler sits with penguins during Antarctic cruise”
Contact Dianne Newcomer at dianne@monroetravel.com
Monroe Travel Service, 1908 Glenmar St., 323-3465 or 800-365-3465.
http://www.thenewsstar.com
http://www.thenewsstar.com/article/20100214/LIFESTYLE/2140325

Her decks boast sun loungers and golf simulators rather than machine guns and torpedoes, while those on board are more likely to be sipping G&Ts than rehearsing military drills.

But today a British cruise ship is leading the charge in the latest stand-off over the Falklands, as it sails towards the harbour at Port Stanley in the first major test of Argentine resolve.

Last week the Argentine government, in response to a British company’s planned exploration of oilfields off the Falkland coast, decreed that all ships travelling between Argentina and the Falklands must be granted permission from the Argentine government.

Observers noted that the decree could potentially ensnare all boats travelling to and from the Falkland islands – including the cruise ships that bring over 60,000 tourists annually to the remote rocky outcrops in the South Atlantic.

Star Princess: A British cruise ship is leading the charge in the latest stand-off
over the Falklands, as it sails towards the harbour at Port Stanley Photo: AP

Yet two days after the decree was issued, the Star Princess set sail for the Falklands from the Argentine capital, Buenos Aires, with no demand for a permit from the Argentine authorities. It is due arrive in Port Stanley tomorrow, and then dock again in the Argentine port of Ushuaia, near Cape Horn, on Wednesday – and as of yet, there has still been no request to submit official paperwork.

“Everyone is very calm on board,” a spokesman from the Purser’s office of the Star Princess told The Sunday Telegraph. “Unless there is any hidden information that we’ve not been told of, it’s business as usual – and all of our guests seem very happy.

“No one is asking anything about whether we will visit the Falklands or not. It’s part of our itinerary and they expect it to go ahead.”

As it marks a course for the Falklands, the Star Princess, with its 2,600 guests on-board, strikes an odd parallel to the British naval task force that called the Argentian bluff in 1982.

A high proportion of the passengers are British, and see the chance to visit the scene of the historic victory over Argentina as one of the highlights on their tour of Latin America.

The presence of a number of Argentinian tourists on board as well, though, will doubtless be adding an edge to the atmosphere in the ship’s bars and restaurants.

“Many Argentinians like to see the islands for themselves, although they aren’t always very happy at getting their passports stamped,” said a member in the ship’s purser’s office.

“Once, when the weather was bad and the captain decided we couldn’t land there, the Argentinian passengers got upset because they suspected he was just deliberately preventing them going ashore.”

A spokeswoman for the Ushuaia ports authority confirmed that the Star Princess was set to dock in the port on Wednesday.

“We haven’t received any special instructions,” she said. “The boats come and they go – we don’t know where they are going. We just reserve the space in the port.”

President Cristina Kirschner’s government is now in a tricky position. It could enforce its own edict, banning ships from travelling to the Falklands and losing a lucrative slice of the cruise tourism pie. Or it could let the ships slip in and out of territorial waters unopposed, showing that their grandstanding and posturing is little more than empty rhetoric.

“They really do cut off their nose to spite their faces,” said Andy Williams, owner of Falkland Islands Tours and Travel, part of an island industry that now takes in almost 70,000 visitors. “When you think of the amount of financial trouble the Argentine government is in at the moment, and then they jeopardise this. There are massive logistics involved in cruise ships docking anywhere – flights, tourism, transport. It’s not the Argentinian people – it’s just the politicians. Hurting tourism won’t help anyone.”

Last week’s decree followed Argentine outrage as a British oil rig, the Ocean Guardian, arrived off the Falklands from Scottish water to begin oil exploration. Buenos Aires, which feels it is being denied a share of potential oil revenues, has also threatened to ban British companies with links to oil ventures from doing business on the Argentine mainland. Last week the authorities stopped a shipment of pipes bound for the island, although Britain’s officials believe it is unlikely they would try to detain cruise passengers in the same fashion.

Argentina’s deputy foreign minister, Victorio Taccetti, played down Argentina’s intentions, saying that the government was merely seeking renewed dialogue over the sovereignty of the Falklands.

