Antarctica Cruises

The Antarctic season runs from November to March, the southern summer, and each end of it offers something different. November has untouched snow at the landing sites and penguins courting and nesting. December and January are the warmest, brightest and most expensive months, with near-constant daylight and chicks in the colonies. February is the pick for whales and for pushing south toward the Antarctic Circle as the sea ice breaks up, and by March it is getting colder, with fewer ships around.

Ship size decides what kind of trip you get. Under the Antarctic Treaty rules adopted in 2009, ships carrying more than 500 passengers may not land anyone at all, only one ship may use a landing site at a time, and no more than 100 people can be ashore there at once. A big ship therefore means scenic cruising from the deck; an expedition ship of around 100 to 200 guests means getting into Zodiacs and stepping onto the continent, often twice a day. The lines here run small expedition ships for exactly that reason.

The other choice is how to cross the Drake Passage. Most voyages start in Ushuaia, Argentina, and spend about two days each way on one of the roughest stretches of ocean anywhere, which is why a classic Peninsula trip is ten to twelve nights. Fly-cruise trips skip it with a roughly two-hour flight from Punta Arenas, Chile, to King George Island in the South Shetlands, where the ship is waiting. The flight depends on the weather on the island, so leave a buffer of a couple of days before your flight home and buy insurance that covers weather delays.

Longer voyages add the Falklands and South Georgia and run closer to three weeks. It is an expensive, once-in-a-lifetime trip suited to people who care more about wildlife and ice than comfort at sea - though the luxury expedition lines have narrowed that gap.

Sources: polartours.com, nbcnews.com, poseidonexpeditions.com, antarctica21.com