Quark Expeditions

Ushuaia (Tierra del Fuego)

Buenos Aires

Antarctica

Excellent

Very Good

Poor

Average

Quark Ultramarine

Ocean Endeavour (Quark Expeditions)

World Explorer (Quark Expeditions)

Ocean Diamond

Ocean Adventurer

After a lot of google and assessing the information given to me I chose Quark a they appeared to be very experienced in this area and safety conscious.

I was not disappointed from the minute I arrived on the ship with a warm welcome of amazing and friendly staff. Guides were efficient and knowledgable and all on our ship were extremely excited about what was about and they didnt appear to take anything of what we saw for granted. The crew were also very safety orientated. 

We were particularly lucky with twice daily zodiac trips and landings which are a total excitement and every trip off the ship was different than the other and so well organised. Extra trips were made onto sea ice at night (with song and hot chocolate as we got off the zodiac onto the sea ice. We got through the Lemaire Channel and down to the Antarctic Circle and more. The environment is out of this world and the wildlife is not only gorgeous but fascinating to watch and exciting. Weather can be a major factor in this trip and we were always prepared for anything and not promissed anything either (which is why am so surprised at some negative reviews due to weather which is clearly unchangeable and there is always a risk that you wont see everything in the itinery) The most important thing in going to Antarctica is safety and I found that was very well covered.  I found the Ocean Endeavour totally satisfactory and the food and dining experience was totally brilliant catering for all types of diets with amazing choice and I was grateful and thought the food was 5 star which I hadn't been expecting. 

To me all the guests on board seemed to love it and I did not hear any complaints on the whole trip which appeared to be the trip of a lifetime for most people.

 All room sizes were advertised on the internet so if you want a big room you need to check that before booking. Great option to share a room with another traveller making it cheaper than some cruises where you need to pay extra to travel solo and would need to pay for a whole room.

Highly recommend Quark and hope to travel with them again

Absolutely Loved Everything About This Trip

Antarctica is the trip of a lifetime and one that should be on everyones bucket list.  Quark is a first rate operator with amazing guides and great crew.  This is what makes the trip so incredible.

Our cruise included the Falklands/Malvinas, South Georgia and some other smaller islands along the route.  Each stop was more impressive than the last, leading up to the incredible Antarctic Peninsula.  We saw tons of wildlife, learned about the animals, sea and history of the region.  Quark does an amazing job on this and I would definitely recommend them for Antarctica.  

The ship is a bit tired and dated and need of an extensive overhaul.  There were numerous plumbing problems throughout the voyage.  One one evening we were all told not to flush the toilets. One afternoon all the hot water in the faucets was the color of tea and on the last day of the voyage the toilets again were not flushing.  

The ship is advertised as a "Wellness" ship, which is quite a stretch.  There is a small smoothie bar off the library lounge and (almost) daily yoga classes.  The yoga classes are not really yoga and the instructor not very good.  Classes are taught in a room they use to store old broken furniture.  The gym on the ship is too small and was too crowded to be of use.

There is only one dining room.  Food was mostly pretty good.  I am gluten free (celiac) and I was very happy with the options and how knowledgeable the staff were about cross contamination.  I would, however, have liked another dining option.  Some place you could just grab a quick healthy bite without the whole long sit-down experience. 

Cabins are VERY small.  I shared with another solo traveler.  (Pairing solo travelers is a very nice option that Quark offers.)   We had about 6 inches of hanging space each and one small drawer.  There is a small desk with one outlet for charging cameras and another outled on the one bedside table.  The cabins actually have 4 possible beds (two top beds that fold down to make the room a quad) and some other people folded down the beds to use them as additional storage.  We did not opt for this as it would have made the room feel WAY too small.  

The bathroom in the cabin is about 3 feet by 3 feet, including the shower.  There was no way to shower without flooding the bathroom.  

Onboard activities were okay.  Some presentations were better than others.  They showed a couple of movies.  One was Shackelton, which was fun.  Surprisingly absent from the movie offerings was March of the Penguins.

The Spa was also okay. About a 4 on a 1 - 5 scale.  Personnel were wonderful but the facility was lacking.  No running water made it diffcult to have really good services. I remember wanting to do a scalp treatment but they did not have a way to wash the hair afterwards.

