Highly recommend Antarctica for a trip with older kids/teens
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
| It was our 7th continent and Antarctica was just gorgeous. For context, I would rate it higher than Safari in Africa. |
Anonymous
| Can you provide more details, please? A tour operator that you used, pricing, etc. |
Anonymous
| Where will you go next? |
Anonymous
Yes, please I am also interested. What time of year, what month? Can you step on the island or pass it on a ship? |
Anonymous
We went on an expedition ship through Quark. It’s under 200 passengers so we went on land several times and were able to go south of the circle and through narrow passages. The boat was also equipped with helicopters so can do helicopter-landings (we just did the overhead tours which were included). |
Anonymous
Quark. We went during prime time (school break for the holidays) but was able to get a discount through our travel agent. Still pricey and don’t remember the exact cost (know it’s cheaper if you go shoulder season) but it was about $15k pp for I think 10-12 days (food, wine, WiFi included). |
Anonymous
So 60k for a family of four. Just a lil’ bit out of my price range. |
Anonymous
You’d likely get a discount for more people. I am a single mom of one. I also know Ponant offers I believe it’s a 50% discount for kids under 18. |
Anonymous
We were looking at Quark until they had that zodiac incident recently |
Anonymous
| That was several years ago (nearly 4) and they have definitely upped their safety protocols and briefings. You now also have access to a dry suit you can wear on all zodiac outings so even if you go overboard you’d be fine if you can swim even decently. I researched the capsized zodiac (the headline did concern me) and found it was due to a wave in otherwise calm waters (can happen with the ice caving in) and it sounded like a very rare set of circumstances that were not likely to ever be duplicated plus now they have dry suits available. |
Anonymous
Not OP, but you can only go during their summer - basically, late Nov to February. OP - how was the drake crossing? That's the thing that gives me pause and when I've researched possible trips, have been mostly looking at the fly and cruise options. |
Anonymous
| If you want to spoil one of the few remaining places on earth with natural beauty ... go for it. |
Anonymous
| My dad and brother went last month. I think it was a Viking cruise (so, no kids allowed). They got to go on land, plus did kayaking and a submersible. They saw tons of whales, and of course lots of penguins. They had a great time, but seasickness was somewhat of an issue, especially when crossing the Drake Passage. |
Anonymous
| You can save time and avoid seasickness by flying over the Drake Passage and then cruise. Google Antarctica 21. Best trip ever. |
Anonymous
|
NP here. We just did this. We sailed on Silversea.
A few points of information: - Big ships do the "sail by". They aren't allowed to do zodiaks or make a landing. Only 100 people are allowed ashore at a time. Only the smaller, expedition ships make landings. If the ship has more than 100 passengers (most fall in the 200 range), they will split up the passengers. They will either send one group ashore while the other does a zodiak, or they will send one group ashore and the other group has to wait until they come back to do their landing. - If you do the fly to sea, be aware that weather conditions are highly variable, especially for flying. Sometimes the flights are completely cancelled, thus the entire cruise may be cancelled. - Crossing the Drake = be prepared. If you are not accustomed to having sea legs, talk to your doctor about options. Most of the expedition ships are small (10-20k gross tons vs mega ships 100k and more), thus even in minor swells to big ships, they have a lot more movement. The cruises try their best to monitor weather forecasts to avoid, but it also can't always be avoided. - Be flexibile - as noted, weather is highly variable. Don't expect the itinerary to be the same as what you book. The crew will do their best to give you a great experience, but also their best to keep you safe. - Physical fitness - you don't need to be in olympic shape, but you need to be mobile and handle sometimes slippery to difficult walking conditions (think of your foot sinking 12 inches into the snow). Also, once you learn how, getting into and out of zodiaks is easy, but I saw several older people who struggled. - Price - as pointed out, its not cheap to do a landing cruise. This was the most expensive trip we have ever done. With all that said, it was also the best experience I've ever had. I concur and highly recommend it if you have the means and opportunity to go. |