November Reviews

Overall, this trip was a dream come true. The highlights for me were the whaling station at Grytviken and Shackleton's grave, and being able to hike the ridges above our landing sites. In regard to the wildlife, the vast quantity of wildlife, and how close you are to it, leaves you speechless. I was surprised at how easy it was to meet people on the ship. The entire experience was well planned out. As for 'magical moments', arriving in Grytviken and toasting Shackleton's grave (before the other passengers had arrived to the cemetery) was probably the most memorable.

Highlights were the icebergs! That is what drove me to Antarctica and we were not disappointed. Of course the penguins were icing no the cake. Kayaking was superb! We don't remember signing up (did Swoop comp us?) and we loved every moment of it!

Which magical moment to describe? I was so elated once we embarked on our epic journey to South Georgia and feel ever so lucky to hit the big 3 colonies - St Andrews, Gold Harbour and Salisbury Plain, as well as King Haakon Bay and Drygalski Fjord. Yes my anxiety levels peaked at the start of our expedition with a flight cancellation and an aborted landing in the Falklands but yes, I am now proud to be part of a statistic shared - only 0.04% of the population has ever visited South Georgia. After dealing with the initial feeling of being overwhelmed when greeted by 150,000 pairs of kings plus their furry offspring, I discovered so much more to penguins - I love how they use their becks not just to feed but also to push themselves up or to climb hills. Their cuteness, curiosity and cheekiness is so mesmerising, and their inflappable nature - I could watch them for hours. Whilst I joined the expedition as an independent traveller, I disembarked from the Vavilov with some new found friends, some moving stories, magical moments and many cherished memories. If it wasn't for the photographic evidence, I think it was a distant dream!

Everything was incredible. The foo was goo but not great.

I am from New Orleans, LA. and have not seen so much snow and ice. I have never been skiing so the highlight of my trip was after I fell going down a slippery slope, I decided to ski down the slope on my butt while pushing down on my trekking poles. I may have started a new tradition in Antarctica. The landscapes and wildlife were unbelievable: from the penguins, birds, seals and whales to the gorgeous icebergs of all different sizes and colors and, most importantly, visualizing all of the stories of the early explorers to Antarctica. What courageous men they were! I am telling my grandchildren to go Antarctica while they are still young not like their 80 year old granny.

Penguins Icy Very good N/a How rough sea was

Highlight was every morning another day; landscapes and weather were varied. Expedition staff were superb and inspirational. Boat crew were also superb - sorry for lots of superlatives but I could not fault the boat, its crew or the expedition staff on anything - they were all fantastic

Overall, it was a fabulous trip, something I had dreamt of doing since the late 1960's. Financially, I have only now been able to do it and I was absolutely thrilled by the whole package and experience. A personal experience of exploration and learning which I will always treasure.

Absolutely no glitches and lots of pleasant surprises including aircraft carrier sized icebergs, Zodiac trips through ice fields, climbing the volcano on Deception Island, and up-close-and-personal with penguins, seals, and humpback whales. The fellow-travelers were very pleasant, mostly highly accomplished, and very interesting--a far cry from what one encounters on cruise ships and escorted tours. As for the grandchildren, I'll show some pictures and when they get a little older make sure they get to Antarctica. The continent is ineffable: words fail.

Overall, the trip was great - the staff, the other passengers, the activities I participated in, the food, the overall quality of every detail. I loved kayaking, but the camping was cancelled due to bad weather. Also this voyage we visited Port Lockroy and could see the history of humans on Antarctica. The surprise was passing through the Drake in a hurricane.

The highlight was mountain climbing in a snowstorm. Meeting a lot of interesting and accomplished people was the surprising part of the trip. I was shocked at how bad the seasickness was. I normally do well on boats, but I did get sick. I received adequate warning to prepare, but it was still shocking.

Fantastic experience, would recommend to anyone interested in wildlife and the history of the area. Great informal atmosphere with no cocktail parties

We had a really rough voyage—including sailing through a hurricane plus two or three whiteout days. We arrived late and left very early. So, we got only 4 days down there. Highlights were kayaking onto an iceberg, seeing an iceberg roll, ice climbing. People were fascinating, especially over meals. One of my roommates was hilarious—both intentionally and unintentionally. I was surprised by how short the excursions were. I would have gladly given up a meal or two to experience in-depth excursions.

Everything about the trip was first-rate! Of course the geography and wildlife were spectacular, even more than we expected. But we were blown away by the expedition staff - by their amazing knowledge and ability to share it, their friendliness and the ability to adjust to situations at a moment's notice - like the time the captain slowed and turned and they launched zodiacs so we could see unexpected whales more closely. Our fellow travelers were all interesting and fun and the quality of the staterooms and ship generally were fantastic - as was the food!

The highlight was the wildlife. We saw penguins, seals and three types of Whales. The landscape is absolutely stunning. The talks on board were very high quality and the food and wine was first class. I got a free upgrade to a double room with window. People choosing this trip were all very bright and interesting and a good mix of young and old

Probable the highlight (there were many) was landing on the continent. There were thousands of penguins, many whales, hundreds of birds. Mountains covered with snow. Icebergs everywhere some that rolled looking very wet, some with a dusting of snow that looked like powder sugar and some with seals laying in the sun. Strangers I never met acted like neighbors I knew for 10 years.

More varied than we expected in terms of landscapes and wildlife. We were pleased to have so much time ashore - more than expected. Crew and staff were great but an awkwardness in the composition of the passengers meant less companionship than we had experienced on previous similar holidays.

The trip met all of our expectations. The weather was beautiful, and we saw everything we came to see, including an Emperor penguin! The trip was bi-lingual, with about 80% of the people German speakers from Switzerland. As such, we weren't able to engage the other people as much as we would have wanted.

South Georgia was fantastic. Seeing the sheer volume of wildlife was incredible. It's frightening to think of the effects of global warming are having there. We had excellent weather. Only 2 landings were revised. Going early in the season gave us pristine snowy landscapes. We had the unique opportunity to see a lone emperor penguin. Getting out onto the ice flat and so close to massive ice bergs was fantastic. It was a friendly group of European travellers for the most part. I've discovery that I'm not so great on the open seas.

The highlight was the grandeur of the landscape. The people were mixed - a lot of lovely ones and quite a few rowdy types. The organisation of the crew every day to get everyone on shore was exceptional - Kayaking and snow shoeing were brilliant.