Service was excellent.  When there were problems the guides and crew of the ship did everything possible to resolve them.

There really aren't ports and shore excursions on this voyage.  Everyone does the zodiac tours which are unbelievable.  There are options to kayak, paddle board, ski and climb (at additional cost).  There is also one night you can camp out on the ice.  I did one day of kayaking and the camping.  The kayaking was just okay because of the kayaks they use which were very uncomfortable.  The camping was spectacular and surprisingly not that cold.  

The take away from this is that Quark Expeditions is a first rate operator.  I would not hesitate to travel with them again.  I would not, however, go out of my way to go on that ship again.

5 Star Staff and Crew - 3 Star Ship

My husband and I dreamed of going to Antarctica. After much research, we chose to go on Quark Expeditions Ocean Endeavor trip to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica. We made our reservations a year in advance so we had a lot of time to plan and dream of our trip. We expected a lot; these trips are expensive. However, I’m happy to say that Quark’s Ocean Endeavor exceeded all of our expectations. The scenery was wonderful, of course. But the food was first class thanks to Tracie and her kitchen crew. She even had formal tea for us on sea days. The service in our cabin and in the dining room was better than we experienced on cruise ships and this was an “expedition “ ship. Our expedition leader, Lori, was always there to make sure we saw as many penguins, seals and whales. The members of her team were so knowledgeable and provided excellent lectures to prepare us for what we saw. We went out on Zodiacs whenever the weather allowed and landed or Zodiac cruised if there was too much ice to provide a safe landing. One thing I want to stress: I’m a senior citizen and I needed extra help boarding the Zodiac and disembarking also walking on the ice. The expedition team members were always there to help and they never made me feel humiliated because I was fearful of the ice and the Zodiac. We also had people in their 80s on our trip. So, if you are a senior citizen and have dreamed of Antarctica, don’t think you are too old to go.  You’re not and you will have a wonderful time and be very well taken care of.

Better than we ever expected 

The Quark expedition staff onboard the Ocean Endeavor were all very good with one exception.  The exception seemed popular with the other staff members, but she was horrible with the clients.  For the rest of the expedition staff, it was amazing how many went beyond merely conscientious and seemed sincerely interested that all clients had a wonderful experience.   After many expeditions over many seasons, the commitment to client service was outstanding and remarkable.  Some passengers complained some of the expedition staff were not very knowledgeable.  But if staff did not know the answer to a question, they tended to make the remark, “that is a good question” and suggest who might be able to answer the question or find out the answer themselves and report back. 

I booked this expedition/cruise through a third party.  I contacted Quark for a quote  directly and Quark quoted me a price of approximately $6000 more in American dollars than they were selling the expedition/cruise through the third party.  This is hard to understand.  Either the Quark sales staff didn’t know the expedition/cruise was being offered through a third party at a substantially lower price, information they should have known.  Or the Quark sales staff knew the expedition/cruise was being offered at a lower price and was trying to make an exorbitant profit from me.

As mentioned by one of the other reviewers, sometimes there was difficulty with climate control on the ship.  My cabin was the temperature of a refrigerator for a few nights at the same time other passengers were complaining their cabins were so hot they had to keep their cabin doors open at night for cooling in order to be able to sleep.  The passengers who could not sleep because it was so hot were cranky and it was not fun to be around them.  After a few nights of an extremely cold cabin, my cabin got too hot for a few nights, then the problem was solved.  Quark put $25 in everyone’s shipboard accounts as compensation for the problem.

As mentioned in another review, Quark subcontracts out housekeeping and food service on the ship.  While reaching under the bed to retrieve a pill bottle top I had dropped, I found two pieces of evidence of previous occupants on the cabin before I found my pill bottle top.  My cabin steward was conscientious, but seemed to have more cabins to care for than was the case on other cruises I have been on.  My cabin steward told me the beds were too heavy to move.  Except for under the bed, my cabin was not filthy, but it was not as clean as on other cruises I have been on.  I attribute this to the housekeeping staff being stretched to thin, not to the quality of the staff.

The food on the ship was very good.  There were a lot of choices.  Besides the fine quality of the food, the food and drink service was excellent. Some of the other passengers complained the wine was not superb.  It’s fair to say the wine was not superb, but it was all agreeable and drinkable. 

