Help! – Which vessel do I choose for my Antarctic voyage?
Yes, indeed, the above is a very good and also crucial question when considering which Antarctic voyage is best for you. If you’re looking for the holiday of a lifetime, then in our opinion the size of the vessel is an important factor.
Environmental Impact
Discover the World offer small expedition and ex-research vessels and work with 
voyage operators that stricly adhere to the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operator guidelines. The voyage operators are leaders in their field, and are passionate about this beautiful wilderness and safe-guarding the environment as well as offering passengers the chance to realise their dreams. Smaller numbers mean that passengers are fully appraised and guided in all aspects of respecting this delicate icy continent.
Excursions – who’s turn is it?
A huge plus-point for those onboard is that smalller numbers allow for quick disembarkation and movement of passengers onto ‘landings’, where you will be taken from the vessel out on excursions (be they onto land, or a spectacular iceberg zodiac cruise). A max. of 100 passengers may disembark at any one time from a vessel around the Antarctic continent, and in reality with more than 50 passengers onboard this means that excursions out from the vessel will possibly need to be ‘staggered’. Therefore the smaller the vessel, the more time you will have to explore and soak up the immense and magnificent beauty of this delicate pristine environment. All landings and zodiac excursions, as well as movement of the vessels in general are strictly subject to ice and weather conditions, however the aim is to have around three landings a day whilst in the South Shetland Islands/Peninsula area. We often hear reports of people venturing down to the spectular white continent, only to find that they are aboard a larger vessel than anticipated, and are scheduled for just TWO landings during the whole voyage! Madness!
Spontaneity
Another factor to take into consideration is flexibility. 
On my Antarctic voyage in December 2003 we had the most amazing experience whilst navigating the Lemaire Channel (a stunning stretch of narrow ice-choked water between mountains and glaciers), where we encountered a pair of humpback whales. Our Expedition Leader, Monika, decided that we would all disembark into the four zodiacs and see if the whales were curious, which they were! This was one of the many highlights of the trip – sitting in silence aboard the drifting zodiac, feeling complete exhilaration watching these beautiful creatures rolling over, showing their barnacle-dotted bellies and watching them play around us – their fins slapping the water and tails gracefully disappearing beneath the icy depths. It was an immense privelege. This simply would not be possible due to logistics if aboard a vessel of over 50 passengers.
The dreaded Drake – the bigger the vessel the less the roll?
Everyone dreads the Drake Passage, which, reaching from the tip of Argentina to the Antarctic continent itself is one of the roughest stretches of water in the world. In reality however, it’s something that is part of the actual expedition experience itself, and is only around four days out of your life, which is a small price to pay for an absolutely astounding experience in Antarctica! I have yet to speak to anyone that has been to Antarctica, who has said anything other than that the seasickness and feeling ill for a few days was ultimately worth the magical experience that is Antarctica. Unless you are aboard a large 1000+passenger vessel there will be very little difference between a 50 passenger vs. a 100–300 passenger vessel. All vessels that we offer at Discover the World have a passive stabiliser system.
It’s amazing how you do get your sea legs in due course - the body adapts remarkably quickly to different conditions. If however seasickness is a concern then we would strongly recommend that passengers visit their medical practitioner for further advice and powerful medication (not available ‘across the counter’). There is a Western doctor onboard all voyages who can give medication if necessary against seasickness and other ailments (please note that this is a small infirmary, and not an A&E). Tricks to consider: getting to bed early on your first night aboard ship (the body adapts to the roll of the ship nicely when you’re asleep!), ginger (ginger biscuits, ginger tea) helps a queasy stomach, eat something – you will feel much better with food (dry crackers) and fluid in your stomach.
Vessels
The vessels that we offer are either ice-strengthened ex-research vessels (Grigoriy Mikheev, Aleksey Maryshev, Professors Multanovskiy and Molchanov, and the Akademik Shokalskiy - approx. 50 passengers max.), ice-strengthened expedition ships (the M/V Orlova - 110 passengers max and Sarpik Ittuk - 96 passengers max.) or the icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov (112 passengers max.). These vessels allow for a more authentic experience, with an emphasis being on landscape and wildlife, rather than dressing for dinner! The ice-strengthened vessels are comfortably furnished, and are completely practical for the type of expedition voyages offered to the South Shetland Islands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula region. The icebreaker Kapitan Khlebnikov is an excellent choice of vessel meanwhile for those voyages to the Ross Sea region.
For further advice, or to receive a copy of our ‘Antarctica & Latin America’ brochure, please feel free to call our specialist team on +44 (0) 1737 218800 to discuss your Antarctic voyage!
You can always rely on the Times to feature some inspiring travel. Here's a great online piece by Gareth Jenkins, who is 'Awestruck in Antarctica', having decided to quit the daily grind and trot off around the globe with his trusty camera. 
