Ocean Albatros

Is Ocean Albatros a good ship for Antarctica?

Yes, if you want a new X-Bow expedition ship at a mid-range fare. Ocean Albatros was delivered in 2023 as the flagship of Albatros Expeditions and now sails for Polar Latitudes Expeditions (PLX), which carries at most 175 guests on it, or 180 on some voyages.⁴⁶²⁸ Most cabins have a balcony, and there is a sauna, a spa and two outdoor hot tubs.¹

Its cheapest 2026-27 Antarctic fare on October 15, 2026 was $9,895 per person for three sharing a porthole Triple Stateroom on Antarctica's Whale Season, 11 days from Ushuaia starting March 18, 2027. A Superior Balcony Stateroom for two on the same trip was $13,195 each.¹⁴¹⁹ PLX lists 12 Antarctic departures for it between November 4, 2026 and March 18, 2027, more than for any other ship on its calendar, and every one is a round trip from Ushuaia across the Drake Passage.¹³¹⁸¹⁹

What happened to Albatros Expeditions, and who runs Ocean Albatros now?

Polar Latitudes Expeditions runs it. Albatros, part of Denmark's family-owned Albatros Group and running expeditions since 1986, operated the ship from delivery and said in April 2025 that it had become the sole owner; SunStone, which ordered the ship, lists it as sold in the first quarter of 2025.⁶⁵⁴ Albatros then merged into PLX for the 2026 Arctic season; the brand has been retired, and on October 15, 2026, albatros-expeditions.com redirected to polar-latitudes.com.⁷⁸⁹

PLX sells every departure, and Intrepid Travel resells some of them as Polar Latitudes voyages at the same Antarctic fares: the March 18, 2027 Whale Season triple was $9,895 on both sites.³⁹¹⁴ Old Albatros Expeditions reviews describe the same ship, but fares, inclusions and terms are now PLX's. IAATO counted 15 Antarctic voyages and 2,527 passengers on Ocean Albatros under the Albatros name in 2025-26; its April 2026 estimate for 2026-27 lists 14 voyages and 2,380 passengers under Polar Latitudes.¹⁰

What are Ocean Albatros's specs?

Ocean Albatros is 104.4 m (343 ft) long, the sixth of seven SunStone Infinity-class ships, built to Ulstein's CX103 X-Bow design with Polar Class 6 and 1A ice ratings.⁴²⁵ Capacity figures vary by who is counting:

Polar Class 6 means summer and autumn operation in medium first-year ice, in Transport Canada's definitions.¹² PLX credits its two diesel and two electric engines with a 50% lower carbon footprint than older expedition ships; we found no independent figure.¹

Which Ocean Albatros cabin should you book?

The Superior Balcony Stateroom is the default choice: 48 of the 92 cabins, 22 to 25 m² with sofa or sofa-bed options, and PLX says it has the widest availability on board.³¹ Here is every category in the 2027 deck plan, with per-person fares on a 12-day Antarctic trip and an 8-day Svalbard trip, read October 15, 2026:³¹⁴

Fares assume two to a cabin except Triples (three), Singles (one) and the Brynhilde Suite (four), and a few twin cabins may be sold to one person at 1.7 times the twin rate.¹⁸ The May 18 sale prices were 15% under the regular fares, with no end date shown (our arithmetic).¹⁴

French Balcony cabins on Deck 7 have floor-to-ceiling glass but no walk-out balcony, and Porthole cabins vary in size, so ask for the cabin number. Grand Balcony cabins can have assisted bathrooms. Suites add wine and fruit, a non-alcoholic minibar, laundry and an espresso machine.¹ Is a balcony worth it? See our balcony guide.

Is Ocean Albatros good for families?

Yes, for families with children of 12 or older: the Brynhilde Suite on Deck 7 is a 50 m² two-bedroom suite with a sofa bed, sold per person for four, and Superior Balcony cabins can connect on request.¹¹⁸ PLX's FAQ says children generally must be at least 12, with ages 7 to 11 accepted case by case after extra screening.¹⁷ The sister ship Ocean Victory has no family suite; its biggest cabin is a 42 m² Premium Suite.³⁶

Its price swings by date: $22,495 per person on March 18 and $25,695 on November 22.¹⁴ On the January 21 Antarctic Circle crossing, PLX's booking form showed $69,590, exactly double the $34,795 Intrepid listed for the same suite and departure, so ask PLX to confirm before you plan around it.²⁵⁴²

Is Ocean Albatros good for solo travelers?

Only if you book early or go north. The 2027 deck plan has six porthole Single Staterooms on Deck 3 and three French Balcony Singles on Deck 7.³¹ Across the eight 2026-27 Antarctic departures whose booking forms we read, the only single for sale was on March 18, 2027, at $14,895, against $9,895 for a shared triple berth.¹⁴²⁵

Taking a double cabin alone costs a 70% supplement. In the Balcony, Superior Balcony and Grand Balcony categories PLX will pair you with a guest of the same gender at no extra cost.¹ Singles were easier to find in the Arctic: $10,395 on the June 14, 2027 Svalbard Express, and on September 17, 2027 Complete East Greenland had nothing left except its singles, at $14,895.²⁹³³

How much does an Ocean Albatros Antarctic cruise cost in 2026-27?

