Terms & Conditions

For All Antarctic Voyages

Rates

Published voyage rates are quoted in U.S. dollars and are based on passengers sharing a cabin. Rates for all Polar Latitudes voyages are based on anticipated fuel costs at the time of departure multiplied by a maximum daily usage. Should the price of fuel, delivered locally, exceed $1400 per metric ton, a surcharge, to cover only the incremental increase in fuel costs, may apply.

Reservations/Confirmed Bookings

• An initial deposit (20% of trip cost pp) is required to hold your reservation.
  • Final payment for all voyages is due in full 120 days prior to departure.
  • For bookings within 120 days of departure, full payment is required at time of booking.
• Required forms for all passengers are due 60 days prior to departure.
  • For bookings within 60 days of departure, forms are due immediately.

Please note that bookings are not considered fully confirmed until all funds associated with the booking are fully paid and all required forms are received.

Polar Latitudes reserves the right to consider bookings with missing payment or forms beyond deadline dates as cancelled by you and standard cancellation terms may apply.

Adventure Option Deposits – A non-refundable 20% deposit is required to confirm space on certain adventure options such as camping and kayaking. Final payment for adventure options is due with final payment 120 days prior to departure

Payments

All rates are quoted and charged in US Dollars. Payments may be made via traveler credit card, check, or wire transfer.

Booking Changes

Any changes to a booking (eg. name changes, departure changes, etc) after deposit is received is subject to a minimum $100 fee, assessed at the discretion of Polar Latitudes.

Cancellations

All cancellation requests must be received in writing. Reservations canceled 181 days or more prior to departure are subject to a $1000 per person cancellation fee. Cancellations 180 days to 121 days prior to departure are subject to deposit forfeiture. Reservations canceled 120 days or less prior to departure are subject to full fare forfeiture. In cases where payment is late, we reserve the right to treat the booking as canceled by you. If you are on a charter voyage or special interest voyage charter or group, or if you have transferred from an earlier season, please refer to your individual terms and conditions sent out during the booking process.

Voyage Cancellation

In the unlikely event that an expedition is cancelled by Polar Latitudes prior to sailing, passengers will be offered preferential booking on alternative voyages of similar itinerary based on availability. Please note that Polar Latitudes will not be responsible for travel arrangements or other expenses outside the voyage cost. We strongly advise all passengers to carry a Comprehensive Travel Insurance Plan with CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) which includes coverage for cancellation, curtailment, trip interruption, and all other expenses that may be incurred if a voyage is postponed, canceled, or interrupted.

Solo Travelers and Share Cabins

Unless you paid the single occupancy rate (confirmed on your invoice) please expect that you will be sharing a room at the hotel and a cabin on the ship with another solo traveler of the same gender. Gender neutral share cabins are available, please contact us to arrange. Polar Latitudes reserves the right to change the assigned cabin number of solo/requesting share travelers to match up solo travelers. Out of respect for cabin mates, if you have sleep habits that impact others, such as a CPAP machine, please consider if a share cabin is right for you. Polar Latitudes does not release information about cabinmates prior to departure.

Eligibility

In general there are no specific physical requirements for travel in Antarctica. However, we are traveling to the most remote region of the world and we are traveling on a ship which, at times, may be in rough seas and which has limited facilities. Passengers with unstable medical/health issues may not be appropriate for this type of expedition and are advised to exercise appropriate caution.

Children and Minors

In general, our policy is that children must be at least 12 years of age to participate in a Polar Latitudes voyage. However, we may on a case-by-case basis accept children ages 7-11 with additional screening prior to booking, and completion of our Child Waiver by a parent or legal guardian. Children must be age 12 to participate in camping and the polar plunge, and age 16 to participate in kayaking. Due to safety and liability reasons, we are unable to make exceptions to age limits.

All minor passengers under the age of 18 must be traveling with a parent, guardian, or other designated “Responsible Adult” (RA) who will be the lead passenger on the booking. Minors must be roomed with their responsible adult both in the included hotel and on board the ship. Minors are not permitted to participate in our share program.

