Sunday, March 31, 2024

Antarctica Cruise Reviews 2024 UPDATED: Ratings of Cruises to Antarctica

antarctica cruise reviews

I, on the other hand, had come to the spa not for whales, but to try the Nordic bathing ritual of alternating between heated rooms like the sauna or steam room and cooling experiences like a cold water bucket dump and a snow room. It wasn't so different from the rest of my day, moving from the comfort of my cozy cabin to the extreme outdoors of the Antarctic Peninsula and now to this steamy spa. Arctic Cruise Around Svalbard By John Roberts The High Arctic is the land of the polar bears, walruses, and incredible ice floes and formations that encircle the top of the world. Heading to this remote region on an expedition cruise is one of the all-time travel...

Alaska Cruise Packing Tips — Heidi Shares Her Packing List For Alaska Quirky Cruising

It features storage shelves, a large vanity, an oversized shower, and marble finishes. With a rainfall showerhead and jet options, the walk-in shower is like a mini-spa in your stateroom. Not to mention, it’s also stocked with luxurious L’OCCITANE amenities. We appreciated the larger sofa in our Horizon stateroom, as it came in handy for doing work during our sea days. The room also features a coffee table and fairly large desk giving us more space to spread out. The desk houses the stocked mini-fridge as well as a Nespresso Coffee machine and Kusmi Teas, which is definitely a nice touch.

Albatros Expeditions

The ship shuddered and rattled as it rose on the crest of waves then crashed down into the troughs. Once in Antarctica, crunching through the ice made a cacophony in my water-level cabin. Its reported $385 million cost makes this the world’s most expensive cruise ship on a per-berth basis (almost $2 million per berth). The money poured into the German design and engineering ensure it performs like a finely tuned, elite sports car such as a Porsche, the analogy by one of its first captains. I never dreamed I’d get to go back, this time on the extraordinarily luxurious Silver Endeavour.

What to Wear in Antarctica – Ultimate Travel Packing List

The cabin itself was more spacious than I’d hoped for, with 2 twin beds, a closet, several shelves, hooks to hang our gear, and a desk. By limiting its passenger count to 199, Intrepid ensured that everyone who paid to cruise down to Antarctica was able to actually set foot on Antarctica. Note that in order to board my cruise to Antarctica, I had to provide proof of my COVID-19 vaccination status as well as complete an antigen test shortly before departure. Check out Intrepid’s Safe Travels page for current requirements. Rachelle Berke had travelled to more than 60 countries before deciding to visit... The Polar Plunge - leaping off a ship into the freezing waters below - has become...

For dinner, I could also make reservations at The Restaurant for a big-ship-style three-course meal with waiter service. For a date night or a group celebration, or just Thursday, Manfredi's wowed with its housemade pasta and Italian specialties. Shackleton could have survived for days on a plate of the restaurant's droolworthy gorgonzola gnocchi. Our shakedown cruise was actually cut short by a day since we learned on the night before we were to call Deception Island, our last landing, that fog was forecast for several days at King George.

antarctica cruise reviews

From countries including the U.S., Canada, Argentina, and Norway, among others, they were an eclectic mix of nationalities and personalities. With Atlas Ocean Voyages’ all-inclusive yacht experience, travelers don’t have to worry about all the details. The cruise includes roundtrip charter flights from Buenos Aires to the southernmost city and back. Additionally, all voyages include a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay in Buenos Aires and a cultural immersion tour in Ushuaia before boarding the ship. The ship's 22-person-strong expedition team is made up of mountain and kayak guides, but also naturalists, biologists and other experts.

Still, it filled the time until we were allowed to board the vessel. Many cruisers did choose to spend several days ahead of the cruise exploring the city. However, given our travel schedule, we opted for just the one night in this Argentinian capital. As part of the maiden voyage, the cruise line hosted a special dinner, complete with a chorizo steak and a tango dance show. I admit I was nervous about spending 11 nights on a cruise ship in the middle of nowhere, but by the time we disembarked in Ushuaia, I found I was a bit teary about leaving. The ship had quickly become my home, and the crew and my shipmates my family, and I knew I would miss them all.

THE 25 BEST 10 Day Cruises to Antarctica (Prices & Itineraries) on Cruise Critic - Cruise Critic

THE 25 BEST 10 Day Cruises to Antarctica (Prices & Itineraries) on Cruise Critic.

