Antarctica
January 2024

I’ve had the fortune of traveling to many amazing places around the world. I do my best to find something special in every place and destination, and generally I do. It’s amazing what you can find, who you can meet, and how every place has its own special attributes. Of all the places I’ve visited, I don’t think there’s one that has exceeded my expectations as much as Antarctica. Don’t get me wrong, every place has unique qualities that I (and our clients) enjoy and get so much out of, but when you’re in Antarctica you are 100% engulfed in the destination. While you can get fully engulfed in many destinations, in my opinion, none to the level of Antarctica.

During my two weeks at the bottom of the globe, we had 14 different Zodiac landings. A “landing” is when you head off the ship and explore the area. Landings may be Zodiac rides to see the penguins, dropping you off on shore for a hike, or a variety of other experiences carefully decided on by the ship’s team of extraordinary naturalists. Of these 14 landings, each was different and offered its own amazing views, lessons, and observations.

Aside from the destination engulfing us, another thing that stood out that I really enjoyed was that we didn’t see another person (aside from those on our ship) or another port for the entire journey. I did book a 14-day cruise so we could go well beyond the Antarctic Circle, but there are many options for itineraries that will allow you to be in the area for six, seven, 10, or more days.

I really enjoyed spending time on the Scenic Eclipse II. I first chose this ship because I wanted a luxury experience and Scenic Eclipse II has a submarine and a helicopter, and I wanted to do both. While I did pick the ship for those reasons – among many others – my overall experience on the ship was great. The ship is beautiful, the food was delicious (with 10 dining venues to choose from), and the staff was extremely nice. The other thing I really enjoyed during my cruise was the open bridge. Whenever I wanted, I was able to go sit in the bridge with the captain and/or other part of his team and enjoy a great view, as well as learning so much about how the ship works.

As far as the dreaded Drake Passage, it was kind to us (mostly) in both directions, but I would still go back again and risk a rougher passage to enjoy Antarctica again!