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.
Antarctica21 · Magellan Discoverer
Lindblad Expeditions · National Geographic Orion
Polar Latitudes · Ocean Victory
Poseidon Expeditions · Sea Spirit
PONANT · L'Austral
PONANT · Le Soléal
Polar Latitudes · Discoverer
Oceanwide Expeditions · m/v Plancius
HX (Hurtigruten Expeditions) · MS Fridtjof Nansen
Aurora Expeditions · Sylvia Earle
Swan Hellenic · SH Diana
Antarctica21 · Magellan Explorer