Customer Reviews

Seeing orcas trying to drown a humpback whale Meeting some of the most amazing people

The entire Antarctic experience is a microcosm of a memorable moment. Nature's creations at its wildest best. Just like being on another planet

The otherworldly scenery of Antarctic. Plus the penguins, seals, and chance to mountaineer, kayak and sleep on the continent.

Seeing a glacier calving to create an iceberg. Seeing Leopard seals on icebergs.

So many of them! Hard to pick one. Kayaking among leaping penguins was perhaps the most exciting. But I also loved watching/seeing so many humpback whales, killer whales, and seals. It was truly an inspiring and humbling experience to see all the huge icebergs so close to the ship and the majestic snow covered mountains all around us. It was truly a once in a lifetime experience! Being part of a group of enthusiastic “explorers” like myself made the adventure even more memorable! The ships crew were very professional, and kept us safe but also made each adventure fun and exhilarating!

Seeing the penguins marching and playing!

Every single part of Antarctica!

The Moment when one of our guides, Steffie, told us to put down our cameras when we were on an outing on the Zodiac, and just listen! It was surreal - the peace that surrounded us, the sound of the whales, blowing through their blow hole, the water lapping around us - I realized, I have not actually been listening for years!

There isn't one. It was like being in a David Attenborough Nature programme. It was amazing. At one point I was leaning over the side of a Zodiac with my camera in my hand & I actually said out load: 'I don't want to go home'. So much wildlife - penguins, sea birds, whales, dolphins - and beautiful icebergs that were all different. Nature is so beautiful & a brilliant artist. Add to that the wonderful scenery & you are in heaven. Loved it.

Overall, the trip was fantastic. We had so many new and amazing experiences that it is hard to pick a highlight. But some of my favorites include the first landing. After spending two and half days rocking and rolling across the Drake, stepping on terra firma in a completely alien environment, surrounded by thousands of Gintoo and Chinstrap penguins and Weddell seals, was pretty overwhelming (in a good way). Other favorites were paddleboarding, camping, and just taking it all in. The views from Cuverville and Danco Islands, the endless visibility, and the ice. We met a lot of great people on the trip, many of which I think we will stay in touch with. Everything on the trip was a surprise, but the biggest one was learning that Trump was elected while we were down there. With very limited connectivity, they published the results in reception in the morning and it caused quite the scene. People crying, strategizing on how to stay on Antarctica for 4 years, etc. At least we all had something to talk about during the meals!

So hard to narrow it down to just one moment. How about one day? On Christmas Eve, our family walked among penguins on the continent, sailed through the Lemaire Channel, plunged into the Antarctic Ocean, devoured a gourmet Filipino feast, and then were treated to a spectacular show by a pod of 20+ Orcas off the bough of our ship -- all of it in eternal daylight on one of the longest days of the year.

I still have a post trip "buzz" and there are simply too many memorable moments to recall on my month long trip to Patagonia and Antarctica - hiking onto the Grey Glacier looking into the Patagonian ice sheet, seeing the Torres del Paine or Fitzroy ranges in the flesh for the first time, or being blown away by the sheer size and immensity of the Antarctic glaciers and ice sheets and the abundance of whales and wildlife. Moving doesn't describe it.

Helicoptering to a landing on sea ice, and then walking 20 minutes on the ice to see the grandeur of a huge Emperor Penguin colony. It was a beautiful blue sky day in the vastness of ice, surrounded by iceberg's frozen in the sea ice. The curious penguins, proudly showing off their chicks, made it difficult to maintain distance. When one would approach there seemed always another behind. I fantastic experience. And then we got to do it again the next day!

A close-up encounter with some humpback whales while in the zodiac.

It's hard to choose from so many; every day I thought was the best ever but I think I will say that the zodiac across Paradise Bay with the whales right in front of us or the cruise through Spert Islands channels and the iceberg graveyard with it all set off by the amazingly blue water. Also getting to 68 degrees south was incredible!

Seeing icebergs for the first time and getting out on the water. This memory even manages to surpass seeing penguins, seals and whales up-close.

Being surrounded by humpbacks bubble-net feeding in a protected bay on the first night on the peninsula.

Highlight - seeing the first iceberg. And another one - kayaking through the brash ice. Landscapes - ethereal / mind blowing. Wildlife - we hoped for more whales up close ... but we did see some, including orcas. Although smelly, the penguins were delightful. Seals were everywhere! The Expedition Team was outstanding. We were relieved that the Kayaking was so well managed and we coped. Reaching the Polar Circle and landing on the Peninsula were magical - pinch yourself moments.

The trip was exceptional! One of the things I most enjoyed and was a surprise to me was hearing a leopard seal singing into an iceberg underwater! I didn't know they did that, and it was such a beautiful sound. The expedition team is phenomenal and went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful time and were well-informed. Even when it was "time to go back to the boat", when magical moments happened (which was often... like the singing leopard seal), they stopped the zodiac - we were never rushed through experiences, and in fact, we were encouraged to experience as much as possible. I appreciated the PA announcements about sunsets, breaching whales, and other amazing sights - they didn't want us to a miss a thing. It's typically hard for me to sit still and therefore I can find "talks" challenging, but this team was so engaging and entertaining, I went to every single talk. I loved that the talks happened at the end of the day and related to experiences we had or things we saw that day. The wildlife and landscape was breathtaking. The boat was outstanding as was the crew. I felt like somebody was there with anything I could have needed, before I had to ask.

Too many to mention them all. We were so close at times to bubble-net-feeding humpbacks in our Zodiak, I could not fit the huge heads in my photo frame! We sailed through a "conference" of orcas about 50 strong; one swam under the Ortelius (our ship) and popped up right under where I was standing. I gained a deeper appreciation for the athleticism and resourcefulness of gentoo, chinstrip and Adelie penguins. The blue-eyed shags were a hoot with the crazy necking courtship dances. Even more impressive were the people. The guides, crew and staff were super helpful and worked hard to make as many adventures possible while keeping us safe. I enjoyed the camping in a snow pit, kayaking through brash ice, snowshoeing in blizzard conditions, the polar plunge, the photo workshops, the many related talks about wildlife, glaciers, avalanches, history. I especially liked being included in viewing the weather forecast maps. The travelers (about 113 from 20 countries, I heard) were as excited and enthusiastic about our adventures as I was. I have found a new "tribe" to which I am proud to belong.