The COVID pandemic made the entire cruise industry go on pause. Once cruises began to return, certain destinations still lagged behind. Alaskan cruises weren’t allowed for quite some time due to Canadian travel restrictions, and cruises to Australia and New Zealand still aren’t sailing. The industry also remained on hiatus in regards to Antarctica, with no cruises sailing to the continent since the start of the pandemic. Things are changing now, though. Luxury lines are now starting to get back to taking guests to the southernmost tip of the earth.
Silversea leads the charge
Silversea, a line known for comfortable cruises to exciting places, was the first to get back into the business of sailing to Antarctica. On November 10th, Silver Explorer left Puerto Williams in Chile and headed straight for Antarctica. Another ship, Silver Cloud, left for the continent just a few days later on November 14th. In regards to the specific path of travel to Antarctica that the cruise line is taking, the Senior Vice President of Expeditions spoke up. “We are making history. By embarking on a private, direct flight from Santiago to Puerto Williams, we are unlocking a flight path that has not been operated for more than 30 years – and never in such luxury – to deliver comfort and convenience to our guests.” Interestingly, Puerto Williams is a new port for Silversea, and it will serve as a jumping off point for all of their future Antarctic expeditions for the foreseeable future. It’s often called the southernmost city in the world, making it the perfect place to begin an Antarctic adventure.
Crystal joins in
After Silversea had two of its ships depart for Antarctica, only a few days passed before Crystal did the very same thing. On November 19th, Crystal Endeavor left for the continent. That marks the first time that the ship has gone on an Antarctic itinerary, something that the ship was designed for. Throughout this season, it will sail eight times to the icy southern tip of the world, with each itinerary lasting between 11 and 19 nights. Unlike the Silversea vessels, however, Endeavor will sail from the more typical port of Ushuaia. According to the cruise line, the ship features Zodiac boats and kayaks to allow guests to explore the continent in depth.
Antarctica is one of the most unique cruise destinations on the entire planet, and we’re really excited to see the industry make a return to it!