Poseidon Expeditions Review: Sea Spirit 10-Day Antarctica Tour

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Safe to say, I never expected to actually go to Antarctica. I mean, between having cancer as a child and growing up in the hood, I couldn’t ever imagine having both the health AND financial means to make leisure travel possible – let alone freakin’ ANTARCTICA. But somehow…here I am writing a Poseidon Expeditions Review of the Antarctic Cruise I took.

Wow. Life is wild.

But I’m getting off track. I’ll save all the self-reflecting for when I eventually write a blog post about traveling to Antarctica. This post specifically will be a deep dive into the cruise company I went with so you can decide if they would be a good fit for your needs and what you want out of a trip to Antarctica.

I mean, no matter who you go with, you’ll be paying a good chunk of change – so make sure you do the research to make your trip as aligned with your interests as possible! Hopefully, this Poseidon Expeditions Review will help you on that journey as your narrow down which company you explore Antarctica with.

Let’s get into it!

About Poseidon Expeditions

Actually, I lied. Before we get into my Antarctic Poseidon Expeditions review, lemme give you an overview of the company.

Founded in 1999, Poseidon Expeditions offers expedition cruises to Antarctica and Arctic destinations like Svalbard, Greenland, Franz Josef Land and Iceland. Poseidon Expeditions runs on an ethos of providing curious adventure seekers with personable service and maximizing outdoor activities while balancing a commitment to environmental safety and responsibility.

Poseidon Expeditions is a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and upholds leaving a smaller footprint in their travels and supporting the further development of Arctic and Antarctic conservation and support of related scientific research.

Alongside partnering with Indigenous communities in the Arctic regions, particularly Greenland, Poseidon Expeditions also has a number of active ongoing environmental initiatives in their every day operations. In Spitsbergen, the crew and passengers take part in the “Clean Up Svalbard” initiative, reducing beach waste on each of our landings. Most of the waste is plastic pollution from local shipping and commercial fishing. Joined by our passengers, we pick up the debris from the beach and later deposit it in a dedicated bin in Longyearbyen, where it will be properly processed.

Poseidon Expeditions also encourage guests to participate in “Citizen Science” projects, where passengers are able to join scientists on board to observe and collect data that would then be relayed to various research centers and conservation programs such as the Ice Watch, GLOBE Clouds, and Happywhale.

As well as having some of the most eco-efficient vessels, Poseidon Expeditions has also recently won prestigious tourism awards. In 2021, the company was named the world’s best operator of expedition cruises to the polar regions at the 28th annual World Travel Awards. In 2022, Poseidon Expeditions became the winner of the International Travel Awards as the best polar expedition cruise operator 2022.

Tours by Poseidon Expeditions

There are multiple tours offered within the different destinations you can visit with Poseidon Expeditions. Since this is more of an Antarctic Poseidon Expeditions review (because that is the only place I’ve traveled with them…FOR NOW!), I’ll keep this short.

Antarctica tours:

Falklands & South Georgia: does not visit the Antarctic continent
Antarctic Peninsula: dips into the tip of the Antarctic continent
Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctica: comprehensive tour visiting the islands and the tip of the Antarctic continent
Antarctic Circle: travels the furthest south of the Antarctic continent to cross the Antarctic Circle

Arctic tours:

Arctic Odyssey: starts in Iceland, visits Svalbard, Greenland and Iceland
Arctic Sights and Northern Lights: starts in Iceland, focuses on East Greenland
Legendary History & Wild Nature: starts in the UK, visits British Isles
Wild Islands & Lands of Legends: starts in the UK, visits British Isles and Faroes
Crossing the Arctic Circle: starts in the UK, visits British Isles, Jan Mayen & Svalbard and crosses the Arctic Circle
In-Depth Exploration in the Land of the Polar Bear: starts and focuses on Svalbard
Arctic Wildlife Safari: starts and focuses on Svalbard with more time on the sea
Best of Svalbard: starts in Svalbard and focuses on Svalbard and Polar Ice Edge

North Pole tours:

Expedition to the Top of the World: starts in Russia, visits the geographical North Pole **currently suspended due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict**

Prices

For this section of the Poseidon Expeditions review, I will be focusing on my specific tour, since I can verify that with personal experience.

