Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Cruise from Ushuaia to Antarctica

Country forums / South America / Argentina

We're getting ready to buy a December cruise from Ushuaia to Antarctica.

My wife is concerned about getting seasick on the two days it takes to cross the Drake Passage. If we take the proper seasick medication, should we more or less be alright? We didn't have any problems when cruising in the Galapagos Islands.

Any input very much appreciated.

I haven't done either, but I think the chances to get seasick are lesser on Antarctic cruises as the ships are larger and equipped with proper stabilisers.

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I was in Antarctica last January.

You never know. Our cruise south was smooth. "These waves are pathetic," said a crew member. On the way back, it was rougher. Rougher than my Galapagos cruise, for sure. I didn't have a problem, but the dining room was noticeably emptier. There were rails lining all hallways that you could grab, and I did my share of lurching when the ship rocked. The housekeeping staff thoughtfully draped sick bags over them at 3-foot intervals, but I never saw anyone use one.

I did, however, hear some stories from the crew about much rougher crossings. In one case, passengers were ordered not to leave their cabins. "We brought them tea and sandwiches."

The lower down your room, the less rock & roll there is.

Our ship was a 100-passenger one, with stabilizers.

Edited to add: I brought dramamine & wristbands with me, but never used them. A lot of passengers had ear patches.

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I know the original poster of this query has already completed their tour by now but thought I'd add my experience for others. I recently did the Antarctica cruise on board the 'Ushuaia' (approx. 80 passengers). The Drake Passage crossing was rough and almost everyone stayed in their cabins both ways. On the way over meals in the dining room were cancelled and sandwiches were delivered to bedsides. The consensus was that Dramamine worked much better than patches and arm bands.

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