Cruise Routes Reviews 

Kasey organised everything for us and answered all our questions. She found us an amazing holiday of a lifetime that we would never have considered if Kasey hadn’t sourced it.

From start to finish Kasey and the team organised and supported us both on an excellent expedition to Antarctica.

We absolutely loved our trip on board the Stockholm. Everything was perfect; the guides, the food, the atmosphere, the accommodation and especially the whales! We were fortunate enough to see Orcas, Humpback and Fin. Three evenings we also saw the most spectacular Northern Lights.
We were captivated by the whole experience and are eagerly looking forward to our next Artic or Antarctic adventure. Thank you to Charlie in particular at Polar Routes for your help booking the trip.
I hope we can use you again next time to book our trip, thank you.

We had booked an expedition cruise through Polar Routes to Greenland and the Northwest Passage which unfortunately was cancelled by the cruise operator at relatively short notice. James and the team at Polar Routes did an amazing job at finding an alternative for us. We ended going with Swan Hellenic, a relatively new player in market that we weren't even aware of when we originally planned our trip. This turned out to be a great move as the expedition, the ship and the crew were fantastic. As well as pulling this all together with only weeks to go, Polar Routes managed to negotiate an excellent price for us. Victory clutched from the jaws of defeat! We will be back with Polar routes for our next polar adventure.

We recently went on a 9 day Quark Expedition trip on the Ocean Adventurer to Svalbard followed by a couple of days relaxing in Helsinki at the end of our trip. All was organised by the excellent Lucy at Polar Routes. We had fantastic personal service from Lucy who provided excellent and responsive advice on our options during the booking process and updated us regularly after booking. This was our first time doing a trip of this nature and Lucy put us at ease and made it very straightforward. Her recommendations for Quark as the best option for our interests were spot on - the whole crew and expedition team couldn’t be faulted and the experience in the Arctic was second to none. We would have no hesitation in using Polar Routes in the future and have already recommended them to friends

My wife and I recently returned from a Quark expedition cruise to Svalbard .This was organised by Polar routes a firm we had not used previously but came highly recommended by a good friend who had used them several times.
Our main contact at Polar Routes was Lucy who was excellent throughout keeping us well informed and answering the many questions we had. In a nutshell we couldn’t fault Lucy or the other staff at Polar we occasionally dealt with.
We would certainly have no hesitation in using them again in the future

We booked this trip through Polar Routes. Their excellent professional service was equalled by the friendly caring approach displayed throughout by Kayley, James and in particular Lucy. We also would like to commend Poseidon Expeditions. The expedition team led by Aaron were totally passionate about their particular fields. They also wanted their clients to have the best experience possible and to gain knowledge about the Polar regions. The hospitality team on board MV Sea Spirit also deserve great credit. We would highly recommend both Polar Routes and Poseidon Expeditions for a once in a lifetime experience.

Polar Routes were excellent in helping us with our booking which had to be delayed because of Covid. I can highly recommend them for giving us excellent advice on booking our suite on the Silver Seas Silver Wind ship. The ship was first class, the food amazing and the staff excellent. Our six week trip to Antarctica was magical and helped by the excellent expedition staff. South Georgia was amazing too and our visit to the Falklands impeccable. Polar Routes were more than helpful with all our queries and we can highly recommend them.

Polar routs arranged the most amazing holiday to South America and the Antarctic for us. From the initial contact form Lucy, to discus our plans, to the finish everything was perfect.
We cannot thank Lucy enough for her time, help and patience in booking the trip, her knowledge of the area and trips is outstanding.
contacting us to wish us well before we went, and again on our return to see how things went was amazing.
cannot recommend this company highly enough.
Thank you for the trip of a lifetime.

Having tried to figure out the minefield of Antarctica cruise providers independently, I had almost given up my dream of going to the 7th continent. There are so many providers and most, if not all, are not UK based which only makes things more daunting for such an expensive experience.

Additionally there was the worry of having to book cruise, hotel, and flights separately. In the event that something was cancelled or postponed I would either have to reorganise things myself or potentially lose money.

Speaking to Lucy at Polar Routes suddenly made everything very simple. It was so reassuring to speak to somebody who's actually been there multiple times and could provide good advice based upon personal experience.

They took care of the cruise, flights, various hotels, and airport transfers. Despite the many different moving parts everything came together perfectly and there was no need to worry about anything whilst we were away.

It was a fantastic trip, none of which I would have experienced had Lucy not taken charge of it all and given me the confidence to take the leap.

Thank you!

Everything worked exactly as planned. We had excellent advice about adding the Iguazu Falls prior to our cruise to the Antarctica. Choice of hotels was perfect and James was readily available for any questions that we had.
Thank you for a perfect holiday.

