Our Experience in Antarctica

When we sat down and began planning our year long trip around the world, we knew we wanted to see as much of the planet as possible. This would obviously include some exotic and remote locations. The notion of visiting all 7 continents began creeping into our thoughts. We began imagining how amazing would it be to visit Antarctica, the coldest and one of the most inaccessible places on earth! After doing some research and saving some more pennies, we no longer imagined the possibility, but made it a reality! It turned out to be one of the most memorable experiences we’ve ever had.

Below is a comprehensive account of our experience visiting Antarctica!

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How We Got There

Travelling by cruise ship is the most common method to get to Antarctica. We chose Hurtigruten for our 16 night expedition cruise that departed from Montevideo, Uruguay on October 22, 2018.

When To Go

Our ship was one of the first expedition cruises of the season, as ships can only travel to Antarctica in the spring and summer when the ice melts enough to allow safe passage. We would recommend visiting in the Antarctic summer (December-February), as you would likely have less problems with landings in warmer weather. In mid-December you would also see the midnight sun!

Length of the Trip

We were on board for 16 nights (17 days) from October 22 to November 7, 2018.

The Ship

We travelled on one of Hurtigruten’s ships called the “MS Midnatsol”. It is slightly larger than some other ships visiting Antarctica, with over 400 guests on board. We intentionally chose a larger ship, as we heard the waters could be rough and we had never been on a cruise ship before in our adult lives. Check out our post “Inside the Midnatsol” for more specific details about the ship and its amenities.

Sea Sickness

On a smaller ship traveling in Antarctic waters, it is easy to become seasick. Many passengers on our ship became ill, including Shaleen and myself (to a lesser degree). We both used Transderm patches (scopolamine). These were purchased in a pharmacy before we left Canada. They are small, round adhesives that you affix behind the ear to help with seasickness. The patches help relax the nerve of the inner ear that is responsible for balance. A lot of people used anti-nausea medication and acupressure bands, however, we stuck with the patches! We found that walking outside, drinking lots of water, and lying flat was beneficial when we felt really sick. We also tried doing activities that kept our minds off the sickness, such as watching Netflix shows.

What was Included

Food:

Our ship had a massive breakfast and lunch buffet with more food options than anybody really needs! Dinners were split between buffets on some nights and seated five course meals on others.

The seated meals always included two appetizers (one of which was a soup), a choice of entree (usually meat or fish), and two desserts (one of which was a sorbet). Each plated meal had a theme and a menu with descriptions of each item.

Our ship also served afternoon tea, with a selection of pastries, cookies, fruit and soup. Water, coffee and tea was available 24/7.

Waterproof Jackets and Boots:

Every guest was provided with a Helly Hansen waterproof jacket to keep. After checking in onto the ship, we were invited to try on our jackets. Since the jacket is a waterproof top layer, we made sure it fit over our fleece and base/mid layers.

We were also provided with a pair of waterproof muck boots to use for the duration of the cruise. The surprisingly comfortable and warm boots were mandatory to wear on Antarctica, and were cleaned with a power wash, brush, and disinfectant every time we returned to the ship.

Excursions:

All passengers were able to leave the ship anytime at our docked landings (in our case, Puerto Madryn, Argentina, Stanley, Falkland Islands, and Ushuaia, Argentina). Smaller tender boats were used for locations that did not have a dock.

When in Antarctica, only 100 passengers could be on land at a time. Optional extra excursions were available for guests to purchase, such as kayaking, camping or visiting other locations on the Falkland Islands, Puerto Madryn, and Ushuaia. Unfortunately, many of the excursions during our expedition were cancelled due to unfavourable weather conditions.

Lectures:

The knowledgeable expedition team offered lectures every day, which was a fantastic way to pass the time, while providing a great educational experience.

Lectures included the following topics:

In addition to the lectures, we received a mandatory safety briefing and information sessions about our landing locations. Screenings of Blue Planet episodes and a movie about the famous British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton were also presented. Some evening entertainment was offered such as a fashion show, Halloween show and crew talent show, to name a few.

What To Pack:

See our post “Packing List for Antarctica” for a full list of what you need to bring.

Our Itinerary:

It is important to note that on an Antarctic expedition, a formal itinerary is impossible to provide guests in advance. The weather is too unpredictable and can change very quickly. We learned that first hand during our experience, as the intended itinerary changed many times! We were told by our lead expedition leader on our first day that there would always be a Plan A, Plan B, Plan C…etc. We received a daily program each evening to prepare for the following day. Sometimes these programs would change more than once during a day due to weather conditions.

We did know in advance that our expedition would begin in Montevideo and we were scheduled to visit Puerto Madryn, the Falkland Islands and Antarctica. We also knew that the final port of call would be Ushuaia, Argentina. A charter flight to Buenos Aires from Ushuaia was included

Check out “Our Antarctica Itinerary” for a detailed day-to-day account of our experience!

If you are on the fence about whether to book an Antarctica expedition, do not hesitate! It was one of the best adventures we have ever had! Words cannot describe the sights, sounds and smells we experienced in Antarctica! In fact, when we landed in Ushuaia, we were nearly tempted to book a last-minute deal to return to the great white continent. We can’t wait to go back!