Traveling to the Antarctica Peninsula by expedition ship is like nothing I have experienced before. It isn’t like your large mass cruise ship where you are hanging by the pool drinking tropical drinks. Sure I had a pool and tropical drinks, but this trip was meant for you to make multiple island landings a day and experience all that Antarctica has to offer. This was an active adventure that had you in bed before 9pm each night, exhausted and fulfilled with excitement.

Getting to Antarctica takes time. Your first stop is usually an overnight hotel stay in Buenos Aries. The following day you wake up bright and early for your flight to the tip of Argentina to Ushuaia. Once you arrive in Ushuaia you are given the opportunity to visit the Tierra Del Fuego National Park or do some shopping before boarding the expedition ship. I choose to visit the national park.

Ponant’s Le Boreal is a beautiful luxury ship. There are 132 guest rooms holding 264 guests. Our ship had only 180 guest at the time of sailing. I was lucky enough to have my own room on this trip. My friend Shannon and I original planned this trip together to save money by sharing a room, but after a few covid postponements, we were offered our own rooms at the same cost of a shared room. We jumped at the opportunity.

There were two restaurants (main dining and a buffet), gym, spa, pool, coffee lounge, crows nest lounge, and theater on board. Shannon and I spent a lot of time in the lounges.

Since the ship was small we meet just about everyone on board. We got to know the crew, activities team, expedition team, and other travelers. We were even invited to have drinks with the Captain in his office with two other guests. The guests aboard this type of sailing are usually well traveled and we spent time sharing our travel experiences.

The voyage from Ushuaia to Antarctic takes about 48 hours sailing through the Drake Passage. This means you have about 4 days sailing to and from Antarctica plus about 5 or 6 days visiting various islands. The Drake Passage is considered one of the most treacherous voyages for ships to make. Currents meet no resistance from any landmass, and waves top 40 feet (12 m). I was most nervous about this part of the trip. Luckily, we had smoothish sailings both directions. I think we have 5 to 7 meter waves at their highest. January is usually a bit calmer for sailing. I didn’t need any Dramamine but I was prepared just in case.

While sailing the first day, the crew prepared us for our adventure. Our first stop was to be fitted for our boots and to get our polar jacket (that we got to keep). We all had to attend a safety briefing before we were allowed to step on a zodiac and make a landing. We had rules to follow concerning sanitizing our boots and walking poles before we board a zodiac and when we returned to the ship. We were also not allowed to set anything on the ground that hadn’t been sanitized like our backpacks, camaras, or take a seat on the ground. We didn’t want to spread germs from one penguin colony to the next.

Once in Antarctica, we spent our days island hopping for hiking and zodiac exploring. Antarctica has rules about how many people can be on land at a time, so we were broken up into groups and rotated through out the day. We would usually visit one island in the morning then move the ship to the next destination and visit the next island in the afternoon in four groups departing at different times as to not break the capacity rules.

Before every landing we would suit up in our layers, waterproof pants, rubber boots, polar jackets, and life vest. Wearing waterproof pants was required because you got wet on just about every landing. When you slid out of the boat you often were landing in a few inches of water. These pants and rubber boots kept me dry.

When you returned to the ship, you took all your top layers off and had a special place to keep you boots outside your door waiting for the next landing.

We were on board the ship for New Year’s Eve so we enjoyed a night out dancing in the lounge and then we were up early for a zodiac safari around Hidden Bay. The highlight of New Years Day was drinking bubbly among the icebergs.

Back on board, we would meet as a group for an afternoon/evening briefing of the day and what was in store for tomorrow. At the daily evening briefing, the expedition team would go over the history and wildlife of the areas we would be visiting and timeline for the following day.

The ship had activities all day long. We played many rounds of trivia (never won) and bingo (never won), attended food tastings, watched nightly shows, snag Karaoke, watched movies, listened to speakers and seminars, and enjoyed live music. The bridge was also open most hours of the day. You could visit the bridge and ask questions. Shannon enjoyed whale watching from the best view point on the ship. When we passed another ship we “waved” at them. The Seabourn ship waved back.

We never went hungry. The food on board was excellent. There was a main dining where everyone ate around the same time. There was usually a set menu for you to choose from a few options each night. There was also a buffet on the pool deck that made for a great spot for a more relaxed dinner with similar menu items on the buffet and you could whale watch during dinner. Shannon and I ate most of our dinners here because of the wait staff. The restaurant manager took care of us each night and often sent us on our way with macarons.

After an adventure filled week, we headed back to Ushuaia. I definitely wasn’t ready to go yet. We sailed back through the Drake Passage with no issues and I think we made it back in record time. We arrived back to port late in the evening but were able to spend the evening visiting the shops in Ushuaia and get some souvenirs. We spent our last night enjoying the vocal talents of the guests at Karaoke. A great way to say goodbye to our new friends.

Read more about my favorite stops in Antarctica and the wildlife I encountered.

If you are interested in adventure, Antarctica might be the perfect place for you. This was one of the most immersive experience I have been on. I still can’t believe I was there. It is an experience I will never forget.