Customer Reviews

I am from New Orleans, LA. and have not seen so much snow and ice. I have never been skiing so the highlight of my trip was after I fell going down a slippery slope, I decided to ski down the slope on my butt while pushing down on my trekking poles. I may have started a new tradition in Antarctica. The landscapes and wildlife were unbelievable: from the penguins, birds, seals and whales to the gorgeous icebergs of all different sizes and colors and, most importantly, visualizing all of the stories of the early explorers to Antarctica. What courageous men they were! I am telling my grandchildren to go Antarctica while they are still young not like their 80 year old granny.

I can't say which was my most memorable because every minute of the tour was memorable! 1.) Landing on the continent with the flag 2.) Polar circle crossing baptismal ceremony 3.) Polar plunge 4.) Spending time with fellow guests, staffs, and crew of Ocean Nova

Two: the inmense pinguin colony(s) in St. Andrews Bay on South Georgia and the very inpressive landscape of the Artic Penisula on January 13th, when the weather was very bright!

It seems impossible to name just one highlight, but if I must, it would be the hour or so we spent cruising amongst a group of 200 or so Humpback whales. They were so close you didn't know where to look first. We got closer to the wildlife than I expected, particularly the nesting albatross and penguins sitting on eggs. I can now tell 6 species of penguins apart! The only real surprise was when a wave hit the ship straight on the side and broke a window while we were all sitting in the lounge.

Kayaking adventures throughout the trip - great way to see the scenery and wildlife

The first morning, waking up and seeing the awesome landscape of blue icebergs, black terrain covered with pure white snow while on zodiak cruise, seeing a group of humpback whales engage in bubble net feeding

An incredibly hard question - so hard to pick between that first thrill of wildlife at West Point with the albatross and rockhopper colony, the full day sitting amongst and soaking in all the wildlife at sunny Saunders Bay, or the Adelie penguin overload at Paulet island. Or maybe the excitement at seeing an orca pop up out of nowhere on New Years Eve. It really is a trip of endless memorable moments that would each be the highlight of any other holiday.

The ice. Going on to land/ice twice a day though I would have liked loner and more time off he boat. Landscape stunning and the wildlife unusual. Most of the time pleasant but rather pushy and over excited when they were so, so desperate to take photos. That I do not know why Antarctic does not have a flag. They are not old enough to under stand the concept of a shared geographical area. I did not expect to find 30 young Chinese children on the boat, pushing and shoving on the stairs, along the corridors, jumping the queue in the restaurant and generally making a lot of noise. They were also noisy on land and I had hoped to find wonderful peace in Antarctica. I realise children are playful and lively but I did not expect to be on holiday with them and would not have booked this holiday had I known. So it did affect my enjoyment.

Floating in the zodiacs between icebergs on which penguins and seals were resting.

Polar Plunge experience, Seeing Iceberg, Penguin colonies, Blue whales, Seals and other Antarctic wildlife,

Seeing 60,000-100,000 penguins on Souh Georgia Island

We paddled in Paradise Cove near whales which was peaceful and glorious. It was also the same day back home that my beloved aunt passed away. The experience of kayaking near whales brought peace to my teary heart. That was definitely one of the most dear memory moments. There were so many memorable moments in Antarctica from the otherworldly sea- glacier- iceberg- landscapes, to the birds mammals, and invertebrates—like jellyfish!, to the people—like the expedition team who shared warmth and fascinating information and the other guests who became our friends. Antarctica was definitely an adventure of a lifetime.

One day one of the receptionists at the front desk was hurried and terse. Other than that one incidence the trip was a 10 out of 10. I enjoyed like-minded travelers, learned from the experts, loved the food and service and had fun, rest and a million smiles everyday!

The highlight was Charlotte's Bay as described above. It was a totally perfect experience on a perfectly calm and sunny day. The landscapes were absolutely breathtaking with the Seven Sister who were complete visible due to the awesome weather. I traveled alone, so I didn't have a group as others did; however, I met very nice people from the US, Hong Kong, UK, Australia and New Zealand. I was surprised at how skilled the crew was to adapting to new contingency plans due to changing weather. Charlotte's Bay was a magical, mystical and spiritual experience that will be forever embedded in my mind.

Hard to choose one. Kayaking within feet of a couple of feeding humpback Whales. Being so close to so much wildlife and them being at ease with out presence. Seals, cormorants, penguins, squas all within feet of us, and all of their choosing.

That first step on Antarctica soil (well, rocks). I needed the kind hands of several Ponant crew, but that moment was incredible. Walking along the beach -- needing to pause as a Gentoo waddled right towards me. Seeing, hearing, and smelling the colony, the brace of Antarctic cold made the experience visceral.

My highlight was stepping on the Antarctica Continent, the Ross Sea, Ross Island, Ross Ice Shelf, and Port Ross and was my most magical moment. The historic huts were amazing; to think that the explorers endured and many lost their lives for exploration gives me so much respect for all they accomplished. The landscape: icebergs as well as the flora and fauna in such remote areas were breathtaking. The wildlife and how they survive in such extreme conditions was amazing. We had an awesome group of fifty people that socialized, laughed, and shared their stories of who they were and why this trip was meaningful for them.

Finally stepping on my 7th Continent

There were very many. However the Humpback Whale playing among the Zodiacs on our last excursion was unbelievable. It literally came alongside and under our Zodiac several times.

Standing on Antarctic peninsula for first time. Our seventh continent!