What’s an Antarctica cruise really like? We show you.
I’m going to be honest; if you need to ask the question “why go?,” Antarctica likely isn’t a trip for you. I say that because a journey to the White Continent is a huge investment of time and money. If you’re just looking for a spot to experience wintertime activities amongst snow-capped scenery, you could go to Alaska or Austria or even the Arctic Circle for far less. (I say wintertime, but know that you’d be visiting Antarctica during its summer.)
However, for the intrepid family, I can’t recommend Antarctica and our travel provider, Antarctica 21, enough. My 18-year-old son and I embarked on our Antarctica adventure over the Christmas holiday. And what a gift it was! The service on the ship was superb. The surroundings were unparalleled. And the wildlife viewing was only matched by another once-in-a-lifetime trip that we took to the Galápagos Islands.
Since returning, I’m constantly asked, “What was there to do in Antarctica?” Plenty. I’ve put together this day-by-day guide to give you a clear idea of what an Antarctica cruise entails. However, no two Antarctica cruises will be the same, even when they’re operated by the same cruise company. More so that any other vacation that you’ll ever take, the itinerary in Antarctica is fluid and heavily influenced by weather and sea conditions. While the following article is a good representation of a trip with Antarctica 21, know that your voyage won’t be exactly the same but still equally magical.
Day One
Before I dive into our first day on board Antarctica 21’s ship, I should note that my son and I already had been traveling for three days on four flights at this point in the trip. As you may expect, getting to the tip of South America takes some time. To get a better idea of the logistics involved, click here.
On this afternoon, we found ourselves at yet another airport – this one in Punta Arenas, Chile. Antarctica 21 is one of two operators in the world (the other is Quark) that flies its passengers from South America to Antarctica rather than sailing the often-turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. It’s one of the main reasons why this prone-to-seasickness mom booked with Antarctica 21. The thought of potentially spending two days on the way down and two days on the way back on the floor of my cabin bathroom was not at all appealing. Even so, weather is still the deciding factor in whether you’ll actually get to the continent. Once you arrive in Punta Arenas, you and your fellow passengers are on standby, waiting for a window of good weather to fly to Antarctica. The cruise line has a 4-day contingency plan; if it can’t get you to the continent in that amount of time, the trip is canceled and refunded. It’s one of the reasons why you’re required to have travel insurance that can cover the other expenses that you may incur in case of cancellation (flight changes, hotel stays, etc.).
KidTripster Tip: I did a tremendous amount of research into travel insurance companies before selecting World Nomads. I believe that it offers the best value for the money. Since then, KidTripster has become an affiliate partner of World Nomads. If you book a policy through this link, you’ll be supporting KidTripster at no additional cost to you. Thanks in advance for your support.
We were fortunate to get the all-clear on our first attempt. To reach Antarctica, we flew on one of DAP Airlines’ penguin planes. (Yes, the planes are painted like penguins!) The BAE 146-200 is specially-designed for landing on short runways. We were pleasantly surprised by DAP. We were half expecting a cargo plane, but DAP operates like a regular commercial airline. In fact, it was actually nicer with an onboard meal for the short 2-hour flight, plus complimentary chocolate candies as you boarded.
KidTripster Tip: With Antarctica 21, you’re strictly limited to a total of 44 pounds (20 kg) in luggage – that includes both your suitcase and carry-on items. For a packing list of what you should bring and what you should leave at home, click here. Know that if you have extra luggage (perhaps you’re extending your trip before or after the cruise), you can store it at the host hotel in Punta Arenas.
KidTripster Tip: For an extra fee, Antarctica 21 offers preferred seating on the flight to ensure a window seat (or aisle, if you prefer). Don’t waste your money. There are plenty of window seats. We were able to get window seats both to and from Antarctica without paying more.
