Dream Team

Our expedition team was amazing. It seemed as though there was a staff member everywhere we looked and there was always someone to help if you needed anything or answer a question. My favorite person on the team was Brian, an ornithologist and enthusiast of anything that was alive. He succeeded in getting the entire ship so stinking excited about albatross. At one point, we had a pod of orcas in the front of the ship and he was more excited about the albatross surrounding the boat. This man actually succeeded in getting me to turn my head from the orcas to look at the birds.  Many staff had similar enthusiasm about their specialties. Some knew more about whales, seals, penguins, or had been to Antarctica countless times. These individuals were at the end of their season and still managed to make our time in Antarctica seem like it was their first expedition. Molly and I made good friends with the photographer onboard. He was experienced in the Arctic, but this was his first trip to Antarctica.

He did a great job putting together our slideshow at the end of the journey and I loved that he was as awed of Antarctica as we were, it being his first time. Our expedition guide impressed me the most.  She was a young woman (maybe younger than me!) but she had so much confidence and cool that you would have never known it was her first expedition.  One of the things I miss most about being on the ship is her voice waking me up each day. She had the most calming announcements and was incredibly poetic describing the world outside our ship every morning. The Russian crewmembers were my favorite. From the chefs and waiters, ladies who made our bed twice a day (sometimes three) to the men captaining our ship, these guys really made everything run smoothly. I really can’t say enough about the whole group of people who made our Antarctica experience that much better.