Has anyone sailed the Drake Passage between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula on HAL or other line? What I've read on Google and Wikipedia notes that this passage is among the strongest current in the world. Has anyone found it more the reportedly 30-ft waves just too much to take? I'm considering it, and really want to do it, but not if it's just downright dangerous or days of just downright scary. I've been in rough waters before (the Tasman Sea) and I do ok, but this sounds more serious. Looking for objectivity and experience here. Thoughts, anyone?

I sailed the Drake Passage in December 1999. It is known to be the roughest waters in the world. It was very rough for about eight hours. After that, it calmed down. I have never gotten sick on any of my cruises, not even the Drake Passage. Antarctica is a unique experience.

Thanks for your response. May I ask what size ship you sailed on? Did you feel ill at ease with the roughness of the seas? Does it make a difference whether the ship is sailing north, south, east or west, or is it just going to be rough no matter what? HAL has a great sale ending today. Looks like they sail almost straight south from Cape Horn, then west along the Antarctic coast (no landings) and then almost straight north back across the Drake to the S. American continent.
Thanks for any advice you can offer.

As you can see by my ticker (below), I'm booked on the Rotterdam from Valparaiso to Rio departing 12/6. I/we are very excited about the cruise - looking forward to it!

Thank you Chuck. I was considering the HAL Rotterdam cruise Rio to Valparaiso departing on Dec. 22. So it IS indeed a HAL cruise. I'm a go on it, and I never get sick, been on 6-7 cruises in the past few years, but my husband is put off by all the talk of rough waters and bad weather in the Passage. So just looking for info from those who've "been there, done that". I guess it's too late to get in on the 3-day sale now anyway.

Hope you have a wonderful time! Let us know if it's all worth it when you get back!

Just got back from our South American cruise (Valparaiso to Rio) and the Drake passage could not have been nicer. The morning we arrived (12/13) the seas were calm, the winds were fair and the sky was sunny. We actually circumnavigated the island before going on into the Atlantic! So there you are, the roughest seas in the world were actually smooth the day we were there. Not so that night and the next morning as we approached the Falklands - we were not able to stop there as the seas were running 30 ft and the wind was blowing 75 kts across our bow!