Disclaimer: This review is based entirely on my personal experience. My trip with Antarpply Expeditions was not sponsored, and all prices listed refer to the 2025 – 2026 season before any last-minute discounts.
Antarctica is the dream. The bucket-list destination, the big one, the one that feels almost unreal until you’re standing among penguins or sailing past an iceberg taller than your house. Add the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) and South Georgia into the mix and suddenly you require a small inheritance or… the sale of an organ.
But it doesn’t have to be like that! After months of comparing expedition companies, itineraries, vessel sizes, landing rules and doing a cost-benefit analysis (thanks to all those years as an engineer), I found one of the most affordable, small-ship options out there… enter Antarpply Expeditions.
I’ve only joined one other organise tour to visit somewhere – Pakistan with Rocky Road Travel. So it was still an experience. I’ve taken cruises before with my parents when I was younger but this was different. It’s an expedition based cruise. I couldn’t really find much reviews of this company before so this is an honest review about Antarpply Expeditions – all the good, bad and things in between.
Contents
To tour or not to tour?
Short answer: You must.
Long answer: There is no economically independent way to visit Antarctica or South Georgia. You can fly to the Falklands from the UK or Chile to travel semi-independently but Antarctica and South Georgia require an expedition ship.
Not all tours are created equally. You can obviously spend USD$ 70 000 + to take a luxury flight and camp in Antarctica with White Desert. Or spend very little going with a cruise ship (500+ passengers) without ever landing on the continent. It really depends on your budget. Most ships I’ve seen for the Classic Antarctica Cruise range between USD$ 9 000 – USD$ 12 000. Add Falklands and South Georgia and it jumps to USD$ 16 000 – USD$ 22 000.
You have the usual suspects: Intrepid, G Adventures, Quark Expeditions, Poseidon Expeditions and Hurtigruten Expeditions. There are so many other companies but I will compile them in my spreadsheet that I’ve created so keep your eyes peeled for that.
But I’m here to talk about another company that actually didn’t come by my desk quite as easy. It took a long time to find them and boy, I’m glad I did. They are called Antarpply Expeditions. So let’s do a deep dive on them.
Why Antarpply Expeditions
I found them while doomscrolling through social media and obviously needed to investigate. There are so many factors when booking a tour to Antarctica. The three heavyweights being: itinerary, cost and boat size.
Factor one: Itinerary
As this was our honeymoon trip, my husband and I wanted the holy grail: Antarctica, Falkland Islands and obviously South Georgia. Antarpply Expeditions runs only one of these itineraries per season and it is one of the first cruises of the season (and their first of the season). This means: snowy landscapes but fewer penguin chicks (species dependent).
Most travellers we met who had been to Antarctica before said their one regret was not adding South Georgia. There’s a reason it’s called the Serengeti of the South.
Factor two: Cost
The deciding factor that made us (almost) immediately book Antarpply Expeditions was the cost. We booked our spot almost a year before the cruise. Mainly because we thought it would be super popular and everyone would be snapping it up because of how affordable it was in comparison to some of the other companies! But no, some people we met booked a couple of days before departure – one even booked the day of. So we booked without any discounts which was still USD$ 11 000 per person for a twin cabin.
Oof, sounds like a lot of money for 3 weeks but let’s break this down and compare it quickly. For a similar itinerary:
Antarpply Expeditions charges USD$ 11 000 per person (USD$ 480 per day)
Intrepid charges USD$ 26 000 per person (USD$ 1100 per day)
G Adventures charges USD$ 17 000 per person (USD$ 775 per day)
Quark Expeditions charges USD$ 24 500 per person (USD$ 1225 per day)
Poseidon Expeditions charges USD$ 17 000 per person (USD$ 750 per day)
Hurtigruten Expeditions charges USD$ 22 000 per person (USD$ 950 per day)
……. now you see what I’m getting at? 😉 I love a good search.
Factor three: Boat Size
Okay, so whoever said size doesn’t matter clearly has never been to Antarctica. There are a few restrictions about cruises that come to Antarctica. And more so if they are going to South Georgia as well.
- No more than 100 people can go onshore at any one time. This doesn’t include zodiac rides.
- Cruise ships of more than 500 people cannot do any landings on Antarctica.
- Cruise ships with more than 200 people cannot sail to South Georgia
Antarpply Expeditions sails with MV Ushuaia, which has a max capacity of 90 guests on board. So it makes it an intimate experience and all of yous will get to go on the landings at the same time and you can also sail to South Georgia!
Other factors?
Well like a good majority of other companies, Antarpply Expeditions is a member of IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators). IAATO was founded in 1991 and is primarily self regulated. However, all crew members need to hold a license from IAATO so you know they are knowledgeable about the standards and practices set by the agency. Their goal is to advocate and promote the practice of safe and environmentally responsible private-sector travel to the Antarctic. Of course there are some companies that aren’t members of IAATO and which that doesn’t directly impact you, it may impact your experience because they might go rogue and do something harmful to the environment.
The guides onboard all have a STEM background, majority of them are biologists. So you do get different lectures covering various topics related to the wildlife, geology and history of the white continent. Although, this is the case for other cruise ships as well.
The Review
Booking the Tour
Booking the tour was a really straight forward process. We reached out directly to Antarpply Expeditions via email and got a run down about the different cabin options for our itinerary. We confirmed our spots by putting down a 10% downpayment, paying 20% at the 270 days prior to departure and the final payment was done 90 days prior to departure.
Others we had spoken to whom had booked last minute, contacted different agencies who handled the payments and had to pay the full amount.
First Impressions: Pre-Departure
Leading up, we had to fill out a booking form through the portal about our medical history, insurance details, emergency contacts, food restrictions and allergies. Also had to read a contract that needed to be signed and sent back to them.
In August, we were informed by Antarpply Expeditions about a new visa requirement for South Georgia for all nationalities. A few weeks before our departure, we got a final documents package from Antarpply Expeditions – covering all the pre-departure information, on board information, our tentative itinerary (subject to change due to weather conditions) and our vouchers to show at the port.
The admin team of Antarpply was actually really responsive and communicated things quite clearly to us so no dramas here.
Onboard Experience
The MV Ushuaia was a scientific research vessel in its previous life in the 1970s. It’s considered a small size vessel, which makes sense when you consider the max guest capacity is 90. The vessel was then converted into a expedition vessel in the 1990s and later refurbished in the 2010s. She features a large open planned observation lounge, a bar, a small multimedia room, dining area and 46 cabins.
Cabins
We got Cabin 301. I really enjoyed the cabin. We had a window that we could look out of to see the various scenery we sailed by. All the cabins are reasonably similar – there will be some sort of porthole/window in the room, a desk + chair, ensuite bathroom and storage places.
Upon arrival, you do get an amenities kit with eye mask, a toothbrush, a comb, socks, slippers, small face towel and chocolate.
Cabins were cleaned every morning and since our cruise was 22 days, we did get fresh towels. I think on the 10-12 day cruise, towel change happens once.
Bridge visits
One nice thing about MV Ushuaia is that the bridge is open for visits from 08-20hrs every day, except if the weather is bad or if they are navigating through some rough places! They are happy to answer any questions you’ve got or if you’re curious about anything onboard.
Internet services
They recently got Starlink onboard and it worked everywhere. There were different option plans but the most economical (especially for 22 days) was the 18GB plan which was USD$ 60.
Laundry services
For the classic Antarctica cruises or any of the short cruises, laundry services aren’t offered. However, for the South Georgia cruise (22 days), laundry services are offered. For a small bag, it will set you back USD$ 40. A price to pay but it also does mean you might not have to overpack your backpacks!
Dining
You get all meals included for your expedition.
- Breakfast: The options are the same every day with the following being offered: filtered coffee, juices, croissants, bread, scrambled eggs, bacon, cereal/muesli, yogurt, milk and various fruits.
- Lunch + Dinner: a 3-course seated meal with a changing menu. There was only one option for the main and an option for vegetarians or those with food intolerances.
- Snacks: most days there were snacks (cookies, brownies, other small bite-sized pastries) being served at 1630hrs.
- Coffee, hot water/tea: provided free of charged
- Alcoholic drinks or soft drinks: had to be purchased. At the time of when we were onboard: beers were USD$ 7, soft drinks were USD$ 4, bottle of red wine was USD$ 30+, bottle of white wine was USD$ 18 – 30+
Note: the food was a hit and miss. I’m okay with not having options but some of the meals lacked flavours, unfortunately.
Lectures
During sailing days, there are two lectures included and done by the guides. They are 30-45 mins each and cover a range of topics, from wildlife to history to geology and sociology.