I chose to do the Antarctic Peninsula tour (well, technically my friend Sara did), which runs retail between $8000-$9000 USD per person for the cheapest cabin, though there is USUALLYYY some kind of sale always going on so you’ll probably see the prices closer to $6000-$7000 USD per person for the cheapest cabin option.

My trip to Antarctica was not at all a sponsored trip or press trip, so I paid for everything out of pocket. The pros to that is that my Poseidon Expeditions review is COMPLETELY voluntary and unbiased! The cons though is that I had to pay for it 🙁

Prices vary depending on what dates you choose for the tour and which cabin you select. Since I did not choose the cheapest room (a triple suite), the total per person for my tour ticket was $11,695.50 USD. A few things that made my ticket more expensive was that I chose a date that overlapped with Christmas. I also chose a main deck suite (still a lower level) but with only two people per cabin instead of three in the triple.

You could alsoooo read my blog post on the CHEAPEST way to visit Antarctica, which I didn’t learn about until after, but I digress. Here’s what you get in your Poseidon Expeditions ticket price!

Included:

1 pre-voyage night on Day 1 in Los Cauquenes Hotel or Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa Hotel in Ushuaia
Group transfer from the airport to the hotel on the day prior to embarkation
Group transfer to the ship for embarkation on Day 2
Shipboard accommodation
All meals on board throughout the voyage
Tea and coffee station 24 hours daily
All scheduled landings/excursions (subject to weather and ice conditions)
Leadership throughout the voyage by our experienced Expedition Leader & Expedition Team
Branded Poseidon Expeditions parka
Rubber boots for shore landings for the time of the cruise
Welcome and Farewell cocktails
All port fees
Group transfer to airport or central location right after disembarkation
Pre-departure materials
Digital Voyage Log
Wi-Fi on board

Excluded:

Airfare
Transfers from the airport to the hotel if arriving prior to Day 1 of the program
Visa and passport fees (if applicable)
Luggage and trip cancellation insurance
Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages other than those for special events and celebrations
Personal expenses such as laundry and telephone calls
Fuel surcharge may be applied for all bookings
Mandatory Emergency Evacuation Insurance to a minimum benefit of US$ 200,000 per person
Staff gratuities
Kayaking, camping
The cost of any applicable medical tests (such as COVID-19) or vaccinations required either by a national government or Poseidon Expeditions before, during or after the cruise
Pre- or post-cruise travel expenses
Add-on experiences: camping on Antarctica and kayaking

COVID Protocols

Since my trip started December 2022, there were COVID protocols in place. It was mandatory to submit proof of full vaccination before departure. However as of May 1, 2023, Poseidon will no longer require a certificate of COVID vaccination and/or negative results of a PCR test to join a cruise aboard the Sea Spirit.

While Poseidon no longer requires a vaccination certificate and/or negative results of a PCR test, this may not be the case with countries you are traveling through or where you are embarking your expedition cruise with us. These countries may have their own rules for entry into their territory – for example, possession of a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate – so please be sure to familiarize yourself with such possible requirements.

Accessibility & Physical Requirements

Okay, now I gotta be real with yall on this Poseidon Expeditions review. This isn’t on Poseidon Expeditions SPECIFICALLYYYY, but I don’t think that most Antarctic cruises are physically accessible. While there is an elevator, it is often shut off during rough waters (so the entirety of the Drake’s Passage) and during routine maintenance. Passengers will also need to be able to step in and out of the Zodiac boat to visit the landing sites.

While there are no specific physical requirements for travel in polar regions, it is a cruise to the remote region of the world. There is no specialized medical assistance available in these regions. Poseidon Expeditions cautions prospective passengers with certain medical/health issues to exercise appropriate caution and make the best decision for themselves and their physical abilities and health. You will have to fill out a health medical form and if there are any concerns they may reach out to you for more information.

NOTE: Pregnancies require explicit doctor’s permission and having signed a specific waiver.

In any health or accessibility situation, individual participation in the landing(s) may be restricted by the Captain, Expedition Leader, or ship’s doctor.

There is also a minimum age requirement! Children must be at least 12 years of age to participate in the Expedition Cruise. However, Poseidon may accept children ages 6-11 on a case by case basis after additional consideration by Poseidon. The youngest passenger on our cruise was 11 and he was average/a little taller than average height for his age.

