We pride ourselves on the meals we serve aboard our ships. Our chefs are internationally trained. And our service style is too! The menu changes every day. Breakfast is buffet style. Lunch often features a buffet. Dinner is plated service, with a choice of 3 main dishes. A vegetarian choice is always offered. Desserts are fabulous! Afternoon tea, with pastries or cookies, is provided about 16:00 (4 PM) every day. Fresh pastries arrive warm from the oven for early birds about 06:00 (6 AM).

Every vessel in our fleet becomes an expedition base camp. Unpack once. Visit an exciting range of places, because the ship moves from place to place. The ships are equipped with inflatable landing crafts known as Zodiacs. They are used for shore landings and ocean-level cruising.

Activities off the ship are called shore landings or Zodiac cruising. These are daily activities. In the Arctic, you may visit Inuit in their home communities. In the Antarctic, you may visit research stations manned by scientists who brave the extreme environment to add to our knowledge of wildlife, climate and ice. You will hike carpeted tundra valleys or glistening ice fields. Optional activities include kayaking, cross-country, camping, skiing and mountaineering.

The capacity of the vessel determines where you go ashore and how often in Antarctica.

In Antarctica, we operate under International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) guidelines that limit the number of travelers and Expedition Staff ashore during a landing. No more than 100 people can be ashore at any one time, and in some locations that number is 50. Quark operates small expedition vessels, and none of our Antarctic vessels carry more than 199 travelers.

Our Expedition Teams include a doctor, who is responsible for the health of our guests and our Expedition Team members. Some of our ships have clinics. Our clinics are equipped to handle minor emergencies. We carry emergency supplies of medication. It is important that you bring sufficient prescribed medicines with you.

Wearing the right clothes is essential. You may need to purchase additional outdoor clothing. That said, you will not have to buy a parka, as we include the official Quark parka in the cost of your expedition and we loan you waterproof boots.

Leave the jacket and tie behind if you prefer. Our expeditions are informal. However, the Captain and his officers will dress in uniforms for the welcome and farewell cocktail parties on some of our ships. So, you may want to pack a dress shirt and a pair of casual slacks for the occasion.

You are not permitted to smoke in cabins or public areas of the ship. Smoking is not allowed in the Zodiacs, helicopter or ashore. Please smoke in designated areas only and ensure your butts are safely and properly disposed of.

Special dietary requests such as vegetarian, low salt and low cholesterol should be made with Quark Expeditions in advance. However, we recommend that you contact the Hotel Manager once on board to reconfirm such requests. We regret that these, and any other special dietary needs, cannot be guaranteed. If you have any specific or special foods that you require we recommend that you take some with you. Kosher food cannot be prepared.

Laundry service is available on every ship. Costs are reasonable. Excess baggage charges will often exceed laundry charges, so we recommend that you pack fewer items and use the laundry service to refresh your wardrobe.

Quark Expeditions welcomes passengers age of 8 and above on all trips with a signed waiver by a parent prior to trip commencement. There are however some caveats and restrictions to be aware of:

Children on Ship-based trips

Quark Expeditions welcomes passengers age of 8 and above and under the age of 16 at time of travel with a signed waiver by a parent prior to commencement on any Quark Expeditions trip, provided they meet height and weight requirements (weight of 64lbs or 29kg and 48" or 1.2 m. tall). Children under 8 years old at the time of travel are not allowed to participate in the trip.

Children Ship-based Adventure Options

Adventure Options on ships are available for all persons over the age of 16. Children under the age of 16 are not allowed to participate in Adventure Options. Parents must be with children under the age of 16 at all times, so the parent’s participation in Adventure Options may be limited.

Quark Expeditions is profoundly committed to environmentally responsible tourism. Protecting the places we visit is necessary to ensure we can continue to introduce travelers to the spectacular beauty of the polar wilderness. Through Polar Promise, our comprehensive sustainability strategy framework, we’ve incorporated existing sustainability initiatives into a cohesive plan so we can identify where we can do better or do more.

“Quark Expeditions recognizes its responsibility to do more to protect these magnificent places,” says Andrew White, President of Quark Expeditions. “We want to go beyond reducing our footprint. We want to work with other leaders in the industry and with our guests to address the complex and challenging issues facing the polar regions.”

Our Polar Promise framework is made up of four pillars. Each addresses a different aspect of our business, our operations—and ultimately your journey.

