Albatros Expeditions, now Polar Latitudes
Albatros started in Copenhagen in 1986 and built its name on Greenland and Antarctica. The brand is now retired. Its two X-BOW ships sail on for Polar Latitudes Expeditions, priced in U.S. dollars, with a U.S. office in Vermont.
Albatros Expeditions is now Polar Latitudes: you can still sail the Albatros ships, but you’ll book them as Polar Latitudes Expeditions. Ocean Albatros and Ocean Victory are modern, 175-guest polar ships, and the fares we read on November 1, 2026 start near $900 to $1,050 a day for Antarctica and Svalbard.
The fare covers more than the headline suggests: a jacket to keep, dinner drinks, 1GB of Wi-Fi and, for Antarctica, a premium hotel night in Ushuaia. The extras are the usual expedition list, plus two you can’t skip — $150,000 of insurance, and Arctic charter flights of $500 to $1,300 per person.
Price the charter and the insurance before you compare. Then the fares look different.
Why the search lands somewhere else
Type in albatros-expeditions.com today and you arrive at polar-latitudes.com. That redirect is the whole story in one hop — a rename, not a shutdown.
Albatros Expeditions was founded in 1986 as part of the Danish, family-owned Albatros Group. On April 2, 2025 it came under the same ownership group as Polar Latitudes, a founder-owned expedition company. By October 2025 the two had a single website, and from the 2026 Arctic season every voyage sailed under one name.
Cruise Industry News reported in July 2026 that the Albatros brand is retired. The Copenhagen office stayed; the logo didn’t.
The ships came from Albatros. The contract is Polar Latitudes’.
What Albatros brought was hardware: two Ulstein X-BOW ships, Ocean Albatros and Ocean Victory, plus decades of Arctic operations and a European sales team. Polar Latitudes brought its citizen-science program and a U.S. company to contract with — which matters more to American buyers than the logo.
The leadership has moved too. Polar Latitudes named Filip Werne Hermann CEO from August 1, 2026, succeeding the late Patrick Shaw. Search for the ship names, not the brand, when you compare voyages.
Where the Albatros ships sail, month by month
Dark cells hold several departures. Pale cells are a single ship or a single sailing.
The Ocean Albatros and Ocean Victory year
Built from the line’s Rates & Dates page on November 1, 2026. Tap a month for the voyages behind it.
The pattern is simple. Both ships winter in Antarctica, from early November to late March. Then they split — Ocean Albatros to Svalbard and East Greenland, Ocean Victory to Ireland, Scotland, Iceland and West Greenland.
Two gaps are worth knowing. Ocean Victory shows no departures on the line’s page between July 20 and November 3, 2027, and in 2026 its late-summer Arctic voyages were sold by Adventure Canada as well as Polar Latitudes. Ask us who is selling the ship on your dates. The same list also carries Discoverer, a shared ship, on Antarctic, Patagonia and Svalbard dates that this calendar leaves out.
For the regions themselves, read our Antarctica, Greenland, Arctic and polar bear guides before you pick a month.
Greenland, west coast or east
Disko Bay, Ilulissat and the fly-in voyages
Three 7-day Disko Bay and Ilulissat departures leave Kangerlussuaq between June 21 and July 3, 2027, from $7,347. You board by Zodiac from the airport town, and a BBQ trip to the Reindeer Glacier is included. Each carries a mandatory $1,300 charter flight — about 18% on top of the lowest fare.
Complete East Greenland, from Reykjavik
Twelve days round trip from Iceland’s capital, September 17 to 28, 2027, from $14,895. No charter flight is listed for it. It’s the only 2027 East Greenland departure on the line’s page.
Greenland is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, and Arctic operations were the expertise Albatros brought to the merger, by its new owner’s account. The 2027 program shows it: five Greenland voyages on Ocean Victory and one on Ocean Albatros.
The longer combinations sit either side of the Disko Bay run. Greenland Explorer (12 days, from $12,746) and Greenland to Iceland (12 days, from $12,795) each add a $650 charter flight.
Pick by the coast, not the length — the two sides of Greenland are different trips. The west is Ilulissat’s UNESCO icefjord and an easy fly-in; the east is a remote, thinly settled coast reached by sea from Iceland.
Optional Ilulissat boat and flightseeing trips are listed without prices. Ask us to quote them with the voyage, so the total holds still.
What a day costs, and why the date matters
Every fare here is the lowest shown on the line’s Rates & Dates page on November 1, 2026. Several carry an early booking discount, and the line runs frequent sales.
Most of the Antarctic program lands between about $900 and $1,260 a day before flights. The outlier is the January Crossing the Antarctic Circle on Ocean Albatros, listed from $34,795 for 13 days. Its December 2027 sister departure is listed from $14,995 — less than half.