“This is just something that we have to do in order to protect our rights,” he said. “We consider that this exploration and eventual exploitation of our natural resources is illegal.”

The heightened tensions were a subject of much discussion last week in the Victory Bar in Port Stanley, where islanders gather to drink imported Boddingtons, Fosters and Carlsberg (Argentina’s top-selling Cerveza Quilmes is not served here).

Since the early 1980s, the bar’s sea-rusted corrugated iron walls have been replaced by wood cladding, and the in-pub entertainment now includes Premier League Football broadcast as well as darts.

But when it comes to attitudes about Argentina, not that much has changed since the war.

“Whenever I talk about the Argies, I tend to swear a lot,” said landlord Alastair Jacobson. “Ever since ’82, they have always been trying to upset things.”

On topics other than Argentina, though, his customers have relatively little to complain about.

Some 27 years on from the conflict that killed almost 1,000 people, their South Atlantic home has been transformed from an isolated, shrinking community of sheep farmers into a thriving tourist destination that has doubled in size.

And the real boom times may be yet to come.

If the offshore drilling hits paydirt, the islands could become a South Atlantic answer to the Gulf States, making its population of 3,000 islanders among the richest people in the world.

The only kind of Argentine invasion they get these days, meanwhile, is of the tourist kind.

“We had one cruise ship in a while back that had 800 Argentinians on board,” said Mr Jacobson. “We don’t have a problem with the people themselves, just their government, and we were happy to serve them here in the pub.

“Most of them keep fairly quiet, to be honest. Although I did see one guy getting his partner to picture him holding up a little Argentine flag.”

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SOURCE:
“British cruise ship tests Argentine blockade in Falklands”
By Harriet Alexander
21 Feb 2010
Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/southamerica/argentina/7279507/British-cruise-ship-tests-Argentine-blockade-in-Falklands.html
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Click here to find additional info on the Argentina-UK Falklands Conflict
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MILITARY personnel were assured today that they would not be stranded in the Falklands despite the collapse of the only airline that flies direct to the islands from the UK.

Flyglobespan had the Ministry of Defence contract to operate flights in and out of the South Atlantic outpost.

And there were fears that islanders and military personnel would be unable to travel over the festive period after the Scottish firm’s planes were grounded.

But the flights have been secured after another airline took over the contract, the MoD said.

Air Italy has taken it on for the short term and will operate the two flights a week to and from the Falkland Islands for the next few weeks.

The MoD used a central broker to find a substitute for Flyglobespan, which had operated the flights since winning a four-year contract in 2008.

An MoD spokeswoman said: “There will be no delays on the airbridge to the Falklands and Ascension Island as a result of Flyglobespan going into administration.

“The MoD lets contracts through brokers who have already employed Air Italy to replace the Flyglobespan flights in the short term. Negotiations are under way to determine a long term solution.”

The flights left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire, calling at Ascension Island en route to the Falklands.

Many passengers from the island of St Helena, which has no airport, also sail three days to Ascension Island on the Royal Mail Ship St Helena to pick up the flight, saving themselves a five-day boat journey to Cape Town.

The aircraft carried up to 184 civilian and government passengers on each charter flight, as well as freight.

It was the only flight option for Falkland islanders other than Chilean carrier Lan, which calls at Santiago.

Air Italy will run the flights under the same terms and conditions, the MoD said.

The MoD said it was trying to find a long-term solution for the route.
Flyglobespan cabin crews are reportedly stranded in the Falklands and on Ascension Island.

When it was announced in October last year, the contract was described as the “most economical advantageous solution” to the MoD’s passenger, aero-medical and freight requirements.

An alternative provider will also be found to cover a contract which had recently been agreed to fly military personnel to the Middle East en route to Afghanistan from January.

Rescue of stranded Flyglobespan passengers begins

The difficult task of bringing back passengers stuck abroad following the sudden collapse of Flyglobespan began today, as unions attacked the airline’s handling of passengers and staff.

About 4,000 passengers were left stranded after Scotland’s biggest carrier applied for administration last night and all scheduled flights were cancelled. Budget rival Flybe stepped in with a special one-off rescue fare to fly affected passengers home to Scotland. For £59.99 including all taxes and charges, Flybe will, wherever possible, make seats available on its scheduled services from Malaga, Alicante, Geneva and Chambery for Flyglobespan passengers who wish to return to Edinburgh and Glasgow via Southampton or Exeter.

