Customer Reviews

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.

South Georgia was the surprise! The extra sailing days were not the easiest but it was definitely worth it once arrived. That's definitely something incredible to know that there's a place like this on this planet. Lived up to every expectation Plus more.

On our second day in Antarctica, we celebrated crossing the Antarctic circle. All guests and expedition guides gathered on deck 8 as we joined in an Antarctic circle ritual: stamping a circle on our foreheads! Afterwards, we enjoyed the most fantastic views of The Gullet - a narrow passageway surrounded by towering mountains covered in thick layers of ice. It was the most beautiful place I have ever seen!

No question, hard to choose one. Far the best: zodiak cruise with the whales. Second: Paradise bay zodiak criuse on an amazing suny afternoon. Third: Deception Island on an amazing sunny day.

Zodiac cruise with multiple whales, one popped up just a couple feet away

Sleeping on the continent in my bevy bag to wake up at 3am to light snow, peace and a phenomenal view of glaciers and a waterfall. The watching a group of artic turns chase a skua right over me as I lay snug in my bag. The windy wet ride through iceberg alley with dark clouds on the horizon, making it look like one could fall off the edge - cerulean blues iceberg caves, huge icebergs with turrets and knife edge peaks and, to top it all off, a leopard seal on an iceberg. And penguins frolicking in the water - torpedo like in their speed and jumps, clearly having a blast. I could go on...ice climbing with calving icebergs, swimming penguins and seals below, and snow waterfalls from avalanches in the mountains across the bay; Damvoy Point - blue sky with great clouds coming across the peaks and that amazing blue streaked, cracked glacier ...and baby penguins! Love the Adeline's her and there and sharing the penguin highways with them...wacthching them hoping, sliding, jumping, braying....could watch pimguisn forever.

For Peggy, she was overwhelmed by Atacama because she couldn't believe that there were Flamingoes at 14,000 ft elevation with limited water. She was also astounded by the Antarctic oceans with the stark colors between the ocean and the icebergs and the oceans as compared to the animals that we saw. For CC- I really loved getting to go below the Antarctic circle and seeing the differences a we moved up the peninsula. I thought the Crew did an amazing job with their ceremony for crossing the circle and I really enjoyed being out on deck with lots of people as we gathered around GPS systems and cracked champagne as we crossed the circle. I also really enjoyed getting to see all of the wildlife and it has made me want to go to the Falklands and South georgia to see how it is different

A very difficult question. Being completely engulfed by amazing wildlife in such a close proximity. It was a sensory overload in every sense of the word.

Watching penguins hop up and down on the rocks, also moving through the snow on their bellies using their flippers.

Everyday involved an impact fill experience of majestic power and the serene strength of the Antarctic. At the peak of a snowshoeing event I came to realize all of what surrounded me did not seem real. Words can not describe what I saw and felt on this journey.

Standing above a colony of over 300,000 King Penguins at Saint Andrews Bay, South Georgia ...... although that ties with also being able to stand on Antarctica with my husband, Mark, as we celebrated our 52nd wedding anniversary.

Immense colonies of king penguins on South Georgian Island.

More varied than we expected in terms of landscapes and wildlife. We were pleased to have so much time ashore - more than expected. Crew and staff were great but an awkwardness in the composition of the passengers meant less companionship than we had experienced on previous similar holidays.

Trip was fun and seeing the wildlife and various landscape up close was the main highlight. There were some hiccups with the trip that seemed to be weather depending. We did not get to make many landings in Antarctica which upset many people on board and there didn't seem to be as much empathy from the staff regarding this. The itinerary said that we would make landings or do something everyday but there were several days when we could not leave the ship. Expectations of the trip were poorly managed and several passengers left disgruntled and saying they wouldn't travel with the ship's operator again. We had a great time and tried to just go with the flow and enjoy what we could but there definitely was some negative feedback expressed by many other passengers.

The ice was the best part. The wildlife of course was super fun, like the baby penguins and hundreds of humpback whales feeding, but to see ice so blue, so vast, so grand - breathtaking.

It's hard to decide between the penguins and sleeping in a bivy bag on the Antarctic was the highlight, looking up at the Milky Way and unfamiliar stars! You cannot describe the immenseness of the place, it's mind blowing! Snow covered mountain ranges, glaciers galore, and penguins on every uncovered spot you encounter. The mix of people on the ship was refreshing! Different ages, nationalities (16 on our ship) and different walks of life. So many inspiring people! Fun! Most magical moment?! The little Gentoo penguin that bee lined for me and we looked each other up and down for several minutes - magic - wonderful!

I think seeing penguins for the first time. The colors of the ice, glaciers and water -- so intense.

Highlights: the ship; the colours of the ice; the tameness of the wildlife; the rust, romance and rottenness of the whaling stations; the clearness of the air; the icebergs.... Surprised by the diversity of people on the boat: age/nationality/backgrounds. Enjoyed the library and having time to do some background reading on the history/wildlife etc. Loved the food.

So many amazing moments that its tough to pick one. A few examples: - Being in a zodiac and suddenly finding ourselves being circled at close proximity by 2 pods of hunting humpback whales which were fluking, rolling and generally bubbling to confuse their prey. - Navigating the incredible Lemaire channel which was so blocked by a massive iceberg that getting through was a miracle performed by the ships bridge. - Looking down on and listening to the immense penguin colony at St Andrews bay in S.Georgia. - Seeing my first blue iceberg. - Seeing a glacier calve into the sea.

Too many to specify one single moment as all blended into a remarkable voyage. Highlights, however, were crossing again (as we did in 2012, the Drakes Passage and riding through Beauford 11 conditions (our first ever....pass the dramamine, first ever also)/ being close and personal to so many critters, esp. the Gentoo's/ unexpected food and beverage quality far and above/ same for cabins - our placement #428 happened to be perfect for avoiding worse ride by being lower, close to reception, lounge, dining and zodiac boarding...a great fluke/ the extremely friendly & helpful specialists and crew + fantastic passenger group with similar focus and interests which created stimulating conversations and sharing/ fun with Danny-an entertainment MC all by himself who created verve and fun-and was totally unexpected