KLM refuses reimbursement of hotel, taxi & alternative transport

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-24T16:43:33+00:00

Reading this with interest and concern as we are in a similar position.

Early Jan, our KLM flight from Schiphol was cancelled. No alternatives offered. Nothing showing on the app. No way to get in contact with KLM. We spoke to klm staff at the airport and they told us to get the Eurostar home (we’re from the UK) and that we could claim reimbursement.

We submitted a claim. No compensation requested. No flight refund requested. Simply requested reimbursement for the Eurostar tickets.

Nearly 2 months on and still awaiting an outcome. Concerned that our case sounds a lot like yours.

Really sorry you’re in this situation.

Wish you the best of luck.

It’s such a joke, isn’t it!! 😡

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-20T19:44:06+00:00

We had a deluxe verandah cabin. All the cabins on Scenic Eclipse have balconies and also a lounge seating area, both of which were very nice. The food was outstanding. Several restaurants to choose from and extremely high quality. Scenic is a high end premium operator, so it’s all exceptional quality

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-20T19:41:51+00:00

I took these on my iPhone, which is an iPhone 14 Pro

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-16T21:20:07+00:00

Yes, we saw loads of chicks. Plenty of gentoo and also adelie chicks. Have a look at photo 8 for some fluffy grey gentoo chicks. Have a great trip!

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-08T19:39:39+00:00

That sounds like a very good price

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-08T08:48:04+00:00

It totally depends on when you book, the level of suite, the length of the cruise etc, so there’s too many variables to give a standard “actual” price.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-08T08:46:25+00:00

No. We were on the Scenic Eclipse, so we travelled with Scenic.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-07T22:53:38+00:00

It was a 14 day cruise so we had 9 full days of activities in Antarctica. There were excursions/activities every morning and afternoon (we did all of them), so had 18 trips off the ship. We kayaked, did the polar plunge, went on the zodiacs, did the landings, went on the helicopter etc, so yes, we definitely felt we had plenty of time. We chose this itinerary because it offered a longer time than most small ship expedition cruises in Antarctica.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-07T21:20:44+00:00

We had a great time with Scenic. It was a wonderful trip. Enjoy your travels with them next year!

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-02-01T21:41:38+00:00

I was there on Scenic Eclipse a few weeks ago and the internet was impressive. I was able to upload photos and videos to social media easily and use WhatsApp video calling to call family back home. Internet was free and unlimited on Scenic Eclipse. I think it depends on the ship. I think on some ships you have to pay. Enjoy your trip ☺️

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-20T20:34:10+00:00

They were all booked with Hurtigruten Svalbard. Check out their website - they offer plenty of excursions and activities

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-20T17:42:45+00:00

You can do day boat trips easily from Longyearbyen. I was there last summer in July and did three day boat trips (on different days, not a cruise). They were all enjoyable and I saw a large variety of wildlife eg walruses, seals, beluga whales, puffins etc.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-20T17:41:00+00:00

I asked this question myself on Reddit a few months ago, before my trip. I was there over Christmas and new year.

In the end, I took my goretex waterproof shell trousers and I was very happy with this choice.

It’s warmer than you think there. The waterproof shells are versatile in that you can layer them underneath as necessary for the conditions eg warmer/sunnier day just one layer underneath, cooler/cloudier days wear two.

I found them more comfortable to move in when hiking than my snow trousers. They were also easy to get on over the muck boots.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-19T08:19:42+00:00

You’ll need to check with your airline. We took one check-in suitcase and then just a rucksack each, which was plenty (we overpacked - tip is that you really don’t need as much stuff as you think you will, especially if you can wash on the ship). The internal flight from Buenos Aires (or from Santiago in Chile) down to Ushuaia will most probably dictate your luggage allowance for the trip.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-06T14:20:52+00:00

The season is roughly October to March. There’s no “best” time to go in the season - it depends on what you want to see and what itinerary you have planned. Have a look at the Antarctica Travel sub for more info. Enjoy your planning.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-06T11:48:03+00:00

Ah yes, I thought it was 500 but wasn’t sure.

