What You Need to Know About Taking an Antarctica Cruise

Before taking an Antarctica cruise, you need to know what the experience is really like. We put together this video to help those travelers looking to sail to the 7th continent. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave them in the comments section below.
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What We Wish We Knew Before Taking an Antarctica Cruise
0:00 Introduction
0:40 Picking the Right Cruise Line Makes All the Difference
2:27 Knowing the Best Time to Cruise to Antarctica
4:04 What You Will Actually See and Do on the Cruise
5:58 Exactly What You Need to Pack for the Trip
8:55 Be Realistic With Your Own Fitness Levels
11:30 There is a lot of Down Time Spent on The Ship
12:45 The Drake Passage is as Rough as Advertised
14:45 Onboard Activities Are Mostly Enrichment Focused
15:50 Make Sure You Have Some Cruise Essentials Packed
17:10 The WiFi Was Better Than Expected
18:22 The Polar Plunge Isn’t Really That Bad
19:45 You Need to Be Flexible Throughout the Voyage
TAKING AN ANTARCTICA CRUISE
An Antarctica Cruise is very different from a typical oceangoing trip. Whether you are an avid cruiser or a regular traveler, getting to the 7th continent takes some planning and preparation.
If you're booking this bucket list destination, please compare cruise lines. While many boast of traveling to this polar region, many larger ships offer scenic cruising. You will need an expedition ship to step foot on Antarctica's shores. Luckily, we did pick the correct ship with @AtlasOceanVoyages luxury expedition yacht World Voyager.
Also, I would like you to plan the timing of your cruise wisely. While we did pick the right cruise line with Atlas Ocean Voyages, we needed to choose a better time. We went during the beginning of the season, known as the shoulder season for seasonal ports. The best time is late December to January.
We visited in November, meaning we had some unpredictable weather. Still, the weather can change quickly at any time of year. Being flexible is the number one cruise tip you need to know about taking an Antarctica cruise. It can be sunny and dry one minute and windy and snow a few minutes later.
Another thing we wish we had known was how the ashore programming worked before taking an Antarctica cruise. First off, knowing what you will see and not see during the trip is vital. While there are plenty of birds, penguins, seals, and potentially whales, there are no polar bears.
Also, keep in mind your own fitness levels. While neither of us is the outdoors type or very athletic, we could handle most of the hikes and walks once on the continent. Of course, each cruise line in Antarctica boasts diverse programming, so please know what your particular line offers.
Smaller luxury cruise ships and expedition vessels that offer Antarctica Cruises only have some of the onboard amenities of larger ships. Even though we figured that going into this trip, we were still surprised by the lack of activities. So, bring some books or small games or download podcasts or audiobooks to pass the time while on the ship.
Another thing we wish we knew before taking our Antarctica cruise was how much downtime we would have on the ship. Cruising to Antarctica is highly regulated, so while you can experience multiple stops in a day, you have a limited time of about 60 to 90 minutes for each outing.
Given that regulations limit how many individuals can go ashore at one time, this means even on port days, there is a good amount of waiting around. So, with few onboard amenities, make sure you are prepared.
Luckily, the WiFi on our ship worked better than expected. This is cruise line dependent. So, check to see if your cruise line offers WiFi. Our Altas Ocean Voyages ship offered Starlink, and we could use it for most online tasks, minutes of video streaming, and apps like KZbin or TikTok.
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR ANTARCTICA CRUISE ON THE BLOG
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[@Eatsleepcruise1]

If you’ve taken an Antarctica cruise, what other advice would you give to first timers?

[@MonkeyDWilly-ob2cn]

😊

[@wanderersinblack]

1. Get lots of good sea sickness pills for the journey through the Drake Passage. 2. Take plenty of sunscreen. 3. Get good sunglasses. 4. Do the polar plunge. 5. Most importantly, enjoy the moment, take in the scenery & don’t be too focused on taking pics all the time. Thank you for your video & a big cheers from Melbourne 🍷!

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Hello from Boston @wandersinblack! Great summary. Have you sailed to Antarctica?

[@wanderersinblack]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 Yes we did last year. We traveled with a scientific expedition crew, so stepped on Antarctic soil & have great footage of the beautiful landscapes & wildlife (we have some episodes on our channel if interested ☺️). Anyhow, it was once in a lifetime experience that we cherish. Going through the infamous Drake Passage to get there was definitely worth it🤢👍.

[@Steve007124]

Thanks for your video. My wife and I will be aboard the Quark Uktramarine March 2nd, crossing the Antarctice Circle. Can't wait!

