Back

View all destinations
  • Africa

  • Asia

  • Caribbean

  • Central America

  • Europe

  • Middle East

  • North America

  • Oceania

  • South America

Africa

Through its extraordinary wildlife safaris, environmental majesty and ancient traditions, Africa is an epic storybook adventure. Experience unparalleled luxury via rainforest, coastline, dessert and mountain.

Asia

Intoxicatingly beautiful and rooted in custom, Asia reveals a heightened mysticism and generosity of spirit throughout each celebrated region. Discover centuries of culture and engaging hospitality with every step.

Caribbean

Choose from an ever-increasing portfolio of luxury resorts and private islands along the azure waters of the Caribbean. Marine adventure, culinary perfection and complete seclusion all have a spot on the day’s agenda.

Central America

Soothing vistas and diverse eco-adventure await in Central America. See the sun rise over the rim of a volcano, roam the ruins of the Mayans, ride through nature conservatories and paddle through jungle mangroves.

Europe

A multitude of environs– coast, country and city – make for a feast of diversity in Europe. The unique histories, gastronomic extravagance and cultural riches bring a deluxe profusion of Old World elegance.

Middle East

Ancient cultures and modern pleasures coalesce in the fascinating nations of the eastern Mediterranean and those ringing the Persian Gulf. Encounter pockets of immense historical significance, refined opulence and breathtaking beauty.

North America

For enjoying a stateside sojourn, drinking in Canada’s natural wonders or exploring the magnitude of Mexico, this continent offers spectacular diversion. Find flavours to arouse every taste bud and an array of cultures to match.

Oceania

A world of exotic wonder awaits in Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific islands. Drift through romantic nights and endless days of natural splendour, aquatic adventure, decadent resorts and epicurean delights.

South America

From the beaches of northern Brazil to the southern tracts of Patagonia, this continent is the sum of a thousand parts. Experience ancient cities and heritage haciendas, volcanic hot springs and vibrant café cultures.

Explore a world of luxury

View all destinations

Cruise Destinations

Whether you dream of island-hopping your way down Caribbean island chains, connecting the ocean waters with a Panama Canal cruise, or sailing into an exotic Mediterranean port at cocktail hour, our expert Travel Designers can curate the luxury cruise vacation of a lifetime.

Explore a world of luxury cruising

Search all cruise types

Safari Destinations

What can you expect from a Tully Luxury Travel safari? In a word: magic. You will witness extraordinary wildlife amid untamed beauty and unparalleled luxury. You will take a thousand pictures – and make a thousand more memories.

Podcasts

Luxury travel’s most inspiring stories told by its most celebrated icons. From wildlife experts, fashion designers and artists, to historians, chefs and more, this inspiring podcast series is designed to show you the world’s most exclusive travel experiences through the eyes of the people that know them best.

See all Podcasts

Explore our media

View all media

Our Partners

What is the Tully Difference? The most satisfying travel experiences are the ones that captivate and transform you as a person and that deepen your connection to the world around you. It is that belief that fuels our desire to create rewarding travel experiences for people who are passionate about discovering the essence and heart of a destination.

View all Travel Partners

The Tully Difference

Learn more

[{"term_id":585,"name":"Antarctica","slug":"antarctica","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":585,"taxonomy":"countries","description":"","parent":0,"count":14,"filter":"raw","term_order":"0"}]

Sailing to Antarctica on the Silver Endeavour with Mary Jean Tully

By Tully Luxury Travel | 07-13-2023 |

An Insider's Look Cruise Mary Jean Antarctica

It is not unusual to see Mary Jean Tully, Tully Luxury Travel’s founder and CEO, in Africa, ankle-deep in red clay giving rescued baby elephants a mud bath, or having breakfast with giraffes in a luxury hotel. Mary Jean is passionate about Africa and about the community of like-minded conservationists that protect its wildlife.

Engaged in a destination is part of the company’s philosophy, and one of the reasons to book with Mary Jean and her team. Another? Earlier this year, Tully Luxury Travel was named one of the first ever Forbes Travel Guide-endorsed agencies globally.

Late last year, I was fortunate to sail with Silversea on its newest expedition ship, Silver Endeavour, to Antarctica. Mary Jean followed a week later. Here, we compare notes.

Mary Jean: Antarctica is a bucket list destination for a lot of people. They’ll say, “Oh, I would never go on a cruise – no, that’s not my vibe.” But places like Galapagos, Alaska, Antarctica and the bespoke ships, once they go – and once they go on a ship like the Silver Endeavour that’s so fabulous, it ticks all the boxes.

