Hi Lady_Lyrico - I have also done an Antarctic cruise and also obsessed over the shoes as we were concerned the wellies wouldn't have enough support for my husband's bad back.

First (based on our Quark cruise) I would separate your concern about foot wear and your different body shape. Our cruise was the United Nations of body shapes, ages, fitness levels, etc. The one universal thing I've read about Antarctic cruise lines is the excellence of the crews in ensuring everyone has *their* best cruise experience. (and I assume that since you've booked your trip you've completed the medical form so you know you can meet the minimum physical requirements). My husband has a bad back and was given plenty of time when he needed it to get in and out of the zodiacs (usually he went last if he felt a little stiff). Some of our landings had some steep hikes but still plenty to do around the shore so he didn't hike if he didn't feel like it.

Regarding foot wear - in the end we went the wellies because we were traveling before arriving in Ushuaia and it would have been difficult to carry shoes. About 25% of people had their own hiking shoes for shore excursions but most of them wore the wellies for the zodiac transfer as the boots were 100% waterproof (changing into their boots on shore). And you are walking in snow/ice most of the time which also requires a high degree of waterproof/water repellant properties.

I suggest you contact the cruise line directly and see if they have a solution for you - otherwise can you find a pair of rubber boots that come as high as possible up your calf for maximum protection? In our case our feet were never more than ankle height in water but that isn't a guarantee of course. If you google "Antarctic Zodiac Landings" images you'll several pictures of what it looks like to give you an idea of the variety of landings.

If the best you can do is a "shorty" rubber boot then you could put your feet in a plastic bag that comes up higher - some people on our cruise did that.

I'm sure the cruise line will have some suggestions and you'll have a great time!

BTW - I'm guessing you can't wear calf length wellies due to your height/calf size? Here's a website with different size options - might be helpful

http://www.jileon.com/wide-fit-wellies/

Thank you so much for your thoughtful and helpful reply, Elizabeth_S. Yes, my key concern is that my calf is quite wide, so I just cannot get ordinary boots to fit. We haven't yet completed the medical forms but fortunately I am reasonably fit, just overweight.

It's interesting what you say about people taking their own boots and changing into them on shore. I hadn't considered that. We will also be going to South Georgia and the Falkland Islands, and I can see that hiking boots would be useful. I guess it's only on the Antarctic Peninsula that there is the need for the control of contaminants.

I will contact the cruise line directly for further information. I am due to confirm arrangements with them in the next couple of weeks, when we also pay our balance.

In the meantime I will check out the link you supplied, and look for pictures of landings for further information. You have given me lots to think about, and I am getting quite excited about going.

Glad I could help. Since I wrote this I've been trying to remember what the people did about contamination when they had their own shoes on shore. We dipped our wellies in a decontamination bath upon return to the ship from a shore excursion - but what did the people do who wore their own shoes? You can't dip hiking boots in a vessel full of water! I'm working on the answer to that!

Thanks Elizabeth_S. I'm going to start a new thread asking people for their tips on Antarctica cruises, so that I don't hijack this thread any further.

No much Antarctic traffic here - you might want to try tripadvisor or cruisecritic.

Here's a pic to give you an incentive!

https://scontent-b-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/...92528790_o.jpg

Thanks. Elizabeth_S, that's a fantastic pic. Good point about trying cruise critic and trripadvisor. I'll give them a go.

Lady Lyrico,

I'm glad Elizabeth saw this and offered such great advice right away!

Please do NOT be embarrassed for even half a second about body shape. There were people of all different ages, shapes and sizes on my cruise. I think one lady was having knee surgery a few weeks after she returned home and she had a hard time walking very far. Some were in great shape and some were far from it, but what we all had in common was loving the trip and having a heck of a good time. People were extremely friendly and welcoming!

I have big calves and they (G Adventures) found a pair of boots for me. I think they were slightly shorter and the very top may have been sliced a bit so that they could expand at the top if needed. I'm only 5'3", so my legs are pretty stinkin short and normal wellies jab me in the backs of the knees and try to cut off circulation to my feet. The guides brought us into the 'mud' room a few at a time so that they could talk to us about fit and whatnot. They noticed right away that the first pair wasn't right (tight through the calf and too tall) and they sorted through the different piles to find me a good fit. I think I stepped into water on most of our landings, but it was never that deep... approximately mid calf generally? I had snow pants on over my boots so those got wet instead of the tops of the boots as they had the elastic on the inside to hold them tight to the boots. The outsides of the snow pants were meant for that kind of treatment, especially since I was into the water and then out of it rather than standing in it all day. Once I remembered to put the snow pants outside of the boots rather than tucking the gators into the boots, my feet never got wet.

I can't remember anyone on my trip wearing different boots ashore than what they landed wearing. I know a few people brought their own boots, but that was definitely the exception rather than the rule. Anything that we planned to wear as an outer layer was washed/vacuumed off in the mudroom while we were on the way across the Drake. That way anyone who brought their own boots had them washed off immediately. Then it was the same step in the sanitizer bucket procedure on and off the ship as everyone else.


Please no apologies about hijacking the thread, that's EXACTLY what this is for!! There is a very active Antarctic forum over on TripAdvisor, that's where I got about 99% of my info before I went. They're great help! I hope you get reassurance one way or the other when you speak to your cruise line in the next few weeks, you should be excited rather than worried. You will have an absolutely amazing time!

Thank you so much for your warm and friendly reply, Iowa Redhead. It's wonderful to hear the enthusiasm in your post, and you obviously had such a fantastic time on your cruise.
Honestly, I have days when I am really excited about all that I am going to see, then suddenly worries about boots and being far from civilisation rear their heads. Luckily the excitement days outweigh the other type.
I will go and check Trip Advisor for some more tips.

Thanks for your time doing this report!