Ultramarine

Is Ultramarine a good ship for Antarctica?

Yes, if you want helicopters: Ultramarine is the largest ship of Quark Expeditions, a 199-guest polar expedition ship that carries two twin-engine Airbus H145 helicopters, which no other ship in Quark's fleet does.¹⁵ If you do not care about flying, a ship of 100 guests or fewer can land everyone at once under IAATO rules, and Quark's own Ocean Explorer is cheaper from Ushuaia (see the comparison below).⁶⁷ Quark took ownership on April 1, 2021, at the Brodosplit shipyard in Split, Croatia, after what it called more than five years of work, and the ship sailed its first voyage in December 2021.⁴⁵ It is registered in the Marshall Islands.¹

The helicopters are what make Quark's Snow Hill emperor penguin voyage and its helicopter-focused Antarctic itineraries possible.⁹¹⁰ Outside those trips, Ultramarine runs the same landings and Zodiac cruising as any other expedition ship, with more guests to rotate through them.

How big is Ultramarine, and what are its specs?

Ultramarine is 128 m (420 ft) long with ice class 1A+ and PC6, and it carries 199 guests and 140 staff and crew.¹ Quark's published figures:

The stabilizer, tonnage and dynamic positioning figures come from Quark's pre-launch brochure, whose pictures are marked as artist renderings; the current ship page does not repeat them.³ Quark also states that a waste-to-energy gasification system (MAGS) treats waste on board.¹

How does a 199-guest ship affect landings?

It means you go ashore in shifts. IAATO, the Antarctic operators' association, allows no more than 100 visitors ashore at one site at a time (fewer where a site's guideline says so), requires at least one guiding staff member per 20 visitors, and keeps to one ship per site.⁶ With 199 guests, Ultramarine sits at the top of IAATO's 13 to 200 passenger category, so a full ship needs at least two rotations at every landing.⁶

Quark says the internal hangar and four embarkation points let guests get off the ship in half the time of other vessels.¹ We cannot test that claim, but faster Zodiac loading would shorten the wait between rotations. On the Emperor Penguin Quest, Quark sails Ultramarine with 150 guests and one expedition team member for every four of them.⁹

What do Ultramarine's helicopters do, and where can't they fly?

On most Antarctic voyages they give each guest one short scenic flight; on the helicopter itineraries they add more flights and a landing; on the emperor trip they carry guests toward the colony. The details by trip:

• Antarctic Explorer: one 10- to 15-minute flightseeing flight, weather and logistics permitting.⁸
• Antarctica by Helicopter: Crossing the Circle: two 10- to 15-minute flightseeing flights and one heli-landing.¹⁰
• Antarctica By Helicopter: Icebergs, Mountains and Remote Lands: the page promises at least two flightseeing flights and one heli-landing in its highlights, but its list of inclusions names only one flight.¹¹
• Emperor Penguin Quest: the helicopters carry guests toward the Snow Hill colony once the ice stops the ship. The page's overview says two flightseeing flights and a heli-landing are included, while its list of inclusions names one flight.⁹ In late 2023 Ultramarine got within 20 nautical miles of Snow Hill Island, small groups flew to a staging site well away from the colony, and every guest walked well over a mile (several kilometers) over the sea ice; Quark reported 208 guests landed on two voyages.¹²
• Antarctic Explorer and Epic Antarctica: an Exclusive Heli-Landing can be added for $995 per person.⁷

The limits matter as much as the flights. Helicopters do not operate on Ultramarine's Svalbard and Spitsbergen voyages, and Quark's ship book says helicopter operations are not permitted in South Georgia either.¹² They do fly on the ship's later Arctic voyages: flightseeing is listed as included on its 2027 Iceland, Greenland and Northwest Passage trips.⁷ The pilot in command decides whether to fly, no day or time is guaranteed, and the ship book warns that "it may take six hours for 100 people to make a 20-minute helicopter flight inland."² If weather closes in, guests can be left ashore or on the ice for hours, so the team sets up a base camp tent and you are told to carry extra layers and water.²

Which Ultramarine cabin should you book?

For most couples the Explorer Suite is the value pick: at 285 sq ft (26.5 m²) it has more indoor space than the Balcony Suite, for less money.²⁷ Fares below are per person on the March 10, 2027 Antarctic Explorer, Ultramarine's cheapest Antarctic departure of the season:

Cabin sizes, balconies and counts are from Quark's ship book. Its two cabin tables disagree on the Explorer Suite count (31 in one, 30 in the other); we use 30 because only that figure adds up to the 102 suites Quark states for the ship.²⁵

A balcony costs $1,700 more per person than an Explorer Suite on that sailing, and the ship book warns that balcony doors may be locked on sea days and in bad weather; the balconies of suites 421 to 424 are partly enclosed.²⁷ Weigh that against the open deck that wraps around Deck 5.¹ Our balcony guide covers the trade-off in general.

