peterrudy

King George island landing


Room picture


Room picture


Room picture balcony


Cruising away from KG island

Sunrise in Antarctica

Cruising next to icebergs in zodiacs



Penguin colony

Seals sunbathing on icebergs

Antarctica trip report:
Me and my wife just came back from Quark (pronounced "cork") expeditions Antarctic Express: Fly the Drake (7-day) all Inclusive premium suite trip. The cruise ship (Island Sky) is a ~100 passenger + crew luxurious ship built very well with great decor and mahogany wood treatments everywhere. Our premium rooms were spacious with a queen bed, walk in closet and a decent size shower and toilet room. There was a shared balcony which goes around the ship. The crew members were very knowledgeable and helpful. The food on the cruise was delicious with daily menu changes and one sunny day we had barbecue on the deck overlooking the glaciers which I will never forget!

The cost for the cruise was $9000 (after 25% discount) per person, which included the following:
-8AM DAP charter flight from Santiago to Punta Arenas.
-Overnight stay in Dreams hotel (5-star oceanfront hotel) in Punta arenas.
-Free (yours to keep) jacket with Quark logos (very well insulated, heavy and waterproof); High snow boots are provided, which need to be returned. You need to bring your own waterproof pants.
-DAP Flight from Punta arenas to King George Island. KG island has several territories owned by several countries, but only Chile owned land has a gravel landing strip. Flight times vary between 7am to 7pm based upon the amount of ice on the runway. It is very rare to see them not able to fly and lose a day but it can happen!
-Cruise for 4 nights which stopped twice a day in different islands 2 hours each time to explore/walk. Transfers from cruise to the land were made in zodiacs and we saw penguins, whales and several types of seals.
-DAP Flight back to Punta Arenas.
-Overnight stay in Dreams hotel.
-12 noon Flight from Punta Arenas to Santiago.
PS: I took a $80 Chile medical insurance plan for both of us which covers emergency evacuation for up to 200K as required by Quark prior to arrival. Quark offered a trip cancellation policy for about $1000, which I did not purchase. There was a doctor on the cruise and while we took the Scopolamine patches with us, we never needed them.
QUARK EXPEDITIONS BOOKING PROCESS
I have done extensive research before going to Antarctica and I wholeheartedly recommend Quark expeditions which is reasonably priced for an all inclusive trip, compared to ~20K per person Antarctica cruises.
Some cruises offer lower prices but overcharge for each activity. We liked the way Quark took care of everything (flights within Chile, hotel stay and island activities) for one price.

Quark booking was very easy over the phone without the need for any travel agent. I recommend calling them to make a payment rather than paying on the web site since Quark lets you pay the total bill over time with several credit cards (I would not have been able to pay the whole amount one time otherwise). We took advantage by opening several credit cards over 8 months and made lots of points.

TRAVEL FROM U.S TO SANTIAGO
We used AAdvantage points (100K points on Latam- call AA to book) for nonstop business class flights from Orlando to Santiago. U.S to Santiago flights reach early am so you can get on 8AM flight to Punta Arenas without the need to stay a night.
Return flight is also timed very well to return back with minimal amount of time in the airport.
Passengers may choose to break the trip and stay in Punta arenas to explore Patagonia by driving to Puerto Natales and Torres Del Paine.

Overall everything is arranged very well with Quark expeditions and I encourage anyone planning to visit Antarctica to use fly the Drake passage option. 4 nights may seem short (longer options available), but enough to see all the wild life. We had very good sunny weather but ymmv with heavy rain and clouds, which may ruin the experience. Antarctica landing seems like any place in Norway, but you will see expansive glaciers and icebergs throughout the cruise. Once you start sailing away from the King George island the whole scenery changes and you will feel like you are on another planet. One place they took us had an active volcano with warm waters and greenery which looked similar to the movie scene in Alien Covenant. Another memorable experience was to see several seals resting on the icebergs from few feet away while cruising on zodiacs.

CAN YOU DO ANTARCTICA TRIP FOR LESS MONEY?? One can do Antarctica trip by sailing the Drake passage for ~7K and also getting last minute cruise deals in Ushuaia (~$3500 to 5000). But, my wife refused to sail the Drake passage after seeing the YouTube videos showing violent water shaking the ship.

IS ANTARCTICA TRIP WORTH THE EXPENSE?? My answer is, it depends on what you expect out of the trip for 10K!
Antarctica trip is a once in a lifetime trip for many people and you will remember the scenery (massive glaciers, sun rise, seals floating on the icebergs, whales and thousands of penguins crossing in front of you) for as long as you live!
If you are interested in animal interaction only Chile has places you can go to see king penguins, whales and seals for lot cheaper price.
Several travelers compare it to the arctic trips where you see a lot more of floating icebergs and polar bears. Both are very unique and expensive trips any traveler should do as part of a bucket list.
My recommendation is to first finish seeing the most scenic places in the world, then visit Antarctica in the end.
My top of the list for natural scenery are Chilean Patagonia (torres del paine park, Grey glacier), Argentinean patagonia (Perito Moreno glacier, El Chalten, mount Fitz Roy), Lofoten and Senja islands in Norway).

