Customer Reviews

Bringing my 84 year old Aunt to shore fulfilling her lifes dream to visit what we affectionately have called Aunt-Artica <3 She worried that she was too old to go and she was treated SO kindly by all the staff and expedition leaders. Thank you!

Having the penguins so close to me.

Camping in Antarctica

I could write pages. The highlight was of course the wildlife. I have been to several places where I had seen pictures before I got to my destination and the reality greatly exceeded the pictures. There is no way you can imagine 200,000 nesting pairs of penguins or nesting albatrosses until youn have seen them in real life.

Seeing hundreds of thousands of king penguin on South Georgia

Truthfully, the sunset on the first night was otherwordly. However, the frequency and the amount of wildlife that we encountered on the trip was also fantastic.

The complete journey was fantastic. Every day would reveal yet more wonders of the cold continent. Words cannot describe what your eyes see. No camera can capture the experience. You name it we saw it - no polar bears though. (people back home kept asking) There was not one negative about the "experience". People from 15 to 89, from every walks of life added to the expedition. The surprise was the adventure itself, how fantastic it was.

Our trip was so wonderful! The ship, people, service, excursions, food and the entire experience were just top notch.

Penguin party on the ice floe visiting early explorers huts the wildlife the immensity of Antarctica

There were so many! I think the most emotive was the camping experience on Antarctic "soil", others include incredible landings with many penguins, to watch them in their habitat, the whales and orcas' viewings, the first encounter with Antarctica, on the early morning of our arrival, the ice closing on us in one of the landings, the so interesting talks about what we were viewing , the fauna and other subjects, the possibility to go to the bridge and look at the navigation instruments and the incredible view from the bridge itself, the gentleness and availabitlity of all the personnel that took care of us, especially George, Valeria, Lucia and Saskia...

In a zodiac in the midst of giant icebergs. Climbing up Orne . I could go up, I couldn’t go down, petrified. Zach assisted me . Sooo patient Polar plunge Sighting of 1 st iceberg after 2 days Drake Passage. It means we finally made it to Antarctica, our 7th continent Orca whales frolicking around the ship in very close proximity. The kindness and diligent staff. Paid attention to details . Mindful to preserve Antarctica and everything in it.

We watched a pod of orcas hunting two penguins in the Gerlache Strait for ten to fifteen minutes. We have long been on the hunt for orcas, and have never seen anything more than a distant dorsal fin. It was an incredible spectacle to watch.

Paradise Bay zodiac excursion with Renato (photographer), where it was calm and we saw so many beautiful things.

Too many highlights to count - The landscapes and wildlife were stunning. I met some lovely people on the ship and made some lasting friendships. I was really impressed by the way the passengers were led to seats and were not left to find someone to sit with. This was particularly helpful as many were travelling alone. Finding that my great, great grandfather's ship (SS Great Britain) ended up in the Falklands and featured prominently in the museum. Also being able to follow my grandfather's route around the Horn, around which he had sailed nine times in the American wheat clippers. All a bit of unexpected family history. Stepping ashore on Elephant Island.

There are so many, but to name a few, the first site of the Antartica islands was overwhelming and such a great feeling that we had actually made it! Then stepping foot on land! So epic! I very much enjoyed daily zodiacs to land and the hikes we were able to do. Our first Zodiac ride, we got to see a baby leopard seal, which I guess is very rare to see. Another rarity we saw were a few pods of orcas swimming alongside the boat. They stayed with us for about an hour! The kayaking was one of the best days, and the ice camping was the best night (and morning thereafter with a beautiful sunrise on the mountain tops). The most exhilarating moments was the polar plunge (while it was lightly snowing). OMG the water was so cold! But it brought up this feeling of great anticipation and excitedness that I haven't felt since I was a child. The whole trip was absolutely amazing, and I'm so happy I was able to do all of these expeditions alongside my husband, Drew!

My most memorable moment (a billion to choose from, this one stands out) was witnessing my Mom take her first steps on Antartica! together we have visited all 7 now.

Polar Plunge

Paddling among the ice floats. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

The landscapes were even more beautiful than I could have imagined. Getting so close to wildlife was certainly one of the highlights of the experience. All of the people on the boat were kind, open, and interesting.

I was in a vessel with 50 other young women, which is rare and it was incredible! Lots of new friendships. The whole staff and crew of Ortelius was phenomenal! The landscape is incredible, not possible to take a bad picture, and loads of pinguins!