Quark doesn’t seem to be particularly interested in client feedback.  There was an onboard survey at the end of the expedition/cruise that was only available to be filled out on the ship and had to be filled out online.   It was aggravating to fill out the survey as the capacity of the intranet on the ship was inadequate.  It took five attempts to log on before I was successful.  No survey was sent out after the cruise.

Antarctica is Amazing

If you plan to visit Antarctica, be aware that no matter which ship you take, YOU MAY GET STUCK IN ICE and NO ONE will be coming to rescue you unless there is a dire emergency…in which case you might be airlifted by helicopter. We encountered ice that neither our ship (with reinforced hull) nor an icebreaker could have handled, and spent ~9 days in the area waiting for wind to move the ice so that the ship could leave the Weddell Sea.

I was on the Quark Ocean Endeavor’s very disappointing 20-day expedition, “Antarctica East & West: The Peninsula in Depth” Jan. 24- Feb. 13, 2018. What was delivered, in terms of locations visited, only remotely reflected what was marketed & sold (at high cost!).

On Day 1 passengers met Quark in Buenos Aires, spent a night in hotel, and flew to Ushuaia for embarkation. This part was efficiently run and there was excitement in the air as we passengers met one another and anticipated great times ahead. There was some time to explore the small town on this day; and upon return after the cruise 19 days later we could explore beautiful Patagonia as part of a tour. 

The advertised itinerary (aside from Buenos Aires & crossing Drake Passage twice) was: Day 5: Elephant Island; Day 6-8: Weddell Sea; Day 9-15: Antarctic Peninsula and Antarctic Circle; Day 16-17: Shetland Islands.

Instead Quark provided: a view of Elephant Island from the ship (Day 5); ten days in Weddell Sea (Days 6-15), the vast majority surrounded by impenetrable ice; and a very busy two days on the western side of the peninsula trying to make up for lost time (days 16 & 17). Most passengers (like me) had chosen this trip in order to see "the peninsula in depth" as advertised; but that was not delivered.

No Antarctic Circle. No Shetland Islands. (No Lemaire Channel, Damoy Point, Danco Island, Enterprise Island, Melchior Islands, Neko Harbour, Petermann Island, Port Lockroy, Waterboat Point, Brown Bluff,… or any of the many other enticements listed in the pre-booking documents). Although Elephant Island was listed in the itinerary as “the first land you’ll visit”, there was no landing. It was only after we couldn’t land that it was explained that boats rarely land there. I can appreciate how weather, including fog as in this case, can alter plans; but the HIGH UNlikelihood of a landing was NOT revealed prior to boarding the ship.

On Day 6 after two very enjoyable zodiac trips, the ship’s passage to Paulet Island was blocked by impassable sea ice. Expedition staff members were highly motivated to maximize time on the east side, as only one person on the ships’s staff had visited that side of the peninsula before. The decision was made to travel an extra ~120 nautical miles around the northern islands and tip of the peninsula to the west side and RE-ENTER the icy, eastern side via the Antarctic Sound to access Paulet Island on Day 7. We were subsequently completely surrounded by the previously encountered ice, and stranded in the area.

At this point, it became a waiting-and-hoping game. We were COMPLETELY at the mercy of Mother Nature to sweep in with a strong windstorm to push out the ice so that we could carry on. There were NO other ships in the area, NO icebreakers, NO rescue helicopters…just our ship w/199 passengers & ~150 staff/crew. 

While the expedition staff searched for things to fill our time, the ship’s crew was on High Alert: working double shifts (16-19 hrs); more than doubling of the number of crew on watch (fore & aft); navigation bridge was closed to guests; and the stressed ship’s captain was sleeping on a cot at the bridge (this information was not shared with passengers at the time but we learned later by talking with ship employees). There was a relatively small, shifting space of open water in which the ship’s crew would readjust our position so as to avoid hitting any of the enormous icebergs or rocky land in the area.

Many may consider that “an adventure". Some passengers on the ship were aware of what going on and were NOT amused:  some were angry and some were very frightened. At the other extremes were the blissfully ignorant; and those hoping we would have to be airlifted by helicopter.

DO NOT be falsely reassured by Quark website & literature, touting reinforced hulls and icebreakers, which in fact, are NOT capable of navigating the ice that our ship encountered.

