What was your most recent expedition cruise?  February/March 2025 we joined Aurora Expeditions in Ushuaia, Argentina, for their “Across the Antarctic Circle” cruise, and booked the Sea Kayaking option at the same time as booking the cruise.

What were some of the stand out moments on the cruise?  This cruise exceeded our expectations in every way.  The expedition team, the ships’ crew, the ship (Greg Mortimer), the activities, landings and lectures, food, cabin and the Antarctic environment were all exceptional. 

Stand Out moments included:– ice breaking in the ship through sheet ice;  Sea Kayaking surrounded by icebergs, whales, seals and penguins in blue sea with blue skies; ice breaking in the sea kayaks; doing the polar plunge!

What are some of your favourite cruise lines to travel with and why?  We have only done two cruises so I can’t really comment on a favourite, especially as they were so different.  One was in Fiji with Blue Lagoon cruises, and the second in Antarctica with Aurora Expeditions.  Both cruises were booked through our agent, Kay, at YOU Travel Bethlehem and were excellent. 

What are your tips for choosing the best suite / cabin?  We had never cruised before so took the advice of our amazing YOU Travel agent and our cabin was near perfect – centre of the ship with a balcony.

What are your suggestions for maximizing your onboard experience with an expedition cruise?  Just do it!  You will only regret the things that you don’t do, so give everything a go.  Meet as many people as you can while onboard, you may make new lifelong friends.  Listen to as many of the lectures onboard as you can, you will learn heaps.  Do a little research before you leave on what interests you – the environment, wildlife, geology and history.  Read some biographies from early explorers to the area as it gives more impact and WOW factor when you see what they had to cope with and how they overcame massive obstacles in very inhospitable environments.   

What’s your top packing tip for an expedition cruise?  We used packing cubes and these worked really well.  The cupboards for clothes was not very deep so packing cubes made it easy to keep clothes sorted and in place if it got a bit rough. Don’t overpack, Antarctica was not as cold as we had expected and onboard the ship was cosy and warm.

What cruise would you love to do in the future and why?  Probably Alaska.  We like to be able to get off the ship and explore, see different wildlife and landscapes, and do some adventuring.  I think Alaska would most likely tick those boxes for us.

Why should you book a cruise through YOU Travel rather than direct?  As a YOU Travel client, your Agent will get to know you and learn your travel preferences.  Our cruise to Antarctica was a perfect match for our travel style thanks to Kay, our Agent.  If we had attempted to find and book a cruise ourselves, I doubt we would have got the right cruise for our needs.  The YOU Travel team have usually got first hand experience of the cruise and cruise lines and can offer excellent advice.  Their experience also means they know the tips and tricks of arrival and departure from the cruise point of departure, other activities in the area, and build your flights, accommodation and activities around what suits you best.