Top 10 Reasons To Book A Cruise To Antarctica
The reasons for that are not for a list such as this one where we focus on the great experience’s cruisers can enjoy by visiting the southern polar region and the reasons as to why you should visit Antarctica.
No matter if you are an experienced cold weather cruiser who has visited the likes of the Norwegian Arctic or Alaska, to usually sail in the warm waters of the Caribbean or the Mediterranean, or maybe you have never even cruised before and are simply wanting a new experience, this is the list for you.
So many people, including experienced cruisers see Antarctica as almost a magical land that only those intrepid explorers of yesteryear or those with unlimited wealth can visit, but whilst both of those things can certainly help, it doesn’t necessarily need to be the case.
We cover why that is and much more in this list where we look at what we believe are the top 10 reasons to book a cruise to Antarctica.
Our Top 10 Reasons To Book A Cruise To Antarctica
Wildlife
This one may not top your own list but for me, the biggest pull of the region is the incredible wildlife that you will likely be surrounded by when cruising in the region.
The waters around the continent are some of the most fertile on earth and some of the least polluted and with ships having to adopt strict rules whilst sailing there, Antarctica is one of the greatest places on earth for wildlife watching from your cruise ship.
From whales to seals and from Orca’s to penguins, all of those and so much more can be seen close to your ship as you cruise around Antarctica at almost walking speed.
If you are fortunate enough to be on a cruise offering landings, you will be able to get even closer to the inhabitants of the only continent without permanent human residents.
Scenery
The landscapes of Antarctica are like nowhere on earth in terms of their grandeur, ruggedness and overall vastness that really cannot be understood until you are there in person.
From icebergs the size of skyscrapers, glaciers the size of cities and mountains that seemingly reach from the sea to the clouds, the scenery will live long in your memory.
Even away from the more standouts aspects of what you will see, the vast walls of ice, rolling tundra and beautiful bays that you will visit will leave you in awe and grabbing for your camera.
Cheaper Than You May Think
The southern polar region is somewhere I had always wanted to visit but it was also somewhere where I thought I would never get to as the cost had always seemingly been far out of the reach for my wife and me.
That was until I was sat in a hotel room in North Yorkshire, scrolling through my emails and came across one from our favourite cruise line.
It was announcing the next batch of cruise itineraries to be launched by the line, with the headline itineraries been 3 trips from Buenos Aires and sailing around Antarctica.
There were a couple of things that grabbed my attention straight away, one was the fact that the journey was onboard one of the lines bigger ships (I had always associated smaller ships with cruising Antarctica) and the cost wasn’t much more than what we pay for a regular cruise.
Now we do tend to do more adventurous cruises that do often come at a slightly higher cost than a Mediterranean or Caribbean itinerary where there is some much competition, but still, it was a very competitive cost.
After doing some more research, we found another line with an even better offer as we quickly understood that there are 2 separate types of cruises to the region.
One is a more expedition style of cruise where you will be able to land on the continent itself via zodiacs and enjoy time getting up close and personal to the wildlife found there whilst the 2nd type of cruise is a sail by cruise, where you spend days sailing around the continent but never get the chance to go on land.
You still get to see the incredible scenery, can spot the incredible wildlife from your ship and have an experience to remember but without the bank-busting cost of an expeditions trip.
A Truly Unique View
There are many places in the world that you can visit once and then the next time you go back there, maybe in a year’s time for example, and things have changed.
There are quite a few places where they change dramatically depending on the time of the year you visit them and then there are some places that you visit, and you feel like it is nowhere else on earth.
For the majority of those places, the next people to visit will feel the exact same way you do but Antarctica is somewhere where you can experience a truly unique view.
Everywhere on the continent is dynamic, from its ice melting, its wildlife roaming for its next meal and its storms change its landscape.
When you look out from your balcony or from on the top deck, that view is more than likely a view that will never be seen by a human again and has likely never been seen before!
Unforgettable Experiences
A visit to the region will be unforgettable and something only a few people ever get to experience in their lifetime and that for most, including us, is enough.
