Cruising Antartica

[Nonnie1975]

How cold does it get while cruising by Antarctica?  How warmly do I need to dress?  Heavy  coat and gloves?  Just wondering what I need to pack.  Thanks!

[pompeii]

We did this one January 2020 (our last cruise before covid) and yes, we definitely needed down coats, hats, scarf, and gloves.  We wore thermal underwear (Cuddleduds) which helped a lot on those Antarctic cruising days.  The scenery was so stunning that I wanted to be outside as much as possible and didn't want the cold to stop me.  I still got plenty cold but it was soooo worth it.  I would take a packable down coat since they don't weigh much and can pack down to nothing.  

 

[NownZen]

Our biggest issue was the wind so something windproof for a jacket cover and pants cover is on our list. For us, a face mask and a watch cap under the jacket hood. At some not so low temperature, your head can lose as much energy as your body can produce so that covering is critical.

We live in an area that does not get cold so it was an adjustment. Things like wool socks are not of much use normally for us.

We are doing this again in december and it is a wonderful trip.

[azbirdmom]

22 minutes ago, pompeii said:

We did this one January 2020 (our last cruise before covid) and yes, we definitely needed down coats, hats, scarf, and gloves.  We wore thermal underwear (Cuddleduds) which helped a lot on those Antarctic cruising days.  The scenery was so stunning that I wanted to be outside as much as possible and didn't want the cold to stop me.  I still got plenty cold but it was soooo worth it.  I would take a packable down coat since they don't weigh much and can pack down to nothing.  

 

 

+1.  You won't want to miss any of the incredible sights.  I love Alaska but sailing around Antarctica is like Glacier Bay times 1000.  I didn't have a down coat but I did do layers with a fleece jacket on top.  At times it would just seem like the wind would go right through it so I had to duck in and out.

[LACruiser88]

We cruised Antarctica in 2011 on the Star Princess.  For those 4 days, the temperature never got above 32 degrees Fahrenheit.  But, it was our most memorable cruise experience.

 

Edited October 4, 2022 by LACruiser88

[Ken the cruiser]

Same temps when we were there on the Zaandam in 2018. It never got above 32 F when we were cruising around the Peninsula. However, it was in the 60s when we went to the Falkland Islands and the 70s when we stopped at ports in Argentina and Chile.

[ghstudio]

Columbia (and perhaps others) sell a winter coat with little dots of silver inside which keep your body heat in......and it squishes down to almost nothing in your packing.  It was perfect...but we had sunny weather and high 20s with little wind.  As always, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  Layering is your friend.  Pack a ski hat and gloves and a couple of extra layers, just in case.  It's a wonderful cruise (we did it on Celebrity).

[Ken the cruiser]

FWIW if there is anyone following this thread that is booked on the Jan 20, 2024 and/or the Feb 5, 2024 Antarctica/SA cruise legs, we were just able to refare our current bookings plus get the $100 pp excursion OBC sale perk for each leg. All totaled we saved over $3,100! 

 

Sorry OP for the minor squirrel post. 🙂

[NownZen]

1 hour ago, ghstudio said:

Columbia (and perhaps others) sell a winter coat with little dots of silver inside which keep your body heat in......and it squishes down to almost nothing in your packing.  It was perfect...but we had sunny weather and high 20s with little wind.  As always, prepare for the worst and hope for the best.  Layering is your friend.  Pack a ski hat and gloves and a couple of extra layers, just in case.  It's a wonderful cruise (we did it on Celebrity).

The little dots of silver are a marketing feature not a physics feature.  Stand next to a mirror and see if you feel any warmer.  The space blankets that used to be popular had the benefit of being windproof but the reflection of heat was nothing.  Wind is a big part of your enemy in cold weather and that is true on this cruise where the ship is moving. The Columbia windbreakers over some insulating layering work well.

[rkacruiser]

I wore a long sleeved shirt, Cashmere cardigan sweater, a Land's End water-proof hooded coat designed for such conditions, gloves, scarf, and a hat that the hood easily covered.  I was warm.  I did much "in and out" type of sightseeing when we were in scenic cruising areas.  I sailed on the Zaandam and using the Crow's Nest for a few minutes of respite from the cold was welcome.  

[NownZen]

59 minutes ago, rkacruiser said:

I wore a long sleeved shirt, Cashmere cardigan sweater, a Land's End water-proof hooded coat designed for such conditions, gloves, scarf, and a hat that the hood easily covered.  I was warm.  I did much "in and out" type of sightseeing when we were in scenic cruising areas.  I sailed on the Zaandam and using the Crow's Nest for a few minutes of respite from the cold was welcome.  

There are some advantages in living in places with real weather. Here my wife would not let the cat out if it was going to be below 50 degrees.  You see the differences in the TSAPre lines where you do not have to take of a light coat. Up north, anything less than a parka is a light coat. For us anything more than a long sleeved shirt must come off.

