“Every day just brought better and better experiences. The expedition crew couldn’t do enough to maximise our opportunities to go out in the zodiacs and land wherever possible to see penguins and seals in particular and their enthusiasm for Antarctica was inspiring. Icebergs, glaciers, sea ice and snow covered mountains were everywhere and so beautiful. An unscheduled visit to the Argentinian Antarctica Research Base was one of many highlights of the trip. The 3 weeks on the MS Expedition flew by and was truly the trip of a lifetime!”
“Antarctica, South Georgia and the Falklands were set to be a once in a lifetime experience everyone on board was excited to set off, even with a weather delay. However it soon became apparent that the itinerary we had been provided by Chimu did not match what we would be doing. When we were presented with the "plan B" itinerary onboard there was confusion as we were leaving antarctica earlier than indicated and had less time on South Georgia than expected. This appeared to be down to a lack of sea days in the itinerary, making the itinerary provided impossible or at best misleading. The chimu representative onboard did not communicate with the group effectively and was very dismisive of passangers concerns.”
“I booked on the Shackleton's Antarctica trip in March 2018, intended to go to the Antarctic islands and mainland, South Georgia and the Falklands. The time at sea (about 16 days) would only have been adequate if everything had gone perfectly. However, a combination of rough weather in the landing sites on South Georgia and a medical emergency meant we lost S. Georgia completely. I would only recommend this trip if it is extended to at least 18 days. On the other hand the ship and the levels of service were immaculate, and the arrangements for meeting me at airports and the standard of the hotels booked were entirely satisfactory. There were plenty of landings at the places we did reach and the expedition staff were friendly and knowledgeable.”
“Firstly, let me express that what we did achieve for the most part was an incredible experience. Antarctica is truly an amazing place. The Sea Spirit and her crew, the hotel staff, and food where incredible, and more than met my expectations. The expedition team were very knowledgeable, and presented well planned and interesting lectures, and were always approachable to answer questions. However, the huge disappointment was with the omission of the key part of this expedition for me, which was the visit to South Georgia; 'The Galapagos of the South'. Trying to get a last minute cruise place booked, this was the deciding factor for me, and it was a huge disappointment to all travelers that we didn't go there, and that the possibility of actually going there was in fact highly unlikely/impossible from the start due to the allocated time, distances involved, ship speed, and local conditions at this time of year. From the point at which it was dictated to us that we weren't going, my excitement levels significantly reduced, and the alternative landings were somewhat disappointing due to the high expectations I had for South Georgia. I also opted for what I now believe is an overpriced Kayak option. Whilst a number of the excursions where incredible experiences, in particular the morning of the Antarctic peninsula landings, I also feel that I missed out on some very immersive wildlife encounters as a result (notably the first landing when none kayakers had up close and personal interactions with inquisitive Gentoo penguins, and also the already noted Antarctic peninsula morning, when the zodiac cruisers came within meters of the feeding humpbacks). When the itinerary went to pot, I think some of the excursions lacked any plan, and were much of a directionless paddle. I was particularly disappointed to miss the Kayak Group Photo, on the one occasion when I decided to not kayak, since the taking of the group photo was not announced in advance (that I heard anyway). I would have at least donned my kayak gear to be included in the photo, whether I actually kayaked or not. As such I am not even included in the photo on my own certificate! My overall memory of the cruise (my first ever) is a mix of incredible joy at some things I witnessed, but unfortunately overshadowed by the huge cloud of disappointment I feel at the omission of the key part of the expedition. It pains me that when friends and family ask how the trip was, that I can't be bursting with excitement about the amazing experience. It was a huge amount of money for me to part with and I feel short changed by the events that occurred.”
“The whole trip was amazing without any problems Staff were friendly and worked together well to make the expedition experience very enjoyable and safe for all of us”
