Quark ExpeditionsReviews of quarkexpeditions.com

Quark is great! I love that your price is very inclusive: The hotel before the cruise, the charter getting to the remote location, the boots, the walking sticks, nice polar jacket, even a helicopter ride over a glacier on a previous trip! The ship had very knowledgeable staff so that each zodiac trip was interesting and very informative. We saw 5 polar bears in Svalbard! The small ship size made it easy to meet and get to know people from all over the world. There was great camaraderie with all the guests.

Most of the guides were exceptional with only 1 or two with room for improvement but I suppose it depends on their expertise eg the linguist (translator) was not the best guide. The ship we were on was just perfectly designed and the food quality and restaurant personal were extremely welcoming. I couldn’t fault it. The only thing I would say the tipping is extremely high and is not normal for a British citizen maybe you should pay your staff more?

I didn’t know what to expect traveling solo to Antarctica. As fate would have it, my best friend had to cancel the trip after learning she had a terrifying illness. When the original expedition provider would not honor the original booking price, I immediately cancelled with them and booked a solo balcony cabin aboard the Ultramarine. So glad I did. The Quark Expeditions sales staff answered every question I had from motion sickness to what to expect while at sea. The hotel accommodations in Buenos Aires was very nice. The charter flight to Ushuaia took the hassle out of trying to get there out of the equation. The moment I got to the ship, the staff made me feel like a special guest. I thoroughly enjoyed the presentations while crossing the Drake despite the motion sickness. The hotel staff made sure I had the proper nourishment while I didn’t feel well. But the best thing about seeing Antarctica was the crew’s ability to make the whole experience feel magical. I felt such joy and excitement when I walked on my 7th continent. As a solo traveler, I met so many amazing people, many of which were also traveling solo. You quickly find you’re never alone. I loved my trip so much I immediately booked Svalbard when I returned home. I have 3 additional trips booked with Quark Expeditions. All aboard the Ultramarine. I guess you can say I’m a Quark junkie because I’m now addicted to adventure.

Scenery, staff, food

I was impressed with the caliber of knowledgeable guides on my Epic Antarctica voyage on the Ultramarine Jan/Feb 2026. Our expedition leader was Sarah Zaubi who was fabulous. Very personable, funny, knowledgeable, and a great communicator. Some other staff that stood out were the kayak program guides, Ian "Squid" and Scotty "Mackerel" as well as the biologist and ornithologist, Fabrice Genevois. The latter literally having written the books on penguins. The ship was stunning and the food surpassed my expectations in both variety and quality. The crew was wonderful and my cabin steward, Alex was a standout. I traveled solo and really appreciated the cabin sharing program so as to avoid a solo supplement on an already expensive voyage. I am a travel advisor and would not hesitate to book clients on Quark as well as myself on another of their polar expeditions. They specialize in the polar regions, and this experience and expertise shows.

Put it on your bucket list! Scenery can't be captured in a photo. Everything was awe inspiring. Staff were amazing people-- experts in their field, a pleasure to be around. Amazing trip start to finish!

The entire experience was very special. A portion of the expedition was shown in the itinerary as "If conditions allow", they did which made the adventure very unique. Expedition Staff and ship's crew did a great job. I'm currently booked for my 9th expedition with Quark for next September.

The expedition guides and crew were great! The food was excellent, and housekeeping kept everything fresh and tidy. The operation ran like a well-oiled machine, and since we had exceptional weather, we were able to visit all of the planned stops. I wanted for nothing, save a little more raw adventure - the trip was a bit too posh for me.