r/antarctica • u/IggyPop_corn • 1d ago
Tourism Solo booking for Antartica, your experience wanted
I am planning a trip to Antartica with friends. Since my wife is not interested in doing this type of trip I will be booking as a solo traveler, and not interested in booking a shared room. I've started researching and the solo supplement seems to fall around 1.7 - 2 x the cost. Cha Ching. Of course if my wife were coming along, we would be paying relatively the same price, but its hard to swallow paying around the same price for a single. But I get it, the cruise industry is geared for couples/families. We are not needing a super luxury experience, but also not interested in a retrofitted research vessel. Something that provides comfortable modern accommodations, good meals/dining, knowledgable staff for lectures or that have deep knowledge of the area, wildlife etc. Smaller ships, less than 200 pp so we can experience the most opportunities for time on land. Preferable ships that have the modern stabilization features... not asking too much :)
I'm looking for those who have traveled as a solo on an Antartica trip - what were your experiences in finding the trip you booked. Did you use a travel agent (which one if you did) or book directly. Did you find any cruise line that offered more flexibility for solo travelers? Any other tips or advice is welcome even if you didn't go as a solo. This is a once in a lifetime trip for me so your experience is valuable.
4
u/sciencemercenary ❄️ Winterover 1d ago
Hi. The sub's Travel and Tourism FAQ has a good discussion about traveling solo.
1
3
u/dcinmb 1d ago
Ponant’s expedition ships can accommodate ~250 passengers but they cap their Antarctic sailings at 200 so they sell a number of staterooms with no solo supplement. When I went this past January, there were lots of solos on board and we had an amazing time. I’m from the U.S. and there were only 10 Americans but there were 40+ Australians who were kind enough to “adopt” us. There were only 150 passengers total so we got to spend plenty of time on land.
Aurora Expeditions seems to offer no-solo-supplement sales pretty often.
If you can spare the time, I highly recommend an itinerary that includes South Georgia and the Falkland Islands. The wildlife viewing on South Georgia is incredible:
2
1
u/EverBlue_Expeditions 18h ago
Going solo to Antarctica is definitely doable, but you’re right—the single supplement can be steep. Some operators occasionally waive or reduce it on certain sailings if you book early, so it’s worth asking around. Smaller expedition ships under 200 guests will give you the most landings and a better overall experience, and many of them offer great lectures and comfortable modern setups.
1
u/wabbitsilly 14h ago
I'm traveling solo later this year and have booked my own solo cabin. Early in my search I noted there are a number of operators that offer low or no single supplement, so I focused on those. After searching around, I ended up booking a Quark Expedition through PolarTracks (I had contacted them earlier in the year) when they came across a deal on solo rooms for some expeditions at a very small upcharge. I was going to go the shared path, but ended up with my own room. Haven't gone yet, but looking forward to December!
1
u/JerrytheK 1d ago
I went to Antartica January 2024 on the Ocean Albatros. Booked it though http://greatdanejourneys.travel/ BJ Mikkelsen [bj@greatdanejourneys.com](mailto:bj@greatdanejourneys.com)
After a good discount, it was about US$11,000.
It was a solo cabin, with porthole.
My disappointment with the trip was that not much time is spent on land. I'd been to Greenland previously on an expedition cruise and we spent a considerable amount of time on land in each place we stopped. I do understand that given the number of ships going to Antartica and the fragility of the landscape and fauna, landing time needs to be rationed.
2
u/IggyPop_corn 1d ago
Thank you for the info. It's unfortunate you were not able to spend much time on land. What size ship were you on?
12
u/DavyMcDavison 1d ago
First of all I’m speaking as a guide on the ships, not a traveller, but of course I see everything close up so have quite a lot of insight. I also do some work as an agent so have a little bit of insight from that side of things as well.
There are some operators who will let you book for own cabin with no solo supplement which might be worth looking at. If that’s a must then it’s worth talking to an agent as they’ll know who does and doesn’t offer this. Hopefully you’ll also get some responses from travellers who booked with these operators.
I know you say you don’t want to do this, but solo travellers allowing themselves to be paired up by their operator to avoid the supplement is common and normal in this context and I’ll explain why I think it’s worth not writing off. I totally get why people wouldn’t want to share, and if this was a ‘cruise’ then I agree you wouldn’t want to share. But it’s not a cruise, it’s a ‘trip’. It’s a big adventure and sharing with another equally excited traveller really just ‘works’. For so many people their cabin is just not a part of the trip, the ship is and the destination is. I’m with you that it’s really nice to have the privacy and the ability to have your own space, but I would suggest thinking about sharing if you want to save the money. I’ve seen lots of solo travellers become great friends with their cabin mates, sometimes even when they’re an unlikely pair! I think people like having a new friend to share the experience with and all the adventure and excitement just brings them together. Though I appreciate that if you’re travelling with friends already maybe you don’t want this! But I thought I’d just add some context.
Finally it might be worth repeating this post in r/AntarcticaTravel which is devoted to cruise travel to Antarctica. You might catch a couple more travellers that way!