Customer Reviews

My highlight was stepping on the Antarctica Continent, the Ross Sea, Ross Island, Ross Ice Shelf, and Port Ross and was my most magical moment. The historic huts were amazing; to think that the explorers endured and many lost their lives for exploration gives me so much respect for all they accomplished. The landscape: icebergs as well as the flora and fauna in such remote areas were breathtaking. The wildlife and how they survive in such extreme conditions was amazing. We had an awesome group of fifty people that socialized, laughed, and shared their stories of who they were and why this trip was meaningful for them.

The highlight was Charlotte's Bay as described above. It was a totally perfect experience on a perfectly calm and sunny day. The landscapes were absolutely breathtaking with the Seven Sister who were complete visible due to the awesome weather. I traveled alone, so I didn't have a group as others did; however, I met very nice people from the US, Hong Kong, UK, Australia and New Zealand. I was surprised at how skilled the crew was to adapting to new contingency plans due to changing weather. Charlotte's Bay was a magical, mystical and spiritual experience that will be forever embedded in my mind.

A. All the encounters with Penguins. b. They were amazing. c. I developed many meaningful relationships. d. I was surprised that I didn't throw-up. e. Seeing the whales close-up in the zodiac.

Seeing the whales and penguins up close was one of the many highlights. Finally standing on the Antarctica continent. There were a large diversity of passengers from all over the world. Great fun-loving people. The biggest surprise was having the opportunity to see schools of whales swimming together and being so close to them. This was a magical moment.

I went with two specific goals and achieved them both.The wild life was great , the landscape not so, partly because we spent7 days in open sea and there was nothing but fog most of the time. No snow covered mountains as one would see in the Antarctic peninsular. There were two prominent sets of passengers one about 12 - Swedish people who were not friendly and the other was a group of “Gay “ scuba diving friends who were more friendly. There were no surprises and the trip was as advertised. The security at Port Stanley was aggravating having my Allen keys confiscated because the woman classified it as a dangerous weapon !!! My friend’s Allen keys were allowed through go and figure that one out. I had two magical moments - 1) The sound of the fur seal pups crying for their parents through the dense fog as we slid past South Georgia en route for Port Stanley. Seal pups are feisty and very independent little creatures. A delight to watch 2) The blowing sound of hump back whales as they glided past the zodiac. We were asked to remain silent in our zodiac to experience this magical moment of stillness except for the movement by these truly magnificent mammals

I answered NO above because, at my age, there are just too many other places to see. Chile was a completely new country to me and it was interesting to learn about the history. The Andes are awesome. Antarctic wildlife was like just a few places in the world were humans are not feared. That is so unusual and a privilege to experience.

I think for me it was the feeling of a vast space, extraordinary geological riches, of course the wildlife, but also the human footprint.

The highlight for us was the day we went through the Lemaire Channel, visited Pleneau Bay and Port Charcot, did the polar plunge, and had a deck BBQ dinner. It was an amazing day. The landscape and wildlife were incredible. Conceptualizing the sheer quantity of ice surrounding you is breath taking. And the penguins were always funny to watch. The guides were incredible and beyond knowledgable. Their passion is contagious and it was clear they love their job. Fellow passengers and other ship crew were also extremely friendly and interesting. One unfortunate surprise was the final payment process. The payment processor was through a different company and country than any of the previous payments, so getting approval from one's card issuer was unnecessarily challenging for many passengers. This could've been prevented by communicating the information prior to departing Punta Arenas. Our most magical moment was at the Port Charcot hike where scenery was truly amazing and looked like a painting.

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!

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.

For me the highlight was being at the top of Useful Island early in the morning with clear blue skies. Everywhere we looked there were white mountains, islands, wildlife and blue water. I was really impressed with the professionalism and friendliness of the ship's operator and the Hebridean Sky staff.

The general itinerary was great, but we found the extra activities such as kayaking and camping to be the most memorable. I liked the idea of the closed group for kayaking since it did seem to take a while for people to get comfortable, and I could not imagine having to repeat that process every outing. The scenery kayaking through some of the harbors seemed out of this world. We also saw orcas on multiple occasions with the pod coming right up to the ship. One pod was even hunting a seal. It was all very exciting!

From beginning to end the trip was fantastic. It was so educational and I learned more about the wildlife, geology and history of Antarctica than I could have imagined. All the staff and crew members were knowlegeable and helpful. The highlight had to be getting so close to the humpback whales while we were on the zodiac

Thoroughly enjoyed the landings and all the wildlife, but unfortunately due to a medical evacuation we spent the majority of the holiday at sea, which was a big disappointment.

Our trip on Polar Pioneer was outstanding. We loved the ship and it’s crew, who together with the expedition team make our voyage unforgettable. Highlights: sleep over on the ice, sun sets, icebergs Landscapes: sensory overload

The trip lioved up to all our expectations and more. Highlight was the bubblenet fishing of the Humpback whales really close to the ship and the Antarctic plunge which could have been on a beach at home for air temperatures but not the ocean. The guides were so knowledgeable and helpful, it became like one big happy family

It was fantastic - South Georgia was such a special place for wildlife and the peninsula was spectacular. Too many magical moments to mention, but being surrounded by 150-200 humpback whales was one of the highlights.

Loved South Georgia and the encounter with 150 Humpback whales near Shag Rock. That experience was unbelievable as was the Iceberg graveyard in Antartica. I enjoyed getting up and close to nesting Albatross in The Falklands as well as seeing 130,000 breeding pairs of penguins in South Georgia. Seeing 150 Humpback whales so close to the ship ie 20m for over 40 minutes was special. The expedition crew was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The ship crew were equally superb with great humour, service and friendliness. The Lido deck BBQ with full roast pig was very very special. Loved the ship and the crew. I think visiting the Antarctic is a once in a lifetime experience. I would revisit Antartica again however do fly in and fly out. My only issue I had with the trip was there was little to do on Sea Days. Therefore I would prefer to shorten the trip.

It seems impossible to name just one highlight, but if I must, it would be the hour or so we spent cruising amongst a group of 200 or so Humpback whales. They were so close you didn't know where to look first. We got closer to the wildlife than I expected, particularly the nesting albatross and penguins sitting on eggs. I can now tell 6 species of penguins apart! The only real surprise was when a wave hit the ship straight on the side and broke a window while we were all sitting in the lounge.

Excellent. Out of this world landscape and wildlife more abundant than anyone can expect. Nearly everyone we met were very nice and we did develop a few new close friendships. However, as always, there were a few annoying people ("the front row people") and the "birder" group. No real surprises, but the serenity of Cierva Cove was magical.