If you really want to make it a journey to remember, and you have the funds to do so of course, there are several ships that offer incredible experiences that will live long in the memory.
These will be onboard smaller expeditions cruise ships, but despite there size, you will likely be shocked at just what they offer.
Amongst the experiences we came across during our research before booking our own adventure there were ships with their own docking spaces offering the chance to head from the ship on kayaks, ships with their own scientific labs for those wanting a closer examination of where they are sailing and ships with a helicopter so that guests can take an ariel view of the glacier, mountains and wildlife around them.
The experienced offered by a ship in Antarctica that both surprised and impressed us the most was one that offered its guests the chance to head under the waves onboard its own submersible!
Midnight Sun
This is something that I got to personal experience in the Arctic a few years backed when we sailed to the top of Norway for the summer solstice.
In Antarctica, it is in December when you need to visit to experience 24 hours of daylight but as that is the main cruise season in the region, it is relatively simple to do.
If you have never experienced the midnight sun phenomenon, it is hard to describe as you may just think of it as something that is just a bit different, ie its daylight when it should be dark, but there is something special about it that I cannot quite describe and that is something you should experience at least once.
Wide Choice of Cruise Lines
If you are wanting to have a more interactive experience of visiting the region where you can leave your ship, head onshore and really immerse yourself in Antarctica, you will need to choose an expedition cruise line.
Many people will likely think that they are all pretty much the same and in a region such as Antarctica, you will simply need to choose the ship that sails when you want to visit, at a cost you can afford but there is much more to it than that.
There is a growing variety of expedition cruise lines operating in the area that can often be split into three different types: luxury ships, exploration ships and research vessels.
Each offer a different type of adventure so that no matter what you want from your journey, you will be able to do it.
If you love all the activities, attractions, entertainment and space available onboard a mainstream cruise ship but want to experience Antarctica, not only do you not need to give that up, but with a variety of mainstream cruise lines offering itineraries, the chances are that you will be able to sail on one of your favourite lines.
The options cannot be compared to busy areas in North America and Europe, but if you tend to sail in more out of the way areas anyway, the variety does line up comparably well.
Follow In The Footsteps Of Famous Explorers
As one of the last places on earth for humans to visit and explore, those who risked their lives in the name of exploration have gone down in history.
Names such as Scott, Shackleton, Hillary and Amundsen evoke a certain nostalgia of a past we cannot go back to but something that those heading to Antarctica can do, is gain a whole new understanding of the challenges that they faced.
Although you will visit the region during the summer and in the often luxurious surrounds of your cruise ship, you will still get to see where these great explorers went, where they run in difficulties and the remoteness of where they had to survive.
Those visiting the region will have to sail the infamous Drake’s Passage that at its best goes by the nickname of the Drake Lake whilst at its worse, it goes by the moniker of the Drake Shake.
If you are unfortunate enough to get the latter, no matter how big and luxurious a ship you are sailing on, you will get a firsthand experience of the dangers of heading to the most southern most part of Earth.
Cross The Antarctic Circle
On the face of it, crossing the 66th parallel is no different than sailing in any other part of the region but there is always something special about crossing the Antarctic Circle.
It is a reminder of just where you are sailing and the remoteness of where you are, and many lines will make it a special experience.
It is a chance to talk stock of just where you are and how lucky you are to be in such a place as Antarctica.
More Than Just Antarctica
Your visit to Antarctica is the highlight of any Antarctic cruise but there is much more to it than your time on the continent.
Most ships heading there will likely start to the north in South America, where there are a few turnaround ports used.
For those heading off on smaller expeditions ships, the majority will start at the southern tip of Argentina in the city of Ushuaia whilst those setting off onboard a mainstream line will most likely start in the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires or the Chilean capital city of Santiago.
Both are great places to explore before or after your cruise but there are also plenty of incredible ports of call in the region including Montevideo, Punta Arenas, the Falkland Islands and Puerto Madryn.
Another great aspect of cruises in the region is that most itineraries will also take in the Beagle Channel near Ushuaia, the stunning Chilean Fjords and a visit to Cape Horn.
