Antarctica! Worth the Cost, Worth the Effort, and Yes, Even Worth Getting Seasick

Sailing to Antarctica

When we boarded the ship. I was excited and nervous in equal measure. After a lifeboat drill (where we did not actually get in a lifeboat), we set sail around 5:00 pm.

We had the first of our evening briefings at 6:30 where we were introduced to the guides and other staff members. The expedition leader was from England, and he had that quirky British sense of humor my husband and I love. He said our journey through the Drake Passage would be “sporting,” which I figured was code for “you will puke your guts out.” He confirmed this later when he said we would experience 18-foot waves. “Chew your breakfast well,” he advised, “You will see it again.” But there was good news too – he said the waves would get calmer after lunch the next day. I had been expecting two full days of hell.

Dinner was fantastic. Being the cautious type, I chewed it well. It was well that I did.

The ship started rolling shortly after dinner. We were tired from the Dramamine we had taken, so we just went to bed. It was like sleeping on a seesaw. I managed to fall asleep but woke up around 1:00 feeling awful. From 2:00 to 6:00, I got very well acquainted with our toilet. I have never felt so miserable; self-hatred was my constant companion. I kept berating myself for signing up for — and paying money for — this trip. And, OMG, it was supposed to continue like this for another six hours.

Except it didn’t! At 6:00 am, the waves calmed a bit and I slept for three hours. When I woke up, I still felt queasy, but I was no longer running to the bathroom.

During the night, I had sworn off ever eating again, but I decided to make an exception for crackers. Thanks to my husband (who did not get sick), I spent the entire day eating saltines, drinking water, and napping. When he wasn’t fetching me crackers, he went to presentations given by the guides and dined with the other passengers who were free of seasickness. I later learned that most of them had used the scopolamine patch.

Our second full day in the Drake Passage started with a mandatory safety briefing. Since I was forced to get out of bed, I decided to try eating something besides crackers. Both breakfast and lunch were buffets with lots of choices, fortunately including items from the BRAT diet. This is when I discovered my husband had never heard of the BRAT diet, which tells you he has a stomach far superior to mine. (For those of you who are similarly gifted, BRAT stands for bananas, rice, applesauce, and toast.)

The seas were still rough, but not terrible. It was a struggle to walk, and I could not tolerate looking out the window, but I was able to hold my food down and sleep. I looked forward to exiting the Drake Passage so I could get off the BRAT diet, off the Dramamine, and off the ship.

The Daily Routine

We had five days to explore Antarctica. Our daily schedule was as follows:

Each morning after breakfast, which was from 7:30 to 8:30, we were called over the intercom (in two or three waves) for our morning excursion. We bundled up in our room, then headed to the locker room to get our rubber boots and life jackets. Once fully attired, we checked in and waited by the for the next zodiac boat. Getting in the zodiac was always a thrill. The excursions lasted anywhere from two to three hours.

It was just below freezing every day. Here’s what I wore: lightweight long-sleeve t-shirt, fleece-lined t-shirt, fleece jacket, lightweight down jacket, waterproof hooded jacket, thin synthetic long underwear bottoms, fleece-lined leggings, lightweight water-proof pants, wool hat, fleece neck gaiter (that could be pulled up over my nose if needed), insulated gloves attached to my jacket with string (a sophisticated look!), two pairs of wool socks, and the rubber boots provided by A21. I rarely got cold except for my hands, which were often freezing because I was constantly taking off my gloves to take photos.

When the excursion was over, the zodiacs whisked us back to the ship. There, we disinfected our boots and left them in our cubbies with our life jacket. We were given a hot washcloth and often hot tea or cocoa with an optional shot.

Lunch was from 12:30 to 1:30, followed by a second excursion of two to three hours. There was a little bit of free time in between the various activities. I always spent it in our room reviewing my photos, checking emails, and sometimes napping. There was a library and fitness room, but I never used them.

The day ended with a pre-dinner briefing from 6:45 to 7:30, followed by dinner, which was a sit-down affair. We could choose from three appetizers, two soups, six entrees, and three desserts, plus beverages, including beer and wine. (Mixed drinks were extra.)

