Firsthand
Expedition Ships We've Sailed
Eighteen ships across thirteen operators. Every photograph on this page is one of ours.
Why the ship matters more than the itinerary.
On an expedition voyage the ship is the hotel, the transport, and the base for every excursion, so it shapes the trip more than the itinerary does. Guest capacity determines how quickly everyone gets ashore, ice class determines how far you can push, and the ratio of expedition guides to guests determines what you learn. Chris and Erika Commisso have sailed 18 expedition ships across 13 operators and compare them from experience rather than from brochures.
Thirteen operators, not one. We don't have a preferred supplier.
The fleet
Eighteen ships, thirteen operators.
Hurtigruten
Lindblad Expeditions
Aurora Expeditions
Atlas Ocean Voyages
Polar Latitudes
Quark Expeditions
Silversea · Ponant · Swan Hellenic
Seabourn · Iceland ProCruises · Quasar Expeditions
Luxury ship or expedition ship?
Ultra-luxury cruise ships and purpose-built expedition ships are different categories. Luxury vessels carry several hundred guests and offer more space, better stabilization, and a fuller onboard experience. Expedition ships carry fewer people, hold a higher ice class, and can put every guest ashore in a single rotation. In Antarctica, where only 100 people may land at one site at a time, that difference decides how much of the day you spend ashore.
We've sailed both — the Seabourn Odyssey at 458 guests and expedition vessels at a fraction of that. Which is right depends on whether you're going for the landings or for the voyage.
What we look at.
- Guest capacity
- In Antarctica only 100 people can be ashore at once, so ships under about 200 guests land everyone in one rotation.
- Ice class
- Determines how far south or north the ship can push late in the season.
- Guide ratio
- How many naturalists and specialists per guest, and whether they're scientists or hospitality staff.
- The mudroom and gangway
- The route from cabin to Zodiac is what you'll do twice a day for ten days.
- Stabilizers
- Matters most on the Drake.
Comparisons
Ship comparisons.
The question we're asked most often is how two specific ships differ. These are the comparisons we're writing up.
Which ship suits you?
Thirty minutes on the phone is usually enough to narrow eighteen ships to two.
Written by your expedition advisor
Chris Commisso · Expedition Expert
Chris and Erika have personally sailed 18 expedition ships and explored eight expedition regions.
Last updated .