For most of us, a trip to Antarctica is nothing more than a fleeting thought or a distant dream.
Antarctica is almost 800 miles from the Southernmost point of South America in Ushuaia, Argentina. Getting their involves crossing The Drake Passage, the most notoriously nasty sea in the world (or maybe taking a short flight that can have it's own weather challenges). And then you are on a continent that has no cities, only research bases, is covered by 98% ice....and is only accessible for a few months through the year. 
There are only 50 ships approved to go to Antartica by IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) which is designed to protect this critical environment for wildlife and our planet.
You can only visit from November to March, the summer months when the most amount of ice is melted making it relatively accessible.
You can find small ships with ~20 passengers and large ships with ~500. We ended up on a ship with a max capacity of 200 passengers, this felt great for us, especially since the ship wasn't totally full.
All of these add up to making it really hard to get to Antarctica and visit for many of us the hardest continent to get to, especially if you're trying to get the 7th continent checked off your list.
The shortest amount of time for an Antarctic cruise is typically 8 days, most are usually 10-12 days and if you add in South Georgia Island these trips can easily grow to 20+ days!
The average cost of a cruise to Antarctica is typically $8,000 per person, but if you go with one of the super luxury cruise lines, it can easily go up to $15,000-$20,000 PER PERSON! From what we saw, National Geographic has the most expensive cruises, but also has some of the most incredible success spotting wildlife.
There are a few ways to find deals to make an Antarctic expedtition slightly more affordable that we will share here.
We ended up on The World Navigator, a luxury cruise ship from Atlas Ocean Voyages. which was all-inclusive with great food and alcohol included. (Note: be careful, don't drink too heavily, especially as you're getting ready to cross The Drake as sea sickness is very common and a hangover + being sea sick sucks) Not speaking from experience or anything 🙄 . We'll talk more about our experience on another post.
4 Tips to get the best deals on an Antarctic cruise:
1. Be flexible! The dates of your adventure are one of the key drivers of price. If you can book a last minute deal when someone cancels within a month of the voyage, this is usually when you find the best deals.
I know this is SUPER hard for most people, but if you can have any flexibility in your schedule for a few weeks of time almost completely disconnected, this is the best way to save you thousands of dollars. We booked with less than 30 days notice and it saved us at least $10,000. After talking to other travelers, we could've done even better.
2. Travel in groups of 2. Most of the rooms are built for 2 people, unless you get a shared bunk room. Find a travel buddy, ideally someone you're comfortable sharing a bed with. You can also use some of the Argentina/Patagonia Travel groups on Facebook to find friends if helpful.
3. Be in Argentina Maybe you plan a trip to explore Argentina with flexible dates. Maybe you plan to explore Ushuaia, the "At The Dock" deals can be the best for last minute trips with the cruise lines. But that isn't feasible for many of us. I booked directly with the cruise line and got a very good deal. But if you want a GREAT deal, book within a few weeks of departure. If you don't find the deal you're looking for, then you can explore MANY other areas like Torres del Paine, Chile, Punta Arenas, Puerto Natales, Peninsula Valdez, El Calafate, El Chalten, Cordoba, Iguazu Falls, Uruguay. There are SO many options.
4. Book through a broker in Ushuaia The broker we spoke with (and should've worked with for the best deals based upon talking to other travelers) is Wayfinders. They specialize in helping travelers get the best deals on Antarctica Cruises, have offices in Ushuaia and Buenos Aires, speak English and offer some other great perks. (This is not paid for by them....but paid for by us not booking through them and regretting it) We spoke to a few different travelers who got an even better deal than we did, and we thought we got a good deal.
Update: I've also heard a few good reviews of Freestyle Adventures.
For those that have traveled on an Antarctic cruise, what advice do you have?
Questions feel free to send them over on Instagram @VitaminSeeMore
