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Antarctica Tours - Adventure Life Testimonials and Reviews

Aleksey Maryshev

Peter Pagnin (Cruise on Aleksey Maryshev, Feb 2009)
It was perfect! Blue sky, a lot of wildlife, quiet sea. According the guides the best week in the season.

Ship crew was very ok and very helpfull. They was answering every question when we was on the bridge. We could really be on the bridge every time.

The accommodation on the ship was as expected and good. The cabins was very ok and the staff cleaned it every day.

Clar Nisheoinin (Jennings) (Cruise on Aleksey Maryshev, Dec 2008)
The cabin on the ship was better than I had expected.

The staff were all cheerful, friendly, helpful and enhanced the experience greatly.

The food was amazing. An unbelievable high standard considering that we were aboard a ship.

Erin Frisone (Antarctic Cruise aboard the MV Ushuaia, Dec 2012)
This was the most incredible trip of a life time. If you like a small, intimate boat, then the MV Ushuaia is for you. They made our wedding an unforgettable experience and the attention to detail was so perfect. I am eternally grateful to these special people. Tamara, the bartender, what a lovely lady. She coordinated our wedding and made it perfect.

The guides were amazing and the expedition leaders absolutely fabulous. Even when we got stuck in the ice in the Weddell Sea, the captain maneuvered the ship to break the ice to get us out. What an experience. The wedding they gave us was the most wonderful thing ever! FOUR wedding cakes and a barbeque on the boat. Wow!!

Tim Kim (Antarctica Cruise, Jan 2012)
It was the best trip of my life!! Simply the best!!

Anne-Marie Hunter-Brown (Cruise on MV Ushuaia, Dec 2010)
Obviously we were gutted with the delay due to the storm but the weather and animals when we got on the ice more than made up for this - trip was amazing; am looking forward to seeing all the photographs!

Food was very good and the crew in the kitchen were great! Boat was very comfortable and we got an upgrade in our cabin!

National Geographic Explorer

Miguel Bonangelino (Antarctica Cruise aboard the National Geographic Explorer, Jan 2013)
The National Geographic expedition was superb. Being in Antarctica was like being in a different planet! The activities where all very well organized, safe, interesting and fascinating (zodiac cruises, kayaking, hiking). I found that the various talks and presentation added a lot of value to the experience. The service onboard and the accommodations and food were all first class. I would have no doubt in recommending this trip friends and family.

Graham Bell (Cruise on National Geographic Explorer, Feb 2011)
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC EXPLORER WAS FANTASTIC.LOVELY CABIN,GREAT FOOD & STAFF & CREW 1st RATE.

Silver Explorer

Marjut Koivisto (Antarctic Cruise, Jan 2012)
Every day I thought: what can they show more? AND every day I was just as amazed as the day before. There was a good variety of different food with excellent taste and beautiful environment on the ship. The knowledge of the guides was excellent and they we extreemly nice with a good sence of humor. Wonderful!

Akademik Ioffe

Laurie Ewing (Cruise on One Ocean Navigator / Ioffe, Feb 2011)
How can you describe Antarctica? blue, crisp, pristine, quiet, stunningly beautiful.... Amazing - the trip of a lifetime. Ships crew were excellent. Expedition staff were amazing - knowledgeable, organized, efficient and fun!

Akademik Sergey Vavilov

Roger Stein (Antarctic Cruise aboard the Akademik Sergey Vavilov + Argentina Custom, Jan 2013)
Kassandra was very helpful sorting through the many Antarctica ship options. I told her what I wanted to do and she directed me to the Akademik Sergey Vavilov. Which was the best choice. The team was fabulous. But also I had a couple of days free and was set up on a tour of the Beagle Channel and Terra del Fuego National Park. The ship was very nice. I was using shared bathrooms and showers. But there were plenty of showers and I never had to wait.

