December Reviews

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.

A gentoo penguin chick pecking a seal and watching the seal react. We spent ages watching it.

. There were many but I think the first was waking early one morning and looking out our cabin at the first sighting a massive size iceberg.

Highlights were whales breaching beside us, penguins swimming in front and beside kayak, wonderful artistic ice forms- floes and icebergs, interesting history, really lovely other guests who we made great friends with, great lectures and talks from the naturalists and others. It was run very safely- much more so than when we went to the Arctic about 25 years ago, with a different company. All the people leaving and returning to the boat were signed in and out. Kayaking was a big highlight for me- being so close and it was all so well run. Safety was a high priority.

Landing on King George. The reason is that we had been delayed due to fog for two days and our trip was in jeopardy of being canceled. Two groups behind us never got to visit this incredible place due to weather. People who want to travel here have to understand that if you’re going to do the fly route the weather can be very fickle. Fog is a real issue. We came to learn that there must be at least 1000 feet of visibility clearance for the pilot to see the runway. This is a serious wild place. Landing strip has no landing lights, no tower and it’s gravel. And, wind plays a part too. Was it worth the risk of cancellation? OMG YES! The Antarctic is Overwhelming beauty and floods all 5 of your senses. Never experienced anything like this before. Sight and sounds are one of a kind. My wife and I are in our mid 60s and we didn’t find the trip physically challenging.

It is impossible to single out one experience. Carola was with us in every step and her help was incredible - she made this experience perfect for us. Due to a late flight, we needed rebooking of flights and communication with drivers and hotel which she handled seamlessly and without any hiccup. Carola made everything happen like it was a walk in the park for her. Swoop does an excellent job and Oceanwide ship, facilities, staff, crew made the experience incredible. If there was any one thing that might be improved it would be the shipboard TV as there was constant buffering of the programs as well as erratic behavior. Granted, the trip is best without any TV but my mate had difficulty with sea sickness and reliable TV would have helped her. I realize it is satellite based and that is difficult in Antarctica but this is just a comment. If I ever do another booking through Swoop, I will definitely ask for Carola if she is available. Hold onto her in every way as if I had a professional need for her, I would offer her a executive position in an instant.

Incredible with truly memorable experiences, ranging from watching icebergs roll to cuddling with a baby elephant seal.

The first time I saw Antarctica proper, it took my breath away.

The vastness of the continent; seeing the wildlife up close; the incredible expedition team and the operator’s staff and crew; the learning opportunities from the lectures; the opportunity to make new friends from around the world....spending Christmas and my Birthday in an utterly indescribable place on our planet!

Seeing orcas trying to drown a humpback whale Meeting some of the most amazing people

Seeing the penguins marching and playing!

So hard to narrow it down to just one moment. How about one day? On Christmas Eve, our family walked among penguins on the continent, sailed through the Lemaire Channel, plunged into the Antarctic Ocean, devoured a gourmet Filipino feast, and then were treated to a spectacular show by a pod of 20+ Orcas off the bough of our ship -- all of it in eternal daylight on one of the longest days of the year.

A close-up encounter with some humpback whales while in the zodiac.

The trip was exceptional! One of the things I most enjoyed and was a surprise to me was hearing a leopard seal singing into an iceberg underwater! I didn't know they did that, and it was such a beautiful sound. The expedition team is phenomenal and went above and beyond to ensure we had a wonderful time and were well-informed. Even when it was "time to go back to the boat", when magical moments happened (which was often... like the singing leopard seal), they stopped the zodiac - we were never rushed through experiences, and in fact, we were encouraged to experience as much as possible. I appreciated the PA announcements about sunsets, breaching whales, and other amazing sights - they didn't want us to a miss a thing. It's typically hard for me to sit still and therefore I can find "talks" challenging, but this team was so engaging and entertaining, I went to every single talk. I loved that the talks happened at the end of the day and related to experiences we had or things we saw that day. The wildlife and landscape was breathtaking. The boat was outstanding as was the crew. I felt like somebody was there with anything I could have needed, before I had to ask.

Too many to mention them all. We were so close at times to bubble-net-feeding humpbacks in our Zodiak, I could not fit the huge heads in my photo frame! We sailed through a "conference" of orcas about 50 strong; one swam under the Ortelius (our ship) and popped up right under where I was standing. I gained a deeper appreciation for the athleticism and resourcefulness of gentoo, chinstrip and Adelie penguins. The blue-eyed shags were a hoot with the crazy necking courtship dances. Even more impressive were the people. The guides, crew and staff were super helpful and worked hard to make as many adventures possible while keeping us safe. I enjoyed the camping in a snow pit, kayaking through brash ice, snowshoeing in blizzard conditions, the polar plunge, the photo workshops, the many related talks about wildlife, glaciers, avalanches, history. I especially liked being included in viewing the weather forecast maps. The travelers (about 113 from 20 countries, I heard) were as excited and enthusiastic about our adventures as I was. I have found a new "tribe" to which I am proud to belong.

There are so many highlights, impossible to find just one - from the beauty and incredible shades of white and blue of the icebergs and the 'fizzing' sound as the smaller 'bergie bits' melt, to the constant wildlife around the ship, eg birds, whales, dolphins, penguins everywhere we went, albatrosses following the ship, the black browed albatross colony [with chicks] on Falkland islands, sailing alongside the huge A23 iceberg, the impressive specialist knowledge of the expedition team, the friendliness of the onboard hotel crew, the skill and amenability of the captain as he maneouvered the ship in places where bigger ships can't go

There were so many great moments, although the first day when the weather cooperated was truly the best day! Walking among our first gentoo colony and seeing how clumsy they are on land but graceful they are in the water - and the sun was shining, it felt so warm that everyone was stripping off their layers! And later that day, we kayaked through an ice graveyard and the water was so smooth, and our guide let us jump into the freezing cold water at the end of our paddle!

The reason for NO in the question above is solely due to financial cost, not for any other reasons. The highlights may include, grand glacier and gigantic iceberg, and countless various lovely animals. It is a truly lifetime experience. I expected to see thousands of penguin and grand glacier, but the gigantic iceberg was a big surprise!

Hard to pick just one moment --- the colours in icebergs, the complete lack of fear of penguins (they have to be the only animal on the planet that doesn't run and hide from humans), the active volcano, the whales and their incredible curiosity and playfulness, the moment I set foot on Antarctica --- it was one memorable moment after another.

Christmas morning. Waking up to kayak in water surrounded by ice chunks. A minke whale pops up right as we are switching the zodiacs. The sun came out for the first time and it was magical.