After dreaming about it for years I decided it was time to take a trip to Antarctica. My group from Overseas Adventure Travel joined other adventurous travelers on the 172 passenger M/S World Explorer for a 9-night cruise to the South Shetland Islands and Antarctic Peninsula. The cruise itself was operated by Quark Expeditions. Other than my time sailing around the Galapagos this was my first real cruise.

Unlike mega cruise liners, the World Explorer is an expedition ship. No casinos or shows; we were on an expedition. Though small, the ship included many amenities including a restaurant, main lounge, small library, spa, beauty salon, fitness room, two bars, large observation deck, small heated swimming pool, two hot tubs, polar boutique, clinic, 2 elevators and an auditorium. The ship even had satellite wifi.

The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) has strict regulations for visits and maintains a ship scheduler which minimizes sightings of other expedition cruise ships and ensures only one ship per half day at any site. The IAATO rules are governed by the Antarctic Treaty and its conventions, so only ships with 200 or fewer guests can land at any site and they can only have 100 people ashore at a time; ships with 200-500 guests can only land people at a very few sites and are still restricted to 100 guests ashore at once; the few ships that carry more than 500 passengers are not allowed to land anywhere.

I had a great cabin that included a balcony. When I arrived my complementary Quark parka was laid out neatly for me on the bed.

Shortly after boarding the ship we had a lifeboat drill, welcome drink and then headed to dinner. Breakfast and Lunch were buffet, though you could also order à la carte off a menu. Breakfast à la carte options included omelets, french toast, pancakes, eggs benedict, etc.

Dinners were plated with numerous choices each day. Usually there was a dinner theme (French, Spanish, etc.) along with a variety of entries, including steak, available daily. Lunches and dinners always had at least 2 soup choices. Dinners included complementary beer, wine and soft drinks.

Our lunches generally included something from the carving station. Imagine having roast pig in Antarctica.

One dessert favorite of mine was the selection of homemade ice cream available for lunch and dinner.

We departed Ushuaia the evening of December 29^th and cruised through the protected Beagle Channel before reaching open seas and the dreaded Drake Passage. The Drake Passage is considered one of the most treacherous voyages for ships to make. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current, which runs through it, meets no resistance from any landmass, and waves top 40 feet, giving it a reputation for being “the most powerful convergence of seas”.

I had thought I would be bored spending two days at sea each way, but that was not the case. In addition to lots of eating and drinking, the expedition team offer multiple 45 minute to an hour lectures each day in the auditorium (or available on you cabin TV) on a variety of topics. The expedition team included a photography expert, historian, marine biologist, ornithologist, geologist and glaciologist who were all very enthusiastic about their topics. Additionally we had a daily briefing covering the days activities and looking at what the next day had in store.

The itinerary called for 2 days at sea, each direction, through the Drake Passage. Fortunate for us, we experienced the “Drake Lake” on the way down and we reached the South Shetland Islands in a day and a half, on New Year’s Eve.

We had hoped to make a landing on the South Shetlands at Fort Point, however rough swells made landing unsafe. Instead we had our first Antarctic zodiac cruise that afternoon. Even though we couldn’t go ashore, we did see our first penguin colony. What a treat.

Landing or taking zodiac cruises in Antarctica is always up to the weather, and the weather can change in a matter of minutes. There are no “beaches”, just rocky shoreline. The landing were generally “wet landing” where we stepped into about a foot of water and walked up the rocky shore. We all needed waterproof pants and the ship provided great insulated muck boots with excellent soles for walking on the rocks and snow.

From the South Shetland’s we headed to the Antarctic Peninsula and surrounding islands. We made our first landfall on the Antarctic continent on New Year’s Day!

At each landing the ship’s expedition team would arrive first and mark where we could walk. Guest safety was a top priority. When leaving the ship for a zodiac cruise or landing the head of security would scan our room key (zipped into a see-through pocket on the sleeve of our parka). We were scanned back in when we returned.

We saw whales multiple times a day while exploring the peninsula. Mostly humpback whales and also some orcas (which are actually a dolphin).

Putting it into perspective. A zodiac meets and iceberg.

The icebergs were just spectacular. Large and small in every shape imaginable. The ice absorbs longer wavelengths of colors, such as red and yellow. Colors of shorter wavelengths, like green and blue, reflect the light.

The penguins were so fun (and stinky). We saw Gentoo and Adélie penguins during our landings and got a small glimpse of some Chinstraps on an iceberg. They nest in the rocks and create penguin “highways” in the snow between their nests and the water. It was great to see a few chicks that had just hatched as well as mothers with their egg (usually just one) on their nests made of small pebbles.

When exploring on land we learned the penguins always have the right of way. We needed to stop and not interfere with their daily routines.

There were also many varieties of seals, both on land and lounging on floating sea ice.

The ship offer several optional activities including kayaking, paddling (inflatable kayak), stand-up paddle boarding and overnight camping (sleeping bag on the snow). These had been pre-reserved by travelers who booked directly with Quark Expeditions. I was on the waitlist for paddling however they seas didn’t cooperate to allow any additional excursions. Maybe next time??

Our time in Antarctica was unfortunately very short. We had hoped to have a 2 hour zodiac cruise and 2 hour landing each day. Rough water at the landing sites caused two of those to be cancelled and replaced with zodiac cruises. You can’t predict the weather though we were able to see and experience so much in those 4 short days.

I do feel fortunate to be one of a very few people to have visited Antarctica. This is a good perspective on visitors comparing those going to Antarctica in a season compared to daily passenger traffic at the Atlanta airport.

Due to heavy winds and swells on our return to Ushuaia we began our return after lunch on our fourth day at the peninsula. While it only took a day and a half down, the “Drake Shake” caused a two and a half day return voyage. It was pretty rough the first day and a half of our return.

When I went down to breakfast after our first night with rough seas the buffet was wide open.

As we approached Cape Horn the seas settled down. Once we entered the Beagle Channel it was smooth sailing with sunny skies the rest of the way to Ushuaia.

During our final briefing the expedition team shares some of the demographics of the passengers, crew and expedition team. A very diverse group.

Seeing the dock in Ushuaia meant my Antarctic adventure had come to an end.

A beautiful sunset in Ushuaia to celebrate the end of my Antarctic expedition.

Maybe I will return one day. Who knows? If I do, I’ll definitely extend the trip to include the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.

Tour Operator: Overseas Adventure Travel

Dates: December 19, 2025 – January 11, 2025

Below are a few more photos from the trip.