Perhaps people also gathered in the lounge/bar after dinner, but I wouldn’t know. If I wasn’t tired from the Dramamine, I was tired from the excursions and happy to plop into bed at 9:00.

Now I’ll describe our five days in Antarctica in more detail for anyone who is interested.

Antarctica Day One

The forecast for the day was for clear, sunny skies. The actual weather was complete cloud cover. So, we learned early on that the weather forecasts in Antarctica are worthless. We also learned that Antarctica is beautiful even in overcast weather. There was no wind at all. According to the guides, this was highly unusual.

For our morning excursion, we stayed on the zodiacs and cruised around Cierva Cove on the south side of Cape Herschel. There were huge icebergs all over, many of them in shades of turquoise. It was stunningly beautiful! We saw three leopard seals, three humpback whales, a colony of gentoo penguins, and a colony of chinstrap penguins. The seals and whales stayed mostly underwater, but it was still thrilling to see them. The whales came very close to our zodiac, and twice we saw one raise its tail fin or fluke! To see a whale has been a life-long dream for me.

In the afternoon we landed at Palaver Point on the western side of Two Hummock Island. For some reason, I had imagined we would spend most of our time on the zodiacs with brief stops on land to see the penguins. But actually, we spent most of our excursion time on land, and to my surprise, we could hike around. The guides went out ahead of the passengers to mark off where it was safe to walk, and they remained at the far edges to make sure no one wandered off. You could chat with them and ask questions.

We saw zillions of penguins. Could they be any cuter? Answer: No! We were instructed to stay five meters away, but it was okay if they came over to us. No touching, of course. We were warned that penguins smell bad, and it is true! But after a while, you stop noticing.

On this particular landing, we embarked in the middle of a colony of chinstrap penguins. They have the sweetest faces, and I could not stop taking pictures. After observing them for a while, we hiked through the snow to the top of a huge hill. It was somewhat overcast but with a bit of blue sky and large moody clouds looming over us. The views at the peak were incredible.

Coming down the hill was more challenging than going up. I chose to slide on my butt a few times where it was icy. One of the guides apparently picked me out (correctly) as a total klutz and gave me his arm, so I had a personal escort the rest of the way down.

One day down, and I was in heaven! Antarctica seems to go on forever, and everywhere you look, there are dazzling views. It’s like no place I have ever been. I felt like I had wandered into a nature documentary. (But without the David Attenborough narration.)

Antarctica Day Two

As the sun rose the next morning, we entered the Lemaire Channel, sailing between rocky peaks partially covered in snow and silhouetted against pink and blue skies. It was like a fairy tale!

Later that morning we landed on Petermann Island. We hiked in the snow with gently rolling hills and huge boulders. All around us were heavy brooding clouds with patches of blue on the horizon. Gentoo penguins were everywhere, and they supplied endless entertainment. Three penguins found a feather that apparently captivated them. They kept trying to snatch it from each other, then run away so the others couldn’t get it. Groups of penguins went for walks, usually in single file. They were constantly bumping into each other, slipping on ice, or sliding on their bellies. Invariably, there was a troublemaker who lived to annoy, poking its beak into innocent penguins minding their own business. A continuous loop of adorableness! I took a lot of pictures that day. And yes, my hands were freezing!

In the afternoon, we landed on Booth Island. The weather had totally changed: it was windy, but completely clear. The deep azure sky presented a stark contrast to the vast expanse of sparkling white snow. We hiked up a large rocky hill, and the views were phenomenal.

In our briefing the day before, they had talked about a barbecue dinner. Given the temperatures, I assumed it was a joke. Well, no… That night we had an honest to goodness barbecue on the back deck of the ship with grills, picnic tables, and blaring music. My first reaction was – this is ridiculous! I generally prefer not to be shivering while I’m eating. But the audacity of it won me over, and I couldn’t stop smiling.

