There were 3 - 1. Charlotte Point when it was so quiet I could hear a lone humpback whale sing against a snowy highland backdrop and pink skies during dawn - when mother nature took me to its heart; 2. Overlooking the colony of some 250,000 adult and chick King penguins in St Andrews' Bay on a clear sunny day brought tears to my eyes as nature thrives against all odds; 3. 2 humpback whales swam under and over to our zodiac, raising their heads a few times within an inch of our zodiac to check us out and listen to my husband and I talk to them, showing such sentience, consciousness and gentleness.

Life changing

Yes

We felt very safe with the expedition team - the members did so well with landings particularly amid strong waves that we never felt unsafe at any point. Zodiacs were quite comfortable although the floor often got wet - understandably, but there is a need to tell guests pre-trip they should pack waterproof bags for zodiac trips.

The expedition team was just incredible - much of the successful and enjoyable trip was due to the competency, experience and knowledge of every member of the team. All the members were incredibly friendly and eager to share their knowledge, and we were overjoyed to find at least 3 very experienced ornithologists as we are birders as well. The lectures held by the team were fun, interesting, appropriate, and we learned a lot. The pontoon staff was just amazing - always smiling and greeting us - even as waves slammed into the pontoon, they were still working hard and smiling all through that.

The cabin was comfortable, the size was right and the balcony came in very useful for taking photographs. But there are signs of wear and tear. The AC was not working - it was either extremely cold or extremely warm, and the temperature adjustment control was not operating they had to adjust manually several times - by stepping on our bed - albeit on a separate bed sheet - during the PW-PW segment. Herman had to insist they repair the adjustment control when we were in PW, which they finally did and the Cape to Cape segment was far better. The bathroom tap leaked a bit but they fixed it promptly. The tap is not positioned so lots of water often splashed onto the countertop when we washed our faces. There is no shower door so water splashed onto the bathroom floor. The room attendant cleaned it 2x a day so at least the floor would get dried but it's not ideal. Observation deck was great for looking out at the sea for wildlife. Food was great especially after head chef Pia returned for the cape-cape segment, during which we had more variety. Room attendant service was also inconsistent - an alternate attendant came to do our room one evening and slippers were left by the side of the bed, and our parkas were neatly folded - something that our usual attendant didn't do. Not a major issue but those were nice touches by the alternate attendant as they showed they cared about our things well.

We had a very unpleasant experience with one of the bar attendants during dinner, which we immediately took up with restaurant head Mehdi. Mehdi was extremely excellent and a very good host, and said he would take care of it. that was the only time we had a major issue with the staff. We also had very noisy neighbours in the next cabin waking us up in the middle of the night. Although the security and butler had a word with them, the noise continued and we heard that the security and butler were also scared of the couple who was said to be "very aggressive". In the end, hotel manager Robert asked if we would change rooms and offered an upgrade to a higher suite, but we declined that upgrade on account that I would get more seasick at the front of the ship. we moved to a quieter cabin (no neighbours) and ended the trip with very good uninterrupted sleep.

Waterproof bags are important; rental of boots is too expensive especially when other ships provide boots for free; all-in inclusions take a lot of uncertainties out; throw out any pre-planned itineraries once on board as the weather dictates what to do on a daily basis; magnetic hooks are really useful; thick waterproof gloves are too cumbersome to use even on the zodiac - i used them probably 3 days out of the 40 days but on one zodiac cruising day, they really kept my hands protected; so one pair is sufficient. If you get seasick easily, just take the pills an hour before any sea days. The pills provided ont he ship were more effective than those I bought.

Not particularly.

Very.