In recent times, I’ve gotten more interested in cruising again. It’s an interesting time for the industry, given the number of luxury hotel groups that are sort of getting into the cruising industry, at least from a licensing standpoint — we’re talking about Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Four Seasons Yachts, Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and Aman at Sea. Obviously these brands are trying to make cruising cool for those who may have otherwise preferred land based vacations.
While cruising in general can be a relaxing and luxurious experience, I think the ultimate benefit of cruising is getting easy access to places where you can’t easily vacation on land. I think the prime example of that is Antarctica, which I think is a bucket list destination for just about any traveler. Along those lines, I was hoping to get some feedback, as I’m sure I’m not the only one who is curious to learn about the best options…
In this post:
Planning an Antarctica cruise seems overwhelming
I think I’m hardly alone by having Antarctica at the very top of my bucket list of places to visit. To be honest, since we have two small kids, I’m not sure how realistic this trip is any time soon, even with family help, but it can’t hurt to dream, or to at least start thinking about when this might be realistic.
I think it goes without saying that planning any Antarctica trip seems like a big undertaking. You’re typically committing to a long and expensive journey, and many of the cruise lines that have good expedition ships might be different than the cruise lines that are known for great luxury experiences.
So I think for lots of us there’s a big learning curve in deciding which direction to go. Is it worth cruising to Antarctica and back, or is it worth taking one of the options that involves flying? While all Antarctica cruises are on the long side, is it worth booking one that is extra long, which potentially stops at some other islands as well?
I think the good news is that back in the day, people had to be prepared to disconnect when taking cruises like this. However, thanks to Starlink, it’s my understanding that connectivity at sea (including in Antarctica) is excellent.
What’s the best option for an Antarctica cruise?
As I start brainstorming this cruise concept, I’d love to hear from people who have taken a cruise to Antarctica, with their thoughts, or at least those who have maybe researched it more than I have.
Essentially, I’m curious what the “best” cruise line is for Antarctica. Obviously this is highly subjective. Antarctica cruises are primarily about the destination, and I’ve heard there’s a big benefit to the smaller ships, in terms of being able to get on land more often (given how closely regulated this is in Antarctica).
But beyond that, I’m just also curious which cruise line offers the all-around best experience in terms of the luxury of the ship, the food and drinks, the inclusions, the service, etc. I imagine there’s no right or wrong answer here, which is why I’d love to hear some firsthand reports.
It looks like cruises to Antarctica mostly leave from Ushuaia, and last anywhere from 10 days to several weeks. While that sounds like a long time, it takes at least a couple of days in each direction to get to Antarctica via the infamous Drake Passage, so it makes sense that the cruises aren’t shorter.
Looking at the options, several cruise lines come to mind as being most interesting:
- French cruise line PONANT seems to do really well when it comes to expedition cruising, and has a focus on that; my impression is that PONANT strikes a good balance between adventure and luxury
- National Geographic & Lindblad Expeditions has a focus on expedition cruising and the latest generation Endurance ships seem quite nice
- Some of the traditional luxury cruise lines, like Silversea and Seabourn, have voyages in Antarctica; however, I’m not sure if the more traditional luxury comes with a tradeoff in terms of expedition cruising, or if they have just as much experience with this
- While not cruising, I should mention that White Desert probably has the most premium trips to Antarctica, but those mostly don’t involve cruising; they include flying to & from Antarctica, and then land-based lodging
For some context on the general itineraries, most cruises from Ushuaia to Antarctica take a minimum of 10 days, as that includes two days in each direction to get through the Drake Passage, and then at least five or so days in Antarctica to enjoy the scenery and go adventuring.
Journeys can get much longer than that, though, especially if you pair it with the Falkland Islands. You can easily be looking at a three week trip, then, and it brings you to a part of the world that even fewer people see.
If you’re in more of a crunch for time, Silversea has some shorter six-night itineraries, which include roundtrip flights from Santiago to Antarctica, and then a shorter trip around the region. Flying in obviously lets you skip the rough seas of the Drake Passage, and it’s certainly a cool aviation geek flight!