From start to finish this was exemplary. Nothing went awry and every effort was made to ensure that this trip was amazing. I can find no fault with anything except the Penguins are very smelly! Recommend.

A journey of a lifetime to the Antarctic with Ponant and second time lucky due to Covid. Polar Routes, and in particular James Townsend, were outstanding; patient, professional and exceptionally helpful throughout the booking period and during the cruise with advice on a well worth five day stay in Buenos Aires pre the trip. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend and will be using them again. Ponant, the cruise company, also highly recommended and I doubt one can better the combination of Polar Routes and Ponant. To a person, in both companies, totally exceptional and I’m very particular.

Polar Routes provided a truly magnificent trip to South America and Antarctica for us in January 2023. Originally planned for pre-covid times it was three years in the waiting and making. Nothing was too much trouble, with great advice and guidance from James as we navigated changes in covid rules, restrictions and changes in flights. We had the most fabulous and memorable trip to Rio de Janeiro, Iguassu Falls, Buenos Aires, Santiago and a stunning expedition cruise to Antarctica. Finally, due to a medical emergency at the end, they pulled out the stops to make flight changes and assist us at the very last minute before we returned home. I cannot praise the service and attention we have received more highly. Thank You!

The warmth, courtesy, professionalism, diligence of the staff at the Destinations show in Feb 2023 and subsequently even more so by Ms Kasey Green was outstanding. Potential customers, if you choose this company, you will not be disappointed. First class!

I booked my recent Antarctica trip with Polar Routes nearly 3 and a half years ago. During this time due to Covid the trip was cancelled twice. Polar Routes have been excellent at keeping me informed about what was happening and what to do during these difficult times. When I finally got to Antarctica it was as magical as I’d imagined.

We had amazing time exploring Antarctica with Ponant. Lucy Yeoman from Polar routes was excellent in guiding us plan the expedition and was very patient with us as we had several questions. It is no doubt polar routes is the best in arranging expeditions. Thanks a lot. 😊

Going on my dream trip to the Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica was made very simple by the team at Polar Routes. When choosing which expedition company to travel with - a number of options were presented and the teams knowledge invaluable in helping make the right choices for me. Booked pre covid, then delayed - we kept in touch and worked through the challenges the situation threw at us. When it came to travel - the Polar Routes travel app was excellent and the envy of some of my fellow travellers, everything was seamless. I am already saving for my next adventure

James at Polar Routes looked after my whole booking from start to finish recommending Hapag Lloyd for my Antarctic expedition cruise. I was a single traveller and he found me a deal without a single supplement which made a big difference. James then sourced flights - and patiently rearranged them when I had worries about allowing enough time. (You should veer on the side of caution allowing probably an extra day when booking flights pre antarctic cruise - some guests only just made the cruise, but their bags didn't due a mega storm on arrival in S America)
The cruise itself was just amazing. It exceeded all my expectations. The Hanseatic Inspiration was luxurious and super comfortable with delicious food options. The landings and zodiac cruises (2 a day for all passengers) were very safely coordinated and when conditions were wrong, the crew went out of their way to find safe alternatives. The experts on board were good enough and the managing of the dual language worked well - at times we felt a bit forgotton, but it was never a problem. There were 173 guests and 175 crew on board so we were well looked after. Only about 30 of the guests were on the English language option. Virtually all the crew spoke English including the cabin staff.
The dress code was generally informal and so although it was a luxury cruise, formal attire was not needed - a couple of smarter items was sufficient.

The Hanseatic Inspiration was a very stable ship and we had a number of days of GF7 with up to 4m waves and whilst it was a tad uncomfortable, I was never unwell so dont let fear of bad weather put you off (I am not generally a good sailor)

Hapag Lloyd took their responsibilites as members of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators extremely seriously to ensure as little damage as possible is done to this fascintating but fragile ecosystem. Major concern at the moment is the potential impact should bird flu cross into the southern hemisphere.
I would thoroughly recommend the expedition size cruise (less than 200 people) as only 100 people are allowed on Antartica at any one time, so the bigger cruise ships wont have as many landing opportunties.

Best company I’ve ever booked with ! I’ve just returned from a trip to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antartica with Quark Expeditions, truly wonderful. We could have booked through different companies but chose Polar Routes because of Lucy’s vast polar knowledge, enthusiasm and outstanding customer care. Thank goodness we did ! …..Lucy was brilliant in rebooking (more than once ! ) our trip through difficult Covid times. Everything was dealt with so professionally and Lucy was just a joy to speak to, it was great to have that personal touch. I had complete confidence that everything would be sorted and that proved to be the case. I was so impressed I’ve booked another trip, through Lucy, to the Artic in June ! If you’re thinking of travelling to the polar regions, do it ! …… I can highly recommend booking through Polar Routes