[DougH]

When I did this years ago for the 4-5 days we were there the temp always seemed to be 34 degrees. Just bundle up. My packing problem was a spent days in Buenos Aires before the cruise and it was 100 degrees. Had to bring lots of different outfits for the temp difference lol

[Mary loves to travel]

On 10/4/2022 at 12:58 PM, Ken the cruiser said:

FWIW if there is anyone following this thread that is booked on the Jan 20, 2024 and/or the Feb 5, 2024 Antarctica/SA cruise legs, we were just able to refare our current bookings plus get the $100 pp excursion OBC sale perk for each leg. All totaled we saved over $3,100! 

 

Sorry OP for the minor squirrel post. 🙂

Ken,

 

thanks for this.     Saw it yesterday, and was able to reprice our Jan 20 Antarctica cabin for a savings of $1000 each!     When I looked again today, Princess is showing no availability for our cabin type...so lucky I saw this when I did

 

Best,

Mary

[paradiselivin1]

Layers are your best bet as you can peel off a layer if it gets too warm while out on deck. We had long underwear, layered a warm thermal top, (I had) a thin down vest, thin ski jacket or wind breaker when it wasn't too cold. I often wore a ski hat and my ear muffs and glove liners as well as gloves/mittens. I never was overwhelming cold and if the open deck was too much (cold winds), we would simply hang out on our balcony. I always had my tripod set up there to get great shots. You will love it!

[Mary loves to travel]

7 minutes ago, paradiselivin1 said:

Layers are your best bet as you can peel off a layer if it gets too warm while out on deck. We had long underwear, layered a warm thermal top, (I had) a thin down vest, thin ski jacket or wind breaker when it wasn't too cold. I often wore a ski hat and my ear muffs and glove liners as well as gloves/mittens. I never was overwhelming cold and if the open deck was too much (cold winds), we would simply hang out on our balcony. I always had my tripod set up there to get great shots. You will love it!

Good advice, thanks!

 

What about shoes/boots?    I have low top hiking boots, but not sure those are really the best for keeping my feet warm while standing on deck viewing the scenery.

 

Mary

 

 

[paradiselivin1]

23 hours ago, Mary loves to travel said:

What about shoes/boots?    I have low top hiking boots, but not sure those are really the best for keeping my feet warm while standing on deck viewing the scenery.

I don't remember my footwear but expect that I wore my hiking boots and thermal socks. Sometimes I fly out of Florida with heavy hiking boots which can look a bit strange but they take up too much room to pack. Sometimes we would sneak inside for a few minutes to warm up but the thrill of seeing all of the sites in Antarctica kept us going. Great experience!

[AryMay]

On 10/4/2022 at 9:32 AM, Nonnie1975 said:

How cold does it get while cruising by Antarctica?  How warmly do I need to dress?  Heavy  coat and gloves?  Just wondering what I need to pack.  Thanks!

 

To really enjoy Antarctica, you need to dress for cold and wind. We did this cruise in 2019 and spent a lot of time outdoors...and I mean a LOT. Here is an excerpt from my blog describing how I dressed:

 

My clothing amounted to either Cuddle Duds long underwear or a pair of fleece-lined leggings under my jeans and then topped by a pair of REI rain pants to block the wind. On top was a warm sweatshirt or sherpa top, my Columbia fleece jacket and finally my parka-length Eddie Bauer packable down coat. For headwear I had a fleece lined knitted beanie covered by a microfleece hood that I got at Kohls. This protected my neck and I could pull it up over my chin and mouth. I also pulled up the hood on my down coat...so 3 layers on my head altogether! I had purchased convertible wool mittens that could be folded back to expose the tips of my fingers to use my camera but these I never wore. Instead I put Hot Hands hand warmers inside my snuggly fitting gloves and my hands stayed toasty warm. I had also brought along foot warmers, but never used any. Wool socks kept my feet plenty warm. Getting dressed was time consuming, but we stayed outside for long periods of time and were comfortable.

 

 

The link to my blog is in my signature if you would like to read about our trip...our favorite of many cruises for sure!

 

[lois1112]

On 10/4/2022 at 8:19 AM, pompeii said:

We did this one January 2020 (our last cruise before covid) and yes, we definitely needed down coats, hats, scarf, and gloves.  We wore thermal underwear (Cuddleduds) which helped a lot on those Antarctic cruising days.  The scenery was so stunning that I wanted to be outside as much as possible and didn't want the cold to stop me.  I still got plenty cold but it was soooo worth it.  I would take a packable down coat since they don't weigh much and can pack down to nothing.  

 

I was on this same cruise (wasn't it the best)  and it got cold. I had a down jacket a scarf and a hat when I was out on deck.