Passengers should phone the Flybe customer call centre with their Flyglobespan booking reference, or go to Flybe ticket desks at airports.

EasyJet is offering to fly back passengers stranded in France, Switzerland, mainland Spain, the Balearics and Portugal for £60, including taxes, to any UK airport, by 24 December. Those stuck in Cyprus, Egypt, the Canaries and Madeira can come back on easyJet for £80. EasyJet is also offering £60 return flights to Flyglobespan passengers from Faro to Glasgow; Malaga to Glasgow; Alicante to Glasgow and Geneva to Edinburgh up until 30 December.

Ryanair has also launched a rescue fare, costing between £59 and £89 one way, including taxes and charges.

Transport minister Paul Clark said efforts were being made to try to get stranded passengers home for Christmas. “We are working with the industry and the Civil Aviation Authority to minimise the regrettable disruption,” he said.

“People have been aware of this and very few have been turning up at the airport in Glasgow,” said a spokeswoman for PricewaterhouseCoopers, which was appointed administrators to Flyglobespan yesterday. She said the administrators would first focus on the practical issues – how to bring back stranded passengers – and the future of the airline’s 800 staff.

The news came as Virgin Atlantic announced extra flights from Glasgow to Florida next summer. It expects to add seven extra flights to Orlando during June and July.

Unite, the biggest union in aviation, said it was outraged at the “shocking mistreatment” of Flyglobespan’s workforce and passengers.

Brian Boyd, Unite national officer for civil aviation, said: “It is tragic that Flyglobespan has been unable to survive the current difficult trading conditions within civil aviation. However, the real tragedy is that, along with thousands of passengers stuck overseas, the 800 Flyglobespan employees have been thrown into a Christmas of misery with no wages and no job.

“The manner in which workers can be cast aside in the UK is shocking. It is totally unacceptable to Unite and our members, and we call upon everyone with a responsibility to play in rectifying this dreadful situation, including the Scottish government, to assist Flyglobespan employees by ensuring speedy compensation at this most important time of the year.”

Flyglobespan was also responsible for the Ministry of Defence air link with the Falkland Islands, operating two flights a week from RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire. There were concerns this morning that military staff and their families may be left stranded over Christmas but the MoD has now said that Air Italy has taken the contract over in the short term.
_________________________
SOURCES:

“Replacement Flyglobespan flights arranged for Falklands military”
17 December 2009
scotsman.com
http://www.scotsman.com
http://www.scotsman.com/world/Replacement-Flyglobespan-flights-arranged-for.5921346.jp

“Rescue of stranded Flyglobespan passengers begins”
Julia Kollewe
guardian.co.uk
Thursday 17 December 2009
http://www.guardian.co.uk
http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/dec/17/flyglobespan-passengers-stranded-bust-administration

To the bitter end of the world. Why?

To discover a part of the planet reduced to its raw elements. “The Antarctic is to the rest of the world as the Abode of the Gods was to the ancient Chaldees,” wrote Apsley Cherry-Garrard: “A precipitous and mammoth land lying far beyond the seas.” That description is taken from his book The Worst Journey In The World, which chronicles Robert Falcon Scott’s heroic failure to be first to reach the world’s southernmost point. He and his team reached the South Pole in 1912, one month after the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, and perished on the homeward journey.

A century ago no human had visited the South Pole. And even in the 21st century, while Man has successfully colonised the other six continents, settlements in Antarctica remain microscopic compared with the vast bulk of a continent twice the size of Australia: a scattering of small research stations around the edges, with another – the US Amundsen-Scott Station – at the Pole itself, 90 degrees south.

Fewer people holidayed in Antarctica last year than can fill the Dinamo Minsk stadium (and, having visited the grim capital of Belarus, I’d take an over-winter on the Ross Ice Shelf any time). Those 38,200 fortunate folk discovered that Antarctica is the opposite of a land of milk and honey. Man has battled courageously to explore the driest, coldest and windiest continent (it is also the highest, with much of the terrain above 10,000ft). The largest indigenous terrestrial creature that does not fly or swim is an insect one-sixth of an inch long.

