Destinations

I spent 12 days aboard the expedition boat, Ocean Albatros, sailing to Antarctica. We sailed with Polar Latitudes Expeditions on the “Encounter the Antarctic Circle” itinerary.

Onboard Dining

For me, food is the highlight of any vacation, and you definitely won’t go hungry on the Ocean Albatros. I’d rate the food an 8 out of 10. Usually, cruise ship and all-inclusive dining isn’t great unless you visit specialty restaurants, but this was the best included cruise food I’ve had. The staff made it even better—10 out of 10. The wait staff always made sure we were looked after. For example, one of our friends had to leave after ordering, and the maitre d’ noticed his meal sitting out. They quickly replaced it with a fresh plate when he came back a few minutes later.

Daily Menus

Breakfast

Breakfast is served buffet-style in the main dining room for an hour and a half each morning. If you’re up early, you can grab coffee and pastries from a smaller continental buffet in the lecture hall.

Fruit and Yogurt

Oatmeal and Toast

Cereals

Breakfast Buffet

Lunch

Lunch was always served as a buffet in the main dining room, featuring a rotating ‘dish of the day’ as well as a broad range of other dishes such as Italian, Indian and vegan. There was also a salad bar, soup station and a dessert section. On excursion days, a smaller buffet with similar selections was available upstairs. 

Tip: The upstairs buffet had pizza, which you couldn’t get in the main dining room buffet.

Upstairs Lunch Buffet

Taste of Nation Station

Salad Bar

Dinner Buffet

Lunch Buffet

Bread and Soup Station

Dinner

Dinner is a sit-down meal in the main dining room, and there’s no assigned seating. Many guests travel solo and are friendly, making this a great way to meet people on the ship. Like typical cruises, guests can order any number of dishes. Best of all, wine, beer, and soft drinks are included and generously poured. On excursion days, the upstairs buffet is open if you’d rather have a buffet than a sit-down dinner.

Tip: Dinner is served for an hour and a half. If you go right when it opens, you’ll have more time to enjoy the free drinks. If you like soda, ask for an unopened can so you can save it for later.

Snacks

Between meals, you’ll always find snacks by the main bar. There are also two coffee and tea stations with cookies available.

Daily Snacks

Coffee and Tea Station

Coffee and Tea Station

Bar Snacks

Bar Snacks

Unlimited Coffee

Speciality Dining

Before the cruise, I couldn’t find much information about the dining options. I only saw one video about a specialty steakhouse, and the ship’s deck plans listed a sushi restaurant.

In reality, the sushi restaurant wasn’t open—it was just used for extra dining space. The so-called specialty restaurant was actually a buffet open for lunch and dinner on excursion days, serving food similar to the main dining room.

Special Events

Captain’s Cocktail Hour

On embarkation day and the evening before disembarkation, the Captain hosts a cocktail hour with complimentary champagne and passed hors d’oeuvres.

Deck BBQ

We were lucky with the weather, so the staff organized an outdoor BBQ. They grilled steak, chicken and hamburgers right on the deck. Plus, it had tons of delicious sides and desserts. They turned the deck into an outdoor dining area. We even saw a whale swim under the boat as we watched the sunset and sailed through the Lemaire Channel.

Bars 

The main bar is just outside the lecture room. The deck plan shows more bars in the observation room and by the pool and hot tubs, but those were only open for special events like the BBQ.

Afternoon Tea

On sailing days, they set up an afternoon tea in the bar area. It was mostly a selection of sandwiches and desserts, and you could help yourself to tea at the coffee and tea stations.

Alcohol

You’re allowed to bring one bottle of wine on board. Make sure it’s a twist-off, or bring a wine opener to avoid paying a corkage fee.

Tip: This is technically not allowed, but you can save money by filling travel toiletry bottles with alcohol and packing them in your suitcase. You can buy powdered cocktail mixers online and bring your own cup. If anyone asks, it’s coffee.

Returning from Excursions

To make you feel more special, after each excursion, we were welcomed back with a hot towel and a warm drink. The drinks changed every day—my favorite was the chai tea.

Special Diets

There are vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options at every meal, including the buffets. The staff is very accommodating, and you can talk to the chef about any issues. 

Menus

Looking For More Information

Before the cruise, I kept hearing the advice to be flexible, and they were right. We received a daily itinerary, but not once did we follow it completely. That’s something I quickly learned about life on board the Ocean Albatros.

Daily Itinerary

Daily Itinerary

Morning

Each morning began with a wake-up call, and our expedition leader, Lu, always played a song to start the day. On expedition days, we woke up at 7 am and had breakfast until 8:30. Most days, we went on excursions in both the morning and afternoon, depending on the weather and where we were.

After breakfast, we got ready to go ashore. Because of the Antarctica Treaty, only a certain number of people could be on land at the same time. Being on a small boat meant we could spend more time exploring. The 161 passengers were split into four groups: green, yellow, red, and orange. Two groups went ashore while the other two toured by zodiac, then we switched. Each group had about an hour on land.

Boarding the Zodiak

Zodiak Cruise

Horseshoe Island

Zodiak Cruising

Horseshoe Island

Zodiak Landing

Afternoon

When we got back to the boat, we had lunch and usually took a nap while the ship moved to a new spot. Then we did it all over again.

I liked the Zodiac tours best because we could explore and see more wildlife. Most of the landing sites were at penguin colonies or old research bases. We went inside a lot of buildings, which was interesting, and the penguins were adorable, but honestly, I ended up with penguin overload. I never thought that would happen! It just shows how much wildlife there is in Antarctica.

Before dinner, we had a Recap session. The guides went over the plan for the next day and gave short talks about the animals we might see. We also looked at the photos passengers had submitted and got our questions answered.

Evening

After dinner, there was usually a movie or some kind of activity. The staff talent show was a highlight—even the captain sang karaoke. I have to say, the staff was amazing. From the excursion leaders to the wait staff and room attendants, everyone made the trip fun and memorable. They were the best cruise staff I’ve ever had. Life onboard Ocean Albatros truly exceeded my expectations.

Crew Talent Show

Crew Introduction

Karaoke

Photography

Other Activities

Kayaking was an optional activity for $345, and it took the place of either a morning or afternoon excursion.

As I said before, it’s important to stay flexible. Plans changed every hour. For example, one kayaking group got dressed and boarded the zodiac, but their trip was canceled because of rough seas. This is just one of the unpredictable parts of life onboard Ocean Albatros.

Keep an ear out for the Polar Plunge announcement. It’s one of the highlights of the trip. Everyone gets excited, there’s music, and after jumping into the freezing water, you get a vodka shot.

Check out my blog about the daily itinerary when crossing the Drake Passage.

Kayaking

Polar Plunge

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