Le Boreal

Janice Haskins (Antarctic Cruise, Jan 2012)
We would just like to let you know that the trip was absolutely wonderful!! Apparently we had the best weather that the guides had experienced and our group were able to see things that others hadnt. Thank you for all your hard work putting this trip together for us, we thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ocean Nova Air Cruises

Jay Buchholz (Antarctic Cruise aboard the Ocean Nova Air Cruise, Nov 2012)
This was a visit to my seventh continent. Most of what I saw, I expected to see, but to see it in person vs on the Nat Geo channel is what truly amazed me. There are no words to express the majesty of this place. We also had the added bonus of a 5 day extension. This allowed for great comradeship with the other guests and with the crew. Leaving to go home was actually difficult. It felt like leaving family. I have travelled extensively, and can honestly say that this was the most amazing trip I have ever had.

Sally Haushalter (Antarctic Cruise aboard the Ocean Nova Air Cruise, Nov 2012)
OVER THE TOP an experience that will provide a lifetime of stories to share from seeing 3 types of penguins in 1 colony to getting rescued by the Air Force in a C130. Little did i know that I would eventually be able to put on all 4 of my layers and the lifevest in less than 5 mins so that I could get on the boat to see the wildlife of the hour.

Dawn Brown (, Dec 2011)
Wow – did we EVER have a trip of a lifetime! Antarctica was just SO fantastic! And everything went so smoothly! Thank you all so much for putting up with me this past year & all of my millions of questions & emails. And Jen B., your list of stuff to bring with us was just perfect!!! I would recommend you guys & Antarctica XXI to everybody!!! You guys ROCK!!! Dawn & Gian Brown! PS. I was the ONLY girl to do the polar plunge & it was a mere 22 degrees that day!!! LOL!!!

Penelope Carrington (Cruise on Ocean Nova (AN), Jan 2010)
Antarctica is a beautiful place to visit and the weather can add an interesting perspective to the scenery and experiences. I enjoy photography and have taken many, many pictures of the penguins, fur seals, elephant seals, whales and seabirds. The 10 pm sunsets on the snow-covered mountains, the big chunks of sea ice and the unique and beautifully sculptured icebergs will keep you out on deck (freezing your butt off) for many hours. Then when a large pod of Orca whales or Humpbacks or Minkes swim near the ship and "perform" for us, it is extraordinary. This is an experience of a lifetime and difficult to adequately explain to people who have not been there.

This was my 3rd trip to Antarctica, all trips with Quark, and I would NOT go with any other company. Adventure Life facilitated all my plans and trip details with excellent care, and my trip planner, Jen, is always easy to work with.

The ship's crew were ALL friendly, helpful and genuinely eager to make sure we had the best trip possible. Captain Alexey worked well with Brandon (Expedition Leader) and they were constantly working to provide us with the best shore landings and the safest and most enjoyable experiences. The weather caused us to miss several planned landings, but they provided other alternate landings that prevented our missing any wildlife encounters. There was an excellent variety ... Read All

Le Boreal (CDP)

Eduardo Cuevas (Antarctic Cruise, Feb 2012)
All the experts aboard LeBoreal were very friendly with a lot of knowledge in all the aspects regarding our trip. Our stateroom in LeBoreal was just great and the attention of our butler was even better!

Sea Spirit

Eileen Wu (Antarctic Circle Cruise aboard the Sea Spirit, Jan 2013)
This cruise was a trip of a lifetime and worth every penny. The staff, guides, and even fellow guests were great!

Bruce Elliott (Antarctic Circle Cruise aboard the Sea Spirit, Jan 2013)
For me a trip south of the Antarctic Circle was a once in a lifetime dream come true. This was a no hassle holiday because of the great work by the Adventure Life staff. Going there aboard the Sea Spirit greatly enhanced the experience. The ship is the perfect size allowing for quick and easy departures for shore excursions. The expedition staff were incredibly knowledgeable about all aspects of Antarctica and their enthusiasim was contagious. I was surprized at the quality and variety of food on the Sea Spirit considering its small size. Very good. This trip was everything I had hoped for and expected. Spending a night out on the snow ensured that I would be returning home a very "happy camper"!!

