OK, spoiler alert – going to make myself extremely unpopular now, but I have to get this off my chest.
Hurtigruten at some point made wearing medical grade masks mandatory when in public areas – that very specific requirement has since disappeared from the webpage – with no further mention of passenger mask requirement, save embarking/disembarking at US ports.
The mask-thing is currently ‘front-and centre’ as some other cruises have in the last three days brought back the mask requirement during current sailings, providing stacks of disposable masks in cabins for passengers to use. Much to the surprise/dismay of the passengers who was not planning on wearing a mask during their cruise.
I have a personal issue with disposable masks, mostly because they are not recycled or properly disposed of (elastics cut so animals do not get inadvertently caught-up in them) etc. Like recycling in general, it’s your choice, but this is just me…. and if everyone did their bit… just saying.
I could not understand how Hurtigruten claiming to be so VERY GREEN, shunning single use plastics on their ships etc… could be OK with disposable masks and if they provided a way for passengers to ‘dispose’ of said masks.. which I suppose they do as every cabin apparently have separate waste paper baskets where you can put recyclable material – as per youtube cabin reviews I’ve seen.
The profile of the passengers choosing to do the Antarctic cruise inveriably includes your basic “Tree-hugging-Green-Peace-Anti-plastic straw” babies. I’m generalising, but it is what they are trying to accomplish that post-tour you will become a “Save the ocean – Save the whales” disciple to try to keep this area as pristine as we humans possibly can. They are very open that this is their mission and the outcome they are hoping for – preaching to the choir?
Although I took note of the medical grade mask requirement and reluctantly ‘wishlisted’ a pack on our local go-to online store I was keeping an eye on the mask requirements and was not planning on purchasing some if I could avoid it. A few washable cloth masks will find its way into the case – possibly (ok, probably) even for use during the trip to Argentina – we still have to do an antigen test prior to boarding.
Plus Argentina currently still have mandatory masks in public places and public transport, which as I understand means it’s mandatory masks on the plane to Argentina, if I remember the rule correctly – mandatory public masks at destination = mandatory masks on the plane on the way there.
With what is going on elsewhere this week I was wondering if/when the mask topic is going to surface relating our cruises.
This morning on the forum someone (not on our specific sailing) asked if Hurtigruten is going to provide fresh masks daily, should passengers choose to wear them. One – no? Else they would not have specified what type of mask you needed to bring with you, when it was mandatory. Two – I guess if you do need to have a mask – if the worst happens and you do get sick on the ship, they would probably provide something. Why would you wear a disposable mask on an Antarctic cruise if you don’t absolutely have to?
Incidently …. re the ‘cover photo’ of this post – ‘Seahorse clings to a face mask (in Stratoni, Greece)’, by photographer Nicholas Samaras, won an ocean photography award in 2021.
Temple & Iceberg Trails: A Journey Through Asperger's 
Unfortunately, I got covid on my antarctica trip. I caught on the plane during the few minutes I took off my mask to eat. The plane was raging with covid and I was very disturbed that very few people wore masks and that people who were sick were even on the plane. I wore a mask to protect others on the ship. Unfortunately, cloth masks are not as effective as N95s. Don’t know how recyclable those masks are. But the next question is, how much damage to the environment are we doing with all the travel to Antarctica. Everything in life seems to have a price! All the articles that I have been reading about the carbon footprint of the increase in travel to Antarctica makes me feel guilty and yet we have much to learn by exploring Antarctica. Many questions about where to draw the line on things we do.
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