Antarctic Honeymoon: Icebergs, Whales & Champagne

This morning is yours to relax or explore Ushuaia together before you embark your luxurious small expedition ship in the afternoon. A butler welcomes you aboard and shows you to your romantic suite with its private balcony over the water, perhaps with a bottle of champagne waiting, and you explore the ship's elegant lounges, spa and deck hot tub before meeting the expedition team. As the ship sails east down the historic Beagle Channel amid snow-capped mountains, you toast your honeymoon with champagne and enjoy a gourmet candlelit dinner. As Tierra del Fuego slips astern and the ship turns south into the Drake Passage in stabilised comfort, romance and excitement build for the crossing to Antarctica. As your first night at sea arrives in intimate luxury, rest well together as the voyage begins.

Today you cross the legendary Drake Passage towards Antarctica in the stabilised comfort of your luxury ship, a romantic day at sea together. While seabirds wheel around the vessel, wandering albatrosses, giant petrels and cape petrels, you enjoy the expedition team's lectures on the penguins, whales and ice ahead, indulge in gourmet meals and fine wines, and unwind together in the spa, sauna or deck hot tub as the great Southern Ocean rolls by. Attentive staff ensure your comfort and privacy, and you watch for seabirds hand in hand from the observation lounge or your balcony. The air grows steadily colder and crisper, and the first icebergs may appear, thrilling first sights to share. As you sail deeper into the Southern Ocean, rest well together in your suite.

As you continue south the temperature drops, the light changes and the first great icebergs appear, glowing on the horizon, an unforgettable moment to share as the White Continent draws near. By late today you approach the Antarctic Peninsula and, conditions permitting, make your first Zodiac cruise or landing together, stepping ashore among penguins or gliding beneath dramatic ice cliffs. The expedition team briefs you and provides your parkas and boots, while the butlers ensure your gear is ready. You return to warmth, hot chocolate and every comfort aboard. The thrill of sharing that first Antarctic landing, followed by champagne in the hot tub amid the ice, is indescribable and deeply romantic. As the long polar day fades, savour your arrival together in one of Earth's most beautiful wildernesses. Rest well in your suite.

Today you explore the spectacular Antarctic Peninsula together, with the expedition leader choosing the finest landings and Zodiac cruises the ice and weather allow. You might land at a bustling gentoo penguin colony, cruise among stranded icebergs in a sheltered bay, or watch humpback whales feeding at the surface, sharing every wonder hand in hand. Between outings you return to gourmet lunches, fine wines and the warmth of your ship, perhaps unwinding in the spa or savouring the scenery from your private balcony. The wildlife and grandeur of Antarctica, penguins, seals, whales and endless ice, unfold in romantic comfort. As another magical day ends with a candlelit dinner and a soak in the deck hot tub amid drifting icebergs, rest well together, deep in the beauty of the Peninsula.

Today, ice permitting, you sail together through the breathtaking Lemaire Channel, a narrow passage between towering cliffs and glaciers so beautiful it is nicknamed Kodak Gap, sipping champagne on deck as the ship glides through mirror-still water reflecting the peaks, perhaps the most romantic moment of your honeymoon. You explore the sublime Paradise Harbour, cruising by Zodiac beneath immense glacier walls and among sculpted icebergs, with seals on the floes and whales surfacing nearby, before returning to a gourmet lunch. This is Antarctica at its most beautiful and romantic, savoured in comfort. The expedition team helps you make the most of every moment while the staff ensure your privacy and every need. As the day ends amid overwhelming beauty, enjoy a candlelit dinner and the hot tub. Rest well together in your suite.

Today you make the most of your final explorations in Antarctica together before turning north. The expedition team seizes every last opportunity for a landing or Zodiac cruise, perhaps a final penguin colony, a last drift among the icebergs, or a whale encounter, and, for the adventurous, a bracing polar plunge followed by a warming soak in the deck hot tub for two. You drink in the scenery and wildlife one more time in romantic comfort, committing to memory the penguins, whales, seals and endless ice you have shared. By late afternoon the ship turns her bow northward and begins the crossing of the Drake Passage, and you gather on deck with champagne to watch Antarctica slip astern, hand in hand. As the White Continent fades, savour the profound, romantic experience you have shared. Rest well together.

Today you sail north across the Drake Passage towards South America in stabilised comfort, a relaxed and romantic day at sea. Once again albatrosses and petrels escort the ship, and the expedition team reflects on the wildlife and ice you have experienced. There is ample time to indulge together, a couples spa treatment, a long lunch with fine wine, or simply relaxing on your private balcony as the ocean rolls by, sharing memories of the wonders you have seen. The naturalists recap the whales, seals and penguins encountered, and the mood is one of contentment and romance. Keep an eye out for seabirds and whales from the comfort of the lounge. As Antarctica recedes behind you and your honeymoon continues in luxury, rest well together in your suite.

Your final full day at sea takes you back across the Drake Passage towards Cape Horn and the tip of South America. Conditions permitting, you may sail close to fabled Cape Horn, a dramatic finale enjoyed together from your balcony or the observation lounge. The expedition team gives a farewell recap, and this evening you enjoy a lavish captain's farewell gala dinner with fine wines and champagne, a fitting celebration of your honeymoon and the extraordinary journey you have shared. Land comes into view as the ship approaches the Beagle Channel once more. As your last night aboard the luxury expedition ship arrives, reflect together on the penguins, whales, icebergs and romance of Antarctica, and enjoy a final champagne toast in the hot tub. Rest well ahead of disembarkation tomorrow.

This morning your luxury expedition ship returns to Ushuaia and, after a final gourmet breakfast aboard, you bid farewell to the butlers, the expedition team and your fellow travellers before disembarking. You are transferred by private car to the airport for your onward flight, carrying memories to treasure for a lifetime together. You leave having begun your marriage with the most extraordinary journey on Earth, a genuine polar expedition where you crossed the Drake Passage in comfort, walked among thousands of penguins, cruised by Zodiac amid icebergs and whales, and toasted your future with champagne in a hot tub amid the ice. The images stay vivid long after you land, the penguins, the whales, the electric-blue ice, and the two of you hand in hand at the ends of the earth. You depart already dreaming of your next great adventure together.