February Reviews

Highlight - seeing the first iceberg. And another one - kayaking through the brash ice. Landscapes - ethereal / mind blowing. Wildlife - we hoped for more whales up close ... but we did see some, including orcas. Although smelly, the penguins were delightful. Seals were everywhere! The Expedition Team was outstanding. We were relieved that the Kayaking was so well managed and we coped. Reaching the Polar Circle and landing on the Peninsula were magical - pinch yourself moments.

The ship service and efficiency were great. The staff were enthusiastic and always aimed to please with a great depth of knowledge. We especially enjoyed the snowshoeing/trekking and were glad that we signed up early. It made many of the excursions very special for us. Every day had a memorable landscape or wildlife experience.

My highlight was stepping on the Antarctica Continent, the Ross Sea, Ross Island, Ross Ice Shelf, and Port Ross and was my most magical moment. The historic huts were amazing; to think that the explorers endured and many lost their lives for exploration gives me so much respect for all they accomplished. The landscape: icebergs as well as the flora and fauna in such remote areas were breathtaking. The wildlife and how they survive in such extreme conditions was amazing. We had an awesome group of fifty people that socialized, laughed, and shared their stories of who they were and why this trip was meaningful for them.

Each day was magical! We saw an avalanche and even an iceberg turning over!

The highlight was Charlotte's Bay as described above. It was a totally perfect experience on a perfectly calm and sunny day. The landscapes were absolutely breathtaking with the Seven Sister who were complete visible due to the awesome weather. I traveled alone, so I didn't have a group as others did; however, I met very nice people from the US, Hong Kong, UK, Australia and New Zealand. I was surprised at how skilled the crew was to adapting to new contingency plans due to changing weather. Charlotte's Bay was a magical, mystical and spiritual experience that will be forever embedded in my mind.

Wildlife the landscape, fellow travellers were a good bunch, young and old. The ship's operator looked after us all very well. the ships crew could not do enough for anyone, and the food was excellent.

Very professional arrangement and passionate crew onboard.

The highlight was navigating, and often cutting, through ice to get through the Gullet. The landscapes all along were majestic - desolate but beautiful. The wildlife was so easy to spot. Have never been on a wildlife trip where one sees almost everything one expects to see.

Great. If you are going late in February or March I would highly recommend a circle crossing. The feel and look of Antarctica certainly changes down there.

The luggage was picked up from our hotel without hassle and delivered to our cabin. The size of the ship, about 90 passengers was perfect. There were enough people to have dinner with different groups but it wasn't so big you got lost. The trip out and back was packed with lectures from scientists, there wasn't time to be bored. The accommodation was better than expected, it wasn't a pokey cabin. The food was great. The range of peoples age and background was vast but everyone was friendly and enhanced the social side of the trip. The wildlife was enchanting, there was a buzz every time we were going off the ship. Visiting active or unused stations was a thrill.

Highlight- the penguins Landscape- I was surprised at how little snow there was and how rocky the terrain was Wildlife - penguins were amazing and the sea lions were very cool People- my travel companions were terrific! We are got along very well. Great group Surprises- accommodations. We expected to be in a thermal tent and instead stayed at the Russian scientific location in bunk beds. It was good but unexpected. Also the weather. We were supposed to leave Monday mid day and do half a day with tours on Antarctica and then half a day the next day and head home. Instead we left late Monday night. Just had time for dinner and bed and then only half a day tour Tuesday because the weather turned bad on Wednesday afternoon.

The ship's crew was the highlight of the trip for us, they were simply magnificent. While it was good to go and see Antarctica, once was enough for us there. The surprise was how desolate it was. Very austere and lonely.

The highlight was the enormity of the scale of the peninsular and the pristine, untouched solitude of the environment. The landscape was overwhelming and all encompassing, with a grandeur that we had not expected. We loved the antics of the penguins and the curiosity of the chicks. Up close viewing of seals and whales was awe inspiring. Our outstanding leaders helped to deepen our understanding and appreciation of this amazing world. Our fellow travellers were all like minded so sharing our experiences increased the enjoyment.

9.5 put of 10 Great excursions with a blue sky day on a zodiac near ice bergs and whales the highlight. People on the boat a good mix and we found a like minded 8 which we largely shared the adventure with. Surprise was the intensity of the trip... 3/4 full days.

Everything was excellent... !!! what a lot to remind ...luckely we took a lot of photos !! we were just a little disappointed as we didn't rich the Polar Circle !(weather problem in King George Island, we were delayed for a little more than 1 day) May be they could have organise the program on a different way as it was the aim of our choice...Never mind we were lucky as the weather was beautiful all the way..blue sky nearly all the time!! Wonderful sight seeing, we saw a lot of wales very closed to the ship and of course all sorts of animals ..Very sheerful staff, very friendly and competent.We were welcomed at any time to the Bridge as the captain was always ready to talk to us. Very nice meals, very equilibrated..As we were the only french people we had to practice our english !!

Enjoyed the Zodiacs and storm, force 11! Saunders Island was very relaxing.

It was amazing. The wildlife was endless and the highlight was probably seeing 30 whales bubble feeding right in front of our zodiacs. The staff were brilliant - so helpful, informative and nice. Met some wonderful people who we will keep in touch with! Loved the whole thing. The only shame was the cyclone which stopped us going down the Weddell sea which I had been so excited about - a real disappointment but staff did all they could to make the time on the ship great.

The highlight of the trip was seeing all the penguins, seals, birds, whales, glaciers, and beautiful landscape. I never dreamed there would be so many penguins and seals and they would be so close to you. My favorite experience was seeing all the seal cubs and loved how they would run up to you about three feet and then run back. I also loved getting close to the seals that were on floating ice. The Hebridean crew were amazing and everything was so organized with lectures and landings. There was little down time. Safety came first when determining if a landing was possible. Having Sunny and Seb on board to share their experiences was another highlight. I liked how the crew ate with us and shared stories. The ship provided a e drive of pictures taken while on the ship so I will show these pictures to my grandchildren. They will not have to wait for me to go through my thousand pictures .

The trip was even better than expected... The highlight was crossing the polar circle and seeing ice bergs the size of skyscrapers--who knew ice could be so incredible!? The landscape was amazing--like walking around in a painting. And the wildlife was unreal! It was everywhere and so untouched. The people were fascinating--loved the diversity in age, country and interest. I learned a lot from them! Someday, I'll tell my grandchildren that I went to a place that was so untouched by man--that it was nature at its best. Biggest surprise was that our ship didn't have a stabilizer! Haha.

Highlights were the Zodiac rides and landings. Lots of seals, whales and of course penguins. The multiple glaciers were majestic. Were had a very friendly and mixed group of people who just all appeared to enjoy everything. Not any real surprises but excellent quality of expedition staff and just a happy ship full of people. Totally different than the Arctic.