Cosmos on board Scenic Eclipse

In December 2024, the former RiAus editor-in-chief Ian Connellan and former Cosmos Editor Gail MacCallum embarked on his first visit to Antarctica. The well-travelled Connellan discovered a new world as a guest of Scenic, this is his account of the trip.

Wednesday 18th

Check-in is easy and after a few hours’ wait we’re on our way to Ushuaia. The ground is obscured by cloud for much of the journey, but as the aircraft tilts west to commence approach to Ushuaia, the Sierra Lucia Lopez and other farthest-south reaches of the Andes come into view – riven here and there by glaciers and still heavy with snow at higher altitudes. It’s an appropriately snowy heart-starter for what’s to come.

As we straighten for final approach we get our first views of Ushuaia, and of moored Antarctic cruise vessels, including Scenic Eclipse, at the town-centre wharf. On a short city tour our local guide imparts some regional history and we take in some wonderful views of the city from its original airstrip.

The bonus of the late arrival is that we’re on board Scenic Eclipse without delay. We’re greeted at the base of the gangway by the ship’s Captain Ned Tutton, and in a hop, skip and a jump we’re comfortably seated in the Scenic Lounge on deck 4 sipping a nice glass of bubbly. After a quick and easy check-in we’re escorted to our suite on deck 6, where multi-lingual butler Ravi meets us and demonstrates the suite’s bells, whistles and bar fridge. From our private verandah there are stunning views of mountains on the Chilean side of the Beagle Channel, but we’re quickly off to make bookings at Scenic Eclipse’s specialty restaurants. Afterwards we gather in the theatre on deck 4 for the official voyage welcome briefing. Cruise Director Kathryn ‘Kat’ Moon tells us about planned activities and entertainment on board. Then, accompanied by 80s party music, the Discovery Team (the ship’s on-board expert guides) introduce themselves, starting with team leader Helena Schofield, and followed by the 19 others with various areas of expertise – seabirds, penguins, marine mammals, Antarctic history, even mountaineering. Rousing cheers are drawn by the helicopter pilots (especially Matthias, the aviator from central casting) and kayak and paddleboarding guides. What these guys have in common is a tremendous desire to be in Antarctica, and to introduce other people to the southern continent.

The internationally diverse Discovery Team – home nations include England, Scotland, France, Germany, Russia, Canada, the US, New Zealand, Ecuador, Argentina and Chile – is but an atoll in the archipelago of nationalities that make up Eclipse’s crew and company. There are [63] nations among the 200 ‘crew’ on board.

At around 6pm we get underway, and steam east along the Beagle. We bask in the sun on deck 10 while tracking birds with telephoto lenses: black-browed albatross, southern giant petrels and magellanic cormorants glide by. After a quick and tasty dinner at Azure Café on deck 5 we reckon to be among the first to enjoy Scenic Eclipse’s open bridge policy, and spend a pleasant half-hour chatting with the channel pilot. He tells stories about childhood in Tierra del Fuego and casually points out breeding colonies of magellanic penguins and other birds. There’s no rush to go to bed. The sun sets after 10pm and twilight stretches past 11. We’ll be at sea in the Drake Passage for the next day and a half, so it’s worth enjoying land views while they’re on offer.

Thursday 19th

If you enjoy mucking around on boats, crossing the Drake Passage will likely be among your more memorable days. (If not, well… at least it’s only 36 hours.) 

The primary condition on our outward passage is a 4–5 metre swell; given that waves up to 12m are reported in the Drake, you’d have to say it wasn’t as rough as it could be. There are only a few people in the Yacht Club for an early breakfast, but it seems most are up and about by lunchtime. Jason Kelley from the Discovery Team gives an ‘Antarctic geology 101’ enrichment talk, while Kat and assistant cruise director Kyle Featherbee run the daily trivia comp and, after dinner-ish, laugh and sing their way through ‘name that tune’ in the lounge. On-board muso Martyn Rowlands takes over afterwards and serenades the die-hards past midnight.

