Planning your first Antarctica cruise can be a little overwhelming. You see pictures of enormous icebergs, penguins and beautiful expedition ships, and it is easy to think you simply need to choose a cruise line, pick a date and go. Once you start researching, however, you quickly discover there is much more to consider.

An Antarctica cruise is very different from a normal ocean cruise. There are no traditional ports where thousands of passengers walk off the ship and spend the afternoon shopping or sightseeing on their own. Your days are shaped by weather, ice and wildlife, and much of your time away from the ship can be spent traveling by Zodiac or making landings with an expedition team.

There are also more ways to experience Antarctica than there used to be. Silversea, Seabourn and Viking all travel to this part of the world, but the experience can be surprisingly different depending on the company, ship and itinerary you choose.

If Antarctica has always been somewhere you want to visit, here are a few things I would think about before booking.

The Drake Passage Is Your First Big Decision

You will hear about the Drake Passage pretty quickly when researching Antarctica.

This is the stretch of water between South America and Antarctica, and it has a reputation for being unpredictable. You may hear travelers joking about getting the relatively calm "Drake Lake" or the much rougher "Drake Shake." The truth is that nobody can tell you exactly what conditions will be like on your particular crossing.

For many travelers, sailing the Drake is part of the adventure. You leave Ushuaia behind and spend the next couple of days heading south. Eventually the temperature changes, ice begins appearing and you get that first real feeling that you are approaching somewhere very different from anywhere else you have traveled.

However, you do not necessarily have to cross it by ship anymore.

Silversea offers an Antarctica Bridge option that allows travelers to fly to King George Island and meet the expedition ship in Antarctica. I think this is a great alternative for someone who is particularly concerned about seasickness or simply does not want to spend several vacation days crossing the Drake in both directions.

Personally, I would not automatically avoid the crossing. There is something special about arriving in Antarctica by sea and watching that first iceberg appear. But if the thought of the Drake is the only thing keeping you from going, it is good to know you have another option.

Which Cruise Lines Go to Antarctica?

This is where Antarctica has become particularly interesting because there is no single type of luxury expedition cruise anymore.

Silver Endeavour is a good example. The ship combines serious expedition cruising with spacious suites, butler service and the type of dining and service you would normally associate with an ultra-luxury cruise. You can spend the morning bundled up in waterproof gear exploring by Zodiac and return to a completely different environment onboard.

Seabourn offers another interesting approach with Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit. These are purpose-built expedition ships with all-veranda suites, Zodiacs, kayaks and dedicated expedition teams. I think they make a particularly interesting option for someone who already enjoys small luxury ships but wants to try something considerably more adventurous.

Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris have their own personality. The Scandinavian design will feel familiar to travelers who already know Viking, but these are true expedition vessels with a strong emphasis on science, enrichment and learning about the environment around you.

All three companies can take you to Antarctica in considerable comfort. The important thing is figuring out what you want the trip to feel like.

I would choose the expedition experience first and worry about which ship has the prettiest restaurant afterward.

You Will Spend More Time in Small Boats Than You Might Expect

Zodiacs are a major part of Antarctica.

Sometimes they are simply how you get from the expedition ship to shore. Other times, the Zodiac ride itself becomes the excursion. You may spend the morning slowly moving between pieces of ice while an expedition guide explains what you are seeing. A seal might be resting nearby, penguins could suddenly appear in the water, or someone may spot a whale and everything else stops for a few minutes.

That is when Antarctica starts feeling very different from a regular cruise.

There is not necessarily a famous attraction waiting at the end of every excursion. Sometimes the experience is simply being out there, surrounded by ice and wildlife in a place that feels incredibly far removed from everyday life.

This is also why I would pay attention to passenger capacity and how a cruise line organizes its expedition groups. Antarctica has rules limiting how many visitors can be ashore at certain landing sites at one time. When comparing ships, I want to know how the landings and Zodiac groups work, not just how large the suite is.

A beautiful room is certainly nice when you come back cold after a few hours outside, but I would not travel all the way to Antarctica just to look at it through a window.

Your Itinerary Can Change

This is probably one of the most important things to understand before booking.

The itinerary you see online is a plan, but Antarctica gets the final say.

Wind, ice, sea conditions and wildlife can cause an expedition team to change a landing or move activities around. You may go to sleep expecting one plan and wake up to something completely different.

I would not view that as a bad thing.

Part of expedition cruising is allowing the crew to take advantage of the conditions they actually have instead of following a schedule written months earlier. Sometimes changing the plan can lead to an even better wildlife
encounter or allow the ship to visit somewhere that was not originally expected to be accessible.

If you need every day of your vacation to happen exactly as printed, Antarctica may test your patience a little. If you can go with the flow, the unpredictability becomes part of what makes the trip memorable.

