There are a few different cruising options when it comes to visiting Antarctica. You can go on the big cruise ships that carry thousands of people where you just take in the views from the ship or you can also explore Antarctica on expedition ships. These smaller expedition vessels allow you to set foot on the Antarctic Peninsula and have excursions via zodiac boat and get closer up to penguins, seals and whales. Take a deep look what an expedition cruise ship looks like as we board our Antarctic cruise.
It’s at 3pm when we board the World Navigator, a purpose built expedition ship designed for Antarctic Passage by Atlas Ocean Voyages. This ship was chartered by Insider Expeditions, a boutique travel company that curates travel programs according to themes and they have partnered with Atlas Ocean Voyages. Other cruises have included a music theme with musician, Diplo, while others pair artists with the Antarctic cruise to add an additional layer to the offering. The price starts at around $15,000USD per person for this cruise for a standard room.
The World Navigator ship is designed for a smaller, ecological footprint and was developed in partnership between Rolls-Royce and Mystic Cruises, a Portuguese company owned by Mario Ferreira, one of Portugal's richest men. The hybrid hydro jet propulsion system is designed to be quieter, so as not to disturb the animal life and to avoid using heavy fuels.
There are 153 people on this expedition and the crowd is very different from the other cruises we’ve done. Everyone is more dynamic and diverse perhaps as a result of the Insider Expeditions cruise angle. The theme for this cruise is Entrepreneurship and Environmental Stewardship. The group is mainly made up of Australians, New Zealanders and Americans with some Europeans.
After we board we take a seat in the Atlas Lounge and help ourselves to the sandwiches and soup available. The egg salad sandwiches on brioche are tasty as are the ham and cheese sandwiches on white sourdough while the creamy vegetable soup is perfect for welcoming us on board this chilly afternoon. The World Navigator is a contemporary designed luxury ship with lots of wood panelling and bright colours through the soft furnishings. The design is based on Art Deco shapes with jewel tones. The ship was built in 2021 with 6 decks and measures 129 metres or 423 feet with a gross tonnage of approximately 10,000 tonnes. The ship's captain on board is Filipe Sousa, the cruise director is Michael Shapiro and the expedition leader is Jonathan Zaccaria.
There is an on-board shop, spa, infrared sauna, jacuzzi, the Dome Observation lounge, the Dom Henrique Theatre and and the Atlas Lounge aft bar. For food there is one main restaurant called Porto as well as Paula's Pantry cafe. After we finish our sandwiches and soup, a crew member approaches us to give our keys to our state rooms. My state room is #637 and is a horizon state room.
My room is stunning and spacious for a cruise room. The window has a juliette floor to ceiling window that opens from the top and measures 27 square metres or 270 ft.² with a queen bed and a lounge area. Each room has a steward that looks after the room and the guests. Allan pops his head in to introduce himself. All gratuities including that for the steward are included in the tariff.
All food, premium wine pours, cocktails, minibar, room service and 24 hour bar service are included although you can select some specific bottles of wine at an additional expense. In the mini fridge there’s a range of soft drinks, juices and beers and a coffee machine and a kettle and all the supplies to make tea and coffee in your room. There are no single use plastics on the ship and there are filtered water stations on the ship. There are some gifts on the bed: a recyclable water bottle, penguin toy and pencil.
Facing the bed is a television where you can watch movies or tv shows or you can also watch the talks in the auditorium from the comfort of your state room. There is also 1 gigabyte of Wi-Fi available for each guest. Any extra can be purchased, although it is expensive at $80USD for 1GB or $350USD for 5GB. I recommend downloading lots of television, podcasts and music before the cruise.
The marble bathroom has L’Occitane products and is well designed to maximise use of a small space. The mosaic glass shower is exceptional with a monsoon head, regular massage head, as well as 6 spa jets to massage away any kinks or knots.
After settling in it’s time for a drill at 5pm where we learn how to don our lifejackets in case of emergency and about all the lifeboat procedures. After that Jonathan the expedition leader presents a briefing with his trademark wry sense of humour. He explains that due to the unpredictable nature of the continent, it is difficult to write an itinerary, ahead of time, of what we will do. The key to an Antarctic cruise is to be flexible.
He also warned us about the Drake Passage, the area of the ocean that separates South America from Antarctica. It is one of the toughest channels to cross as the currents are unpredictable and strong but by it is also the quickest way to reach Antarctica by ship. At any given day it could be smooth, in which case it is called the Drake Lake, or it can have swells as high as 8 metres where it is called the Drake Shake. It is also completely impossible to predict and its force is independent of season so it’s really a luck of the draw what you will get. He also tells us we will know when we move from the smooth waters of the Beagle channel and hit the rough waters of the Drake Passage sometime tonight.
The two hosts behind Insider Expeditions are couple Sarah and Steve Pirie Nally and they have 8 name stewards on board from Peter Hillary (son of Sir Edmund Hillary) to filmmaker Damon Gameau, rugby coach Sir Graham Henry and sports scientist Lady Raewyn Henry. We start with some icebreaking (no pun intended) exercises that encourage us to interact with each other and get to know each other. Although uncomfortable at first, they’re a good way to break down barriers.
On the ship there are two places to eat outside of your room and both are on level 4 where most of the common areas are located: Paula’s Pantry has a range of snacks, coffee and tea and I would visit here at least twice a day, sometimes three times. The drinks menu has plenty of choice from chilled caramel frappes to yuzu green tea. I recommend the energy bars and warmed up curry wurst pastry, cheese and ham pastry and the caramel frappe (I got the nickname "Miss Frappe"). They also have Portuguese custard tarts, filled bagels, cupcakes, brownies, cookies and muffins and everything is freshly baked and they’re all very good.
The other place to eat is at Porto restaurant which is where breakfast, lunch and dinner is served. The menu at Porto alternates between buffet and à la carte and the menu changes daily so they try to keep things interesting.
This first evening's dinner is buffet style. There are all the makings of a salad, as well as some premade pasta salads and a Thai beef salad. A carving station has prime rib and there’s also a live cooking station with spaghetti bolognese. That’s also a comprehensive range of desserts from fruit, several types of cake as well as ice cream available. I get a bit of everything and really enjoy the Thai beef salad and the spaghetti Bolognese. Just a little tip: if you love spice, make sure to ask for chilli. Things tend to be a little underseasoned, but all they need is a little bit of salt.
I retire early to my stateroom having just arrived the day before and wanting to get on top of jetlag. I have a shower and climb into bed at 9:30pm.
And then at 10.08pm we hit the Drake Passage...
Up Next: What it's like to travel through the Drake Passage.
NQN travelled to Antarctica as a guest of Qantas and Insider Expeditions but all opinions remain her own.
Insider Expeditions
https://insiderexpeditions.com/
Qantas
https://www.qantas.com/au/
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