For most people, a cruise to Antarctica is a bucket list item they think they can ill afford. However, cruising to Antarctica on a budget is possible, and I did it! In this article I will tell you all the details of this mind-blowing itinerary!
14 Days Cruising Antarctica The Affordable Way
My husband and I chose Celebrity Cruises for our Antarctica adventure. They offer a 14 day itinerary that covers Antarctica as well as some other fun ports. We started in Buenos Aires, from there went to visit the City at the End of the World, Ushuaia. From there we rounded Cape Horn and went on to Antarctica. The next stop would have been the Falklands. Stay tuned to find out what happened there! Then it was on to Puerto Madryn, and, finally, Montevideo before we headed back to Buenos Aires.
Author’s Note
14 days cruising Antarctica on a budget is 100% doable. I know this because I 100% failed at it. In this article you’ll notice all the little extras I mention, which are very fun, but add a lot of cost. And if you are not interested in a very expensive expedition cruise simply because it’s not appealing to you to go stomp around on some ice, and not because the cost seems prohibitive, by all means, follow all my recommendations in here. Because while I did spend a lot of money, I also had a lot of fun.
However, if you do want to keep the cost low, read my article about how to do Antarctica on a budget – I’ve made all the mistakes so you don’t have to!
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is simply gigantic. With its 15.9 million inhabitants, it’s one of the largest cities in the Americas. We aren’t big city people, but we opted to spend a day and a half there anyway, just to see it. Plus, it’s a good idea to fly in a day early, in case there are any delays with your flight. The cruise ship won’t wait for you if you don’t get there on time.
I recommend staying in the Palermo neighborhood. We didn’t, but we went there for a food tour, and we loved it there. It’s more quaint and quiet, and very, very picturesque.
We also found an excellent mate store, Todo Mates, and bought mate and the specialized cups and straws Argentinians use to drink it. The food tour was very enjoyable, and I highly recommend it. Not just does it cover your lunch, but you’ll learn about the history of Buenos Aires. Plus, you might just sample the best pizza you’ve ever had! (And yes, I HAVE been to Italy).
Don’t skip visiting the (self-proclaimed)world’s most beautiful bookstore! It’s a converted theater, dating back to 1919, and it’s simply fabulous. You will find it in the Recoleta neighborhood. However, if you, like me, love buying books by locals authors when traveling, you will be sorely disappointed to find that the selection of books in the English language at El Ateneo Gran Splendid is very limited, and contains mostly New York Times bestsellers. But it’s still worth seeing the location!
Boarding Day
Hooray, finally boarding day is here! It was quite the procedure to get on board, but once we were there and had located our cabin, we were excited to start exploring this swimming monstrosity! It’s a labyrinth I got lost in quite a few times, I’ll admit. But after a few days on board, things started to look up in my own personal navigation world!
Hooray, finally boarding day is here! It was quite the procedure to get on board, but once we were there and had located our cabin, we were excited to start exploring this swimming monstrosity! It’s a labyrinth I got lost in quite a few times, I’ll admit. But after a few days on board, things started to look up in my own personal navigation world!
At Sea
It’s a long way from Buenos Aires to the first official stop, which is Ushuaia, Argentina, which translates into three days at sea. If you have never been on a cruise, like I hadn’t, you might consider loading up your Kindle, wondering what on earth you will do with no place to go for three days. But there is SO much to do, I guarantee you, if you are bored, you aren’t trying! There are many, many scientific talks covering topics from everything about penguins to the history of Argentina. There are usually 2-3 talks every day, and they are well worth your time. You are visiting a fantastic corner of the planet, and it’s fun to hit these places with a solid background knowledge.
There are many fun restaurant options. We ate at Blu a lot, and that’s fantastic, but we also hit Le Petit Chef. If you want a truly unique dining experience that’s even interactive, don’t miss Le Petit Chef!
If you think a cruise equals about 8 pounds of gained weight, you are not far off. There’s always food available, and it’s really, really good, which makes it too hard to resist. If you want to avoid getting all sluggish, hit the gym! On the Celebrity Equinox it is nice and large, and they also offer various fitness classes.
