Tips to Book Antarctica and Save Thousands $$ !!
In this post, I’m going to guide you through the cheapest way of booking your trip to Antarctica.
But before I continue, since we’re talking about Antarctica here, we’ll need to set some expectations and redefine what cheap means to you.
If you have been shopping around, you probably already know the costs involved but if you’re just starting your research, it’s important to have in mind that a cruise expedition in Antarctica can cost, on average, between USD 15-25k per person.
But what if I told you that’s actually possible to do that by spending only approximately USD 4.5-5k instead?
Let me tell you how this can be done:
Be Flexible with your Dates
So here’s the catch: remember that I always say that if you want to get the best travel deals, it’s important to be flexible with your dates? When planning a trip to Antarctica on a budget, this is absolutely essential. Why? Because in the weeks leading up to the departure, any unsold spots in the cruises will cost a fraction of the original price and this is how you’ll end up saving money. Bear in mind that January is the height of the season so the best deals tend to come through at around the end of March and beginning of April.
Be Tenacious
Not surprisingly these deals will sell out fast, so you need to be quick at confirming your spot once these emails start coming through your inbox.
Be Organised
Make sure you’ll be able to reach one of the port cities like Punta Arena or Ushuaia in time for your cruise. Ideally, it’s best if you’re around the area rather than flying in from other continents because, different to the excursions, last-minute flights are usually very expensive, adding up to the final costs which is what we’re trying to avoid here. If this isn’t your case, you might want to consider booking flexible tickets so you can change the date and time of your flight before departure.
Other Things to Consider
Cruise type: Options range from basic research vessels to luxury ships, so think hostels versus 5* hotels. I went on a research vessel which was smaller, more basic and with shared rooms but I got lucky and was given a private room on one of the top decks! If you want to save even further, you can try to grab one of the 10 spots available to foreign passengers on Chinese charters.
Cruise size: In this case, size does actually matter! If you want to make the most of your time during the excursions without waiting around, make sure you choose a ship that allows up to 100 passengers on board because this is the maximum amount of people allowed at any time on a landing site.
Extra costs: On top of getting to and from any of the port cities, you’ll also need to watch out for these extra costs:
Food and drinks: As with most cruises, food is included in the price with the exception of alcoholic beverages.
Wifi: Same applies to wifi connection if the ship you booked has wifi available.
Tipping: Another thing to take into consideration is tipping which should be calculated at approximately USD 10-20 per person per day.
Excursions: Depending on the ship you select, activities like kayaking, for example, may not be included and prices can range from USD 300 up to USD 1000 per person for each activity and these will need to be booked in advance.
That’s a lot to take in, right? But I hope that you now feel confident and ready to start planning your trip to Antarctica. I know it may sound like a lot of money but I guarantee that this is the cheapest way you’ll find and every penny spent will be absolutely worth it.
