Hi, I have recently joined the JY Community and still familiarsing myself with the layout so the answer to my enquiry may be available on the site. Until I find it, does anyone have any experience of a previous JY holiday to Antartica? I'm booked on the 7th Dec 2018 departure and could use some helpful advice of visiting such a unique place. Thanks Karen

Hi Karen

I’m booked to go on this trip over Christmas this year but it sounds as though you’ll get to experience it all first! 

There is a very useful review here 

https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html 

Hope this helps.

J

Welcome to the forum.

Whilst I personally haven't been to Antarctica, there is a review in the reviews section. If you type 'Antarctica' into the search page you will find one from 'Peter G'

Enjoy tour trip

Regards

Chris

I did a review of the first Antarctica cruise which I did over Christmas/New Year 2016/2017.

You can find it here (https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html?highlight=antarctica)

Peter

You will find a review of this trip in the Reviews section. One traveller who went on the first trip has put a review there. You are so lucky to be doing this fantastic trip. Hope I will get a chance one day even though the sea does not like me!

Regards

Jaya

Hi Karen

I did a review of the first Antarctica cruise which I did over Christmas/New Year 2016/2017.

You can find it here (https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html?highlight=antarctica)

Peter

A very helpful review thank you, weatherwise I hope I'll be a lucky as you were.  I can't seem to find your answer to a question that someone else asked ........

"And did you need any other wind/waterproof coat apart from the one you get on board?"   

Karen

Karen

Hi Karen

I did a review of the first Antarctica cruise which I did over Christmas/New Year 2016/2017.

You can find it here (https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html?highlight=antarctica)

Peter

A very helpful review thank you, weatherwise I hope I'll be a lucky as you were.  I can't seem to find your answer to a question that someone else asked ........

"And did you need any other wind/waterproof coat apart from the one you get on board?"   

Karen

Hi Karen

I took waterproof trousers which I wore when we were out in the tenders as there was occasionally spray hitting us. I didn't take a wind/waterproof coat as I knew we were being supplied with one. The one you get is of good quality and I still have it. Some people left theirs behind but I thought it was too good to discard after a couple of weeks use and anyway it lives in the car (just in case it ever rains again).

Peter

Hi Karen

I did a review of the first Antarctica cruise which I did over Christmas/New Year 2016/2017.

You can find it here (https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html?highlight=antarctica)

Peter

A very helpful review thank you, weatherwise I hope I'll be a lucky as you were.  I can't seem to find your answer to a question that someone else asked ........

"And did you need any other wind/waterproof coat apart from the one you get on board?"   

Karen

You don't need another waterproof  coat once you are on the ship. You do however need to consider your journey to Heathrow.

You do need a pair of waterproof trousers in case you get splashed in the boats.

Keith

Hi Karen

I did a review of the first Antarctica cruise which I did over Christmas/New Year 2016/2017.

You can find it here (https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html?highlight=antarctica)

Peter

A very helpful review thank you, weatherwise I hope I'll be a lucky as you were.  I can't seem to find your answer to a question that someone else asked ........

"And did you need any other wind/waterproof coat apart from the one you get on board?"   

Karen

Hi Karen

I took waterproof trousers which I wore when we were out in the tenders as there was occasionally spray hitting us. I didn't take a wind/waterproof coat as I knew we were being supplied with one. The one you get is of good quality and I still have it. Some people left theirs behind but I thought it was too good to discard after a couple of weeks use and anyway it lives in the car (just in case it ever rains again).

Peter

Hi Karen

I did a review of the first Antarctica cruise which I did over Christmas/New Year 2016/2017.

You can find it here (https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html?highlight=antarctica)

Peter

A very helpful review thank you, weatherwise I hope I'll be a lucky as you were.  I can't seem to find your answer to a question that someone else asked ........

"And did you need any other wind/waterproof coat apart from the one you get on board?"   

Karen

Hi Karen

I took waterproof trousers which I wore when we were out in the tenders as there was occasionally spray hitting us. I didn't take a wind/waterproof coat as I knew we were being supplied with one. The one you get is of good quality and I still have it. Some people left theirs behind but I thought it was too good to discard after a couple of weeks use and anyway it lives in the car (just in case it ever rains again).

Peter

Hi again Peter, I've recently received paperwork from Hurtigruten saying that I must .... "carry insurance that will cover unlimited medical expenses and repatriation".  I'm fearful how much that is going  to cost.  How did you get on with that, which company did you use if you don't mind me asking? K

Hi Karen

I did a review of the first Antarctica cruise which I did over Christmas/New Year 2016/2017.

You can find it here (https://forum.justyou.co.uk/thread-84572.html?highlight=antarctica)

Peter

A very helpful review thank you, weatherwise I hope I'll be a lucky as you were.  I can't seem to find your answer to a question that someone else asked ........

"And did you need any other wind/waterproof coat apart from the one you get on board?"   

Karen

Hi Karen

I took waterproof trousers which I wore when we were out in the tenders as there was occasionally spray hitting us. I didn't take a wind/waterproof coat as I knew we were being supplied with one. The one you get is of good quality and I still have it. Some people left theirs behind but I thought it was too good to discard after a couple of weeks use and anyway it lives in the car (just in case it ever rains again).