Antarctica Day Three

We woke the next day to clear blue skies again, but no wind. The zodiacs zipped past glaciers and icebergs to our landing spot on Cuverville Island, which has the largest colony of gentoo penguins in the region. There was a big hill to climb, not super high, but very steep at the top. I practically had to crawl on my hands and knees for the last twenty feet. I could not see any way to get down, except on my butt. I envisioned doing this slowly, braking with my feet. However, some people wanted a more adventurous slide, so the guides tested it out to make sure there were no rocks hiding under the snow. When they gave the okay, everyone started flying down on their butts, including my husband and me. Whoa, that was faster than I expected!

Next, we took a zodiac ride around the bay. The water was full of chunks of ice (which the zodiacs are able to sail right through) along with huge turquoise blue icebergs in unique and fascinating shapes. It was just beautiful!

After lunch, we were dropped off at Neko Harbor, our first landing on the continent of Antarctica. There were tons of gentoo penguins and a huge glacier across an inlet. The hiking was particularly good. The guides had used flags to outline a switchback trail to the top of a very large hill. The views from the top were amazing!

We took another zodiac cruise around some icebergs before heading back to the ship. It had started to cloud up again and the sun was low on the horizon, which created a dark gray palette. But there was one huge turquoise iceberg that was so bright, it looked like someone had plugged it in.

Back on board the ship, it was time for the polar plunge. To my surprise, thirty-three passengers took part. I had given it no thought; it just seemed insane. However, I noticed that everyone who plunged seemed to be having fun, so I was regretting not doing it. But let’s be honest. If I had considered it, I would have agonized about it the whole time and most likely chickened out in the end.

Antarctica Day Four

We made our second continental landing that morning at Orne Harbor. The weather was overcast again — mostly pale gray skies with limited visibility, which made it seem even more remote and otherworldly. There were some massive rock formations, and we hiked around them to the top of a big hill. Before getting back on the ship, we took a short zodiac cruise. Several mother and baby humpback whales were swimming around us, and we saw more tail flukes.

In the afternoon, we stayed in the zodiacs, cruising around Wilhelmina Bay searching for whales. There were about a dozen humpbacks swimming around us, mostly mothers with babies. They came close to our zodiac and spun around so we could see their bellies. Along the coast there was a huge blue glacier, but we couldn’t get close to it because when glaciers calve, they can create enormous rogue waves with potentially dire consequences for passengers in zodiacs.

As much as I hated to, I had to start thinking about going back through the Drake Passage in two days. It seemed like the scopolamine patch was the way to go, and a couple of extremely nice people offered to give me one. However, I wanted to talk to the doctor first because I have glaucoma. Before the tour, my thinking was – I don’t care how sick I get, I’m not taking any risks with my eyes. After getting sick on the ship, my thinking was – I’ll do anything to avoid feeling like that again! The doctor assured me that if I had any side effects, I could remove the patch and I’d be fine. I decided to give it a try.

It's good that I talked to the doctor that day, because when we sat down to dinner, the expedition leader announced we would be traveling through rough seas that night. I was surprised and dismayed, to say the least. I reluctantly gave my glass of wine to my husband.

I put the patch on after dinner, and it worked! I got a just a little queasy and slept well. I was now cautiously optimistic about our return through the Drake Passage. They were forecasting rough seas with 12-feet high waves. But first we had one more day to explore.

Antarctica Day Five

The next morning, we entered Neptune’s Bellows, a channel in the South Shetland Islands. The name comes from the strong wind gusts experienced there, and I can tell you it is accurately named! We landed on a black sand beach on the northwest side of Deception Island, which is a ring around the caldera of an active volcano (last erupted in 1969). It was a very different from the other places we had been. The island is half covered in glaciers, but they are covered in volcanic soil, pebbles and rocks. Brown is the predominant color.

We hiked up a very steep hill to the top of the crater with the intention of hiking around the circular rim. This was the only time we hiked in a group with guides, due to the potential danger from the strong winds. It was tremendously windy, and when the gusts came, you had to plant your feet and bend at the waist to keep from being knocked over. It was slow going, but eventually we made it to the top. It was getting progressively windy, and the guides decided that hiking on the narrow rim around the crater in that wind was too risky. So, we hiked back down the hill and walked around the lagoon.

