And if you like seals in their natural habitat, there’s southern elephant seals, weddell seals, ross seals, leopard seals, crabeater seals and Antarctic fur seals. Of course Antarctic wildlife watching is always free and included in your trip. It’s included in most trips, weather permitting, and you’ll get to come home with some cool photos to prove you did it. Any decent company, like the ones we recommend above, will also have daily onboard seminars from guides, scientists, biologists and historians to share information about the continent.
I sailed on a cruise line you know nothing about—here are 5 reasons why you should give it a try - Cruise Blog
I sailed on a cruise line you know nothing about—here are 5 reasons why you should give it a try.
Posted: Tue, 26 Dec 2023 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Ocean Adventurer
Think casually elegant style -- this time, more reminiscent of a posh ski resort in warmth and coziness -- perfect for a vessel with polar pursuits. Passengers are pampered by an attentive crew and all-inclusive amenities such as free-flowing alcohol and caviar, all-suite digs and a photo studio. Quark is also favored by those who prefer flying over the Drake to either save time with a shorter vacay or avoid seasickness concerns. Cruisers wanting bragging rights for crossing the Antarctic Circle -- many expeditions don't venture that far south -- or to see the rare king, or even rarer, Emperor penguins.
Wildlife
One of the smaller vessels in the region, the Ocean Nova carries only 48 passengers. The Ocean Nova offers outside cabins, a presentation room, nice bar, spacious dining room, gym and a comfortable library. Scenic is for cruisers seeking the ultimate hybrid of a luxury cruise ship and a small environmentally conscious expedition vessel. It is also attractive for adventurers wanting to try more unusual Antarctic experiences, such as snowshoeing, viewing wildlife from a submarine or soaring above ice floes in a helicopter. A pioneer in polar travel, Ponant has a long tradition of operating voyages to Antarctica, and this series of ship was specially designed for such trips.
Cabin Size
Contact our Antarctica ship experts for a free consultation to narrow down your choices. Laying undiscovered to mankind until the eighteenth century, no continent is as remote or uncharted as Antarctica, an otherworldly, timeless realm steeped in heroic tales of human endeavor. Here, bizarrely no official time zone exists, and all the lines of longitude segmenting the planet converge at the South Pole, a singular, frigid focal point where confoundingly every hour on earth is happening instantaneously. It is a place preserved for peace and science that does not belong to any one person or nation, a paragon of cooperation, and shimmering symbol of hope for all humanity.
Authentic Expedition Ships
Sail the icy waters of the Drake Passage, keeping watch for seabirds, whales and icebergs. Explore the “Last Continent,” teeming with penguins, seals, whales and other wildlife. Start planning your journey to exploring this pristine world of ice, wildlife, and awe-inspiring beauty. Hear the beautiful 'symphony of the ice' as you glide silently past nature's frozen works of art in a sea kayak. Designed for close-up polar exploration, there's no better way to encounter the wildlife of Antarica and to enjoy its soul-stirring scenery.
Think casinos, specialty restaurants and flashy entertainment when you aren’t out nature-watching. Other unusual features include a full-blown science center with state-of-the-art gadgets and underwater drones for passenger use. World Navigator is the first of five nearly identical sister vessels that Atlas Ocean Voyages will roll out by late 2024, many of which will sail regularly to Antarctica. Have one good FULL set of cold weather clothes, with lots of layers included (including thermal underwear). The day trip and the drive over with a stop at a local winery gave us a good flavor for the region as well as a day to adjust and get ready for the next leg of the journey. Sea Adventurer may be old but a wonderfully comfortable and tough old bird.
Silversea: Expeditions Offer Door-to-Door Luxury on Antarctica Cruises
The type of Antarctica ship you choose will very much depend on your budget and type of experience you’re looking to book. Photography enthusiasts, who want to learn from and shoot pics with a National Geographic photography expert are next in line, as are active explorers, who care more about adventure than fancy cruising. A sister vessel to Viking Octantis, Viking Polaris, will debut in August 2022 and also will sail to polar regions.
South Georgia, Antarctica and Falklands Explorer
A fleet of modern luxury ships has emerged in recent years, offering an increase level of comfort and efficiency. Newly launched luxury ships with upscale cabins, the latest amenities, the finest cabins and superb service will cost more. Antarctica expedition ships provide a sweet spot between the simpler research ships and the more extravagant luxury ships. There are a wide variety of expedition ships with various sizes, configurations, amenities and styles.
