World Voyager

Is World Voyager a good ship for Antarctica?

Yes, and in 2026-27 it is the ship to pick if you want hands-on science on your trip, but you book it with Quark Expeditions, not with its owner's brand, Atlas Ocean Voyages. Quark has chartered World Voyager for three Antarctic seasons starting in 2026-27 and built its new Science & Discovery program around it.¹ Quark sells the ship for 168 guests and lists 16 departures, with brochure fares from $16,890 per person for 11 days from Buenos Aires, including a hotel night there and flights to and from Ushuaia.²³

The catch is availability: when we checked on October 14, 2026, several of the cheapest cabins were sold out or marked Please Call.³ And under Quark, gratuities are a voluntary extra rather than part of the fare, unlike on Atlas's own sailings.⁴⁵ We have not sailed on World Voyager; this page uses Quark's and Atlas's ship and voyage pages, IAATO records and trade press.

Who operates World Voyager in 2026-27, Quark or Atlas?

Both, at different ends of the year. Quark runs it in Antarctica from November 2026 to March 2027, and IAATO's vessel directory now lists Quark as its operator.¹⁶ The charter replaced the 8,000-ton World Explorer, which Quark sailed for a final season and which becomes Windstar Cruises' Star Explorer, sailing the Mediterranean from December 28, 2026.¹⁷

From April 2027, Atlas takes the ship back for Europe and the Arctic: food-themed cruises from Las Palmas, Northern Europe trips from London and Bergen, and five polar trips around Svalbard, Iceland, northern Norway and East Greenland between June 12 and September 4.⁸ In 2025-26, before the charter, Atlas ran World Voyager in Antarctica itself: IAATO counted 1,776 passengers on 11 voyages and 431 on 3 fly-cruises.⁹ For 2026-27, IAATO's preliminary estimate of April 2026 lists the ship under Quark with 1,056 passengers on 8 traditional voyages and 1,188 on 9 fly-cruises, about 132 a trip.⁹ Because IAATO allows no more than 100 visitors ashore at one site at a time, a full Quark sailing still lands in groups.²³

How do Quark's and Atlas's World Voyager specs compare?

They describe the same ship with different numbers, so it helps to see them side by side.²¹⁰

Quark highlights two Rolls-Royce hybrid-electric engines, a waste-to-energy system called MAGS, a glass-domed Observation Lounge on deck 7, a heated pool with two hot tubs and a Ready Room on deck 3, beside the Zodiac embarkation points, for preparing for landings.² Atlas's own layout for the ship is identical to World Navigator, with Nordic decor of light ash wood and marble and a restaurant called Madeira.⁸¹⁰ Polar Category C is the Polar Code class for open water and ice lighter than thin first-year ice.¹³

Which Quark expeditions sail on World Voyager in 2026-27?

Six itineraries over 16 departures, from November 6, 2026, to March 15, 2027, mixing classic Drake crossings with fly-cruises from Punta Arenas.³ These are Quark's brochure fares per person on October 14, 2026; every departure also showed a promo code worth 5% to 15%, with no end date shown, which we have not applied:

The Buenos Aires round trips include Quark's charter flight and hotel package, valued at $1,295: a Buenos Aires hotel night and group flights to Ushuaia and back.⁴ Sail South, Fly North includes a $795 package for the outbound hotel and flight, and Fly South, Sail North a $595 flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires.³ Fly the Drake includes the charter flights between Punta Arenas and King George Island and Punta Arenas hotel nights.¹⁴

Crossing the Circle sets aside days 8 and 9 for reaching 66°33'S, the Antarctic Circle, if conditions allow.¹⁵ Quark also sells Fly the Drake on Ocean Explorer; our fly or sail guide weighs the two approaches.¹⁴

Which World Voyager cabin should you book with Quark?

The Infinity Suite is usually the cheapest way aboard, but its "balcony" is a floor-to-ceiling glass Juliet, not a deck you can step onto.² Quark lists five categories, all on decks 5 and 6, each with one double or two single beds for one or two guests:

Quark does not offer third berths on this ship, and its list leaves out the 183 sq ft (17 sq m) deck-3 suites that Atlas shows on the same hull.²⁸ If you want to stand outside your cabin among the ice, the Veranda Suite is the cheapest walk-out balcony; our balcony guide covers whether that is worth paying for.

What is Quark's Science & Discovery program on World Voyager?

It is a citizen-science program that Quark describes as beginning in 2026 on select World Voyager itineraries, with a Science Hub on deck 4 where guests review samples and observations with scientists and guides.⁴² Activities include seabird surveys from the deck, logging whale sightings from Zodiacs and water sampling, and Quark works with Penguin Watch at Oxford Brookes University and the Friedlaender Lab at the University of California, Santa Cruz.¹⁴

The program goes deepest on Antarctic Marine Mammals, co-developed by Ari Friedlaender, who has studied baleen whales in Antarctica since 1997. Scientists from his lab join the voyage, a Happywhale research associate shows how to submit whale-tail photos for identification, and it is the only Quark itinerary that deploys hydrophones to record underwater sound.⁴ For the animals themselves, see our whales of Antarctica page.

What is included on a Quark World Voyager trip, and what costs extra?

Quark's fare covers the expedition basics but not gratuities, spirits or paid activities.⁴¹⁴

Kayak spaces were limited when we checked: on several departures Quark showed zero or only two left.³ Our kayaking and camping guide compares what other lines charge. Atlas's own fares on its sister yachts include gratuities and an open bar, so the same hull costs differently depending on who sells it.⁵

Where does World Voyager sail in the 2027 Arctic?

Under Atlas, between Iceland, Svalbard, northern Norway and East Greenland, on five departures from June 12 to August 24, 2027.⁸ Fares are per guest with two sharing and include government taxes and fees, $605 on the 11-night trips:¹⁶¹⁷

The $11,054 fare on June 12 reflects 15% Bonus Savings under Explorer's Choice, valid through December 31, 2026.¹⁷²² Trips that start in Longyearbyen include an Oslo hotel night and a charter flight north, and trips that end there include a charter back to Oslo.¹⁸¹⁷ Atlas offers no kayaks or paddleboards on Arctic, Iceland or Greenland trips.¹⁰ Our Svalbard cruises guide and Arctic cruises guide compare other ships.

Who should book World Voyager?

Book it with Quark if you want citizen science built into an Antarctic trip, especially the March 5 Marine Mammals voyage, or a Fly the Drake trip on a ship Quark describes as all-balcony.⁴² Book it with Atlas for a summer 2027 Svalbard or East Greenland trip with drinks and tips included.¹⁶⁵ If you want Atlas's all-inclusive style in Antarctica, choose World Navigator or World Traveller instead, and if you want helicopters with Quark, see Ultramarine.