Furthermore, within the pre-boarding documents listed as FAQ, a rather upbeat, less-than-candid description is given regarding icebergs & icy conditions. “The Expedition Leader keeps well informed of the ice conditions through constant communication with other vessels, local communities, and the ship’s officers who consult ice charts provided by government agencies.” This is misleading, as well, particularly when referring to the eastern side of the Peninsula. There were no other vessels, local communities and realtime ice charts to consult. It was a guessing game. We were first waiting/hoping for a wind to take place on Sat., Feb. 3 (Day 11) that failed to materialize. The next great hope was for the following Tues. (Day 15), which, thankfully, came through, and the ship fled to the western side of the peninsula.

Ship’s staff did their best to entertain guests while we were stuck in the Weddell Sea (Prince Gustav Channel/Ross Island area). At one point the plan was to take passengers by zodiac onto land to visit Czech researchers who happened to be nearby, but this was cancelled when ice rushed in and rendered passage impossible. The contingency plan (according to a staff member), if the ice would have moved in an hour later than it did (i.e., when passengers were already on land), was for passengers to overnight in sleeping bags with a day’s worth of provisions. (I wonder:  Was any thought given to medical conditions/medications, obesity, and elderly status- all of which would have made it very uncomfortable, even dangerous for some guests?)

Antarctica itself is a magnificent, other-worldly place like nowhere else on Earth. I saw amazing scenery and fantastic wildlife (MANY penguins & other birds, and many whales) and created unforgettable memories (good & bad). A great deal of effort went into planning this “trip of a lifetime”. Ultimately, poor judgement was exercised on the part of the expedition leader (in this case, Solen Jensen, a nice fellow who is apparently very experienced in Polar travel…but not on the Eastern side of Antarctica). The heavy ice encountered was visible to everyone on the ship; yet the decision was made to go ~125nm out of our way to re-enter the icy conditions.

I spoke at length with several members of Quark administration and there has been no offer of compensation, apology, or admission of responsibility for this debacle. They do recommend that passengers bring “a measure of flexibility to the voyage” and emphasize that itineraries often change (website says “to others equally as interesting”…although that was obviously not true in this case!)

Quark staff and ship’s crew were very kind, courteous people and willing to mingle with guests; enthusiastic, with a love of adventure. Communication about wildlife sightings was excellent and most expedition staff exhibited great respect for the animals in their environment, with us as visitors/intruders. However, expedition staff’s level of experience and expertise varied greatly. While some were VERY capable and I would comfortably place my life in their hands, others left guests feeling uneasy and in search of someone more competent.

The ship, Ocean Endeavor, was not adequate for predictably navigating the intended course that was set out & sold to guests prior to the expedition. Aside from that, there were significant issues with temperature regulation within the guest cabins (some were very cold- mine was as low as 17C/63F the first time mechanic checked) and staff/crew did their best to address that problem; over days it was eventually satisfactorily resolved. The food was very good, and there were always healthy options available (plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, fish, etc.). Other facilities on the ship (though not like what is available on typical cruise ships) were comfortable and served guests’ needs well enough. The fitness room is quite small but was usually not busy. The yoga classes were very popular. It's a fairly simple, low-frills ship, in terms of onboard amenities. The hotel staff was superb, although perhaps overburdened with responsibilities. The ship was nevertheless kept clean and the steward was always friendly and courteous. There was one home schooled child on the ship and the staff went out of their way to make it an enjoyable learning experience for him.

The ratings were a little challenging because of the extremely altered itinerary and the resultant fact that guests were left with a lot of unplanned time on board trying to come up with things to do (the outside deck for walking laps was very busy). The shore excursions that we did were generally excellent and well run (although the quality of guide varied tremendously; and that in turn influenced the zodiac experience). 

Antarctica as a destination is absolutely phenomenal, but getting there & back comes at a cost. The risks involved are not explained up front. Indeed, I was unable to find a similar description anywhere either before or after taking this cruise. There are plenty of videos and descriptions of the Drake Passage, and I was able to mentally prepare for whatever that presented, prior to this expedition. On another website (TripAdvisor) where I posted a review after this cruise, previous visitors to Antarctica stated that one should expect this sort of experience when traveling to this remote part of the world, "It's an expedition" after all. Had I know in advance what this meant, I would not have chosen to go on this cruise. I have traveled fairly extensively and know that there's always a degree of unpredictability and that itineraries frequently change, weather can be awful, etc. Hopefully this review will help others to make a more informed choice.

