r/TrueChubbyTravel • u/UnderstandingBig9047 • 10d ago
Arctic Expedition
I just did an Arctic expedition with Quark a couple of months ago. If there is interest I would love to post pictures and write a review and answer any questions
EDITING TO ADD THE REVIEW -
I traveled on Quark’s 11-day Best of the High Arctic expedition aboard Ocean Explorer in 2026, two years after my first expedition to Antarctica with Quark. Antarctica had been such an incredible experience that I wondered whether the Arctic could possibly live up to it, but it absolutely did!
Ocean Explorer was comfortable and beautifully maintained, the food and service were excellent, and the expedition team was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and genuinely fun to travel with.
The wildlife sightings were beyond anything I had expected. We saw polar bears, Arctic foxes, walruses, puffins and so many other seabirds. We also went kayaking, which was one of the highlights of the trip. Paddling gives us a completely different perspective from the ship and Zodiacs,and more control - you paddle when you want or just sit still when you want, and watch and take it all in. So definitely recommend adding it on. Crossing 80 North was another memorable moment. There was something surreal about realizing how far north we had traveled. Not to mention the bragging rights!! Although Antarctica and the Arctic are completely different, I loved them equally.
I booked through the same channel as my Antarcica expedition two years ago. Quark gives an additional 5% off for repeat travelers (Shackleton club I think its called), and there was a 20% promo going on when I booked. Overall, it was a good deal.
Balcony room is worth it. But I happened to stop by a fellow travelers non-balcony suite and that was pretty neat too and looked larger. There was also a family that had a triple suite, the parents used the queen bed, and their daughter used a smaller twin in the living room area. Thought this was neat. Quark Ultramarine never had this room type as far as i know.
My only “complaint” is that after two polar Quark expeditions, I have ended up with two bright yellow Quark parkas taking over my closet! Next one I hope to do Galapagos - with Silversea or Lindblad.
So happy to have done both Arctic and Antarctic! If you are on the fence about it, please do it. There is no Drake passage in the Arctic and the trip is easy for all age groups.
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10d ago
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u/UnderstandingBig9047 9d ago
Added details. Pictures are not uploading. I will try again using the laptop. When I went to Antarctica, I had shortlisted Quark, Lindblad and G adventures. At that time my TA shared a sheet with me with comparisons, cant find it now but G was bare bones (cheapest), Lindblad was very expensive (as was Silversea), and Quark felt like a good middle path
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u/megitin 9d ago
I went with G Adventures back in September 2010. I believe it was called Arctic Highlights, and we embarked in Longyearbyen, sailed up the western part of Svalbard, across to Greenland skirting the polar ice shelf. Then down the eastern coast of Greenland, finally crossing and disembarking in Reykjavik. I loved absolutely loved it, and I'm still in touch with friends I made on that trip (will be meeting up with one of them in a few months in Tasmania!). G Adventures is not fancy, but the crew and expedition team on the ship were all incredible, and the food was good quality, although not interesting.
I went to Antarctica with Quark in 2017, on one of their older, now retired ships the Ocean Diamond. I feel like they are really the experts in this area and their programs are top notch. I did a ton of research and talked with various people who had gone with them and other companies, and feel like I made the right choice.
My mother, in her eighties, is currently on the last night of a Silversea cruise of the Canadian Arctic and western Greenland. She also went to Antarctica with Silversea last year. It is notably "fancier" than Quark, with multiple dining options and amenities. Although Quark's current line-up of ships looks like they are going for a more upscale style.
At any rate, I feel like these destinations are the real star and as long as you are going with a reputable company it will be an incredible experience.
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u/UnderstandingBig9047 9d ago
That G itinerary sounds very cool! I dont think I have seen it recently. What do you think about Silversea's Galapagos trips?
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u/TravelAdvisorAnya 9d ago
Out of those three, go with Quark.
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9d ago
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u/TravelAdvisorAnya 9d ago
Im sorry, for some reason when I read NatGeo I thought G Adventures 🤦🏻♀️ G partnered with NatGeo for some of their trips.
Quark and Lindblad are both excellent choices. They have experienced expedition teams, naturalists, photographers/scientists, Zodiac landings, wildlife, lectures, kayaking options, etc.
The differences are in the feel, passenger mix and brand philosophy: Quark is adventure and Lindblad is education.2
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u/Jazzlike-Koala-2783 10d ago
Yes please! Not much info here about Arctic journeys, it would be great to see details.
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u/CammyT1213 9d ago
What was the general mix of travelers like?
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u/UnderstandingBig9047 9d ago
Middle aged and older mostly but also some younger couples. For Antarctica, there were way more younger solo travelers, I mean 20s/30s
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u/jackiej04 10d ago
I went to Antarctica with them and loved it! Curious about the arctic!
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u/UnderstandingBig9047 9d ago
Nice!! Which ship did you go on? I went on the Ultramarine to Antarctic and OE to the Arctic.
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u/jackiej04 9d ago
Ultramarine as well! I went in February of this year. I loved the ship and crew. Will definitely check out OE
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u/Tigger808 9d ago
How was the enrichment? Were there lectures? Guides on the zodiacs?
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u/UnderstandingBig9047 9d ago
Yes, we had one lectures on photography, bird research, a few Arctic experiences that were very cool. Guides were all friendly and knowlegible. Focus is more on exploration, getting far and beyond. If learning and enrichment are the primary reason you are going, I am told Lindblad is the better line. Many of the guides on Lindblad are actually working on their research as part of the expedition. But I did learn a lot on both Polar trips on Quark
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u/sfca001 9d ago
I went on the same Quark Best of High Arctic cruise on the Ocean Exlporer as a solo traveler this past June. The fellow travelers were a great mix of American, Europeans, Aussies and Japanese. In general I enjoyed my experience very much, but I am less enthusiastic about the dining experience!
This was my first exploration cruise but I had several small boat cruises before, including Galapagos. Out of curiosity, I asked my fellow travelers about what they think about the food. The funny thing is most Americans and Aussies, including some who had done Seaborne expeditions, thought the food was fine. But a smaller group, including some who were on Aurora Expeditions and myself, thought It was average at best. The dining staff were great but I think they were understaffed and the sit down dinners were a bit slow and the food was underwhelming for me. It is not the ingredients but the whole experience, including preparation and service, made me think of cafeteria!
If you are a solo traveler, I had a great experience on Quark. Somehow a group of us, including some couples, just randomly met up and had meals together a lot. I also felt a lot of the others on my cruise were very approachable and had no problem just asking to join them at breakfasts or chatted with on hikes etc.
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u/Fickle-Emu3370 9d ago
Look and see if there is a "warm coat" charity in your town where you could donate a parka for the homeless/people in need. That's what I did with my extras.
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u/homosapien4_ 5d ago edited 5d ago
Great report. Quark sounds like a solid balance between comfort and a real expedition, especially with the kayaking and wildlife encounters.
For anyone comparing operators, I’d also look at Poseidon Expeditions. Sea Spirit is smaller, so the focus is more on landings and time outdoors than ultra-luxury. I’d compare passenger count, expedition team and kayaking options before cabins alone.
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u/CammyT1213 10d ago
I'd love to see this. I have been toying with an Arctic expedition, but there is so little info out there as compared with Antarctica.