A cruise holiday might be very different to your preconceptions.
We’re not talking about the floating theme parks which send thousands more tourists into overly touristy destinations.
For us, the whole point of a cruise is an opportunity to really explore unexplored places, without forgoing all necessary comforts.
It’s something that’s possible on a new generation of expedition cruises in the polar regions.
Typical Tourist Cruises vs Cruise Expeditions
When you charter a yacht do you sail to the most popular places? No, of course not. With a yacht you explore places where other people can’t go.
Cruising has a bad reputation, because almost all the cruises are the epitome of unsustainable mass tourism. They’re massive ships that can only dock in massive harbours, where they dump thousands of passengers into an already overpopulated area for a few hours.
The highlight of a cruise is where the ship will take you. Expedition cruises take you to places that are simply inaccessible by road or even air, where there’s nobody else.
Mass tourism cruises focus on unnecessary onboard facilities, like artificial snow rooms or enormous swimming pools with slides. Expedition cruises focus more on service and maximising your experience off the ship.
Like scenic helicopter flights, sea kayaking with penguins, disembarking in Antarctica and small boat excursions through fjords and breaking ice fields.
The best expedition cruises are two experiences in one. A comfortable and relaxing resort experience on the ship, with the chance to explore somewhere extraordinary and unexplored.
Four Expedition Cruises to Consider in 2023 – 2024
Quark Expeditions in the polar regions are our favourite. Amazing new ships and real explorer itineraries.
Travel designer Michal Patek recently explored Antarctica on a Quark expedition. Every client we booked on a Quark expedition has provided extremely positive feedback too.
Quark has a nice variety of expedition cruises and a stunning new ship, the Ultramarine. These four particularly catch our eye.
Antarctica Emperor Penguin Quest
Dates: November 12 – 25, 2023. November 24 – December 7, 2023.
Quark was the first company to take people to an emperor penguin colony on Snow Hill. Now they’re repeating the expedition with their newest ship, the Ultramarine.
It’s a two-week trip, crossing the Drake Passage from Ushuaia, Argentina, to Antarctica. Then six days exploring the ice landscape of the Weddell Sea, on a quest for the colony of tens of thousands of emperor penguins on Snow Hill.
Daily excursions include zodiac cruising among the icebergs and kayaking in a sea of seals and whales. You get a true Antarctica wilderness experience, with a clear quest.
Ice conditions will determine how close the Ultramarine gets to Snow Hill Island. Then twin-engine helicopters will get you there, taking you on a scenic flight above snow-capped peaks and icebergs larger than apartment blocks.
Next, you’re walking on paths carved by penguins, towards one of the rarest wildlife sightings in the world. And there’s a moment when time stands still. You’re up close and very personal with the behaviours and interactions of a huge emperor penguin colony.
This could be your adventure of a lifetime.
Gems of West Greenland – Fjords, Icebergs and Culture
Dates: July 14 – 25, 2024. July 23 – August 3, 2024.
Twin-engine helicopters set Quark’s Ultramarine apart from other expedition cruises. They enable you to travel further off the ship, deeper into landscapes where few people have ever travelled.
This Greenland expedition departs from Reykjavik in Iceland before exploring the Uummannaq Fjord system, Disko Bay and the area around Qeqqata.
It’s a fantastic itinerary because it combines three distinct sides to the Arctic – fjords, icebergs and culture – but in places where most other ships and people can’t travel.
Imagine a helicopter landing then a mountain bike adventure or hike on an ancient ice sheet. Just to fly above this immense region creates a real appreciation of Greenland’s beauty and scale.
We like Quark because they offer real expeditions. The itineraries are tentative outlines and the exact route will depend on the sea, ice, wildlife and weather. So by embracing the unexpected you get to explore extremely remote regions.
This could be your adventure beneath the midnight sun, into a completely unspoiled yet disappearing world.
Spitsbergen Explorer – Wildlife Capital of the Arctic
Dates: May 22 – Jun 2, 2024. Jun 9 – 20, 2024. Other dates are available on the Ocean Adventurer ship.
Spitsbergen is the premier destination for an Arctic wildlife safari. Polar bears, walrus, reindeer, rare seabirds, whales: they’re all up here, around the largest island of the Svalbard archipelago, Norway.
We love this itinerary because it’s not rushed. After departing from Helsinki you have nine days to explore Spitsbergen and outlying islands to the north.
From polar deserts to immense glaciers the natural landscape is as varied as the wildlife. Every day is an ever-changing gallery of unspoiled landscapes and rare polar animals.
Imagine hiking on the Arctic tundra. Imagine safely witnessing polar bears on the ice. Imagine kayaking or cruising on a small boat, inside fjords and among the icebergs.
All the ships in the Quark fleet are specifically designed for polar exploration. They are ice strengthened, meaning they can break through ice and go much deeper into the wilderness.
This could be your relaxed summer expedition, going to places that few people can even dream about.
Crossing the Circle: Antarctica Southern Expedition
Dates: March 1 – 14, 2024.
Another great strength of a Quark expedition is the size of the ships. Ultramarine has capacity for 199 guests, plus 140 staff and crew. It has two helicopters and 20 quick-deploy Zodiac boats.
This means that you can be off and on the ship very quickly, essential because wildlife is unpredictable. Compare this to a mass tourism cruise in the Mediterranean or Caribbean, where thousands of passengers are trying to disembark into the same harbour all at once.
This Southern Expedition follows a classic Antarctica itinerary, connecting all the continent’s best known highlights, in a relatively short amount of time.
You’ll cross the Drake Passage, explore the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula, then cross the Antarctic Circle beneath the midnight sun.
Rumbling icebergs, waddling penguins, scenic flights, Weddell seals, kayaking near whales and so much more: Antarctica is a wildlife paradise.
This could be your opportunity to explore the world’s least explored continent.
Your Cruise Expedition
Every cruise expedition is obviously limited by set departure dates, which may not be convenient for you. Quark has other Arctic and Antarctic expeditions too. Not only on other dates, but with different itineraries and different highlights.
You’ve probably never considered a cruise holiday before, so we’re sure you have many questions. We’re here to answer them.
Maybe a cruise expedition really isn’t for you. But without exploring the possibility you will never know.
