January Reviews

Overall, excellent. I love the landscapes; the vast watery, icy nothingness. There was a lot less wildlife than I had expected, as we really was not that far down south at 68degrees. The most magical moment was when a humpback swam under the zodiac I was in, and I could see clearly its fins and white body, so close that I could almost touch it. I wish I could have reached out to stroke its body as it reared up its head near the zodiac!

The highlight was kayaking amongst whales and through brash ice. Landscapes and wildlife were spectacular. The ship operator's team were passionate and well informed. They were keen to give us the best experience possible. Most of the passengers were equally enthusiastic. Grandchildren - appreciate how important it is to protect our beautiful world. Kayaking was more challenging than we expected and gave us some thrilling experiences.

All of it was fantastic. We had a great time exploring Buenos Aires. The tours that you set up for us were well worth it. Dinner at Fogon was to die for. The hotel you booked us at Palladillo was a great choicer in a safe neighborhood. I would not recommend the Tango dancing show/dinner. That was not worth the event or the meal. The rest of what you set up for us would be a definite do again. The UltraMarine ship through Quark was first class all the way. The expedition leaders and team where very knowledgeable. I am not one to think I would have enjoyed lectures or the presentations but I truly learned so much. We were not able to prebook the kayaking or paddle boarding but the weather cooperated so Quark added on additional excursions which were worth doing. The highlight for me were the 2 helicopter rides. Everyone gets the first 15 min ride over glaciers etc. Breath taking. The best was a second heli-landing that we were able to win the lottery and got to actually heli land on the continent. The penguins, seals and whales were abundant but the recommendation to extend the trip to include the Falklands, South Georgia to the Antarctic voyage was where most of the animals were located. We were beyond fortunate with the weather as every day (except sea days) was sunny with little wind. The team kept saying how lucky we were. Icebergs 6 or 7 stories tall and the plunge into the Southern ocean made it a trip that will not be forgotten any time soon. Thank you for all your work

There is no one most memorable moment. Every day had memorable moments. But if I had to choose one, it would be seeing the icebergs and absorbing the incredible landscape.

Watching an iceberg rollover and sailing the Lemare channel in a snowstorm

I would say that the highlights were the landings and zodiac cruising. The landscape and wildlife were in a word amazing! Otherworldly! The expedition team MADE the experience... so informative and caring! I was surprised that the Drake crossing was SO SMOOTH! Wonderful Crew and perfect weather. The morning we spent on Useful Island... it was a pre-breakfast landing and it was just perfect... I will never forget it!

Standing on continental Antarctica! Everyone was so excited, and we were all celebrating with snow angels and snowball fights. It was such a fun memory!

Kayaking with humpbacks appearing underneath and around us

The trip was well organised and went as well as the weather allowed. The highlight was undoubtedly the day we walked on the main continent twice, saw whales, did a Polar plunge and went sliding down a hill near Neko harbour. The group was great, a lot of groups formed but everyone was friendly to each other. Every one of the crew was also helpful, cheerful and friendly. The penguins were cute, the icebergs immense, the seals all over the place and the whales frustrating

South Georgia, by far. That was the primary focus of our trip, and one of the reasons we selected this cruise as it spent 4+ days around South Georgia. Unfortunately, the weather pushed us out after a couple days. Bottom line, I'd go back to S. Georgia as a destination in and of itself - we both thought it surpassed Antarctica on a number of levels (scenery, wildlife density, historical, etc.)

Walking among the penguin colonies.

Stepping off our zodiac boat onto Antarctic land for the first time and seeing two chinstrap penguins waddling towards us... We later explored Half Moon Island and saw three types of seals in addition to hundreds of penguins. Talk about a first impression!

The quiet---the beauty of the ice and land and glaciers. Luckily, we were around to see the new penguin chicks. We also camped on the ice/snow while there. Memorable.

Just the first sight of the the icebergs and the entire topography of Antarctica - its surreal.. its etched on my mind and heart forever.. There is some much that I saw and learnt in this trip about Antarctica that no literature can match that.. I will forever cherish these moments .. the penguins, humpback whales, sea lions and the silence too!!

"Camping!" We were expecting tents, but they had you dig a hole in the snow and that's where we slept! We were very toasty in the sleeping bags. Also, the Polar blunge, below the Antarctica circle! Beautiful sunny warm day.

Too many to mention really - orcas playing in the ship's wake, penguins, cruise through the Weddell sea icebergs, polar plunge from the continental shore ....

Arriving in the Antarctic and standing on the deck watching the icebergs drift by....walking on the ice for the first time! Hard to choose as there were so many memorable moments!

Very difficult to pick anything out, it was all memorable. Every aspect stands out, from the onboard food and amazing "hotel" staff, cabin comfort, the sheer quality of the onboard experts, and of course the incredible destination. Antarctica21 as the provider were absolutely first rate in all aspects.

The entire trip was absolutely memorable. One activity the stood out was the camping night. The silence and the beauty of the clouds changing overnight allowed me to really stop and think how grateful I am to be able to experience this sene of peace and calm. A feeling I will cherish forever. The great expedition team made me feel safe and able to enjoy each moment and the experience overall.

Over the top fabulous trip. Surprise: 1)I don't think I understood that the trip was not a "Swoop" trip but rather a brokered trip booked through the ship's operator. 2)I didn't expect that over half the people of the trip (China residents) would not speak English. Made it tough for getting them understanding instructions. The variety of people from 13 countries was great; the other 12 countries could speak some or fluent English.