I’m looking at booking an Antarctica trip with Silversea and came across reports from a recent Endeavour sailing that raised some concerns.
From what I understand, the ship left Puerto Williams on 1/6 for a Falklands + South Georgia + Antarctica Peninsula itinerary. Things went fine until later in the voyage, when passengers were told the Drake was too rough and the Antarctica Peninsula portion was canceled. The ship ended up heading to Punta Arenas instead of returning to Puerto Williams, apparently because the Beagle Channel was also too rough.
What’s giving me pause is:
Silversea reportedly said the Endeavour can only safely handle waves up to ~4 meters
Other ships seemed to be operating in the Drake / Beagle Channel around the same time
There are claims of water availability issues and possible repairs
Compensation was limited to ~10% future cruise credit plus some local activities
I fully understand weather risk in Antarctica and I’m not expecting guarantees, but this feels a bit murky from the outside.
For those with Antarctica experience:
Does the 4 meter wave limit for Endeavour sound accurate?
Is this ship more limited than others operating down there?
Does this feel like normal expedition risk, or something more concerning?
Trying to decide if this is just extreme bad luck or a warning sign before booking.
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