Icebergs comprise glaciers that have crumbled into the ocean.

It is easy to imagine this is a part of the planet from which all the colour has been squeezed, leaving only monochrome images. Yet the seas and shores of Antarctica remain one of the most prolific parts of the planet for wildlife.

Albatrosses, petrels, fulmars, shearwaters and prions are numerous, especially in the sub-Antarctic islands, while penguins by the million occupy offshore islands. Sea-life includes elephant seals and several species of whale. Most vessels carry small, rigid, inflatable boats (ribs) that allow passengers to land.

Today, you can visit Antarctica in relative luxury. Besides sensing the ghosts of heroic explorers who mapped the end of the world, you encounter unparalleled landscapes and icebergs sculpted by immense forces of nature. Until travel to space becomes commonplace, this is the closest you will get to visiting an alien planet.

The cost of getting to Antarctica can be almost out of this world, too, with astronomical prices even if you choose the most basic options; these are some of the most expensive package holidays on earth. The passengers currently aboard the Russian icebreaker, Kapitan Khlebnikov, chartered by Exodus (0845 330 6013; exodus.co.uk) for a specialist photographic journey to Snow Hill Island in Antarctica paid about £10,000 each for what was billed as a two-week trip, starting in Argentina’s southernmost town, Ushuaia. The price includes all meals on board; and an extra four days after becoming trapped in pack ice in the Weddell Sea.

“All of our passengers reached the incredible Emperor Penguin rookery at Snow Hill Island, the principle reason for their voyage,” reports the Exodus guide on board, Paul Goldstein. “They are safe, a little frustrated that ice and weather have delayed their return, but all philosophical about their late arrival.” The vessel broke clear of the ice on Thursday evening, and is expected to arrive in port tomorrow morning.

The same holiday 12 months from now costs £13,470, including flights from London to Ushuaia.

Antarctica defined?

Consider Antarctica as concentric rings, with the geographic South Pole at the centre. Most of the land fits snugly within the Antarctic Circle, the line of latitude at 66 degrees 33 minutes south that marks the limit of the midnight sun: on midsummer day, usually 21 December, the sun does not set anywhere south of this line. It was first crossed on 17 January 1773 by Captain James Cook.

The Southern Ocean that surrounds mainland Antarctica is defined by the Royal Navy’s Hydrographic Office as the sea south of the 55-degree south line of latitude. The Antarctic region, though, goes beyond this. It is encompassed by the Polar Front or Antarctic Convergence, marking a sudden change from the warmer waters of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans to the cold Circumpolar Current. This boundary ranges from 60 degrees south to 48 degrees south – roughly corresponding to the latitudes covered by the UK in the northern hemisphere, though with a far less benign climate.

As well as penguins, you might see albatrosses,
petrels, fulmars and shearwaters

The widest definition of Antarctica includes sub-Antarctic isles such as South Georgia, and many Antarctic islands including the South Orkneys and the South Shetlands; the Falklands lie beyond the Polar Front, but are often included in cruises to Antarctica. In winter, the continent’s area effectively doubles because of sea ice.

The land portion of Antarctica is centred on the South Pole. The largest part of the continent bulges eastwards towards southern Africa, the Indian Ocean and Australasia. This empty half-moon of land comprises mostly high plateaux, with the Transantarctic Mountains arcing towards New Zealand.

New Zealand – a good place to start?

If you have plenty of time and money. Fly to Christchurch in New Zealand – for example, on Air New Zealand (0800 028 4149; airnz.co.nz) via Hong Kong or Los Angeles and Auckland – and you can visit the International Antarctic Centre (00 64 3 353 7798; iceberg.co.nz; 9am-7pm daily; admission NZ$55/£25) almost without leaving the terminal; the attraction beside the airport features an Antarctic storm every half-hour.

This could be the best place to whet your appetite for a trip on the Finnish-built, Russian-operated icebreaker, Spirit of Enderby.

