What does a penguin safari itinerary actually include?
Usually the same route and the same penguins as a classic Peninsula voyage. Operators invent itinerary names to stand out in a crowded market, and it used to be just classic, extended and Circle. A penguin safari is a classic. A March whale watching trip is a classic in late season, when there are m
How many days do you need for an Antarctica expedition cruise?
Count landing days rather than total days, and the arithmetic changes how the options look. A standard 10 or 11 day sailed voyage spends about four days crossing the Drake, so you get roughly four or five days of actual excursions. Push to 12 or 14 days and almost all the extra time lands on site, w
Are the Falkland Islands worth visiting on an Antarctica cruise?
Yes, and they’re the most underappreciated stop on the classic route. The birdlife is different from anything further south, with black-browed albatross colonies, several penguin species in one place, and a landscape that feels more like the Scottish islands than the Antarctic. Stanley gives you an
Do Antarctica cruises actually land on the Antarctic continent?
Yes. If you step on land anywhere in Antarctica, including the islands you’d normally visit, you have made a continental landing. The idea that only the mainland counts is a distinction that leaked out of the Antarctic Treaty’s messy definitions and into cruise marketing, and it doesn’t hold up. Mos
Is crossing the Antarctic Circle the same as visiting Antarctica?
No, and the two get mixed up constantly. A lot of people say they want to cross the Antarctic Circle when what they actually mean is that they want to go to Antarctica. Crossing the Circle is a specific thing that costs you transit days, because the ship has to push considerably further south. That
Why are Antarctica cruises so expensive?
Because almost every input costs more than it does anywhere else. The ships are ice-strengthened and purpose-built for a route they can only sail for about five months a year, so the capital has to earn back over a short season. Guide teams are far larger than on a normal cruise, because the landing
How far in advance are Antarctica cruise schedules released?
About 18 months ahead, sometimes closer to two years. That means a season two years away is often already on sale while the one in front of it is filling up. The useful quirk is that the far-out season sometimes carries better early bird pricing than the nearer one, because the near season is alread
When is the cheapest time to book an Antarctica cruise?
Two things move the number, and they work in different directions to what most people assume. Sailing late in the season, February and March, costs less than the Christmas and January peak. And booking early now beats booking late, because the market has shifted to early bird pricing and the deep la
What is included in the price of an Antarctica expedition cruise?
More than most people expect, and expedition ships are unusually clean about it. Meals, all your landings and Zodiac cruising, the lecture programme and access to the ship’s doctor are standard, and some lines include a parka. There are no port charges, no taxes bolted on at the end, and no overweig
What happens if the price drops after I book my Antarctica cruise?
You won’t get the difference back. That’s standard across the operators we work with, and it’s worth knowing before you spend the months after booking watching the price. Cabin upgrades do sometimes come up when a ship is rearranging its manifest closer to departure, which is a nicer outcome than a