A Day on Board an Antarctic Cruise

On the smaller ships you begin the day with a friendly wake-up call and breakfast. You will have been briefed the night before about the activities for the day ahead. Your first activity may be an entertaining presentation by a world-renowned expert, or a chance to watch as the ship navigates through the polar landscape. Next, prepare for the first shore landing of the day.

A fleet of sturdy Zodiacs transfer you, your fellow travellers, and the expedition staff quickly and safely to otherwise inaccessible shores where you encounter wildlife, and visit historical sites.

You may stay ashore for the maximum allotted time, usually two to four hours depending on the day’s itinerary, or you may be ready to return to the ship sooner.

You have the chance to change and refresh before lunch, while the ship positions to the next spectacular site. Your afternoon activities might be anotehr shore landing, or a Zodiac cruise through a beautiful icescape, past seals sleeping on ice floes or among whales. By evening the talk is lively as you and your fellow passengers share the day’s experiences. Evenings are for relaxing: curl up with a good book, spend a few hours chatting in the bar, or watch a movie. However, during the extended hours of an austral summer day, you may choose to participate in another shore landing or Zodiac cruise.

The Drake Passage between Ushuaia and the Antarctic Peninsula can be a very rough crossing, but some ships are equipped with stabilisers to make the crossing as comfortable as possible. Once you reach the Antarctic the ship will be sailing in the lee of the peninsula. Adverse weather, ice, or political conditions may require that changes be made to your itinerary or certain shore excursions altered.

There are passenger ships of a variety of sizes, described below, that sail to Antarctica and the choice of ship can make a big difference to your journey and experiences. You can see full details on each ship’s facilities via the Search Facility.

One of the main rules that will impact on your visit is that only 100 passengers at any one time may be landed in any one place in Antarctica. If you are on a small ship of up to 100 passengers, then you get a chance to go ashore every time. If the ship is larger, then there will be less opportunity for landings. Although, surprisingly, there are a number of people who go to Antarctica and never leave the ship – the choice is obviously yours.

Research ships/Icebreaker:
The research ships tend to offer more active programs and attract a younger clientele. These ships were originally built for polar research and all have ice strengthened hulls. When the former Soviet Union collapsed, many ships where chartered by adventure tour companies to bring travellers to the Polar Regions. The accommodation on these vessels is simple - comfortable, but not luxurious. These trips often feel more like a private expedition than a conventional cruise.

Facilities generally include a dining room serving international cuisine, lounge with bar, and infirmary. There is an enthusiastic and extremely experienced Russian crew. Each ship has a large navigation-bridge and open-deck viewing areas and a fleet of Zodiac crafts, affording spontaneous wildlife viewing opportunities in otherwise inaccessible areas. The small number of passengers allows speedy and hassle-free landings. The icebreaker is constructed to cope with challenging polar sea conditions, and is characterised by massive horse-power and huge hulls.

Gregoriy Mikheev; Aleksiy Maryshev; Professor Molchanov; Professor Multanovskiy; Akademic Shokalskiy; Polar Pioneer; Kapitan Khlebnikov (Icebreaker)

Expedition Ships
Like the research ships, expedition-style cruise ships have ice-hardened hulls, but offer passengers a little more comfort and a greater range of on-board facilities. The amenities include a restaurant, bar, lounge, library, lecture hall, and the Lyubov Orlova and Polar Star also have a gym, whereas the Akademik Ioffe and Akademik Sergey Vavilov both have a small sauna and outdoor plunge pool.

Lyubov Orlova; Polar Star; Akademik Ioffe; Akademik Sergey Vavilov; Explorer; Sarpik Ittuk; Endeavour; Clipper Adventurer; Andrea

Expedition Liners
These large, spacious vessels are much more akin to traditional cruise ships - albeit less formal - than those described above. Because of their size, they offer a smoother ride than the smaller, more intimate and informal craft. The Explorer's wide range of facilities includes an international restaurant, bar, several lounges, library, lecture hall, beauty salon, sauna, pool and gym. The Nordnorge has two heated outdoor Jacuzzis, while the Explorer offers a games room and a smoking lounge. Decoration is stylish (the Explorer II - which is really top-of-the-range in comfort and quality terms - is reminiscent of an English country house hotel, while the Nordnorge has Art Nouveau and Art Deco features).

Explorer 2; Nordnorge; Le Diamant; Marco Polo; Orion; Discovery; Nordkapp; Star Princess

Dining on board will vary from ship to ship, but even on the smaller research vessels, world-class chefs provide a choice of international menus including seafood, meat and vegetarian dishes, accompanied by an excellent variety of beverages and wines. The larger expedition liners are more likely to have a choice of restaurants, often with a buffet format. You can see the details of each ships’ restaurant facilities via our Search Facility which includes all the ship details.

There is not much by way of entertainment on board the smaller ships, as you are there for the experience. To enhance this experience there is a series of specialist lectures given by experts in their field, or video presentations about the white continent and its resident wildlife. Whether your own particular interest is in zoology, polar history, geology, ornithology or ocean sciences, there will be experienced staff on board able to further your knowledge.

Tipping or gratuities varies dependent on the cruise ship you choose. Several cruise lines include on board gratuities in the cost of the cruise, whereas others add it to your on board account to be paid at the end of your trip. This is generally a recommended US$10 per person per day.

The more adventurous of you may want to enjoy the Antarctic in a more personal and 'up-close' manner. If you dall into theis cateogry, then we offer the following antarctic excursions: