Tag: ship review

The polar fleet has always been at the forefront of innovation when it comes to expedition cruise ships – something that can be most visibly seen in its rapid adoption of X-Bow ship designs, with their unique profile designed to ease a ship’s passage through rough waters. I recently experienced my first voyage aboard one […]

Launched in 2018 and specially designed for expedition cruising, the Fridtjof Nansen is one of the most advanced ships in the polar fleet. Its 490 berths puts it on the larger side of expedition cruise ships that are allowed to visit Antarctica and still let passengers put their boots in the snow, but under the […]

When it comes to planning a cruise to Antarctica, one of the questions that comes up most frequently is what’s the best size of ship to sail on? There’s no perfect answer of course, but if you want to maximise your time exploring off the ship, then we generally recommend ships that carry fewer than […]

Since its launch in 2021, the expedition cruise ship Ultramarine has rapidly become a popular choice for Swoop Antarctica passengers. Its modern design, 1A+ ice class rating (putting it just shy of being an actual icebreaker), 199 berths and broad suite of adventure activities have all helped establish its place in the polar fleet. Since […]

It’s always an exciting moment when a new expedition cruise ship joins the polar fleet. The highly-anticipated Douglas Mawson has just launched – and Swoop were invited to join its inaugural voyage to experience it first hand on a four-night shakedown cruise from Sydney to Hobart to check the ship out, before it headed south […]

Exploring the vast and varied landscapes of Antarctica is an increasingly popular bucket-list adventure, especially as more people are turning their attention to remote destinations for their travels. Now, travellers from all over the planet are taking the plunge to learn how they can make their dreams of visiting the White Continent a reality. Antarctic […]

I’ve worked in the Antarctic cruise industry for 16 years, and travelled south on a wide variety of ships. In my earliest days I sailed on some of the last generation of ex-research expedition vessels, where bunks and shared bathrooms were the order of the day. Since then I’ve seen new generations of ships launched, […]

When Antarctica cruising was in its infancy, travellers had little choice of ship or comfort level, with most squeezing into simple cabins on converted research vessels or old Russian icebreakers. Those days are long behind us and the polar fleet caters to a wide variety of travel styles. On my most recent trip south, I […]