Switch to the second tab. The same Classic Voyage on the same ship runs from $11,395 to $13,995 across three weeks from late November — a $2,600 swing for a date, not a cabin. Ask for two or three dates before you settle on one.
What the fare quietly covers
Bold means it’s in the fare. Every row comes from the line’s own inclusions, FAQ, booking guides and voyage pages.
| Item | Antarctica | Arctic & North Atlantic | Where it’s stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-voyage hotel night | Included (Arakur or similar, Ushuaia) | Not listed | Booking guide |
| Expedition jacket | On loan, plus a down jacket to keep | To keep (North Atlantic list) | Classic Voyage page; inclusions page |
| Rubber boots | On loan | On loan | Inclusions page |
| Beer, wine, soft drinks | With dinner | With dinner; North Atlantic adds beer and soft drinks at lunch from 2027 | Inclusions page |
| Wi-Fi | 1GB per voyage | 1GB per voyage | FAQ |
| Citizen science, photo coach | Included | Included | Voyage pages |
| Gratuities | Extra; $20 a night suggested | Extra; $20 a night suggested | FAQ |
| Charter flights | Not shown on the Classic Voyage | Mandatory, $500–$1,300 | Rates & Dates |
| Kayaking, camping | $350 and $395 | Kayaking $345 | Voyage pages |
The jacket is the line most buyers miss. On the Classic Voyage you borrow the expedition jacket and keep a custom down jacket; the North Atlantic inclusions list gives you the waterproof jacket outright. Either way, it’s gear you don’t pack.
Waterproof pants aren’t provided, though, and the FAQ says they’re required off the ship. Buy them before you fly.
Dinner drinks are in — the bar is not. Spirits, cocktails, laundry and spa go on your onboard account, which runs in U.S. dollars. On North Atlantic voyages, the Category A and B suites and the named suites add arrival wine, a restocked soft minibar and free laundry.
The post-voyage airport transfer is listed as excluded on the inclusions page. Ask us to add it to the booking.
Fare first, then the non-optional extras
Price a Polar Latitudes (ex-Albatros) voyage
Pick a voyage. Charter flights are pre-ticked because the line calls them mandatory. Type your own numbers into anything it doesn’t price.
Fares are the lowest published per-person twin fares on the line’s Rates & Dates page, as published on November 1, 2026, in U.S. dollars. Some carry a time-limited early booking discount. Gratuities use the line’s suggested $20 a night; they’re voluntary. Lines marked $0 have no published price, and we’ll quote them for your dates.
On the Disko Bay voyage the charter flight adds about 18% to the fare before you’ve bought a ticket to the gateway. On the Classic Voyage the Ushuaia hotel night is already inside the price — a cost most lines leave to you.
Run both before you decide the Arctic is the cheaper trip.
The payment clock, with your dates in it
Deposit and insurance
A 20% non-refundable deposit, due within 7 days. The terms say to buy the mandatory insurance at the same time.
A flat fee
Cancel this early and the fee is $1,250 per person, less than the deposit on most voyages.
The deposit goes
Between 180 and 120 days you lose the 20% deposit. Final payment falls due at 120 days.
All of it
Inside 120 days the fee is the full cost. Flights and hotels bought through the line are non-refundable.
Insurance is required, not recommended. The terms set a $150,000 minimum for medical expenses, evacuation, repatriation and pre-existing conditions, and the line wants your policy number and a 24-hour contact before you sail.
The FAQ explains the number: evacuation from Antarctica can cost up to that much.
These are the terms for bookings made from December 1, 2025. UK and European passengers may have extra rights under their own law, which the terms note.
Check a plan against all four parts of the minimum in our expedition insurance guide before you pay the deposit.
Booking from the U.S., step by step
Polar Latitudes, Inc.
A Delaware corporation with a mailing address in White River Junction, Vermont. Albatros’s Copenhagen office still lists an address, but the terms name only the U.S. company.
U.S. dollars, throughout
The terms quote fares in dollars, and the onboard account settles in dollars by card or cash. The FAQ warns that card charges may route through a U.S. intermediary.
A U.S. line, Eastern hours
The line lists a Vermont number staffed 9am to 6pm Eastern, alongside Danish and UK lines.
Your agent is the contact
The FAQ says your agent receives final documents about 90 days before departure and handles your questions. The group also owns Chimu Adventures, an Australian wholesaler, per Cruise Industry News.
For an American buyer the merger made things simpler, not harder — at least on paper. You pay in dollars, sign with a U.S. company and call a U.S. number.
Two things still take planning: the flight to Buenos Aires, Reykjavik or the Arctic charter gateway, and the $150,000 insurance minimum. Settle both before final payment.
Where these ships show up elsewhere
Tap a card. The expedition world shares hulls more than most buyers realize.
This matters when you compare quotes. A lower fare for “the same ship” from another seller may cover less, or sail a different month — a different trip, not a discount. Our Albatros fleet guide sets out who owns and who charters each hull.