Peter

Hi again Peter, I've recently received paperwork from Hurtigruten saying that I must .... "carry insurance that will cover unlimited medical expenses and repatriation".  I'm fearful how much that is going  to cost.  How did you get on with that, which company did you use if you don't mind me asking? K

I went on this trip in January this year. I used specialist insurer PJ Hayman who have a cruise add-on which gives extra benefits you don't get on normal travel insurance policies, plus high limits to cover the high cost of this trip. The annual policy was actually cheaper than a one-off policy, bizarrely, so I bought that and it's still running until the end of the year - to cover me for two more holidays I'm taking later this year. Note that you won't get much change out of £150, but you get what you pay for with insurance.

One poor lady on our trip was immensely ill with pneumonia that progressed from a cold that wouldn't shift and racked up an enormous medical bill by the end of the trip after being bedbound in the sick bay for a few days on IV antibiotics plus the aftercare - so I wouldn't skimp on the insurance coverage levels for this kind of trip. Even a packet of unbranded Nurofen with decongestant cost me about £50! plus the £50 to see the doctor to get the prescription as that was not an over the counter medication onboard (Chilean medical jurisdiction). Whatever you have lying around at the back of bathroom cabinet at home - paracetomol, aspirin, ibuprofen etc. - take it with you, as even simple medications cost an absolute fortune on the ship.

Sorry I haven't replied earlier but I have been in the Azores for the last week.

I have been insuring with Staysure for a few years. My current policy covers emergency medical and repatriation expenses up to £5m for basic cover and £10m for comprehensive cover (my prefered option). As far as I can remember that is what cover I had for the Antarctica trip. I didn't try to find unlimited cover as I thought £10m was more than enough.

As I recall I spoke to the company about a single trip policy for Antarctica but it actually worked out cheaper by a few pounds to purchase an annual policy - I still can't understand how that works!

Hi Karen

Sorry I haven't replied earlier but I have been in the Azores for the last week.

I have been insuring with Staysure for a few years. My current policy covers emergency medical and repatriation expenses up to £5m for basic cover and £10m for comprehensive cover (my prefered option). As far as I can remember that is what cover I had for the Antarctica trip. I didn't try to find unlimited cover as I thought £10m was more than enough.

As I recall I spoke to the company about a single trip policy for Antarctica but it actually worked out cheaper by a few pounds to purchase an annual policy - I still can't understand how that works!

The trick is to check the cancellation and curtailment limits on a prospective policy as well as the medical and evacuation coverage limits. A lot of policies don't go above £5,000 per holiday at best so you need about £10,000 of cover on this trip - more if you've upgraded cabin or flight classes as I did - to cover you for any ill-health or immediate family or dependant bereavements that stop you going on the trip at short notice.

Some policies will either not pay out at all if you are undercovered, and most will apply a dirty trick commonly used in domestic buildings and contents insurance and apportion the undercoverage off the claim / limit. i.e. let's say you had £5,000 of cancellation cover but the holiday cost £10,000. You might think you could get £5,000 back. Wrong. The insurer will say you were undercovered by 50% therefore you only get 50% of the coverage limit - so £2,500 back instead! Most people don't know that this is what many insurers do in that situation.

Also, I had one insurer say that don't cover holidays booked more than a year in advance - which cruises often are.

I'd recommend reading the full Ts&Cs of a prospective policy in detail before buying it; don't buy just on the sales pitch bullet points of the cover alone. It took me four goes to find a policy that once I'd scratched under the surface actually would have paid out in full for this cruise in at least half of the claim categories.

Hi again Peter, in June I too took out a Staysure comprehensive policy for £10 mil. with cruise cover.  I've contacted them to see if I could upgrade to Unlimited cover as Hurtigruten requested. Staysure do not offer Unlimited and also advised me by chance that by I am only covered if I stay onboard the ship, I am not covered for going ashore!! ... so that's money wasted on a useless policy and now I'm trying to secure an additional policy with another insurer.   Insurance is all a bit frustrating at times.  I did complain to Hurtigruten that I should have been made aware of the Unlimited requirements much sooner seeing as I'd booked the holiday June 2017 and they have come back and said that £10 mil is sufficient and that they are going to change their literature to reflect this. So that was good to hear.

Hi Karen.

Check again about the "onboard". I was checking my travel policy and for cruises, it specifies being on board and embarking/disembarking (by tender pr otherwise) It does not cover "search and rescue" - i.e. if I choose to jump overboard they won't cover it. Which is more than fair enough. So I think onboard is used to reference being on the cruise and doing the normal on/off. But leaving the ship by unusual means is not covered.

Rgds 

Una

Hi again Peter, in June I too took out a Staysure comprehensive policy for £10 mil. with cruise cover.  I've contacted them to see if I could upgrade to Unlimited cover as Hurtigruten requested. Staysure do not offer Unlimited and also advised me by chance that by I am only covered if I stay onboard the ship, I am not covered for going ashore!! ... so that's money wasted on a useless policy and now I'm trying to secure an additional policy with another insurer.   Insurance is all a bit frustrating at times.  I did complain to Hurtigruten that I should have been made aware of the Unlimited requirements much sooner seeing as I'd booked the holiday June 2017 and they have come back and said that £10 mil is sufficient and that they are going to change their literature to reflect this. So that was good to hear.

Hi Karen.

Check again about the "onboard". I was checking my travel policy and for cruises, it specifies being on board and embarking/disembarking (by tender pr otherwise) It does not cover "search and rescue" - i.e. if I choose to jump overboard they won't cover it. Which is more than fair enough. So I think onboard is used to reference being on the cruise and doing the normal on/off. But leaving the ship by unusual means is not covered.

Rgds 

Una