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The cost of an Antarctica cruise largely depends on the departure date, how long the cruise goes for, and the type of cabin you book on the ship but most cruises start from USD$4,500. Get closer to the action with, not one, but two daily excursions on land and, via Zodiacs, at sea. Named after the legendary Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen - the first man to traverse the Northwest Passage in 1903, and reach the Geographical South Pole in 1911. MS Roald Amundsen is as pioneering as the man it is named after, the state-of-the-art ship features new and environmentally sustainable hybrid technology that reduces fuel consumption and shows the world that hybrid propulsion on large ships is possible.
Viking Octantis
Have You Heard of These 3 Under-the-Radar Antarctica Cruise Lines? - TravelAge West
Have You Heard of These 3 Under-the-Radar Antarctica Cruise Lines?.
Posted: Fri, 16 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
While the scenery is mesmerising throughout, the choice of month can tailor very different wildlife encounters and unique experiences. All commercial operators that run trips to Antarctica during the Southern Hemisphere’s spring and summer months, stretching from late October to March, with the majority being between November and February. When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. While we don’t cover all available credit cards, our editorial team creates and maintains all of the analysis of these cards, and our content is not influenced nor subject to review by any credit card company, bank or partner prior to (or after) publication.
Atlas Unveils 2025-2026 Antarctica Season
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. 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.
Environmental Responsibility When Choosing an Antarctica Cruise Operator
Despite its seemingly unforgiving, yet hauntingly beautiful landscape, legions of tuxedoed-looking penguins waddle across the rocky terrain while giant elephant seals lounge on its shores. Witness some of Earth’s most beautiful scenery in one of Earth’s least hospitable environments. Antarctica is the coldest, highest, windiest, and driest of all Earth’s continents, though it grants our cruise passengers access to many of the most dazzling sights our planet has to offer.
About the The Antarctica Explorer
Some surgeries won’t do it, which will mean booking an online appointment with the ship’s own physician, possibly in a different time zone, and at your own cost. In February 2024, @ruinedvacation posted on TikTok that a cruise line had made a last-minute name change to its itinerary via its app. Instead of visiting Paradise Bay on the Antarctic Peninsula, the Norwegian Cruise Line ship visited Admiralty Bay in the South Shetland Islands (an island group 75 miles north of the Antarctic Peninsula), before heading to the Falklands. For those who wish to contribute to our understanding of this remote region, some companies collaborate with research institutions to allow passengers to participate in data collection and other scientific activities. While most ships have an expedition photographer onboard whose job it is to document the entire trip, providing the images and videos to the guests at the end, most companies don’t have dedicated photography workshops. If you’re a hardcore mountaineer or experienced rock climber there are a number of small expedition companies that offer these activities on certain itineraries.
Spent $19,000 to travel to Antarctica via the Drake Passage, worth it - Business Insider
Spent $19,000 to travel to Antarctica via the Drake Passage, worth it.
Posted: Wed, 21 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
AB Expeditions Blog
Sail past glaciers where you can spot leopard seals that will greet you with indistinguishable grins. Witness the largest animal to ever exist, the blue whale -- species in Antarctica have been measured to be as big as three school buses! Don’t forget to get your camera ready for Emperor Penguin and other rare bird sightings. 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. You can contact us 24 hours 7 days a week, with any burning (or shall we say freezing?) questions.
Active exploration
It’s included in most trips, weather permitting, and you’ll get to come home with some cool photos to prove you did it. Once you’ve used a zodiac to get to shore you have a few other included activities – landings and hiking. Starting in Buenos Aires or Ushuaia, you then have one sea day to make it to Falkland Islands, then usually have two days exploring around the British archipelago.
They all are hardy (with 1C ice class ratings from Lloyd's Register) but also stylish, with contemporary interiors and comfortable rooms. Lindblad was the original pioneer of tourist trips to Antarctica, and it has years of experience in the region that has helped shape the way it designed these nearly identical vessels, both specifically built for polar travel. The cruise season for Antarctica begins in late October/early November and ends in mid-March. This is spring/summer in the Southern Hemisphere, and it's also the only time of year that Antarctica is accessible to cruise ships.
Holland America Line: Point-to-Point Journeys to Antarctica
You’re on a large expedition ship which is designed to handle much worse conditions than the Drake. 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.
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. These countries included Argentina, Australia, France, Japan, New Zealand, the United States, and the United Kingdom. While plenty of animals live in Antarctica (such as various species of whale, penguin, seal and bird), there are very few humans that call Antarctica home, instead using the region as a base for research.
Gray rock peaks punch out of the wind-carved snow, passing icebergs dot the dark blue waters, and wildlife abounds that can be seen nowhere else – all serving to remind us that we are truly in another world. On an HX expedition cruise to Antarctica, you’ll be an explorer not a passenger. Cross the Drake Passage and explore expedition-style as we seek out remote landing sites for nature encounters.
Their trips however are on the pricier side, which is something to consider. In our opinion though the quality product that you receive with Aurora is worth the price, and they are known in the industry for being one of the top operators. Canadian company Quark Expeditions is one of the true pioneers in polar adventures. And if you ask for opinions from a travel agent, they’ll just tell you the one that either a) pays them the most commission or b) is going to offer them a free trip if they sell X number of spots. With more than 100 operators running trips to Antarctica it’s very easy to be overwhelmed with who to go with.
Get up close to whales, sea lions, elephant seals, and vibrant colonies of seabirds and penguins on numerous Zodiac excursions and landings, visit research stations, and immerse yourself in a true Antarctic adventure. Casual and comfortable layers in a mix of natural and performance fabrics —moisture-wicking or thermal base layers, polar fleeces, thermal leggings, waterproof jackets and pants, hats, gloves, and casual elegant evening attire — is optimal. Set out on an Oceanwide Expeditions Antarctica cruise and experience the outermost edge of human exploration.
Note that, currently, its Antarctica sailings are being mostly marketed by Ponant itself, which means they may draw mostly French-speaking travelers. Scenic Eclipse also was the first Antarctica-bound cruise vessel to boast helicopters to take passengers on epic (and pricey) Antarctica excursions -- and it has a submarine for underwater exploring, too. Having experienced a helicopter excursion from the vessel, I can say that it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Just unveiled in August 2021, World Navigator is the first vessel for Atlas Ocean Voyages, an all-new cruise operator that's focused on "luxe adventure" trips -- and it's already high on my list of favorite ships for polar exploring.