Bottom line
Regardless of how one feels about cruising in general, I think it’s safe to say that Antarctica is the ultimate place to cruise, given that it’s a destination that isn’t exactly known for five-star hotels.
There are an overwhelming number of options for cruises to Antarctica, so I’d love to hear about some firsthand experiences about which cruises lines are worth seeking out, and which are worth skipping. Similarly, I’d be curious to hear about impressions of sailing across the Drake Passage, vs. flying into Antarctica, and cruising from there.
Anyone else fascinated by the concept of a cruise to Antarctica?
Your focus should be best weather time (early January) not the best fancy ship luxury option
For Antarctica, luxury means good weather, good Internet and being able to get off the boat at every stop, luxury should hopefully not mean fancy meals and plush couches in the ship lounge.
So basically pick any ship rated for 100-140 people in earlyish January (we went with Sea Spirit but there's a few others like National Geographic...
Your focus should be best weather time (early January) not the best fancy ship luxury option
For Antarctica, luxury means good weather, good Internet and being able to get off the boat at every stop, luxury should hopefully not mean fancy meals and plush couches in the ship lounge.
So basically pick any ship rated for 100-140 people in earlyish January (we went with Sea Spirit but there's a few others like National Geographic etc) and regardless of what people say it will basically be the same experience. No one has really tried several different ships within the same 100-140 category to compare (specially not post covid with more rules) so everyone's idea will be subjective.
But truly from what I saw, most similar ships result in similar experience with very very very very little difference on the margins.
Going to Antarctica at all is already one of the most exclusive experiences in the world. Why do you need to have "luxury" on top of this? Are you that dependent on exclusivity for validation, or simply out of touch?
My thoughts as someone that has cruised to Antarctica twice.
Being disconnected should be part of the reason for going. If you can't log off for a couple of days and enjoy all the natural wonder, your priorities suggest you shouldn't be going to Antarctica (yes I am being judgmental, no I won't rephrase).
Be sure to find a firm that has solid polar experience (more on that in a moment) as well as one...
My thoughts as someone that has cruised to Antarctica twice.
Being disconnected should be part of the reason for going. If you can't log off for a couple of days and enjoy all the natural wonder, your priorities suggest you shouldn't be going to Antarctica (yes I am being judgmental, no I won't rephrase).
Be sure to find a firm that has solid polar experience (more on that in a moment) as well as one that openly acknowledges the tourism limits of the Antarctic treaty and describes their compliance before you have to ask.
Finally - Quark is my strong recommendation for a cruise firm. The first time I went was amazing, but not with a polar specialist. The second time I expected it to be a little disappointing (since I already had that first time feelings of wonder) and I was wrong. With Quark it was so much better! Better naturalists, better zodiac expeditions, better equipment, even better food and drink. Traveling with a specialist makes a difference and, for the curious, my Quark trip was about the same price as my first trip - with the trips being ten years apart (2007, 2017).
By far the best and most comprehensive js National Geographic/Lindbkad. Not cheap but the best guides, and the best touring on Antarctica proper.
After researching a good bit on the cruising option (from both Punta Arenas and New Zealand), I decided it was not for me for the following reasons:
1) Drake passage is too treacherous for someone like me who is prone to motion sickness.
2) With cruising one never sets foot on the Antarctica mainland.
I and my wife finally did a 5-day tour with White Desert. We flee from Cape Town, SA to...
After researching a good bit on the cruising option (from both Punta Arenas and New Zealand), I decided it was not for me for the following reasons:
1) Drake passage is too treacherous for someone like me who is prone to motion sickness.
2) With cruising one never sets foot on the Antarctica mainland.
I and my wife finally did a 5-day tour with White Desert. We flee from Cape Town, SA to Wolf's Fang Runway, Antarctica and spent 5 nights at their Echo camp. In my view there is no more luxurious way than White Desert to experience Antarctica. We had a fabulous time.
