Quark ExpeditionsReviews of quarkexpeditions.com

I loved everything about the Quark Expedition to South Georgia Island and Antarctica. We saw hundreds of thousands of king penguins, a variety of other penguins, many fur seals, a variety of other seals, albatross, petrels, and other seabirds, and lots of humpback whales and orcas. It was thrilling! The expedition leader and team were competent, experienced, kind, and caring. There were many excellent educational presentations, which I really appreciated. The ship was comfortable, the ship staff were competent and friendly, and the food was exceptional. I would definitely recommend Quark Expeditions for polar travel.

It’s pricey to go on this trip but quark took care of everything and was well thought out and executed.

This was the best experience ever. The ship had everything you’d want or need for this trip. The expedition team was amazing; bright, personable, involved, knowledgeable, comfortable. The crew: very professional. The helicopter and zodiac cruises were great. Can’t say enough good things about Quark and this trip.

Quark was well organized from embarkation to disembarkation. The various presenters; history, marine biology and bird life were knowledgeable and approachable. They frequently interacted with the various guests. The expedition leaders took our safety seriously but also ensured that we got the best experience out of this trip. Numerous attempts were made by Ryan ( expedition leader) to get the ship to Grytviken knowing how much everyone wanted to visit this site. Amazing experience.

This is my second visit to Antarctica (previously with another company) - the first was excellent but 20 years ago. The Good: The ship was Ocean Explorer. The ship is relatively new and has excellent accommodation in all classes of cabins The Expedition itself. This covered both South Georgis and Antarctica (I had covered the Falkland 20 years ago – also good to visit). The captain and expedition crew did everything to make our journey pleasant e,g, changing plans, speed and timezones to ensure we had the best weather possible – useful around the Drake Passage The Expedition Team. They were friendly and pleasant at all times. They did everything possible to make our expedition fun and enjoyable. It was really personal – they even rang my cabin when I didn’t turn up at the Zodiac launch one time! The Expedition Leader. He was exceptional and went above and beyond to ensure we saw as much as possible while ensuring our safety – this meant changes from plan (even on a daily basis) but meant we did see as much as humanly possible, safely on both land and sea. Food and Drink. Again meals were generally excellent with many choices – sometimes buffet, sometimes a la carte. Accommodation on shore and transfers. Again, best possible in the circumstances – small towns etc. Other Crew. Again very helpful and willing. Tried to get to know ua and meet our needs. The lady managing the shop was exceptionally helpful and pleasant Other. Expedition jacket provided (free) was both strong and very warm The not so good: The wi-fi. Woeful, making it almost impossible to access emails, transact essential business etc. The prices quoted for getting better wi-fi (not tried) varied from $150 to $750. Totally unacceptable – reasonable standard should be included in the cost, increasing prices if necessary – a small amount relation to the high cost of the expedition. The AV links to the cabins. Again, poor. Announcements froze the TV (even when completed) and I had to get the IT expert to show me how to restart the TV. Lack of resolving issue in the dining room. There was a 5Kg jar of Nutella with a pump to extract it. This never worked, although I spoke to the dining room manager many times – unacceptable (at the very least it should have been removed). These are small (but unnecessary) failings which should not have occurred, and should be easily resolved. It is for this reason that I didn’t reduce the rating from 5*.

The entire experience was epic from the customer service handling, the shipboard experience, zodiac experiences, all of it. Our trip experienced a 48 hour delay in returning to BA due to nationwide transportation strike. This was handled very professionally and expertly by Jake and his team. Remarkable

The best experionce with the best team. Thank you!

Experience of a Lifetime! We loved our journey with Quark and will look for another opportunity to join an expedition with Quark. Not only was the staff top notch and the guides particularly knowledgeable, food excellent, room comfortable etc. But Quark went out of the way to continue to provide an excellent experience after our homeward bound plans were disrupted due to the nationwide strike in Argentina. In times like those, you really learn what a company stands for. Quark continued to put our comfort above all else - truly exceptional company. thank you!