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Lindblad/National Geographic Explorer Antarctic with kids? and other questions


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My kids are nature fanatics and my 3 year old daughter has her heart set on visiting Antarctica someday. For all the Lindblad/National Geographic Explorer veterans, what age(s) for children would you recommend for the Antarctic expeditions? I'm thinking 7 years old would be the youngest age the kids could focus and appreciate an expedition like this one. Any opinions are very welcome. My kids aren't the typical video game playing kids - they love Nat Geo/Discovery Channel on tv and will watch animals for hours at the zoo, in the wild, etc.

 

Also, what is (without getting terribly personal) everyone's total trip budget? I like to have all the costs lined up in a spreadsheet before committing to a trip so my husband and I don't get sticker shock and can properly enjoy a trip (without feeling nickeled and dimed).

 

I'm estimating (with the 25% discount for two children) that a 4 person, 14 day trip with Lindblad/National Geographic Explorer to the Antarctic would be approximately $50,000. I'm padding the airfare in this estimate (but hoping we can use some/all frequent flyer miles) plus padding the spending money budget to round up to $50k.

 

Any recommendations on cabin choices would be welcome too. If there are connecting cabins (or suites that can accommodate 4 people), we would book those. Otherwise, we'd have to reserve two cabins with one parent/one child in each cabin.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

:)

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Abercrombie and Kent have a new boat going to Antarctica (Le Boreal) starting next season... and they are offering a "family" trip around the holidays.... substantial discounts for kids, and they have quad rooms. Plus ALL rooms on this new ship will have balconies. The ship looks pretty amazing, but of course there are no reviews yet. I have not been, but have also been considering taking my children at some point. My biggest concern is the complete lack of access to medical care (other than what is on the ship) and days-long evacuation procedure should something go wrong. I think I am pushing my "minimum" age to closer to 10 (mine are 4 and 2 right now). But I would love to hear other opinions...

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Thanks for the recommendations, rjm11. I have looked at A&K but just posted the Lindblad/Nat Geo questions on this board as a starting point. We have about 5 years to wait until the kids are old enough to handle a trip like this anyway. I'm just fishing for opinions for now. Thanks again! :)

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Hi! Have taken 5 trips with Lindblad and think they are the absolute best. Check their catalogue, because they usally have one sailing that is family oriented with substantial discounts for children. We have had children on some trips with them and the naturalists gave them special one on one attention. These trips are a little expensive, but are pretty much all inclusive, and that does make a big difference. As far as age, you know your own kids best, and how they would handle the experience.

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We have been on a bunch of Lindblad trips and find them unique and the best in expedition travel. We have taken our grandchildren on summer scheduled voyages, i.e., Alaska, Sea of Cortez, Costa Rica etc. These have been well populated with families and activities are provided for kids without seriously diluting the value for adults. We have been to the Antarctic twice - first time with A&K on the original Explorer (it sank in the Antarctic not too long ago) and later on the Lindblad Endeavour. In our opinion, the Lindblad experience was vastly superior, largely because of the staff and Lindblad philosophy. However, there were few, if any, kids on these cruises - probably because of the expense and school being in session. There are some Antarctic trips scheduled during the year-end holidays which may have more families on board.

 

Another alternative might be the "Ice Bears" itinerary from Svalbard - a bit shorter - less expensive but Polar Bear sightings are almost assured.

 

Ted

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  • 5 months later...

I have just disembarked from the Lindbland South Georgia & the Falklands expedition (no Antarctic Peninsula). There were no children on board - 95% of the passengers were retired Americans, some very elderly (ie 80+). The only 'young' people on board as passengers were some staff from the Sea Lion/Sea Bird and some staff travelling as guests from Palmer Station. I saw the arriving passengers for the next cruise to Antarctic at Ushuaia airport - same demographics. If you are looking for a trip that has other kids on board, I would look for one of the promoted 'family' trips, rather than a standard expedition, as kids are rare and would be bored silly, particularly on the sea days.

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  • 8 months later...

I've enjoyed 11 Lindblad voyages, most recently Antarctica, embarking on Dec. 29, 2010. Many younger people on board, including at least two under 12. Largest cabin has three berths. NG Explorer doesn't have adjoining cabins. My longest voyage was about 7 weeks, actually four back-to-backs, from Easter Island to Port Moresby, PNG. Have you viewed the Daily Expedition Reports for any of the ships?

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  • 2 weeks later...

While not the Artic trip, I did the Galapagos trip on the Endeavour back in Feb. We had several kids on board. The youngest was 10. One family had 5 kids. I was surprised at the number of kids for a Feb trip (summer yes I would expect more with school being out). The staff did a wonderful job with them and planned several activities to keep them busy. They learned how to drive the pangas, had their own table at meals with one of the naturalists always joining them, had their own lessons on the islands and photography (it was a photography expedition), etc. The kids were all very well behaved and well mannered. Most of them spent their remaining down time dong homework/keeping journals/writing reports about their trip. One of the photo pros helped one girl put together a video journal of the trip that she had shot.

 

Knowing my kids and how they act, my almost 10 year son old would be able to handle the trip now (as long as he had his video game for down times). My 6 year old daughter-no way would I take her right now. She love animals and would probably love it, but her behavior needs a lot of work. Bottom line-you know your kids. I think 10 is a good starting age for big trip like a Nat Geo expedition. They will remember and appreciate it more. It's a lot of go go go, with some down time in-between. Most people went to bed after dinner in order to get up before sunrise and start the day.

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