Ocean Endeavour (Quark Expeditions) Review

1st Class Destination on a 2nd Class Ship

Review for Antarctica Cruise on Ocean Endeavour (Quark Expeditions)
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sunrise@sea
10+ Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Dec 2015

I always wanted to make a trip to Antarctica but put it off because of the cost. It was time so I chose Quark because of the itinerary and the marketing drew me in. Long-story-short, the destinations of Faulklands/S.Georgia/Antarctic Peninsula may be the best I've ever experienced--the wildlife, the scenery breathtaking every day. And the weather was perfect. But I was less than enamored with the operator Quark who runs the tour like "summer camp" and often felt I was constantly ordered around--inappropriate considering the price of the cruise. Quark doesn't own the ship they lease the 20+ year old refurbished Baltic ferry which creates a strange dynamic between the ship crew and Quark staff. The ship marketed as "recently refurbished" but it's slow, without stabilizers, has features that makes the cabin too hot/too cold most of the time and a shower that floods the entire bath. The overall shabby exterior of the ship makes you wonder what the condition is in the engine room and below. It's a good thing we had perfect weather in that part of the world because we could have been miserable. "Refurbished" in this case is just "lipstick on a pig." My advice is that if you want to visit this part of the world DO IT but pick another operator. It's a once-in-a-lifetime 1st class destination so don't go with a 2nd class company.

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