Cruise Routes Reviews 

Exceptionally friendly and helpful service, expert advice, very professional, and good attention to detail. Excellent knowledge on the various products and services offered. Good and prompt communication throughout the process, and excellent handling of all the covid delays. Undoubtedly the best travel company I have dealt with. It was a pleasure to deal with them. Thank you Lucy and James.

I asked for a very bespoke trip involving travel around South America, including Easter Island, and Antarctica. The expert knowledge and personal attention were outstanding. Despite continued changes from airlines, completely out of Polar Routes control, everything was worked out to keep the complex itinerary in order. The trip turned out to be out of this world with all arrangements going like clockwork. I highly recommend this company and wouldn't hesitate to use again.

My wife and I had undertaken polar voyages before but this was the first time we used Polar Routes for an expedition to Greenland. James Townsend was exceptionally helpful right from the start. We made our booking at the very beginning of the Covid pandemic and were concerned about Covid protection in the event that the sailing would not be able to go ahead.

On the advice of James we opted for Aurora Expeditions which was a new expedition company for us. We were keen to get a genuine 'expedition' experience, and it quickly became evident that James really does know the companies that Polar Routes offers.

James assured us that Aurora had the right 'ethic' and he was spot-on. The subsequent expedition which we took two years after booking, in July 2022, was outstanding.

We also wanted to add on some extras to our trip in the form of an exploration of Iceland and a family visit to the United States. Again James was exceptionally helpful and made all the arrangements; subsequently everything worked like clockwork.

In the run-up to the departure we had difficulties with an airline strike in Scandinavia which could have placed the whole expedition at risk. Again James was very focused and in liaison with Aurora ensured that we arrived on time in Svalbard for our embarkation.

All in all we have nothing but praise for James and Polar Routes. The service we received was outstanding and we are in the process of making a new booking with Polar Routes. We think that says it all!

We used Polar Routes for a complicated trip to Greenland and then on through the North West Passage. COVID 19 intervened to make life more complicated, as did logistic problems with the boat we were on. Throughout the process we had an amazing personal service, always focused on delivering the best possible experience for us. I have travelled to the polar regions a good number of times and understand the complexity of delivering these trips. James at Polar Routes has been outstanding and I have no hesitation that I would use them again myself and complete confidence in recommending them to others.

We have just returned from a trip to Svalbard and Eastern Greenland on an Aurora cruise and have had a wonderful trip. Polar Routes provided us with excellent advice on the range and type of cruise available before we decided to go with Aurora and then organised all the arrangements for the holiday. This included an additional land-based stay in Iceland. All aspects of the trip worked well and the organisation from Polar Routes was impeccable.

In difficult times you need a cool head and a steady hand to deliver a brilliant trip. We had airline complications, usual Covid stuff and a major cruise provider all making our Arctic trip tricky. Throughout Lucy Yeoman at Polar Routes took us through many challenges ( None caused by Polar Routes) and delivered us a fabulous experience. Lucy never faltered in her help to us and combined with her fantastic knowledge of the area and the cruise providers we incredibly lucky to have her with us all the way. Thank you.

What a remarkable adventure! From the point of booking, during the trip and even on return to check how it went, Lucy was so attentive and professional. Lucy's knowledge and specialist polar experience gave great peace of mind that my trip to the Arctic was going to be special and it completely exceeded my expectations. Any delays or issues, outside of their control, the Polar Routes team dealt with efficiently and thoroughly. I would definitely recommend Polar Routes and Lucy especially to anyone who has thought about going on a Polar expedition, my advice to anyone who has dreamt about or considered going to the Arctic or Antarctica, just do it! It's such an incredible experience that will make you want to plan the next trip as soon as you're back. Thank you Lucy and all at Polar Routes.

Superb support from first enquiry call through to embarkation. Breadth and depth of knowledge is impressive with a clear focus on understanding what each individual is looking for. The best travel solutions, carefully thought through with detailed planning to provide a seamless , memorable experience .
Lucy is quite simply.... amazing !