Posted: Fri, 19 Apr 2024 04:31:24 GMT [source]

I found Goldilocks in Antarctica with this big little ship that’s just right

But with so many different tour operators to choose from, finding the best Antarctic cruise for your trip to the White Continent is no easy feat. When our group was finally called, we boarded the zodiac and headed straight toward a rookery of penguins. Here, we were able to get close enough for photo proof that we reached the peninsula. The ship departed Cierva Cove attempting to find a calmer area in the region for our afternoon outing.

Staff and Crew

Either way, it’s paramount to really look into what’s included in your package. Some voyages may seem very cheap upfront but then charge extra for essentials like shore excursions, gear rentals, or even certain onboard facilities. But if the company you’re looking at doesn’t have any obvious benefits such as helicopters or more days at sea, most of the price increase is for better food and nicer rooms. For that reason we don’t recommend booking a trip on a vessel that carries any more than 200 people total, and ideally less than 100 people if you can find one. IAATO, the body that regulates tourism in Antarctica, has strict rules around the number of passengers from any one ship that can leave the vessel at any one time. All of their ships have under 200 passengers too, meeting IAATO regulations for number of people off the ship at any one time.

On an Antarctica cruise aboard the sleek, new 200-passenger Silver Endeavour, the ship glided silently past towering mountains of snow between glittering icebergs. In February 2024, @ruinedvacation posted on TikTok that a cruise line had made a last-minute name change to its itinerary via its app. There are many different cruise lines that make their way down to Antarctica. However, in order to have the best chance of stepping on land, you’ll want to aim for a ship carrying fewer than 200 passengers. If kayaking was more your thing, you could also sign up for the sea kayaking program.

During sailings in warmer climates, there is also the outdoor 7AFT Pool Bar located on Deck 7 nearby the pool, whirlpools, and 7AFT Grill. Not to mention, there are bottles of still water in the staterooms replenished daily and a Vero water station near Paula’s Pantry to refill water bottles throughout the day. Unique to Atlas is the Alma section of the menu, featuring Portuguese specialties paying tribute to the cruise line’s heritage.

Comfortable, state-of-the-art rooms with balconies; stylish restaurants and lounges with upscale, Scandinavian-inspired decor; a spa; and a yoga studio with wall-to-wall windows round out the onboard experience. Tourists have been visiting Antarctica in small numbers since 1966, when adventure tour pioneer Lars-Eric Lindblad led a small group of "citizen scientists" to the Antarctic Peninsula on a chartered Argentine navy ship. But for many of the 56 years since then, a trip to Antarctica has meant a sailing on a relatively spartan vessel. There is very little you need to pay for once on board the ship.

One of the more unique tour operators on our list, Bark EUROPA is an expedition company that offers voyages to Antarctica like no other. The company started sailing in 2000, but its namesake ship, the Europa, is a tall ship that’s been at sea since it was first built in 1911 in Hamburg, Germany. You don’t have to sail on a refitted research vessel to explore this polar region.

Directly across from the bed was the flatscreen television, and there was a small nightstand on each side of the bed. Though, only one side features a USB outlet for charging devices in the evening. With fantastic 180-degree views overlooking the ship’s bow, it is great for sightseeing during the day. In the evenings, there is light piano music and a lot of laughs. This is the spot for all the night owls, featuring the same cocktail menu as the Atlas Lounge. Like most cruise lines, the Madeira Restaurant boasts an elegant three-course menu each evening.

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. Hurtigruten offers four optional add-on activities on their Antarctica expeditions. Due to limited spaces in these activities, interested passengers must attend an info session on board and, if still interested, submit their name for a lottery. This expedition company is highly specialized in travel to Antarctica with their first full season voyages beginning in 2013.

"Pass me more chocolate from the magic drawer," I said to Emily one afternoon after we'd shrugged out of our multiple thermal layers and collapsed on our beds in our fleece pullovers and leggings. She handed over a small bar of Norwegian milk chocolate, as well as a bottle of soda water from our minifridge, which our room stewards topped up every day to keep us in a never-ending supply of treats. Perhaps the experience should have been jarring — dripping sweat in a swimsuit while gazing at one of the harshest climates on the planet — but cozy comfort in the midst of a rugged adventure is the calling card of Viking Polaris.

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