A Christchurch-based firm, Heritage Expeditions (00 64 3 365 3500; heritageexpeditions. com) runs trips for 50 tourists at a time, with facilities that include small hovercraft for skimming across the ice. A 30-day “South to Antarctica” voyage, departing on 8 January next year, costs US$15,790 (£10,535) per person in a twin cabin, excluding flights to New Zealand.

A year later, a “Scott Memorial” voyage will set sail, for similar prices. Highlights will include Macquarie Island, an Australian possession, where all three million of the world’s Royal penguins breed; Cape Adare, home to the largest Adelie penguin rookery in the world, with up to one million birds; Borchgrevink’s Hut, the oldest structure in Antarctica, built in 1899 (and, on a hillside above it, the first grave in Antarctica, belonging to the zoologist on that pioneering Norwegian-led expedition); the Italian research station at Terra Nova, which promises the best espresso in Antarctica; and the huts of Britain’s great Antarctic explorers, Scott and Shackleton. The basic price is $16,515 (£11,000).

Quicker and cheaper?

You’ll be wanting the western portion of Antarctica. Even though it is much smaller, this part of the continent is much more popular with visitors because it is much more accessible.

Most commercial trips to Antarctica approach from the southern tip of South America to the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula – the arm of land that curls up towards the southern tip of South America, and the key that unlocks the polar region. The northernmost portion is a finger called Graham Land, which gets as close as 700 miles to the main base for exploring Antarctica: Ushuaia in southern Argentina. This interesting town, which also gives easy access to the Tierra del Fuego National Park, can be reached from the UK on a range of airlines; flights via Buenos Aires or Santiago de Chile typically cost about £1,200 return. Around 30 vessels operate in Antarctic waters, ranging from small expedition craft with 50 passengers to larger cruise ships. Since visitor accommodation is extremely sparse in Antarctica itself, these self-sufficient vessels represent the best way to experience the continent.

Exodus has a dedicated Polar Expeditions brochure, which includes a trip “In the Wake of Shackleton” starting on 5 November next year, marking the 95th anniversary of the sinking of the Endurance. The month-long trip will take in Elephant Island, where the crew sheltered for four months; the Weddell Sea, including an excursion by helicopter; Paulet Island, with opportunities for sea-kayaking; South Georgia; and the Falklands. Jonathan Shackleton, a cousin of Sir Ernest Shackleton, will be a guest on the trip, which is aboard the Kapitan Khlebnikov, With flights from London, and sharing a twin cabin, the price is £19,170.

Abercrombie and Kent (0845 618 2200; abercrombiekent.co.uk ) has chartered a “brand-new luxury expedition vessel”, Le Boreal, with 104 en-suite cabins, Wi-Fi and a spa. Prices for a basic 15-day trip, departing 6 December 2010, start at £6,795, including flights on British Airways, a hotel in both directions in Buenos Aires (plus a tango night and dinner in the Argentine capital).

Journey Latin America (020-8747 8315; journeylatinamerica.co.uk) has a range of expeditionary cruise ships, with some availability on the newly refurbished Plancius, a former Dutch research ship, early next year.

Why do ships keep running aground?

They don’t – though there have been incidents in each of the past three southern summers. These are treacherous waters. The Hydrographic Office chart for the South Orkney Islands warns V C”aerial photography and satellite imagery indicate that much of the coastline of the South Orkney Islands has a different shape to that charted, and off-lying islands are in different positions … mariners should proceed with caution”.

All commercial visits to Antarctica are governed by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (iaato.org), with operating procedures, requirements for technical and professional requirements, and stringent environmental controls. While there is plenty of controversy about whether tourism is harming Antarctica, the IAATO says: “The benefits derived from responsible tourism, such as better knowledge and appreciation of the region, are substantial.”

How cold – and how light?

“The cold is intense, minus 40 degrees at midday,” wrote Robert Scott in the Antarctic autumn of 1912. “Though we talk constantly of fetching through, I don’t think anyone of us believes it in his heart.” At and near the South Pole, the temperature rarely gets close to freezing point (or melting point, as it perhaps should be termed). But by the sea, life can be relatively balmy. And in South Georgia, well within the Polar Front, some visitors are able to wander around in short-sleeved shirts: this island is about the same latitude south as Skegness is north. Almost all visits are made between November and March, corresponding to May to September in the north. But unlike cruises in the far north, which routinely sail well inside the Arctic Circle, very few expeditions venture as far south as the Antarctic Circle. Accordingly, the sun sets, if only for a few hours.

