This expedition cruise aboard the Viking Polaris fulfilled a dream to visit Patagonia. We flew into Buenos Aires and were housed at the Intercontinental Hotel by Viking. My traveling companion and I had booked a spot on a free walking tour of the city to pass the afternoon before check-in. The next morning we were flown by Viking charter to Ushuaia, Argentina, where we boarded the Polaris. It ...
Chose this cruise for the experience of up close viewing of the glaciers. Riding on the zodiacs and the Special Operations Boat was great fun. The science staff was informative on the area and explained what is happening to the world glaciers. The staff was great and helpful in making this expedition cruise enjoyable.
All the glaciers were different. The foul weather boots and pants were great ...
We have taken approximately 50 ocean voyages on several different cruise lines, trying each of those lines multiple times in our attempt to develop rounded and fair assessments. We're in our 70s, so some cruise lines - while perfect for families or the younger partying set - don't appeal to us. We have developed a short list of our favorites and longer list of our "never agains". Prior to this ...
This is a journal of our February 27-March 12, 2024, “Exploring the Chilean Fjords” land/expedition package on the Ponant L’Austral. The package includes one night at a 5-star hotel in Buenos Aires, flights and transfers to/from Ushuaia, and 13 nights aboard the L’Austral.
We had cruised from Valparaiso to Rio de Janeiro around Cape Horn in 2011 aboard the Star Princess ...
We've talked about an Antarctic cruise for years...we like Ponant, and we are Smithsonian fans, so when the combination came up this seemed a good omen.
We were extremely pleased to find superb support, assistance and communications from the Ponant-Smithsonian Journeys representative. She was in touch early and often. We had a couple of glitches and in each case were helped through the ...
We had been told it was for adults only and that you didnt have to Dress for dinner! Also it was an expedition boat so that we could go onto the land and I also wanted to kayak so I thought we would get some exercise. I also enjoyed the spa and the staff there were spectacular however I only discovered the hairdresser on the last day! I looked at the cabin and it seemed spacious as did the ...
We always were interest in a trip to Antarctica. This one fit our schedule and the price was good when the sale opened up. We really lucked out having good weather for our expeditions and the drake passage was smooth both going down and coming back. It was nice to having all the expeditions so well planned and organized. The science discussions and work on the ship was a very nice touch and ...
This was the best cruise I have ever been on, it is definitely a once in a lifetime experience. The ships was beautiful, clean, and comfortable. The staff was wonderful and very helpful and the food was great. The expedition crew was friendly, knowledgeable and made the experiences ashore most interesting and exciting. I would recommend this cruise to anyone who is looking for an unusual ...
Exciting exotic location way, way, way, way off the beaten path. The opportunity to explore and learn, while staging from an amazingly comfortable and luxurious base with exceptional tour guides was unbeatable. Each and every member of the crew was personable and accommodating. The expedition leaders were extremely knowledgeable and very enthusiastic about their work.
Simply having the ...
Outstanding ship and crew with exceptional service and food quality. Safety was a top concern for the crew assisting on Zodiac landings with plenty of crew members ready to guide and assist each participant in getting on and off the Zodiacs safely. The staterooms were large and comfortable with large showers and floor to ceiling windows that opened by pressing a button to lower the top half of the ...