January Reviews

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.

Walking on the beach with so many penguins

The most memorable part was the trip up the Drygawlski Fiord from Larson Harbor on South Georgia Island. It was just above freezing and snowing but the water was so cold that the snow was not melting but collecting on the water. The raw beauty of the fiord was stunning especially with the dusting of snow. The geography of our location was expertly described by our leader Stephi which added to the amazement of the moment. We saw at least 6 and perhaps 7 Wendell seals with a couple swimming around our Zodiac as we cruised and floated. There were also some Fur seals to entertain us. The steep sides of the fiord, the glaciers and waterfalls made the whole trip magical.

Honestly, every single thing about this trip was incredible. My husband and I travel a lot, but this was hands down the most incredible experience we've ever had. If I had to pick one thing, I would say kayaking was our favorite part. We really enjoyed being able to explore and see wildlife from a completely unique view.

I don't know if I can pick one - even 10 days later. The BBQ on the deck, the zodiac tour in the snow with humpbacks, polar plunging, the penguins, the Lamaire Channel, for sure! Every day had something shocking and wonderful and glorious and we really tried to just experience each day. We lucked out with weather and lack of motion sickness, so the entire trip felt charmed.

The highlights were all the penguin chicks at Petermann island and going through the Lamaire channel. The wildlife was amazing, especially the penguins and crab eater seals. I had a wonderful roommate and met several nice people, with whom I will keep in touch with. I was shocked how the ship operator's staff allowed the other passengers to be agressive and bully others when trying to take photos.

The experience was fantastic. We saw lots of different seals, penguins, icebergs and glaciers. Highlights: 8 orcas playing "with" our ship, and 2 humpback whales jumping in and out of the water as we had to say good-bye to Antarctica. But our trip was interrupted and our itinerary changed almost completely (effectively to a trip that would have taken half the time and cost half the money). I experienced Antarctica as a "mass tourist", which was different to, e.g., standing on the Greenland ice shelf all by myself. But crew, staff and also fellow passengers were great company, experienced, and did everything they could to make the trip excellent. Most magical: sailing into cierva cove at 5 o'clock in the morning, sun blazing, icebergs glittering, no one at the back end of deck 3 ;)

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.

I don't really do "favorites". There were so many incredible moments and each is special in its own way.

Going through the Lemaire channel twice. First time was amazing. Also visiting the huts at port Lockroy, Petermann, and Wordie. What a way to have lived.

The awesome beauty of Antarctica is difficult, if not impossible, to put into words. My wife, Laura, and I read several books prior to the expedition, but nothing matched the experience. The most memorable moment was probably standing on the land for the first time. Everything there seemed larger than at home . . . and a great deal colder! A thought that struck me several times was that the Earth was its own and not necessarily meant for man. I was strictly a visitor to this creation.

When I saw the first Iceberg and the penguins

Very luxurious cruise, fantastic exploration team that provided though information, lectures, trips on zodiacs and large "citizen scientist" programs. Icebergs and all wildlife was observed close up and the whenever anyone saw more animals, it was announced over the PA system so everyone could see them. It included some fun events like a photo contest, charity auction, and "get to know your team" game.

The whole trip was memorable, really. Like choosing a favorite child, its hard to choose a most memorable moment. I would say the craziest time was during our kayaking adventure when the iceburg we were kayaking by started to crumble and fall (at least 40ft high) so instead of originally turning to the iceburg to head on face the waves, our guide then yells at us to high tail it out of there as quick as we could. Always an adventure.

Meeting a leopard seal on an iceberg

The zodiac cruise where we saw the leopard seal and it stayed playing with us for almost 1 hour. The empathy of the guide and her commitment and patience made this memorable meeting even more memorable.

Seeing over 50 Weddell, Crabeater and Leopard seals all sleeping together on an iceberg. Getting up at 5a.m. to watch from the bridge as we passed through Neumayer Channel.

I can't say which was my most memorable because every minute of the tour was memorable! 1.) Landing on the continent with the flag 2.) Polar circle crossing baptismal ceremony 3.) Polar plunge 4.) Spending time with fellow guests, staffs, and crew of Ocean Nova

The ice. Going on to land/ice twice a day though I would have liked loner and more time off he boat. Landscape stunning and the wildlife unusual. Most of the time pleasant but rather pushy and over excited when they were so, so desperate to take photos. That I do not know why Antarctic does not have a flag. They are not old enough to under stand the concept of a shared geographical area. I did not expect to find 30 young Chinese children on the boat, pushing and shoving on the stairs, along the corridors, jumping the queue in the restaurant and generally making a lot of noise. They were also noisy on land and I had hoped to find wonderful peace in Antarctica. I realise children are playful and lively but I did not expect to be on holiday with them and would not have booked this holiday had I known. So it did affect my enjoyment.

Floating in the zodiacs between icebergs on which penguins and seals were resting.