City lights?

You’re in the wrong continent. The semi-permanent residents are scientists and military personnel who put the “long” in “long-suffering”. An example that is on the route of many expedition ships is the Orcadas Base, location for the southernmost rugby ground in the world, set on a narrow, stony isthmus between two bays. It was founded by William Bruce’s Scottish National Antarctic Expedition in 1903, but the British government turned down the opportunity to establish a base here. Instead, Argentina took up the offer and has maintained a presence ever since – making it the longest continuously established community in Antarctica. You can see the remains of the original stone dwelling, Omond House, which gave some protection to the earliest settlement. Today, it is run by the Argentinian navy for the benefit of scientific study: marine biology, magnetism, meteorology and seismology (a recent earthquake hit 8.6 on the Richter scale). Passing tourist ships are welcomed, with staff dispensing complimentary coffee to visitors, and selling souvenir hats and T-shirts.

The world’s southernmost museum is located here, in the Casa Moneta. It is a small hut containing geological and biological specimens, and the menu from the earliest days of the base when meals tended to comprise penguin soup, penguin eggs, and penguin stew. The opening hours are “when tourists are around”, and admission is free. There is also a haunting graveyard, with many crosses commemorating those who have perished here.

Can’t I fly?

While the Arctic is traversed by many flights linking Europe, Asia and North America, there are very few flights across Antarctica. Your best bet is the Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires to Auckland and Sydney, which on some journeys just grazes the Antarctic Circle and may, on clear days (or summer nights), allow a glimpse of sea ice or even the coast of West Antarctica. Between December and February, Airbus A319 jets operated by the Australian Antarctic Division (00 61 3 6232 3268; aad.gov.au) fly weekly between Hobart in Tasmania and the base at Casey, but these are intended for people working in Antarctica.

Sightseeing flights, where passengers can see some of the highlights, have operated on and off since 1977. Indeed, this is a poignant week for the relatives of the victims of New Zealand’s worst air disaster. On 28 November 1979, an Air New Zealand DC-10 departed Auckland on a sightseeing flight to Antarctica. A string of misfortunes led to the aircraft flying straight into Mount Erebus, an active volcano close to the Antarctic shore; all 257 people on board died instantly.

The most extreme form of Antarctic tourism is provided by a company based in Salt Lake City, Antarctic Logistics and Expeditions (001 801 266 4876; antarctic-logistics.com), which flies passengers in on Russian-made aircraft from Punta Arenas in Chile to its base camp at Patriot Hills in the foothills of the Ellsworth Mountains. From here you can fly to the South Pole, for a trip price of $37,850 (£25,200), excluding flights to South America.

Go with the floe: Nature’s wonders

The main sights during Antarctic expeditions are ice and ocean – possibly seen through a blizzard or blur of fog, just two of the perennial maritime hazards. When the weather clears, you can appreciate one of nature’s greatest artistic accomplishments in the form of the icebergs that drift through Antarctic waters. Some come in slabs that have the colour and texture of a wedding cake frozen in mid-icing. Others adopt the manner – and scale – of battleships. Still more are exquisitely sculpted and smoothed by the sea.

Icebergs comprise glaciers that have crumbled into the ocean. Since the ice from which they are formed began as snow, they are fresh water – indeed, Antarctica is said to contain 70 per cent of the world’s total supply of fresh water. Much of it is stored in the gigantic Ross and Ronne ice shelves – each a floating sheet around the size of France. On land, the ice cap can be more than two miles thick. This is despite the fact that Antarctica is a desperately dry continent, with minimal precipitation – the ice at the bottom is up to half-a-million- years-old. An average of four inches of precipitation falls each year, though this is uneven; in some areas it has not snowed for centuries, while the Antarctic Peninsula experiences the equivalent of a foot of rain each year, most of it falling as snow.

Glacier ice takes on several guises: much of it is white, which signifies that plenty of air remains in it. Some icebergs are blue, indicating a purity of water with air squeezed out. Others are discoloured, either because they contain rocks from the edges of glaciers or because penguins use them to rest upon.

