6 ways to travel to Antarctica in style and luxury

There was a time when traveling to Antarctica meant roughing it a bit. Many of the adventure travel companies that pioneered tourist trips to the White Continent initially used relatively spartan, sometimes repurposed ships to get people there.

But those days are long gone.

Now you can travel to the world's most remote destination in luxury and style — assuming you're willing to pay the often steep cost of such trips.

Two specific luxury cruise companies — Silversea Cruises and Ponant Explorations — have carved out a niche over the past two decades offering high-end voyages to Antarctica on upscale vessels where you'll sleep in cabins and dine in onboard eateries that are every bit as spectacular as the Antarctic scenery. Several more high-end cruise brands have gotten into similarly upscale cruising to Antarctica in just the last few years.

The newcomers include luxury purveyor Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours, which launched two very upscale expedition ships since 2019 — a type of cruise ship specifically designed for travel to remote, hard-to-reach places.

Also relatively new to upscale cruising to Antarctica are Atlas Ocean Voyages, which has offered Antarctica sailings since late 2021 on purpose-built expedition vessels, and Viking, which launched voyages to the continent with new expedition ships in early 2022.

Related: The best expedition ships for Antarctica cruises

Luxury line Seabourn has been offering Antarctica cruises since late 2022 with its first luxury expedition ships.

Here, we take a look at these six cruise brands that are leading the way in luxury trips to Antarctica.

Silversea Cruises

Silversea has been the leader among the major luxury cruise lines in expanding into expedition cruises to remote, hard-to-reach destinations, and it's a big player in luxury trips to Antarctica.

The Miami-based line's 18-year-old expedition cruise division currently operates high-end sailings to the White Continent on three vessels — the 220-passenger Silver Endeavour, the 254-passenger Silver Cloud and the 274-passenger Silver Wind.

In addition to traditional sailings from South America that cross the Drake Passage, Silversea also offers its signature Fly Cruise program, allowing guests to fly over the Drake without sacrificing time spent in Antarctica. The journey will become even more seamless with the debut of The Cormorant at 55 South in Puerto Williams, Chile, Silversea's new hotel designed to streamline the Antarctic travel experience, including new charter flights connecting directly from Santiago to Puerto Williams.

Related: This new luxury tour gets you to Antarctica faster than most

While older than many of the luxury ships sailing to Antarctica, Silver Cloud and Silver Wind offer a luxury experience with all-suite accommodations, upscale cuisine and luxury touches such as butler service for every suite. Silver Endeavour is a newer vessel with even more advanced offerings.

The details: Fares for 10-night Antarctica trips start at $10,920 per person, based on double occupancy.

Ponant Explorations

A longtime leader in expedition cruises, Ponant is known for its array of truly once-in-a-lifetime small-ship adventures to places no other passenger ships go, including epic voyages to the North Pole, the only winter expedition cruises to Canada and a wide range of extended sailings to Antarctica.

Some of the most unusual sailings the line offers to the White Continent take place on Le Commandant Charcot, the world's first and only luxury icebreaker. Unveiled in 2021, it's by far the toughest passenger vessel ever built, capable of reaching ice-clogged parts of Antarctica that no other ship can reach.

The line also takes well-heeled, intellectually curious travelers to Antarctica on four other upscale expedition ships, all sister vessels, that were purpose-built for such voyages: Le Boreal, Le Lyrial, L'Austral and Le Soleal.

Unveiled between 2010 and 2015, these 264-passenger ships are sleek and stylish, with contemporary decor, large rooms with balconies and multiple restaurants. But they also feature a sustainable design with ice-strengthened hulls and cutting-edge technology, allowing them to safely access harder-to-reach regions such as Antarctica.

While Ponant is a France-based line, its sailings are bilingual with announcements in both French and English, and it draws an international crowd in addition to many Americans.

Related: The ultimate guide to Ponant ships and itineraries

The details: Fares for 12-night Antarctica trips start at $17,320 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares include a precruise hotel stay in Buenos Aires and round-trip flights between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia.

Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours

Long known for high-end river cruises, luxury purveyor Scenic Luxury Cruises & Tours has made a big move into high-end expedition trips to Antarctica since 2019 with the debut of its first two expedition vessels, the 228-passenger Scenic Eclipse and sister ship Scenic Eclipse II.

Billed as "discovery yachts," the super-swanky vessels offer all-suite accommodations (and we're talking real suites with separate living rooms), butler service for all and a wide range of onboard dining options including a sushi restaurant. They also have whiskey bars stocked with more than 110 whiskies and other high-end liquors, plus a spa and a yoga studio.

The initial vessel in this series, Scenic Eclipse, was notably the first Antarctica-bound cruise vessel to boast helicopters to take passengers on epic (and pricey) Antarctica excursions. Scenic Eclipse II debuted with helicopters, too. Both vessels also have submarines for underwater exploration.

Having experienced a helicopter excursion from one of these vessels, I can say that it's truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. On the downside, the helicopter pads and hangars on these ships eat up a lot of space on their top decks, as do the suites along the vessel's sharply sloping front. The combination leaves less available room for observation areas. The result is a ship with less outdoor space for viewing scenery than is typical for small vessels operating polar trips.

