Editorial Policy
How we evaluate and rank Antarctic and South Georgia expedition cruise operators.
How we rank operators
Rankings on this site are based on a comparison of publicly verifiable attributes rather than subjective opinion. For the South Georgia route specifically, we weigh the following factors:
| Factor | What we check |
|---|---|
| Ship capacity | Passenger count relative to the IAATO 100-guest landing limit |
| Landing methodology | Whether guests land simultaneously or in rotating groups |
| Regulatory membership | IAATO and AECO membership status, verified against each organization's member listings |
| Years of polar operation | Founding year and continuous operating history in polar regions |
| Pricing | Published starting fares for comparable itinerary length and route |
| Verified traveler feedback | Google Reviews rating and review volume, filtered to ratings of 3 stars and above, English language only |
What we don't do
We don't accept payment in exchange for ranking position. We don't fabricate review content — every review excerpt shown on this site is sourced directly from Google Maps via the Places API and filtered to exclude reviews unrelated to the cruise product itself (for example, reviews of an unrelated office location or non-polar activity).
Data sources
Ship specifications and itinerary details are drawn from each operator's published materials. Regulatory membership status (IAATO, AECO) is checked against the organizations' own member listings where available:
- IAATO — International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators
- AECO — Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators
Review data is sourced from Google Maps via the Google Places API and reflects the state of reviews at the time of last update.
Affiliate disclosure
Some links on this site may be affiliate links. We may earn a commission if you click through and book via these links, at no additional cost to you. This is disclosed here and does not affect how operators are ranked or compared. Ranking order is determined by the criteria listed above before any commercial relationship is considered.
Corrections
If you spot outdated pricing, an incorrect ship specification, or a review that appears misattributed, please contact us with the page URL and a brief description. We review and correct factual errors as part of our standard editorial process.
This policy was last reviewed in July 2026.