Making the most of it: How to get there

Many travellers are understandably concerned at the impact on the planet of a trip to Antarctica: from the UK, the journey involves a minimum of three hops by air to the sea departure point, totalling about 9,000 miles each way in the case of London-Madrid-Buenos Aires-Ushuaia, and then a minimum of 10 days on board a small ship. While this is hard to square with a clean, green conscience, one way to mitigate the effects is to achieve as many South American aspirations as time and money permits on a single trip – and cover part of the journey overland.

From next month, you can fly on Air Europa from Gatwick via Madrid to Salvador on the north-east coast of Brazil. From here it is easy to make your way slowly overland by bus to Rio, continuing via the beaches of southern Brazil and Uruguay to the lovely old city of Colonia, directly across the River Plate from Buenos Aires.

After a stay in the Argentinian capital (see www.bit.ly/SERb for our latest 48 Hours), Patagonia beckons: a vast, almost empty land that forms part of the modest Welsh empire. Then still further south to “the end of the world, and the beginning of everything”, as Ushuaia styles itself. When you return to this soggy port, you can either retrace your steps or, better still, begin the long, thin journey through Chile: the Lake District, Santiago and Valparaíso, plus the Atacama Desert make this the perfect antidote to Antarctica. Once into Bolivia, you can explore the startling colonial cities of Sucre and Potosí, the scruffy capital – La Paz – and Lake Titicaca, which leads to Peru’s Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu. Trains and buses will whisk you the length of Peru, into Ecuador and ultimately Colombia, from which you can return easily via Florida thanks to no-frills flights on Spirit Airlines – see our “Bargain of the Week” on page 10.

Last words: Polar exploration

“Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised”

The first line of The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley Cherry-Garrard, who led the relief expedition that found the bodies after Robert Falcon Scott’s heroic failure to be first to reach the South Pole

“Tomorrow we will throw away everything except the most absolute necessities” – The Anglo-Irish explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton on Christmas Day 1908, during his first failed attempt to reach the South Pole

“The Pole. Yes, but under very different circumstances from those expected … great God! This is an awful place” – Scott on 17 January 1912, when his party discovered Roald Amundsen’s expedition had reached the South Pole a month earlier

“I am just going outside and may be some time” – Captain Oates, 16 March 1912 (a day before his 32nd birthday)

“I do not regret this journey, which has shown that Englishmen can endure hardships, help one another and meet death with as great a fortitude as ever in the past … These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale” – Scott, 29 March 1912

“The history of the human race is a continual struggle from darkness towards light” – The Norwegian polar explorer Fridtjof Nansen
___________________________________
SOURCE:
“Travellers Guide to Antarctica”
Saturday, 21 November 2009
The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk
http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/ausandpacific/travellers-guide-to-antarctica-1824896.html

Abercrombie & Kent has chartered what it is claiming to be the most environmentally friendly ship for the 2010-11 Antarctic season.

Le Boreal will only be launched in May and in contrast to many ice-breakers that sail to the Antarctic it is luxury all the way, with an outdoor heated pool, theatre, lounge with dance floor, Turkish steam room, spa and fitness centre. It also has three passenger elevators.

The cruiser le Boreal.

While Le Boreal will be capable of carrying 264, when under charter to A&K numbers will be limited to 199 to ensure all passengers have an outside stateroom with a private balcony.

Le Boreal comes with the latest technology relating to water and waste. It also has a positioning system that eliminates the need for dropping anchor in fragile areas.

A&K has three expeditions planned for the 2010-11 season. The first departure is the 14-day Classic Antarctica leaving from Ushuaia in Argentina on December 7 next year. Prices start from $US9995 ($10,911). There are two 19-day Antarctica, South Georgia and Falkland Islands trips, priced from $US15,795. The departure dates from Ushuaia are December 17, 2010 and January 2, 2011. The December 17 trip has been designated as a family cruise so under-18s travel at 50 per cent of the price when travelling with an adult.
_________________________________
SOURCE:
“This is one cool ship”
KAY O’SULLIVAN
Oct-24-2009
Brisbane Times
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/travel/travel-news/this-is-one-cool-ship-20091021-h85w.html