January Reviews

Kayaking made it for me, doubled crewed with a lovely man (lent by his wife for kayaking)My biggest surprise was beaching on an ice berg and a snowball fight! The people were friendly to a lone traveller,and I was very lucky with my cabin share partner. Scenery and wildlife up close and personal magic.

No surprises - except relatively quiet Drake Passage. Trip met all expectations in terms of wildlife, scenery and history. Staff and guides excellent. Fellow travelers largely as expected. Only downsides were day lost with cancelled flight, and inability to access the Weddell Sea.

The highlight was without a doubt was South Georgia due to its magnificent scenery and wildlife. There was a mixture of people , most were very nice.

Very pleased with the ship's operator - the expedition staff were first class. Highlight - - - as on the previous trip, South Georgia A pity that we 'lost' 3 days because of the weather - - - but you've got to take what Mother Nature throws at you.

Every day brought a new highlight - tagging the Minke whale, seeing a baby king penguin creep out from under his mom, watching other penguin chicks being fed, seeing an iceberg calve...so much. Everyone on the cruise was quite friendly.

The trip was great. The highlight for both my husband and I was the iceberg "garden" at Pleneau Island. The icebergs were so amazing and it was fun to see seals hanging out on some of them. That day was windy and cold. We're both very glad we didn't skip the harbor tour. We saw even more penguins than we expected and were surprised by how close we were to them in some areas, mostly as they were walking to and from the ocean. Being able to experience nature in it's natural state was a once in a lifetime experience. Seeing a Macaroni Penguin at Half Moon Island was my "runner up" highlight of the trip! We enjoyed seeing a lot of Humpback Whales too. We met many interesting people on the trip too. The expedition staff were very nice and knowledgeable, and all of the crew on the ship were wonderful. There were 2 things that were a little disappointing. The first was that there was a large group of Dutch people on our ship and they mostly kept to themselves. The other was that we didn't get to see the Beagle Channel well. On the way out we followed another ship that left late. By the time we were coming through it was dusk and then dark so we couldn't really see it. On the way back, we picked up the pilot at 2 am and were at the dock by 4 or 5 am. I thought I would have a chance to see it.

If you have never been there, there is no way of preparing for the impact of being there. The untouched, natural beauty, the mighty icebergs, the silliness of the penguins. You will be spending hours just sitting in one spot adoring the view. Also don't forget: this is not a luxury cruise, this is an expedition.

The wildlife and scenery was amazing. I was so impressed with the expedition and ship crew who really made every effort to give us as many experiences as possible. We were lucky with the weather, which nobody can control. The biggest surprise was that the trip was 60% German speaking. I don't know if that is typical.

The landscapes and wildlife were amazing. The crew and guides were top-notch professionals.

The icebergs, wildlife and landscapes were hard to all take in. The Vavilov was the perfect venue in every respect.

I am adding a little personal information because my perspective was very much colored by my physical limitations. I am way beyond middle age. I am a breast cancer survivor however one of the medications also left me with osteoarthritis resulting in mobility issues. Also since birth I have been legally blind (US gov term) I see about 10% of what the average person sees. However I think I see more because I look more intently at things but I do travel with a "seeing-eye-elbow" to make certain I get where I intent to be. Everything was a high-light. Having never encountered the likes of the Antarctic I was delighted with the chance to be able to experience everything which came my way. The expedition staff were incredibly helpful without being fawning. Their assistance on the gang-plank and boarding an off-loading from the zodiacs was wonderful. They seemed to anticipate my needs and assisted in my enjoyment of the trip.

Loved the trip. Weather was good the first four days after arrival. We personally loved Iceberg Alley. Wildlife was great. A big surprise was that 65% of the travelers were a French group. Although they were often separated from the English speaking group with their own interpreters in the sessions where both languages had to be presented it became a problem because the French passengers continually talked through the English speaking portion and we needed to listen to the French. I was under the impression that if the trip was advertised as English speaking that is all it would be. It did not take long before we realized that the French group did not feel they had to obey staff instructions - particularly staying behind certain boundaries while waiting for zodiacs on shore, waiting in lines for eating,stairs,and boarding zodiacs from ship, etc. Some of the guides had difficulties with the group getting too close to penguins and not staying within the red poles while walking. Even boarding the buses to the airport presented problems with the drivers because of how the French guides wanted them to board, etc. and had to spend their time trying to sort things out. It was a distraction that did not have to happen. The ship operator's Staff and guides were top notch. Very calm, capable and knowledgeable.

Highlight: Lemaire Channel with some of the staff members. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen. For instance the glaciers pressed up against the mountainous areas on either side of the ship. My senses were heightened during this experience. I also enjoyed the polar plunge at the Antarctic circle. I met the most incredible people from my neighbors on the 4th floor to some of the staff members. I enjoyed talking about polar exploration with staff member Sam and David the expedition leader. I made a new friend with one of the passengers who lives in Malaysia! -- We plan to visit one day.

Too many highlights to just pick one. The landscape and wildlife was breathtaking Wonderful crew and passengers New destination for the ship

While on ship, the trip was near perfect. The highlights occur all the time, be they ice bergs, orcas, or just the fascinating light. The travels to and from could have been better organized

The trip was well organized. For me the highlight was crossing the Antarctic circle. Unbelievable landscapes and wild life. The biggest surprise was the hitting of the iceberg "a Titanic event".

The complete journey was fantastic. Every day would reveal yet more wonders of the cold continent. Words cannot describe what your eyes see. No camera can capture the experience. You name it we saw it - no polar bears though. (people back home kept asking) There was not one negative about the "experience". People from 15 to 89, from every walks of life added to the expedition. The surprise was the adventure itself, how fantastic it was.

Main highlights: walking amid penguins and seals, watching icebergs float by, watching up to 40 blue whales feeding around the ship, following into the footsteps of Shakelton and just gazing at the glaciers. we met a lot of varied nationalities and interesting people. biggest surprise was how tame the dreaded Drake passage was!

Zodiac trips were amazing~ wildlife was amazing~ landscapes amazing..and I really enjoyed the lectures.

I stepped on Antarctica - the final continent for me! The combination of the landscapes and wildlife will always be a highlight for me. It is hard to believe that such a place still exists on earth. I mailed a postcard from Port Lockroy, Antarctica! The crew of the Plancius were outstanding. They even remembered my name among all the passengers. Food and services were outstanding. There were many surprises. The Plancius was able to go through the Lemaire Channel for the first time this year, so we were very fortunate. Also, the captain took us to Deception Island and Cape Horn on the way back. I was very fortunate that I was matched up to a great roommate from Finland. I met many people from many different countries, all with very interesting stories.