While the ship operated entirely in English, translators were available to groups. On our cruise, there were two crew members acting as translators (one for a German group and one for a Chinese group), though if a member of the crew did not speak the requested language translation, they might be able to accommodate by hiring a translator for a spoken or sign language.

Booking Procedures

Now that you’ve gone through and decided to book with Poseidon Expeditions (congrats!!), what comes next? This is where the juicy part of this Poseidon Expeditions review begins! Booking, at least the initial reservation, is super easy. You choose your cruise, select your cabin, put in your information, and then pay a non-refundable deposit of 20%. The final payment (80%) is due 90 days prior to the departure, and you make payments online. And you can make as many partial payments as you want!

AND THEY TAKE CREDIT CARDS!!!

How do you think I earned so many points to cover all of my flights and hotels (for 2 people!!) for all my 2023 travel plans? Yeah, it was a lot of money haha. But very point savvy! Once you figure out how to pay for Antarctica, it’s basically smooth sailing from there!

Pre-Trip Contact

As part of this Poseidon Expeditions review, I will say that the pre-trip contact was very minimal – which could be a pro and con. It is reassuring that you won’t be blasted with repetitive information or a million promotional emails that have nothing to do with the trip. You basically pay your deposit….then a bit before 90 days prior to departure if you haven’t paid the rest you’ll get a reminder. The bulk of the pre-trip contact will actually come within those last 90 days, but really about a month or two before.

In the weeks leading up to the trip, after you’ve paid off the remaining balance, you’ll be sent a lot of safety forms to fill out, which will include providing evidence of travel insurance (you will also need to bring this with you in person!) and health information.

The reason this was a bit of a con for me, but not a red flag, is that by the time I was filling everything out and I asked about the additional add-on activities (camping/kayaking), they were all sold out. There was no mention at booking that I should reach out to inquire about those activities or put my name on the list for it. While I did get placed on the waitlist for kayaking, the waitlist for camping was completely full and it was the activity I most wanted to do.

So if you want to do those extra activities, definitely reach out to them yourself (or if someone from the company is reading my Poseidon Expeditions review, maybe y’all could adjust that??)

Also…I believe I got the official packing list like two or three weeks before departure?? I think it should definitely be given at that 90 day prior mark because two weeks is barely enough time to ensure shipping delivery if you need to buy something, let alone if you need to return it and reorder! Plus, it would be nice to have time to look out for sales because outdoor gear can get pricey! Definitely not a dealbreaker though. If you’d like a WAY advance heads up, as a special feature of this Poseidon Expeditions review, I have a what to wear in Antarctica packing list post!

Departure Prep

I won’t go into a whole 10 day Antarctica Itinerary or anything (I’ll save that for another post), but for this Poseidon Expeditions review, I will go over the days of departure, since that will probably be the most significant difference from other cruise operators.

Day -1

The day before departure, there is an included shuttle from the Ushuaia airport to the hotel hosting Poseidon Expeditions passengers. However, we actually arrived two days before departure (which honestly…I recommend) but that meant we did not get a transfer from the airport to our lodging that night. I recommend arriving early because there’s no telling what kind of airport hiccups you might run into. Both Sara and I dealt with cancelled and delayed flights.

Also, Ushuaia is a pretty cool city with lots of beautiful scenery. There’s a whole National Park just outside of town! You might be to exhausted after your Antarctica trip, or at least I was, so I’d recommend exploring it earlier.

However you end up getting to the hotel on the day before departure (we took a cab, most were cash only though), you’ll check in with reception and get a few forms and waivers to fill out. You also get handy dandy luggage tags so your bags are able to be dropped off at the correct cabin on embarkation day.

Then you get the rest of the day to chill as you see fit. Explore the town or the hotel! Poseidon Expeditions even offers a few day trips and tours in Ushuaia, like a city tour ($28 USD), Beagle Channel tour ($56 USD), and a National Park tour ($75 USD). I didn’t take any of them, because I spent all my money getting myself TO ANTARCTICA, lol, so I can’t personally speak on any of them for this Poseidon Expeditions review.

If you do it though, lemme know how it is!

Embarkation Day

And then, just like that, the day has arrived.

You are finally on your way to Antarctica.

