Covid Protocols and FAQs

• Get Vaccinated!
  All passengers, staff, and crew are required to to be fully vaccinated with at least 1 booster shot.
  We understand that you may have questions regarding COVID-19 vaccines. For the most up-to-date factual information, we recommend consulting your medical provider.  Additionally, both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) have extensive vaccine facts and resources. To minimize confusion in consideration of COVID issues, we also recommend that you receive an influenza vaccination (flu vaccine) before you leave.

• Make Sure you have Travel Interruption Insurance
  Polar Latitudes STRONGLY recommends you have Travel Interruption and Cancellation Insurance with CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) as well as COVID coverage as this will help protect your investment and offer a refund on the missed portion of any trip, as well as assist with the cost of rebooking flights if necessary.

• Stay Informed
  Keep your eye on any government or airline recommendations or mandates that may impact your trip. We will do our best to inform booked guests of any government or major airline mandates that will be in place at time of travel, but monitoring the status of travel in your own country is always recommended.

• Get Tested Before you Leave Home!
  To avoid the hassle of getting to Argentina just to find out you’ve tested positive for COVID, we strongly recommend that you get your PCR test prior to leaving home. The PCR test can be administered anytime within 3 days of the trip start date – Day 1 of the published itinerary. For example, if your trip start date is Nov 19, you should get tested no earlier than Nov 16.

• Stay Safe!
  In the 10 days leading up to your departure, please exercise additional caution by avoiding large crowds, wearing a mask in indoor spaces, and practicing social distancing.

If you have recently recovered from COVID it is possible (although rare) that you could test positive on your pre-departure PCR test. Asymptomatic guests who have recovered from COVID within 2-4 weeks of the trip start date (Day 1) and remain asymptomatic, may bring a qualified letter of recovery in the rare event of a positive PCR result.

Qualified letters must:

• Be written on official letterhead containing the name, address, and phone number of the healthcare provider or public health official signing the document of recovery.
• Include identifying information for the passenger (Name and Date of Birth) that matches their passport.
• Include the following dates: date of initial positive test, and date passenger was considered “recovered” and cleared to end isolation.

Important note: A Letter of Recovery is NOT a valid substitute for a PCR test. All passengers must be tested prior to boarding. A Letter of Recovery is simply to reduce hassle in the event of a positive test result.

Yes.  All passengers, staff, and crew will be required to be fully vaccinated with at least one booster shot. Your booster must be at least two weeks prior to departure. If you have availability or eligibility concerns, please contact our sales team.

We understand that there may be people for whom a COVID-19 vaccine is not medically approved. Vaccine technology and eligibility is constantly evolving, and we encourage you to monitor the situation in your country. If you or your children are still unable to access an approved vaccine prior to final payment, please contact us to discuss your options.

Yes. All passengers will be asked to answer a few brief screening questions, pass an on-site temperature check, and have a negative PCR test result to board the ship.

The PCR test can be taken anytime within 3 days of the trip start date – Day 1 of the published itinerary. For example, if your trip start date is Nov 19, you should get tested no earlier than Nov 16. We strongly recommend passengers get PCR tested in advance, if possible, to avoid the potential complications of testing positive in Ushuaia.

Unable to get a test before you arrive? No problem. Polar Latitudes will provide a rapid PCR test at the pre-departure hotel, free of charge. For most voyages, this will happen on Day 2 of the itinerary. Specific testing windows for each departure will be included in your final documents.

Be aware that there may be additional testing requirements imposed by your local government, airline, or regulatory agency prior to leaving your home country, or by Argentina upon your arrival. Please be sure to fully understand and comply with all testing mandates.  Any test required by airlines or governments is your responsibility. We will provide as much information as possible to assist you in locating the testing resources you need.

Polar Latitudes STRONGLY recommends you have Travel Cancellation and Interruption Insurance with CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) and COVID coverage as this will help protect your investment and offer a refund on the missed portion of any trip, as well as assist with the cost of rebooking flights if necessary.

If you are unable to travel or are denied boarding due to PL’s health and safety protocols, quarantine requirement upon arrival into Argentina, or a government travel ban, your  your first course of action should be to contact your travel insurance for a full refund of your trip cost. If your claim is denied, or only partially paid, we will issue up to 100% credit to use on a voyage that departs within 24 months of your original departure.

