“Every thing went well, except for a driver in Uschia who did not turn up to take me to the ship. The ship was fabulous and the excursions were memorable and well planned. I was able to get to and see all that I had wanted from this trip.”
“On many occasions we wondered if the staff had ever done this before, as things did not go well. Staff lectures contained misspelled words on their slides. Monika's lectures were terrific! She kept us informed about changes in the itinerary, and weather updates. We were disappointed in the biologists who only spotted one group of whales despite a promise that they were continually watching from the bridge. Most of the whale sightings were by passengers. On sea days the staff were seldom visible to we passengers, perhaps because they were putting together lectures, as they admitted that they had "run out of" halfway through the trip. On one occasion in rough seas, 4 travelers were swept out of the zodiacs. Upon returning from our last island visit, we were waiting outside on the lower deck, standing and chilled, for over an hour to get our boots cleaned before being allowed to go into the ship. There was the explanation that one of the power hoses was broken, but during this time, the staff members were seen to walk right past us from the zodiacs into the ship. Also for most of the time that we were waiting, there was only one staff member cleaning boots. Some creative problem solving would have been appreciated. The dining rooms are small with barely enough chairs the ceiling is low and metal, so the noise level is very problematic. Lunch and dinner meals take well over an hour, apparently because the kitchen is too small to produce enough meals in a timely fashion. Vegetarian meals were monotonous serving textured soy protein most days. The breakfast buffet space is a small u-shaped area that is consistently backed up. Thankfully there is a linear breakfast buffet in a side room which works well. The stairways are located from starboard to port and vice versa, so that they are dangerous as the ship rolls from side to side in the seas. There are insufficient handrails to grasp, so that getting from place to place during moderate seas is challenging. There were several falls and tumbles among the passengers. There are insufficient handrails in the bathrooms and the guest rooms as well. One passenger got his finger smashed by a door as he was getting out of the shower. A handrail near the shower in the bathroom would have prevented that. There is only 23 inches of space between the top bunk and the ceiling. I banged my head on a daily basis. Thankfully there is a side rail or I surely would have fallen out as the ship rolled in moderate and high seas which were frequent on our trip. The stairs to the top bunk were challenging, especially in moderate and high seas, see photo. The woodwork shows wear and storage space is insufficient. The ship provides waterproof boots, but unlike others, we were not given a parka, hat etc. Waterproof pants, parka and gloves are a must, and I recommend a waterproof camera.”
“Falklands, South Georgia and Antarctica by Hurtigruten is perfect. Great comfort and amenity, amazing expedition team, awesome destinations, 2 landings a day.”
“By far the best trip you could ever have. Well organised by Chimu and Quark. Nothing to complain about at all, other than it had to end. We are so lucky to have great weather and sightings of all the wildlife Antarctica had to offer......even an emperor penguin who was somewhat lost! We watched a fur seal snatch from the rocks a penguin, then rip it apart. Not nice but nature in the raw. We were "mugged" by both a hump back and minke whale. There was nothing more we could ask for. Simply epic Antarctica.”
“My family and I had a wonderful time. The Expedition team were excellent and all staff were wonderful. Unbelievable photo opportunities and breathtaking views. Only one suggestion Perhaps run a couple of short tours before and after cruise. Our cruise disembarked at 8 .00am and we were told not to book flights before lunch hence we had over 6 hours wait at very small airport.”
