Douglas Mawson

Two dining rooms with open seating, so you sit where you like and with whom you like. Premium spirits, cocktails, beer, wine, and liqueurs are included throughout the voyage — not just at dinner — tea and snacks run 24/7, and the final night wraps with the Captain’s Farewell: cocktails, canapés, and a three-course send-off.

Top-deck lounge with floor-to-ceiling glass, stocked with wildlife guides and binoculars for anyone who’d rather spot whales than nap. The ship also has a library and glass atrium lounge in the bow, and the bridge runs an open-door policy — wander up and watch the officers work the ice.

The back deck on Deck 7: a heated outdoor pool, a pool bar, and two Jacuzzis with the ice drifting past. Between landings it’s the best seat in Antarctica — and the X-BOW keeps the water where it belongs. (Sister ship Sylvia Earle has the pool too; Greg Mortimer has Jacuzzis but no pool.)

Aurora’s citizen science program gets a purpose-built home here — a lounge and research space where the naturalist team runs real data collection guests can join between landings. Not a decorative lab; a working one, with floor-to-ceiling views to match.

Lockers for boots and gear, rapid-dry areas for wet layers, and two separate Zodiac embarkation points plus a dedicated activity platform for kayaks and paddleboards. Translation: 130 people get off the ship fast, which means more time ashore and less time in a queue.

A proper gym for sea days and a sauna for everything after — especially the Polar Plunge, which is the one activity where a sauna goes from nice-to-have to non-negotiable. Both sit on Deck 7 alongside the pool deck.

The one Captain’s Suite on the ship, low and mid-ship on Deck 4 where the motion is gentlest. Separate lounge, walk-in wardrobe, balcony, a mini bar replenished throughout the voyage, a bottle of champagne, and a pair of binoculars to keep. This is the milestone-trip cabin.

Four suites up on Deck 7, steps from the bridge, observation lounge, sun deck, and sauna. A separate lounge area and balcony give you real room to spread out on sea days. Suite perks include a stocked mini bar on arrival (stocked once, not replenished), a bottle of champagne, and a pair of binoculars to keep.

The step between the standard balcony tiers and the suites: floor-to-ceiling windows, a proper balcony, a desk area, and noticeably more floor space. Cabins 428 and 429 are ADA-accessible with wheelchair-friendly bathrooms — tell us if that matters for your group and we’ll hold them.

The most common cabin on board (25 of them) and arguably the best value: preferred positions on Decks 4 and 6 with easy stair and elevator access, a private balcony, and a layout that works well for two.

Seventeen cabins at the forward and aft ends of Decks 4 and 6, many with interconnecting doors — the go-to pick for families and friends traveling as a group. Same balcony, same views, slightly better price than Category A.

The entry point to a private balcony on Douglas Mawson. These fifteen cabins are either at the far forward or aft ends or mid-ship with a slightly smaller footprint — a fair trade for the lowest balcony fare on the ship.

Four dedicated solo cabins (407, 409, 410, 412) with the full Category A footprint and balcony. Aurora waives the single supplement on the first 10 solo cabins booked on every ship — a standing fleet-wide policy. On most ships a solo balcony in Antarctica means paying for two; here it doesn’t. They sell out first — book early.

Six cabins high on Deck 7 with floor-to-ceiling windows that open for a French-balcony feel, an en-suite, and a desk area. No step-out balcony, but the outdoor decks, pool, and sauna are right down the hall.

The lowest-priced twin/double on the ship: two porthole cabins on Deck 3, a short walk from the mudroom and Zodiac platforms. There are only two of them, so they fill far in advance.

Four single-occupancy cabins split between Decks 3 and 7. Worth knowing: the Deck 3 cabins are larger (163 sq ft) with a small porthole, while 709 on Deck 7 is smaller but gets a real window. Tell us which trade-off you’d rather make.

Two porthole cabins on Deck 3 with three twin beds and an en-suite. The classic solo-traveler share option — book a berth, skip the supplement, and let Aurora match you with cabin-mates of the same gender.

The two smallest, lowest-priced solo cabins on the ship — porthole, en-suite, Deck 3, close to the mudroom. Compact, but you’re paying for one bed and getting the whole continent outside.