Antarctica

The best way to cruise Antarctica is on an expedition ship. Expedition ships are considerably smaller than your typical cruise ship and at Polar Cruises we feel size does matter. To keep the focus on the expedition, rather than the onboard experience, we choose to represent only expedition ships. 

Our team travels to Antarctica every season to experience Antarctica cruises and tours so we can evaluate the quality of the ships, operations, programs and companies we sell. Booking with Polar Cruises means you get the advantage of our first-hand knowledge and expertise in choosing the right Antarctica trip for you.

Polar Cruises has consistently been referred to as the Antarctica Cruise & Tour Experts by sources such as the LA Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Conde Nast Traveler magazine.

Here is a link to an article in Marketwatch

Selecting Your Antarctica Cruise

Polar Cruises offers a wide variety of ships - from the rustic to absolute luxury to accommodate travelers taste and budget. Each type of ship offers its own unique travel experience, amenities and advantages.

There are several ways to begin your search for your Antarctica cruise. You can select various Trip Criteria and then click search, start with the style of ship you are most interested, choose the destination – such as Antarctic Peninsula, Falklands/South Georgia/Antarctica, Antarctic Circle, or maybe you want to Fly the Drake. All these different options are available to you on this page or by calling one of our Polar experts 888-484-2244 or 541-330-2454. We’ll take the time to learn your travel style and preferences, and then help you book the trip that’s right for you. Our goal is to match you with the ship and trip that best meets your Antarctica trip requirements and expectations.

Destinations

The main destinations our clients typically visit are listed below.  Click on the links for more information on these top Antarctic Destinations:

Antarctic Peninsula

Crossing the Antarctic Circle

South Georgia

Falkland Islands

Fly the Drake

Weddell Sea

Ross Sea Region

Sub-Antarctic New Zealand Islands

Emperor Penguin Safari (Land Based)

South Pole (Land Based)

Interior Antarctic (Land Based)

Antarctica Cruise Ship Categories

Polar Cruises only represents ships that offer the expedition experience and are operated by companies that are full members of IAATO, the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. 

What’s so different about an expedition ship & what is the expedition experience? It’s a focus on the journey, the spirit of exploration, learning from experts, up close encounters with the environment, traveling with like-minded travelers, a sense of adventure, and flexibility to take advantage of exceptional experiences as they happen instead of sticking to a set schedule and specific itinerary.

All the ships listed on our website are expedition ships. They might have different amenities, style of onboard comfort, but they all put the destination first, use Zodiacs (inflatable rubber boats) to shuttle passengers to shore and cruise the shoreline and around icebergs/ice flows. All expedition ships have a team of naturalist guides that give presentations about the flora, fauna, environment, history and other aspects of the area you are traveling in.

The best way to get the most out of your Antarctica tour is to keep an open mind, not have preconceived ideas of specific landings spots and wildlife sightings, and to relax and enjoy the journey. When planning your next Arctic or Antarctic vacation be open minded and let things unfold. Who knows, it may be the trip of your life. We would love to make it happen for you. Talk to one of our Polar experts  888-484-2244 (within the USA & Canada) or 541-330-2454

Check out our blog post “How to get the most out of your Antarctica or Arctic vacation”