In the afternoon, we landed on Half Moon Island, also in the South Shetlands. The sky was deep blue with fluffy white clouds, and we were surrounded by rock formations and snow-covered mountains. Although we hiked on fairly flat terrain, the rocky beach made for challenging – but beautiful – hiking. We saw a scattering of penguins and quite a few fur seals, plus one huge elephant seal taking a nap.

With that, our exploration of Antarctica was over, but we weren’t sad. We just felt happy and thankful that we had the chance to experience such a magical place.

Sailing Back to Argentina

That night, the rocking and rolling started at 9:00. I went to bed and woke to more of the same. I felt mildly queasy but was able to eat. I went to most of the presentations but slept through a few. I was ready to get off the ship.

By the afternoon of the following day, the sea was calm, and I felt good again. Before dinner, we had our final briefing, and the ship’s captain (a big burly Russian straight out of central casting) gave a toast. After dinner, all the guides were brought up for a final curtain call, and the cabin cleaners, servers and cooks came out and sang a few songs – with great enthusiasm! Then the expedition photographer presented a 20-minute slide show of our trip. I was overwhelmed with emotion – mainly joy, gratitude to all the staff members who made our trip so special, and amazed that a trip that seemed ill-fated back in 2021 turned out to be nearly perfect.

thank you very good

Carroll, wonderful report! I would love to go there someday! I'm curious - was everyone sick from the waves? I've been in many many boats and ships in my life and have never been sick or even felt slightly nauseous, but I've never been to Antarctica so wondered if the sea sickness affected everyone.

Thank you so much for posting this fascinating trip report.

WOW ! I just saw this , and I'll be sure to read this carefully tonight , While I'm uncertain of how much you know about the story of the discovery of the continent , and in particular , the conquest of the South Pole , the story behind it is one of the most fascinating , and heart rending tales in the human experience . One of the most accurate renditions of this tale is told in this 1980 book " The Last Place on Earth " by Roland Huntford , later ( 1985 ) adapted into a n eight hour film ( serialized on PBS ) about the 1910 race to the Pole between an English Naval Captain , and a Norwegian explorer. The book - https://www.amazon.com/Last-Place-Earth-Amundsens-Exploration/dp/0375754741 and the film , complete in eight episodes - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9805401331EBEDEF The underlying message of what drives human beings and informs their passions is striking

Great report! And I learned something new- that patch sounds like a great tool to get through rough seas. Will look into that more. Thanks !

Mardee, I think seasickness is hard to predict. The Drake Passage can be really rough or completely smooth. We had waves of 12-18 feet, which they said was medium rough.

I have gotten seasick when riding on rough seas in the past, so I figured I was doomed. My husband had never gotten seasick, and he didn’t on this trip, but he did take Dramamine. It seemed like not many people got sick, so I would guess you’d be okay, but you might want to be prepared just in case you get really rough seas. As I mentioned, most of the people I talked to used the patch. Some of them said they always got seasick in the past, but didn’t with the patch.

Steven, I’m no expert on Antarctica history, but I know the basic outline. The only book I read was Endurance about the Shackleton expedition. It was amazing! Very interesting, but just so much misery, day after day. Our trip was just a bit more comfortable. : )

Thanks so much to everyone for the positive feedback. I had fun writing this report because I loved the trip so much.

Carroll , just to be clear , this is not the tale of Shackleton's " Endurance " expedition of 1914 . where the ship was crushed in the ice . It's also a great story , but the Scott - Amundsen expedition of 1910 is a different one . Not to spill the beans , as the saying goes , but the tragedy of this expedition was that Scott and his party ,after having arrived at The Pole a month after Amundsen, perished on the ice barrier on the return , three of the five in the tent ,, only ten miles from a supply camp . It's a heartbreaking story , and has had a major impact on me since I read the book over forty years ago . I hope you can find time to read it , or watch thefine film that was made of it . I'll be back here after dinner , looking forward to reading you report , with great anticipation .

Steven, I did realize they are two different stories, both full of drama and heartbreak. Sorry I wasn’t clear. I just meant I only read one book about Antarctica, and it happened to be Endurance. Sounds like I should broaden my reading. Thanks for the suggestion.

