Currently on the Quark World Explorer heading back across the Drake after Antarctica. First cruise ever for me, so no real baseline, but figured I’d share while it’s fresh.
We paid about $16.2k per person for a suite on deck 6, which also included camping. Added a paddle board excursion for $400, but we had about $1k onboard credit between the two of us, so that helped.
What really stood out in a good way was the staff ratio. Roughly 120 staff for around 160 passengers, and you feel it constantly. Everyone is attentive, knowledgeable, and genuinely enthusiastic. The educational talks and guiding were excellent and never felt dumbed down.
We also got very lucky with weather. Only one sunny day, but no real wind or snow issues the whole time. The polar plunge was surprisingly fun too, they made a whole event out of it and you could actually swim around if you were brave enough.
On the downside, WiFi pricing is brutal. You get 5GB included, but after that it’s about $50 per additional GB, which feels wild. Camping was… fine. Glad I did it, but it’s more of a “cool story” experience than something I actively enjoyed in the moment. Slept better than expected though.
I definitely overpacked. Wore the same thermals most days and could’ve left a few things behind. Laundry isn’t free, but the pricing was reasonable if needed.
Happy to answer questions for anyone considering Quark or Antarctica in general.
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