The flight landed at Frei Station, a research base that’s operated by Chile on one side and Russia on the other. According to the Antarctica Treaty of 1959, no country can have a territorial claim in Antarctica; instead countries agree to cooperate peacefully for the purpose of scientific investigation. Before we set foot on Antarctica’s soil, we dipped our boots in a sanitizing liquid as a way of protecting the continent’s fragile ecosystem. This would become a regular practice each and every time that we disembarked the ship, as well. As we took in our first glimpse of Antarctica, I was surprised to find that the ground was not snow-covered, but it was cold with a strong wind blowing. We crossed the emergency runway in a single file line and then walked about a mile downhill to the beach where we boarded inflatable boats, called Zodiacs, which delivered us to the 239-foot Ocean Nova, our home for the next week.
We were greeted by the ship’s hotel manager, Sandra, and then escorted to our cabin by our steward, Winston. The cabin was fairly roomy with a large window and en suite bathroom. Take a look here. The room also had a black-out shade which we needed, as it was light 24/7 during our cruise.
KidTripster Tip: If you’re prone to seasickness, you may want to request a room toward the center of the ship on a lower deck.
Next stop: the Panorama Lounge for orientation. Here we met our expedition team. I was struck by how many of them had spent several seasons in Antarctica, including Jonathan who’d been coming to Antarctica since 1964, first as a glaciologist and now as a guide. In fact, Jonathan has a mountain range in Antarctica named after him! I also was struck by the wide range of nationalities on the team. Members were from Argentina, China, Germany, New Zealand, Sweden, Russia, and the United Kingdom. Later, we’d learn that the captain was from Panama, most of the wait staff was from the Philippines, and most of the housekeeping staff was from Central America.
And the passengers, too, added to the international flavor. The 68 passengers on board represented 11 countries. There were 11 children under the age of 18; that was more than average due to four Chinese families from Beijing who were traveling together with a total of nine kids. All of the passengers were well-traveled. I’d estimate that at least half of them were visiting their seventh continent like us.
KidTripster Tip: If you want to travel with the maximum number of children on board so that your own children have peers, you’ll want to book a voyage over the Christmas holiday. However, know that you do pay a huge premium for sailing at that time of year. Click here for more information on just how much the cruise costs.
Because we arrived in the late afternoon, the captain’s welcome reception was postponed, and we headed right to dinner. All meals on the ship are open seating, allowing you to mingle with everyone by the end of the cruise. We’d been warned that the navigation across the Bransfield Strait that night could get a little choppy with 10-foot waves. The advice was to eat lightly if you’re prone to seasickness.
KidTripster Tip: I’ve had a fair amount of experience with seasickness, so let me offer some advice. First, it’s imperative to medicate before you feel ill. For this trip, I brought the prescription medication Meclizine. Others on the cruise used a medicated patch or over-the-counter Dramamine with success. You’ll want to take your medication at least an hour prior to a major navigation. Secondly, eat lightly and avoid alcohol. Thirdly, go to sleep as soon as possible. To help, I take a double dose of melatonin. It was a bit rocky that first night, but the rest of the voyage was smooth sailing as the ship hugged the Antarctica Peninsula. It was comparable to cruising the Inside Passage of Alaska.
Day Two
My son got an early start this morning with a workout in the small gym. The views in the gym with its floor-to-ceiling windows almost tempted me to exercise… almost. It was worth being up early, though, as we were treated to a spectacular Orca sighting prior to breakfast – the only Orcas that we saw on the entire cruise. It was a pod of about a half dozen with one of the females playing on the ship’s bow for nearly 10 minutes. The crew slowed the ship down and made overhead announcements to give everyone an opportunity to see.
Antarctica 21 operates similarly to other expedition cruises that I have been on. Typically, you’re offered two excursions daily – one in the morning and one in the afternoon. These excursions can include beach walks, short hikes, penguin colony visits or Zodiac cruises to view wildlife.
On an Antarctica 21 cruise, there are two additional activities, both of which have an extra fee and should be reserved when you book your cruise, as spots will fill up: sea kayaking and snowshoeing. We signed up for both and wish we wouldn’t have. Let me explain why.
