2:30AM came real hard and fast… We were told coffee to go would be available starting at 2:15AM, but they actually had a spread of pastries, juice and coffee down in the meeting room starting earlier than that. There was dance music blasting from the next room over; I wasn’t sure if that was a party still going from the previous night or an attempt to wake us up.
Five buses were waiting to take us to the airports, four for the charter flight from EZE and one for the scheduled flight from AEP. Everyone found out which bus they were assigned to during check-in the day before. After our bus leader took attendance, we were off on the 30-minute ride to EZE. He pointed out a couple sights in the city as we drove by and handed out everyone’s boarding passes (seats were already assigned).
The only way I can describe Terminal C at EZE is ‘a shambles’. Its four gates were absolutely overflowing with people. Once all the chairs at the gates were full, people laid on the floor, sat or stood against the walls, took every single seat at the cafe, and even just stood in the middle of the dwindling walkways because they couldn’t figure out where else to go. We were there by 3:30a, almost 2 hours before boarding and almost 3 hours before the flight (we couldn’t figure out why they got us up so early). Not a single flight began boarding before 4:20a, so the area just got more and more and more full of people.
When it was finally time for our flight to start boarding (around 5:15 am), there were two flights preparing to leave for Ushuaia from gates directly next to each other – our charter plus a normal flight on a different airline. The two gates shared line markers (because only one should be loading at a time) so chaos ensued. Maybe instructions were announced in Spanish of what to do, but since most passengers on the charter didn’t speak Spanish… chaos. There were no jet bridges at this terminal; they had buses to shuttle everyone out to where the plane was waiting on the tarmac.
JetSMART is owned by the same company that owns Frontier Airlines in the US, so my expectations were low. The plane was quite new and clean, but very bare bones, without any screens or WiFi or even reclining seats. We had somehow been lucky enough to be assigned an emergency exit row, so at least had some leg room. We departed over an hour late due to waiting for some additional baggage. The flight took a little over 3.5 hours, and apparently is the longest route the airline flies.
During the flight, I started reading ‘The Call of Antarctica’ by Leilani Rashida Henry. It weaves information on Antarctic history and geography with the journal entries of the first Black man to set foot on the continent (the author’s father), George W. Gibbs. I heard about the book through an article on Hurtigruten’s Black Traveler Advisory Board, which is working to increase inclusivity in expedition travel.
In Ushuaia, there was a jet bridge (thankfully, since the weather wasn’t great), though the airport was very small. The baggage claim was directly downstairs from the gate. After collecting our bags, we dropped them off with Hurtigruten representatives in the airport lobby and then got on our buses. While we waited for everyone to arrive, Hurtigruten representatives onboard the bus checked us in (scanned passports and took our photos) and gave us our ship cards. We were then driven through the center of Ushuaia on a little tour. It is referred to as the southernmost city in the world. Puerto Williams, Chile is actually further south, but Argentinians say that’s just a small town.
Once the bus parked near the waterfront, we had free time in the city from about 12p until 3p. Unfortunately, it was raining pretty much the whole time. The nearby tourist office had stamps to self-mark your passport. I found a shop and bought postcards to mail from Port Lockroy in Antarctica (they warned us that they were out of them onboard the ship). Lastly, we grabbed lunch at an amazing restaurant called ‘Isabel, Cocina al Disco’. Everything – from the bread to the empanadas to the lamb plate – was amazing, plus they had huge glass windows overlooking the harbor.
Folks started coming back to the bus early since the weather wasn’t too friendly; all 31 of us were there ten minutes before we were required to be. Finally, after all the anticipation, we could head for the ship! Embarkation was very easy – they scanned our cards and we put our carry-ons through an x-ray machine.
Almost immediately, we had things to do – it was already clear this was not a typical leisure cruise. A station was set up on Deck 5 to get our expedition jackets; they had sizes from XS to 3XL lined up and you could try them on there or take them back to your cabin. They recommended trying them on over all your planned layers to make sure they fit. At 4:30p, they started a lecture on practical information about the ship. They went through what was on all the decks, the basics of landings and other optional activities (with more info to cover later), the WiFi, the app, upcoming events, and onboard announcements. This was also broadcast to the staterooms in both English and German, which would be the two languages of the voyage. By the time they finished, it was time to head to the 5:30p safety drill. This was the first cruise muster drill I’d ever been to where they showed you how to put on a survival suit. We were definitely not in Kansas anymore.
Afterward, I did a little wandering of the ship. They had assigned everyone times for dinner and breakfast in the morning so there wouldn’t be a scramble to make those first reservations once onboard. We had been assigned 8:30p which is super late for us, but left plenty of time to start getting to know the ship. And the sun had the nerve to NOW come out.
We also now had time to finish unpacking and get familiar with our cabins. The style was simple and very nice, with tons of light coming in even though the balcony was very deep. The bed was very comfortable and the little desk in the corner was handy. The storage space was pretty adequate but could have used more drawers both for clothes and in the bathroom. Toiletries going only on shelves seemed like a bad idea for rough seas. Another safety issue was the tall ledge that must be stepped over when entering the bathroom. The hallway between the bathroom and the closets was very narrow; it would be hard to have two people trying to get ready to go out at once. And the wine bottles and glasses were a waste of storage space.
Earlier in the day, there had been some question as to whether our departure would be delayed due to the weather out in the Drake (they were expecting 6-8 meter seas). However, we threw lines and headed out of port 20 minutes before our scheduled 7p departure.
As we began transiting the Beagle Channel, my dad and I headed to the observation deck on Deck 7 to take in the view. The wind was ripping through, but it was BEAUTIFUL.
Dinner in Aune was a buffet. There were beef, pasta, lamb, and fish options, plus cold cuts and cheeses, bread, and dessert. The restaurant’s location at the back of the ship provided great views as we continued down the channel.
By the time we finished around 9p, it was starting to sink in that we’d been awake since 1:30a (minus a few naps). Sunset still wasn’t for another hour and a half almost, so it felt so much earlier in the evening than it was. We went to bed wondering what adventures the Drake Passage would bring us in the morning.