Every destination had a memorable moment. On the Falkland Islands, I enjoyed the lecture by Mensun Bound about finding the Endurance wreck in the Antarctica sea. Getting a signed copy of his book, The Ship Beneath the Ice was epic. On South Georgia, the King Penguin colony of Saint Andrews Bay was stunning! Stepping onto the Antarctica Peninsula at Portal Point was a moment I’ll never forget! Overall, wildlife spotting from multitudes of penguins to breaching whales was a true highlight of the trip.

Life changing

Yes

I especially loved the zodiac excursions where we were able to make landings to walk among penguins and fur seals. I always felt safe with the expedition crew. My most memorable excursion was at Portal Point where we both did an hour zodiac excursion and an hour and a half landing to walk on the white continent.

Fantastic team. Huge shout out to Claudia and Iggy, wife and husband team and fantastic expedition leaders. I truly enjoyed all the crew and their varied expertise. They have a great blend of knowledge and humor. Some of the non native English speakers were difficult to understand at times, but the visual slides helped.

Very nice, stout, strong ship for this type of voyage. While I loved the hotel staff, I did NOT love the food. The buffet breakfast and lunch were repetitive and freshness faded as the cruise progressed. Dinner choices were varied, but the fish was fishy and vegetables seemed dated and not that fresh. Raw veggies were sparse near the end of the cruise. I found most of the red wines to be very harsh and tart. A cocktail hour daily would have been a good addition for the price paid for this cruise. Also, in room coffee should have been included as well for this price point. No in room coffee was a huge disappointment!

Some of the shortcomings of the food and room amenities was ameliorated by the high quality of Antarctica experiences throughout the 18 days on the ship. Kuddos to all!

Be prepared to be uncomfortable due to high wind and seas! Take care of your motion sickness prior to arrival by asking your doctor for advice. Also, stay flexible. The expedition team cannot control the weather. There will be days you cannot do planned excursions, but the team makes up for it when the weather cooperates.

I now understand the importance of preserving this very special continent, the heartbeat of the oceans! I plan to get involved in wildlife preservations efforts.

I think I did a good job of arriving prepared in terms of gear and an open mind. I left feeling I had accomplished what I set out to accomplish at the end of the trip. I survived the roaring forties, furious fifties, and the screaming sixties. What a wild ride it was! To walk among the many species of penguins was a dream come true. The image of breeching fin whales is forever etched upon my mind.

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Beyond 12 months