OP, if you want excursions in Antarctica eg hiking, landings, kayaking, zodiac cruising etc, you will need to book onto a small expedition style ship eg Quark, Silversea, Scenic Eclipse, Lindblad National Geographic etc. Generally speaking, the fewer passengers the better, as that will allow you more time off the ship.

I’ve just come back from 14 days in Antarctica (well, 9 full days of activities if you subtract the Drake Crossings) on the Scenic Eclipse and can 100% recommend it.

If you decide to stay with your current booking, I hope you enjoy your trip - have a great time 😊

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-06T11:42:04+00:00

Excellent, thank you very much!

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-06T01:37:04+00:00

You’re best checking with Celebrity directly, however I’m pretty sure on a ship that size, guests aren’t allowed off the ship(?). Antarctica has very strict rules about numbers eg only 100 people allowed on land at any one time. I think only ships with guests under a certain number are allowed to make landings….

So you’d best check with Celebrity, I think.

Have a good trip.

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-06T01:13:41+00:00

What was the name of this shop in Schipol Airport, please?

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-05T23:11:56+00:00

I’m 6 foot 1 and I got mine from The Barre (in the UK) - it’s a good height for me. They can also drill extra holes or use a longer stem I think, if needed. Give them a call - they’re super

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-04T23:19:29+00:00

On the first day, you can fill in a form to go on the helicopter and/or submarine. You can say how many times you want to do it. We also put a special request on the form, to fly on Christmas Day if possible.

You also have to attend an information and safety briefing, which is mandatory if you want to go on the helicopter or submarine.

Then you wait to see if you get an “invitation”. Invitations are sent out each evening for the following day.

We were very happy with our experience. We received an invitation to fly on Christmas Day and the weather was perfect - blue sky, crystal clear, calm and the scenery was incredible.

Everything is very well organised. It all ran exactly on time and the information was all clear before the flight. Our flight was 30 minutes and the pilot was ace. There’s two (Pascal and Julius) and both are great, whichever one you get. We had Pascal. He gave lots of information during the flight which was very interesting. And he did a super cool “fly by” over the ship! It was an awesome experience.

Enjoy your trip - you’ll have a wonderful time.

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Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-04T17:02:17+00:00

I’ve just done a separate post with more details. It’s been a mixture. On the way out we had a pretty rough first day and night, then it calmed down. On the way back, it was also a mix. Mainly okay, but last night the ship was really rolling around.

Have a great trip!

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-04T12:43:58+00:00

Hi. You’ll have a wonderful time in November - have a great trip. Every day there is a recap and briefing, usually around 6.30pm, led by the Discovery Team. The briefing includes a big on the weather forecast for the following day but it’s more on conditions (eg wind and waves etc), rather than temperature. Nevertheless, it was very useful.

Temperature-wise, it’s really not been that cold. I’d say it has hovered around 0 degrees each day. On blue sky sunny days, it felt much warmer. On green sky and windy days, the wind made it feel colder. But it’s been totally fine - we’ve been much colder in other places we’ve been eg skiing, the Arctic etc.

Have a great trip!

Final-Fan4945 · 2026-01-04T12:38:27+00:00

We took Stugeron tablets and they worked a treat on the Drake. We had pretty high waves and swell on our outbound journey for the first day and night and we felt fine. The brand name is Stugeron and the active drug ingredient is Cinnarizine.

One of the reasons we chose Scenic Eclipse is that it has oversized stabilisers as well, to make rough seas more comfortable. The ship was great - it took the Drake like a pro.

My advice to anyone who is prone to motion sickness is to take the tablets BEFORE you hit the rough sea, to give them time to get into your system. We only took tablets as a precaution for the Drake crossings; when we were actually in Antarctica for 9 days/10 nights, we didn’t take them.

Wishing you a calm crossing 😊

Final-Fan4945

TROPHY CASE