March Reviews

Everyday was a highlight, every landscape wae a new vision of a pristine, untouched planet. Seals, penguins, birds, whams and dolphins... it was like being in a National Geographic documentary but with all the sensations of doing something unique. Not just seeing, but doing, living, and feeling exceptionally humble. Surrounded by nature but also by an amazing staff and respectful travelers, all with a deep sense of respect, kindness. sharing the moment all together. The hardest part of the trip after disembarking was to share with family and friends. An impossible challenge, which can only be understood by going there!

The whole of Antarctica is the highlight without a doubt. All the senses are overwhelmed and truly a special and spiritual experience. Landscapes were spectacular from the glorious sunny days and magnificent mountains, glaciers, and icebergs. Equally spectacular was watching the weather close in and clouds descend down the mountains. Of course a highlight for me was to dive there and especially within the Antarctic Circle, dive and iceberg and dive with penguins and seals. Saw more penguins, whales and seals than I expected and the ability to land and get up close and personal with them was fantastic. The crew on Plancius were fantastic, very knowledgeable, exceptionally professional and very accommodating. I met some great and very interesting people among both divers and passengers. Surprises included the quality of the service, expedition staff on Plancius, and restaurant quality meals!

The trip was amazing. I took 3 girlfriends with me and we had a blast. Spring Break 2017! (J/K it was not a Spring Break holiday) We met so many amazing people who had fabulous stories to tell, and the crew was just as fun too. My highlight was landing on the continent in Paradise Bay and going to Deception Island. That water is freeeezzzinnngggg. We repeatedly said we felt like we were on an ocean safari we saw so much wildlife everyday. We also had the most amazing weather. LOVED IT!

Everything was amazing. Antarctica is the most unfathomable, incredible place that I can ever imagine visiting. And then there was the crew, the boat, the food, the education.

Penguins were definitely the highlight. I could have watched them for hours. Lemaire Channel was spectacular though we had to turn around at the end due to iceberg blocking the way. Saw many whales - fin, humpback and orca.

I really enjoyed seeing all of the wildlife on this trip. We saw dolphins chasing the boat. We got up close and personal with humpback whales. We saw orcas chasing or playing with (unusual siting) seals and hunting penguins in the sea. We saw different types of seals and penguins who were all very curious about us. The continent was not what I expected. I expected to see nothing but snow and ice but saw so much more. The people on the cruise were friendly and I had no problem getting to know most of them, even when language was a bit of a barrier. The food on the ship was amazingly delicious (and fattening). The crew was friendly and helpful.

Overall, and underall and in between, it was fabulous. Kayaking was the highlight, though it was pretty exciting to see baby penguins. Landscape, particularly the icebergs, was sublime, surreal, dramatic, transcendental, magical. Wildlife was a hoot, never got tired of penguins or seals. The people we met were fine. When you said we'd see "a lot" of penguins, I didn't quite grasp just how many that would be or how close we'd get to them ... a pleasant surprise. Biggest surprise was just luck -- the phenomenal weather.

The wildlife was the highlight of Antarctica, although the landscapes and icebergs were also spectacular. The people on the ship were a delight -- very interesting and congenial. The one surprise was the afore-mentioned need to spend one less day on the Antarctic peninsula.

The landscapes were even more beautiful than I could have imagined. Getting so close to wildlife was certainly one of the highlights of the experience. All of the people on the boat were kind, open, and interesting.

Definitely lots more wildlife other than penguins than I was expecting. The ship & other passengers were fantastic. The ship was way more comfortable than I was expecting and definitely didn’t feel too small. Was great to meet like-minded people from around the world too.

We had amazingly good luck with weather and were able to make about 10 excursions from the ship. The encounters with the whales were just incredibly wonderful. The icebergs and bergy bits were artistic, majestic, noisy, imaginative and splendid. I think we met people from nearly 20 different countries aboard ship. The crew were all friendly, competent, attentive and knowledgeable. I learned a great deal about history, geography, birds and penguins. Drake's passage is long even in good weather.

The landscapes and wildlife were spectacular. After awhile you almost stop taking pictures of whales because you have so many. The other passengers were diverse, adventurous and many will hopefully be friends for life. It was a bummer the weather made us head north a day early, but no worries.

The highlights were the abundant wildlife and spectacular landscape of icebergs, glaciers and snow covered mountains and ice shelves. I was surprised by the abundance of wildlife including Humpback whales and the many close encounters we had with whales, seals and penguins who were often curious about the humans visiting their world. The ship operator's team and the Russia. Crew of the Vavilov were fantastic. The Expefition leader and guides were knowledgeable, skilled, friendly, helpful and passionate about Antarctica and its environment and wildlife. It was also great to have scientists on board who were conducting research on whales and provided lectures on board the ship. We met many like minded passengers - who we will stay in contact with. I think the most magical moment was in Charlotte Bay on the Zodiacs seeing and experiencing so many Humpback whales, a few Minke whales and having a few close encounters with some curious Humpbacks.

Awesome, Incredible, Amazing, Wonderful, Perfect, Great Response, I would do it all again! Tough to give only one example, camping, polar plunge, cruising on Zodiac's, landings, lectures, food, cabins, talent show Wildlife, great. Everyone was amazing passengers, great expedition team leader and members, and crew It was all a surprise. Whatever I thought I knew, what I thought I expected everything surprised me. Especially the icebergs, colors, wildlife, history Can't limit to one answer hitting the water in the polar plunge, watching the leopard seal catch penguins and being only feet from all of it, the whales, the penguins were so amazing.

Every day brought a new highlight, the ice, the mountains, the quiet, the isolation, the penguins, seals, whales and birds were all extraordinary. We were so fortunate to be able to go on this trip, I can't say enough good things about it. The ship was perfect, crew were great, our room cozy and calm, the ship operator's staff were professional, knowledgeable and fun. Every moment was special.

A great place to visit. Brown station glacier was the best place I visited in Antarctica.

The trip was fantastic.

Everything was great

The excursions were better than expected Getting to speak with all the scientist onboard was great The landscape and experiencing the wildlife upclose was incredible The crew was friendly and helpful

I marked maybe because we like to experience new ventures so as the saying goes "been there, done that:. The highlight was the zodiac cruises to see the icebergs and sea life. The people were a mix of 16 nationalities, all very friendly and interesting. The biggest and most appreciated surprise was the cabin upgrade. The most magical moment was seeing the full moon rise over the mountain top.