Contemplating a trip to the Antarctic poses manifold choices. Each of six major cruise lines sailing to the South Atlantic offers distinctly different options as to duration, destinations, comfort, formality, and shore excursions. In many ways, it is truly a dice toss, as itineraries are notoriously subject to change due to variant weather conditions.

We got lucky. We chose Azamara's January, 2013 16-day cruise on the Quest, a 694-passenger, 592-foot, ten-deck ship refurbished in 2007. With a small handful of exceptions, virtually everything about the Quest's on-and-off-board experience was exceptional, if not inspired

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