Before You Sail · Antarctica, December 21, 2027 – January 7, 2028
This voyage does not land passengers in Antarctica. That is a rule, not a choice, and you should understand it before you book.
The 500-passenger rule
Vessels carrying more than 500 passengers are not permitted to land anyone in Antarctica.
The standard came from the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators. The Antarctic Treaty nations adopted it as Measure 15 in 2009, on the landing of persons from passenger vessels.
Related limits apply to the ships that are allowed to land. No more than 100 people ashore at one site at one time. A guide-to-visitor ratio no higher than one to twenty. Only one vessel at a site at a time.
The Majestic Princess carries about 3,560 guests. She is a cruise-only vessel in Antarctic waters.
What that rules out
No Zodiac boats. No shore landings. No standing in a penguin colony. No kayaking, no camping, no polar plunge.
Anyone who wants those things should book a small expedition ship instead. They carry under 200 passengers, they land people, and they cost roughly three times as much.
What this voyage actually does
The ship spends four days along the Antarctic Peninsula, December 29 through January 1.
During those days she navigates among icebergs, along glacier fronts, and through channels between the peninsula and the offshore islands. Speed drops. On calm days the captain can hold the ship nearly still in the ice.
You watch from the open decks, from the enclosed viewing areas, and from your own balcony if you have one.
What you can expect to see
Icebergs, including tabular bergs calved from ice shelves. Glaciers running down to the water. Mountains coming straight up out of the sea.
Whales, most often humpbacks, feeding in the peninsula waters in December and January.
Penguins in the water and on floating ice, seen from the ship rather than up close. Seals on ice floes. Seabirds behind the ship all day.
Which trip you are buying
A small ship puts you on the ground in Antarctica for an hour at a time, and charges accordingly.
This ship puts you alongside Antarctica for four days, in a warm cabin, at about a third of the price. It also crosses the Drake twice on a stabilized hull.
Those are different trips. Choose the one you actually want.