Two more details: Explorer Suites 319 and 322 have layouts and bathrooms modified for wheelchair users, and Wi-Fi is complimentary in every category up to Deluxe Balcony, with priority Wi-Fi from Terrace Suite up.²

How much does an Ultramarine voyage cost?

Ultramarine's 2026-27 Antarctic voyages start from $15,590 per person for 12 days, and its 2027 Svalbard voyages from $8,590 for 8 days.⁷ Lowest brochure fares, per person in USD, read October 14, 2026:

Ultramarine's other itineraries (Essential Patagonia, Scotland to Spitsbergen, Iceland Circumnavigation, South Greenland, the Northwest Passage and Greenland to Newfoundland) run 12 to 17 days from $15,690 to $24,190.⁷

Every Antarctic fare on Ultramarine starts in Buenos Aires and includes a hotel night there plus the charter flight to Ushuaia and back, which Quark values at $1,295.⁸ The Svalbard fares include a private charter from Helsinki to Longyearbyen and airport hotel nights, valued at $1,495.¹⁸ Several of the lowest triple fares above were already sold out, and every departure showed a promo code of 5% to 20% that we have not applied.⁷ For the whole budget, see what an Antarctica trip costs.

What is included on Ultramarine, and what costs extra?

Meals, landings, Zodiac cruising, presentations, an expedition parka to keep and boots on loan are included.⁸ Drinks are worded differently from page to page: the ship book and the Antarctic Explorer page include spirits at the bar, while the emperor, helicopter and Epic Antarctica pages list only select beer, wines and cocktails during bar hours and dinner.^2891017 Quark's citizen science program, Science and Discovery, runs on Ultramarine.⁵ On Ultramarine's Antarctic Explorer and Epic Antarctica, the paid add-ons are sea kayaking ($1,995), guided photography ($1,595), the Exclusive Heli-Landing ($995), a paddling excursion ($395), stand-up paddleboarding ($295) and a Tierra del Fuego National Park tour ($250).⁷ The two helicopter itineraries sell only guided photography and the Tierra del Fuego tour, and the emperor trip only the tour.⁷ Camping is not offered on Ultramarine in Antarctica.⁷ In Svalbard in 2027, kayaking is $1,795, paddling $295 and guided photography $1,395.⁷

Where does Ultramarine sail?

Ultramarine sails in Antarctica from early November 2026 to late March 2027 and in the Arctic from May to September 2027.⁷ In 2026-27 every Antarctic trip starts with a charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, where the ship sails across the Drake Passage to the Antarctic Peninsula; one voyage goes via the Falklands and South Georgia. The season ends with a Patagonia voyage from March 20 to April 3, 2027, which finishes in Santiago, Chile.⁷⁸ Its 2027 Arctic season opens with a voyage from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Spitsbergen on May 2 (ending in Helsinki), runs Svalbard voyages from Helsinki through mid-July, and moves to Iceland, Greenland and the Northwest Passage from Reykjavik in late July through September.⁷ Svalbard in Summer allows seven full expedition days in the archipelago, routed day by day around the sea ice.¹⁸

How does Ultramarine compare with similar polar ships?

Ultramarine carries the most guests of these five ships, and it is the only one in Quark's fleet with helicopters.¹⁵

Within Quark, Ocean Explorer is the cheaper and smaller choice for a classic Peninsula trip from Ushuaia, with an X-Bow hull and verandas on almost all cabins, but no helicopters.¹³⁵⁷ World Voyager has all-balcony suites and runs the fly-the-Drake trips from Punta Arenas.¹⁴⁷ Outside Quark, Lindblad's National Geographic Endurance carries 138 guests with a PC5 rating and X-Bow, and Oceanwide's Hondius carries 170 with PC6.¹⁵¹⁶ For a side-by-side of the two lines, read Quark vs Lindblad.

Who should choose Ultramarine, and who should skip it?

Choose Ultramarine if helicopters are the point: it is the only way to fly with Quark, it runs the Snow Hill emperor trips, and every Antarctic voyage includes at least one flight when weather allows.^589101117 It suits couples who want a roomy entry-level suite, and solo travelers have two routes: one of six Solo Panorama cabins ($27,090 on the March 10, 2027 sailing, sold out when we checked) or a bed in a shared Explorer Triple, which Quark offers to solo guests willing to room with travelers of the same gender ($15,590 on that sailing).²¹⁷

Skip it if you want to land with a small group, because 199 guests means rotations at every site.⁶ Skip it for Svalbard or South Georgia if the helicopters are what you are paying for, because they do not fly there.² And if you only want a classic Peninsula trip at the lowest price, compare Ocean Explorer's Antarctic Explorer from Ushuaia, which starts at $14,895 per person before flights to Ushuaia, though that triple was sold out on its November 21 date.⁷ Our guide on how to choose an Antarctica cruise lays out the other factors.