December Reviews

The highlight was having the opportunity to fulfull my bucket list in ,of my husband. The landscapes are breath-taking and the wildlife interesting. Watching the penquins walk, run, fly, swin was delightful. Seeing whales jump about was a sight to be seen ! Beautiful birds everywhere !! There were 65 folks on the tour - 4 continents, 7 languages. I was the oldest passenger. Many of the young chinese ladies, told me that I was their inspiration which made me feel good. They were delightful !! Biggest surprise was the rough waters the first night out, going through the Bransford Straight. I was very sea sick as were many folks !! A big surprise to say the least. The magical moment is simply the beauty of the land.

Up close with Humpback Whales while Kayaking..

The trip was incredible and I enjoyed all of the landings the most. I think the highlights were seeing all of the wildlife, like penguins, whales, and seals, and experiencing the stillness and vastness of the place. The people I met on the boat were a lot of fun, and I was happy that this trip had young people (millennials) who I hung out with, as well as older people. The only surprise was how much Antarctica affected me on a deep and almost spiritual level with its beauty and remoteness.

It was my life's dream to visit the emperor penguins. Whereas the other expedition led by Quark was able to helicopter carry 123 passengers over 64 nautical miles to the Snow Hill Islands on November 16 (2025), Oceanwide made a decision against it apparently when we were 50 miles away from the Snow Hill Island. Their reasoning was that the sea ice accumulation was overwhelming. After undertaking rigorous phhysical therapy for my arthritic knees for several months only for this once-in-a-life-time trip, this was was the most disappointing and memorable moment of my trip. I had booked this trip way ahead and paid at least $5,000 more than those who booked at the last moment. Including my travel insurance, air fare, extended hotel stay at Ushuaia because of canceled flights, I ended up paying about $22,000. I never expected to have this disappointing experience.

Seeing huge blue icebergs for the first time as we sailed by.

Kayaking among the whales

Penguin watching

Kayaking through icebergs following humpback whales AND camping on the island

Crossing the Antarctic circle at midnight on new years, stepping foot on the Antarctic continent (our 7th continent!), PENGUINS, kayaking through ice and snow and among giant icebergs, polar plunge, standing on point wild (elephant island), the opportunity to have had Greg Mortimer as our expedition lead, walking amongst the wildlife at fortuna bay (South Georgia), observing chicks at the Falklands…truly so many memorable moments it’s impossible to pick just one!

First landing on the continent and seeing the first colony of chinstrap penguins. And camping!

Seeing humpback whales feeding on New Year's at Paradise Harbor!

Loved South Georgia and the encounter with 150 Humpback whales near Shag Rock. That experience was unbelievable as was the Iceberg graveyard in Antartica. I enjoyed getting up and close to nesting Albatross in The Falklands as well as seeing 130,000 breeding pairs of penguins in South Georgia. Seeing 150 Humpback whales so close to the ship ie 20m for over 40 minutes was special. The expedition crew was extremely knowledgeable and friendly. The ship crew were equally superb with great humour, service and friendliness. The Lido deck BBQ with full roast pig was very very special. Loved the ship and the crew. I think visiting the Antarctic is a once in a lifetime experience. I would revisit Antartica again however do fly in and fly out. My only issue I had with the trip was there was little to do on Sea Days. Therefore I would prefer to shorten the trip.

All of it...the guides were amazing, the food was awesome, the crew that kept everything clean were great, as well as the servers for the meals. The lectures put on by the guides helped to understand the fragile ecosystem on the continent. Most memorable was the kayaking....

When the emperor penguin slid across the ice floe and came right up to our zodiac. He was curious and unafraid to examine us for what seemed like an eternity. It was magical and unreal! What a thrill to engage with this majestic creature.

Having 10 humpbacks surrounding us whilst in the zodiacs. A couple were within touching distance. At one point 2 surfaced next to us as the glacier to our right calved. It was unreal.

Spotting different types of seals and penguins on ice floes from the gorgeous balcony of ship’s cabin

When a penguin woke me up during our camping with his long honk. I turned to look at him and saw the backdrop of glaciers.

Highlight was the wildlife and the ship operator's staff! We learned so much and had so much fun. The only surprise was that we were delayed in Punta Arenas for 2 extra nights, as the weather on King George was not safe enough to fly out. This was disappointing, but we know there is nothing that could be done, and it's part of the adventure of getting there.

Watching a pod of orcas swim under the boat and being in a zodiac, surrounded by humpback whales.

Polar Plunge in Deception Island/Bay. Weather was beautiful and Polar Latitudes found a way to make the polar plunge work despite overcoming Covid challenges. My father was also able to take some really cool pictures for it as well.