85 Antarctic expeditions departing in December 2026, from $7,300 per person. Compare ships, cabins and operators for the month.
December brings peak season: the warmest temperatures so far (0 to +8 °C on the Peninsula), nearly 20 hours of daylight, and the first penguin chicks hatching around the solstice — colonies turn into noisy nurseries. Whale sightings pick up week by week.
Christmas and New Year departures are the most sought-after (and priciest) of the year; celebrating the New Year at midnight in broad daylight is a story in itself. Book these sailings 12–18 months out.
Silversea Cruises · Silver Wind
Swan Hellenic · SH Vega
Polar Latitudes · Ocean Albatros
Antarctica21 · Magellan Explorer
Lindblad Expeditions · National Geographic Resolution
Lindblad Expeditions · National Geographic Explorer
HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) · MS Roald Amundsen
Oceanwide Expeditions · m/v Hondius
Oceanwide Expeditions · m/v Ortelius
Quark Expeditions · Ultramarine
Quark Expeditions · Ocean Explorer
Quark Expeditions · World Voyager