Antartcic or Australia/New Zealand

[CHEZMARYLOU]

If you could only choose one of these cruises, which would it be and why? We are looking at the cruise of the life time and for us it is all about nature, scenery. Both cruises are very appealing with less flight time for Antarctic.

[cb at sea]

Either/or....depends on WHAT you want to see and do!

[Host Jazzbeau]

I was booked on a Celebrity Antartica cruise until I saw some videos of people standing on the top deck in several inches of slushy snow for the scenic viewing. Switched to the terrific New Zealand-focused itinerary on Solstice Nov. 20, 2018. Now to convince DW she can stand the long flights...

[GUT2407]

Antarctica.

[edgee]

We cruised to Antarctica on Infinity 5 years ago. Sailed by first island ,but incoming weather forced cancellation of entire rest of Antarctic cruise. Had a lovely visit with extra time in southern Argentina instead and even lucked out with rare perfect weather and seas in Falklands. However it is hard to get over disappointment of never really seeing more than about 45 minutes worth of Antarctica. Weather can be a problem anywhere and NZ is sometimes a weather challenge but if you have one big trip to choose I would stay away from Antarctica, based on our experience.

[GottaKnowWhen]

We cruised to Antarctica on Infinity 5 years ago. Sailed by first island ,but incoming weather forced cancellation of entire rest of Antarctic cruise. Had a lovely visit with extra time in southern Argentina instead and even lucked out with rare perfect weather and seas in Falklands. However it is hard to get over disappointment of never really seeing more than about 45 minutes worth of Antarctica. Weather can be a problem anywhere and NZ is sometimes a weather challenge but if you have one big trip to choose I would stay away from Antarctica, based on our experience.

Risk-Reward balancing act. Note: the following is for example, NOT real numbers! Lets say Antarctica is a 9.5 on 10 point scale. NZ is maybe 7.5 on the same scale. If you do Antarctica, there is a 40% chance that the weather etc. will prevent you from realizing all your expectations. If you do NZ, there is a 95% chance that it will be everything you wanted. Do you go for 95% likelihood of a 7.5 or a 60% likelihood of a 9.5? Only you can make that assessment.

I have done the Celebrity Antarctica itinerary on Infinity out of Buenos Aires. Great trip, weather was a bit too warm in southern Argentina and the penguins were obviously heat-distressed (though we did have snow for an hour or two in the southern reaches of the Drake Passage), foggy conditions early in Paradise Bay, but it cleared some after awhile. Very similar to our experiences with Mendenhall Glacier in Alaska. Time spent in Argentina before and after was wonderful and we look forward to going back to the same neighborhood next year. So I would choose Antarctica, based on our experience.

 

Stan

[Pushka]

Antarctica.

 

But you live in Australia!!!!

[Traveling Fools]

Life or Death.....same choice! You are asking others to make a blind recommendation. If this is going to be the CRUISE OF YOUR LIFE, regardless of itinerary look at a National Geographic cruise and don't fret the cost!

[GUT2407]

But you live in Australia!!!!

Yep, that's why I said they should go to Antarctica.

 

But seriously somewhere I'd love to visit and I think much more chance of line's stopping go there than to Aus.

[Pushka]

Yep, that's why I said they should go to Antarctica.

 

 

 

But seriously somewhere I'd love to visit and I think much more chance of line's stopping go there than to Aus.

 

 

My point is that you've seen Australia. Obviously. So no need to do an Aussie cruise.

[villauk]

I think you have to decide where would YOU REALLY like to visit. If you were prevented from travelling in the future, which of the two would you be more devastated to think you would not be able to explore?

 

We've been to Australia a few times (visiting siblings) and during our last visit we tagged on a cruise to NZ. Apart from the Sounds, I've never been anywhere so similar to the UK. Obviously only my opinion, but each port stop reminded me of Scotland, Wales, Cornwall etc. Don't get me wrong, we had a fabulous vacation and thoroughly enjoyed our time there. It was the right choice for that time in our lives. Now Antarctica is on my bucket list, but unfortunately the season dates for the cruises don't fit in our life schedule - if they did, I'd be booking tomorrow :D. Go with your gut instinct of which itinerary is drawing you more. I'm sure whichever one you choose, you'll have the trip of a lifetime ;).

[neil.roberts.77985]

Hi - I sailed on the Infinty in Feb to Antartica - it was the cruise of a lifetime and I would do it again in a heart beat. If you want a bucket list cruise, go to Antartica.

 

 

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[Opua Kiwi]

Have you read up on the Antarctic section in the Ports of Call forum ?

 

Can you manage an expedition ship ?

If so, then do the physical one while you can.

The best nature experiences require you to be physically on the ice.

 

You could still do NZ when less physically active, and avoid one flight by doing a repositioning one way.

[LuAnn]

WOW...a tough choice...we have been lucky enough to have gone "round the horn" and to Ant. on Infinity...if I had to choose??..probably Ant. because of the CC tour we did with Patrick Watts in the Falklands...but that is a port of call that is missed often...but the BEST shore excursion...ever...for us!!! LuAnn

[north29]

Have you read up on the Antarctic section in the Ports of Call forum ?

 

Can you manage an expedition ship ?

If so, then do the physical one while you can.