Excellent service. Travel can be difficult at this present time with Covid and airline strikes and our trip to the Arctic was in jeopardy many times but thanks to Lucy Yeomans who solved every problem ( none caused by Polar Routes) along the way we had a remarkable trip of a lifetime. I would recommend them totally.
Thank you Lucy.

We booked an Arctic expedition via this company. I found them very professional, helpful and responsive. They researched alternatives at the query stage and came up with an option which worked very well for us. I wish to make special mention for Lucy, who has been very helpful throughout. We will definitely consider them using again to book a special holiday.

My wife and I have just returned from a 12 day cruise around Svalbad with Quark Expeditions aboard their new flagship Ultramarine. This trip was booked through Polar Routes in 2019 for June 2020 but due to COVID restrictions we had to wait until 2022 to fulfill our dream. I would like to thank the staff at Polar Routes (especially James Townsend ) for their patience and dedication in ensuring we eventually sailed the polar seas,stood on the polar ice cap and enjoyed the sights,smells,mystical atmosphere and wildlife of this magical archipelago.The team at Polar Routes were inspiring, professional and knowledgeable, steering and reassuring us throughout the protracted booking process.
The Ultramarine crew, hotel staff and expedition team at Quark exceeded our expectations by delivering first class care and attention at all times allowing my wife to realise her dream of seeing polar bears and ice bergs.
It has raised the bar on holiday experiences. I cannot praise Polar Routes and Quark highly enough. We will treasure the memory forever. Bravo!!!!!

Bob and Deborah Walters

Fantastic company to book your polar holidays. The agents were really helpful and listened to our preferences and worked hard to find the right package. Nothing was too much trouble and they spent a lot of time with us answering questions, giving advice and guidance. Started out looking to book one holiday to Antartica and ended booking two at the same time (Antartica and Arctic)!!

I've just returned from an amazing trip to Svalbard which I booked through Polar Routes. I genuinely don't think I'll ever top this.

In terms of the trip itself - I've obsessed about visiting Svalbard - so I had truly high expectations all of which were exceeded. Svalbard is incredible and every day of my trip was spent gazing at spectacularly beautiful and haunting wildness and doing activities I've never done before. It's stunning, interesting, full of history and like nothing I've ever experienced. I encourage you to go - it will change your perspectives.

As for my experience of Polar Routes - I honestly can't imagine better service or support. From the initial contact I dealt with the same person (Lucy) who listened to what I wanted to experience, gave brilliant advice about when and where and how to visit and was endlessly patient and flexible about incorporating additional changes and add-ons to our itinerary. With every contact Lucy conveyed a real passion for Polar regions, lots of knowledge and a commitment to ensuring that we had an amazing trip that delivered what we wanted - even to the point of recommending books to read to fire our imaginations more.

Polar Routes took care of all our bookings, advised on activities and put together a fantastic itinerary that squeezed every drop of experience from our time in Svalbard. Communication was brilliant throughout and supported by a fantastic personalised app which kept all information we needed really accessible throughout the trip.
In terms of expertise, client care, passion and interest and all round effectiveness and efficiency I cannot recommend Polar Routes enough. I'd give them 10 stars if I could!!

We had an amazing experience in Antarctica. Lucy at Polar Routes gave us very good advice about which trip to take and it was exactly what we wanted.