Ushuaia Is Part of the Trip Too

Most traditional Antarctica expeditions begin in Ushuaia, Argentina, one of the southernmost cities in the world. This is another part of the trip where I would give myself some breathing room.

I would not plan on flying into Ushuaia on the same day the ship leaves. Personally, I would feel much more comfortable arriving at least a day early, and two days would not bother me at all. After spending this much money on an Antarctica trip, the last thing I want is a flight delay somewhere along the way creating a race to reach the ship.

Some luxury cruise packages include hotels, transfers or charter flights as part of the overall journey, while others handle the pre-cruise arrangements differently. Check exactly what is included before booking hotels and flights yourself.

And if you have some extra time in Ushuaia, use it. You have traveled a very long way to reach the bottom of South America, so there is no reason to treat the city only as a place to board the ship.

Should You Add South Georgia and the Falkland Islands?

This is a decision I would make before getting too attached to a particular ship.

A traditional Antarctic Peninsula itinerary gives you the experience most people picture: enormous icebergs, glaciers, penguins, Zodiac rides and hopefully plenty of wildlife. It is also much easier to fit into a normal vacation schedule.

If you have more time, however, look at itineraries that include South Georgia and the Falkland Islands.

South Georgia is particularly famous for its wildlife and enormous king penguin colonies. This is not a situation where you see ten penguins, take a few photographs and move on. Some colonies contain numbers that are difficult to appreciate until you are actually standing there looking at them.

The Falkland Islands add another environment, different wildlife and their own fascinating history. Longer expedition journeys can combine these destinations with Antarctica, but the tradeoff is time. These trips can approach three weeks or even longer.

If you have ten or twelve days available, I would concentrate on Antarctica. If this is your big once-in-a-lifetime journey and you have the time, I would at least compare the longer itineraries before deciding.

It is much easier to decide beforehand that you do not need South Georgia than to get home and wish you had gone.

When Is the Best Time to Cruise Antarctica?

The Antarctica cruise season generally takes place during the Southern Hemisphere's warmer months, but the experience changes as the season progresses.

Early in the season, you can generally expect more snow and dramatic ice conditions, while penguins are beginning their breeding cycle. Around December and January, the days are extremely long and penguin chicks become part of the experience. Later in the season, particularly during February and into March, whales become a much bigger reason to visit.

That is why I would not pick a departure based entirely on which week has the lowest fare.

Think about what you actually want to see.

If whales are at the top of your list, I would approach the dates differently than someone whose dream is seeing snowy landscapes and penguin colonies.

There really is not one perfect week for everybody.

Pack for Antarctica, Not the Ship

You can be traveling on an incredibly luxurious expedition vessel and still spend part of your morning sitting in a small Zodiac surrounded by ice.

Dress for that part of the vacation.

Layers are important, and I would definitely bring good gloves along with a backup pair. Standing or sitting in a Zodiac can feel colder than walking because you are not moving enough to generate as much body heat.

Before buying everything yourself, check what your cruise line provides. Expedition operators may supply certain items such as parkas or loaner boots, but exactly what is included varies between companies.

I would also bring binoculars.

People sometimes become so focused on buying a new camera for Antarctica that they forget they are actually supposed to look at the place. You do not need professional photography equipment to appreciate a whale surfacing or a penguin walking nearby.

Take plenty of pictures. You are going to want them.

Just remember to put the camera down occasionally.

Do Not Choose an Antarctica Cruise Based on Price Alone

Antarctica is expensive, so naturally the price matters. But this is one trip where I would look well beyond the advertised fare.

Check how many days you are actually spending in Antarctica. Look at the passenger count and expedition program. Find out which activities are included, what gear is provided, whether you are sailing or flying the Drake and whether hotels, transfers or charter flights in South America are included in the package.

Two trips that initially look similar can become very different once you start looking at the details.

A cheaper cruise is not necessarily a better value if the itinerary or expedition experience is not what you wanted.

This is also where working with someone familiar with expedition cruising can make a difference. Comparing two Antarctica trips is not always as simple as putting the ships side by side and comparing cabin categories.

The details matter much more here.

Antarctica Is Still an Adventure

I think this is what makes Antarctica so interesting right now.

Getting there has become much more comfortable. You can return from a Zodiac ride to a beautiful suite, have an excellent dinner and spend the evening somewhere warm while watching the ice through enormous windows. The ships may be luxurious, but the reason for traveling this far is still what is happening outside.

Antarctica has not changed to accommodate us.

The weather still decides what happens. The ice still moves. Wildlife does whatever it wants, and occasionally the excursion you were looking forward to simply cannot happen.

Then something completely unexpected happens instead.

A whale surfaces near the Zodiac. A group of penguins walks past. You sit quietly surrounded by ice and realize there is almost no other sound.

Those are the moments I would go to Antarctica for.

The luxury ship simply makes getting there a lot more comfortable.