Warning: Know before you go!!!

I have been on quite a few cruises and ships but this one was special. The organization, (can't say enough about how good the organization of the adventure was), quality of the excursions, sea (zodiac) and landings were very interesting, informative. I have a new appreciation for penguins and could have sat there all day watching them. The quality/quantity of the food was excellent. The information sessions should not be missed as these prepare you for what you will see and experience once off the ship. There are numerous activities that you can participate in (book early), sea kayaking, Stand-up-Paddle boarding, mountaineering, overnight camping, cross country skiing, and the 'Polar Plunge'. Certainly enjoyed my cabin. Traveling Solo I had an exceptional roommate whom I was paired up with. We got along very well. The Cabin had a bedroom and sitting room with two bathrooms. What more can you ask for? I now want to go on some of the other cruises that Quark offers - ever hopeful! The other guests aboard the ship also helped to make this an amazing trip. Everybody seemed to be enjoying the trip A LOT! It makes for a special time.

The list of clothing they provide should be followed. A must is the waterproof pants. It is quite cool when traveling in the zodiacs and sometimes wet from the spray as your going along (on a zodiac excursion you will be on it for perhaps 1.5 to 2 hours without much movement so a tendency to chill is possible). I found the clothing a bit warm when walking on the land but you still have to get there and back to the ship in the zodiacs. 

I would definitely go again if the opportunity comes my way!

An amazing adventure

I chose Quark Expeditions for my trip to Antarctica due to the good, though few, reviews that I found online, the appealing itinerary and the voyage options that fit my time frame.  I researched Antarctic expeditions for about five years before choosing one.  As a solo traveler I was looking for a company that offered structure and safety blended with enough freedom to be creative in response to conditions.  I was very pleased with my Quark experience and wanted to add recent information to support the company and the people they employ.

I was on the December 12-23, 2016 trip on the Ocean Endeavour.  After arriving in Buenos Aires and staying at the very comfortable Hotel Emperador, I appreciated the thorough communication and organization of Quark in luggage handling and management of the charter flight to Ushuaia.  The experience at the airports at both ends of the voyage was very smooth.  Upon arrival at Ushuaia, there was free time to explore the town before embarking at 4 pm that evening.  Be aware- have Argentinian pesos if you plan to see any of the museums or buy anything to eat in Ushuaia!  I did not find establishments that took American dollars!

Embarkation was also well organized, and my cabin was extremely comfortable.  The cabin was spotlessly clean, and was well attended by the very capable Jun during my stay.  I can't compliment the hotel and culinary staff enough.  They provided friendly, enthusiastic service throughout the trip.  In other cruises I have often noticed suspicious repeats/recycling of food items in the dining room and a drop off in service toward the end of the trip, but there was no evidence of this flaw on the Ocean Endeavour.  The food was extremely varied and very tasty, and 24 hour availability of serve-yourself hot coffee, tea, and hot chocolate was appreciated.   

The ship library was outstanding.  During the Drake crossing and at intervals during the trip there was time to read, and the Compass club was usually full of people taking advantage of the large number of titles.  This was an unexpected bonus!

This trip was blessed with extremely good weather and smooth Drake crossings, but as a landlubber I still noticed the ship movement.  Scopolamine patches worn throughout the cruise staved off any seasickness.

The expedition staff, the educational lectures, and the zodiac cruises and landings were without fail amazing and greatly varied.  I appreciated that the expedition and navigational staff worked furiously to anticipate the weather, sea and ice conditions and offer us unique opportunities. I could not believe that the experiences could be so diverse from day to day.  Obviously safety was a top priority, and while we had close encounters with whales and other wildlife, I never felt unsafe.  The expedition staff were all extremely capable and skilled in managing "Antarctic greenhorns". 

I also found the other travelers on this expedition to be very interesting and adventurous folks.  There were a significant number of people traveling alone, and it was always easy to strike up a conversation or share a meal if I wanted company.  

