Onto The Antarctic Ice Reviews

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

Probably seeing a pod of an estimated 45 humpback whales feeding right along the Hondius. Even veteran crew members said it was the biggest pod of whales they'd seen, perhaps ever, and they were amazed at how close the whales came to the ship -- they just passed by and came up for air one after another for a couple of hours in the Gerlache strait. Stunning.

We were kayaking on the second day through rivers of ice and spotted a really cool iceberg in the distance. We decided to make our way towards the iceberg and stopped in a cove-like area for rest and pics. Before we decided to leave, a Leopard Seal came right up to our kayaks and seemed to be toying with or playing with us. The seal spent a good 10 mins swimming around us all, creating waves, popping up out of the water in various places - a lot of people were laughing and enjoying this organic moment.

The trip was great. The highlight for both my husband and I was the iceberg "garden" at Pleneau Island. The icebergs were so amazing and it was fun to see seals hanging out on some of them. That day was windy and cold. We're both very glad we didn't skip the harbor tour. We saw even more penguins than we expected and were surprised by how close we were to them in some areas, mostly as they were walking to and from the ocean. Being able to experience nature in it's natural state was a once in a lifetime experience. Seeing a Macaroni Penguin at Half Moon Island was my "runner up" highlight of the trip! We enjoyed seeing a lot of Humpback Whales too. We met many interesting people on the trip too. The expedition staff were very nice and knowledgeable, and all of the crew on the ship were wonderful. There were 2 things that were a little disappointing. The first was that there was a large group of Dutch people on our ship and they mostly kept to themselves. The other was that we didn't get to see the Beagle Channel well. On the way out we followed another ship that left late. By the time we were coming through it was dusk and then dark so we couldn't really see it. On the way back, we picked up the pilot at 2 am and were at the dock by 4 or 5 am. I thought I would have a chance to see it.

45-50 Humpback whales surrounding us for about 2 hours! The Drake Shake with 84 knot wind gusts! Lemaire Channel with brash ice and growlers. Camping in Paradise. Sailing into Deception Island (Neptune's Bellows) at 5 am in broad daylight. Seeing 3 types of seals and 3 types of adorable penguins. Adventureous, friendly, inquisitive people-and staff.

Crossing the Antarctic Circle!! this was unexpected, and awesome!

Loved the trip. Weather was good the first four days after arrival. We personally loved Iceberg Alley. Wildlife was great. A big surprise was that 65% of the travelers were a French group. Although they were often separated from the English speaking group with their own interpreters in the sessions where both languages had to be presented it became a problem because the French passengers continually talked through the English speaking portion and we needed to listen to the French. I was under the impression that if the trip was advertised as English speaking that is all it would be. It did not take long before we realized that the French group did not feel they had to obey staff instructions - particularly staying behind certain boundaries while waiting for zodiacs on shore, waiting in lines for eating,stairs,and boarding zodiacs from ship, etc. Some of the guides had difficulties with the group getting too close to penguins and not staying within the red poles while walking. Even boarding the buses to the airport presented problems with the drivers because of how the French guides wanted them to board, etc. and had to spend their time trying to sort things out. It was a distraction that did not have to happen. The ship operator's Staff and guides were top notch. Very calm, capable and knowledgeable.

There really isn't just one. I think seeing the glacial ice and the wonderment of the environment were among my most memorable moments. Watching penguins waddle and slide, seals swim and humpbacks letting their presence be known were other memorable moments. Sharing the experience with 150 strangers from around the world and a very talented staff also provided memorable moments.

The quiet---the beauty of the ice and land and glaciers. Luckily, we were around to see the new penguin chicks. We also camped on the ice/snow while there. Memorable.

The scenery and wildlife were terrific and it was a pleasure to meet with many of the passengers on the boat. The two big negative surprises were the Chinese school children party on the ship that seemed to constitute nearly 20% of the total passenger group. Not sure of we would have taken this particular voyage if we had known about this. Nothing is mentioned in any of the literature about school parties being on the voyages. The other negative was that we paid for the most expensive standard of cabin but the heating was not working in the cabin. It took a great deal of work to repair the heating unit and on the first evening the men called a halt to the work at 10:30pm as my wife was falling asleep while they worked in the cabin. The repairs were completed the next day. Major pipe and electrical work was needed. I would have thought checking that heating units worked before heading to Antarctica would have been standard practice.

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.

Sailing through the Lemaier Channel with a huge iceberg in the middle. Several other ships had to turn around but we successfully navigated the channel and were rewarded with a breathtaking experience in flow ice and bergs

Our ship encountered a huge group of feeding humpback whales. We were surrounded by them for approx. 1.5 hours as we watched them feed, play, breech, dive... it was an enchanting experience. I never thought I would be so up close to these beautiful creatures.

Honestly the people and crew I spent time with while on the cruise. I went solo and was worried about being bored and alone on the cruise. I'm glad my budget basically had me limited to having a shared quad cabin. I ended up making friends with some amazing people in my cabin and the guys next door as well. I hope we all keep in contact. Also the crew was AMAZING they were professional but all so real and their backgrounds and histories could keep people entertained for days.

Experiencing Lemaire Channel with such beautiful weather conditions!

The most memorable moment was being on the continent with my daughter. Seeing the natural wildlife was wonderful.

When we unexpectedly stumbled upon the rare and elusive Ross seal and a pod of orcas who came right up to the ship and were swimming alongside.

Finally stepping on my 7th Continent

Lemaire Channel was outstanding unable to land but the resultant cruise around left me speechless (not a common problem). Again no camera can do justice to the omnipotence of Antartica it is humbling, penguins were cheeky, seals were unphased and the whales / Orcas gave hope that we haven't destroyed the planet YET. Most fellow travelers were warm, friendly and shared their photos / films. The 'ladies" I shared with were individuals who shared a joke, welcomed you and we have formed firm firm friendship despite our disparate ages interests and nationalities. Only Antartica.

Coming across dozens and dozens of feeding humpback whales one morning. Some of them came right up to the ship!