The cruise industry has long been known for offering excellent value vacations for people who love to travel to exotic and wonderful destinations but do not necessarily like to deal with the regular hardships and inconveniences of travel. For instance, you can cruise all over Europe or Asia without having to repack your suitcase. You can venture to nations of South America without having to take a train or bus. You can view glaciers floating amiably past your verandah in summertime Alaska. You can float down the Amazon without worrying about anacondas. Why get on a camel to see the pyramids of ancient Egypt when you can cruise the Nile on some smaller luxury vessels?
So it's no secret that more and more cruise passengers are venturing into the icy waters off Antarctica. It's not exactly what cruise professionals would call a popular destination. Only a few hundred hardy individuals venture into those waters every year.
However, there are lots of great reasons to consider an Antarctic cruise. The first is that it truly is the easiest way to see this wild frontier. Make no mistake, this is very inhospitable territory. You cannot readily fly in and out, although air transportaiton is available. There aren't restaurants or beaches or nightlife. In fact, you can't really get around the way you would on virtually every other continent on the planet. Forget rugged, this place is in a class by itself.
Which makes the cruise ship a great way to approach the continent. True, you won't get to climb glaciers, see the underwater volcanoes, or walk around the South Pole, but most people don't get to do that anyway. Living and working in Antarctica for those stalwart individuals who do that kind of thing is living in a very controlled and protected bubble in an otherwise harsh environment.
Tourists to Antarctica are few, which means you'll see relatively unspoiled land. Don't get too giddy. Antarctica has already suffered pollution and some of its animal species (notably the fur seal and some whales) were nearly hunted to extinction. The seals have recovered and the continent's eco-balance is being restored, but this is not untouched terrain, either.
By the way, be very careful as a tourist to Antarctica. It is illegal to introduce new plants or animals to this terrain and the scientifically minded community that calls the place home is dead serious about this.
Look for whale and many varieties of penguins. Plants are less spectacular, but do exist. Ice in magnificent structures is everywhere. Look even for blue ice, which is an optical phenomenon, and other interesting sights (diamond dust or close-the-ground ice clouds and Southern Lights are among them).
Be prepared for blinding sunlight along with the cold. The snow reflects the sun; sunburn is a problem here along with the subzero temperatures. Also get ready for long days and long nights. In the summer, it's daylight round the clock.
It is hard to do things here in the typical sense of "doing" Alaska or "doing" Europe. You won't have opportunities to fish or climb or hike. It's a much more restrictive environment.
That's why cruising is such a great way to see the continent. You have the protection and safety of the ship and its daily environment but you will be able to see whales, penguins, and the spectacular coastlines of this amazing and so rarely visited continent.
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