The best nature experiences require you to be physically on the ice.

 

You could still do NZ when less physically active, and avoid one flight by doing a repositioning one way.

 

This is what I was about to say. Do it now if you are capable. Like me I want to do some of The Way of St James, I can still do a packaged hike, but wife may not be able to because of her knee. SO REPEAT my self, DO THE HARD TRAVEL WHEN YOU CAN.

 

Side note, my ladies problem just started a year or so ago, so as you age, bad stuff can quickly happen as you age

[LuAnn]

This is what I was about to say. Do it now if you are capable. Like me I want to do some of The Way of St James, I can still do a packaged hike, but wife may not be able to because of her knee. SO REPEAT my self, DO THE HARD TRAVEL WHEN YOU CAN.

 

Side note, my ladies problem just started a year or so ago, so as you age, bad stuff can quickly happen as you age[/quote

 

 

Wonderful advice...my Mom and Dad and a great boss always told me the same thing..."Go while you can"....TBH...we are at the end of those days....just T/As for us now I think...but I treasure each and every cruise...where we "went for it"...you will too....go for it!!! LuAnn

[floridatravelersforlife]

You can do both.

 

We did the Infinity Cruise in 2010(from BA) and separately did a 30 day road trip of North and South Island of New Zealand in 2006.

 

However while in New Zealand we met a group coming off an Antarctic expedition ship. The ships leave there and travel to the mainland of Antarctica (Ross Sea rather than the Peninsula). The photos they showed us were outstanding.

 

One could do NZ and a Antarctic trip. The cost would be high but beauty of that trip would last a lifetime of memory.

[4774Papa]

I looked into a cruise to Antartica. The consensus was that about half of those cruises are either aborted by bad weather, or that continent is not seen at all.

 

Further, those cruises are expensive. Australia was great and we are going to NZ next year. Doubt if we will ever try to go to Antartica.

[herbanrenewal]

I'm having the time of my life with bucket list post-retirement trips. As I see my peers dealing with more health issues, and my knees and back send me reminders when I do too much, I join the crowd advocating do it now - rank the places you would love to see, but start making every trip the trip of a lifetime. (My first Trip-of-a-Lifetime was about 20 years ago, my first trip to Europe. Thank God my definition of trip of a lifetime is now wherever I'm going next)

 

For what its worth my priorities include nature and photography ops. From my avid utube watching I know that Antarctica and NZ are totally different experiences, with maybe penguins in common but more kinds in Antarctica. Antarctica is totally cold weather and nature-rich experiences so different than any other destination...I'm looking for 2019 for that one - I'm happily planning for NZ/Aus trip this year, and have scheduled Galapagos for 2018. 2 years ago we did the around the horn from BA, Argentina to Valparaiso, Chile. I can heartily recommend adding that to your Trip of a Lifetime list!

 

As others have said only you can make this decision. And rather than looking at the opinion of others who may value totally different destination characteristics, I'd recommend you spend some free time checking out u-tube videos from fellow travelers to check out real experiences and can better judge what suits you best.

[sippican]

OP - just curious, is there a reason you excluded the Galapagos from your "trip of a lifetime" choices?

[kobecat]

WOW...a tough choice...we have been lucky enough to have gone "round the horn" and to Ant. on Infinity...if I had to choose??..probably Ant. because of the CC tour we did with Patrick Watts in the Falklands...but that is a port of call that is missed often...but the BEST shore excursion...ever...for us!!! LuAnn

 

 

I don't think you can call the Falklands and the Horn an Antarctic cruise. A "real " Antarctic cruise would go from Ushuaia and generally an expedition ship.

 

 

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[donaldsc]

Antarctica but not on Celebrity. If you do Antarctica on a large ship, it is what I call a drive by cruise which is the equivalent of doing a circumnavigation of Australia but stopping at no ports and never getting off the ship. How much of Sydney would you see if you went into the harbour, cruised around a bit and then cruised out? You want to go on a small ship where you make landings.

 

DON

[ClaudiaB]

I agree that Celebrity might not be the cruise line for Antarctica. It's on our bucket list, too. I don't want a drive-by though. The Hurtigruten ships, National Geographic Explorer -- those are more about what I'd like to see in a bottom-of-the-world trip. I'm sure the Celebrity cruise is lovely but I know me. I'd be extremely disappointed in just riding by Elephant Island or some other part of that continent without being able to set foot on it a few times.

 

Our "My husband's retired" cruise will be in 2019 or 2020. We plan to do a series of cruises around Australia and New Zealand and up into Indonesia. Perhaps it will be one cruise line, perhaps a segment of one of the world cruises (Viking interests us) and maybe a couple cruise lines with lined-up itineraries. Still planning.

[CHEZMARYLOU]

Thanks for all the replies, you've given us a lot to consider.:confused:

[LuAnn]

I don't think you can call the Falklands and the Horn an Antarctic cruise. A "real " Antarctic cruise would go from Ushuaia and generally an expedition ship.

 

 

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I agree...but when your DH is in his late 70s at the time...you do what you can do...a drive by was it for us....he is now "staring" 81 in the face...and we are fortunate to sail...at all these days!!!...Thanks for your input and thoughts!!! LuAnn