Cruising To Antarctica: What’s The Best, Luxury(ish) Option?

In recent times, I’ve gotten more interested in cruising again. It’s an interesting time for the industry, given the number of luxury hotel groups that are sort of getting into the cruising industry, at least from a licensing standpoint — we’re talking about Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Four Seasons Yachts, Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and Aman at Sea. Obviously these brands are trying to make cruising cool for those who may have otherwise preferred land based vacations.

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While cruising in general can be a relaxing and luxurious experience, I think the ultimate benefit of cruising is getting easy access to places where you can’t easily vacation on land. I think the prime example of that is Antarctica, which I think is a bucket list destination for just about any traveler. Along those lines, I was hoping to get some feedback, as I’m sure I’m not the only one who is curious to learn about the best options…

Planning an Antarctica cruise seems overwhelming

I think I’m hardly alone by having Antarctica at the very top of my bucket list of places to visit. To be honest, since we have two small kids, I’m not sure how realistic this trip is any time soon, even with family help, but it can’t hurt to dream, or to at least start thinking about when this might be realistic.

I think it goes without saying that planning any Antarctica trip seems like a big undertaking. You’re typically committing to a long and expensive journey, and many of the cruise lines that have good expedition ships might be different than the cruise lines that are known for great luxury experiences.

So I think for lots of us there’s a big learning curve in deciding which direction to go. Is it worth cruising to Antarctica and back, or is it worth taking one of the options that involves flying? While all Antarctica cruises are on the long side, is it worth booking one that is extra long, which potentially stops at some other islands as well?

I think the good news is that back in the day, people had to be prepared to disconnect when taking cruises like this. However, thanks to Starlink, it’s my understanding that connectivity at sea (including in Antarctica) is excellent.

What’s the best option for an Antarctica cruise?

As I start brainstorming this cruise concept, I’d love to hear from people who have taken a cruise to Antarctica, with their thoughts, or at least those who have maybe researched it more than I have.

Essentially, I’m curious what the “best” cruise line is for Antarctica. Obviously this is highly subjective. Antarctica cruises are primarily about the destination, and I’ve heard there’s a big benefit to the smaller ships, in terms of being able to get on land more often (given how closely regulated this is in Antarctica).

But beyond that, I’m just also curious which cruise line offers the all-around best experience in terms of the luxury of the ship, the food and drinks, the inclusions, the service, etc. I imagine there’s no right or wrong answer here, which is why I’d love to hear some firsthand reports.

It looks like cruises to Antarctica mostly leave from Ushuaia, and last anywhere from 10 days to several weeks. While that sounds like a long time, it takes at least a couple of days in each direction to get to Antarctica via the infamous Drake Passage, so it makes sense that the cruises aren’t shorter.

Looking at the options, several cruise lines come to mind as being most interesting:

• French cruise line PONANT seems to do really well when it comes to expedition cruising, and has a focus on that; my impression is that PONANT strikes a good balance between adventure and luxury
• National Geographic & Lindblad Expeditions has a focus on expedition cruising and the latest generation Endurance ships seem quite nice
• Some of the traditional luxury cruise lines, like Silversea and Seabourn, have voyages in Antarctica; however, I’m not sure if the more traditional luxury comes with a tradeoff in terms of expedition cruising, or if they have just as much experience with this
• While not cruising, I should mention that White Desert probably has the most premium trips to Antarctica, but those mostly don’t involve cruising; they include flying to & from Antarctica, and then land-based lodging

For some context on the general itineraries, most cruises from Ushuaia to Antarctica take a minimum of 10 days, as that includes two days in each direction to get through the Drake Passage, and then at least five or so days in Antarctica to enjoy the scenery and go adventuring.

Journeys can get much longer than that, though, especially if you pair it with the Falkland Islands. You can easily be looking at a three week trip, then, and it brings you to a part of the world that even fewer people see.

If you’re in more of a crunch for time, Silversea has some shorter six-night itineraries, which include roundtrip flights from Santiago to Antarctica, and then a shorter trip around the region. Flying in obviously lets you skip the rough seas of the Drake Passage, and it’s certainly a cool aviation geek flight!

Bottom line

Regardless of how one feels about cruising in general, I think it’s safe to say that Antarctica is the ultimate place to cruise, given that it’s a destination that isn’t exactly known for five-star hotels.

There are an overwhelming number of options for cruises to Antarctica, so I’d love to hear about some firsthand experiences about which cruises lines are worth seeking out, and which are worth skipping. Similarly, I’d be curious to hear about impressions of sailing across the Drake Passage, vs. flying into Antarctica, and cruising from there.

Anyone else fascinated by the concept of a cruise to Antarctica?