{"id":96,"date":"2013-11-02T14:46:01","date_gmt":"2013-11-02T14:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.swoop-antarctica.com\/?p=96"},"modified":"2020-12-14T14:26:38","modified_gmt":"2020-12-14T14:26:38","slug":"cruise-of-a-lifetime-antarctica-on-the-cheap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swoop-antarctica.com\/blog\/cruise-of-a-lifetime-antarctica-on-the-cheap\/","title":{"rendered":"Cruise of a lifetime \u2013 Antarctica on the Cheap"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I hear the word \u2018Antarctica\u2019, lots of images are conjured up in my mind, but those that stand out most are icebergs, penguins, whiteness and standing in the middle of nowhere in complete silence. But Antarctica means different things to different people. Many think of its explorers and adventurers, from Shackleton and Scott\u2019s failed mission to reach the South Pole, to the Norwegian Roald Amundsen\u2019s triumphant voyage to reach both the North and South Poles first.<\/p>\n

Many people visit Antarctica to see its haven of maritime animals and capture them in action. You won\u2019t see any polar bears here, but you will see an abundance of seabirds, seals, whales & penguins that gather here in their thousands to breed and rear their young. Antarctica is also one of the planet\u2019s last places of pristine natural beauty and it\u2019s the largest single mass of ice in the world, stretching some 14 million square kilometres, making it 1.4 times greater than the United States.<\/p>\n

Although top of a lot of peoples\u2019 \u2018Must Do Before I Die\u2019 list, many find that this trip doesn\u2019t come cheap. The cost of ensuring people\u2019s safety in such an extreme and remote environment means that many ships charge a standard fee of around \u00a310,000+ and what\u2019s more, the season is relatively short for the operators with Antarctica shrouded in 24 hour darkness, and its frozen waters impenetrable from mid May to October. In order to avoid spending 4 days at sea, some operators have created an\u00a0antarctica fly and cruise<\/a>, which allows you to fly direct from Punta Arenas in Southern Chile to King George Island, in Antarctica. Although more expensive than other options, it\u2019s often a good way of making the most of your precious time and particularly important for those prone to sea sickness across the Drake Passage.<\/p>\n

It is possible, however, to do Antarctica \u2018on the cheap\u2019. A once in a lifetime experience shouldn\u2019t have to cost the earth. If you\u2019re looking to visit on the cheap, we would recommend that you take the following steps:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Make sure you find a cruise that departs from the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia, as Patagonia is just a short distance from Antarctica in comparison to many other ports across the world.<\/li>\n
  2. If you\u2019re travelling alone, the cost of an Antarctic cruise will be greater for you as most operators whack on a single supplement. If you can find someone to travel with either through Swoop Patagonia, social networking sites such as Trav Buddy or request that the operator itself pair you up with another solo traveller, the reduction in price will be mutually beneficial. Some Antarctic cruise operators let you share with another solo traveller, to avoid paying a single supplement.<\/li>\n
  3. People pay premium prices to witness 24 hours of sunlight in December and January, but you can check to see if the cruise you\u2019re interested in offers shoulder season departures. These are trips during the 4 months of the year between summer and winter that experience both light & darkness in Oct, Nov, Apr & early May.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    It\u2019s during the \u201clow season\u201d that some Antarctic cruise companies offer trips for a reduced price. For example in November, as the ice is beginning to melt, there may be fewer penguins in the rookeries but there are some fantastic discounts available. You can enjoy an 11 day cruise with Antarctic Dream taking in all the highlights of the Antarctic Peninsula and the South Shetland Islands for all little as \u00a33350, excluding flights.<\/p>\n

    If you can afford to stretch your budget a little further, you could cruise for 11-days at \u00a33,900 on the MV Ushuaia which sails through, amongst other beautiful spots, the Gerlache strait where you\u2019ll see towering icy peaks. On both these cruises you\u2019ll stay in comfortable cabins, some of which have several large windows, but even the smallest cabins on offer have a porthole.<\/p>\n

    If you\u2019re thinking of visiting Antarctica or you\u2019d just like to know more about the Great White Continent, see Swoop Antarctica<\/a>.
    \n<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    When I hear the word \u2018Antarctica\u2019, lots of images are conjured up in my mind, but those that stand out most are icebergs, penguins, whiteness and standing in the middle of nowhere in complete silence. But Antarctica means different things to different people. Many think of its explorers and adventurers, from Shackleton and Scott\u2019s failed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[15,12,21,24],"class_list":["post-96","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-antarctic-cruises","tag-antarctic_cruise","tag-antarctica","tag-deals","tag-flycruise"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCruise of a lifetime \u2013 Antarctica on the Cheap - Swoop Antarctica Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.swoop-antarctica.com\/blog\/cruise-of-a-lifetime-antarctica-on-the-cheap\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Cruise of a lifetime \u2013 Antarctica on the Cheap - Swoop Antarctica Blog\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When I hear the word \u2018Antarctica\u2019, lots of images are conjured up in my mind, but those that stand out most are icebergs, penguins, whiteness and standing in the middle of nowhere in complete silence. 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