Silversea Cruises' newest expedition ship, the 200-guest Silver Endeavour, was christened in Antarctica's Lemaire Channel on November 19. This ship operates "Antarctic Bridge" programs, allowing explorers to fly over the notorious Drake Passage and cut up to four days off a traditional voyage - ideal for those with limited vacation time. I traveled on a November 15 shakedown cruise, with media and travel advisor guests, that let us experience the Drake Passage one way and the business-class flight back. Our journey started with an overnight in Santiago, Chile.

Silversea guests spent a night in the luxurious Mandarin Oriental, Santiago, to give us a respite before heading further south to Antarctica. Silversea generally puts up its guests at the Mandarin Oriental or the Renaissance hotels in Santiago.

From Santiago, we boarded a DAP Antarctic Airways charter flight to Puerto Williams, Chile, billed as the southernmost city in South America. Puerto Williams is Silversea's new homeport for Antarctic expeditions on Silver Cloud and Silver Wind, while Silver Endeavour operates the "Antarctic Bridge" programs with the roundtrip flights over the Drake Passage.

The flights are operated by RJ100, the newest and more powerful version of the BAe 146 aircraft. "It is the only aircraft in the world, so far, that has the capability to fly over the Drake Passage," Nicolas Pivcevic, executive director of DAP Group, told me. It can handle the short, narrow gravel runway on King George Island, just off the coast off the Antarctic Peninsula.

The BAe normally seats up to 85 people, but on Silversea charters, it accommodates no more than 64, Pivcevic said, allowing for extra pitch between seats and what is "pretty much first-class service." Indeed, there was plenty of space, the meals were authentic Chilean, and the friendly service was excellent.

Godmother Felicity Aston, the first woman to ski solo across Antarctica in 2012, presided over a blessing of the ship in a ceremony on November 15 at the Cape Horn Sub-Antarctic Center in Puerto Williams. The actual christening was to come later during the ship's inaugural Antarctic voyage.

Silver Endeavour sliced through the sometimes-rough Drake Passage with ease, no doubt with the cooperation of the notorious waterway itself. I dosed up with Dramamine, just to be safe, and the ship made it through 15-foot seas with no glassware flying off tables. It was a little difficult to walk straight at times, but was nowhere as rocky as I had feared. The crossing normally takes about 48 hours, but we made it through in a day and a half. That allowed us to make our first landing in Antarctica, at Robert Point, the afternoon of November 17.

Making our way up the rocky shore, we walked through snowy paths marked for safety by the ship's expedition team. Numerous elephant seals lied in in the sand, while Gentoo penguins waddled around, sometimes landing on their bellies. We had to keep about 15 feet away from the wildlife, but it was close enough to take great photos.

It felt quite safe plodding around on Robert Island, but the icy cliffs visible in the distance reminded me how dangerous conditions can be in Antarctica. Temperatures were in the low 30s, and we were kept quite warm in our Silversea-provided parkas, waterproof pants and tall, waterproof boots. It felt colder when the wind whipped up and sent icy waves splashing over us in the Zodiac motorized rafts. The ship stays in place through its dynamic positioning system, which uses computers to keep it in one place without dropping an anchor.

Silversea emphasizes education on expedition voyages, and this trip included several notable lecturers. One was Nicholas Crane, former president of the Royal Geographic Society, and another was Felicity Aston, the ship's godmother who shared her stories of solo travel in Antarctica.

One of the main gathering spots on Silver Endeavour is the Explorer Lounge on Deck 4. It's where educational lectures are given, as well as the daily briefing. During the pre-dinner briefing, the expedition leader tells us where the ship is planning to take us the next day, given the weather and sea conditions.

Silver Endeavour is a luxury cruise ship with the latest technological advances, including stabilizers and systems that let the ship turn on a dime. The vessel has 200 crew members and 200 passengers, so service is sublime. So is the comfort and beauty of the suites and public areas as you travel through one of the most unforgiving places on earth. And don't forget, there are butlers, who are more than happy to serve you champagne any time you want it.

Throughout the trip, both Silver Endeavour and Zodiac rafts sailed by large icebergs and between or over smaller ice chunks. The berg pictured here was particularly pretty with blue tints.

We saw many penguins when we went ashore in Antarctica. They were so fun to watch - they'd waddle around, sometimes falling on their bellies, but they moved so gracefully in the water. We were cautioned not to impede their progress on the so-called Penguin Highways, the brownish tracks in the snow.

The stunning yet forbidding landscape in Antarctica makes you marvel at the stories of early explorers such as Ernest Shackleton and how they traveled in wooden ships with none of the modern communications and safety systems of today - not to mention the plentiful caviar served on Silver Endeavour. The wreck of Shackleton's wooden ship, Endurance, was found earlier this year in the Weddell Sea.

November 19 was the day for the naming ceremony. Most passengers boarded Zodiacs as the sun broke through what had been a cloudy, blustery morning. Temperatures in the 30s felt balmy when bundled up. We rode the motorized rafts in the Lemaire Channel as the ship sailed near us - we felt not a ripple. Then, as the Zodiacs circled the ship's bow, Felicity Aston and Captain Niklas Peterstam released the traditional magnum. Don't worry, it wasn't a glass bottle filled with bubbly. Instead, it was an ice sculpture that shattered upon hitting the ship's hull.

When the ice bottle shattered, passengers and crew in the Zodiacs lifted plastic flutes of champagne in a toast. Passengers and crew were extremely careful not to let flutes or even the bubbly itself touch these pristine waters.

Here I am, toasting Silver Endeavour and celebrating my visit to the seventh continent, at long last.

Sadly, time to go home. After disembarking Silver Endeavour a day earlier than expected, due to impending fog and gloom that could've grounded the flight to and from King George Island, we spent two nights at the Cabo de Hornos hotel in Punta Arenas. It's worth noting that everything in Antarctica depends on the weather so travelers must be flexible. From there, we flew back through Santiago and home. My Silver Endeavour trip to Antarctica was a life-changing experience.