They are quite pricey though. Their cheapest is a daytrip - 5 hours flying each way with 4 hours on Antarctica ice with a couple of activities and costs 16k per person. They have a 5-night trip (the one we took) with a choice of stays at any of their 3 luxury camps with activities including a local flight to Emperor Penguin colony for 75k. Their most comprehensive tour costs 110k and includes flights to south pole.
I did two Antarctic cruises - both times stepping foot on the mainland.
Went with Silversea this January with their Antarctic bridge (i.e. fly over the Drake) option. That saved time and money, and went without a hitch, but we've since learned that we perhaps got lucky, and that weather interferes with flight schedules more often than we realized. The expedition team was excellent - well organized, very personable team with a good mix of landings, Zodiac sightseeing and kayaking options. Was on one of the "older" vessels,...
Went with Silversea this January with their Antarctic bridge (i.e. fly over the Drake) option. That saved time and money, and went without a hitch, but we've since learned that we perhaps got lucky, and that weather interferes with flight schedules more often than we realized. The expedition team was excellent - well organized, very personable team with a good mix of landings, Zodiac sightseeing and kayaking options. Was on one of the "older" vessels, the Silver Wind, but found it to be in great shape. Cabin was the equal of (and virtually identical) to the cabin in my one sailing in one of their non-expedition ships (Silver Moon) Food was consistently quite good (B+) and crew was very friendly and professional. Entertainment, outside of afternoon informational lectures, was virtually non-existent and the main lounge was usually rather empty at night. Only real negative was the landside operations (hotels and staff) pre-and post-cruise, as the hotels were mediocre at best and the staff uninformed and poor at communicating. Hopefully this will be remedied when Silversea opens its own hotel later this year.
Tone-deaf posts like this showcase the dark side of leisure travel. The best thing you can do for Antarctica is to STAY AWAY FROM IT.
It's the last piece of unspoiled land on this planet, and you're all here tripping over each other to visit it IN LUXURY. It's melting because of your luxury, your wasteful travel, and your dirty-engined boats bringing adventurously bored rich people to walk around. What kind of fuel do...
Tone-deaf posts like this showcase the dark side of leisure travel. The best thing you can do for Antarctica is to STAY AWAY FROM IT.
It's the last piece of unspoiled land on this planet, and you're all here tripping over each other to visit it IN LUXURY. It's melting because of your luxury, your wasteful travel, and your dirty-engined boats bringing adventurously bored rich people to walk around. What kind of fuel do these boats use? How much pollution does one of these vanity cruises cause?
If you go to see the penguins, bring a note of apology. And be quick with your photos. Their home is melting thanks to your boat.
I did an Aurora Antarctic cruise last year (2025). It was itself pleasant, and the ship (M/V Greg Mortimer) was only a couple years old. The guides have expertise in their respective fields, though I imagine that's normal. That said, some thoughts to consider:
- Due to IAATO regs, make sure your ship has 100pax or fewer; that's the most that can be off-boat at any given time. Many ships will be 'rated' for...
I did an Aurora Antarctic cruise last year (2025). It was itself pleasant, and the ship (M/V Greg Mortimer) was only a couple years old. The guides have expertise in their respective fields, though I imagine that's normal. That said, some thoughts to consider:
- Due to IAATO regs, make sure your ship has 100pax or fewer; that's the most that can be off-boat at any given time. Many ships will be 'rated' for like 130ish, with the understanding that they won't book every cabin to capacity.
- I had no problems with the Drake Passage, other than it made using the workout room challenging. I however don't get seasick, and some of my co-travelers didn't fare so well.
- Internet connectivity, at least as of last year in my case, was very very poor; texts and emails worked ok, but anything involving media was a real challenge and sometimes required multiple attempts.
- The "flight option" via TNM is ok for time considerations but, at some others have noted, is highly prone to delays: The runway on King George Island is unpaved and the BAe-146s they fly are too heavy unless the airstrip is dry.
