December 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

Seeing the penguins marching and playing!

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.

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

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.

There are so many highlights, impossible to find just one - from the beauty and incredible shades of white and blue of the icebergs and the 'fizzing' sound as the smaller 'bergie bits' melt, to the constant wildlife around the ship, eg birds, whales, dolphins, penguins everywhere we went, albatrosses following the ship, the black browed albatross colony [with chicks] on Falkland islands, sailing alongside the huge A23 iceberg, the impressive specialist knowledge of the expedition team, the friendliness of the onboard hotel crew, the skill and amenability of the captain as he maneouvered the ship in places where bigger ships can't go

There were so many great moments, although the first day when the weather cooperated was truly the best day! Walking among our first gentoo colony and seeing how clumsy they are on land but graceful they are in the water - and the sun was shining, it felt so warm that everyone was stripping off their layers! And later that day, we kayaked through an ice graveyard and the water was so smooth, and our guide let us jump into the freezing cold water at the end of our paddle!

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!

Hard to pick just one moment --- the colours in icebergs, the complete lack of fear of penguins (they have to be the only animal on the planet that doesn't run and hide from humans), the active volcano, the whales and their incredible curiosity and playfulness, the moment I set foot on Antarctica --- it was one memorable moment after another.

Christmas morning. Waking up to kayak in water surrounded by ice chunks. A minke whale pops up right as we are switching the zodiacs. The sun came out for the first time and it was magical.

Highlight - being so close to humpbacks in a kayak (maybe 2 meters). Having someone catch that experience on a brief video was priceless as a souvenir. Similar to the giraffes in east Africa, I was surprised how much I found the penguins to be an interesting animal. I had never seen how they swim. It was excellent to meet people that have traveled as much as we have; that was very unique and enjoyable.

Opening the drapes in my cabin the first morning and seeing Antarctica

My most memorable moment was finishing the hike from Godthul to Sandebrugten and being greeted by a curious baby fur seal who cutely charged at me.

Standing on South Georgia with 100,000+ breeding pairs of King penguins.

It is hard to pick out a highlight, the penguins especially seeing a Macaroni penguin on the first landing (I could watch penguins for hours), making a dash against the conditions to reach the Antarctic Circle and some of the scenery around Neko Harbour. Unfortunately we didn't camp due to the wind conditions, but this didn't have much of an impact on the enjoyment of the trip. Such a wide range of people from all over the world.

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.

Brilliant! Thousands of penguins, delightful weather, stunning scenery. We feel very lucky to have been able to experience such an amazing place.

There were two - setting foot on the main continent of Antarctica during sunset and experiencing the sheer size and scope of the wildlife on South Georgia (especially seeing the playful personalities of the Gentoo penguins and seal pups).