FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Using points for Antarctica cruise?
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Old Aug 1, 2012 | 11:10 am
  #31  
Travelomania
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Originally Posted by Dr Jabadski
Not sure they are negotiable but Quark does offer discounts sometimes (between occasionally and frequently). Suggest subscribing to their email newsletters/updates/PR stuff.

Unsure exactly what you are referring to, sounds like you might be thinking about a quick (day or 2) trip across the Drake and back. Very unlikely. The Antarctica tourist season is during Southern hemisphere summer, approximately November through March. The Drake is about 600 miles across, my 3 trips averaged about 14 knots, which means the trip is a full 2 days EACH way. I’m not sure any other ships do it very much more quickly. Even in season I’m not aware of any company which offers quick trips across and back just so someone could say they visited Antarctica. Minimum trip duration on Quark is 8 or 9 days. I believe Quark offers the most cruises to the area.
A quick look at and quote from their website says the following:

This quick crossing won’t reduce the scale of your adventure – the ship you join explores the Antarctic Peninsula for a full 5 days, just like any other expedition.
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