How To Make Your Antarctica Dream Come True Without Going Broke: Antarctica On A Budget

Looking to cruise to Antarctica On A Budget? While the cheapest way to go to Antarctica is on a regular cruise line and ship sailing past the Antarctic Peninsula as part of a South America itinerary, there is a huge catch making it less fulfilling.

These cruises only sail through the region. You won’t step on the 7th Continent, nor will you experience landings or zodiac rides to get close to penguins, seals, birds, glaciers, explore ancient whaling stations, explorer huts, or visit Antarctic Research Stations. You may see whales from the ship, but mostly, you’ll just be cruising past landscapes.

For a true Antarctic experience, an expedition cruise is the way to go. They will do all of that led by an expedition team of scientists, historians, geologists, and marine biologists who give talks and escort you on the zodiacs and landings.

However, as the cost of these cruises is prohibitive to most, I asked my friend, Martin Johnson who runs Polar Routes (a dedicated Antarctic and Arctic travel agency), to help me identify the most budget-friendly ways to get there.

Here’s what I discovered about Antarctica On A Budget. Plus, Martin and I have a specially created document with a comprehensive list of lines and options for you to download. More on that later as I first want to kick off with six key tips and steps on how to find and do an expedition cruise to polar regions for less.

Antarctica on a budget: Go At Cheapest Times

First, to cruise to Antarctica on a budget, go at cheaper times of the year!

October/November (the start of the season) and March (the end of the season) tend to be cheaper.

Both are my favourite times to go for the following reasons.

Early season (October/November) means pristine, snow-covered landscapes, lots of floating ice and icebergs as the summer thaw starts, and as it is the start of the breeding season there is a lot of, and frisky, wildlife on the beaches and busy and active penguins all over. Whales are also returning.

At the end of the season (March) there are great sunsets, and many whales, penguins and seals are about though in fewer numbers, and you see start of floating pancake ice as the sea begins to re-freeze.

Next, timing is everything when booking too.

Antarctica on a budget: Book at the “Best” Time

Surprisingly, there are a several great times to book during the year.

One of the best when looking to go to Antarctica on a budget is when the lines launch their new seasons, which will be up to two years ahead.

They usually do that in the autumn with the best prices you can get. For example, I booked a Ponant Antarctica Ross Sea expedition cruise the week it was launched and got 30% off plus a low only 15% solo supplement. That deal soon disappeared in the week that followed.

Another good time to book is January and February, known as “Wave Season” which is a busy booking period, and the lines need sharp deals to compete against other lines.

It is also worth looking for Black Friday/Cyber Monday deals as some lines offer those.

One tip that I did not expect that Martin told me is that summer can be a good time to book, as he said (and I quote) “booking polar cruises when it’s hot and sunny is not natural for most, and therefore sales for all lines tend to be slower and they are keener to secure any enquiries”.

Last minute deals are less common for expedition cruises as people plan way ahead due to costs and to save up but are possible. BUT watch out as last-minute flight costs can often wipe out savings versus booking earlier.

How do you stay on top of all these options and not miss out?

Do what I do and sign up for specialist polar cruise travel agent email newsletters, like the one Polar Routes has, as well as those for expedition cruise lines that appeal to you, as these are used to announce deals.

Next you need to focus on where you go.

Antarctica on a budget: Go On The “Right” Itinerary

To have an incredible experience, but at a more manageable cost, and cruise to Antarctica on a budget is to focus on THE most classic itinerary.

This is the Antarctic Peninsula & South Shetlands route, usually lasting 10 nights sailing from Ushuaia.

It is the most affordable option as it has fewer days than other itineraries and as all lines do this, there is more choice, competition and budget options.

Although they are incredible, skip the longer and so more expensive Falklands and South Georgia itineraries which are around three weeks, as well as the Antarctic Bridge options where you fly over Drake Passage and join the ship in the region as the flights make them at a premium.

