I bid goodbye to the large extended family that had gathered at my sister's house for Christmas. And not a moment too soon. A storm was moving up the East Coast, canceling flights along its path. One thing I knew going into this trip: if you're not on the boat when it leaves....it still leaves. I had a 10:00 pm red-eye from New York and for once …

Unless you're extremely lucky (or an advance-planner....not my particular forte), the journey to Ushuaia involves not only changing planes in Buenos Aires, but often changing airports. Though I left NY alone, I'd ultimately meet up with 6 other friends who all signed up to join me on an extravagant 40th birthday adventure. And so it was with both …

Arriving in Ushuaia without delay allows for a play day before cruising. Mary Ann and Lynn booked a day of adventure at the National Park, while Linda, Brian, Erin, and I planned for a hike up the most gorgeous Martial Glacier. Gaston, our guide from Ushuaia Birdwatching, picked us up at our hotel, where he was promptly informed by Linda that if …

Today we would push off from dock and received some welcome news upon waking: Anne's luggage had made it to Buenos Aires and was likely to be on a morning flight to Ushuaia. This allowed us the freedom to spend our final half-day on land doing all-important last-minute knick-knack shopping, instead of trying to recreate her gear at the local …

'Variably queasy today' That's the main journal entry I have for our first full day aboard the Marina Svetaeva (recently renamed the Ortelius), a ship specifically designed for polar exploration with an ice-strengthened hull. To combat the nausea was a burgeoning underground drug trade worthy of the most infamous cartels: the patch, Dramamine, …

Land ho, the Falkland Islands! Ten people to a zodiac, we departed the ship for our first excursion on West Point Island. Antarctica it was not. The green grass and sunny skies made us overdressed in the orange wetskin suits and rubber boots we wore for all of our wet landings. Nobody would mistake us for locals.

The 2 km hike was refreshing …

After yesterday's excursions to some of the Falklands least-inhabited destinations (by people, anyway), today's visit to Stanley provided a sharp contrast. Stanley is a small city of colorful houses, shops, museums, and war memorials. And the occasional tribute to Margaret Thatcher, who successfully defended Great Britain's turf here against the …

Or was it a hangover? The lines are blurry. But like many a New Year's Day, we spent this one doing varied and sundry nap-related activities. Like napping. A great remedy for whatever ails you. And not the worst way to pass a day at sea.

In between the naps (did I mention the naps?) we'd visit the lounge or` the dining room for one of the …

I was wrong. It was not a hangover. And it was not seasickness. So why couldn't I get out of bed this morning?

It took me a while to figure it out for sure, not until later in the day when the other symptoms began to kick in. I squinted at the information pamphlet that accompanied the Scopolamine patch I had been wearing for seasickness the past …