OK, here's the deal. My mom is booked onto a cruise that will give them a day in Punta Arenas. They can book as a shore excursion through the cruise line for that day to have a flight to Antarctica but it costs $1300 per person, which they feel is a bit outrageous.

Now I know that sometimes you can book your own shore excursion and get the same trip the cruise line would put you on for less money. Does anyone know if you can do that in this case? Google is not my friend. Apparently I don't know the super secret keywords to get this information on my own.

My undying gratitude will be yours if you know the answer to this question.

I don't know about excursion flights to Antarctica, but one factor your folks may want to consider when making their own shore arrangements (i.e. not through the cruise line) - if there is any kind of problem with their shore excursion and they are late getting back, the ship will not wait for them or make any kind of accomodation for them. They will be on their own and out of pocket in figuring out how to catch up with the ship. While do-it-yourself excursions are not usually a problem in most ports of call, a shore excursion to Antarctica could pose more than the normally anticipated difficulties simply because of the nature of the place and the weather.

I don' know anything about Antartica, but I do know that a terrific resource for any question about cruising is the Cruise Critic website -- http://boards.cruisecritic.com/. Their message boards are for cruising what this website is for flying, IMHO! The boards were very helpful for some cruise research and planning we did in recent years.

If you go to the Boards link and select Ports of Call, you will see South America listed: should be able to find some answers there. And if no-one has asked that particular question, you can register and post a question yourself.

Thanks, Flyingmama, I did mention that. Apparently they're willing to gamble that they'd get back in time or else they don't plan to hire the plane if the weather is bad. Not sure.

SB-Travlr, thanks for the link, it looks good, and I'm checking it out right now. I'm already seeing informative stuff regarding the alternative tour out of that port that they might take, the penguin tours. Looks like a great resource.

http://www.polarcruises.com/ = very expensive

Heads up!!! The Antarctica flyover shore excursion is one of the most cancelled excursions in the cruising world. WEATHER is a major factor. If you book with the cruiseline, at least if it is cancelled, you will get refunded. If you book a private charter plane, I would doubt you get a refund. And I would make a guess that to charter the plane, you will need to make arrangements WELL in advance and pay at least a hefty deposit. You truly are at the end of the world down there, without all the niceties we take for granted is most parts of the world.

Having been to Antarctica and on two South American, 'Round the Horn cruises, I would not even think of taking the flyover excursion, either with the ship or privately. Real waste of money for a 6 hour plane ride, HOPING to be able to see something. You do not land, you just flyover. Think about how much you can really see at 10,000 feet, when everything is white and kind of blends together.

The penguin trip to Magdalena Island is ABSOLUTELY fantastic. Ferry ride out to the island (about 2 hours), one of the largest penguin colonies in the world. This is a Celebrity exclusive, although there is another ferry that runs out of Puenta Arenas and goes to Magdalena Island.

The other penguin trip out of Puenta Arenas, Otway Sound, is not nearly as good, but if that is all that is available, better to see penguins than not see penguins. Long, dusty ride to see the penguins and it is PACKED with tour busses. A real disappointment after I had been to Magdalena Island. There are a couple of independent companies that offer Magdalena Island, but it takes some good coordination with the cruise line.

Is your Mom going this year? If not, have her look into one of the cruise ship trips that actually cruise Antarctica. HAL does quite a few, as do Crystal and a couple other lines. You will not be able to touch land in Antarctica (like a specialized Antarctica trip), but you will get to cruise around the Peninsula. MUCH better than taking the flyerover and believe me, it won't cost any more than the cruise she is already booked on + the flyover. Enjoy!!!

OK, thanks. I'm going to send her a copy of your post. I'm not sure when she is leaving but they will be in Punta Arenas on February 11 so I imagine her trip is not terribly far away. Thanks.

Oops, double post, sorry.