December Reviews

The trip was amazing. The landscapes, glaciers and icebergs were beautiful. Michael particularly liked the whales that were diving within 10-15 feet of our zodiac; my favorite was seeing all the penguins and, in particular, the chicks. The Vavilov was an excellent choice. Our suite was spacious and very comfortable and the passengers were a very diverse and interesting group. The only surprise, after 8 days of spectacular weather and amazing excursions, was the fog at King George Island that prevented our flying back to Punta Arenas on the final day. Our excursion leader, Chad Gaetz and the entire staff did an amazing job of keeping us engaged with additional lectures, excursions, contests and other activities on the days that we were stuck near King George Island and also when we crossed the Drake Passage. The only reason we would not visit again is that there are many other places to visit.

This was truly a trip of a lifetime. The staff ensured it was a safe and incredible experience. The other guests were interesting like minded individuals. The wildlife was up close and personal. The views were beyond imagination. To be a guest in such a magical place was a true privilege.

Everything was amazing. Great scenery and wildlife, great activities. Highlights were kayaking and mountaineering plus being able to do 2 landings a day for 6 days. Ship was great, with enthusiastic fellow passengers.

Everything was great. Too many highlights to list. The landscapes and wildlife amazing. The crew on the Plancius were wonderful. The people we met on the trip also great.

The staff and crew were outstanding. The food was incredibly good. The excursions and workshops were highly informative. We had amazing weather so things couldn't have been better

We loved the excursions, especially kayaking. The age range onboard made it fun to hang out with other passengers, and the expedition crew was out of this world.

The boat and zodiac excursions were highlights. Scenery spectacular but not much variety. Unspoilt. We have seen many beautiful landscapes as we are frequent travellers. Penguins cute but smelly---seeing babies was special. Would have liked to see more seals and whales. Company congenial.

The only land with no country ,no human being living there, only wild life and breathtaking landscape. No pollution , and when not windy the fantastic sound of silence. But how long will it last untouched ? So it is been a privilege to be there while still pure .

We had a one day delay due to weather but once we got to Antarctica we couldn't have asked for more. Gorgeous weather for most of the trip and the views were sublime! Paddle boarding was our most favorite activity, but every single landing and zodiac ride had something amazing to offer. The crew is phenomenal - so smart, so fun, and so very friendly you can't help but have fun with them!

We experienced everything from close encounters with whales (while kayaking), playful penguins and seals, crumbling glaciers, to the roar of mother nature when the wind went from calm to more than 50 knots in less than five minutes. The staff was superb, and the ship and service impeccable.

It is almost impossible to describe Antarctica in a few simple sentences. We were treated to her best - spectacular weather, amazing wildlife, surreal scenery. Having spoilt us, Antarctica decided to throw a tantrum and fog delayed us somewhat at King George Island. This just added another dimension to our trip and we got to sail the Drake. (Sof got her wish!) Highlights - way too many. Cruising through the ice to the Antarctic Circle in glorious sunshine, Kayaking with Humpback Whales - literally! They were that close we got caught up in their bubble nets. Watching the kamikaze penguin come face to face with a Leopard Seal. (Have you ever seen a surprised penguin? He loved!) Feeling so small, insignificant and wanting to desperately protect the fragility of this amazing continent as we listened to calving ice and absorbed the silence of the glacial splendour that is one facet of Antarctica. The ship operator's staff were amazing. They worked really well together as a team. As Kayakers we were exceptionally lucky. Great group, great guides, awesome experience. A great group on board - even with the Chinese. I think the delay and Drake Crossing highlighted how well the dynamics between crew, staff and passengers worked. We felt very protective of the staff when we finally left the Vavilov. Antarctica was a surprise, the fog was a surprise. Epic. Just epic. The whole trip was epic! Biggest surprise - our upgrade and that bottle of wine.

Incredible! Every day was surprising, filled with adventure. Highlights: seeing gentoo and chinstrap penguins in a snowstorm, crossing the Antarctic circle, seeing humpback whales up close, and watching penguin parents tend to their hatchlings. I traveled solo and met plenty of like-minded fellow travelers. I would encourage anyone considering it but who might be nervous to go for it! It is the perfect trip for solo travel. The ship operator's team was just phenomenal - great energy, positive attitudes, fun, and generally just good humans. We weren't able to fly back on schedule because of weather conditions but for me this just added to the spirit of adventure. It is not for everyone though! You need to be able to let go of control and roll with unforeseen circumstances.

The stark beauty of Antarctica really opened my eyes to this part of the world. We were able to see numerous types of penquins, two types of whales, many seals, etc. And seeing the chicks was a highlight for me. The biggest surprise for us is that we made record time crossing the Drake Passage..as it was truly the DRAKE LAKE in both directions! We got lucky.

There were several highlights. The day that we cruised the Lemaire Channel and visited Port Charcot (the "iceberg graveyard"). When three humpback whales swam up next to the cruise ship. Camping on the snow overnight.

The highlight of the trip was being able to camp on the continent. The landscape and wildlife was great. We hoped to see orcas and didn't. But we did see several seals, penguins species, and a few humpbacks. The travel experience on the boat was mind boggling, so many great stories and interesting people and backgrounds. A few surprises we had were the bottle of champagne in the room, (THANKS LOLI!!) one day with no wind, and the BBQ dinner and dance on the stern of the boat.

One highlight was South Georgia. The trip would not have been the same without the myriad of wildlife seen on South Georgia. The landscapes in Antarctica are beyond amazing; they are serene and humbling. It was a pleasant surprise to see 4 different species of whales, including killer whales.

Everything was excellent, the landscapes and people were fantastic. No surprises.

The extraordinary landscapes and phenomenal wildlife were highlights of the trip. I fell in love with penguins, and can't get enough of them. Most of the people were educated and interesting; however, there were some Asian travelers who were challenging due to their rudeness. I only hope Antarctica is still there for my grandchildren to see with their own eyes!

It's great, I saw many different whales, penguins.

Polar plunge and SUP were the highlights. I wish there was more wildlife activities. It felt limited sometimes since we can only walk on small paths and there were 100 people together all the time. We had an unfortunate mix of people on board where 1 huge group of tourists (almost half the boat) besmirched the experience for all other guests because of their rudeness but that's not Swoop or the ship operator's fault. The only criticism of the operator's trip is that the dining room was too small to accommodate all guests eating at the same time which is a big fail.