Carroll , Many Thanks for taking the time to post this , a fascinating trip , I really enjoyed reading about your experience .

Thank you for the report, it sounds like an amazing trip! My husband's best friend went to Antarctica this past January and really enjoyed it as well.

Carroll, thanks again! I went back and reread it and must have missed the part where you said your husband and some other passengers did not get sick (some due to the patch). Really interesting trip - it sounds fascinating! I am definitely putting that on my list of potential destinations!

Carroll, thank you for this report. Count us as those who would love/hope to go! My DH works with a marine biologist who was a staff person for Hurtigruten and has been to Antarctica 7/8 times. After speaking with him about his experience he said don’t miss out on South Georgia. His description and Shacketon’s story has made a trip there at the top of our very long travel list!

Tammy, I would love to go to South Georgia and some of the other islands in the region. There are cruises that combine multiple destinations, and I feel sure they would be fascinating. If you can find a tour that covers South Georgia and Antarctica that fits your budget, I would say go for it. But don’t shortchange Antarctica. I thought five days of excursions in Antarctica was just right.

As for me, Antartica is a once in a lifetime trip (especially since I’m 69.) If you get to South Georgia, I would love to hear about it.

Great report! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. You have a great sense of humor. My husband and I were in Antarctica late last year and visited most of the sites that you did plus the Falklands and South Georgia Island. It is an amazing adventure. A lot of the snow treks are indeed steep and treacherous so going down on your butt is no disgrace. Whatever gets you there safely. I managed to stay in my feet but walked carefully. And the crews are very helpful with this. My husband did the polar plunge and said the water was paralyzingly cold. He could barely make the short swim back to the dock of the ship. That being said, he plans to do it again this summer in the Arctic. I am sorry you got seasick. I am a fellow sufferer. My husband does not get seasick either so he’s lucky. The seasickness thing was a reason for putting off this trip for so long. For those who would like to go in the future but suffer from motion sickness, I found that the scopolamine patch plus half of a phenergan (sp?) tablet (per day) did the trick and I was fine after making this discovery. I suffered on the voyage from Ushuaia to the Falklands (staying in bed, nibbling dry toast and sipping Diet Coke) before being clued in to this drug combo by a pharmacist who was on board with us. This really saved the trip for me. But, of course, everyone is different and you absolutely must check with your doctor before taking any medication.

Thanks, Mary! Your trip sounds awesome. I will definitely consider your solution to seasickness if I ever go on another ocean journey, but good advice to talk to my doctor first.

Hi Carroll! Great report! I felt like I was there (which I was, but you put it a lot better than I could). It was an amazing trip. I was happy to travel with you two again. Say hi to Bob.
Pam(ela) 😁

Hi Pam! Thanks for verifying that my report was reasonably accurate. I feel like I got carried away with my use of superlatives, but I just loved the trip so much.

Bob says hi! He enjoyed traveling with you and appreciated your sense of humor. As did I.

So now I have to add a trip to Antarctica to my bucket list!

Seems so otherworldly!

Thank you for sharing your experience Carroll.

Wonderful description of your adventure. I felt queasy just reading your description of your sea sickness. Having had very bad experiences in the Galapagos, Caribbean, and in Alaska, as well as on sailboat trips, Antarctica is not on my travel list. I now take a bag of various sea sickness remedies whenever I know I am going to be on any kind of ship--and occasionally on airplanes too. Your wildlife encounters sound amazing!

Another trip report from an Antarctic Cruise from the Crew's side. It mentions the cruise was done by "Heritage Expeditions" and has a mostly Russian crew. Language can get a bit rough but I still found it hilarious.

https://idlewords.com/2018/12/gluten_free_antarctica.htm

Hi Carol, I really enjoyed reading your report! We did a Viking Expedition cruise to Antarctica in February, loved it, definitely the trip of a lifetime. The Drake crossing was a bit rough but not terrible. We wore sea bands and took the less drowsy version of dramamine, no ill effects. We took tons of photos but none of them really capture what we saw. An amazing adventure!