Please note that Polar Latitudes is not responsible for any additional expenses incurred as a result of being denied boarding, including, but not limited to, hotel expenses, flight costs, meals, etc. Should you wish to wait out your positive results in Argentina, we will do everything we can to book you onto the next departure, so you can join us once you’re testing negative again.

If you are on a charter voyage or special interest voyage charter, please refer to your individual terms and conditions sent out during the booking process via your booking agent.

If you or your immediate companion(s) are denied boarding due to Polar Latitudes’ health and safety protocols, our COVID Protection Guarantee will apply to all parties on your booking. Our COVID Protection Guarantee does NOT apply to any other parties on separate bookings who you may be traveling with, except in the instance of parents traveling with minor children.

Travel Cancelation and Interruption Insurance with CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) may be your only recourse if you decide not to travel due to another party being denied boarding.

We understand there are still a lot of unknowns, so we have instituted our 30-Day Rebook Guarantee. Should you choose not to travel up to 30 days before your departure date, you will receive 100% credit to use on a voyage that departs within 24 months of your original voyage. No cancellation or rebooking fees apply.

• Account must be paid in full to be eligible.
• Credits are fully transferrable and apply to new bookings only
• Guarantee does not apply to charter or group bookings which are covered by their own terms and conditions

All passengers will be asked to answer a few brief screening questions, pass an on-site temperature check, and have a negative PCR test result to board the ship.

The PCR test can be taken anytime within 3 days of the trip start date – Day 1 of the published itinerary. For example, if your trip start date is Nov 19, you should get tested no earlier than Nov 16. We strongly recommend passengers get PCR tested in advance, if possible, to avoid the potential complications of testing positive in Ushuaia.

Unable to get a test before you arrive? No problem. Polar Latitudes will provide a rapid PCR test at the pre-departure hotel, free of charge. For most voyages, this will happen on Day 2 of the itinerary. Specific testing windows for each departure will be included in your final documents.

As of June, 2022 Argentina has not released specific quarantine protocols regarding Antarctic travel in 2022-2023. As soon as any protocols are announced, we will update our information and notify all booked guests.

Yes. Staff and crew on board are required to be fully vaccinated with at least 1 booster.

No. Mask wearing and social distancing on board is optional for all passengers. This may change as conditions, guidelines, or regulations dictate. The instructions of our medical staff on board take precedence over any written policies.

While our ships will be fully stocked with Personal Protective Equipment, including masks, in the event that they are needed by any passengers, crew, or staff, our supply is not limitless, and we ask that you bring an ample supply of N95 or KN95 masks for yourself and your party.

All common and high traffic areas are sanitized frequently. In addition, there are ample hand-sanitizing stations throughout all decks of the ships, and all guests are required to sanitize their hands prior to entering the dining room.

You will be able to use both the fitness center and the sauna. Please note you may need to schedule time in advance with Reception on board. Please follow all staff and crew instructions.

The pool will not be available for use, as the resources required to fill and heat it would add unnecessary negative impact to this fragile environment that we are striving to protect.

Our ships will have dedicated isolation cabins and our medical clinic will be stocked with readily available PPE (Personal Protective Equipment), all currently available testing and treatment materials, and adequate oxygen supplies.

COVID-19-positive individuals and anyone exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 will be tested and treated as necessary by our Emergency-certified medical staff. Anyone testing positive for COVID will be required to isolate for up to 5 days, and will be asked to wear a mask for 5 days following.

We know how special this voyage is for you. Rest assured, in the rare event that you test positive for COVID on board, we will do everything we can to provide a parallel experience during your period of isolation. We will, should your condition allow, provide opportunities for you to spend time out on deck and/or participate in separate zodiac cruises and excursions apart from other passengers. Once you are fully cleared, you will return to full participation.

Yes, we are allowing single shares.

Seaventure has an upgraded ventilation system that brings fresh, pre-heated air from the outdoors into all cabins and public spaces.  It is designed so that each cabin has its own individual air flow and there is NO air circulated between cabins. All filters within the system will be changed every 10-14 days with HEPA level filtration.

We will have PCR testing available on board the ship, and passengers may request a PCR test prior to disembarkation at a cost of $100USD/pp. Guests will receive a paper certification of test type and results before leaving the ship.