Unfortunately, you don’t get to sleep in. You have to wake up bright and early (no later than 8:30am) to deliver your luggage with their new luggage tags downstairs. This needs to be done early so the cruise ships have enough time to pick up, organize, deliver, unload, and reorganize everyone’s suitcases by the time the ship is ready to depart. You won’t have access to this luggage until after you are onboard the ship, so keep all travel documents (including your passport and proof of travel insurance), medications, and other personal items with you!!

Then after eating the complimentary breakfast, you can spend the rest of the morning heading into town, enjoying the hotel amenities, or…well, going back to bed. Later in the afternoon, all passengers will be shuttled either from the hotel starting at 4pm/1600hrs, or in town at 4:15pm/16:15hrs at a destination they will tell you at check in. Please be on time!

Once at the dock, you’ll be greeted by all the staff and crew waving you aboard. As you are getting off the bus shuttle, you will be presenting your passport to the port authorities. You’ll walk up a big ramp (it has railings, don’t worry) onto the ship and we were given welcome juices as we sat in the main “meeting” room, which is called the Oceanus Lounge. Everyone will be shuffling onboard between 4:30pm/1630hrs and 5pm/1700hrs. During that time you’ll be seated in the Oceanus Lounge and then they’ll call you/your group individually to the reception desk to formally check into your rooms.

Then at 6pm (1800hrs) the ship will formally depart! WOO!!

Room Review

Speaking of checking into your room…this Poseidon Expeditions review wouldn’t be complete without a room tour! Again, we booked a main deck suite, equipped for two people with either two twin beds or a king sized bed. The ship has five decks, or levels, and the main deck suites are located unsurprisingly on the “main deck.”

The main deck is the bottom deck, by the way.

If you get particularly queasy, I had heard that being on the main/bottom deck is the most recommended because it doesn’t sway as much. It is also closest to the restaurant, which is also on the main deck on Poseidon Expeditions.

The main deck suites average 248 square feet/23 square metres in size, which was a pretty solid size in my opinion. I was definitely expecting something smaller, but then again it was my first “cruise” so I had no idea what to actually expect. The room was big enough for a small sitting area (2 person loveseat, an arm chair, and coffee table) that faced the dressers and TV. There was also a desk near the bed. The bathroom was on the smaller side (not smaller than my dorm room bathroom in France tho lolll), but there is a clothing line to dry your clothes!

These suites have at least two portholes to look out to the ocean (ours had three), however in the Drake’s Passage and in rough weather, the portholes do get covered.

They’re super strong and not supposed to break or anything, but yanno. Just in case. And also because watching water slam against your window is neither reassuring for your mind nor your stomach.

Other room amenities include an in-room safe, refrigerator, room temperature control, satellite telephone access, and hair dryer.

Ship Review

Now we move out of the room for the Poseidon Expeditions review. You WILL be spending most of your time on the ship, so you’ll want to know what your digs will look like, right?

Main Deck

Going floor by floor, the main deck/bottom floor features the main deck suites as well as the restaurant. I’m not sure exactly how many people the restaurant can fit at once, but people generally did not all eat at the same time so finding seating was never an issue. The restaurant has a mix of large and larger tables, I believe the smallest table was a 4 person table, so if your group is smaller than that then prepare to make some new friends!

Thankfully, literally everyone on an Antarctic cruise is super interesting – yes, including you!! – so don’t feel worried about chatting with your fellow passengers. Plus, the food was all excellent and they seemed to accommodate different diets as needed. Though, if you are vegan, you might want to bring some protein powder or your own snacks just to be sure!

The main deck also features the infirmary! Thankfully I didn’t have to make a visit (and hopefully you won’t either), so I can’t personally include it in the Poseidon Expeditions review, but I’m sure they are great at doing infirmary things!

Ocean Deck

The ocean deck is one level above, and you can either take the stairs or the elevator. The triple suites, the single suites, and the classic suites are found on this deck, as well as the Oceanus Lounge, where all of the announcements, briefings, and gatherings take place.

Lectures and talks are also in the Oceanus Lounge. NO – the talks are not mandatory. I am a certified nerd so I went to like 95% of them, but don’t feel bad if you’d rather keep an eye on the wildlife or do something else. It is YOUR trip after all!

