Everything about this cruise was better than anticipated (except for one thing).
SHIP
The ship was beautiful. It was simultaneously elegant and comfortable. I loved the public spaces to relax and enjoy the view, a good book, or a delicious cappuccino. This was a smooth sailing ship Even through the large swells of the Drake Passage, the ship gave a smooth quiet ride. We felt the ...
Always been interested in the Antarctic. We weren’t disappointed. Seeing it for the first time simultaneously elicits awe and dread. The Antarctic is absolutely breathtaking and beautiful. But seeing all that ice caused me to admire the first explorers. I would have turned around and run for home at first sight of the terrain. There’s also the concern about climate change. If even a ...
I was with the National Geographic Explorer to Antarctica, and to give you just an idea of the satisfaction I felt after the expedition, I spent 4 more days in Buenos Aires before going back home, and in that short time, I talked to non less than 15 people about the trip, including another fellow passenger in the flight home. My finals words were always: "If you travel to Antarctica, it must be ...
We compared several cruise / expedition companies that offered trips to Antarctica. We eliminated those that were too big and just drove by the continent because we wanted to step foot on the land. We looked at price, amenities, excursion types (zodiacs, boats, kayaks, subs, etc), timing with our schedules, international flight cost/inclusion and landed on Viking. We spent 2 year watching the ...
The Linblad/NatGeo Expedition format is amazing. There were 117 passengers on this cruise. We all felt like everyone on the ship was part of the Expedition and enjoyed new discoveries. The itinerary is fluid as the Expedition Leader and Ship Captain seek to deliver a unique and memorable experience. The open bridge (yes I said the bridge) is unique in my cruising experience and provided as ...
Cruised to Antarctica but could not go to South Georgia due to bird flu and birds dying. The alternative given were well planned. It's great to go to the bridge and watch the Captain navigate tricky channels while the passengers are cluelessly enjoying the views. Got to see a whole of feeding frenzy from the water thus attracting tons of birds above, lots of pods of ocras, different species of ...
My wife and I are seasoned travelers who have taken numerous cruises with several different cruise lines. This Viking Cruise was the absolute best of all.
We took our son and daughter/in-law with us on this expedition cruise to Antartica as a Christmas trip because visiting that continent has been my lifelong dream. This cruise certainly did not disappoint us. From our arrival in Buenos Aires ...
This was my first Viking cruise. It was a journey I had wanted to do for a very long time and I choose Viking because it made coordinating two adults from two different locations stress free (oh, there were the numerous Viking veteran recommendations). Immediately, Viking made it obvious that this was not their first rodeo: Every detail, from making air port connections, going through customs, ...
We didn't expect to be in Antarctica this Christmas, but life is funny that way. Our family was set to go to Israel and Egypt for our daughter's Bat Mitzvah in December 2023. Unfortunately, life had other plans. At the very last minute, we booked our trip to Antarctica. It was always on our bucket list and what better time to go than now? So that's how we ended up on this remarkable trip.
I ...
This was my first ever cruise and I really didn’t know what to expect, but Viking has left me with some really high expectations for any future cruises I take.
The staff were incredible. I have never seen such a positive and on top of it staff anywhere before this. The traveling to and from the ship was very well organized and (as an anxious traveler) I really appreciated how smooth the ...