December Reviews

It's difficult to pick one. Our first day on land, the fog was so thick that we could barely see the ship in the water. As we hiked up the hill to penguin colonies, we turned around and saw what looked like an outline of a mountain through the fog, but figured it was just thin clouds. We turned around just a few moments later to see a massive, glacier-laden mountain towering over the water, making our boat look miniscule. It was a moment of surprise and awe that kick-started this amazing trip. Each whale sighting had me on my toes, in awe of the humpbacks especially.

Everything! The scenery was fantastic. The food was amazing. The guides were great. All the wildlife and all the experiences of being there. It is hard to describe how awesome it was. Those who have been to Antarctica can relate. So much fun!

Landscape and beauty like no other place on Earth. The staff went above and beyond. They were specialist in their fields and loved their jobs, Amazing. Wildlife everywhere, just so peaceful and serene out there in Antartica. Yes there was bad weather, it was a bit cold but that’s what you get for going to the bottom of the earth! The cruise itenerary did change and we got to go to Falkland Island as well, what a lovely surprise. We had a famous person on our ship, such fun!

There were many memorable and each unique moments. While penguin sighting was not necessarily a highlight, seeing tens of thousands of them all gathered together for as far as your eyes can see, was very special.

The extraordinary landscapes and phenomenal wildlife were highlights of the trip. I fell in love with penguins, and can't get enough of them. Most of the people were educated and interesting; however, there were some Asian travelers who were challenging due to their rudeness. I only hope Antarctica is still there for my grandchildren to see with their own eyes!

Seeing penguins for the first time as we were on the mountaineering walk. Chinstrap penguins - they were so close! ?

Highlight was kayaking alongside a humpback whale in stunning scenery. Both clients and staff/crew on board were very friendly and the big surprise was the amount and quality of the food.

ALL OF IT!! Kayaking with humpback whales, seeing some much wildlife, the indescribable landscapes, the overwhelming awe, the incredible captain, staff, and crew, and all the open minded and flexible passengers who brought so much positive energy to the experience.

Kayaking in the quiet, majestic bays

The trip was amazing. The landscapes, glaciers and icebergs were beautiful. Michael particularly liked the whales that were diving within 10-15 feet of our zodiac; my favorite was seeing all the penguins and, in particular, the chicks. The Vavilov was an excellent choice. Our suite was spacious and very comfortable and the passengers were a very diverse and interesting group. The only surprise, after 8 days of spectacular weather and amazing excursions, was the fog at King George Island that prevented our flying back to Punta Arenas on the final day. Our excursion leader, Chad Gaetz and the entire staff did an amazing job of keeping us engaged with additional lectures, excursions, contests and other activities on the days that we were stuck near King George Island and also when we crossed the Drake Passage. The only reason we would not visit again is that there are many other places to visit.

Kayaking among dozens of "porpoising" Macaroni penguins off the shore of South Georgia Island. It was our first experience with ocean kayaking, and riding the swells in the bright sun with mountains and dramatic clouds all around and the playful penguins entertaining us was a truly magical experience.

There were so many, it's hard to pick one. Getting upclose with a leopard seal, seeing the beautiful twin arch iceberg, stepping onto the Antartica continent the first time, so many memorable moments.

Kayaking in Wilhelmina Bay with icebergs and whales quite nearby and two emperor penguins on the shore.

We were sitting in the lecture theatre listening to the speaker and a whale came up and jumped right outside the window super close to the boat. My husband was so excited he shrieked with happiness.

Unfortunately my Dream Holiday was, quite frankly, a bit of a disaster. Our ship was unable to reach the Antarctic mainland due to excessive sea ice and 150kph winds.The elevator on the ship had been fitted with a new safety device that prevented it from operating in high seas, and was only available for about 20 of our 23 days on board. Our Expedition leader suffered a stroke on board and the ship had to race towards New Zealand to meet with rescue helicopters to take him to hospital ashore, so our intended destinations were missed and we meandered around.

Kayaking

December 19 when we found ourselves encircled with a pod of about 12 whales that were communicating with each other as they surfaced and checked these yellow coated camera-happy humans out… it was a warm, sunny, still afternoon and truly indescribable the paradigm felt.

There were so many. One really incredible one was when a minke whale played near the zodiacs for over an hour, coming up to look at us and even breathing on us

The penguins were so fun to just watch as they carried on their regular activities- building nests or heading down to the water. The landscapes and wildlife were magnificent. We saw 3 species of penguins and several types of seals and also whales. The people on our ship came from various countries and we enjoyed getting to know them. We had an opportunity to stop and get off on a piece of floating ice - that was fun!

We were on our way to Cuverville and ran into a large pod of Orcas and they got us all off the ship and we spent 3 hours in zodiacs surrounded by about 25 orcas and a humpback whale.