First time to Antarctica - Need some advice

[brettcornish]

New to Cruise Critic.  Nice to meet all of you and thank you for any help you might be able to give on Antarctica.  I have already started nosing around on different cruise lines and am seeing quite a difference in price.  We are interested in a cruise that we get tendered to the different parts of Antarctica, but am seeing pricing in the $15,000 - $20,000 per person (on Viking mainly).  Timeframe we are looking at is November 2023 - February 2024 to travel.

 

Are there any other cruise lines that you recommend that might not be as costly or if this is standard pricing to be able to properly experience Antarctica we are ok with that too.

 

Thanks for the help and assistance! 

 

 

[scottjeanne]

I am afraid you will find Antarctica, for an expedition cruise, to be very pricey.  Check on what is included.  Silver Seas and Seabourn are luxury cruise lines and include alcohol, excursions, often times kayaking, pre and post cruise hotels and transfers.  If you make a list, then you can compare apples to apples.  It is amazing and  I would definitely try to make it happen.

[pavementends]

You should not limit your investigation to only the major cruise lines with names you recognize, especially if price is an issue. Boots-on cruises to the Antarctic are going to be pricey but there are more budget-friendly alternatives.

 

Used to be there were companies that represented several smaller operators. The one I used to use is now out of business but you should be able to find others with a search on the web. Typically they represent a range of price levels and help you understand the differences. I do not think I am allowed to link directly.

 

I CAN mention names of ships that I know are lower in price. MV Ushuaia, M/V Plancius will get you started and if you do a google search you may turn up a link to companies that represent them.

 

By the way, I am NOT recommending particular ships as I haven't been on them.

 

Edited January 5, 2023 by pavementends
addition

[kaisatsu]

If you’re not looking for a luxury trip, there are a few companies offering comfortable 2/3-star levels of service for expedition trips. I’ve traveled with G Adventures and Oceanwide (who runs the aforementioned Plancius, but I was on Ortelius). Antarpply Expeditions runs the aforementioned MV Ushuaia, and Quark used to have some more basic ships in their fleet but is now trending towards higher-end options. In the more mid-range, I’ve traveled with Hurtigruten on their original polar ship MV Fram. I have friends who’ve been with Poseidon Expeditions and Albatross Expeditions. And if you’re looking for luxury, Ponant has a decent reputation for their trips.

 

The general recommendation is always to choose the longest trip on the smallest ship you can. Landings are limited to 100 passengers (sometimes less) at a time, so the closer to 100 capacity you travel with, the more time you will have ashore.

 

There’s a lot more information about the smaller companies on the TripAdvisor Antarctic Adventures forum. Conversely this forum has a lot more postings targeting the sail-by cruises on the bigger  mainline ships.

[ex-hippie]

We went with Hurtigruten back in 2008...not luxury but very good excursions. We saw their ships in Norway this summer, so it might be worth checking them out.

[donaldsc]

We are not allowed to recommend specific TAs on CC.  However there are travel agents out there that do only Antarctica cruises.  Do a Google search to find them.  Tell them exactly what you want and I will bet that they will find one that fits your needs at a lower price.  This worked wonderfully for me.

 

DON

[sherylc]

Unfortunately that price point seems to be pretty common in the last couple of years. I think the supply/demand went crazy with Covid knocking out a couple of years. One other thought as you continue your search: We just got back from an 18 day cruise on one of the "luxury cruise lines" that included South Georgia and the Falklands. While Antarctica was incredible, the highlight of our cruise was actually all of the stops we made in South Georgia. Raises the price point even a bit more, but if you are likely to make this a single "trip of a lifetime"  you might want to explore all options. 

[Heartfelttraveler]

Look at Hurtigruten.  They are a Norwegian company.  Get pricing from their US website (office in Seattle) for the expedition that interests you.  Then go on the Norwegian website (www.hurtigruten.no) and get the NOK pricing and do the conversion to USD.  Next, call the Seattle office and see if they will match the Norwegian website pricing.  We saved a ton of money doing this.

 

I did not want to book directly on the Norwegian site because of the translation issues and the T&Cs are different.

[brettcornish]

Thank you all!

[Lindae456]

On 1/4/2023 at 12:29 PM, brettcornish said:

New to Cruise Critic.  Nice to meet all of you and thank you for any help you might be able to give on Antarctica.  I have already started nosing around on different cruise lines and am seeing quite a difference in price.  We are interested in a cruise that we get tendered to the different parts of Antarctica, but am seeing pricing in the $15,000 - $20,000 per person (on Viking mainly).  Timeframe we are looking at is November 2023 - February 2024 to travel.

 

Are there any other cruise lines that you recommend that might not be as costly or if this is standard pricing to be able to properly experience Antarctica we are ok with that too.

 

Thanks for the help and assistance! 

 

 

We used Ponant, it was cheaper than the other ships, but still had some luxury. Definitely want a ship that is less than 200 people, and that does land tours. If u can squeeze in South Georgia is was amazing !! 

[VACruiser123]

Atlas Ocean Voyages has an ACTUAL two for one sale going on right now (not based on inflated fares that folks won't actually pay IMO). They are a "luxury" "all inclusive" line that has availability for as low as ~4K per person for OV sailings this year. It includes the round trip charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. The ships are brand new and they are also a new line. We have one booked.

[edhopper]

On 1/8/2023 at 8:17 PM, Heartfelttraveler said:

Look at Hurtigruten.  They are a Norwegian company.  Get pricing from their US website (office in Seattle) for the expedition that interests you.  Then go on the Norwegian website (www.hurtigruten.no) and get the NOK pricing and do the conversion to USD.  Next, call the Seattle office and see if they will match the Norwegian website pricing.  We saved a ton of money doing this.

 

I did not want to book directly on the Norwegian site because of the translation issues and the T&Cs are different.

We did this too and saved big. I went to the Norwegian site, and used Google Translate for it. Your way sounds better.

We leave Feb 13th.

[Katosmama]

We booked with a travel agent based in Ushuaia that specializes in Antarctica (and does the ground transportation arrangements for many of the cruises).  They have a mailing list you can sign up for and will email out sell offs as well for some decent pricing.  

[Dat35]

Thx for the topic.    I have a reservation with SilverSea Wind for the 18 day cruise departing Dec 18, 2023.     It’s pricey but this will probably be a one time journey for me and my son before he heads to college

I do have one question regarding flights from Santiago to Puerto Williams. Does anyone know if silver see guarantees a charter flight from Santiago to Puerto Williams? I see it listed in numerous locations on the web though am having a difficult time getting an answer from the booking agent.   Thx 

[Nitemare]

It was included for us a few years ago, but if your agent isn't giving you fast answers for a cruise like this it's time to find a new agent