Cruise lines
Expedition Cruise Lines, Compared.
Twenty-six lines, what each does well, and who each one suits.
How do expedition cruise lines differ?
Expedition lines differ most in ship size, price, and how much of the day is spent ashore. Small-ship operators carrying under 200 guests land everyone in one rotation; luxury lines offer more space and service at higher fares; fly-cruise operators skip the Drake Passage entirely. We book across every operator listed here. We have sailed eight of these lines and toured ships from four more, twelve in total.
We don't have a preferred supplier. What follows is what we'd tell you on the phone.
What the brochures don't show you.
On paper the itineraries look identical: Zodiac cruising, landings, wildlife viewing, hikes, kayaking. What differs is how the day is actually operated. Some operators run rotating shifts, so guests alternate between activities through the morning. Others run several activities at the same time and let you choose. Others keep everyone together and move as one group.
None of those is better than the others. They create genuinely different experiences, and the difference only shows up once you are aboard.
There is no single best expedition cruise line. Our role is matching a client to the experience that suits them rather than selling one brand.
The lines we book.
Expedition specialists
Operators whose whole business is expedition travel, built around landings rather than sea days.
- HXSailedFive expedition ships from the Galápagos to Antarctica, with a strong science and lecture program.
- Quark ExpeditionsPolar-only operator with a long Arctic and Antarctic record.
- Aurora ExpeditionsSailedAustralian-founded, activity-led sailing with an adventurous streak.
- Oceanwide ExpeditionsFour small ships, 33 to 170 guests, built around time off the ship in Antarctica and the Arctic.
- Polar LatitudesSmall-ship Antarctic sailing with a strong citizen-science program. Formed in 2025 by the merger of Polar Latitudes and Albatros Expeditions. Fleet: Ocean Albatros, Ocean Victory, Seaventure, Ocean Nova.
- Antarctica21The fly-cruise specialist, flying guests across the Drake to King George Island.
- Atlas Ocean VoyagesSailedYacht-style expedition ships with a luxury feel, sailing Antarctica, the Arctic and Europe, with Japan, Asia and Africa from 2028.
- Poseidon ExpeditionsSmall-ship polar operator. North Pole icebreaker voyages and Antarctica.
- Secret AtlasTwelve-guest Arctic micro cruises, and 36 guests in Antarctica aboard the explorer yacht Aureum.
- SelarSmall-scale sailing expeditions with a low-impact focus.
Luxury and upscale
More space, more service, and higher fares — with expedition programs that vary in depth.
- SilverseaFull luxury service carried into polar and remote itineraries.
- PonantFrench style, design-led ships, and a strong European guest mix.
- SeabournSailedUltra-luxury cruising with expedition itineraries added to the range.
- Swan HellenicCultural and lecture-driven voyages on recently built ships.
- Lindblad ExpeditionsSailedTen owned ships and ten charters, with National Geographic experts and naturalists at the center of the day.
- ScenicDiscovery yachts with submersibles and helicopters. All-inclusive.
Regional specialists
Lines that know one part of the world extremely well rather than sailing everywhere.
- HurtigrutenSailedThe Norwegian coastal service, calling at working ports the whole way north.
- Iceland ProCruisesSailedIceland circumnavigations and Westfjords sailing.
- Quasar ExpeditionsSailedFamily-run Galápagos operator working small, licensed vessels.
- Heritage ExpeditionsNew Zealand family-owned, 35 years in the Southern Ocean, the Subantarctic Islands and the Ross Sea.
- Aqua ExpeditionsRiver and reef sailing in the Amazon and Raja Ampat.
- Coral ExpeditionsAustralian. The Kimberley, Great Barrier Reef, and Papua New Guinea.
- AustralisPatagonia and Tierra del Fuego, Cape Horn and the Chilean fjords.
- UnCruise AdventuresSmall-ship Alaska, Baja, and Central America. Active, informal, US-based.
- Golden Galapagos CruisesGalápagos yachts and catamarans.
- Kontiki ExpeditionsBoutique yacht expeditions in Ecuador and Peru.
Which lines sail where?
Find a line by destination. A dot means the line runs voyages there. "Sailed" marks the eight lines we have sailed ourselves. We are adding destinations line by line as we check each operator's own site, so a blank row means not yet added, not that the line doesn't sail there.
| Line | Antarctica | Arctic/Svalbard | Greenland | Iceland | Norway | Alaska | Galápagos | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HXSailed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Northwest Passage, Scotland, Chilean fjords |
| Quark Expeditions | ||||||||
| Aurora ExpeditionsSailed | ||||||||
| Oceanwide Expeditions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Falklands, South Georgia, Jan Mayen, Atlantic islands | |||
| Polar Latitudes | ||||||||
| Antarctica21 | ||||||||
| Atlas Ocean VoyagesSailed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Canadian Arctic, Europe, Caribbean, South America; Japan, Asia and Africa from 2028 | ||
| Poseidon Expeditions | ||||||||
| Secret Atlas | ||||||||
| Selar | ||||||||
| Silversea | ||||||||
| Ponant | ||||||||
| SeabournSailed | ||||||||
| Swan Hellenic | ||||||||
| Lindblad ExpeditionsSailed | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Baja, Central America, Patagonia, South Pacific, Asia, Europe, rivers |
| Scenic | ||||||||
| HurtigrutenSailed | ||||||||
| Iceland ProCruisesSailed | ||||||||
| Quasar ExpeditionsSailed | ||||||||
| Heritage Expeditions | ||||||||
| Aqua Expeditions | ||||||||
| Coral Expeditions | ||||||||
| Australis | ||||||||
| UnCruise Adventures | ||||||||
| Golden Galapagos Cruises | ||||||||
| Kontiki Expeditions |
Choosing between them.
- Ship size
- Under 100 guests lands everyone at once in Antarctica.
- Fly or sail
- Antarctica21 and others fly you to King George Island, saving four days and costing more.
- Inclusions
- Some lines include flights, kayaking, and gratuities; others charge for each.
- Expedition team depth
- The ratio of naturalists to guests, and whether they're scientists.
- Ship age
- Vessels built since 2019 are quieter, more stable, and cleaner.
Where our experience is firsthand.
We have sailed on ten ships and toured seven more. The ships we sailed belong to eight of these operators: HX, Hurtigruten, Lindblad, Aurora, Atlas, Seabourn, Iceland ProCruises and Quasar. The ships we toured add Polar Latitudes, Quark, Ponant and Swan Hellenic. Where we haven't sailed a line, we say so on its page.
See the ships we've sailed · Types of expedition cruising
Written by your expedition advisors
Chris Commisso · Expedition Expert
Signature Travel Expert
Erika Commisso · Travel Experience Architect
CLIA Elite Cruise Counselor · ASTA Verified Travel Advisor · Signature Travel Expert
Chris and Erika have sailed ten expedition voyages and toured seven more expedition ships. Favorite explorations so far: Antarctica, Svalbard, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Alaska, the Galápagos, the Scottish Hebrides, Churchill and French Polynesia.
Last updated .
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