The details: Fares for 12-night Antarctica trips start at $17,868 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares include a precruise, one-night hotel stay in Buenos Aires; round-trip flights from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia; drinks, including spirits and fine wines; and prepaid gratuities.

Related: These books are must-reads before an Antarctica trip

Atlas Ocean Voyages

Launched in 2021, Atlas Ocean Voyages is a relatively new brand that specializes in luxury sailings on small, yacht-like vessels to some of the world's most off-the-beaten-path destinations, such as Antarctica and the Arctic. They also operate in more mainstream cruise destinations such as Europe and Asia.

The brand currently fields three nearly identical, 184-passenger ships (World Navigator, World Traveller and World Voyager), all of which spend at least part of their time in Antarctica.

Built tough for polar exploring (they each have a PC 6 ice class rating), these three ships are designed to be upscale with elegant, 1940s-influenced decor, and pampering touches such as L'Occitane-branded spas (the first at sea) and butler service in top cabins.

The vessels, which I have given high marks after past sailings, are also loaded with indoor and outdoor observation areas, including innovative, close-to-the-waterline outside deck areas with heated seating called The Water's Edge. High-tech touches include GPS systems that let them hover in sensitive areas without dropping anchor.

Related: I just spent the night in an igloo in Antarctica — here's how you can, too

The details: Nine-night voyages to Antarctica start at $11,748 per person, based on double occupancy. Fares cover drinks, including spirits and fine wines; shipboard Wi-Fi; prepaid gratuities; and emergency medical evacuation insurance for every passenger (the latter being a rare offering among companies cruising to Antarctica).

Viking

Viking is a relative newcomer to expedition cruising in Antarctica — it's only been operating in the region since 2022. But it's gotten a lot of attention from cruise-industry watchers.

That's because the two new expedition ships the line has built for Antarctica sailings — the 378-passenger Viking Octantis and sister ship Viking Polaris — have several unusual features.

Most notable is The Hangar, an enclosed marina on each of the vessels that allows passengers to transfer to a special touring boat while still in the protected interior of the ship. A first for expedition ships, it's something that makes it easier for travelers with mobility issues to experience the region.

In another first for polar expedition cruise vessels, every cabin on the two vessels has floor-to-ceiling glass walls that slide partially open from the top to create a balcony-like feel.

Like all Viking ships, the public areas and cabins on Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris boast an elegant Scandinavian design. Their restaurants include a version of Viking's signature Italian spot, Manfredi's, and the Scandinavian-inspired Mamsen's outlet. Also familiar are top-of-the-ship, glass-walled Explorers' Lounges promising stunning views of passing scenery.

Another standout public space is The Aula, a dramatic panoramic auditorium designed for lectures, daily briefings and other events that features a screen that retracts to reveal floor-to-ceiling windows and sweeping 270-degree views. Also notable is The Science Lab, a working wet and dry research facility where guest scientists carry out real research throughout voyages. Passengers are invited to observe, ask questions and gain a deeper insight about scientific work related to the places the ship sails.

Related: The ultimate guide to Viking ships and itineraries

As is typical for expedition ships, Viking Octantis and Viking Polaris are tough vessels, with reinforced bows that let them bump through ice in polar regions and extra tanks for fuel and food. In addition to landing craft on board to bring people ashore, they carry kayaks and even submersibles for exploring (the latter being something that is relatively rare on cruise vessels of any type).

The details: Fares for 12-night Antarctica trips start at $14,995 per person.

Seabourn

Like Viking, Seabourn has only recently added its first expedition cruise ships for expedition cruising to Antarctica.

The two vessels — Seabourn Venture and Seabourn Pursuit — both carry 264 passengers at maximum occupancy and are ice-rated vessels with all the luxury touches that Seabourn fans have come to know, including restaurants serving elegant cuisine.

Every room on both of the ships, notably, is a suite with its own balcony — something that isn't often the case with expedition ships.

In addition, the ships offer a lot of high-end adventure. Outdoor equipment for off-ship exploring includes kayaks as well as Zodiac boats. But perhaps their standout adventure features are two, six-person submarines that allow passengers to explore the world under the water in polar regions as well as what's above the waterline.

Related: I just went kayaking in Antarctica — if I can do it, so can you

Among other unusual features of the ships that make a difference in polar regions is a high-definition Cineplex camera that can pick up wildlife up to 5 miles away and streams the footage into an onboard "discovery center" while leaving the wildlife undisturbed. The ships sail with 23 expedition guides, including scientists, historians and naturalists who lecture regularly on board and lead guided tours on land.

The details: Fares for Antarctic sailings start at $11,899 per person, including flights in Argentina to reach the ship.

Planning an Antarctica cruise expedition? Start with these stories:

• Dreaming of Antarctica: How to book the trip of a lifetime
• Skip the Drake Passage: What it's like flying to Antarctica on a chartered plane
• The ultimate packing list for an Antarctica trip