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

Antarctica was breathtaking, exhilarating and immense. The total insularity away from the rest of the world was wonderful.

Yes

The advice and guidance before the trip was very good and confirmed our choice, really. I'm sure the cabin we got was as good as we asked for but we seemed to have an upgrade to the top deck of cabins which was better and ample. I think many people on the trip thought they would be going to more of the 'headline' destinations (Port Lockroy, Half Moon Island etc) which this clearly wasn't. There are other trips that do that and that should be emphasised. We weren't disappointed but some were.

The Zodiac landings were terrific. The crew were engaging and full of information. Sometimes excursions were used when plans went astray and landings weren't available. Our trip needed quite a bit of rearranging, mostly because of iced-up areas but the expedition leader did her best to make them different, entertaining and varied. They also gave us a closeup of icebergs, so you realised just how big they were, and seals as well as so many penguins. The expedition staff were very knowledgable in their varied fields and did their best to explain in English, which was a second language for most of them.

The Ushuaia is small, elderly and with next-to-no luxuries. If people are expecting a cruise, with all that implies, think again. We were happy with it as Antarctica is a destination that has no luxuries and somehow it would be wrong to be on a 5-star ship. The trip was all we expected, only the weather curtailed activities, especially below the Circle, when nothing was allowed to happen leading to more cruising than we'd hoped for.

In fact, we did all the travel before/after the trip. Accommodation in Ushuaia is quite expensive for what it is. However, airport and Argentine airlines very efficient.

We went in the Antarctic summer and the weather was benign so we spent more time in Ushuaia then we needed - a full day before and after the trip. Layers of clothing are key, the ship is warm to hot; outside is very cold with windchill.