Reception is also on this deck, which handle dishing out free Dramamine/sea-sickness mediation (though I also advise people to bring their own) and payment matters. If you have onboard credit, it can be used for beverages on board, laundry service, and satellite phone calls. If you don’t have credit, or for anything else, the goods and services like merch, extra activities, and the fuel surcharge will be paid for at reception by cash or credit card.

I only ordered water with my meals so sorry idk if soft drinks are included or extra haha, but alcoholic drinks are definitely extra. And also on that note: the fuel surcharge. It varies depending on the price set by Marine Gas Oil (MSG) at the time of your trip but just a heads up it probablyyyy won’t be an extra buck or two. For our trip, the fuel surcharge was $350 USD per person. And there’s no way around it. Just work it into your budget.

Club Deck

The club deck is home to the superior suites as well as two cute hang out spots on the ship: the club lounge and the library. The club lounge features a full bar as well as some tables and lounge chairs and couches. At night, it also doubled as a dance club for both passengers and crew! The tv there shows the ship’s GPS location so you can follow the navigation. There are also tablets to submit feedback directly to the captain and crew.

The club lounge is where you’ll find the 24-hr complimentary coffee and tea bar. Their coffee maker even has a steamed milk option, so you know I used the HECK out of that. The club lounge also hosts a daily happy hour, and by happy hour, I mean small finger sandwiches and desserts. So…I suppose it’s more of a high tea, but I loved it!

The library is small, but very cute. I also thought it was cool how the books were labeled by language. There are also a number of board and card games! If you are looking to be around people but a little quieter, the library is the spot. The club deck (both inside and outside) were my favor deck for wildlife watching.

Sports Deck

Movin’ on up to the sports deck, this is where the rooms start to get fancy! The deluxe suites are here, and they have private balconies with sliding glass doors and walk-in closets. It is also the level where you’ll find the bridge, where the captain and crew navigate the ship, but due to COVID the bridge was not open to tours at the time.

You REALLY don’t want your captain getting sick.

Also on the sports deck is the gym, which is free to reserve (at reception) by the hour. It is modestly equipped with a few of the more stable cardio machines (bike and elliptical), some free weights, and a bit of room for floor work. As someone who mostly does pilates, it got the job done for me! Plus…it’s a lot harder to balance on the upper deck of a cruise ship, so any more than that wouldn’t be safe anyway.

On the outside you’ll find the jacuzzi. I…actually didn’t use the jacuzzi at all during the trip until the very last day in Antarctica when we did the polar plunge, but it was a popular spot to hang out with new passenger friends and rest the muscles after a long day of exploring.

Sun Deck

And lastly but not leastly for the ship section of the Poseidon Expeditions review, the sun deck. It is the uppermost level and reserved for the two FANCIEST rooms! The premium suite and the owner’s suite!! Since no one had booked the owner’s suite on our ship, they did a random lottery and one lucky couple got bumped up!!

Their isn’t much else (interior-wise) to this deck outside of the room though. Most of it is open outdoor space for watching wildlife.

Staff Review

Next for the Poseidon Expeditions review, I’m going to touch on the staff. If you’re looking to decide between cruises that are of similar price ranges (and thus amenities), then it all comes down to the staff. I didn’t interact too much with the Captain, but in the passing times that he introduced himself (and at the wedding, more on that later!!), he was very nice. A little no-nonsense, in an endearing way, but very nice. Probably the exact personality I would want for a Captain navigating some of the most dangerous waters in the world haha.

Boat Crew

Truly none of this trip would be have been possible without you. Without the folks keeping the boat going. Many of you were in the background, down in the boilers room or the engine rooms or the janitorial rooms or the infirmary or whatever other rooms were closed behind “crew only” doors. Thank you for keeping all of us safe and afloat.

Also shoutout to the room attendants, who were our first point of contact for any questions lifestyle related. They were all super responsive and punctual fulfilling any request within their power and escalating to the appropriate channels as needed. It was so reassuring to know we could count on them to help us with any question or concern we might had and they would make sure it was addressed.

Kitchen Crew

And of course to the crew that made us all put on a few pounds and kilos. The kitchen and supporting restaurant staff and crew. THANK YOU. Starting with the kitchen, wow the food was all so delicious but even more so the customer service was next level. Everyone was so friendly and personable, and by the end of day two I felt like they had all learned out names. By the end of the first week they learned all of our food preferences, even down to how we liked our tea and what time we would be arriving for food.

