Describe the aspects of your itinerary that you thought worked really well.
Organisation was flawless. I enjoyed the sub-Antarctic islands more than I thought I would - it worked well to split them into two visits with the Ross Sea in the middle. The team on board were amazing in their knowledge, their presentations were informative and engaging, and they were very accommodating of my lack of zodiac experience. The cabins were fabulous - much better than I thought they would be for a solo traveller. The food was excellent and I really liked that the crew got to know our names - incredible considering how many passengers they meet.
Describe the aspects of your itinerary that you thought needs improving
There was a heavy focus on visiting the early explorer huts, which was interesting but not my main reason for the trip. I would have welcomed some more options that were wildlife or landscape focussed. There wasn't much time to explore or take in the huts either - a few minutes in each one, so it felt very rushed. The weather turned while we were in the Ross Sea so in the end we only got half the time in Antarctica than was scheduled. No one can control the weather but it felt like there was no plan b, which is surprising because I understand the weather is often not great. Instead, we just spent longer at sea getting to Macquarie Island on the way back, rather than having another destination as a back-up plan. As a result, although I think the trip was amazing, I probably wouldn't do it again unless more wildlife/landscape focussed activities were included for all landings in the Antarctica part of the trip.
Were you satisfied with the efforts taken to minimize environmental impacts during your trip?