Also skip the sub-Antarctic islands and southern Antarctica (Ross Sea) itineraries from New Zealand as they are long with few options and so more costly overall.

With those general tips for finding a polar expedition cruise in mind, I want to turn attention to specifics on finding the right line and cabin to work within your budget.

Antarctica on a budget: Find The “Ideal” Line

The good news is there are many options. Many more than I had appreciated, as I had fallen into the trap of thinking mostly of lines familiar to me from regular cruising. So, like the expedition wings of lines like Silversea, Seabourn and Viking.

However, there are 21 expedition lines that Martin recommends considering, and they split into four categories: Budget, Premium, Luxury, and Ultra-Luxury.

All of these are listed in that document we have developed along with more information on each, including fare inclusions, size of expedition team, and entry level pricing. Download link at end.

However, before getting into the lines in each category, I must warn that even budget expedition cruising is still costly.

Polar expeditions will cost at least $600/£480 per person per day, so you’re looking at a minimum of $6,000/£4,800 for a standard 10-day cruise, and fares can go up to four or five times that based on the cruise line.

But remember, that price includes many things that regular cruises do not: all landings and excursions, talks, and that 15–20-person expedition team.

In our expedition lines document, you will see Budget Lines that will help got to Antarctica on a budget include several single ship or small fleets, and some of smallest expedition ships including an 8-person sailing ship.

Budget lines include Antarpply, G Adventures, Oceanwide, and Quixote and fares are from about $600 per person per day.

Next up are the Premium Lines like AE Expeditions, Albatross, Antarctica 21, Heritage, HX (Hurtigruten), Lindblad/ National Geographic, Polar Latitudes, and Quark with fares from about $800 per person per day.

Then there are the Luxury Lines like Atlas Ocean, Hapag Lloyd, Swan Hellenic, and Viking with fares from about $1,000 per person per day.

At the top of the pile from a luxurious point of view are the Ultra-luxury lines like Ponant, Seabourn, Silversea, and Scenic. The fares start from around $1,200 per person per day.

But even once you chose the best category of line to make your expedition cruise meet your budget, there are some tricks and tips of using cabins to help budget more.

Antarctica on a budget: Find The “Best” Cabin

First, many budget lines have cabins for up to four people of the same sex to share, which can lower the fare if you are happy to share. Some of the Premium lines also offer sharing options. Details in our document.

Next, to cruise to Antarctica on a budget focus on older ships within a fleet, as they can be cheaper. For example, Quark’s older ships, World Explorer and Ocean Explorer, are less expensive than the newer Ultramarine.

Similarly, Silversea’s older ships, Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, have Oceanview cabins, while the newer Silver Endeavour only has more costly balcony cabins and up, which cost more.

There is another booking option that could drive down costs to consider. One that few think of.

Antarctica on a budget: Seek Out Groups

And that is to look for groups and group discounts as they can be below the advertised rates and really help get to Antarctica on a budget!

For example, Polar Routes offer ‘Hosted Departures’ on some lines and sailings. These have lower fares but also have added group perks like extra on-board credit, complimentary dinner in speciality restaurants, cocktail party, Captain’s Dinner, behind-the-scenes tour and all are hosted by a member of his team.

Look out for those or others that other agencies may offer.

Friends of mine have been on a University Alumni group at a discounted rate. So, look out for other groups you may be linked to that may offer these too.

Or you could organise your own group too.

Martin said that Polar Routes can often negotiate discounts with cruise lines if you have 5 or 6 people wanting to book the same sailing, and if you can arrange a larger group of 12 or more you can not only get discounts but often a free berth or two. On some lines it needs to be for 16 or more before lines offer that.

Of course, you could approach the line direct too if you want to arrange a group.

Exploring Antarctica on an expedition cruise is costly but can be done without breaking the bank with careful planning and using these tips. To get that download with all the lines go to TipsForTravellers.com/Polar and join me over in this video where I show you day-by-day what it is like cruising Antarctica. See you over there.