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Top Three Antarctica Cruise Ships List
Choosing an Antarctica cruise ship can cause you a lot of frustration because there are so many to chose from but this trip review generated listing of the better ones should help ease your decision.
There are four different classes of ships that you can use to travel to the white continent. Icebreakers (100 passengers), luxury expedition ships (100 - 200 passengers), research boats (45 - 110 passengers) and expedition cruise ships (100 - 125 passengers). All four classes are made up of about 30 individual ships so you are spoilt for choice when you are planning Antarctic cruises, but herein lies a problem. With so many cruise ship options available how do you choose the right one?Throwing a dart with closed eyes onto a wall covered with pictures of all the boats starts to seem like a very attractive decision making method after you have waded through all the Antarctica cruise ship options available, but there is a more reliable way of doing it... Use trip reports by people who have been to the Antarctic in the past and actually traveled on the cruise ships themselves because they will give you a reasonably accurate reflection of what it was really like.So what I've done for you below is condense all the travel reviews into a top three Antarctica adventure cruise ships list and included a sample of the travel reports that were used to obtain the rankings. I hope it will make your choice a little bit easier and let you throw that decision making dart where it really belongs: the bullseye on a dartboard. Top Three Antarctica Cruise Ships- M/S Explorer - Max 108 Passengers (sample trip reports about this boat)
The Explorer has an illustrious history. She was the first passenger ship to travel to Antarctica and also the first to make the journey through the Northwest Passage.
Now fully owned by the GAP adventure company this 75 meter, ice strengthened double hulled vessel was the first expedition ship ever constructed and she was designed with passenger comfort and safety in mind (not a converted marine research boat or freighter).
So you will find things like a small gym, pool and sauna, onboard library, gift shop, lecture hall, lounge and all cabins with a private bath and outside view onboard.
- The Ushuaia - Max 84 Passengers
(sample trip reports about this boat)
This boat is a converted research vessel that was originally built for the United States agency NOAA (National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration) but now transports passengers on Antarctic adventure tours.
It has an ice strengthened hull, a number of zodiac inflatable landing craft and all the cabins include ample storage space. There is a large dining room that can accommodate all passengers in one sitting, lounge and bar, library and conference room.
- Akademik Shokalskiy - Max 49 Passengers
(sample trip reports about this boat)
This is also a converted research ship that was built in 1983 but has been continuously refurbished since then to carry passengers in Antarctica cruise comfort.
The crew welcomes visits to the bridge where you can get magnificent views of the surrounding icebergs and wildlife. They also allow passengers to camp in a tent out on the ice for an evening (if you can stand the cold that is).
Facilities are top notch and include a lounge, well-stocked bar, a small library, infirmary, sauna, dining room/lecture room.
It's only been in the past twenty or so years that Antarctica has become a true tourist destination and not only the exclusive preserve of researchers and explorers. The reason it took so long is because the bottom of the world is a pretty difficult and expensive place to get to but fortunately the increase in popularity of adventure travel has brought the prices down to reasonably affordable levels for the average tourist. But it's still not cheap. The price ranges here are based on the different classes of Antarctica cruise ships for a 10 day trip and start with standard cabin prices (triples - three people sharing) through to the luxury cabin suites quoted in USD for the 2006/07 season. Excludes any scheduled or charter flight airfares. Includes all meals but not drinks...
- Luxury Expedition Ships: $6,000 - $12,800
- Icebreakers: $4,200 - $8,000
- Research Ships: $3,900 - $7,500
- Expedition Antarctica Cruise Ships: $3,200 - $6,800
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