Of course there’s a casino, loads of activities throughout the day, and tons of evening entertainment. One activity that is a bit pricey but I would nevertheless recommend because it’s so wildly unique is the glass blowing. Whoever comes up with the entertainment ideas for these sips surely must be a genius. When does one ever get to try glass blowing? I made my own penguin to bring home, and it was so much fun!
A Word Of Caution
One thing you need to keep in mind for this itinerary is that it’s subject to change, more so than most other places in the world. The weather is changeable and can be extreme. Your ship’s captain will always operate with your safety first and foremost in mind. This means you might not make it to every port, or you will get to a port earlier or later, and leave earlier or later than you had hoped. Please remember that this isn’t anyone’s fault. The crew will do their utmost to keep you safe and happy, and that’s what counts. So even if things change and you are disappointed, please remember to be kind to these hardworking folks.
Ushuaia – The End Of the World
If you wonder why I mentioned the possible changes in itinerary right when I did, it’s because that’s what happened to us in Ushuaia. You might have looked into going to Antarctica, and if you have, you most certainly have heard about the crossing of the Drake Passage. There are two possible scenarios in these unruly waters: the Drake Lake, or the Drake Shake. That means it can be flat calm and you have a pleasant crossing, or it can be stormy with high seas, and you’ll be in bed drugged up with seasickness medicine.
In our case, there was a low pressure system just leaving and one just approaching, so Captain Leo made the sensible decision to go into Ushuaia four hours early and leave four hours early in order to squeeze in between these two systems and have an acceptable crossing.
So – no big deal in this case! (Aside from the fact that we would be rounding Cape Horn in the dark, which was a little sad).
We split our time in Ushuaia perfectly. In the morning, we went on a four hour tour to Tierra Del Fuego National Park. It was a lot of sitting on a bus, unfortunately, but it was well worth it for the stunning vistas. We immediately decided we needed to return to this incredible place with more time on our hands.
After the tour we had time left to explore the town. It’s not very big, and there isn’t a ton to do. But it’s your best bet to buy Antarctica and end of the world souvenirs. On the main street you will find the usual array of souvenir stores, and they do sell fun items, like cute hoodies and shirts, as well as lots of penguin souvenirs. If you are looking for something unique, head towards the water and find the artisanal market. We might have never found it if not for a woman handing us a flyer with the information. I’m glad we didn’t miss it. There you can find lots of beautiful handmade items, and I bought an iceberg painting I absolutely loved.
Before you head back to the ship, walk along the water front to the edge of town to take your picture with the Ushuaia sign!
Antarctica
Day seven and eight are reserved for Antarctica cruising. I was SO excited to get up that morning! True to form I opened the curtains, looked out the window and saw a whale breach. The first signs of Antarctic wildlife! Incredible! As we entered the Schollart channel the flog slowly started to recede and the wild landscape revealed itself. I can not describe the feeling of being in this vast landscape. It’s majestic and breathtaking and beautiful, and none of these words truly describe it or do it justice. Just thinking back to that moment makes me tear up.
We had a gorgeous weather day in the Schollart Channel. Icebergs floated by, we saw whales and penguins playing in the water, and at that moment I couldn’t imagine a place I’d rather be.
Day eight brought more overcast conditions with a lot less visibility. We visited Paradise Bay and Elephant Island, and it was nice to see, but not as momentous as the day in the Schollart Channel had been. But that’s Antarctica for you – you never know what you are going to get!
And then it was time to leave and make our way to the Falkland Islands. So – two days in Antarctica, and you may wonder if it’s worth it. Yes, it is. No doubt. This cruise is a lot different than an expedition cruise. You don’t get off the ship to kayak with elephant seals and penguins, there’s no stepping onto the ice, or even having a sleepover on the Frozen Continent. But just to be there and see it is beyond magical, and you can do it without draining your retirement fund. Plus, you have all these other fun stops along the way!
