“Quark needs to a better job at the beginning and end of the Antarctica trip. In the beginning, we were not able to board the ship until 4 PM and had to check out of the hotel at 10 AM. At the end of the trip they dropped us of at a luggage station and I had to drag my luggage 3 blocks up hills to the hotel.”
“This trip was advertised as 'In the Wake of Mawson' but it should have been advertised as 'Cruise of East Antarctica'. We didn't land on the 7th continent, and apparently its inaccessibility was something that the crew knew of from the start (reportedly the elusive Russian captain told a Russian passenger on the first day at sea that there would be no landing in Antarctica). Despite this, the NZ Expedition Leader continually provided false hope. Expectations were not managed. Communication was poor, especially during the first fortnight. Morale on the ship was low. The tour itself was not well managed, from hikes on the sub islands that were too long, rugged and dangerous given the ability of the passengers, to depressing lecture room entertainment (one old movie of which had sub titles, but only those seated in the front row could see them - why show it?), to the tour company not having warm jackets to fit all passengers because it hadn't sought sizing information prior to departure (nor had the jackets been dry cleaned between use). We were told that the onus was on us to keep an eye on the guide during the hikes. How could I do that when the French guide I had took off, aiming to break his personal best? I got separated from the group. I was still traumatised from seeing a male Hooker Sea Lion aggressively pursue the guide an hour earlier, and now I was facing two of them at the same time, on my own. There are so many areas in which Heritage Expeditions needs to improve. On the up side, the two chefs did an impressive job, and the Dr, Phil and Chris were great. Chris crafted an extensive powerpoint slide of our journey, using photos taken by him and some of the other guides. Macquarie Island was a highlight, and there were some memorable moments in Antarctic waters. Was it worth $25,000, a month of my life and everything I had to endure? No, it wasn't. The same trip is on again next season. The future Expedition Leader casually mentioned at dinner one night that they're thinking of cancelling it. Do they realise how much a passenger has to do just to get to the booking stage? Why not cancel the tour before advertising it, or advertise it realistically, not how it was in 2010 when Mawson's Hut was still accessible? What is wrong with Heritage Expeditions? I should have gone to the peninsula instead, with a different company. My experience with Chimu was good.”
“This trip far exceeded my expectations in terms of organization, pre and post expedition hotels and the sheer variety offered on board ship. I will certainly travel with GAdventures again as every aspect of the voyage was professionally managed. The expedition staff were nothing short of amazing with their depth and scope of knowledge and flexibility to cope with the vagaries of weather and sea conditions.”
“I went on the Spirit of Shackleton in January 2017. I can't fault G Adventures or the staff and crew of the MS Expedition at all. The expedition crew did their utmost to ensure as many landings as possible, while the hotel crew kept us well fed with wonderful food.”
“I travelled on the Quark MS Ocean Endeavour on the 21d Epic Antarctica cruise. This visited the Falklands, South Georgia, and the Antarctic Peninsula travelling to just below the Antarctic circle. I am certainly glad that I did the extended trip as South Georgia is absolutely spectacular. The ship was fully booked with 200 passengers. This is about the maximum optimum size for Antarctica, with enough room and facilities on board to be comfortable, without that big ship cruise crush. 200 is also the maximum to ensure that everyone can go on shore landings at typically two different locations each day. The journey was truly amazing and I can't recommend Quark highly enough. The accommodation, food and quality of expedition staff and the landings etc were outstanding. Of course having good weather for the majority of the trip was the icing on the cake. All scheduled landings were able to be made (almost unheard of) , and even the crossing of the notorious Drake Passage was benign. We were very lucky sneaking in between weather systems. Other cruises that departed after us were not so lucky. The expedition staff were very highly qualified in their fields and complemented the shore landings with many excellent presentations about wildlife, history geology etc. On days at sea there was very little downtime, when presentations or other activities were happening although one could still find a quiet corner to chill out in given the size of the ship. An expedition style cruise is definitely not one for passive relaxation, especially on the days when shore landings and zodiac cruises are happening. Following my return to Buenos Aires I spent another week seeing the sites of the city and surrounds and also going to the Iguazu Falls. My week's itinerary was arranged by Chimu. All of the arrangements for tours and transfers out of BA went like clockwork.”
“It's a long journey for what is a 4 day holiday on the white continent. It is however worth it. Be prepared to accept what mother nature throws at you weather-wise but also be prepared to see the most amazing sights. The whole experience was further enhanced by the Expedition Team - phenomenal people who do an amazing job. Overall a humbling but worthwhile experience”