Match the operator, the date and the inclusions before you match the price.
Who should book these ships
Our judgement, built on the line’s published fares and inclusions.
You want Greenland done properly
Six Greenland voyages in 2027 across both coasts, from a 7-day fly-in to the 12-day east coast from Reykjavik.
You like modern ships at a mid-range fare
Two X-BOW ships built in 2021 and 2023, with hydraulic viewing platforms, and Antarctic fares from about $900 a day before charter flights.
You want the gear in the fare
A jacket to keep, boots on loan and, for Antarctica, a premium hotel night in Ushuaia.
You want the bar tab included
Only dinner drinks are covered. HX and Ponant put more drinks into the fare.
Albatros, answered
Does Albatros Expeditions still exist?
Not as a separate brand. Albatros and Polar Latitudes came under one ownership group on April 2, 2025, and merged as Polar Latitudes Expeditions. Every voyage from the 2026 Arctic season on sails under that name, and Cruise Industry News reported in July 2026 that the Albatros brand is retired. The two Albatros ships, Ocean Albatros and Ocean Victory, are still sailing, and albatros-expeditions.com now forwards to polar-latitudes.com.
Can Americans book Albatros voyages, and in what currency?
Yes. Since the merger you contract with Polar Latitudes, Inc., a Delaware corporation with a mailing address in White River Junction, Vermont. Its terms quote prices in U.S. dollars, its onboard account runs in dollars, and it keeps U.S. phone hours of 9am to 6pm Eastern. You can book through a travel advisor, who receives your final documents about 90 days before departure.
What does an Albatros fare include?
The cabin, full board, house beer, wine and soft drinks with dinner, 24-hour coffee and tea, Zodiac landings and the guided program, taxes and landing fees, 1GB of Wi-Fi and, on the North Atlantic inclusions list, a waterproof expedition jacket to keep, with rubber boots on loan. Antarctic voyages add a pre-voyage night at the Arakur or a similar premium hotel in Ushuaia, with transfer and breakfast, and a down jacket to keep alongside a loaned expedition jacket. Flights, mandatory charter flights, gratuities, kayaking, camping and insurance are extra.
Is travel insurance required?
Yes. The terms make insurance mandatory and say to buy it at booking. It must carry at least $150,000 for medical expenses, evacuation (including ship-to-shore transfer), repatriation and pre-existing conditions. You give the line your policy number and a 24-hour emergency contact before you sail. Cancellation cover is recommended, not required.
How much more does a solo traveler pay?
About 70% more for a private cabin. The voyage pages price a twin cabin sold for one at 1.7 times the per-person twin rate, and only a limited number are offered. Both X-BOW ships also have small single categories of about 14 square meters. If you agree to share, the line matches you with a same-gender solo traveler at no extra cost in Category C and above, and gender-neutral sharing is available on request.
Which Albatros voyages go to Greenland?
In 2027, Ocean Victory sails West Greenland from June 10 to July 20: Greenland Explorer (12 days), three 7-day Disko Bay and Ilulissat voyages from Kangerlussuaq, and Greenland to Iceland. Each carries a mandatory charter flight of $650 or $1,300 per person on top of the fare. Ocean Albatros sails Complete East Greenland, 12 days round trip from Reykjavik, from September 17 to 28, 2027, from $14,895.
What are the deposit and cancellation terms?
A 20% non-refundable deposit confirms the booking, and the balance is due 120 days before departure. Cancel 181 or more days out and the fee is $1,250 per person; from 180 to 120 days you lose the 20% deposit; inside 120 days the fee is 100%. These are the Polar Latitudes terms for bookings made from December 1, 2025.
Looking at Ocean Albatros or Ocean Victory? We’ll price the whole trip.
Tell us the region, the month and who’s traveling. We’ll quote the fare, the charter flight, the insurance minimum and the extras the line doesn’t price, and set it beside one or two other lines.
- The fare on two or three dates, not one
- Charter flight and gateway air together
- A plan that meets the $150,000 minimum
No fee, no obligation. You pay the cruise line’s own fare. A real advisor replies, usually within one business day.
Ask about Polar Latitudes (ex-Albatros)
Answers come straight from this guide.
Answers come from our guides and are general information. Confirm details with us before you book.
Where every number came from
Fares, terms and inclusions are the line’s own published figures on the date shown, in U.S. dollars. The per-day costs, the charter percentage and the fit verdicts are our arithmetic and judgement, not the line’s. Fares labeled with an early booking discount can change or end without notice; your invoice governs.
Where to go next
The voyage, the gateway night, and the cover that matters out there.
Expedition trips have more moving parts than a Caribbean week: a charter flight, a night in a gateway city, gear lists and an evacuation clause the line sets for you. We book them together and check that the dates and the fine print agree.