Few things to keep in mind:
1. I think, you already know this. Ideally, you want to go on a ship with <200 passengers. Gives you more opportunity for landings since only at max only 100 ppl can land
2. The itinerary is nothing but an approximate plan. Your actually itinerary will completely depend on the sea conditions, weather, and ice bergs
3. Don't just look at the total days in the...
Few things to keep in mind:
1. I think, you already know this. Ideally, you want to go on a ship with <200 passengers. Gives you more opportunity for landings since only at max only 100 ppl can land
2. The itinerary is nothing but an approximate plan. Your actually itinerary will completely depend on the sea conditions, weather, and ice bergs
3. Don't just look at the total days in the itinerary. Focus on how many days you'll spend in Antarctica. More days you spend, more chances you'll have for landings
4. If you want to see emperor penguins, then you'll have to go to South Georgia. On your typical itinerary, you won't see them.
5. If you book kayaking/polar plunge etc, normally those are done at the same time as the landings. One group would get to land and the other group will be kayaking etc.
6. If you want to camp, you'll have to go early in the season as snow will be solid enough for you to be able to camp. But if you want to cross the circle, you'll want to go late in the season (mid to end Feb onwards) to have best chance of being able to cross the circle.
7. Comfort and ships are important but the expedition team is equally important.
8. If you want to get first hand knowledge, contact Swoop Antarctica. Their TAs have actually been on Antarctica cruises. So, you'll get best first hand knowledge and they'll be able to help you shortlist your options etc.
Disclaimer - I have no affiliation with Swoop Antarctica.
Have fun planning the trip. I
This is all good stuff. I would add that, when our family went, we were able to camp on Christmas day itself. Pretty cool to have Santa visit from his zodiac (inflatable boat).
Not sure that the expedition team makes THAT much of a difference. In any case, you'll have so many other constraints on your trip, that this will be farther down on the list.
Ponant cruises have a high percentage of French native...
This is all good stuff. I would add that, when our family went, we were able to camp on Christmas day itself. Pretty cool to have Santa visit from his zodiac (inflatable boat).
Not sure that the expedition team makes THAT much of a difference. In any case, you'll have so many other constraints on your trip, that this will be farther down on the list.
Ponant cruises have a high percentage of French native speakers: Could be a plus or minus for you.
Here's a Youtuber guy who knows cruises pretty well: @tipsfortravellers
One bonus tip: because the ships are relatively small, you may want to check with your TA that there is not a large group on board. Large groups sometimes tend to stick with themselves and/or "take over" facilities.
I cruised to Antarctic on National Geographic/Linblad 8 years ago. Things might have changed but I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. If you "dress up for dinner" or a meal, you might get thrown overboard! Not really but.. I had a prominent politician friend who traveled on Seabourn to Antarctica. He sent me a picture of him and his wife in their matching life jackets and gear, all prim and proper. I responded with a...
I cruised to Antarctic on National Geographic/Linblad 8 years ago. Things might have changed but I really enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. If you "dress up for dinner" or a meal, you might get thrown overboard! Not really but.. I had a prominent politician friend who traveled on Seabourn to Antarctica. He sent me a picture of him and his wife in their matching life jackets and gear, all prim and proper. I responded with a picture of me in jeans (under the cold weather gear) standing in an inch or so of penguin poo. Nat Geo's ships are working scientific research ships. Spotlessly clean, great food, fantastic crew and passenger ratio (almost 1:1!) can't be beat. At the end of the 10 day stay with them, the crew knows your name, says hello. Everyone has to endure the "Drake Shakes" though. YIKES
By far the best is National Geographic/Lindblad. You'll have the best guides and the best experiences on Antarctica proper. Not cheap, but worth every single penny
Ben, I traveled to Antartica in December 2025 with Quark Expeditions.
First, nothing in these itineraries are guaranteed. Mother Nature is the boss. Newer ships handle the Drake Passage better than older ships. Make sure the ship has stabilizers. Ships with less than 200 passengers is ideal. Less than 150 is better.
