Prev01

I mapped out our route on Google Earth. No matter how you cut it, this is a long, long voyage!

After a beautiful, sunny week in NYC visiting family, eating amazing food, and seeing Broadway shows, the clouds gathered on embarkation day.

The Octantis went into service in 2022. She’s a polar class ice breaker, 665 feet in length, that accommodates only 378 guests and 256 crew members.

We began our voyage at dusk, passing between the lights of Manhattan and NJ.

The wind howled (see my gorgeous model’s hairdo), and the rain fell (no, those aren’t stars).

Lady Liberty stood strong- a fabulous sendoff!

Our cabin is amazing. King sized bed, 55" flat screen TV, drying closet (handy for snow-covered/wet gear), bottomless fridge, coffee machine, sitting area, and (instead of a balcony), a glass wall that slides down halfway (not recommended during squalls, etc.).

The bathroom is also incredible: ceramic tile everywhere, with heated floors, a curved-glass shower, heated mirror, and water flow that leaves these drought-stricken Californians breathless.

This is the Aula. It is the hub of the ship for movies, talks, and briefings for submarine, kayaking, etc. there’s a huge curved screen that lifts up to reveal this stunning view of the aft outdoor fire pit seating area.

Here’s what it looks like in presentation mode. There have been great talks by onboard staff including a bird expert, marine biologists (there’s a whale guy, coral scientist), marine geologist, and a historian- to name a few.

There is an incredible spa with an indoor pool, hot tub room (with optional open air window (think Antarctica)), gym, saunas (dry and steam), a deluge room (multiple shower heads), bucket room (cold water douse), a snow room, treatment rooms, and a salon. Everything but personal services are gratis!

Care for an invigorating snow plunge after your sauna?

No happy endings- the massage rooms are all G-rated.

The ship has an incredible number of lounge and reading areas, stocked with thousands of books on history, natural history, adventures and explorations of all kinds, classics, and art.

“Fireplaces” are located around most lounge areas. Since open flames are not a great idea on ships (especially in Antarctica), they’re really water-vapor fires. The effect is still wonderful.

Great, uncrowded launderettes are available on every deck. No need to pack quarters or detergent!

There are plenty of games, including board games, horizontal video screens (we played a rousing game of digital air hockey), and even giant jigsaw puzzling tables.

Although wine and beer are included with lunch and dinner, nobody goes thirsty in between!