| Ortelius and the Penguins

POLAR cruising specialist, Oceanwide
Expeditions has expanded its 2012-13 Antarctic
season with three Weddell Sea Emperor
Penguin Voyages and two Ross Sea voyages.
The voyages will take place onboard the
cruise line’s MV Ortelius, which it acquired late
last year from Aurora Expeditions (at the time
of purchase the ship was Marina Svetaeva).
The new flexible 10-night Penguin itinerary
departs roundtrip from Ushuaia and crosses
the Drake Passage and the Antarctic
Convergence, before heading to the Waddell
Sea, where guests will enjoy possible highlights
(depending on weather conditions) including a
landing at Brown Bluff, helicopter expeditions
to reach Emperor penguin colonies, and visits
to Devil Island, Vega Island, Hope Bay, Half
Moon Island and Deception (for Pendulum cove).
Waddell Penguin voyages will depart 14 Nov,
24 Nov and 01 Dec 2012 and are priced from
€7,950pp (approx AU$9,760pp).
Ortelius’ 32-day Ross Sea Discovery cruises
take guests from Ushuaia to the Southern part
of the Antarctic peninsula, Petermann Island,
Fish Islands, the Bellingshausen Sea, Peter I
Island, the Amundsen Sea, Shephard Island,
the Ross Ice Shelf, Ross Island, Cape Evans, USstation
McMurdo, Scott Base, Cape Adare and
Macquarie Is before arriving in Invercargill (NZ).
The Ross Sea voyages depart 16 Jan and 18
Feb 2013 and are priced from €17,150pp
(approx AU$21,065pp).
See www.oceanwide-expeditions.com.