I would avoid flying the Drake. There is one operator. This flight is 100% weather dependent. Cancellations and delays are frequent....
Ben, I traveled to Antartica in December 2025 with Quark Expeditions.
First, nothing in these itineraries are guaranteed. Mother Nature is the boss. Newer ships handle the Drake Passage better than older ships. Make sure the ship has stabilizers. Ships with less than 200 passengers is ideal. Less than 150 is better.
I would avoid flying the Drake. There is one operator. This flight is 100% weather dependent. Cancellations and delays are frequent. The expedition ships will sometimes delay departing to avoid rough seas but that is usually a 4-6 hour delay and maybe happens once to twice during a season. A typical Drake Passage crossing is 3-5 meter waves. The patch works for sea sickness but definitely has side effects.
You will regret not going for a longer cruise. South Georgia is stunning. Each month in Antartica is different during the season. November will get you stunning ice landscapes but less wildlife. February-March will get tons of wildlife but less ice pack and slushy and dirty landing spots.
I researched NatGeo. They are way overpriced. I had no interest to go on a luxury Ponant. The oldest ship and the most luxurious ships are all going to the same spots. The food on Quark was very good. Buffett for breakfast and lunch and dinner was from a select menu. It was nice. They also served appetizers and snacks. I ate very well. Here is the thing. Why waste 90 minutes sitting for a fancy dinner when you should be on the observation deck! I wanted to be outside. You go to Antartica to be outside on the deck. Your room is small for a reason. They want you outside. The weather can change in seconds - do you want to waste your time and money waiting for a fancy meal? Even on sea days, you can be outside if the Drake is not rough. It’s gorgeous and amazing to see all the birds following the ship.
The Facebook Group Antartica Travel is an excellent resource. It’s run by real Antarctic guides who can assist. They helped me so much.
Besides Quark, Aurora Expeditions is also very good. Also heard good things about Seabourn. You want a company that only does Arctic and Antarctic cruises. They are the experts. Quark is based in Seattle and Aurora is based in Australia. G Adventures is also good but ships are older.
In summary, new ship. Be outside.
My wife Sharon and I cruised on Silversea to Antarctica in 2015. Honestly, we were both very bored the entire time. Any Caribbean cruise or Hawaiian cruise would be a better option.
Seabourn. Number of passengers is small enough that every passenger gets two expeditions per day. Ships are only a few years old. Excellent Starlink wifi. Great experience overall.
We were able to score upgrades for cash to the best auite on board. All in came to about $10k pp.
I just booked an Antarctica trip for January with Seabourn Cruise Line. Pricing can vary quite a bit depending on the travel advisor, some offer group rates or hosted trips that bring the cost down significantly. I ended up booking a 13-night cruise for about $15K per person, though I’ve seen 11-night itineraries go for closer to $11K.
I was deciding between Seabourn Cruise Line and Scenic, but ultimately went with Seabourn since the dates worked better for me.
Check out the recent episode of the podcast Las Culturistas with Nicole Kidman. She and co-host Bowen Yang had recently returned from Antarctic cruises on Silverseas and they talk about it for a good bit. It does seem they were able to a decent number of land expeditions and solo kayaking.
As far as doing the one way cruise and flying back, they mentioned that even if you choose that option, it’s not always guaranteed...
Check out the recent episode of the podcast Las Culturistas with Nicole Kidman. She and co-host Bowen Yang had recently returned from Antarctic cruises on Silverseas and they talk about it for a good bit. It does seem they were able to a decent number of land expeditions and solo kayaking.
As far as doing the one way cruise and flying back, they mentioned that even if you choose that option, it’s not always guaranteed due to weather. Kidman was delayed in flying back and Bowen’s cruise was delayed long enough that they almost scrapped the flight back altogether in favor of sailing back to South America. The impression I got is that, unsurprisingly, that even though Antarctic cruises usually only occur in the seasons with the most favorable weather conditions, weather is still a big issue, and more than on other cruises, nothing is guaranteed, including all activities and even how long the cruise lasts.