Passenger Medical Information

We require all passengers to submit basic medical information prior to departure. Upon receipt of that basic medical information, significant disabilities or unstable medical conditions may necessitate additional documentation from a passenger’s physician certifying fitness to travel on a voyage to Antarctica. If additional medical confirmation is requested, boarding will not be allowed absent receipt of that confirmation. PLEASE NOTE: please review our medical form at time of booking, and if there is any question regarding your eligibility contact your agent immediately to begin a dialog with us. While we cannot dispense medical advice, we reserve the right to deny passage to any passenger whose individual situation is deemed to be a safety risk, or who has not disclosed accurate information as to their physical or mental condition. In such a case Polar Latitudes cannot be responsible for any expenses incurred. This includes non-refundable cruise fees, airfare or any other miscellaneous expenses. If you have any questions, please contact your agent for further clarification.

Polar Latitudes places the highest value on the safety of our clients and staff.  As such we maintain strict health and safety protocols prior to boarding and throughout our operation. All passengers will be required to comply with all of our safety protocols as well as with all local, national, international and industry laws, rules, regulations and protocols, and to provide proof of same prior to embarkation.  Additionally, we may require passengers to undergo health screenings or other precautions prior to embarkation, and/or enhanced safety protocols onboard. Should a passenger fail, refuse, be unwilling or unable to comply, we must deny boarding, or if a passenger has already boarded, we must insist the passenger disembark, and as circumstances dictate, we may invoke standard cancellation terms.

Polar Latitudes has a pregnancy policy that women who will be in the 13th through 22nd weeks of pregnancy during the entire voyage are welcome with explicit doctor’s permission and having signed a specific waiver. Pregnancy policies of carriers (airlines, bus companies, hotels, etc.) may also apply. Please note that medical information will, of necessity, be available to designated Polar Latitudes staff.

Please note that regardless of general eligibility there may be instances where environmental conditions require a level of fitness/mobility. In these cases, individual participation in the landing(s) in question may be restricted by the Captain, Expedition Leader, or ship’s doctor.

Insurance

All passengers must carry a Travel Insurance Plan. This Plan must cover personal injury, medical expenses, repatriation expenses, evacuation expenses, and pre-existing medical conditions. As any potential evacuation from Antarctica can cost up to $150,000, we recommend that no policy carry less than this amount of coverage. Polar Latitudes will require information as to carrier, policy number, and a 24-hour contact number. Additionally, passengers are strongly advised to carry a Comprehensive Travel Insurance Plan with CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) which should also include coverage for cancellation, curtailment, trip interruption, and all other expenses which might arise as a result of loss, damage, injury, delay or inconvenience occurring to or otherwise involving a passenger. Please also note: Travel to Antarctica carries with it a slight but inherent risk that a voyage may be interrupted after the voyage has begun. In such matters the Master of the vessel has full authority to make decisions that can affect itineraries and trip length. In such a case, Polar Latitudes cannot be responsible for situations outside its control, and in the event of financial losses, your travel insurance may be your only recourse for recovery of funds. Should you elect to travel without comprehensive insurance you are accepting this risk.

Itineraries

Polar Latitudes’ captain and expedition team will do everything possible to complete the voyage as outlined in the voyage itinerary. However, itineraries in polar regions are heavily dependent on weather and ice conditions. Occasionally conditions and or safety concerns require Itinerary changes. The Captain and expedition team will accordingly make every effort to find the best alternative to the original itinerary while keeping passengers informed and updated. Itinerary changes are not subject to passenger approval/consent, and in the event of such a change no refunds or price adjustments are possible. Placement of a booking with Polar Latitudes amounts to an acknowledgement that itinerary changes are possible.