[Jetsetter2023]

On 10/10/2022 at 5:55 PM, AryMay said:

 

To really enjoy Antarctica, you need to dress for cold and wind. We did this cruise in 2019 and spent a lot of time outdoors...and I mean a LOT. Here is an excerpt from my blog describing how I dressed:

 

My clothing amounted to either Cuddle Duds long underwear or a pair of fleece-lined leggings under my jeans and then topped by a pair of REI rain pants to block the wind. On top was a warm sweatshirt or sherpa top, my Columbia fleece jacket and finally my parka-length Eddie Bauer packable down coat. For headwear I had a fleece lined knitted beanie covered by a microfleece hood that I got at Kohls. This protected my neck and I could pull it up over my chin and mouth. I also pulled up the hood on my down coat...so 3 layers on my head altogether! I had purchased convertible wool mittens that could be folded back to expose the tips of my fingers to use my camera but these I never wore. Instead I put Hot Hands hand warmers inside my snuggly fitting gloves and my hands stayed toasty warm. I had also brought along foot warmers, but never used any. Wool socks kept my feet plenty warm. Getting dressed was time consuming, but we stayed outside for long periods of time and were comfortable.

 

 

The link to my blog is in my signature if you would like to read about our trip...our favorite of many cruises for sure!

 

We are taking this cruise soon! Would you suggest a down jacket under a Patagonia TorrentShell? What boots did you wear? Does anyone know if the excursions provided coats and boots? I read that the National Geographic Expedition tours do, but I wasn’t sure for regular cruise lines- thanks for all of your help!! 

[Ken the cruiser]

33 minutes ago, Jetsetter2023 said:

We are taking this cruise soon! Would you suggest a down jacket under a Patagonia TorrentShell? What boots did you wear? Does anyone know if the excursions provided coats and boots? I read that the National Geographic Expedition tours do, but I wasn’t sure for regular cruise lines- thanks for all of your help!! 

Are you going on an Antarctica expedition cruise on some other cruise line, as the cruises Princess provides, which usually includes 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula are "drive-by" only cruises?

[NavyVeteran]

38 minutes ago, Jetsetter2023 said:

We are taking this cruise soon! Would you suggest a down jacket under a Patagonia TorrentShell? What boots did you wear? Does anyone know if the excursions provided coats and boots? I read that the National Geographic Expedition tours do, but I wasn’t sure for regular cruise lines- thanks for all of your help!! 

 

3 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Are you going on an Antarctica expedition cruise on some other cruise line, as the cruises Princess provides, which usually includes 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula are "drive-by" only cruises?

In order to have landings in Antarctica, a cruise ship has to have no more than 500 passengers. There are several expedition lines that do so, but Princess does not. I went on a Hurtigruten Antarctica cruse on a ship that normally sailed with 640 passengers (double occupancy), but they limited capacity to 500 passengers for the Antarctica cruise. They had a very small single supplement, since they couldn't fill all of the cabins double occupancy anyway. I don't think Princess has any ships that they can economically sail with only 500 passengers.

[Jetsetter2023]

On 10/7/2023 at 1:13 PM, cottagelady said:

We leave Tuesday for Rome and taking the breakaway cruise Friday.  This is our first  med cruise overseas and I'm excited and nervous about making all the connections but our daughter is going and she's made  most of the arrangements.   We've cruise lots of times on different lines so cruising isn't new to us. 

 

7 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Are you going on an Antarctica expedition cruise on some other cruise line, as the cruises Princess provides, which usually includes 4 days cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula are "drive-by" only cruises?

Yes! It seems like a drive-by but we have 3 excursions with penguins so I’m not sure how to dress 

[Ken the cruiser]

1 minute ago, Jetsetter2023 said:

 

Yes! It seems like a drive-by but we have 3 excursions with penguins so I’m not sure how to dress 

We're on the Princess Sapphire in January and we'll be wearing normal clothes, possibly flannel shirts, and a light coat. Here's the weather forecast for Port Stanley, Falkland Islands. Argentina and Chile will probably be in the 70-80s, as it will be summer there in January. However, when we were cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula back in 2016, the high was 32 degrees when we were walking around the promenade. So, we're also packing some warmer clothes for those more chillier days cruising around the Peninsula as well.

 

 

[BlerkOne]

Layers are your friend. and windproof. a waterproof shell. Gloves. Forget cotton - when wet it provides no insulation. Wool and synthetics are preferred. A ski mask/balaclava is useful. You can get electronic, rechargeable hand warmers to keep in pockets for use.

 

I didn't have special shoes, but did have heavy wool socks.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, NavyVeteran said:

 

In order to have landings in Antarctica, a cruise ship has to have no more than 500 passengers. There are several expedition lines that do so, but Princess does not.

and an ice rated hull. Even expedition ships can get stuck. There was one that ran aground in Greenland recently.