December Reviews

I really enjoyed meeting my fellow travelers, who all seemed to enjoy exploring our world and traveling as much as possible. It was nice being in a small group and getting to know everyone in the 12 days we had together. I'll be keeping in touch with quite a few of them. I really enjoyed the amount of time I spent walking around amongst the penguins, seals and birds. There were times where I would just sit on a rock (or in the snow!), close my eyes, and absorb everything. I'll never forget the feeling of the first time I stepped on land and saw the penguins, nor will I forget stepping onto a small iceberg and one of the staff taking a jumping photo of a few of us (while wondering if the iceberg would tip over once we landed - it didn't).

We were extremely lucky with the weather -- lots of sunny days and overall very calm seas. The food was much better than I expected. Our landings went well - only 2 had to be cancelled due to winds preventing the landings and only was was a wildlife landing at Sauders for Rockhopper penguins. The other was Deception Island which was more about the polar plunge, not much to see there in terms of wildlife.

The wildlife and landscapes were definitely the highlights. The demographic of the passengers was as expected. The biggest surprise was probably the quality of the food.

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

The reason for NO in the question above is solely due to financial cost, not for any other reasons. The highlights may include, grand glacier and gigantic iceberg, and countless various lovely animals. It is a truly lifetime experience. I expected to see thousands of penguin and grand glacier, but the gigantic iceberg was a big surprise!

Highlight was the wildlife and the ship operator's staff! We learned so much and had so much fun. The only surprise was that we were delayed in Punta Arenas for 2 extra nights, as the weather on King George was not safe enough to fly out. This was disappointing, but we know there is nothing that could be done, and it's part of the adventure of getting there.

Landscape, Wilde Life

All excursion were very good.

Loved how close we could see the animals. Wish we had two days of shore excursions instead of one day.

- seeing the land scape and the animals. - simply unmatched, unperturbed, unadulterated, and pristine. - every society has some jerks. 90% were very mannered. - do not miss the chance to visit antártica. - the drake passage was abominable.

Lemaire Channel was outstanding unable to land but the resultant cruise around left me speechless (not a common problem). Again no camera can do justice to the omnipotence of Antartica it is humbling, penguins were cheeky, seals were unphased and the whales / Orcas gave hope that we haven't destroyed the planet YET. Most fellow travelers were warm, friendly and shared their photos / films. The 'ladies" I shared with were individuals who shared a joke, welcomed you and we have formed firm firm friendship despite our disparate ages interests and nationalities. Only Antartica.

The highlight was breaking through the iced up Lemaire channel. Scenery was amazing and wildlife interesting if limited in species. A pleasant interesting bunch of tourists from several countries all of whom were keen to get out, see things and learn. We’ll show them photos of the animals, birds, icebergs, sea conditions, the ship and the journey there. No surprises.

I have only answered No above because there are still several places on my bucket list that I need to get to while I am still able to travel long distances, including the Arctic! There was no one single highlight, there were many and the whole trip was a highlight in my advancing years. The landscapes and wildlife unique and I felt privileged to be able to see it all. The people on the trip from young to older were all very friendly, and good company, with several nationalities, but we all got on and quickly gelled, all having one common purpose. What have I told my grandchildren? A lot for kids to take in but they will always have my photos! Hopefully one day they will have the ability and the desire to go too. Surprises? The colour of the snow and the icebergs and the overall impression of all shades of blue. And the delicious chocolate cake I was presented with on my birthday!

Bailey head and Spork Island. Indescribable. The wildlife we were able to see was a gift from God. The whales took our breath away. We all froze when one went under our Zodiac ;) Everyone was friendly. I happened to bring one of my grandchildren who has been obsessed with Penguins her entire existence and it was the best gift of her life. The new years celebration. The BBQ was awesome and to countdown in the middle of ice was a privilege with the beauty of the midnight sun.

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.

The trip was fantastic. The highlights included: -Cruising on the zodiacs through icebergs -Hiking up beautiful mountains in absolute silence -Hanging out with the penguins -The incredible photographic opportunities

Incredible with truly memorable experiences, ranging from watching icebergs roll to cuddling with a baby elephant seal.

The day trips onto Antartica proper were fabulous and the scenery and wildlife just beautiful.

A simply stellar experience all around. The ship was beautiful, the crew and the expedition team were the kindest people on the planet. The travel companions were excited and fun. The scenery was a beauty not expected to be seen on our planet. The food was amazing. And the wildlife provided an unexpected level of joy and awe.

I met the most fascinating people, saw amazing scenery, and enjoyed every minute of the adventure!