Expeditions refers to the activities off the ship you will experience in Antarctica. All voyages we offer included zodiac rides and walks ashore and some include additional options free of charge like the polar plunge and citizen science programs. Each ship operator organises these daily expeditions independently.
This rating is North South Voyages opinion of how expeditions are run. In general the lower the total passenger number and the higher zodiac to passenger overall ratio, the more time you will spend on expeditions off the ship. We also take into consideration the variety and how many included expeditions there are with your cruise.
Antarctica Expeditions – Time Off the Ship
Excellent Expedition Rating
This is for ships with a high ratio of zodiac capacity to passengers and a great range of included activities providing maximum time exploring – usually twice a day expeditions.
Good Expedition Rating
This is applies to ships with a higher passenger to zodiac ratio or over 200 travellers which requires staged on shore explorations. Ships with a good rating allow less time off the ship, usually an average of only once a day on expeditions compared to the twice a day.
Poor Expedition Rating
We don’t feature any ships with Poor Expedition Ratings as travellers have better experiences when they spend time ashore.
Additional Activities On Offer
These additional activities refer to optional paid activities offered in addition to the standard expedition inclusions. The majority of ships offer at least some extras – most commonly sea kayaks, hiking or camping for a night on the ice. Occasionally these are included like in the Basecamp itinerary (pictured).
Some ships also offer helicopter rides, photography sessions on the ice, snorkeling scuba diving, snowshoeing, heli-skiing, stand up paddle boarding and more. These activities all range in price and availability but for extreme adventure seekers, the optional activities can really expand their Antarctica experience.