Friday 20th

We’re still at sea but way further south (there is a sunset and sunrise, but you’re hard pressed to work them out) and anticipation at nearly being there, actually in Antarctica, is building onboard. To that end the day’s most important activities are conducted down on deck 3 – where we run through a biosecurity briefing and get fitted for our walking-onshore boots. Mid-afternoon Agus Biasoti from the Discovery Team delivers a fun and enlightening enrichment lecture about penguins, but the day’s real ‘wow’ moment comes when Captain Ned announces that the first icebergs have been spotted ahead. We all rush to the public (if the ‘bergs aren’t on the same side as our suites) or private spaces and… just watch. It’s hard to describe what an apartment-block-sized chunk of ice floating past looks like, let alone how it makes you feel. The afternoon drifts by and so do more icebergs. They come in all shapes and sizes and an entertaining diversity of white and blue; some include penguins as temporary passengers. Nothing we all see does anything but make us more and more excited about what’s to come. Distractions include a mound of festive treats served in the lounge as a taster for Christmas, another round of trivia and a toast led by Captain Ned to celebrate our arrival in the deep south. We have a delicious dinner at Elements restaurant, after which Kat sings her favourite songs by her favourite divas in the theatre and Martyn tunes in for the late-night crowd.

Saturday 21st

Hard to believe, but we’ve arrived. We’re in Antarctica. When we look out of our suite – it’s early, but the Sun’s been up for hours – we see a world beyond imagination. In the waters near Scenic Eclipse penguins are foraging; the land in sight is a wonderworld of glacial ice, snow and mountain peaks.

We’re at the Madder Cliffs on the western end of Joinville Island. This is pretty much the northernmost tip of the Antarctic Peninsula – one of the warmest parts of the continent – but we might as well have flown to the Moon. We’re out early for a Zodiac cruise and it’s a sensory delight. There are penguins – mostly Adelies – everywhere and several other bird species in the air and water. 

It’s an all-action morning for guests. There’s great flying weather so the helicopters are up and about, and favourable sea conditions have the kayakers on the water. 

We rejoice in an afternoon kayak – including its high-intensity pre-workout: enclosing ourselves in formidable drysuits, footwear and PFDs – and guides Lorrie and Charlotte are calm and knowledge personified. The afternoon landing destination, Paulet Island, is enclosed in ice and no-one’s able to go ashore.

We take dinner at Koko’s Asian Fusion, which is fast becoming our favourite place on the ship, and turn in early – leaving another night of song and music featuring Kat, Kyle and Martyn to the night owls.

Sunday 22nd

Overnight we’ve steamed to the South Shetland Islands – specifically King George Island – and we spend the afternoon at Admiralty Bay.

We take a Zodiac cruise to look for wildlife and at glaciers. It’s a bright and sunny afternoon, perfect for glacier ogling, and the bonus is a humpback whale, which lazily cruises past Zodiacs and Scenic Eclipse en route to the bay’s northern reaches.

Dinner tonight is a treat, and the first of our (three) reservations made when we came on board. We dine at Lumiere, the French fine dining restaurant on board Scenic Eclipse and savour a degustation menu that wouldn’t go unremarked if you were at a bistro in the Latin Quarter in Paris.

Monday 23rd

The morning scene is dominated by Two Hummock Island, and the AM landing site: Palaver Point. Palaver is the site of a chinstrap penguin rookery, and delightfully named for the din its residents make. We’re back on the water and in the care of paddling guides Lorrie and Charlotte. It’s a wonderful paddle, replete with foraging penguins ‘flying’ through the icy sea, and does nothing but increase our sense of privilege at not only being in Antarctic waters but literally close enough to put our hands in.

