Antarctica has become an increasingly popular destination. Even so, compared to most travel destinations, there are not many people who can say they have been fortunate enough to visit the white continent. But here you are, reading a blog post about Antarctica.
Are you finally ready to cross Antarctica off of your bucket list? If so, there are probably a million thoughts and questions going through your mind. How to choose an operator? What type of trip is best for you, cruise or expedition? When is the best time to go? How much will it cost? How will you get there?
First, how do you go about choosing an operator? The answer to this question begins with deciding on the kind of experience you hope to have. Are you happy with cruising by the scenery without ever getting off of the ship or touching land? Or are you interested in getting off of the ship and hopefully making a continental landing? There are many operators offering trips to Antarctica, and most, if not all, will have multiple options to choose from. However, do choose wisely.
Because of my personal views, I recommend anyone considering Antarctica to choose an operator registered with the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). You can check the list of registered operators here. You will be able to learn more about each operator, including the number of passengers permitted on board. Explore the site to learn more about its mission and becoming an Antarctica Ambassador.
So, what would you like to do? Cruise or go expedition style? Just to give you an idea, ships carrying 100 guests or fewer will have the most opportunities for landings as the number of people permitted on land at one time is only 100. Both times I visited, there were fewer than 100 guests on board. It meant that we were all able to make two landings per day, weather permitting. Ships carrying 500+ passengers are not permitted to make landings on the peninsula. These are the cruise ships, and they essentially sail by. For me, making as many landings as possible was key.
This is a view of Quark's Ocean Adventurer, the expedition ship I was on in December 2022. It has capacity for 128 passengers, but we were a total of 91. I am sure I would have been happy even if we had been 128, but having 91 passengers meant we were able to make all scheduled landings, as long as conditions were favorable for that. It also meant we, the guests, had a chance to get to know each other.
My second experience was on the Poseidon Sea Spirit which was for a photography workshop. Due to the nature of this particular trip, the number of guests was limited to 80. The ship has capacity for 114 guests, so it is similar in size to the Ocean Adventurer.
Personally, I do not know if I would want to be on a ship with more than 128 guests. But this is of course a personal choice. The question you need to ask yourself is, "Does size matter?"
In the next post, getting to Antarctica based on my personal experiences.
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