We enjoyed most of our 12 day cruise on World Navigator. While there were some communication issues with Atlas leading up to the cruise, these were swept away when we stepped on board this beautiful ship. It is very new with lots of room to move around. The Porto restaurant provided expansive views of the ocean while we enjoyed meals, the lecture theater is state of the art, and all of the presentations there were beamed to large screen TVs in the mail (Atlas) lounge as well as to all of the staterooms and suites. The Atlas lounge itself was a favorite hangout, with outstanding views. On the 7th deck, the Dome lounge was beautiful, with incredible views of the surroundings. All of the outside decks provided awesome views of the surroundings, and the 5th deck "Water's Edge" even offered heated seating while providing a close up and personal view of the wildlife and scenery.

Crossing the Drake Passage was pretty rough, but the state of the art stabilizers on the World Navigator minimized the rolling of the ship. The stateroom was very comfortable, and we especially appreciated the full size bottles of liquor provided for each cabin. Twice (or more) daily service was impeccable, and the wait staff in the restaurant were very attentive.

The highlight of the trip for me, apart from the incredible scenery and wildlife, were the expedition team. These people showed tremendous knowledge and enthusiasm for their fields of expertise, and the featured speaker, Ed Sobey, brought a wealth of experience and stories from his decades as an oceanographer. The historian, Chris, was an incredible story teller, not just in lectures, but also during the off-ship excursions. Carrie, the ornithologist, clearly loved and knew her birds, and she was a joy to talk to about them. Ema showed phenomenal enthusiasm and knowledge. Pia, the photographer, provided helpful advice, even for those with point and shoot cameras and phone. I could go on because all of the extensive expedition team were just incredible. Henry, the expedition leader, was a real treat, and did a great job keeping us informed, choosing suitable landing sites that kept us safe, and overall, demonstrated a very high level of expertise and commitment to ensuring all passengers had a great time. One of the highlights of the trip was encountering a large group of over 40 Orca. Henry and the ship's captain ensured we stayed with that group of Orca for well over an hour. This involved some pretty fancy maneuvering by the ship, and it was an experience of a lifetime. Read more