In the afternoon we’re among the last groups to go ashore at Hydrurga Rocks, just to the east of Two Hummock. Named for the leopard seal (Hydrurga leptonyx), it hosts an extremely active chinstrap rookery, and a chance to see the raft of behaviours that characterise such places. Penguins are loping to and from the water in their odd, swaying gait; mating pairs are cacophonously calling to each upon reuniting; here and there individuals engage in a little light pebble stealing – taking a stone from a neighbour’s nest and adding it to their own. Penguins attract various collective nouns – including a ‘raft’ (if they’re swimming), a ‘waddle’ (if they’re walking) and a ‘huddle’ (if they’re standing). But you could comfortably ditch these and just go with a ‘squabble’. Hydrurga also features the world’s sleepiest crabeater seal and the usual band of other Antarctic birds, including gentoo penguins, Antarctic shags, kelp gulls, southern giant petrels and – a personal favourite – Wilson’s storm petrels.

By the time we’re back on board, snow’s falling steadily and that lovely snow-time hush has descended. If that doesn’t put you to sleep nothing will.

Tuesday 24th

It’s Christmas Eve, and if that’s not enough fun also ‘continental landing’ day. We’re going onshore at Neko Harbour, on the Graham Land coast, which means we’ll be walking on the Antarctic continent, not just an island near it. There’s a large rookery of gentoo penguins at Neko and – as they have a beach to enter the water from, rather than launching off an ice shelf – they’re particularly teen-like at the water’s edge. As we come on shore, many stand knee-deep in the water and appear to be contemplating the temperature. Others, in the manner of all penguin colonies, traipse up and down the steep snow-slope between nests and the sea. It’s a busy place.

The Discovery Team have set up a little photo op with an Antarctic flag and many guests take advantage. But it’s the views over Andvord Bay that really catch the eye. The sea surface is as still and glassy as we’ve seen it – it’s a particularly fetching morning for being on the water and the kayakers and stand-up paddleboarders (SUPers) are making the most of it. We pass the hour or so we’re allowed on shorewatching the gentoos and swivelling attention toward nearby glaciers when sections of ice fall (‘calve’) noisily into the sea.

After steaming west across the Gerlache Strait, to Borgen Bay, on the south side of Anvers Island, the afternoon Zodiac cruise is an exercise in ice-dodging, and we move slowly between icebergs of various sizes, investigating resident penguins and crabeater seals. 

We finish the day at another of our special reservation dinners, this time at Sushi @ Koko’s on deck 4 – another winner.

Wednesday 25th

Merry Christmas – and to celebrate we’re going stand-up paddleboarding, while the rest of the guests head onshore at Damoy Point to visit the historic hut and stretch their legs. Damoy Point Hut is on the western side of Wiencke Island; the British Antarctic Survey built it in 1973 and a preservation team repainted it in its original bright orange in 2023.

By the time we’re on the water paddleboarding we’re feeling safe with the hyper vigilant crew. Everyone in the group reports staying dry and warm in their special dry suits, and in fact some even enjoy a dip into the water at the end of the paddle. It’s a most extraordinary experience. The suit and PFD combine to keep you floating face up. The background soundtrack of ice clinking and penguins swimming is transmitted perfectly through the water. It might be the most remarkable 10 minutes I’ve ever spent at Christmas.

That afternoon, and never mind the snow storm that’s swept in, a number of guests choose to take the ‘polar plunge’ – that’s shorthand for stripping down to your swimmers and jumping off the back of the ship into the heart-stoppingly cold water. We reckon that jumping off a perfectly good ship is about the same as jumping out of a perfectly good aircraft, and opt to watch but not partake.

The day has been punctuated by some truly shocking Christmas sweaters, at least one of which (and its eternally cheerful wearer) turn up as table-mates for our last special reservation dinner – a festive treat at Night Market @ Koko’s. The Night Market is intimate – only eight guests per sitting – and based around a teppanyaki grill rotating through a number of culinary styles. Our Middle Eastern feast is scrumptious and our fellow diners friendly and affable. Christmas out of a dream. The BIG Holiday Party kicks off after 9pm in the lounge, with Kat and Kyle leading a raucous chorus through holiday and party favourites. Heaven knows when the party breaks up – a long, long time after we leave, no doubt. 