How The Falklands Made Me Cry – Not In The Good Way
Remember that note of caution about the weather I included in this text? We got hit hard by that, just when we were in the most buoyant mood after the wonderful Antarctica adventure. While Captain Leo had been updating us on the weather conditions in the Falklands, I had very much hoped it would remain a feasible stop. But it did not. I was so disappointed, I might have cried a little (or a lot). Seeing the penguins in the Falklands was my top priority, and the whole time I said I do not care what we miss, as long as it isn’t the Falklands. Ugh that sucked.
But this is the way it can go, and there’s nothing to do except cry on the Maitre D’, get a big hug in return, and move on with your life.
Puerto Madryn
As soon as Captain Leo learned that the port captain in the Falklands had closed the port, preventing us from visiting, he headed straight for Puerto Madryn, allowing us an extra half day there. We had booked an excursion to the Valdez peninsula, which includes a lot of time sitting on a bus.
What to do with the extra half day? There was the option to go to Punta Tombo to see penguins, but that would also include a long bus ride (six hours roundtrip). Did we really want to spend two days sitting on a bus? In the end, we decided it was not okay to end this trip without seeing penguins close up, so we booked the excursion to Punta Tombo.
Punta Tombo Nature Reserve
Punta Tombo hosts the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world. We were told that currently there were 250,000 breeding pairs, plus chicks, in the area. That’s no typo, that’s more than half a million penguins! You get to walk on a one mile long walking trail, and along this trail there are penguins absolutely everywhere. I saw the first penguin, and then the second, and the third, and stopped each time, exclaiming and taking a million pictures.
But the further we went, the more there were. And so many chicks! It was the penguin-palooza I had dreamed about. We had limited time and it was tough to make myself keep walking to make it to the end of the trail and back in the allotted time. I couldn’t get enough of each and every one of these adorable creatures!
If you plan one thing, it should be this. It’s a cannot-miss activity! The gift shop was very overrun and didn’t have a ton of options, so I’d suggest you spare yourself from that chaos and buy penguin souvenirs on your stop in Ushuaia instead.
Valdez Peninsula
Most of these cruises will allow for only one excursion on your stop in Puerto Madryn, and I highly recommend going to Punta Tombo, even if you have seen penguins in the Falklands. We had an excellent guide for this tour and learned a lot, but the wildlife experience was disappointing. Yes, we did see elephant seals and sea lions, but they were so far away that you could only see black blobs with the naked eye. It was neither worth the time nor the money.
Montevideo
And then it was off to our last stop, Montevideo, Uruguay. I wasn’t too excited about this one, mostly because, as I said, I’m not much of a city person. From Montevideo you can book a tour to Punta del Este, or a local winery in the region, or opt for a half day city tour. We felt very toured-out, so we took some time to walk around, be surprised about the lack of good souvenir stores (this might be my secret retirement plan, open a massive souvenir shop in Montevideo), and finally found a wonderful place selling local arts and crafts, where we did a LOT of shopping. Other than that I can only say it was the mix of beautiful architecture and run down side streets and houses I expected. Not for me, but, as I mentioned, I’m not a city lover.
Buenos Aires and the Trip Back Home
At last we returned to Buenos Aires. Unless you book a late checkout, you will be expected to leave the ship fairly early. It was just after 7 am for us, and our flight wasn’t until 10 pm. We booked a local hotel near the airport to spend the day because we didn’t feel like schlepping all our luggage through the streets of Buenos Aires on a 90 plus degree day to add to the sightseeing we had already done. That way we could relax, nap, and hang out by the pool, working on our tans (and sunburns) before having to sit on a plane for ages.
Was It Worth It?
Those of you who are on the fence about waiting and saving up for an expedition cruise or going on one of these more comfy and less adventurous cruises may be wondering about this. I have two things to say: one, it was absolutely worth it. It was a magical Antarctica adventure, it was the most relaxing vacation I’ve taken since I was about nine years old and went on bus holidays to Spain with my mom, and it got me to all these fun places I would have missed if I would have chosen an expedition cruise, and two: I will now be saving for an expedition cruise, because I was mesmerized by the beauty of Antarctica, and my heart tells me I must return.
