Probability of Last Minute Cruise Deals in Ushuaia?

[curby_f]

I'm planning an Antaractic trip at the end of this year Dec/Jan.

 

In researching, I found this blog post about how a couple travelling in Ushuaia found last minute discounts which were up to 1/2 off the online pricing. (http://realtravel.com/antarctica-journals-j3587647.html#5658501)

 

If I were to find a cruise I'm interested in and fly to Ushuaia two weeks prior, could I reasonably expect to get a last minute, discounted booking on it or a similar Antarctic cruise?

 

Has anybody else done this?

 

Thanks!

 

Edit: We're looking at the xmas/new years season and there will be two or three of us if that makes a difference

[hitchhiker_fp]

i understand last minute deals to antarctica are history

if fly to ushuaia i would pick LAN to aerolineas argentinas cause AA have been having way to much trouble in my opinion from time to time

[2552phxcrzr]

I think this would require being in "the right place at the right time." We had only one single berth left on our ship, and it was not filled by a last-minute cabin sale; don't know that it was even offered (I certainly did not notice a sign for it at the travel agencies in town). There were very few signs in travel agency windows in Ushuaia for bargain fares on sailings to Antarctica, and every single one of them was for a future date. And the prices did not seem like that big a bargain to me.

 

I suppose, if you had the time to hang around town for several weeks and monitor the last-minute deals, you might be able to land something, but considering how popular these cruises are now, the chances of landing three berths on the same ship are probably small.

[Mercury]

I think you will be very bored spending two weeks in Ushuaia. It is an interesting little town but not for a two week visit! Also, you will have to spend money on accommodation and all in the hope that you MIGHT get a good discount. Not worth it in my opinion!

[CalCharlie]

My husband and I just got back from OAT's (Overseas Adventure Travel) trip to Antarctica and it was an absolutely outstanding trip! We just can't believe that we have actually been there. We had a smooth cruising (the Drake Lake) over the Drake Passage - in fact, we made the crossing in a day and a half. We were then able to make a landing on the afternoon of the 2nd day on the ship. That was at Aitcho Island. We ended up being able to make a total of nine landings which is pretty unusual. After the first landing, we stopped at Paulet Island, Brown Bluff, Cuverville Island, Nieko Harbor, down through the Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island, back up to Port Lockroy, Deception Island, and finally Half Moon Island. Our crossing back across the Drake Channel was more like the "Drake Snake."

We were on the m/s Andrea which was a very nice ship. The only draw back was the bar/lounge - meeting area was too small when the whole group got together for lectures. However, the lectures were televised in the rooms as well as the dining room.

The Expedition staff was excellent as well as the whole staff on the ship. I had some qualms about getting from the ship to the zodiac and also the wet landings (I had a knee replacement a year ago), but the staff was great in helping each person and soon you were quite comfortable with the landings!

Everyone has asked if we were cold and except when the wind was strong, we can truly say that we were not cold. People from cold climates were saying that they were warm.

We were happy with the clothes that we had taken except I wish that I would have had waterproof clothes for the zodiac and a hat that I could have tied under my chin.

My husband and I would totally recommend OAT for this trip to Antarctica. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. It is impossible to describe the scenery, icebergs, and of course, the delightful penguins!

One last note, we encountered a larger cruise ship in Deception Cove and all they did was sail in and out of the cove not making any landings. We talked to some people when we were back in Buenos Aires who were on that ship and they said that they saw all of these "red-coated" people walking around on shore and sure wished that they had been on our ship.

So do be careful when booking a trip to Antarctica - with only 90 tourists on our ship we were able to all disembark for ALL landings. There is a limit on how many people can land one time.

If you have any questions, do email back and we will be happy to answer any questions.

We would take this trip again in a heartbeat!!

[Louise22]

You were so fortunate - it sounds like you had a perfect trip. I was very lucky to experience fantastic weather a couple years ago on the Adventurer. You might be interested in a description of another Antarctic trip on the same ship you were on under Cruise Lines A-O and then click Other Cruise Lines and check the post February 10th. Going to Antarctica just makes you want to go back!

[luv2cruise450]

Hi...my husband and I have been seriously eyeing this trip to Antarctica with OAT (we have travelled 4 times previously with GCT hence we get catalogs everyday from both companies!) ...I would like to ask you a few questions if you don't mind.

 

1-in packing for this trip...did you have to buy a 'special'/specific type of jacket to bring...we have recently moved from NJ to FL and basically have given away most of our coats and winter jackets (we did each keep a winter coat...but more of a dressy type coat rather than a sporty type winter jacket for when we might have need to be up north when it's cold). Did you buy clothing for this trip from those companies that provide 'special gear' for the extreme weather?

 

2-what type of waterproof boots did you need to bring with you for the landings? How long do they need to be? Do you need more than 1 pair so that you can 'rotate' them? They will probably not be easy to find here in FL.

 

3-How do you pack for this trip (I know that you will need to layer clothing and such) but since boots and jackets take up quite a bit of room and since the rooms on these ships are not that big...how much luggage would you realistically need to bring?