[@johnbrinkley6536]

Loving your Guatemala series! I stayed Arca de Noe as well and I enjoyed my stay, in addition to the food.

[@Parkhopper1985]

Our Disney cruise was fantastic!!! 🏴‍☠️

[@JohnSmith-mo9st]

Overall good summary. We are just back. Agree there is lots of downtime. The trip really comes down to 8-10 hours of excursions over 11 days, some were great some were good, some were just a drive in the zodiac. Timing is everything one day the first session of zodiacs found nothing while the second trip of the day played with meinke whales, luck of the draw. We lost a day due to weather but used it to explore Ushuaia. Because of the size of ship hard to hide from cruisers or groups who chose to experience cruising differently from you. On Atlas never felt crowded. A worthwhile adventure to see Antarctica, but balance expectations from your previous cruises. This cruise has a purpose..

[@sheribaker237]

I did both Antarctic and Arctic with Lindblad/Nat Geo. Both 100 passengers or less so we could have as much time on the continent (Antarctica) as possible.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

That is one advantage of a smaller ship, but even so, time and path are regulated. Although we would have liked a bit more time ashore, we are unsure how much time you need at each spot. Thanks for watching and happy cruising!

[@BeccaL2016]

Do you get sea sickness more often with smaller ship? It’s not fun to threw up all the time while others enjoy it 😮

[@omamin5183]

@sheribaker, How much time were you out per each shore landing/zodiac tours? I am narrowing between choosing Lindbland Explorer vs Atlas.

[@omamin5183]

*how much time did Lindbland allow you per each shore landing

[@cookwithsanjiv]

Thanks for the video - we just booked Atlas for Jan 2025 - bucket list trip. We did a fair amount of research - our shortlist ended up being Atlas, Viking and Quark. Atlas won out because of size of ship and value. Two of our friends had used Quark before and loved it. Viking is good but the ship is big. Lindblad doesn't have good value.

[@TheStoryInYourEyes]

Don't know that I would get off the boat. lol

[@freeagent8225]

I took a cruise to Antarctica without watching your video. I enjoyed it.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Glad you enjoyed it! What cruise line did you sail with to Antarctica?

[@freeagent8225]

@@Eatsleepcruise1 NCL.

[@Queenfan1961]

I went down there and it was absolutely Drake lake. I was so disappointed! Yes, I’m an adrenaline junkie who was hoping for 30 foot waves, but not even close. It was glass.

[@marycolmenar1633]

Thank you for pointing out about cruising Antarctica in January. Where can I purchase the magnetic hooks?

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

You can get the hooks on Amazon. What cruise line are you going on?

[@johnperkins5450]

Are there good websites for booking last minute cruises, including ones to Antarctica? I have quite a bit of flexibility to do something last minute. Thanks

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

I would be very interested in a video on an Arctic trip specifically on a Hurtigruten ship. All the Hurtigruten ships are rated quite low, 3.5/6 and I really don't understand why that is.

[@unlvqasl]

Probably because Hurtigrutin ships do not provide luxury cruises to Antarctica. They have been doing Antarctica trips for years so they do know Antarctica. The rooms are smaller and more basic. The food is good but not high class and not served in a fancy restaurant. The inside of the ship does not look like a 5 star resort. However Eat Sleep Cruise seem to be totally confused about why you go to Antarctica. It is all about what is outside of the ship and the Antarctica experience and not for the unnecessary stuff inside the ship.

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

We are not confused. You can enjoy the outside of Antarctica without having to sacrifice the ship. We did see one of the newer Hurtigruten ships and it was a pretty impressive looking.

[@DavidL5star]

I cruised aboard Hurtigruten’s Roald Amundsen in November 2023. I cannot fault them. Excellent total experience.

[@JennaFerrari]

Did you film a sunset?

[@Eatsleepcruise1]

Unfortunately the weather never cooperated to have a nice sunset.

[@sentm7362]

How much the cruise cost u ?

[@jime875]

ranges from 8k to 19k

[@user-cx6wo8rr2i]

M*r*n, you still think you went to Antarctica, wrong you went to a an island peninsula bordering Antarctica, that's all. No one had ever gone there besides the people that control the access to it and will kill anyone that gets close or flies over it. As to the reasons, well, I don't think you are smart enough to understand so I won't bother explaining but if I were you I will start researching

[@actnsaybel7418]

WOW! You flat earthers are all alike. Someone is going to kill you if you step onto the continent or fly over it?? You must be a Trump supporter! Get a grip buddy!

[@codes3156]

spot on lad

[@jime875]

do tell more.

[@user-cx6wo8rr2i]

@@jime875 huh?