Joanne Bina (Antarctic Cruise, Feb 2012)
I knew a trip to Antarctica would be fabulous! We booked thru Adventure Life and they suggested several tour operators. for some reason I thought we would be among the youngest on the ship, but we were certainly not! The ages ran from twenty somethings and to age 73! The ship held 110 passengers and everyone mixed and minged and befriended one another. If someone lost or broke a camera, someone offered them a spare. Same with needed clothing and mittens. No one became ill or were injured on our expedition, although many got sea sick with the fairly calm Drake Crossing. The ship had plenty of different types of anti sickness meds available. I had not expected there to be a staff of 10 or 11 naturalist specialists on the ship for our educational benefits as well! We were in such great hands with the expedition staff and the ship's crew of 75 people. Trip was absolutely perfect and awesome! Thanks so much for all you did for us.

Linda Downing (Antarctic Cruise, Jan 2012)
Amazing, fabulous, exciting . . . . absolutely loved the experience. Kayaking added entire new dimension to the experience. I cannot imagine doing without kayaking and our guides were top notch . . . Solan and Val. The guides made the trip . . . each one added something special . . . . very involved, very interesting, engaging, knowledgeable and enthusiastic about their topic. Very organized and worked well together.

Ortelius

Walter Woods (Antarctic Cruise aboard the Ortelius + Ushuaia/Tierra del Fuego tour, Dec 2012)
I never would have guessed that last Fall's random google search for "authentic, adventure travel agencies" would have resulted in connecting me to an agency like Adventure-Life. The trip was "other worldly" and personally transformational. You created a FANTASTIC travel experience for me to South America and the Antarctic!

Everything went smoothly. The cruise and excursions all exceeded my expectations. I especially appreciated the lectures and knowledgeable local excursion guides. They handled minor changes efficiently and with great courtesy and I cannot say enough good things about them. As an experienced traveler, I would not hesitate to recommend Adventure-Life or travel with Adventure-Life again.

There were three main highlights to my Adventure-Life vacation: the cruise to Antarctica with its wildlife and, of course, its glaciers; canoeing/hiking excursion in Tierra del Fuego National Park; and, Zodiac cruising in Antarctica. If I could take my Antarctic vacation again, I would not do anything differently. Thank you Adventure-Life for re-igniting my explorer dreams.

Peyton McCollum (Falklands, S. Georgia, and Antarctic Peninsula cruise aboard the Ortelius, Feb 2012)
Overall my trip to Falklands, South Georgia, and Antarctica far exceeded my high expectations. Rolf, our m/v Ortelius onboard tour leader, was fantastic! He knew the wildlife and history of Antarctica in detail, kept humor and patience throughout the trip, and provided a great compilation CD at the end of the trip with group photos, trip itineraries, and more. I would recommend him highly for future trips. We were quite lucky with weather for our zodiac landings, and I actually loved the days when the weather was crazy and the boat was rocking with the wind and ice. That's why I chose a smaller boat, and an older sturdy boat that had withstood many extreme trips (the m/v Ortelius). I saw tons of wildlife and blue icebergs, came home with thousands of pictures and made some lifelong friends. I would go again in a heartbeat, unbelievable trip!!

Ocean Diamond

Jackson Koo (Antarctic Cruise aboard the Ocean Diamond, Jan 2013)
Our Antarctica tour was truly amazing! Words can't even begin to describe the experience. Even photos don't do it any justice. The expedition staff, crew, fellow passengers, whales, penguins, and seals we met only added to the overall journey to make it truly unforgettable. As they say, we're glad we saved the best for last (this was our 7th and final continent to step foot on!)

Joy Markowitz (Antarctic Cruise aboard the Ocean Diamand, Dec 2012)
I have already recommended Adventure Life to my friends and family. I haven't figured out yet what else (if anything) your company could have done to improve customer service and satisfaction, but if I do, I'll let you know. Don't hold your breath- first rate from first contact to last.

Bruce Leibowitz (Antarctic Cruise aboard the Ocean Diamand, Dec 2012)
The trip was great - It was more than great - The experts were unbelievable! I have no clue what National Geographic gives for twice the price. I have been to 103 counties and this was as good a trip as I have ever been on. I have already recommended it to a couple I need in the lounge in the Santiago airport.