I went with Quark in 2023 and (as others have commented), had a fantastic time. Not luxury, but very comfortable. The food was pretty mediocre, admittedly but that was more than made up for by top-notch zodiac landings & expedition guides. I specifically chose their voyage that flies over the Drake Passage both ways and don't regret that choice.
It's on my bucket list to return to South Georgia next time I have 3 weeks and $20K to spare.
For a real "sailing" experience - small, comfortable ship, traditional square-rig, international crew, and a chance for your time before the mast - can't recommend enough the Dutch Tall Ship Bark EUROPA.
In addition to amazing time in Antarctica, the sailing itself makes for the memory of a lifetime!
www.barkeuropa.com
If you go include South Georgia, the penguin colonies and wild life are much more impressive than Antarctica. That said, it will turn into a long journey if you do that (~2 weeks'ish). I went with Quark and was happy with them, not luxury but nice. The more luxurious operators are probably worse for actually getting you on land since they tend to have larger boats and landing sites are limited to a 100 people. Going on the smallest boat possible is the best move.
What a great idea, the blog famously telling its readers that flying luxury itineraries adds precious little to the environmental catastrophe adds another scorcher, flooding the artic with luxury cruise liners. Almost certainly no environmental impact there either. Good times. Thank goodness Ben doesn’t have kids, otherwise he might think differently about this. Oh, wait…
Agreed.
I just went through this process and wrote about it.
https://emptynestermiles.com/2026/02/20/bucket-list-booked-antarctic-cruise/
I went with Quark Expeditions back in January 2020 and did the "Crossing the Antarctic Circle" expedition which gave a full 7 days exploring Antarctica. I chose them because all they do is polar expeditions so its their specialty. I wouldn't call them lux, but they do have all new ships now, so it does look way nicer than it used to!
I enjoyed them so much I'm actually going again with Quark back...
I went with Quark Expeditions back in January 2020 and did the "Crossing the Antarctic Circle" expedition which gave a full 7 days exploring Antarctica. I chose them because all they do is polar expeditions so its their specialty. I wouldn't call them lux, but they do have all new ships now, so it does look way nicer than it used to!
I enjoyed them so much I'm actually going again with Quark back to Antarctica this November with my Mom (this time just doing the typical Antarctica peninsula trip, the longer ones have gotten so expensive!).
I'd recommend the longest trip you can afford. The further south you reach the more epic icebergs! South Georgia would be great too, but for me thats too many sea days and I only have so much PTO. If I had the money I would 100% go on a "search for emperor penguin" trip, so you might want to look I to that.
I’m recently back from Quark Expedition’s Antarctic Express - Fly the Drake, as we didn’t want to sail the Drake Passage. While they have a strong reputation, our experience was very disappointing, but due to significant disruption and the way in which it was handled.
We booked a trip centred on four days of Antarctic exploration but, due to flight delays and operational decisions, we effectively received only one meaningful day. Much of our...
I’m recently back from Quark Expedition’s Antarctic Express - Fly the Drake, as we didn’t want to sail the Drake Passage. While they have a strong reputation, our experience was very disappointing, but due to significant disruption and the way in which it was handled.
We booked a trip centred on four days of Antarctic exploration but, due to flight delays and operational decisions, we effectively received only one meaningful day. Much of our limited time was spent near King George Island while priority appeared to be given to disembarking passengers from the previous voyage who were stuck on board. We only reached the Antarctic Peninsula on the final day, and even then the experience felt rushed.
There was also a lack of communication and empathy throughout. The scale of the shortfall was never properly acknowledged, and Quark did nothing to mitigate the situation.
Given what we paid, I’m really disappointed with Quark, and they are not entertaining any requests for refund or compensation. So be prepared to get a fraction of the experience you’re paying for.