From $9,895 per person for 11 days in a shared triple to $43,856 for 23 days in the Premium Suite. Each trip starts with a hotel night in Ushuaia, and fares here are the lowest for sale on October 15, 2026:^15131425

For a couple who want a balcony, the best price we found was $12,491 per person in a Superior Balcony Stateroom on the February 28 Explorer's Expedition, a sale fare (regular $14,695).¹⁴ PLX advertises its Explorer's Antarctica Sale at up to 30% off with no end date, takes a 20% non-refundable deposit, and does not cut your fare if prices fall after you pay it.²⁶³⁵

The 20- and 23-day trips add the Falkland Islands and four or five days at South Georgia, and the 23-day one also crosses the Antarctic Circle.²²²³ See how many days you need and our Antarctica trip cost guide.

What is included in an Ocean Albatros fare?

Antarctic fares cover a hotel night with breakfast in Ushuaia, transfers to the hotel and ship, meals, and house wine, beer and soft drinks at lunch and dinner (wine at dinner only). They also include a 1GB Wi-Fi card, an expedition jacket and an insulated puffer to keep, loaner boots, snowshoes, the polar plunge, Citizen Science and port fees.¹⁵ Flights, insurance and tips are extra. Insurance is compulsory, and PLX suggests $20 per guest per night for the crew.¹⁵¹⁷

Paid activities, per person:¹³

Camping runs on the Classic Voyages, the Extended trip and the January 21 crossing; on October 15, December 12 still had 11 places.¹³²⁴ See kayaking and camping in Antarctica.

Where does Ocean Albatros sail in the Arctic in 2027?

Mostly Svalbard: 10 departures from May 18 to September 28, 2027, three of the four trips with a compulsory flight package.¹³

Fares are from booking forms read October 15, 2026.^14293133 Count the flight package: a Svalbard Express porthole berth plus $1,000 came to $7,881 for seven days (our arithmetic). The May 25 departure from Longyearbyen is Mandarin-speaking and was listed from $7,436. PLX's other Svalbard ship, Discoverer, has no compulsory flight package.¹³¹⁶

Intrepid sells several of these departures with the flights built in. Its May 18 Svalbard triple was $8,895 from Oslo, exactly PLX's $7,895 plus the $1,000 package.⁴⁰¹⁴ For the September 17 Complete East Greenland, where PLX's own form had only singles left, Intrepid still listed a triple at $9,895, on request.⁴¹³³

Four Arctic Islands sails from Svalbard to Jan Mayen, whose Beerenberg PLX calls the world's northernmost volcano, then to Ittoqqortoormiit and Scoresby Sund in Greenland.³⁰ Where there may be polar bears, armed guides go ashore with every group.¹⁷ Arctic fares include house drinks at lunch and dinner from 2027 but no hotel night, and PLX recommends tips of $20 per person per day.¹⁶¹ Compare ships in our Svalbard cruise guide.

How many guests go ashore at once?

Expect about half the ship at a time in Antarctica. IAATO allows no more than 100 visitors ashore at one site at once, not counting guides and landing crew, and Ocean Albatros carries up to 175 guests, or 180 on some voyages.¹¹² It sailed nearly full in 2025-26, averaging about 168 passengers on each of its 15 Antarctic voyages (our arithmetic from IAATO's totals).¹⁰

The 18 Zodiacs load from Deck 3, where the deck plan marks Zodiac embarkation on both sides of the ship.²³ See small vs large expedition ships and Antarctica's visitor rules.

How does Ocean Albatros compare with its sister ships?

It costs much less than Aurora's sister ships and has extras its closest sister lacks. SunStone's Infinity class also includes Greg Mortimer, Ocean Explorer, Sylvia Earle, Douglas Mawson, the last of seven, and Ocean Victory, its closest sister.³⁷³⁸⁵ Its $9,895 Whale Season triple works out to about $900 a day; Aurora's 11-day Spirit of Antarctica on Douglas Mawson was $17,096 for a triple berth on February 27, 2027, after up to 10% off.¹⁴³⁴ The two fares cover different extras, so set the lists side by side. Against Ocean Victory, the same design under the same operator, Ocean Albatros adds the two-bedroom family suite and a panorama sauna, and it has twice the Antarctic program, 12 departures in 2026-27 against six.¹³³⁶¹³

Does the X-Bow make the Drake Passage easier?

It may, but we found no independent measurement for this ship. Ulstein says the X-Bow hull cuts pitch and heave accelerations and speed loss in waves, and PLX promises a smoother ride.⁵¹ On the 11-day trips you spend days 3 and 4, then 9 and 10, crossing the Drake.¹⁹ Read Drake Passage seasickness and whether to fly or sail the Drake; PLX offers no fly option on this ship in 2026-27.¹³

For the operator's other ships and terms, see our Polar Latitudes review and how to choose an Antarctica cruise.