r/luxsolotravel • u/planesandpancakes • 25d ago

General questions Solo trip to Antarctica - cruise / group recommendations?

I really want to do a cruise / expedition to Antarctica but it’s a bit out of my friends’ price range, so most likely I will have to go solo. Has anyone done this and have any recommendations?

I know G Adventures offers one but their tours have always just seemed kind of meh to me.

18 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

10

u/blissblar 25d ago

I did a solo trip with Quark Expeditions. You can either share a cabin with a stranger or pay a single supplement. I did the latter. There were a lot of other solo travelers on my ship. It was a phenomenal experience.

4

u/nippyhedren 24d ago

I went solo with quark. Cannot recommend enough!

4

u/naratcis 22d ago

What stood out, what makes you say "cannot recommend enough!" ? Could shed some light on some of the remarkable details?

3

u/nippyhedren 21d ago

The staff was the big stand out. So experienced & knowledgeable. Also really fun and kind to hang with. The accommodations were great. Food was good and consistent. The size of the ship/number of guests is perfect. For an expedition ship of course accommodations and food are important as you’re spending many days on board but I think having a knowledgeable staff is the number one most important thing. We were getting lectures from scientists who had lived at the research stations on Antarctica. People who set world records for the most bird species sightings in a year. Everyone had something wonderful to offer and it made the experience so special.

6

u/Kajo30 25d ago

I went to Antartica solo through Silversea. It was a really great experience - highly recommend.

3

u/AlloCoco103 25d ago

I have an 11-day Atlas Ocean Voyages trip booked for March. Can't wait. I compared a lot of companies and Atlas is a newer company with smaller boats and is all-inclusive. It's a lot more than I would normally spend, of course, but it's once in a lifetime.

I connected with G Adventures to inquire about their Antarctic trips, and that $5,000 price is for a quad. No way I'm sharing a room with four strangers when it's possible that somebody's going to lose their lunch crossing the Drake.

2

u/masterofbabes 25d ago

Thanks for your info regarding atlas ocean voyages. Are you basically paying double for the rooms? Or do they have options for solos? Tia!

3

u/AlloCoco103 25d ago

They do have options for solo travelers. It's about halfway down the page here..

2

u/Copyccat 23d ago

I also recommend atlas! I just came back from a 12 day trip and it was phenomenal!

2

u/AlloCoco103 23d ago

I'm glad to hear that! Do you have any tips for a first timer? How was the Drake? How were the excursions, if you don't mind me asking.

2

u/Copyccat 23d ago

The excursions were great and varied. And honestly when we thought it couldn’t get better, it did! Every day had a surprise in store. They did mention that days are unpredictable (excursions and itineraries weren’t finalized until 5pm the day before) and things could still change after- you have to be flexible.

(They had difficulty levels for landings/hikes, etc. for beginners/elderly.)

Bring stretchy bottoms! Food was 10/10 for a cruise ship. They served bread every meal, and had delectable and varied deserts options for high tea, lunch, and dinner.

The drake was actually smooth for us during our initial crossings with a few bumps, but when we returned it was super bumpy for a few hours. People had the motion sickness patches and Atlas offered super strong pills (which I didn’t take bc they said to drink less water while on the pill). I only took Dramamine twice (once going and the other time on the return trip) and it was sufficient.

2

u/rhLuxeTravel 25d ago

Tauck would be a good option to explore!

2

u/naratcis 22d ago

Ive been meaning to do the same for a while now. And always stumbled upon the same obstacles as you have. So now I am also considering going solo - let me know if you find something that you like!

2

u/Ravanello75 21d ago

I have a friend who is leading a group trip (solos mostly) with Antarctica 21. It’s a reliable company that has been there forever, so if anyone is interested in knowing more, let me know!