Entertainment
This goes out to Fabian, who is the bartender on the vessel. Well, jack of all trades, really. He was really creative organising different events on the ship. We had a couple of talent shows – and the crew members are all very talented! A couple movie nights, karaoke and a little halloween party. It really made the environment on the boat really enjoyable. Although, we were all tired after the activities or feeling bad during the sea crossings, he really knew how to help lift spirits.
Activities – Zodiacs + Landings
So if you’ve been researching a few other companies, you would see that there are an abundance of activities available onboard. With Antarpply, that isn’t quite the case. You get the ones that matter – for example the zodiac cruises and landings. Of course like everything, activities aren’t guaranteed as it’s all weather dependent.
This is an outline of activities you can expect: Zodiac cruises, Landings with wildlife visits or scenery, Lecturers onboard. During one of our landings, we had the opportunity to try our hands at snowshoeing. Anddddd most importantly, we actually did a polar plunge in the cold Antarctic waters!
Zodiacs
During our time, we were trying to do a zodiac cruise off the north west tip of South Georgia to see the Macaroni penguins but alas, the weather wasn’t agreeable with us so that had to be cancelled. We did end up doing 2 zodiac cruises in Antarctic waters to see the icebergs, formations and wildlife spotting if we got lucky.
Landings
We managed 2 landings on the West Falkland Islands and spent a full day in Stanley so we could have a wander around at our own pace. On South Georgia, we managed to do 8 landings, visiting some incredible sights – my favourites being St Andrews and Salisbury Plains with the King penguin colonies. Unfortunately, we had to leave South Georgia a day earlier due to the incoming storm.
For Antarctica, we did some landings on some Antarctic islands off the peninsula and did manage to get 3 continental landings!!! How cool. So we’ve literally managed to set foot on the peninsula. The crew informed us that this exact itinerary last season didn’t manage to have any continental landings so it really does differ year to year and it’s quite unpredictable.
Overall Experience on Antarpply Expeditions
Let’s say this, in some ways you get what you pay for. Yes, you’ve paid quite a lot of money to have this experience but it’s significantly more affordable than majority (if not all) the other tours I’ve seen. So the caveat here is that, don’t expect the world.
I don’t think I can stress this enough.
If you’re hoping to have buffet lunches or many options for your dinner main… or if you’re expecting wellness facilities onboard… maybe you’re expecting an all inclusive bar, a wet room or other fancy facilities… just remember this is more of an expedition vessel rather than a bougie cruise. Of course, there is always room for improvement but when we look at it from a different POV – all the activities are essentially the similar to what you’d get on other vessels and they do succeed in your aim of reaching Antarctica on a budget.
Communication between crew and guests
Although one note of feedback that we thought would be better was the communication. We understand things change and of course when you communicate a tentative plan, it’s just that – tentative. Maybe some guests (present or past) have the assumption that it means things are definitely going to happen which then if it doesn’t happen, can be quite stressful on the expedition team. But it would’ve been nicer to have clearer communication.
Unfortunately, we were about to intersect with a storm along the Drake’s Passage so there were a lot of rumors and whispers in the hallway because some guests spoke to other crew members so no one was getting the full story or patches of plans. While it is easier said than done, that would’ve been nicer to be informed of different potential scenarios. But once again – things change so rapidly (and trust me, I know from my own corporate experience) and it’s hard to try to communicate everything to with everyone continuously.
Drake’s Passage/Open Sea
Being a small vessel, especially in comparison to many of the other ships – the Drake’s Passage WAS extremely rough on little MV Ushuaia. On the way back from Antarctica, we encountered 9+ m waves and ±40 knot winds. I struggled to get out of bed during the worst of it. Unfortunately, with how rough the sea was, a wave did cause one of the portholes in the lower cabins to break, spilling water into the cabin. I was completely out of it but I heard they covered the hole until they could maintain it at quayside.
Guiding on Landings/Lectures
I think this was very dependent. During our zodiac cruise, we got plenty of information from one of the guides. On some landings, we did get information but since everyone was spread out, it was either hard to get information or you wouldn’t be able to hear what was being told.
The lectures covered a variety of topics, although in my personal opinion, it would’ve been more beneficial to share information about the wildlife we were hoping to spot before the activities.
Example: we did a bird spotting activity on the open decks and after the session, we would go through what we would’ve potentially seen. Personally, I would’ve preferred the opposite so we would have a clearer idea on what to spot.
