Can you get a cheap last minute Antarctica deal in Ushuaia?
Not any more, and planning around it is the most expensive mistake in polar travel. It used to work. Travellers would arrive in Ushuaia, walk the agency offices, and pick up an unsold cabin for a fraction of the list price. Agency offices there now see walk-ins almost daily and usually have nothing
How much does an Antarctica expedition cruise cost?
It covers a wide range, and the biggest lever is when you go rather than which ship you pick. December and January are the priciest months. Late February and March run roughly 20 to 40 percent below peak, and occasionally around half off when a deep discount lands. The idea that you must spend over
How much extra spending money do you need on an Antarctica cruise?
Budget for wifi, laundry, drinks and tips, plus any activities you pre-book like kayaking or camping. Beyond that the fare is the fare, and expedition ships don’t do the end-of-cruise surprises that mainstream lines are known for. There are no port charges, no taxes bolted on at disembarkation and n
Are the 30 percent off Antarctica cruise discounts real?
Yes, they’re real, and they’re also doing a job. The 30 percent discount exists so the operator never has to go to 50. They price a slow departure at 30 off, enough people book, and the deeper cut never becomes necessary. Which means the common instinct, seeing 30 percent and waiting for 50, usually
What is the cheapest way to visit Antarctica?
Sail rather than fly, travel in late February or March, take a lower cabin grade, and stay flexible about which ship and which date. Those four together move the number more than anything else. What doesn’t work any more is waiting for a deep last minute deal, which used to be the budget traveller’s
Should I book an Antarctica cruise early or wait for a last minute deal?
Book early. The market has moved decisively toward early bird pricing, and the deep last minute discounting that used to reward patience has largely disappeared. Waiting now tends to mean a higher price and a thinner choice of cabins and departures, which is the opposite of what people expect.
Why do people go to Antarctica?
The seventh continent is what gets most people looking. It’s the last frontier, the place that still feels out of reach, and for a lot of travellers it’s the final one on a list. What they talk about afterwards is usually different: the scale of the silence, the fact that nothing there is afraid of
How many tourists visit Antarctica each year?
Far fewer than most people assume, though the number has grown sharply over the last decade or so. Antarctic tourism is small compared with any mainstream destination, and the growth has come from more ships being built and more people treating the seventh continent as reachable rather than theoreti
Should you go to the Arctic or Antarctica?
Most people do Antarctica first, and there’s a logic to it. Antarctica is a single destination with a clear pull: the seventh continent, the last frontier. The Arctic is a region rather than a destination, covering Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland and the Northwest Passage, with very different trips ins
Are polar bear sightings guaranteed on an Arctic cruise?
No, and treat any operator who implies otherwise with caution. Polar bears are wild animals ranging over enormous distances of sea ice, and no itinerary can put one in front of you on schedule. Sightings are common enough on Svalbard voyages that most people come back having seen bears, often at dis