Thursday 26th

Boxing Day has little meaning when you’re at 64°30´00´´S – ice, mountains and glaciers yes, tidying up from yesterday’s family dinner no. Captain Ned pushes south into Charlotte Bay. The huge, ice-shrouded peaks of continental Antarctica stand sentinel as we pass, sliding in and out of view through swirling light snow. The passage is enlivened by several more whale sightings – one thing that never gets boring – including a pod of killer whales and quite a few humpbacks.

Ahead, we can see the bay closed with sea ice – which Scenic Eclipse pushes into, and advances for several hundred metres. The sound of the buckling ice isn’t easy to describe; something like ice cubes clinking in the world’s biggest cocktail glass (which makes Scenic Eclipse, metaphorically, the decorative mini-umbrella). We’re particularly entranced by humpback whales emerging through breaks in the ice to breathe, but there’s also a load of birdlife nearby to entertain – including one of our best looks at a snowy sheathbill. After we’ve been stationary for perhaps an hour one sharp-eyed human spots a sole emperor penguin off the port side. 

We back out of the ice and head out of the bay. About mid-afternoon Captain Ned announces that, given the weather forecast for the Drake Passage and where we are and where we have to be by late afternoon on the 28^th, we are, in fact, starting our return journey to Ushuaia. It will take about 48 hours steady steaming to get back there – then a four-hour flight to Buenos Aires, and then 20-something hours on aircraft to get back to Sydney. It’s a way of reminding yourself that Antarctica is a long, long way from anywhere.

Friday 27th

We’re at sea – in conditions robust enough for Captain Ned to assure us we’re experiencing the ‘Drake shake’ – and the Discovery Team and Cruise Directors come into their own, finding ways to entertain and inform that help pass the hours. Two enrichment lectures are especially enjoyable. 

First, Discovery Team member Agus Biasoti talks us through the special adaptations that make Antarctic seabirds unique. And later in the day, special science guests on board– Melissa Rider and Steve Forrest from the Oceanites foundation – talk about penguins in the Antarctic. Melissa and Steve, both multi-decade veterans of Antarctic science, have been conducting a penguin census. Their views on long-term trends and changes in penguin populations, particularly in light of climate change, are fascinating.

Around 6pm we all gather in the lounge for the Captain’s farewell, and the chance to thank the ship’s crew and company for the other-worldly level of care and service we’ve enjoyed on the cruise. Three cheers, and again. 

Saturday 28th

Another sea day, but much of it in the comfort of calm Beagle Channel waters. We snap pictures of birds and whales and enjoy the sunshine but it’s all over far too quickly, and around 6pm Scenic Eclipse nestles into her berth at the Ushuaia wharf. We take the opportunity to go onshore for the last of our Christmas shopping on Av. San Martin – the city’s main commercial drag – and a late dinner. It’s after 11pm when we wander back to Scenic Eclipse for our last night onboard.

Sunday 29th

The disembarkation process is seamless and Scenic’s ground team usher us to the airport as calmly as they ushered us away from it nearly two weeks ago. By late afternoon we’re back in Buenos Aires. It’s busy and summer warm-and-humid. Many of us have still got our slightly dizzying sea legs on, but we’re now at roughly the same latitude as Sydney and the whitest things in sight are road markings. Antarctica already seems incredible, improbable – a fever dream of rock and ice. 

• Inspired by Ian Connellan’s voyage to Antarctica? Join Scenic Eclipse in all-inclusive ultra-luxury in 2025 and 2026 to experience the pristine wonders of Antarctica. To learn more visit scenic.com.au, call 138 128 or speak to your local travel advisor.