I do recommend that travelers take a watch on this expedition.  I did not, and found it very difficult to gauge time on landings.  I never thought I would need a watch in Antarctica, but it would have been a big help due to multiple lectures, events, and duration of landings that needed attention to the time.  The gift shop on board did not sell watches... I recommend they start selling watches!  In addition, I found kneeling in the zodiac to take pictures and watch sea life very painful on my knees until I hit upon the idea of packing some extra socks, gloves, and a microfiber towel I had brought with me into my waterproof backpack to use as a kneeling cushion.  The backpack-turned-kneeling cushion accompanied me on every subsequent zodiac journey and improved my life greatly!

The Quark packing advice was sound.  I used waterproof GoreTex rain pants from LL Bean and found them to be affordable and effective.  The parka and liner provided by Quark were perfectly designed for the intended use.

I was sad to leave Antarctica.  The disembarkation was easy, and the charter flight back to Buenos Aires smooth.  A local airline strike made it impossible for my group to take a tour of Tierra del Fuego.  This omission was unavoidable given the challenges in rescheduling an entire plane load of people during an airline strike.  

I would not hesitate to travel with Quark again and would recommend the company to anyone interested in strong scientific content, a focus on safety, and an overall positive experience in Antarctica.

Great Experience in Antarctica, December 2016

This was a long time ambition and doing so joined the 7th Continent Club. The expedition team and crew worked tirelessly and enthusiastically from beginning to end of the voyage. I don't believe there was a minute when you could say you had nothing to do. I had one of the interior single cabins which I was not looking forward to but I was pleasantly surprised as it was spacious with twin beds (with folded bunks above) Plenty of storage space for one and the shower room was ample. The cabin was kept spotless throughout even a chocolate was left on the pillow each evening.

The food in the restaurant was incredible and it was only the last few days bananas became scarce - even I can;t keep bananas at home for over a week. Wine seemed to be a bottomless glass at dinner.

Make sure you use the hand sanitiser rigorously, as despite my disciplined efforts I still succumbed to the ship's bug for the last four days. I wasn't an epidemic but you did notice the absence of individuals for a few days at a time. This was my first sea cruise (only river cruises before) so I guess this was par for the course but running out of Imodium was a bit concerning. However the ship's doctor resupplied me.

Drakes Passage was 'Drakes Lake' I wish it had been that calm on one of the return Zodiac trips back to the ship - I thought I had joined Cirque du Soleil when the swell made the Zodiac drop 2m from the bottom of the ladder! Thankfully the two trusty sailors kept their grip on me and must have been hanging upside down. Please don;t let this put you off - I have dined out on this story several times.

The Falkland Islands was great and the welcome from the islanders was fantastic. half a morning and afternoon in Stanley went too quickly. Following some of Shackleton's voyage was enlightening. How he and his crew survived is almost unbelievable.

The main stars for me were the albatrosses following the ship, penguins galore, entertaining seals and the whales. There just are not words to describe this experience. You just have to go yourself.

To say it was an adventure is an understatement

I have never been on a cruise ship before, so have nothing to compare this to. I was there for one thing; to see Antarctica. I had no other expectations, as this is an adventure cruise.

We had an absolute blast on this cruise. Antarctica was worth every penny. We haven't seen wildlife/scenery like that ever in our life before, and don't think we ever will again. 

We opted for the 11 day Antarctic Explorer cruise with Quark Expeditions aboard the Ocean Endeavour. First off, everything from Buenos Aires including the hotel and chartered flights were great. We had absolutely no problems at all and Quark were very well organised in getting us into and out of Buenos Aires. 

Everything was superbly organised in regards to the daily activities in Antarctica and I felt like they really made sure to maximise our time in Antarctica, which was our main objective! Of course, there is a massive emphasis on safety, making sure they knew where everyone was at all times, and making sure to leave nothing behind in Antarctica. I was very impressed with the crew's attention to detail on these matters. Yes, sometimes they have to talk to you like you are 12 years old, but unfortunately we did see some passengers do some pretty silly things - I can understand why staff need to be so regimented.

The itinerary for your time in Antarctica obviously depends on the weather, but we were able to do both a landing and a zodiac cruise most mornings and afternoons. You would generally have around 1-2 hours on land and then the same on a zodiac cruise per outing. There were minimal waiting times, they certainly have it down to a fine art. Plus, there was always a cup of hot chocolate waiting for you when you boarded the ship after a long day out cruising.

