We are just beginning the research on a cruise thru Antarctica. Any recommendations for our family for late Dec.,early Jan.? We've been told a smaller boat is better because it can land ashore easier. Thanks for any advise!

We went to a talk at our local library given by a couple that went with Lindblad Expeditions. They just loved it and it certainly sounded wonderful. The ship was small and the cruise very personalized.You can order a DVD on their web site to give you an overview.

You could cruise to the Antarctic aboard the Professor Multanovskiy or Professor Molchanov Russian ships - see the website www.ripioturismo.com.ar or go aboard the research vessel/cruise ship ‘Grigoriy Mikheev’ see http://www.scantours.com/antarctica_..._S.Georgia.htm or try www.naturalist.co.uk - they offer kayaking through the ice and scuba diving.

I believe it has to be a small ship, otherwise - they don't let people off the ship. I believe Antarctica limits the amount of people who are allowed off the ship - larger ships will just sail around the area.

Just happened across your post. If you are still checking, and still interested, see our trip report in Argentina, Latin America section.
We were there at the end of January and first days of February 05'.
We consider ourselves reasonably well traveled, and rate Antarctica a trip of a lifetime.
If you have questions, post them on that section (and if you wish, your contact information), and we'll be glad to share our experiences.
Fair Winds..........

Up to 100 people are allowed ashore at once so choosing a ship that has 100 or less passengers will maximise your time ashore since everyone can be ashore at once. So if the ship makes a stop for around 3.5 hours all the passengers can be ashore for a good 3 hours.

The larger ships do still allow for shore excursions but they run shifts to allow everyone shore time. This means the time ashore for each person is much, much shorter and also that the ship has to hang around in each location for longer in order to have enough time for all those shifts. That in turn means less stop-off destinations altogether in the time.

And there are some places a larger ship can't access.

We travelled on the Akademik Ioffe with Peregrine - 100 pax, expedition style ship and very professional.

If you're looking for high-lux, comfort and cruise entertainment, facilities and cuisine you'd be disappointed but if you're looking for acceptable comfort, the best experts in their fields leading your expeditions and giving lectures and a fantastic experience you'll be pleased.

Also look into Quark who are similarly focused on expedition style trips.