By the end of the trip, they felt like family.

Big ups to the head chef especially, because the menu again was incredible. Loved that every night was something new and delicious. Thank you to all of the cooks in the background that we didn’t see, but kept cooking and providing us food even during the worst of wave swells. THANK YOU.

Expedition Crew

Now to the crew we did spend the most personal time with – the expedition guides. We were with these folks the majority of the day, from announcements to lectures to going out on zodiac cruises and exploring the different landings.

Your expedition crew will make or break a trip.

I am pleased to report for this Poseidon Expeditions review that they picked some of the best guides in the adventure world. Point blank period. The expedition leader, Christian (Chris) Bruttel was such an amazing person. He was funny, approachable, knowledgeable, and most importantly knew how to command a room. His wealth of experience was obvious and showed in his expert decision making. When the weather was clear, he was able to wiggle in extra Zodiac tours in addition to our planned itinerary activities. When a massive storm was coming in – and I mean MASSIVE – Chris made the decision to cut one of our landings so we could get through the Drake’s Passage and avoid the worst of the worst.

The rest of the expedition crew was equally great and extremely fun people. Even the ones I didn’t spend as much time with, like the kayak guides and those that were acting as translators, were nice and always open to a conversation with passengers. They were also the ones that sealed the deal for me when choosing who I would want to continue to cruise with. They made me want to write this Poseidon Expeditions review because now I’m loyal to this company! BECAUSE OF THEM.

Thank you Chris Bruttel, Zhao Luyang, Fabienne Meier, Sergey Shirokiy, Piet Van Den Bemd, Luis Turi, Eloisa Berrier, Alexander Gorodinskiy, Eduardo Larranaga, Oleg Kruglov, Aaron Strahlke, Chad Burtt, and Maxiim Ilin!

Extra Activities

Another bit that I want to touch on for this Poseidon Expeditions review are the extra activities, because those and how they operate vary greatly from cruise to cruise. So let me give you the rundown as it might be the deciding factor between choosing Poseidon Expeditions or another company.

Camping

I mentioned it above, but camping on Antarctica was actually one of the things I was MOST excited about for the cruise…but ultimately one I did not have a chance to participate in. Camping and kayaking are pretty standard add-on activities for most Antarctic cruise ships, but the way the company does these activities varies.

Some cruise companies, like NatGeo, has a very high price tag (like…close to $12k for a triple), but every guest gets to camp and kayak if they want. Larger cruises (with 400ish passengers) usually use a lottery system and a random set of people get chosen and then they pay. So…pros and cons to both of those.

Camping with Poseidon Expeditions is an extra $285 USD for the one time camping experience. The actual site of the camping with depend on the weather, but it will be on the Antarctic continent. All the equipment that you’ll need (sub-zero temperature sleeping bags, bag liner, insulated foam sleeping pad, etc) will be provided to you on board. You don’t actually sleep in a tent, but actually in little troughs that you dig (and refill) yourself!

While I didn’t do this experience, for the sake of this Poseidon Expeditions review I can say that 100% of campers RAVED about it and would absolutely recommend. No one felt like they were too cold, and some even felt a little warm and unzipped their bags a bit!

Kayaking

Now kayaking was the activity that I did manage to get on the waitlist. So we went down for the briefing and…y’all…people started dropping. Now on other trips, the kayaking experience is usually just once, but for Poseidon Expeditions, if you are in the kayaking crew you have the opportunity to go out on the kayak any time there is an excursion – potentially every day while on the continent!

So, a bit geared more toward kayaking enthusiasts, but you can also opt to skip out on kayaking expeditions and join the main group. The price, at $795 USD, reflects that, but considering how often you go out and how many different scenic experiences you can have, it makes sense. Just ask yourself is that price worth it (to me, it is).

HOWEVERRR, I did not do this activity either. Enough people dropped that we were bumped up into the kayak group, buuut they mentioned that activity level wise, we should be moderate kayakers in terms of skill. They would never kayak out on rough water, or even the slightest hint of bumpy water, but they wanted to make sure you could kayak for at least more than 30min-1hr. I had been kayaking before, but no more than five times, so I mostly talked myself out of it.

