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Fares
Minerva fares
 Brochure
rates
- They range from about $14,000 to $39,000 per person, depending on cabin
category and cruise length. But nowadays hardly anyone pays brochure rates in
the cruise industry. They get discounts.
Discounted
rates
- You will likely receive a discount of up to 25%. That would make the
range of rates quoted above equal to roughly $10,000 to $29,000.
Free
extras - Early bookers are often given free roundtrip airfare from the nearest USA gateway city plus
a one-night pre-cruise layover in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Other possible perks include
a shipboard credit and various loyalty discounts.
 Value
- Almost all the passengers I interviewed thought that they received a lot for their money
on the Minerva because its fare
includes:
 Food, wine and bar drinks
All
gratuities
An
ocean-view cabin
Two
Zodiac excursions per day
Take-home
polar parka and backpack
And compared to Antarctica cruise ships in general, seasoned cruisers thought
that the Minerva:
Is
physically comfortable
Gives
friendly, genuine want-to-please service
Has
fine lecturers
Serves
the best food and wines you'll likely find on an Antarctica ship
Practices
a high ship-safety level
Has
interesting, well-traveled passengers, the type you like to meet
If the Minerva
rates
strain your budget
If
the strain is modest - Go ahead an book and a Minerva cruise. Likely you won't regret your decision.
An Antarctica cruise will be one of the greatest adventures in your lifetime. You
want to go home with exciting, lasting memories.
If
the strain is more than modest - No problem. Book a lesser-quality ship. It's better to experience wonderful
Antarctica than not at all.
I
strongly recommend choosing a cruise that conducts zodiac landings.
If
the above type of cruise ship is too expensive for you, book a sail-by cruise. Unfortunately, you don't make the Zodiac shore landings.
This means you won't step foot on the Antarctica continent and won't see penguins
and icebergs up close. But at least you view the breathtaking Antarctica
landscape and seascape.
Other Antarctica
cruise ship
tips & insights
Sold
out -The Minerva and other quality Antarctica cruise ships in prime season are usually fully booked well before
their departure dates.
Quick
sell-out fares - Generally,
the lowest- and highest-priced cabins sell out first, up to a year in advance.
Last-minute
bargains - If you are seeking one, chances are it won't be easy to find a
ship that meets your preferred
itinerary, ship, cabin and departure-date. Even if you do, you might not
be able to secure convenient and low-cost airline reservations to and from the
departure port city. They probably have been snatched up
months ago. Moral: Book your Antarctica cruise early.
Booking advice - Due to the potential complexity of booking an
Antarctica cruise and its attendant airfare and land arrangements, booking
through a cruise line makes sense. So does booking with a
cruise-specialist travel agent. These professionals make their
rent-paying money on commissions from the cruise
lines, not from fees from their clients. Most charge you nothing or almost nothing (say
$50) for their expertise. And that fee is mainly to establish that you are
earnest before they invest a lot of their time researching and making
arrangements for you.
Click these buttons
for more tips & insights
Pages specific to the
Minerva cruise ship
Antarctica cruises
in general
 
Clickable Antarctica
wonder map
My "What it's Like"
cruise ship sections
 to
view
My general
cruise ship section
Click the button below for Regent's website for Minerva itineraries with maps, a list of
cruise-specialist travel agents near you, plus other useful trip-planning
information.
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