Quark to Relaunch Antarctica Sailings Next Month
by Daniel McCarthy
Quark Expeditions will make its long-awaited return to Antarctica starting next month, the expedition cruise company announced this week.
Quark will resume polar voyages to Antarctica with its newest ship, Ultramarine, starting on Nov. 25. The 199-guest ship opened for booking just prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing its debut to be delayed indefinitely. Now that Argentina is opening up its ports and airports to international travelers starting on Nov. 1, Quark has officially set a date for its debut.
The ship will officially welcome guests on its first maiden voyage called Solar Eclipse 2021: Totality in Antarctica, with South Georgia expedition.
Guests onboard will experience nine different stateroom categories, including solo cabins, triple cabins, and an Ultra Suite that will offer 563 square feet of living space and a 46-square-foot balcony. Each cabin will have convertible beds, heated bathroom floors, and flat screen televisions.
The ship will also feature two twin-engine helicopters, new public spaces, and more outdoor wildlife viewing space than any other similar-sized ship. Other onboard amenities include two different dining areas, four bars, a spa and fitness center, sauna, a walk-around deck, and a lecture theater that will host educational sessions for guests traveling in the polar regions.
While a lot of the capacity on the inaugural itinerary has sold out, Quark said that guests can now book remaining space on two other sailings—Essential Patagonia: Chilean Fjords and Torres del Paine, a 15-day journey into Chile; and Celebrating Shackleton: Journey from Antarctica to South Georgia, a 20-day sailing that follow’s Ernest Shackleton's Trans-Antarctic Expedition