Vivian: How many times have you visited Antarctica?

Mary Jean: Three times; once a number of years ago, and then this past December, on the Silver Endeavour. We did ‘the bridge,’ flying over the Drake Passage; and Seabourn Venture, where we sailed across the Passage. People are completely fearful of crossing it. But, if you take Silversea’s ‘bridge,’ you can do a six-day cruise. And six days is more than enough to experience Antarctica; if you don’t do the bridge you add two sailing days there and back.

Vivian: The Silver Endeavour is a remarkable ship. But it was not originally built by Silversea ?

Mary Jean: It was built by Crystal as the Crystal Endeavour; there has never been another ship built like this, and Silversea will admit that. Silversea added some cabins, removed the casino and updated the ship to its standards. The tech is completely amazing, Endeavour is a Polar Class 6 ship; an icebreaker that can turn on a dime without putting down anchor; it carries the zodiacs down below in the marina so there’s no waiting for them to be lowered into the water from up top; all of which saves time when disembarking for a landing; and the ship’s solarium with the pool, it’s magnificent. You just won’t find another ship like it. One day, the ship was rocking but not so much that people would feel sick. That was amazing, and we were thanking the icebreakers for that – but later, the captain apologized for rough seas, because he wasn’t able to lower the icebreakers! The captain is specially trained for expedition cruising, and the Endeavour’s captain was captain when Crystal first created the ship.

Vivian: And the public spaces: the Arts Café, the Observation Lounge and the Pool Deck! There was something about having lunch in the sunshine without feeling the bite of the cold outside. This ship is designed so people can still have an amazing experience even if they don’t go on every landing.

Mary Jean: There are incredible sightings from the decks of the ship: whale watching, penguins, Petermann Island, the Lemaire Channel. The expedition team is so knowledgeable, so there are lots of good lectures on board. The fine dining at La Dame is fabulous; as is the main dining room, and hot chocolate in the Arts Cafe – really good. Antarctica is unpredictable, but it’s also spectacular and that’s what I love about it. You have to be prepared for surprises. It can be bad weather and then an hour later, it’s beautiful, so let’s go! But the expedition team always has a plan. There was never a day that we were stuck, and they kept us well-informed. We had to go a day early, and stay a day later – so always use a travel agent and have them always book the air with the cruise line, so that any changes are on the cruise line. If I had booked my own air, I would have had trouble getting home trying to rebook flights. And for the bridge, Silversea charters Antarctica air, so it’s flexible.

Vivian: I also appreciated the spacious mudroom, and the cupboards for stowing gear and the laundry room next door.

Mary Jean: And having walking sticks that can be borrowed, plus the supplied jackets that are long enough to cover your seat, makes a difference in the overall experience. And the crew is so conscientious of the bird flu; how you had to step in cleaning solutions as you re-board the ship after an expedition, and how they would scrub the bottoms of your boots before going into the mud room. They really follow the rules.

Vivian: What about any environmental impact cruising to Antarctica might have?

Mary Jean: The Antarctic's governing body, the Antarctic Treaty system, is shared by a global group of countries, and is extremely strict about the number of ships and cruise lines that are allowed there, and where they are at any given time. You’ll never go on a landing in the same place as another ship; there’s no dumping of cargo or even cargo ships. They’re very careful; but again, I always advise people to go with companies that have a good reputation. If any of these companies break the rules, they are booted out. No questions asked. And Tully only deals with cruise lines or safari lodges that have sustainability models that really take care of their people, the community and the animals/wildlife.


Vivian: We can’t ignore the risks of travelling to remote areas like Antarctica. We saw a few unfortunate accidents happen last year. How do you allay any fears your clients may have?

Mary Jean: It can happen anywhere; but it is very rare. What is so shocking is that it happened all during one week. Follow the rules, use your head. When you look at the money spent by these companies to ensure safety, it’s not about price; it’s about the integrity and the people that are running the expedition. Fortunately, there have not been any incidents since that time. A ship like the Silver Endeavour is a game-changer, especially to the Antarctic. It might be a bit more than others, but between saving four days via flying the bridge, the service on board (and the butlers), and the excellent expedition team, it’s worth it.

Subscribe to our Newsletter

Inspiring travel ideas and advice from our travel designers delivered straight to your inbox.

Submit

Subscribe to our Newsletter

And gain access to travel promotions exclusive to Tully Luxury Travel through our vast network of some of the largest service providers in the travel industry.

We hope to show you the Tully difference on your next journey.

Tully Luxury Travel | Newsletter Subscription

  • Send

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

false