Editorial Policy

Independence Statement

Antarctica Cruise Comparison does not accept payment, commission, free travel, or any other form of compensation from expedition cruise operators, travel agents, or booking platforms. All operator rankings are determined solely by our editorial team based on publicly verifiable criteria.

We have no affiliate relationships with any operator listed on this site. We do not earn revenue when readers book a cruise. Our only commercial model is display advertising unrelated to any listed operator.

How Rankings Are Determined

Rankings are determined by five weighted criteria applied equally to all operators under consideration:

• IAATO compliance and ship size (30%) — verified membership and landing frequency analysis
• Expedition team quality (25%) — guide-to-guest ratio and verified specialist credentials
• Verified traveler ratings (20%) — Google Reviews, minimum 20 reviews required
• Itinerary variety (15%) — range of routes across Peninsula, Circle, South Georgia, fly-cruise
• Activity inclusions (10%) — what is included in base fare

Full methodology details are published on our How We Rank page.

Conflict of Interest Policy

Editorial team members who have a current or recent (within 24 months) commercial relationship with any operator under review are recused from that operator's evaluation. We do not employ consultants or contractors who hold paid roles with listed operators.

If a listed operator reaches out to dispute a ranking or request reconsideration, their communication is acknowledged and forwarded to our editorial team for review against our published criteria. Ranking changes are made only when objective criteria warrant a change — not in response to operator pressure.

Correction Policy

We correct factual errors promptly. If you identify an error in our rankings, operator data, or factual claims, please contact us with the specific correction and a verifiable source. Corrections are typically reviewed within 5 business days. Material corrections are noted inline with a correction notice.

Update Frequency

Rankings are reviewed every six months. We update between scheduled reviews when material changes occur: IAATO membership changes, significant fleet changes, or sustained rating shifts. Last updated: May 2026.

Operator Submissions

Operators may submit for consideration via our Submit Operator page. Submission does not guarantee inclusion. All submissions are evaluated against the same objective criteria applied to currently listed operators.