Speaking to the kayak group after their excursions though, it sounds like I definitely would have been skilled enough to keep up, and they all LOVED the experience. Most of them opted to kayak almost every opportunity, and the big draw was seeing a more unique perspective to Antarctica as well as having penguins and other wildlife close by. Next time, I would definitely do it.

Polar Plunge

The polar plunge is WILD, but also free. So why not do it? Antarctic cruises usually offer the polar plunge (weather depending) in two different ways. One way is that they’ll make a zodiac landing and have participants strip down and walk into the icy water from the shore. The other way, as you can guess from the photo above, is to jump off a zodiac or platform directly into the water.

As much as I hate cold water, and jumping into water altogether, I am thankful Poseidon Expeditions chose the latter because there is NO WAY I would have walked into it. I have done a “polar” plunge before for a fundraiser event, but it is a MUCH different experience in an actual polar climate. I don’t want to give too much away but…wow. WOW. I have never felt anything like it.

As part of the Poseidon Expeditions review, I do want to give a shoutout to the team for really making it a fun and encouraging environment! And I appreciate the crew offering to hold GoPros for us as we each took our plunge! As a recommendation for future plunges, we were offered shots as we go back onto the ship, but for us that would prefer non-alcohol for whatever reason, it would be nice to have maybe warm apple cider or another option!

Special Events

However, it was really the small things that made a big different in this Poseidon Expeditions review, in particular how the crew celebrated special events. Yes, we were all in Antarctica and for the large majority of us, it was our first time. That was reason enough for a party. But for certain special events like birthdays and anniversaries and whatnot, the staff would go above and beyond to make that particular day a little extra special by baking them a cake or a few glasses of complimentary champagne.

In our group’s case, it was actually my friend Sara and her husband Nick’s wedding! I believe Poseidon Expeditions was able to coordinate an Antarctic wedding ceremony free of charge…well, for no additional price anyway). For one of our landings, our group was allowed to set off first. The Captain was able accompany us, and once we landed, he ordained their small wedding ceremony. There were even two little penguins all dressed up in tuxedos who attended. It was extremely special.

Then, as the rest of the passengers joined ashore, we were given a private photography zodiac tour with the ship’s photographer (since Sara is an incredible photographer herself, check out her stuff here!).

Our cruise was over Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and while not everyone on board celebrated the holiday religiously, the Captain dressed up as penguin Santa with some of the expedition crew as helper penguins and we all had hot (spiked) eggnog or hot chocolate in the zodiacs. It was super cute and silly and made our trip that much more memorable.

Disembarkation Day

After what will feel like both an eternity…but also just a blink of an eye…your Antarctica journey will be over. We arrived in the Beagle Channel a day early, since we wanted to beat the storm, so we had to hang out in the channel until our official disembarkation day when we the docking port would be ready for us. That was fine though, because there are some cool birds and other wildlife to spot in the Beagle Channel!

Then – it was time to disembark. On your last day aboard, you will disembark between 7am-8am, with shuttle buses either taking folks to the airport or downtown Ushuaia. If you have a late flight, there is a luggage storage facility available. We had a flight at about 1pm/1300hrs, a few hours after disembarkation, which they do not recommend because timing can be a variable sometimes. Luckily, we were able to make it on our flight and onto Buenos Aires with no hiccups! If possible, it’s always safer to aim for a later flight though.

Conclusion: Poseidon Expeditions Review

Okay, the TLDR version of this Poseidon Expeditions review is that they are an awesome company with a strong focus on conservation through education. They are one of the smaller cruise companies, which ensures a more personalized experience as well as a smaller carbon footprint. If you are looking for the best Antarctica cruise companies, then Poseidon Expeditions is definitely up there.

Thank you so much for the wonderful experience. While this post and my experience was not paid, sponsored, or hosted, I still wanted to share a personal Poseidon Expeditions review to help others find a cruise company that would align with their wants. Hopefully this Poseidon Expeditions review helped offer you some clarity, regardless of the conclusion you draw from this.

But, if this Poseidon Expeditions review did help sway you towards joining them on an adventure, then maybe I’ll see you on the next one!

Have you ever been to Antarctica? What kind of things would be pros and cons for your perfect trip? Let me know in the comments below!