Choosing the right cruise ship for you

Choosing the right Antarctica cruise ship suited to your requirements is a key decision when planning your journey. Veloso Tours 25 years of experience operating to Antarctica means we have direct contacts with all the major operators, and many past customer experience to guide you.

When choosing which ship is right for you, you need to prioritise what is important to you.

What size of ship do you prefer? How many fellow passengers ? What level of comfort and facilities ? Do you want a newer ship? How important is stability in rough seas? And of course, your budget.

Smaller ships - advantages:

• It is quicker getting on an off the ship
• A more intimate experience 
• A higher staff to guest ratio
• Good range of facilities 
• Choice of research vessels, first class ships and new, luxury ships

Recommended smaller ships:

• Sea Spirit - up to 114 passengers
• Greg Mortimer - up to 132 passengers
• Ocean Nova - up to 70 passengers
• Ortelius - up to 123 passengers
• Ocean Adventurer - up to 132 passengers
• Syliva Earle - up to 130 passengers
• Plancius - up to 114 passengers
• Silver Explorer - up to 114 passengers

The advantages of larger ships: 

• More spacious, luxurious cabins
• Many cabins have balconies
• Wider choice of facilities
• Science centres on board 
• Dedicated lecture rooms
• More stable in choppy seas

The disadvantage of ships with 500 plus guests is you will not spend much time ashore. Indeed, several of these vessels on offer sailing in Antarctica, with no excursions ashore.

Our recommended larger ships:

• Silver Cloud - up to 254 passengers
• Hondius - up to 170 passengers
• MS Fram - up to 200 passengers
• MS Fridjhof Nansen - up to 530 passengers