I'm a biologist and wanted to see Antarctica and South Georgia and I knew it would be a once in a lifetime trip (i.e. expensive) so I wanted to make sure I got it right. So I attended the 'destinations' show in London and spoke to several tour operators - but Jay Turner at Polar Routes was the stand-out, knowledgeable person that I connected with. He spend almost 3 hours talking to me and helped me refine exactly what I was looking for. I wanted small group landings, expert biology knowledge, and an open bridge policy. He advised we went on the Greg Mortimer with Aurora expeditions. 3 years later (delayed due to covid) we have just returned and it was simply an incredible experience. As others will tell you the ship is lovely - ship, food and ship's crew are great. There were 15 people in the expedition team - an incredible range of skills. Dr John Kirkwood and Dr Annette Scheffer were the 2 marine biologist on board - is there nothing these two don't know! Prior to the trip I wasn't really bothered about the history and the whole Shackleton thing - but Steve Martin was funny, knowlegeable, and made the history really come alive. No wonder he has had 23 years with Aurora. The Expedition Leader (Ashley Perrin) has clearly lived and worked on the continent for years and I suspect it was her expert knowledge which meant that we were able to get to some places that others wouldn't have got to. And when the weather wasn't playing ball, she ensured we all still managed to get a great experience. The whole expedition team were fresh and excited about each location, explained things in the detail I was looking for, and with genuine enthusiasm.
The covid precautions on board were simple, effective and sensible and didn't impact the holiday too much once we were on board. (Alas the ship now has to have a closed bridge policy - but we deemed this a sensible precaution.)

Polar routes were incredible - as I said Jay Turner gave his time and experitise freely. Jay moved on to work for Aurora about a year ago and we were then looked after by Lucy Yeoman at Polar Routes who was amazing. Obviously the cruise we had initially booked was cancelled because of covid so Lucy explained our options clearly, handled all our questions with immense patience, made sure we were clear on the covid hoops we had to jump through, and really looked after us. She was genuinely trying to get the best for us.
If I win the lottery, I would definately want to return to Antarctica and SG and the Falklands - I wouldn't look elsewhere - I would definately pick Aurora expeditions and the Greg Mortimer or the new sister ship soon to be launched. And I would be on the phone to Lucy at Polar Routes to book it!!

Polar Routes are excellent in providing information on all Polar Expeditions, the staff are all knowledgeable, helpful, accommodating and friendly. They answer emails and telephones promptly and reply to emails and telephone calls quickly. They provide the type of service beyond your average agent and know their subject. I would highly recommend them for your next Polar Expedition.

I don’t normally do reviews, but was so impressed with the service I received, felt duty bound to do so on this occasion. All my queries were answered immediately and I was dealt with efficiently and in a professional manner throughout. Special mention to Lucy Yeoman. It was an exceptional service and took all the stress out of organising the trip. I would not hesitate to recommend Polar Routes in arranging and organising your holiday and will most certainly be using them again.

The experience with this company has put me off Cruises, booked and paid for a once in a lifetime trip to the Antarctic only to have it cancelled a week before travelling, The refund came over two months in two payments.

A wonderful once in a lifetime holiday organized by James at Polar Routes who was so helpful in guiding us through the booking process and finding the best holiday to suit us. Would definitely recommend Polar Routes as they are prepared to spend the time to explain all the detail and options in what is a very different holiday

We recently returned from the most amazing expedition cruise to Antarctica (Feb/March 2022) with Albatros Expeditions. This was a magical experience to the world’s last true wilderness. The expedition surpassed all our expectations, visiting South Shetlands, Antarctic Peninsula, South Orkneys, South Georgia and the Falklands. The in-depth knowledge of our Expedition Leader/ Guides ensured that at all times on ship, in the Zodiacs and on the landings we were safe and fully briefed on the environment, wildlife and history of the area.

Our expedition was organised through Polar Routes Tour Specialist, Lucy, who provided an exceptional level of service.
Her infectious enthusiasm and personal knowledge of Antarctica ensured that we selected an expedition cruise that met all our wish lists, at the right price.
Due to the pandemic our original departure date in 2021 had to be cancelled but we were kept fully informed of the changes / various health requirements and supported throughout the whole process. All our many questions were answered promptly, with great patience and good humour.
When we finally got to travel to Antarctica all the arrangements put in place for our outbound and return journeys worked like clockwork.

I highly recommend Polar Routes and Albatros Expeditions to future travellers to Antarctica and wouldn’t hesitate to use them again.