For instance, if a ship offers kayaking, then kayaks will be on board. A mudroom is a locker room area where guests stage before going ashore. A well-designed, purpose-built mudroom can increase the efficiency of embarking guests and going ashore.
We’ve been travelling and working in Antarctica since 2017, first as photographers and content creators, then as tour guides taking our own groups to this beautiful part of the world. Although kayaking opportunities are possible in most locations during each excursion in the Antarctic region, weather, sea and ice conditions will dictate the when and where to ensure your safety and improve your experience. During your last evening onboard, join the Captain and Officers for the Farewell Cocktail Party, followed by a presentation of photos and video by our onboard photographer – the ideal opportunity to re-live your Antarctic adventure. From expedition leaders who have climbed all seven of the world’s highest peaks to kayak guides who have recreated Ernest Shackleton’s historic journey to Antarctica, Seabourn’s crew are arguably some of the world’s most interesting. By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services.
On the downside, the helicopter pad and hangars eat up a lot of space on the vessel's top deck, as do the suites along the vessel's sharply sloping front. The result is a ship with less outdoor space for viewing scenery than is typical for small vessels operating polar trips. For that reason, I am partial to the older but more intimate Hurtigruten polar vessel Fram, which carries just 200 passengers when operating in Antarctica. But Roald Amundsen and Fridtjof Nansen have one big advantage versus that ship and many others operating in Antarctica, which is that their starting rates for trips to the region are significantly lower. Each vessel has two glass-walled "igloos" on its top deck where passengers can spend the night under the stars.
The Seaventure features the highest ice class awarded to passenger vessels, a sauna, a fitness center, a custom-built citizen science lab, a heated saltwater pool and much more. Cruise Critic is not a booking agent and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners who list cruise pricing on Cruise Critic are required to provide prices for cruise only or cruise packages, per person, double occupancy, and are based on specific cabin types and sailing dates, and may not be available for all cabin types/sailings. When you book with one of our partners, please be sure to check their site for a full disclosure of all applicable fees as required by the U.S. Then we’ll provide you with our expert packing advice, insider travel tips, and more to ensure you are fully prepared for—and maximize your enjoyment of—your once-in-a-lifetime Antarctica expedition.
You can also choose from a variety of accommodation arrangements, from single cabins to room-sharing, depending on your preference. Antarctica isn't part of one single country, rather it is a continent governed under a series of recognized guidelines and agreements called the Antarctic Treaty System. Antarctica refers to the seventh continent of the world and is largely situated in the Antarctic Circle - a line of latitude sitting at around 66.5° south of the equator - at the base of the globe. Antarctica isn't owned by one single country, instead governed internationally through the Antarctic Treaty system signed in 1959 by 12 countries who had sent scientists to Antarctica during and around that time.
Carrying just 138 passengers, the National Geographic Endurance is one of the most advanced and modern expedition cruise ships. One of the smallest expedition ships in Antarctica, the Island Sky is the perfect vessel for wildlife watching. Equipped with 11 zodiacs and excellent deck space, you’ll never miss a thing.
Your expedition cruise ends in Ushuaia, the main city in Tierra del Fuego, Argentina’s southernmost province. From here, you’ll take a flight back to Buenos Aires, but it doesn’t have to be the end of your adventure. Crossing the Antarctic Circle and continuing well south to Marguerite Bay, we’ll explore various islands along the way. You'll join the Expedition Team on landings and ice-cruises whenever opportunities present themselves.
Diving in Antarctica is a very unique experience where you can see marine mammals, krill and ice, but it does require advanced PADI certification, ice-diving certs and at least 20 logged ice dives. A couple of companies now also offer skiing and snowboarding trips to Antarctica. If you love the idea of kayaking but don’t want to do it every single day on your trip, many companies now offer what’s called ‘day paddle excursions’, where you sign up for a once-off and jump in an inflatable kayak for an hour or two. Zodiacs not only allow you to step food on land, but they also let you get up close to icebergs, glaciers, and wildlife. You’ll then have a massive three sea days to get to the Peninsula for your 4 days hanging around here.
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