First, you don’t need to have a tremendous amount of experience to go sea kayaking. If you’ve been kayaking once or twice, you’ll be fine. What is different about kayaking in Antarctica is the amount of gear. All those passengers who sign up are issued a drysuit, kayak skirt (a covering that zips into the kayak), and booties. This gear takes up a lot of space in your cabin, so much space that we ended up pulling down the bunk above my bed to accommodate all our other cold weather clothing. Gearing up to kayak is a major pain. First, you have to put on your long underwear and double socks (a thin pair of socks plus a wool pair works best), then your warm “street clothes,” and finally your drysuit, which is rather awkward. Next, you wet and then wear the kayak shirt around your waist. Lastly, you pull on your waterproof booties, hat, gloves, and sunglasses or goggles.
KidTripster Tip: Try to wear a sweater or sweatshirt with a high collar to prevent the drysuit from rubbing on your neck. Don’t wear a hoodie, as it’ll be too bulky under the drysuit.
You waddle down to the deck to board a Zodiac with your guide. You then motor to the starting point where you transfer into another Zodiac and finally your double kayak. All the kayaks are two-person kayaks; if you don’t have a partner, you’ll be assigned one. Depending on the location and the weather, you’ll have about 1-1/2 to 2 hours on the water. Understandably, safety is the guide’s first priority. This means that you kayak as a group. My son, who’s a college rower, found this part to be extremely frustrating, as we paddled a lot faster than our companions. We kept finding ourselves out in front of the pack and would have to stop and wait for the other kayaks to catch up. You’re also not able to get as close to glaciers or icebergs as you are in the Zodiacs. The danger is that a glacier or iceberg could calve sending a large chunk into the sea, and in the case of icebergs, they sometimes will roll.
KidTripster Tip: “What about whales? Will whales flip my kayak?” I seriously had concerns about this. During our time on the water, we never got close to any whales, so it was a non-issue. However, I have seen videos on Instagram where whales in Antarctica swim next to a kayak, though I’ve never seen them breach underneath a kayak.
Perhaps the biggest downside to kayaking is the cost. For this cruise, it was an extra $895 per person. Yes, that’s a chunk of change. Just how many times you kayak has to do with weather conditions. On our cruise, we had the opportunity to kayak five times; however, we choose to only go three times. The reason is twofold: 1) We also had signed up for snowshoeing. Often these activities were offered at the same time, so we’d have to choose. This is the reason why you shouldn’t pay for both kayaking and snowshoeing; you won’t get your money’s worth out of either. 2) At the end of each kayak trip, you get about 20 minutes on land to rush around (wearing your kayak skirt), but if you’re into wildlife like me and want to take a hundred photos of penguins, you won’t have enough time.
I admit to being torn about recommending that you skip the kayaking, because we did enjoy our time on the water. Gliding through ice floes and icebergs with penguins jumping in the water around you is a pretty magical experience. But really, once or twice is enough; if you pay $895, you’re going to feel compelled to go each time and possibly miss out on other opportunities. If we had to do it all again, we would skip kayaking. (I’ll address snowshoeing coming up.)
KidTripster Tip: Even if someone who signed up for kayaking elects not to go, you – as someone who didn’t preregister – can’t slip into that spot. Mostly, it has to do with the logistics and gear; the expedition team can’t take the time to orientate new people every day. It simply isn’t practical.
So back to the cruise! We spent the morning kayaking along Trinity Island in Mikkelson Harbour while others visited the small colony of Gentoo penguins. In the afternoon, as my son and I kayaked along Cierva Cove, known for its stunning icebergs and abundance of leopard seals, other passengers explored by Zodiac. One group got quite close to a Humpback whale.
In the early evening, we were guests at the captain’s cocktail reception in the lounge followed by a lavish Christmas Eve dinner and Christmas caroling led by the staff. To top it all off, Humpback whales put on a show just off the bow of the ship, breaching repeatedly. It was a Christmas Eve to remember!