Activities

All activities, whether on board or ashore, conducted during a Polar Latitudes voyage are permitted by authorities and must comply with strict guidelines and regulations. As such, no one may conduct unauthorized activities during a Polar Latitudes voyage. The use of personal recreation equipment or technologies without clear pre-voyage consent is not allowed. Polar Latitudes is currently permitted for the commercial use of UAVs (drones) by trained members of our staff. Please note that individual permits are not possible, and personal drones are strictly prohibited.

On-Board Language

All voyages are conducted in English as the principal language. Our on-board staff will do their best to make the voyage as enjoyable as possible for our non-English speaking guests. However, if safety is an issue, guests not fully understanding briefings may be excluded from an activity at the discretion of the Expedition Leader or Captain.

Non-English speaking groups may bring interpreters under pre-arranged conditions approved by Polar Latitudes.

On-Board Authority

All passengers are subject to instructions or regulations given by the Captain or the Expedition team.

Photography / Video

Polar Latitudes reserves the right to use photographs and/or videos taken during the operation of the voyage for promotional purposes for the company and/or its sales agents. Passengers who prefer that their images not be used are asked to identify themselves to Polar Latitudes and its agent, prior to embarkation.

Smoking

Our ships offer a smoke-free environment. Smoking is permitted only in the designated smoking area. Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside the ship (including the balcony areas). The Expedition Leader will discuss this policy with anyone known or suspected to be smoking in a non-designated area so that there is no misunderstanding as to the proper location and protocol for smoking. Repeated non-compliance will result in a $1,000 penalty to be added to your shipboard account. The Expedition Leader and Captain also reserve the right to disallow participation in off ship activities.

Alcohol

Polar Latitudes reserves the right to refuse alcohol to anyone deemed to be intoxicated.

On-Board Payments

All payments are in US dollars. Passengers may run a tab which must be paid prior to disembarkation. Payments can be made in cash or with a credit card.

Responsibility

Polar Latitudes is a qualified tour operator that organizes and administers its polar voyages. Polar Latitudes will provide services in conjunction with local operators and air and sea operators. The designated operator(s), in turn, acts only as an agent for any transportation carrier, hotel, ground operator, or other suppliers of services connected with these tours (“other providers”), and the other providers are solely responsible and liable for providing their respective services. The passenger tickets in use by the carriers shall constitute the sole contract between the carriers and the passenger; the carriers are not responsible for any act, omission, or event during the time participants are not aboard their conveyances.

Polar Latitudes and its designated service providers shall not be held liable for (A) any damage to, or loss of, property or injury to, or death of, persons occasioned directly or indirectly by an act or omission of any other provider, including but not limited to any defect in any aircraft, watercraft, or vehicle operated or provided by such other provider; and (B) any loss or damage due to delay, cancellation, or disruption in any manner caused by the laws, regulations, acts or failures to act, demands, orders, or interpositions of any government or any subdivision or agent thereof, or by acts of God, strikes, fire, flood, war, rebellion, terrorism, insurrection, sickness, quarantine, epidemics, theft, or any other cause(s) beyond their control. The participant waives any claim against Polar Latitudes for any such loss, damage, injury, or death.

By accepting passage on a Polar Latitudes voyage, the participant acknowledges these terms and conditions and certifies that he/she does not have any mental, physical, or other condition or disability that would create a hazard for him/herself or other participants. Polar Latitudes and its designated tour operator reserve the right in their sole discretion to accept, decline to accept, or remove any participant from a voyage. Polar Latitudes reserves the right, without penalty, to make changes in the published itinerary whenever, in their judgment, conditions warrant, or if they deem it necessary for the comfort, convenience, or safety of participants. The Captain and Expedition Leader have the right to restrict the activities of any passenger who repeatedly violates onboard or on shore protocols.

Neither Polar Latitudes, nor its service providers shall be liable for any air carrier’s cancellation penalty incurred by the purchase of a non – refundable ticket to or from the participant’s departure city. Baggage and personal effects are at all times the sole responsibility of the participant.

Updated January 2024.  Terms and Conditions subject to change.