We felt as though we saw everything we wanted and our time there wasn't impeded by the number of people on board. The guides make a point of swinging the zodiacs around so that everyone has a chance to get a look and take their photos. On the landings it is easy to escape people and find your own quiet space. We also stopped at a Ukrainian research station and another day, we broke through some thin sea ice at the end of the Lemaire Channel - which I was not expecting. Fascinating stuff!

Our expedition leader was Solan and it was obvious that he loved his job and worked 24/7 to make sure that we had a great time. The expedition team worked around him tirelessly (but happily it seemed) throughout the cruise.

The expedition team was made up of scientists, historians, photographers etc which made the zodiac cruises/landings and any discussion you had with them very interesting. They were very good at mingling with the passengers and would often come and sit with us at lunch or talk to us at the bar. We even had a nobel peace prize winner on our expedition team and the BBC on board!!! During cruising days, we were given lectures by the various marine biologists, historians, glaciologists, penguinologists etc which I thoroughly enjoyed!

I found the actual ship much more comfortable than expected, considering it was an adventure cruise. To me, it felt quite luxurious (although again, I have nothing to compare it to). There was drinking water available in the communal areas, so make sure you bring a drink bottle of some sort. All communal areas were quite large and comfortable. There was plenty of space for everyone.

I was really impressed with the meals provided on the cruise. I was not expecting such creativity and really felt that they all did a great job with what they had. The meals were buffets for breakfast/lunch and a 4-5 course meal for dinner. The buffets had plenty of variety, with menus that changed each day and the dinners were overall fantastic. Plentiful wine was served at each dinner - dangerous just before entering the drake passage. They just keep on re-filling your glass!

There are free yoga classes daily on board the Ocean Endeavour which you only need to put your name on a list for.

The bar was well equipped and open every day/afternoon, a beer cost around 5-6 USD and I think the same for a glass of wine. They did have a few nights where you were given free glasses of champagne, ie. the captain's welcome etc. 

Hospitality was amazing at all times on this ship. Staff were extremely well-trained and were very helpful (even let me take some food down to my husband who was feeling a little under the weather). They worked the restaurant with ease, even when we were crossing the Drake and the boat was moving from side to side - I was impressed! We were always greeted with a smile. Our rooms were made everyday and beds turned down during dinner. 

I took my nikon SLR with a 18-110mm lense and a go-pro and was really happy with that. We did the camping and felt it was worth it - a great place to do a go-pro time lapse. 

In summary, the actual Antarctic experience was fantastic and well-managed. We would do it again, we felt it was great value for money. Of course, you would get a more personal experience on a smaller boat with less passengers, but that would also have cost a lot more. The amount of people didn't bother us at all, as there are plenty of communal areas to escape to and the expedition staff managed the landings so well. 

Entertainment on the ship was great, plenty of interesting lectures to attend. Food was great, considering the isolated place that you are travelling to. Hospitality was faultless. Rooms and facilities were comfortable and well furnished. The ship did roll a little in the drake passage and a lot of people were sick, but the doctor was very responsive and had plenty of sea sickness tablets to dish out (also free). 

Would I do it again? Hell, yes! If only I could afford it ;)

A well run cruise!

I always wanted to make a trip to Antarctica but put it off because of the cost.  It was time so I chose Quark because of the itinerary and the marketing drew me in.  Long-story-short, the destinations of Faulklands/S.Georgia/Antarctic Peninsula may be the best I've ever experienced--the wildlife, the scenery breathtaking every day.  And the weather was perfect.  But I was less than enamored with the operator Quark who runs the tour like "summer camp" and often felt I was constantly ordered around--inappropriate considering the price of the cruise.  Quark doesn't own the ship they lease the 20+ year old refurbished Baltic ferry which creates a strange dynamic between the ship crew and Quark staff.  The ship marketed as "recently refurbished" but it's slow, without stabilizers, has features that makes the cabin too hot/too cold most of the time and a shower that floods the entire bath.  The overall shabby exterior of the ship makes you wonder what the condition is in the engine room and below.  It's a good thing we had perfect weather in that part of the world because we could have been miserable.  "Refurbished" in this case is just "lipstick on a pig."  My advice is that if you want to visit this part of the world DO IT but pick another operator.  It's a once-in-a-lifetime 1st class destination so don't go with a 2nd class company.

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