December Reviews

The extraordinary landscapes and phenomenal wildlife were highlights of the trip. I fell in love with penguins, and can't get enough of them. Most of the people were educated and interesting; however, there were some Asian travelers who were challenging due to their rudeness. I only hope Antarctica is still there for my grandchildren to see with their own eyes!

Seeing penguins for the first time as we were on the mountaineering walk. Chinstrap penguins - they were so close! ?

Highlight was kayaking alongside a humpback whale in stunning scenery. Both clients and staff/crew on board were very friendly and the big surprise was the amount and quality of the food.

ALL OF IT!! Kayaking with humpback whales, seeing some much wildlife, the indescribable landscapes, the overwhelming awe, the incredible captain, staff, and crew, and all the open minded and flexible passengers who brought so much positive energy to the experience.

Kayaking in the quiet, majestic bays

The trip was amazing. The landscapes, glaciers and icebergs were beautiful. Michael particularly liked the whales that were diving within 10-15 feet of our zodiac; my favorite was seeing all the penguins and, in particular, the chicks. The Vavilov was an excellent choice. Our suite was spacious and very comfortable and the passengers were a very diverse and interesting group. The only surprise, after 8 days of spectacular weather and amazing excursions, was the fog at King George Island that prevented our flying back to Punta Arenas on the final day. Our excursion leader, Chad Gaetz and the entire staff did an amazing job of keeping us engaged with additional lectures, excursions, contests and other activities on the days that we were stuck near King George Island and also when we crossed the Drake Passage. The only reason we would not visit again is that there are many other places to visit.

Kayaking among dozens of "porpoising" Macaroni penguins off the shore of South Georgia Island. It was our first experience with ocean kayaking, and riding the swells in the bright sun with mountains and dramatic clouds all around and the playful penguins entertaining us was a truly magical experience.

There were so many, it's hard to pick one. Getting upclose with a leopard seal, seeing the beautiful twin arch iceberg, stepping onto the Antartica continent the first time, so many memorable moments.

Kayaking in Wilhelmina Bay with icebergs and whales quite nearby and two emperor penguins on the shore.

We were sitting in the lecture theatre listening to the speaker and a whale came up and jumped right outside the window super close to the boat. My husband was so excited he shrieked with happiness.

Kayaking

December 19 when we found ourselves encircled with a pod of about 12 whales that were communicating with each other as they surfaced and checked these yellow coated camera-happy humans out… it was a warm, sunny, still afternoon and truly indescribable the paradigm felt.

There were so many. One really incredible one was when a minke whale played near the zodiacs for over an hour, coming up to look at us and even breathing on us

The penguins were so fun to just watch as they carried on their regular activities- building nests or heading down to the water. The landscapes and wildlife were magnificent. We saw 3 species of penguins and several types of seals and also whales. The people on our ship came from various countries and we enjoyed getting to know them. We had an opportunity to stop and get off on a piece of floating ice - that was fun!

We were on our way to Cuverville and ran into a large pod of Orcas and they got us all off the ship and we spent 3 hours in zodiacs surrounded by about 25 orcas and a humpback whale.

Our excursion in Fournier Bay to see the humpback whales. The abundance of whale activity was an amazing experience.

Camping in the snow, going to sleep with clear skies and being woken up by snowflakes

We had a one day delay due to weather but once we got to Antarctica we couldn't have asked for more. Gorgeous weather for most of the trip and the views were sublime! Paddle boarding was our most favorite activity, but every single landing and zodiac ride had something amazing to offer. The crew is phenomenal - so smart, so fun, and so very friendly you can't help but have fun with them!

Paddling among ice fields; having whales all around us; so, so many penguins; camping on Antarctica; doing the polar plunge!

We experienced everything from close encounters with whales (while kayaking), playful penguins and seals, crumbling glaciers, to the roar of mother nature when the wind went from calm to more than 50 knots in less than five minutes. The staff was superb, and the ship and service impeccable.