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Antarctica the great unexplored
Antarctica is one of the great unexplored areas of the world.
It wasn’t until the last fifty years that there has been any
appreciable exploration or study of the vast frozen continent.
Now the tourist with sufficient money can actually view and set
foot on this unique part of the earth.
The tourist season for Antarctica is restricted only to the
months of December through February when it is the peak of
summer in the southernmost part of the world. Only vessels
equipped for the icy waters cruise to one of the coldest areas
of the earth. Three major cruise lines offer Antarctic cruises:
Celebrity Cruises, Orient Lines, and Radisson Seven Seas.
Smaller specialty expedition companies also offer other trips
to this destination.
Celebrity Cruises travels to Antarctica with the polar
icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov, a refitted 1980’s Russian polar
research vessel. This ship takes a fortunate 106 passengers to
the polar region with the amenities expected from Celebrity
Cruises such as pool, sauna, and gym. Accommodations are small
by comparison to a cruise ship; staterooms can be as small as
135 square feet while a suite with private bath is only 285
square feet.
Currently Celebrity Cruises has one 11-day trip to Antarctica
scheduled for departure February 6, 2006. The price is
approximately $10,000 per person. The cruise originates and
returns to Ushuaia Tierra Del Fuego, the southernmost town in
South America near Cape Horn. As with all cruises in the frozen
waters, destinations depend upon actual weather conditions
during the cruise.
Orient Lines provides several Antarctic cruises each year
aboard its world traveler ship Marco Polo. This ship was
originally built in Germany in 1965 and was rebuilt in the
early 1990’s. It has twelve decks and carries 826 passengers, a
cruise ship not a research vessel like the Kapitan Khlebnikov.
Accommodations vary from deluxe and regular suites to a full
complement of cabin categories to choose from. Orient Lines has
a high reputation for quality and the Marco Polo is a full
service ship with many restaurants and amenities.
Orient offers a variety of Antarctic cruises throughout the
season from December to February with the option of 11 to 33
day cruises, depending upon point of departure. The longest
trip begins in the Caribbean, passes through the Panama Canal
and tours the west coast of South America before touring
Antarctica. Once the ship reaches the Cape Horn area, regular
11-day cruises to Antarctica depart from Ushuaia Tierra Del
Fuego. Other cruises are 15 or 18-day cruises that start in
Santiago, Chile or Buenos Aires, Argentina. Prices start at
around $5,000 per person for the 11-day cruise.
Radisson Seven Seas provides cruises to Antarctica aboard the
ship Explorer II. Explorer II is designed to cruise safely in
the polar region. While this vessel carries 300 passengers
elsewhere, only 198 people can take the Antarctic cruise.
Explorer II is a small cruise ship with all the amenities
expected from a luxury and award-winning cruise line such as
Radisson Seven Seas.
Radisson Seven Seas provides only two cruises per year in the
Antarctic region, both in the month of January. Both cruises
are round trip from Ushuaia Tierra Del Fuego and are 12-day
trips. While the 2005 cruise itinerary shows cruising the
Antarctic Peninsula, the 2006 cruises show only cruising the
South Shetland Islands without mention of the Antarctic
continent. Prices start at around $7,500 per person for the
12-day cruise.
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