Enjoy A Small Ship Cruise To A Faraway Place

By Author: Kathy Mansfield
Total Articles: 4
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Cruises are more popular than ever and are responsible for a larger chunk of the tourism trade than you might imagine. According to Cruise Market Watch, in 2011, cruises accounted for almost $30 billion (US dollars) and transported nearly 20 million people to their vacation destinations of choice. The majority of this traffic heads for sunny destinations such as the Caribbean, but some intrepid voyagers have discovered the wonder that is a trip to Antarctica.

Antarctic Cruises are definitely a change of pace versus the “beach-bound behemoths” that typify most vacationers’ ideas regarding a cruise ship. For one thing, while the typical cruise ship might have thousands of passengers, Antarctic cruises use more modest ships designed to hold around 100 passengers. For example, the Marina Svetaeva is a typical Antarctica cruise ship – meaning it is purposely constructed for the conditions likely to be found on that type of tour, such as ice breaking. However, all that specialized equipment does not hamper the comfort of tourists – amenities are also included in the design.

After all, while passengers will ...
... be taken to remote places that were once only accessible to hardy explorers enduring uncomfortable conditions, modern tour operators are well aware that their passengers are on vacation! As such, discomfort is not on the itinerary. Instead, modern clothing and equipment is employed to make the journey as comfortable and convenient as possible. To be fair, Antarctica is still a chilly and remote land, so it will not be a “day at the beach.” However, the unique and wondrous sights, such as vast penguin hatcheries and whale watching in the Antarctic Ocean, make the effort worthwhile.

And once you are back aboard ship, the lounge, library, bar, and dining hall will be open for your pleasure, and you can rest assured that your cabin will be cozy and well appointed. One additional excellent feature of small ship cruises is the high guide-to-passenger ratio; this assures you that your needs will be well looked after. And the smaller passenger list (as well as the shared adventure of exploring a part of the world few tourists will ever set out in search of) allows you to more easily make the acquaintance of your fellow travellers.

So if you are thinking big about the destination for your next vacation, why not think small as well? An Antarctica cruise is a wonderfully intimate choice.

Author Bio:

The author of this article is associated with href="http://www.oneoceanexpeditions.com">One Ocean Expeditions, a company that specializes in small ship href="http://www.oneoceanexpeditions.com/antarctic/index.php">cruise tours to the Arctic and Antarctic regions. For more information, please visit their Web site oneoceanexpeditions.com