Customer Reviews

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!

Surrounded by grandeur AND wildlife while in an ice-encircled zodiac and feeling overwhelmed with the awe of it all. I’ll always carry that feeling with gratitude.

The highlight was the wildlife. We saw penguins, seals and three types of Whales. The landscape is absolutely stunning. The talks on board were very high quality and the food and wine was first class. I got a free upgrade to a double room with window. People choosing this trip were all very bright and interesting and a good mix of young and old

Polar plunging and being surrounded by whales in a zodiac

Sitting in (attempted) silence on a zodiac boat and hearing glaciers collapse, whales exhaling, and penguins squawking.

Landing near Stromness and walking the last couple of Km of Shackleton's walk across S Georgia