Quark Expeditions aims to be the leader in responsible polar tourism, the ‘go-to’ operator for conscious travelers and the preferred partner of the world’s most responsible brands. As a polar-focused tourism operator, our sustainability principles are integral to every decision we make, whether it’s in the polar wilderness or in the places we work every day. We employ the best people in the industry and will lead the industry in the diversification of our workforce. We work to reduce our impact, catalyze change in the industry and help improve our suppliers’ operations.

We’re proud, long-time members in key industry organizations, such as the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators (AECO) and the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO). We adhere to these organizations’ stringent guidelines, which are designed to ensure the Polar Regions are protected for future generations.

When it comes to our footprint, the most substantial impact we can have is how we get you, our guest, to the remote Polar environments and how we preserve those majestic environments once we get there.

Quark Expeditions aims to reduce our carbon emissions per passenger by 10% through fleet improvements and changes in order to reduce our impact. We’re working with our supply chain to measure, report and reduce their emissions, and our office and field operations aim to reuse or recycle 100% of waste on Quark Expeditions-owned vessels.

In 2019, an analysis of our historical ship fuel consumption showed that we decreased emissions by 13% from the 5-year average emissions per passenger per day. The purpose of this analysis was to establish a baseline and to further reduce our Scope 1 carbon emissions.

In terms of waste, Quark Expeditions has taken steps to reduce the amount of waste we are sending to landfills, including avoiding single-use plastics and partnering in the SeaGreen recycling initiative in Ushuaia. We’re working towards a zero-waste plan on Quark Expeditions-owned vessels.

Quark Expeditions aims to be the leading expedition investor in outreach projects within the polar regions, working with a wide circumpolar network of scientists, community leaders, and sustainable innovators. Our goal is to contribute a minimum of $500,000 USD each year through in-kind donations, Quark Expeditions funding, and funds from passenger auctions in support of key polar environmental research, community engagement and sustainable development projects.

Nalunaiqsijiit, the Inuit Cruise Training Initiative, is a program dedicated to providing Nunavummiut with the qualifications and certifications required to work onboard expedition cruise ships, through in situ training and experience onboard ships. Quark Expeditions is excited to have hosted two Nalunaiqsijiit interns onboard Ocean Adventurer during the 2019 Arctic season, and have invited an additional four during the 2019/20 Antarctic Season.

Thanks to our guests’ support, proceeds from Quark Expeditions’ onboard auctions have contributed an average of $200,000 each year to organizations dedicated to polar environmental research, community engagement, and sustainable development projects.

Some of the organizations we’re supporting this year include the South Georgia Heritage Trust, Penguin Watch, Seabird Watch, and Polar Bears International.

Located on Decks 5 and 6, and approximately 355 sq. ft. (33 sq. m) in size, these cabins have one double or two single beds, and a 110 sq. ft. (10 sq. m) walk-out balcony with access from sitting room and bedroom. A separate sitting area with sofa, refrigerator, TV, state of the art “infotainment” system, and private bathroom with shower, dual vanity, and bathtub is also featured in each cabin.

Located on Decks 5 and 6, and approximately 278 sq. ft. (26 sq. m) in size, these cabins have one double or two single beds, and a 110 sq. ft. (10 sq. m) walk-out balcony with access from sitting room and bedroom. A separate sitting area with sofa, walk-in closet, refrigerator, TV, state of the art “infotainment” system, and private bathroom with shower is also featured in each cabin.

Located on Decks 5 and 6, and approximately 215 sq. ft. (20 sq. m) in size, these cabins have one double or two single beds, and a 55 sq. ft. (5 sq. m) walk-out balcony. A sitting area with sofa, refrigerator, TV, state of the art “infotainment” system, and private bathroom with shower is also featured in each cabin.

Located on Decks 5 and 6, and approximately 270 sq. ft. (25 sq. m) in size, these cabins have one double or two single beds, and a floor-to-ceiling glass French balcony. A sitting area with sofa, refrigerator, TV, state of the art “infotainment” system, and private bathroom with shower is also featured in each cabin.

Located on Deck 5, and approximately 334 sq. ft. (31 sq. m) in size, these cabins have one double or two single beds, and a 110 sq. ft. (10 sq. m) walk-out balcony with access from sitting room and bedroom. A separate sitting area with sofa, double closets, refrigerator, TV, state of the art “infotainment” system, and private bathroom with shower is also featured in each cabin.

Located on Deck 6, and approximately 242 sq. ft. (22.5 sq. m) in size, these cabins have one double or two single beds, and a 55 sq. ft. (5 sq. m) walk-out balcony. A separate combo sitting area/bedroom with a sofa bed and additional closet is around the corner, and a refrigerator, TV, state of the art “infotainment” system, and private bathroom with shower is also featured in each cabin.