How full are ships?

[lenetere]

Since there is such a small window of time for Antarctica cruises, I would expect they fill up.  Do they?  I'm wondering about having to wait for a tender in some ports, and how long that wait is.

 

Another part of that question, then, is whether taking a ship excursion makes more sense since you'd likely get an earlier tender if you're on a ship excursion.

[skrink]

How fast cruises fill depends on what type you’re looking at.  The limited (like 1-2 sailings per year) drive-by cruises offered by large ships do seem to fill quickly but the pricey ones that let you actually set foot on the continent may or may not.

 

OTOH, if you’re looking to stop in Antarctica on a trip that involves crossing the Drake, midship cabins can fill first since everyone is concerned about seasickness and there’s less pitching midship than say forward or aft.  I snagged my dead-center balcony cabin quickly once the sailing I wanted became available.

 

Unless you’re looking at expeditions on small, polar class ships, you might want to post this in a forum that has a port or ports of call where you want excursions.  Places like the Falklands, for example, allow larger ships to call.  Small expedition ships are the only ones in which passengers are allowed to set foot on the continent of Antarctica and because they take so few passengers, they do things differently than the large ships.  (It’s part of strict IAATO regs, which ensure that tourism adheres to the Antarctic treaty.). In Antarctica, there are no ports or cruise terminals and rather than tender passengers on lifeboats, they take a few people at a time in zodiacs.  

 

 

[pdmlynek]

4 hours ago, lenetere said:

Since there is such a small window of time for Antarctica cruises, I would expect they fill up.  Do they?  I'm wondering about having to wait for a tender in some ports, and how long that wait is.

 

Another part of that question, then, is whether taking a ship excursion makes more sense since you'd likely get an earlier tender if you're on a ship excursion.

A couple of points as I understand them.

 

(1) There are no ports in Antarctica. There are no tenders in Antarctica. There are simply rocky beaches onto which rubber boats (such as Zodiacs) with a dozen passengers land.

 

(2) There is no alternative to a "ship excursion". All are ship excursions. You are under supervision of a guide. On some landing sites you are allowed to "roam" a few hundred meters within a confined, on others you have to stay in a group.

 

(3) I wish that I could tell you how full they are. 

[lenetere]

16 hours ago, pdmlynek said:

(1) There are no ports in Antarctica. There are no tenders in Antarctica. There are simply rocky beaches onto which rubber boats (such as Zodiacs) with a dozen passengers land.

Thanks.  Actually, I'm thinking of other ports on a typical (if there are typical ports) Antarctica cruise, such as Port Stanley.

[kaisatsu]

Smaller expedition ships (<150 passengers) frequently fill up, since it typically means more time ashore. Larger ships (>250) are much more likely to sail with less than full capacity.

 

Since you’re talking about tender logistics, I guess you’re more interested in the traditional cruise ships. For the tender logistics, I agree that you should check out the forums for the ports in question. For the Falklands, I might consider a ship’s excursion if it’s a short call, since there may be longer travel distances to some of the remote points of interest, but I think several people still opt for independent tours.

 

In recent years, the traditional cruises haven’t really been selling out fully. Maybe some cabin categories have filled, but I usually still see last-minute inside cabins available. And you don’t have to be at full capacity for a ship to be crowded.

[southerngoose]

You can "pretend" to book a cruise online.  You know if it's full based on the number of cabins that you can choose from.  

[alanstarr]

I was on the NCL Star last week. Cruise was sold out, but I think there were a lot of last minute bookings to fill it up. I booked only 10 days out, when solo supplements dropped. I talked to another couple that booked 2 days before sailing. Only 1/3 of the passengers were from USA, many Argentinians and Brazilians; I kinda assume they took advantage of last minute deals as well.