Operator Review
Poseidon Expeditions
The highest landing frequency in the segment, on a single ship that knows its routes well.
What It Is
Poseidon Expeditions is a polar-only operator running a single ship, the 114-guest M/V Sea Spirit, on Antarctica, Arctic, and British Isles itineraries. Guests split into landing groups so part of the ship is ashore while the rest is already out by Zodiac or kayak, avoiding the wait time common on ships with a single gangway.
How It Works
Booking works directly through Poseidon or a travel advisor, with departures built around up to 3 Zodiac landings a day, each lasting about 2.5 hours, the most landings per day of any operator in this ranking. Onboard, the expedition team includes naturalists, wildlife biologists, geologists, and historians who brief every landing. Poseidon has been an IAATO member since 2011 and holds AECO membership for its Arctic routes, both tied to shore-landing limits and no-waste operating rules.
How It Compares
Poseidon's Arctic voyages start from $6,296 per person, cheaper than Quark Expeditions' entry fare but on a single 114-guest ship instead of Quark's larger fleet. Antarctica departures start much higher, from about $11,795 per person, since ice-class access and a longer sailing add cost. Poseidon has operated polar-only expeditions since 1999, one of the longer continuous track records in the segment, and beyond Antarctica and Svalbard also runs British Isles itineraries, a region few pure-polar operators cover.