Have done Antarctica with HX, Seabourn and Silversea. All of the expedition teams are excellent. No real difference between them for the actual expedition activities.
To say Silversea and Seabourn might have trade-offs is totally not true at all - their expedition trips should NOT be mixed up with their regular ships. They did everything on the ice that HX did and perhaps more.
I found HX expedition team to be excellent but the...
Have done Antarctica with HX, Seabourn and Silversea. All of the expedition teams are excellent. No real difference between them for the actual expedition activities.
To say Silversea and Seabourn might have trade-offs is totally not true at all - their expedition trips should NOT be mixed up with their regular ships. They did everything on the ice that HX did and perhaps more.
I found HX expedition team to be excellent but the hotel side was lacking if you take a standard cabin... there are very distinct (but upper end) "Norwegian ferry" vibes from their catering and availability of food/service outside of their standard serving times is limited. Only a suite on HX comes close to Seabourn or Silversea.
Seabourn expedition ships are some of the newest specialised expedition luxury ships out there and well worth the extra few thousand dollars... definitely closer to the Ritz yachts you experienced earlier in the year. Silversea ships are generally a touch older, and 2 of their 3 are refurbished regular ships that might need some love now.
For heaven’s sake, don’t skip sailing the Drake Passage. You will always regret that. I loved HX Expeditions it was just right for this destination. Very nice cabins, crew, scientists, and free Starlink internet.
My husband and I are booked on Quark Expeditions for 2026 season. 11 Days trip starting in Buenos Aires, and includes hotel in Buenos Aires as well as flights to and from Ushuaia. Better to have two people in the cabin as you get charged per cabin, and each person pays about $13,000 to $15,000, depending on the cabin and on the excursion selected. I did a lot of research and the company seems legit....
My husband and I are booked on Quark Expeditions for 2026 season. 11 Days trip starting in Buenos Aires, and includes hotel in Buenos Aires as well as flights to and from Ushuaia. Better to have two people in the cabin as you get charged per cabin, and each person pays about $13,000 to $15,000, depending on the cabin and on the excursion selected. I did a lot of research and the company seems legit. They work with Intrepid, which is a land based tour company that I’ve booked trips with at least 4 times all over the world. Worth checking out.
Quark is great! I went with them to Antarctica back in Jan 2020 and going again this November. You'll have a fabulous time.
Thank you, I really appreciate hearing from someone who has sailed with them already. I feel reassured.
Want to go there so badly, but do NOT want to risk the "Drake Shake"
Flight option is definitely the way I'm looking at it.
I just got back from a 10-day Antarctica expedition with HX, roundtrip from Ushuaia. I can't recommend them enough. The ship, service, food, accommodations were decidedly upscale. They did such a good job taking us ashore and on cruises in the zodiac boats. Going to Antarctica is an amazing experience but I was also pretty surprised at how good of an experience our time onboard with HX was, too. It also was much more reasonably...
I just got back from a 10-day Antarctica expedition with HX, roundtrip from Ushuaia. I can't recommend them enough. The ship, service, food, accommodations were decidedly upscale. They did such a good job taking us ashore and on cruises in the zodiac boats. Going to Antarctica is an amazing experience but I was also pretty surprised at how good of an experience our time onboard with HX was, too. It also was much more reasonably priced than some of the absurd $20k per person ones (I think we paid less than $10k per person).
Given the options available I would go with Hurtigruten. Beautiful but not stuffy ships, excellent and friendly staff and good food. I’ve sailed with them before in Norway and would be happy to sail with them again.
Second this! Hurtigruten/HX is the best!
HX will always get you on land even if they have to carve stairs by hand into the ice. They are tops in landing you there.
The only bad thing about HX is they go right up to the limit of 500 passengers.
If you are going all the way down there, strongly recommend you consider doing the "Triangle Trip" to include Falklands and especially South Georgia ... as the later is even more impressive than Antarctica.
My trip report here - https://www.komar.org/faq/travel/vacation/antarctica/