747FC

I appreciate you spending time to write such a detailed review. Very interesting.

I would strongly disagree with you comparing the Antarctic landing to Norway. I've done three cruises to Norway and the landscapes are totally different than those found in Antarctica. Both are very beautiful, but casual readers should not expect that one is a substitute for the other.

SkyTeam777

What is the shortest duration of a luxury cruise to Antarctica? I just can't see my self interested in spending more than a week doing land excursions or sailing around with no wifi or cell signal due to work constraints.

747FC

1 week

Out of my Element

Most trips that go to Antarctica from South America (and not just the nearby islands) schedule out at 10 days. 2 days from Ushuaia to Antarctica. 6 days cruising from place to place, and 2 days to get back to Ushuaia.

Most of the ships have pretty good wifi, too.

MacMyDay

Thought this may of interest:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/luxury/t...cost-wildlife/

We're thinking of going.

Pausanias

Macmyday - Having spent three weeks in Antarctica and South Georgia this year, I would say there are significant drawbacks to taking a cabin on a small yacht like Legend. There are advantages as well - being so small it can access tiny coves and inlets and it can give you a fairly immersive experience within a short space of time.

However, I think the drawbacks are more in number. The main thing here is the weather and it's a fair chance that a flight from Punta Arenas across the Drake Passage might never take off. This flight path is usually reserved for med-evacs. Weather can close in, seas can become seriously heavy and a little yacht like Legend will feel like a cork in a waterfall. I've been on an expedition ship with 50 cabins in the heaving South Atlantic and it was not pleasant at all. Also, having looked at the Legend on YouTube and elsewhere I can see that it lacks deck space for comfortable viewing of the scenery and the wildlife. Outside areas look very compromised. Food will be very limited. Dining will be communal. If the weather is bad and you can't land for three or four days this yacht will seem incredibly claustrophobic and who knows who you will be sharing it with. Personally I don't think it's worth the risk.

I think if you were in the Galapagos or wanted to see seriously remote Pacific islands like Pitcairn or Tokelau then the Legend might be a good choice.

My trip to Antarctica and South Georgia was on Seabourn Quest - I thought it offered a thoroughly satisfying sightseeing experience combined with vast amounts of space and dining options. The speed and stability of the ship was impressive. If you want to splash out they have suites as big as the best luxury hotels. BTW, we had Steve Wozniak on our sailing.

FlyingHighlander

I haven't been to Antarctica in a yacht but I did seriously consider it. In the end I think I made a better choice for me by paying much less and going on a 50-passenger ship (Polar Pioneer). Plenty of deck space. Great food. Solitude if you want it. We saw a couple of yachts anchored in coves during rough weather. Our big ship just cruised on, breaking through thin ice.

flying can be a gamble, which is why we chose an itinerary that was sail there/fly back. The plane was 36 hours late arrival (and was lucky to get in at all). Great for us- we got an extra 1.5 days in Antarctica. Not so good for the inbound passengers.

Kagehitokiri

its a charter flight, and doesnt matter if doesnt fly, because its a one time scheduled charter

but addressing this >
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aerov%C3%ADas_DAP
"DAP carries out 76% of all air traffic between Antarctica and America"
there are tons of flight itins >
land operations
antarctic-logistics.com/trip-finder/#view=grid
polarcruises.com/antarctica/destinations/fly-drake
white desert and antarctic logistics have flown gulfstream and falcon jets there
white desert flights are from south africa

not seeing issue with outdoor areas
yachtcharterfleet.com/luxury-charter-yacht-23684/legend-layout.htm
eyos-expeditions.com/legend/
cdn.eyos-expeditions.com/pdfs/2018-LegendYacht-Antarctica.pdf
"Pioneer yacht fly-in and fly-out expeditions."
"Over 800 Antarctic voyages"

iaato.org/service-providers-and-operators

rolls royce aquarius stabilizers underway and at anchor (small cruiseships, ferries, naval vessels)
280 kW thrusters at bow and stern

Pausanias

Seabourn has just announced they are to build two new expedition vessels for trips to challenging destinations like Antarctica.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/c...tti-damen.html

FlyingHighlander

The staff on my trip made a few comments about a sharp increase in vessels destined for Antarctica in the near future. Currently, with some work, ships are able to avoid each other for the most part. I think IAATO works to schedule ships at different sites to avoid ships arriving at the same time. However if weather prevents you landing at a popular site you may not get another slot. As ships increase, not only will you see many more (detracting from the feeling of remote wilderness), it'll be harder to land at some sites.

Pausanias

Another new ship - the Crystal Endeavour which looks spectacular. Interestingly, the Antarctic itineraries seem to start and end in New Zealand and cross the mighty Ross Sea to the White Continent. Very few cruise ships attempt this.

https://www.theluxurycruisecompany.c...ystal-endeavor

SkyTeam777

747FC

I have not, but friends who are fans of Crystal Cruises did Hurtigruten in Antarctica and really liked it.

SkyTeam777

That's great news! I was worried that it would be super basic, almost institutional!