January Reviews

The highlight was stepping onto Antarctica. Landscapes were awesome. The whales and penguins were fascinating. The elephant seal was a real treat to see and hear him snoring. The ship operator's staff and ship crew members were outstanding. They accommodated each passenger individually. The people we met were lovely.

The landscape, PENGUINS, Aurora - Sylvia Earle, PENGUINS, seals, the Aurora team, PENGUINS, other guest we met, how welcome we felt on the ship, PENGUINS,

I went with two specific goals and achieved them both.The wild life was great , the landscape not so, partly because we spent7 days in open sea and there was nothing but fog most of the time. No snow covered mountains as one would see in the Antarctic peninsular. There were two prominent sets of passengers one about 12 - Swedish people who were not friendly and the other was a group of “Gay “ scuba diving friends who were more friendly. There were no surprises and the trip was as advertised. The security at Port Stanley was aggravating having my Allen keys confiscated because the woman classified it as a dangerous weapon !!! My friend’s Allen keys were allowed through go and figure that one out. I had two magical moments - 1) The sound of the fur seal pups crying for their parents through the dense fog as we slid past South Georgia en route for Port Stanley. Seal pups are feisty and very independent little creatures. A delight to watch 2) The blowing sound of hump back whales as they glided past the zodiac. We were asked to remain silent in our zodiac to experience this magical moment of stillness except for the movement by these truly magnificent mammals

Very pleased with the ship's operator - the expedition staff were first class. Highlight - - - as on the previous trip, South Georgia A pity that we 'lost' 3 days because of the weather - - - but you've got to take what Mother Nature throws at you.

Anchoring in Borgen Bay - such a beautiful place Polar Plunge!

Loved the Kayaking with seals and penguins. The sheer beauty of Antarctica was totally off the charts amazing, it was nothing like I had ever experienced.

Observing the longest and largest standing iceberg A76 currently in the world. It was so big I couldn't capture it on my phone camera. The overall experience of visiting such pristine and beautiful continent was absolutely amazing and awesome.

So many memories it’s hard to break it down to just one

The complete journey was fantastic. Every day would reveal yet more wonders of the cold continent. Words cannot describe what your eyes see. No camera can capture the experience. You name it we saw it - no polar bears though. (people back home kept asking) There was not one negative about the "experience". People from 15 to 89, from every walks of life added to the expedition. The surprise was the adventure itself, how fantastic it was.

Penguin party on the ice floe visiting early explorers huts the wildlife the immensity of Antarctica

The first time we disembarked in Coureville Island and there they were...thousands of Gentoo Penguins. Everything was a highlight.

The enormous quantity of penquins, 1000's and 1000's!

I don't know if I can pick a single moment. The entire trip was wonderful and the staff was great and very knowledgeable in their respective fields. We were able to get farther south of the circle than was anticipated from the beginning and we were able to accomplish all that was expected. There were of course changes in the schedule as Antarctic weather is always changing, but no real negative changes during our trip.

Kayaking among the icebergs

If you have never been there, there is no way of preparing for the impact of being there. The untouched, natural beauty, the mighty icebergs, the silliness of the penguins. You will be spending hours just sitting in one spot adoring the view. Also don't forget: this is not a luxury cruise, this is an expedition.

Nick - kayaking through the icebergs and probably also visiting Deception Island and the sheer size of the icebergs Wendy - going through the iceberg strewn waters in the zodiac with amazing colours particularly the brilliant blue

Crossing the Antarctic Circle, seeing Penguin rookeries, Elephant Seals, pack ice and Ross Sea ice shelf. Storm Force 10 in the roaring forties was dramatic, unfortunately a couple passengers suffered bruised/cracked ribs and a fair number shaken up. The cruise ship "World" was one day behind us during our tour of the Ross Sea. It was a surprise we were not alone but that such a large vessel had sailed so far South. Seem regulations will stiffen in 2018 requiring vessels to be polar strengthened and banning heavy diesel and so this was 'The World' last chance to make such a trip.

Kayaking with whales and penguins.

The utter beauty of the entire area...especially the quite close encounters with the Humpback whales!

The trip was full of memorable moments - for the first three days, it was just one awe-inspiring moment after another, and really we continued to be surprised and delighted up until the last hour. If I have to pick one moment, I’m going to pick the bum slide down a steep slope overlooking a calving glacier and a tranquil, iceberg-filled bay that followed a lovely hike past a penguin rookery. But also: the orcas appearing during the whale talk, the baby humpback breaching off the bow of the zodiacs, the polar plunge, watching from the outriggers as the the boat cut through the ice, drinking macallan with ice fresh from a berg, having an impromptu dance party with my husband on top of a volcanic cinder cone. It was just a super trip from beginning to end.