I returned about a month ago from an Atlas voyage to Antarctica. Overall, it was spectacular, though not without its hiccups. The ship, the crew, and the food were amazing in every dimension. I have not been on other cruises, but from the comparison shopping I did, it seems Atlas was a tremendous value in the Arctic relative to other cruise line offerings. Our suite was very nice sized and well-finished. The ship itself is beautiful, with ample gathering places and wonderful dining facilities. I can't emphasize enough how much I liked the ship and how spectacular the crew was.

The complication came when we were delayed two days in Ushuaia because of a ship malfunction. Communication around the status of repair was subpar. More frequent announcements, even if they were "We know nothing new" would have helped ease the tensions. I blame this mostly on the corporate side of Atlas, not the ship crew. Indeed, the ship crew was spectacular, offering to move us to another Atlas ship (we had to decline because we could not change the return flights for our group). Atlas' first offer of compensation (from corporate) met with disbelief --50% off a future cruise. Many on this trip were never going to take another trip like this, so the offer was not very meaningful. Ultimately, we got a 25% refund to go with the original offer. This was very fair.

Once underway, the trip was simply spectacular. Atlas did everything they could to make up for the lost time. They stretched the days to fit in an additional activity and just did an outstanding job in showing us Antarctica. By the time we arrived in Antarctica the delay was largely forgotten. My advice to anyone heading down to Antarctica is absolutely consider Atlas. I would 100% travel with them again. But, regardless of who you travel with, be patient and flexible, and be well-insured. It is the Antarctic, and things can and do go wrong. Ultimately, Atlas stepped up and we had a fantastic time.