 

4-did you have to bring anything special to keep your photography equipment (including media cards for digital cameras, batteries, lenses,film etc) from getting too cold?

 

That's all I can think of off the top of my head...thank you very much in advance for any assistance and for posting about your OAT experience...

Happy sailings!

 

Betty

[Louise22]

You might want to check out the ship OAT uses pretty thoroughly - the M/S Andrea. You can read some reports on "Other Cruise Lines" and do a forum search for that name. It doesn't sound very seaworthy.

[freddie]

I would agree with Louise22 regarding checking out the ship very carefully. Some are much more likely to be able to handle the conditions there well than others. The ship should have an ice-hardened hull, for example. There is a lot of discussion about such matters on this board.

 

Further, many of the ships provide the parkas and boots on board, relieving you of the necessity of packing them and thereby using so much of your precious luggage space and weight with jackets and boots.

 

A very good site to read a list of gear for an Antarctic cruise which includes zodiac landings is Shop Antarctica http://www.shiptoshoretraveler.com/za/STST?PAGE=HOME&DEST=ANT&DESTNAME=ANTARCTICA&UPDATE=true&STORE_ID=STST

 

We used that site to get a good idea of suggested gear and bought most of it from REI and Patagonia, both of which have stores in Seattle as well as online stores.

 

You will only need one pair of waterproof pants. They should have adjustable cuffs (zippers and/or velcro bands, so that you can make them snug around the outside of your boots).

 

As for the other layers, we took three sets of lightweight long underwear, shirts, and socks and could have managed with two sets. It depends upon how fast your ship will turn laundry around.

 

Another must is waterproof gloves, with separate thin liners. That way, once you've made the landing, you can remove the heavy gloves and still be able to handle your camera with the light liners. Patagonia makes great liners in two thicknesses. I prefer the thinnest, whereas my partner liked the slightly heavier ones. Both allow one to handle camera controls.

 

We never had any problems with any of our camera equipment not handling the cold - it just wasn't all that cold - never below freezing. If the water was rough for a landing, we carried the cameras in large zip lock bags tucked inside of our waterproof parkas during the zodiac ride to land. When the water was smooth, we took photos and videos from the zodiacs.

 

Cheers, Fred

[luv2cruise450]

To Louise and Fred for taking the time to post and for answering the questions that I posed. It would make packing a lot easier if the ship is providing the jackets and boots...and thanks for letting me know about the other websites to check out...

Happy sailings...

 

Betty

[freddie]

Betty - Although many of the ships provide parkas and boots, some do not. Be sure to check that carefully. It would certainly be a bummer to show up and find that they weren't available. Some of the less expensive (a very relative term for cruises to Antarctica) cruises do not provide that gear. Cheers, Fred

[Jade13]

My husband and I just got back from OAT's (Overseas Adventure Travel) trip to Antarctica and it was an absolutely outstanding trip! We just can't believe that we have actually been there. We had a smooth cruising (the Drake Lake) over the Drake Passage - in fact, we made the crossing in a day and a half. We were then able to make a landing on the afternoon of the 2nd day on the ship. That was at Aitcho Island. We ended up being able to make a total of nine landings which is pretty unusual. After the first landing, we stopped at Paulet Island, Brown Bluff, Cuverville Island, Nieko Harbor, down through the Lemaire Channel to Petermann Island, back up to Port Lockroy, Deception Island, and finally Half Moon Island. Our crossing back across the Drake Channel was more like the "Drake Snake."

We were on the m/s Andrea which was a very nice ship. The only draw back was the bar/lounge - meeting area was too small when the whole group got together for lectures. However, the lectures were televised in the rooms as well as the dining room.

The Expedition staff was excellent as well as the whole staff on the ship. I had some qualms about getting from the ship to the zodiac and also the wet landings (I had a knee replacement a year ago), but the staff was great in helping each person and soon you were quite comfortable with the landings!

Everyone has asked if we were cold and except when the wind was strong, we can truly say that we were not cold. People from cold climates were saying that they were warm.

We were happy with the clothes that we had taken except I wish that I would have had waterproof clothes for the zodiac and a hat that I could have tied under my chin.

My husband and I would totally recommend OAT for this trip to Antarctica. It truly was the trip of a lifetime. It is impossible to describe the scenery, icebergs, and of course, the delightful penguins!

One last note, we encountered a larger cruise ship in Deception Cove and all they did was sail in and out of the cove not making any landings. We talked to some people when we were back in Buenos Aires who were on that ship and they said that they saw all of these "red-coated" people walking around on shore and sure wished that they had been on our ship.

So do be careful when booking a trip to Antarctica - with only 90 tourists on our ship we were able to all disembark for ALL landings. There is a limit on how many people can land one time.

If you have any questions, do email back and we will be happy to answer any questions.

We would take this trip again in a heartbeat!!

 

Which ship? Many do 10 nights with 5 days of landings x 2, so 10 would be typical.