Not all cruises are created equal.
For many, the word “cruise” brings to mind line-ups at a beautiful but crowded buffet, a pool filled nearly to capacity, disco dancing and nightly shows. Shore stops are short, tailored to the masses and always at well-established tourist areas.
If you're looking for an adventure, you can occasionally find one, but it'll cost you extra.
Now imagine this.
You wake up in your beautifully appointed cabin, after a night spent watching the spectacular northern lights. Ship engines beat out a gentle rhythm setting your day's pace, as you make your way to the dining room for a sumptuous, hearty breakfast. Looking out from the observation lounge, you see pack ice in the distance as your vessel slices through deep blue waters towards the day's destination.
What will the day present, you wonder, as you enjoy a cup of coffee and chat with a friendly guide; snowshoeing, or sea kayaking? Or maybe a hike, to see pristine, rarely-visited scenery and roaming wildlife? Or a chance to hang out with the locals, or take part in a traditional polar plunge?
Depending on your destination and choice of a Quark polar cruise, you can try a helicopter sightseeing tour, and for the truly adventurous, hot air balloon rides above the ice offer an amazing perspective.
If you're a passenger on the Ocean Endeavour, the only health- and wellness-focused Antarctic expedition, you can return home from your cruise in better shape than you left! Before you head out on one of several Adventure Options, relax and find your center with a yoga class, enjoy a treatment with organic spa provider VOYA during a day at sea, or take a swim in the heated salt water pool between visits to the His & Hers saunas. Feeling truly daring? Try your hand at stand-up paddleboarding, in Antarctica!
Later, join your fellow adventurers for a fantastic dining experience. Following dinner, you can choose between exchanging stories with fellow guests, taking in an educational lecture from one of our Scientists in Residence, a quiet evening reading a selection from the shipboard library, or perhaps a movie on the flat screen TV in your cabin.
Having an adventure cruise doesn't mean you have to rough it. In fact, the alternative cruise life will have you rethinking both your expectations of cruising and your preconceptions about luxuries available to adventure travelers.
Contact an experienced Polar Travel Adviser today to learn more about the alternative cruise life available to on an expedition cruise.
