Most Inspirational Moment
Whales at Wilhelmina Bay. We set off in our Zodiac boat and went for a cruise. Within minutes we were encircled by Humpback and Minke Whales! For around 3 hours we were treated to whales fluting, spyhoping and bubble feeding, within meters of the bow of our boat. The most amazing wildlife experience of my life.
Thoughts on Group Leader
Jonathan Chester......well lets start with his redeeming features. He appeared to be very familiar with Antarctica and had encyclopaedic knowledge of the area, a sound Antarctic pedigree and good working knowledge of maritime travel. Unfortunately, I did not find him passenger focused, personable, caring, interested or inspiring. He seemed to be preoccupied with the Jonathan show, constant reminders of the films he's assisted with, 15 books he'd written and who he knows. I expected the tour leader to lead by example and to show an interest in passenger satisfaction. On one occasion (following a request to submit photos for a slide show) I informed him that one of the ship PCs had a virus. He corrected me stating that there was only 1 PC. I advised him that my memory stick had been corrupted and that I had lost photos. I also advised him that another passenger had lost work and photos. Our glorious leader's response? "Go tell Dana" (another member of staff) thereafter turning his back and sauntering off. No apology, offer of help or solution, he couldn't even be bothered to pass the message on to the relevant person. On the last evening there was a photographic slide show. Jonathan gave an overview and thereafter introduce the photo slideshow. Following this me and another passenger created slideshows with video footage. The other passenger asked if we could show them as they only lasted 3/4 minutes and some of the footage was pretty good. Yet again, our glorious leader was as much help and a chocolate teapot. He declined and stated that there wasn't enough time. Following the show there was happy hour within the bar. Me and the other passenger then sowed our videos in the bar area, a resounding success, people were asking for copies of our shows and buying us drinks. Thanks for the encouragement. At one point he told a passenger that was in his 20's, that he was part of "generation X" and wouldn't amount to much. That's really appropriate.All in all I was underwhelmed by Jonathan Chester and will be avoiding any future trips that he will be leading.
Advice for Potential Travellers
Get a Gopro Camera with a pole attachment. There's so much to see and do and this will help you capture every moment.As much as it looks crazy, bring a ski mask. An absolute must when out on a cruise in the Zodiac.
Suggestions
I found the expedition staff to be fantastic! All had their own specific interest and all were incredibly knowledgeable. I thought the staff covered too many jobs and maybe could have been doing with a little more help as it was the same faces getting up at the crack of dawn getting to bed late.Derek (whale guy) and Katie (historian) were particular stand outs. Katie managed to give different angles on the traditional history of the great white wilderness and at points had me captivated with her story telling. She always had smile on her face and her love for Antarctic history beamed through.Derek was outstanding! He managed to find us the best spots for wildlife, had great knowledge of all Antarctic wildlife, had the best stories and was generally a great person to be around on the trip. The Vavilov is a great ship. Cabins are well thought out and practice. Drinks are reasonably priced and food was pretty good. The BBQ was a particular highlight, having BBQ on a ship in the middle of Antarctica on a sunny day, unbeatable.