Chaos for Landings
We learnt this quickly after our first day of excursions. When the announcement came with our landing time, the crew told us to be at the gangway at 08:30 (example) and not hover. We followed that. Since it was the first day, getting everyone ashore took about 45 minutes and we ended up on the last zodiac – which was totally fine! We did the walk and soaked up the scenery and birdlife. But when we finally reached the penguin-filled beach, we were told to head back toward the zodiacs, a 10-minute walk away. Even after we pushed back, we were still escorted over, only to wait more than 30 minutes for a zodiac back to the ship.
We had assumed that if you’re on the last few zodiacs, you would be the last few to get back onto the zodiacs but that wasn’t the case.
Point to note: Whilst they do have 7 zodiacs, they only used 3 or 4 zodiacs to shuttle passengers to land… try and get there about 20mins before the departure time so you’ll be on the first 3 or 4 zodiacs to optimise your time onshore.
Expectations of Group Travel
I think I’ve blabbed on about this several times but I’m not usually a Group Travel Girlie. Nothing wrong if you are but I do enjoy the independent travel. That being said, you cannot do this independently. But what you can do is find your tribe on the boat. We had 22 nationalities, with ages ranging from 16 – 77 years, everyone with different stories and experiences. On the boat, we had 78 guests and over 3 weeks you could at least have a conversation with most and eventually you just find people you gelled with.
On most landings, I hovered between my husband and my camera, completely absorbed in photographing the wildlife and landscape – maybe a little too focused? We love observing wildlife behaviours…
The Group Dynamic
We had a good group of people. There were some with a bit of language barriers but nothing a little gesturing and Google Translate can’t help with. In the observation lounge and meals, you could what we did which was to float around. You could quickly find people whom you’d share stories or even just what animal behaviours you observed. It’s also quite a nice time to learn from each other. I was looking at different photography perspectives of our landings and teaching others how to use their camera.
Practical Advice: Making the Most of Your Antarctica Trip
Ask questions. Be curious. Your guide is there to well… guide you and deepen your understanding about Antarctica and any of the islands you’re visiting. Take advantage of the group setting to share experiences and tips with fellow travelers – their insights might enhance your own journey. Especially if you’re planning to continue travelling after your cruise!
The schedule may change. Be ready for that. Flexibility can often lead to unexpected adventures or learning opportunities. Respect the rules and regulations.
What’s in my bag?
You can carry whatever you like onshore but with strict rules (ie no crouching or putting anything on the ground), it can be difficult to easily access things. These are just a couple of things I had that I never left the boat without.
- Peak Design Camera Clip: essential to be handsfree while getting on/off the zodiacs.
- Sony Alpha 7II Camera
- Tamron 150-500mm F/5-6.7 Di III VC VXD
- Camera Raincoat
- Spare Batteries
- Lip Balm
- Sunscreen
- Water
Would I recommend Antarpply Expeditions?
In short: Yes!!!! Especially if your dream itinerary includes South Georgia, the Falklands and Antarctica, then this is definitely a no brainer…
After experiencing this route firsthand and doing a deep cost–benefit analysis, the value Antarpply Expeditions offers is genuinely hard to beat. One fellow passenger on our trip had sailed with Antarpply Expeditions six times, which says more than any review ever could. That said, make sure you set the right expectations. MV Ushuaia is an expedition vessel… not a luxury cruise ship. You won’t get spa facilities, multiple dining options or the all-inclusive frills found on higher priced operators. What you will get is a safe, well-run expedition with passionate guides, a warm + hardworking hospitality crew. Let’s not forget the incredible wildlife and landings. Which, let’s be honest, are the reasons most of us travel this far south in the first place.
Yes, things change often on any Antarctic voyage: landing durations, itineraries, weather windows (!!!). Flexibility is the key to success 😉 But even with those limitations, this was still one of the most memorable journeys I’ve ever taken… enough that I’ve already been recommending Antarpply Expeditioins to my personal friends.
Needless to say, I’ve seen that Antarpply Expeditions will soon be adding a new vessel, Spirit of Sydney, to their fleet which seems to offer a yacht style expedition. So, I guess it’s time to start saving again 😀 !
Looking for the big three without the huge cost? Antarpply Expeditions offers an immersive, wildlife enriched experience.
Wrap up
Antarctica feels like another planet. South Georgia shifts something in your soul. And the Falklands? Completely underrated. Antarpply Expeditions made it possible for us to experience all three with a small-ship, science-focused, IAATO-respectful approach that didn’t demand an impossible budget. If you’re dreaming of the 7th continent and the wildlife of South Georgia, Antarpply Expedition is genuinely worth considering.
Leave a Reply