Originally Posted by
Efrem
Not personally myself, but talked personally to people who have. In your situation I'd totally do it.
Did they mention lines? Interested in Ponant but not sure such a deal would garner any elite benefits. Would even be better if Le Commandant Charcot was sold cheap as that is one of the few ships that can go deep into the Antarctic (into the Weddell sea) where most ships cannot go.
That said, you can book in advance for way less than $20K US pp. Check out, for example, HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions until about a year ago).
Should mention that it was a ~20 day that included South Georgia and IIRC Falkland/Malvinas so explored much more than the standard ~1 week cruises. USD 1k pp pd seems to be the going rate.
BTW, you might scoff at the idea of a balcony cabin - who wants to sit on a balcony in that weather? - but it's worth it, if the added cost isn't outrageous, for the full-wall window.
High enough to avoid waves in rough seas too. Some of the ships have watertight doors for the lower balcony decks (e.g., the older Ponant ships) rather than sliders. And the front cabins have metal instead of glass for the waves. Crossing the Drake passage is serious business!