Both the bigger ships and the smaller ships have their pros and cons for the Antarctic journey. The bigger ships have more facilities, are more stable in the Drake’s passage and they have good emergency rescue systems. The smaller ones will be a bit shaky and may not have the above facilities. But since there is a restriction on the number of people that can land at a given area in Antarctica, the bigger ships will put people in batches and ultimately you end up landing for 1-2 hours each day (though we always used to come back in the last Zodiac from the land but some companies may strictly follow the rules ). In the smaller ships you can spend the entire day on the land. Smaller ships are also easier to navigate through the icy lanes of the continent. We went on a mid-sized ship MS Midnatsol operated by Hurtigruten. The ship was amazing and cruise experience was much above our expectations. It is absolutely worth all the money that you are paying them.  We booked a polar outside cabin for 11,000 euros for two people. The lowest rate that I can see on the website is 4000 euros per person for triple occupancy in a cabin with no window. We booked a cabin with view but since you stay outside throughout the day it won’t make any difference. Some people do directly reach the departure point few days before and try to get the best last minute deal. If you have ample time and are a risk taker then thats not a bad idea.

On Board MS Midnatsol

The ship has all the regular facilities that you need. A library, a science centre, panoramic observatory, gym, hot pool, lot of interesting lectures in the conference room, 3 well stocked bars and variety of food. Food is included in the cruise ticket. For us Indians though it got a little monotonous after a while as we started missing our spicy food. So be mentally prepared for that. You can carry your own alcohol which can only be consumed in your cabins. But the on board bar is also not prohibitively expensive (INR 300 or $5 for a mug of beer) and you can have it while relaxing in the lounge staring at the vast ocean and ice.  Here are few photos of the ship.

Above is our cabin. It was small but very optimally designed. So it seemed quite spacious for two people. And this was our home for half a month 🙂