In February 2025 I was very lucky to embark on the Highlights of Antarctica Expedition with HX Expeditions, and what an experience it was! MyHoliday2 and HX have been working together since 2021 and have sent many happy customers to Antarctica on their excellent expedition cruises, earning ourself the crown of one of the highest booking agents in Australia for HX!

From the airport transfer in Buenos Aires, to the airport check in, arriving in Ushuaia, getting to the ship, cabin check in, was a completely  seamless and stress-free experience. There were three coach loads of passengers from our hotel: Emperador Hotel, and three charter flights that morning. What a logistical nightmare, I thought! But not for HX, they had the whole process down pat and it worked like clockwork. Massive respect to the team there. When travelling, I am used to doing all the planning myself, organising the transport, hotels, flights, timings etc etc  – I didn’t have to do anything at all and it was such a treat! A real stress-free experience. The best thing is, you leave your luggage when you check in at the Buenos Aires hotel, then you don’t see it again until you check in on the ship. You luggage is waiting for you at your cabin door. Magic! 

Operations / Landings

The HX expedition team were fabulous and very passionate about their job [who wouldn’t be!]. Every operation while in Antarctica was run very professionally and without a hitch. Every day, every passenger gets to take part in a landing and a zodiac [small boat] cruising. Passengers are allocated to different ‘animal groups’ and each group has a set time to do each activity. The timings change daily so you get to experience morning and afternoon activities. All timings are visible on the HX App and your animal groups are called over the ship tannoy as well.  

They always have a Plan A, B, C, D, E…. so they are ready to offer the operations whatever the weather. For landings, the do try to mix up the sites; sometimes it will be a rocky landing, others will be snow / ice, some will be on islands and others on the mainland. The expedition team go to land first and set out markers of where to go, not to go etc. Then, you have free time to walk around and be at one with the penguins! For each landing you have about 1.5 hours on land.

Optional Activities

On a HX expedition, excursions are operated by a lottery system. You put your name down for the activities you want to do, then the chosen cabin numbers are listed on the HX App the evening before. Each day in Antarctica, the activities are available [weather permitting].

TIP: If you are really keen to do one certain activity [e.g kayaking], then just put your name down for that. You have more chance of getting what you want that way.  If you put your name down for a couple of activities, you will most likely get one the least popular first so they can fill numbers. The ship tries to be fair to everyone but they are weather dependent and you may not get to do all the activities you want. However on our sailing, everyone that put down for kayaking got it!

Cost

Kayaking – Euro 178

Snowshoeing – Euro 79

Camping – Euro 600 [approx]

Science Boat – Free

Polar Plunge – Free – everyone can do that!

Polar Plunge

Funnily enough, the expedition team don’t mention this in their activity briefing as it is not always possible. Many conditions can affect wether they are able to do it or not. The polar plunge is usually conducted on the last day of the cruise [for us it was the second to last day as bad weather was coming in]. It is usually done during a landing and anyone can partake in the activity when it is your animal groups turn for the landing. The hard part is, that it is off the beach and you have to run in! 

There is a nurse on land checking everyone in, marking off cabin numbers and offering advice [e.g not to dunk your head as you will freeze!]. They put a tarp on the ground and offer everyone towels. Then, the brave strip off [swimmers under clothes] and run in the water!! Yes, I did it! The outside temperature was -3 and the water temperature was 0.3 degrees. Not gonna lie – the water hits you like a thousand knives, but I got a certificate so it’s all worth it right! 

The zodiacs are lined up ready to zip you straight back to the ship where everyone pops into the hot tubs and saunas to thaw out and talk about how crazy everyone is for doing that! Would recommend. 

Medical Centre

Just following from the polar plunge… I just have to mention that my husband got a bit sick afterwards and had a visit to the medical centre [chest infection]. The Doctor on board and the nurses were fabulous and they have some wonderful facilities including an X-ray machine. I can confidently say that you are well looked after should anything happen to you during your cruise! But don’t let that put you off doing the Polar Plunge!

Wi-Fi

The ship has Starlink satellite internet that is included in the cost. It is all over the ship and works very well. Sometimes it can be slow at busy times but we managed to video call the kids back home every day with no issues.  

Entertainment

On board a HX Expedition, there is no typical cruise entertainment. However, you days are filled with workshops, lectures, science talks, photography lessons and so much more. On the 2 days at sea across the Drake Passage, you will be kept busy all day. Even if you are too seasick to leave your cabin, you can live stream the lectures to the TV in your cabin and watch from bed. 

We were treated to a ‘crew band’ night in the Explorer Lounge where everyone got their boogie on the dance floor. And on one of the last nights there is a Trivia night with prizes to be won. The questions are all about this particular trip Antarctica, the landings and the crew, so pay attention!

Drake Passage

The infamous Drake Passage can treat you well, or be very mean! We got to experience both the “Drake Shake” and the “Drake Lake” on the way home. The waves we got were 5 metres high with winds of 70 knots, which apparently is not that bad – but bad enough for me!

To keep my seasickness at bay [I usually suffer quite badly] I wore pressure bands on my wrists and took Kwells. We also had some ginger gummies with us which were very yummy. I think a combo of off those things kept the sickness away as I didn’t suffer at all. 

Wildlife

Our trip was towards the end of the season [25th Feb] where the weather is starting to get a bit colder and the penguin chicks are growing up and shedding their baby fur. This time of year is prime time for humpback whales to be in the region, feeding up on krill before they begin their big migration again. We saw literally hundreds of whales! Humpback whales as well as Minky whales. We saw Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins [If King Penguins are your thing you will need to visit South Georgia Island on the longer cruise]. We saw lots of seals [no pups, they are earlier in the season] and even a leopard seal killing and eating a penguin – it was a read David Attenborough moment! Must not forget the bird life too, a real bird watchers haven! 

The ship has a wildlife checklist in the science centre and every time a new species is seen on the trip, they tick it off. 

A group of Orcas whales were also spotted but we just missed them, unfortunately. 

Antarctica varies throughout the season, in terms of wildlife, icebergs, weather etc. If you are interested in visiting the region but not sure whether to visit in October or March or December, talk to our qualified HX specialists at MyHoliday2 and they can help you make the decision. 

Conclusion

I could keep talking about Antarctica for days, it was such an incredible experience I will cherish forever. I am sure I have missed out heaps of valuable information but I hoped I have triggered your interest in this destination and if you are considering Antarctica, please consider booking with MyHoliday2. And keep you eyes out for our information sessions that will be hosted by myself and our HX rep in Australia. 

See all Expedition Cruises HERE

Happy Travels, Gemma,