We are planning a trip to Antarctica sometime in December or January.

I have found two possibilities -- one is a Regal Princess cruise that offers 
21 days with ports in Rio, Buenos Aires, the Faulklands, and others in South 
America, along with a four day cruise around Antarctica. Though I don't have 
all the info yet, the material I do have seems to suggest that there are no 
excursions plans on Antarctica itself.

The other trip is sponsored by Oceanic Society on "The Little Red Ship. It 
is a 10 day trip that does just Antarctica and does include two excursions 
per day, weather permitting.

The second trip is about $600 more expensive than the first (I can get the 
first one through VacationsToGo), even though it is longer.

I guess my question is this: How much would we see on the excursions if we 
chose the more expensive trip? We wouldn't see some other areas in South 
America that would be interesting, but if the excursions are as spectacular 
as I would hope, that might be a trade off we would be willing to make.

(Of course, if you know of an even better deal, that would be fantastic. We 
still have some time, but I suspect I need to reserve fairly early to get 
the best deals.)